Day 62: Friday Change of Plans

Saturday, November 10, 2007 - Madeline went to school yesterday morning and at 10 am I received a call from Mary-Jo, Mady's onc nurse practitioner, saying that Mady had a low HCT (red blood count) and they would like to transfuse her but we would have to make it to the Yawkley Center by 11:30 at the latest. I called her critical care nurse, who gives Mady her chemo at our home, to let her know Mady would be transfused and due to time, have her chemo given at the clinic; found a puppy sitter (Bless you, Kim); made sure Julia's foster family was available (Thanks again Kim); and called the CMS nurse Rosemary Peterson, who found Madeline and made sure she was in the front office so we could travel directly to MGH.

As it happens, a number of patients made the mad rush for the Yawkey Clinic at the same time and there were no beds when Madeline arrived prior to the 11:30 deadline, so Madeline had a blood draw, something they have to do right before she receives blood, and we went to lunch. By 2:30 they started all the chemicals and the blood and we didn't leave until 6:30. The Yawkey Clinic typically shuts down at 5. We had planned to go out to see some Jazz with friends, but by the time we walked in the door, we were just too tired to go.

We talked to the doctor about Thanksgiving and our hope to spend it with family, and she said that as long as Madeline is feeling OK she can go to Thanksgiving, and go to school and do anything pre-diagnosis. It's such a difficult task to let go of all of the angst and allow us all to live as close to normal as this diagnosis allows and not fret. It's very hard not to panic constantly.

Madeline is having fun with one of her friends right now, and I can tell she is feeling well, because she was writing this morning and she is starting to read more again and she is laughing so much more. She also played her favorite game with me yesterday, "which would you rather." Usually, it can include a myriad of objects, from candy bars to pets, but yesterday it went like this. "Which would you rather, Scarlet Fever or Leukemia?" "Which would you rather, Leukemia or a brain tumor?" I know it's strange, but it actually seems healing.

This morning, we walked the hills at McLean, walked by the new town cemetery, and saw the housing development. Buttercup ran beside us almost the whole way, so when we went back into the car, she seemingly passed out from exhaustion. She later went with us to Julia's soccer game and had a circle of little siblings surround her and pamper her like the true princess that she aspires to be. Have a great weekend. Love, Chris