Feb. 10th

Yesterday- Robert and I took Bryce to Johns Hopkins for the Children's Orientation. This was a day for children/grandchildren of patients to tour the hospital and to learn more about the hospital/treatments. We are recognizing that the 'unknown' is fearful and that knowledge is power. We all struggle with the fear of the unknown and the inability to control our world. This gave Bryce an opportunity to learn more about cancer/treatments/and the hospital in a safe and nurturing environment.
This program was created to demonstrate, to the children, where their family members are going and to show them what & how medicine/treatments are being provided. They had an oncologist speak in general terms about good cells-bad cells and then toured the hospital. Of course the initial talk was a bit difficult for Bryce to comprehend and he verbally noted that he was bored. However, after we left the hospital and later in the day he asked very relevant and articulate questions about those 'cells.' We will continue to try and talk with the boys in an honest and appropriate manner. After the group meeting, Bryce got to go on a tour of the hospital with the other children. Each child was chaperoned by a staff member and we were given a pager to inform us if Bryce was upset or scared. He got to make 'fake' chemotherapy and a radiation pillow with his hand print in it. Apparently he got to work the pharmacy 'train' and did such a good job that he got an 'honorary pharmacist' sticker. After lunch, he made a pillow and shared it with the entire group of families and staff. He stood on the chair, held up his pillow, and was embarrassed to speak. Our social worker helped him through it and Robert and I couldn't have been prouder. He made a new friends that he is still talking about including; social worker, doctors, nurses, and peers.
In our meetings yesterday, the topic of cancer forcing 'lives' to become more public was addressed and the challenges that surround this new reality. For me being 'public' about our situation and emotions has been the easy part. We want as many people to know in the hopes that- the more people who know- the more people who will project positive thoughts and prayers. Our theory also extends in the opposite direction- we like to say- "don't tell anyone who doesn't like us, we don't want the negative energy." The challenging part has been finding ways to thank everyone for the amazing amounts of support that we have received and asking others to help in ways that we never needed before. We hope that through this blog we can continue to keep everyone informed and continue to articulate to you the gratitude that we have in our hearts.