Day 278: Celebrating Mady

Friday, June 13, 2008 - Madeline had some close friends and family over last week to celebrate the beginning of Maintenance, a less painful chemotherapy protocol that she will be on for the next year and a half. Some of the girls had made her a quilt. (Thank you Dara.) Mr. MacDonald, Mady's former elementary school principal, donated his ubiquitous shirt and tie to the project, and they can be seen on the right-hand side of the quilt. Her white and green striped soccer uniform is in the upper left corner.

Mady has been going to school daily, and last week was her first full week of school for the 8th grade. This week she had to miss Thursday for a procedure, and unfortunately, they were unable to do the lumbar puncture, even the very capable and nimble fingered Dr. Friedmann who has always had easy success with Mady was not able to get into her spine, so Mady is getting a break from this month's LP. They will try again next month and if they have trouble again, they will use either sonogram or x-ray for guidance. Mady now has a regimen to stretch three times a day to open up her spine a little (my orders, the doctors say that it probably won't do anything, but we might as well try.) The anaesthesiologist who also tried was truly flummoxed.

Today is Mady's last day of school at the Middle School as she will attend the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp next week. However, we will bring her back for one day on Tuesday for the 8th grade party... (priorities).

love. ca