check out gogriergo.com for pictures...

Chemo started again today... and it went as it should--- the whole visit was almost 3 hours from door to door--- soooo lucky I only have 5 minutes to get to the clinic.... some people drive 45 minutes to several hours to get care-- another reason to stay put!  His checkup went fine... he actually let someone besides Kristen access his port... and when the nurse came in.. she even asked him if it was "ok" if she accessed him.... I was waiting for the whisper of "MOM" ( meaning .. you tell her)... or the NO but he just said nothing.  Counts looked great... We actually had a new doctor today that I had only met once before while she rounded when we were inpatient.... I really like her... and she did her fellowship from MSKCC-- just an added bonus ~  The infusion room was pretty calm and we were there with the same family we have shared the room with for the last few times... Pharmacy had the chemo pills so they were given in the clinic and so it just saved a trip to the pharmacy and another co-pay!

Other than that he is good... we have had a " I run to the can" moment as soon as we came home.... but immodium is the drink of choice now-- trying to stay on top of it....

Tomorrow is the first REAL day of Kindergarten.... all the kids will be there... so I have gone back and forth about the best way to get him to school and when to get him to the clinic for chemo.... I think he is going to go in the morning for a little while... and I will pick him up early and take him for his chemo.  I think this will be the best just in case we have "side effects" after the infusion.... at least he will be home for the afternoon.... I would say to "rest" but he spent over an hour today playing soccer in the yard...

Wednesday is September FIRST-- the first day of pediatric cancer awareness month... You will be tired of reading it by the end of the month--- Just Kidding... Lesa has 30 places of business that are going to "GIVE" to cookies for kids cancer in honor of childhood cancer awareness month.... 30 days for a CURE!!!  All money donated will be for research for children-- Please plan on taking your family to a few or all of these places on their designated day.... We will be there.... I guess that is one way to get out of cooking for almost a month!!

Did you know that…?

• Second only to accidents, CANCER is the number one cause of death in kids.     
  
  
  
• Cancer kills more children than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and AIDS combined.     
  
  
  
• Over 12,600 kids every year are diagnosed with some form of cancer; 25-30% DO NOT SURVIVE.      
  
  
• 1 in 334 children will be diagnosed with cancer yearly.     
  
  
• 60% of child survivors will develop at least one chronic health condition (e.g. secondary cancers, major organ damage, developmental problems, cognitive delays)      
  
  
• Despite these numbers only 3% of the budget from the National Cancer Institute goes towards Pediatric Cancer Research.     
  
  
• The same is true of nonprofits. Despite picturing children in their ads & using children in fundraising events, the majority of the well known Cancer charities give less than 2% to Childhood Cancers Research.

WHY IS SEPARATE FUNDING NEEDED FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER research? CANCER IS CANCER RIGHT? Wrong!

• Pediatric cancers are very different from adult cancers in their biological make up and molecular structure. Their causes remain unknown and their treatments are very different.     
  
  
  
• Compared to the understanding of adult cancers, little is known about what chemotherapies work, what cells mutations are involved, etc. for childhood cancers.     
  
  
• Not enough is known about what is most effective for children’s cancer, so they are bombarded with high doses of many types of chemotherapies     
  
  
• Children get more chemotherapy, for significantly longer periods of time, at higher doses, than adults.      
  
  
• There has only been ONE new drug developed in the last 20 years for pediatric cancer, ONE.      
  
  
• Childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly & spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region.

* Information taken from: National Cancer Institute, CureSearch, & Candlelighters. Statistics above refer to the U.S

I am asked ALL the time--- what can I do to help??? Well... this month do something to help raise awareness.... there will be lots of opportunities here and if you don't live here... have a bake sale, give blood, order cookies from polka dot bake shop ( they will ship them to you), wear a yellow ribbon, think outside the box and make the gold ribbon as well known as the pink one!