Happy Story of the Day

The darkness clears and from the fog emerges a happy almost 10 year old boy named Aidan!! I am so overwhelmed and elated to report that since we have been home for a mere 2 1/2 weeks, Aidan has had a phenomenal recovery. This boy's body is growing strong he has more than quadrupled his counts in about14 days. As you can see from this pic, his first stop as soon as mom and Dr. gave the green flag was our favorite beach with his very best friends, the Corey and Bryson duo. Hair and eybrows are back as well as appetite and his frisky little attitude! He attended the class party for the last day of school and got to say goodbye to his friends and wonderful teacher Mr. Beyer for the summer.

As far as Dr. visits go he has graduated to blood work and check ups every two weeks. In the next month or so he will have another bone marrow biopsy but Dr. Ruki will put it off as long as his blood work continues to improve. We are going to work hard this summer so he can successfully transition to fourth grade with minimal aches and pains. Wish me luck!!!!

Hello From the Trenches

Will he stay or will he go now? That is the question. Starting week 2 at home and feeling better. I am so drained after hospital. I have self diagnosed Post Traumatic Stress. I know what its like coming home after war. You can't relate to anyone or anything for a few days. I had 40 messages on my phone but I couldn't even talk clearly. Aidan and I were both in this weird stupor. We both cried a lot out of relief to be home. It felt so good to be here with him safe in his bed not being poked and prodded all day and night. It takes its toll on his mental state and he literally starts going crazy. Its so scary to watch him be upset and there's nothing you can do to stop them because of course they have to monitor his vitals every few hours as well as take so much blood. The meds he was on were insanely strong, I finally asked for the Ativan to numb his brain a little.

Afraid to get too comfortable like its a dream or something. Is it possible that the first chapter of the cancer is over? Its like reading a book that hasn't been written. Its like living with an invisible spirit, unpredictable and scary. I am trying really hard to live "in the moment" so I think after a few weeks of this it will get better. No more putting off what I can do today because we truly do not know what tomorrow will bring. Its all about the bone marrow. I have been advised by the medical profession to basically live in a limbo state right now. Don't get excited about his health but don't let it stop you from living. Ha! I am sarcastically laughing at this prescription. A perfect way to go absolutely insane! I have read all the reports of relapse and it is not fun. Its worse than going thru it the first time and at this point it feels like it would break us. Mentally we are all crippled right now. Recovery will come and we must be patient.

Aidan's feeling ok this week. He's not good and not bad. He's very weak and tenuous about attempting anything strenuous. Going up and down the stairs is hard-he has alot of muscle atrophy from hospitalization. He gets winded and has to hold on to the railings. He stays in his bed and plays games most of the day but is eating really good. He lost about 7 pounds last month so we are working on fattening him up. He has hair growing by the day and has been fever free since they removed the line last week. He is scared shitless of the needle for his weekly blood draws so we are going to use the numbing cream to help get him through the prick. It has been quite an ordeal to get blood out of him without the line and there is nothing I can say to make him feel better about it. He just says " you don't have to do it..." and he's right. His nausea is gone but he still associates those certain foods with it so he has really curbed his menu. Hard to figure out what to feed him so we just go with the flow.

His dad brought him to meet his baby brother. He was elated. Said he held him most of the time and talked baby talk to him. Big smile on his face when he came home. Was completely in LOVE with Christian. (the baby)

Hope week two is as uneventful as week one!

The Longest Month Ever

Hi All, This is Bridgett as Aimee has no internet access. Sorry it's been so long for an update, but when we say Aidan's "Journey" we meant it. Well, Aidan did finish his last chemo beautifully on April 26 & went home the next day. He returned 3 days later for platelets, had a bad reaction to them & was admitted to the hospital. Luckily, he was released the next day....only to spike a fever 2 days later. He has been in the hospital since then which was Sat. May 3rd. Thankfully, Nana was here helping and keepimg spirits lifted. Aidan LOVES his Nana and misses his Papa dearly!!! They treated him for a strep infection with 7-8 different antibiotics but after 9 days his fever still wouldn't break, plus he started having extreme pain in his arms. By Sunday, Mothers Day, (not knowing how sick Aidan would be, poor Nana was on her way back to South Carolina crying her way through airports) meanwhile the worried doctors did some xrays where they found some "cloudiness" in his lungs. Dr. Ruki is so fantastic....she had him immediately ambulanced to Kaiser Sunset (L.A.) to the ICU while he was stable. She did this to air on the side of caution since she was going out of town. The doctors at Sunset started Aidan on a different cocktail & tried his favorite shot in his IV instead of his legs. (the Dr's thought the pain in his arms might be the strep infection spreading to his extremities...thankfully it looks like it was the shot causing the pain so they changed it to an IV injection) The pain in his arms diminished by Tuesday & he strarted perking up. I forgot to mention how very nauseous he's been due to all the medications. So Aimee finally got him to eat a little something (first thing since he was home on May 2nd). He was released from ICU & put in a regular room on Wed. May 14th. The cloudy lungs were clearing, they completed the antibiotics while his counts climbed the charts....yeah!!! He was finally sent home on Monday the 20th.

Tuesday was a new day....he felt great, even requested sushi....their favorite :-) But....that night by 10:00 he spiked yet another fever. Did I mention this was called Aidan's Journey? Maybe we should call this Aidans Adventure!! Aimee took him back to the hospital in Anaheim but Dr Ruki was still out of town so Aidan got to take yet another ride in the ambulance to Sunset. Oh yeah.. this took place at the most convenient time of 4 am. When Aimee refers to "hospital time" she ain't kiddin'.

On Tuesday morning Aimee's very sweet Granmda Lucille peacefully passed away at Mission Hospital. As Susan said, she was 91 years young and had her daughters nearby. She was very loved and will be greatly missed. Aimee says now she can be with the Lord and plead Aidan's case up there. God Bless sweet, sweet Lucille!!

Today is Sunday & Aidan still has a fever and is still experiencing quite a bit of nausea. He had a migraine yesterday & was rightfully very cranky. After eating some food though, he perked up and his migraine subsided. The antibiotics have to run for at least 7 days...so no word as to when he can come home. Not to mention, they still can't figure out why he has a fever. Nothing growing which is good....but a mystery none the less.

Please continue to pray for Aidan and for Aimee. Aidan is such a brave soul. I had the most wonderful time taking care of him while Aimee was sick. He is very good company....great conversationalist. (And wow, what a deep thinker!) He has the ability to have you in tears one minute and then laughing histerically the next. Aimee is just a true champion...her strength and abilities are absolutely amazing to me. What a great example she continues to be and the greatest friend anyone could ask for. Tito is also such a great support, he is the rock that keeps this family grounded. Thanks for taking such good care of everyone!!

Aidan's LAST Treatment

Hi everyone,

Catch up time, I know. Well we've had a very exciting week. Mom was lucky enough to get VERY sick. Last Friday night at the hospital I started to feel a bit stuffy. By Saturday morning, I was sick. Major disaster. I can't even describe the feeling of having to leave Aidan in the hospital and go be sick away from him. Bridgett and the kids were there and my mom was down the street at Grandma Adele's finishing up her being sick. Tito drove me over there and I collapsed on the couch and can honestly say I have NEVER been this sick in my life. Today is Thursday and I am finally feeling better. Bridgett and Dana have both helped care for Aidan all week as I was quarantined to my room. Thank you Bridgett for taking a week off from being you so you could be me-wanna trade? Probably not! Thank you Dana for filling in the gaps between Tito and Bridgett and Janell for the 2 delicious meals-major props for cooking!

So now he will start his final four bags of chemo and his shot. and done. Of course Aidan has a mile long list of what he's going to do with his life but catching up to his peers for 3rd grade will be what we are going to work on most. Back to Aikido and swimming are his choice of sports and major trips around the world-I believe Paris and London-were included on the list. Too funny!

Tomorrow I will go to the hospital to be with Aidan. Evan I will be sure to mention the boat to Aidan-I am SURE he will want to join you as soon as he can! Thank you for the invitation-please have your mom contact me at freundac@yahoo.com so we can exchange numbers. Denise, Gillian and Logan, thank you for always leaving messages for Aidan-I read them to him and it makes him smile. He always talks about Aikido with you guys and would love to see you when he can. Please use my email as well. In fact if there's anyone who would like to contact me personally-use that email address.

Don't feel like talking about cancer today

I'm tired and don't feel like talking about cancer so I wrote Aidan a story:

The Crow

There's a crow who lives in the tree next to our house. Dana Crow. He comes and goes but I see him daily. He feels somewhat like a pet because his dwelling is part of ours. Some days he hops around on the ground in search of food, his black shiny feathers reflecting morning sun. Crow Business. Other days he has some unknown particle in his sharp beak and he hides it in his tree, saving it for future use. Crow Bank. I read once that crows were extremely territorial and smart. He seems to be both. When we came home Saturday, there was a tiny mutilated baby bird head on the stairs leading to our front door. Crow Dominance. Trash days are his favorite. He and his buddies travel the cans, pillaging the stuffed and overflowing ones for anything they can find. Crow entertainment. By the time the truck comes to purge the smelly cans of their waste, the crow party has littered the streets, pieces of plastic trash bags, paper cups, empty egg cartons and the such. Crow tracks. I remember when Aidan was in Kindergarten, the children were required to bring their lunches not in paper sacks but hard lunch boxes because the crows were notorious for silently pecking through to the glorious treasures of peanut butter and jelly and Doritos not in their original foil but lovingly packed by a five year old mother's loving hands in a baggie to save money and unnecessary calories. Crow Snack. Last year I waited for Aidan after school in my car near some trees in the parking lot. The crows conversed loudly each and every day. Their different calls and cahoots meant something important to crows, the language I do not know.They usually sounded bossy. Crow talk. When I die, I wand to come back as a Crow. Crow reincarnation.

Yes I have WAYY to much time on my hands!

Love That Smile!!

So, we got the news today that Aidan will have his 5th and final treatment next week. As long his counts stay up and he's strong enough, Dr. Ruki will admit him next Tuesday for his final treatment. YEAHH :) Trying not to get ahead of ourselves because it will just make this month crawl by. This last treatment will be his strongest yet but he's so ready to be done-he'll do anything at this point.

Clinic went good today-probably our fastest yet. Aidan rewarded himself with Dairy Queen. We just got back from a nice walk around the Dana Point Harbor. We ate pizza at his favorite pizza place-Beach Cities Pizza and read all the funny names on the boats. So far our repeat favorite is "Dog House"!! Tomorrow he has an opthamologist appointment to check eyes for any damage the chemo may have done. After we are going to walk outside at Downtown Disney for a little change and get some toned down fun in before the hospital stint. I am even going to let him have some control over the TV remote this weekend-I am feeling generous. He also got his contact letter from Make-A-Wish the other day and was excited to really start thinking about his one true wish. The will soon come out and visit us and spend time with Aidan, helping him pick his perfect wish so they can start working on making it come true. He is so excited! It really gives these special kids something to look forward to. What an incredible program. Dana Point is also going to host Relay For Life and we are going to have a Luminaria candle burning for Aidan. It will be one of the many candles that light the path as the race goes on through the night to represent the never ending battle to cure cancer. It is a great way to get involved and comes to many communities. We are going to try and make an appearance but don't know if he'll be in the hospital.

Nana Susan is coming next Friday from South Carolina and we are so excited to see her. We miss both the padres but we have to wait till June to get our Papa fix. Oh well one grandparent is better than none and we can't wait(I especially can't wait!)

Have a great weekend and I will resume blogging next week.
Love Aimee

NEW UPDATE

Hello everyone,

I am so sorry I haven't blogged in a few weeks. Not only did we have Blog technical difficulty(google changed some things) but Aidan was admitted to the hospital, oh I don't know around the same day I blogged he was doing great!Ha ha thats what I get for being so optimistic...I shall go back two weeks to catch you up.

Exactly one week after Aidan's March chemo he woke up feverish. I had gone into his room early am to draw his blood for the lab(I have to do it when testing falls on a Sat) and he was pink. Pink tones for Aidan means trouble since he really doesn't have enough red blood cells to be flushed-sure enough 102.5 on the thermometer-dangerous for him. By the time we got to Kaiser emergency he was 103.5 and his blood pressure was dropping. The Dr. was waiting for us and had to stabilize him before moving him upstairs. Very scary. After a full round of blood cultures they found a bacteria called Klebsiella pnemoniae. It is a gram negative bacteria associated with the lower GI tract. They started him on 4 different antibiotics and about 4 days later he was better. They took him off all the antibiotics and within 24 hours he had a fever again. They started him on a different round of antibiotics, four more to be exact. His cultures all came out to be negative this time around so that was good. The bad news is that he developed a case of what I call "Chemo related" colitis. One of the side effects of Chemo is that it attacks all rapidly dividing cells because cancer falls into this category of cells. Well, your GI tract, from the inside of your mouth all the way thru till it all comes out is made up of these cells-as well as your hair which is why it falls out. His bowels were raw on the inside and it started causing him unbearable pain as soon as he had to have a BM. So they started him on morphine. The morphine helped the pain subside but since Aidan's blood cells weren't regenerating yet(due to the chemo) he didn't have any white blood cells to heal this inflammation and it seemed like this was never gonna end. It is an absolutely VISCIOUS cycle and watching him go through this was completely unnerving. The solution to this problem was to start giving him "the shot". GCSF is a white blood cell booster which is called in as "clean up crew". It is a booster he hasn't needed up until this point but thank god it exists because it worked within a few days. I won't go into the trauma of giving Aidan this shot-let's just say he had the nurse in tears, but it does work.
Needless to say he was in the hospital for 2 weeks and they discharged him by the skin of his teeth and lots of begging from mom to let him go home. We are here at home this week-spent the whole day yesterday in the clinic so he could get a platelet transfusion-and are scheduled to go back next Monday for his LAST TREATMENT. I am anticipating this to be his hardest time yet. His body is completely worn down and he is existing on minimum blood counts so he really really really needs everyone's prayers. Lets storm the heavens to get him through this with minimal illness. He will be getting a very heavy dose of Ara-C and some sort of protein-enzyme killer to prevent cancer cells from making new proteins but also affects your liver-AHHH I can't even go into it-way over my aching little head. But I do know that all of your prayers WORK. He has been so protected and been spared so much of what he could have gone through-what most kids normally do go through and I know it is because of you and the love that has been put out there for him in his time of need. Thank you thank you thank you.

We are going to have a restful week at home. I am going to fatten him up as much as he will let me so he has some reserves for the weeks to come and now that I have command of the blog once more I will do my best to stay on top of reporting.

PS-Aidan's new brother, Baby Christian is reportedly doing well. He is a big little baby and is keeping his mommy, Betty, very busy. Daddy Lucho is doing good and looking for job in California.

PSS Daddy Tito is also doing good and needs to get his props for being the best step-dad and future husband ANYONE could ask for. If it wasn't for him I would be lost. He takes such good care of us its unreal and more than anyone could ask for. Thank you Tito for everything-I know I don't say it enough.

I hope everyone is doing well and this will all be over before we know it. Aidan is so amazing and has handled all of this with the grace and dignity of a King. I am so proud of him.
.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! We are so grateful for all of the truly wonderful blessings in our lives. Aidan has a NEW BABY BROTHER from Dad and Betty. Christian Eduardo Freund was born March 19 and weighed 9 lbs 10 oz...poor Betty-she delivered natural with epidural-eye yeh yeh! Aidan was only 6 lbs and I thought the end of the world was coming. Aidan can't wait to meet his new little brother!


Aidan is feeling good one week after his chemo treatment-Praise God. He had 6 days (4 of Ara C and 4 of Mitoxantrone) they overlapped in the middle and he really came out like a champ with NO fever this time!!! YEAH. His counts dropped rapidly this week and we are going to have to go in sometime this weekend for blood and platelets but as an outpatient. His teacher Mr. Beyer who comes to our house to teach Aidan says his mind is sharp and he is doing good on his home studies. We ventured out to the movies and saw 10000 BC in the middle of the day so the theater was empty. Mom brought along the clorox wipes and wiped the arm rests down and we were good to go. Aidan ate a HUGE caramel apple, pretzel and pizza and the next day he was Neutrapenic so he got the restaurant food in just in time!

Some of the major changes we have made since Aidan's diagnosis: we hardly go anywhere, germs are everywhere. We have ventured outside on rare occasion but Aidan can't be in the sun too long and he fatigues quickly. We have limited our visitors to very few to none, we can't take any chances. We pray alot, well I do, I can't speak for anyone else. Actually, Aidan's prayers are very to the point and concise-Heavenly Father thank you for this day and please make me better, Amen-Very Lego engineerish if you ask me! I have decided to tackle the family photos. My parents have relinquished the treasure unto moi and I am motivated to get 38 years of photos under control. I know in a week I'll be saying, "what have I gotten myself into." I have already decided there will be NO scrapbooking involved. I am strictly doing albums-KISS method-keep it simple stupid.

Anyway, we love you all and hope you have a very Happy Easter weekend
Love Aimee

March Madness

Hi everyone, sorry its been so long between posts. Dr. Ruki says some denial can be healthy. A way to survive. So I guess I've had some of that! today is the 11th and Aidan was admitted yesterday after a full afternoon in the clinic. He will be here for the week as long as the treatment is kind to him. He is getting 4 days of HD-Ara c and 4 days of a new drug (for him) called Mitoxanthrone. This round is called Intensification II. For some reason this time the A tivan (anti-anxiety) is making him extra emotional so we are dealing with that, but the good-great news is that his Bone marrow aspiration Friday showed no sign of blasts (cancer cells) which is very good at this point in treatment. It reassures that chemo plan is doing what it's supposed to do. Dr says he looks good and his ANC was 2.0 which is great. This means that he is not Neutropenic right now and can cat regular food while in the hospital. He was Not happy about being admitted and didn't really think he needed to go because he really feels like he's " Done with the cancer." too cute. of course i have to have a good private cry after he talks like that.if only it were that simple. He doesn't understand why they can't just give him a shot and be done with it. I wish!

Dad is out here in Cali right now awaiting the birth of his second baby boy his expecting with his longtime girlfriend, Betty. Apparently, this baby is taking after his brother, Aidan because he is taking his own sweet time coming out. of course Lucho is also out here for Aidan so he is dividing his visit between waiting for contractions and waiting for chemo. poor guy-l'm not sure how he is keeping his head on straight.


So, we had a few good weeks home waiting for counts to go up and we are half way thru this. I will let you know how he takes the new medicine. He looked a little flushed when he stood up for bathing so we'll see what happens. I have lots of help this week for breaks so l am very grateful for this visit and friends. the Lord is watching over us and i know that He is protecting Aidan through this. There can Always be worse.

Blessings to all those who have sent cards and gifts in the mail. I apologize if I cannot thank each one of you personally but know that your gestures are greatly appreciated and i am truly humbled by the love and rapport of so many. Thank you. Aimee

Aidan's BED please read side post for story

February Flies By

Can't hardly believe that February has come and past. Time flies when you're having fun! Aidan was released Saturday afternoon on his own recognizance so we flew the coop. Sunday was hard but a good long visit from our friends perked him up tremendously. Today, Wed., he is like a new boy. The peaked face has some color and his appetite is back in full force. The three lbs lost have been regained and I know he feels better. He thinks I'm crazy asking him how he feels every 30 minutes or so but I can't help it.

I told him we need to have degrees of not feeling good so I can judge: "I'm bored" is the best you can get, "Good" is great, "I'm ok" means I'm probably going to have to lay down for a few minutes, "I don't feel good" probably means he has to go to the bathroom or eat something, and don't freak out but I told him if he REALLY and TRULY doesn't feel well he can say, "I feel like shit." He was utterly appalled when I said he should use such language to tell me how he feels. My argument is that he of any person I know has earned the right to use it and no one would be offended if it was necessary. I would say cancer earns the right to a few choice words no matter how old you are. He completely disagrees and knows I am going to Hell for sure.

Tomorrow, Thurs we will be back at clinic for blood draw. Hopefully more Neutraphils have appeared, he had none on Sat. and a few on Monday. Once again we are waiting for his total neutraphil count to be 1.0 (1000 cells per microliter) total his Chemo starts again.


Aidan had his first teaching lesson with Mr. Beyer (his actual 3rd grade teacher). He came to the house and they studied together for a few hours. Aidan was beaming afterwards. It was a boost he really needed. It was fun and he LOVES Mr. Beyer.


So, we are happy for the few days we have here at home and are thankful for every good day we have. We are also thankful for our wonderful family and friends who love and support us every day in some way.


Hope you enjoy the pictures.

love aimee

Valentine's Pics 08

Aidan's Back By Popular Demand

We've had a pretty good week at home after chemo. On Wed. Aidan finally started to feel better so Valentines Day was awesome for all of us. Aidan picked out a watch for Tito and got Mom a big box of chocolates. He also shared his chocolate rose with Mom. Aidan got a new cell phone and his favorite candy for Valentines. He's very excited about the cell phone. Now he can call Momfrom his hospital room when she is at Toys R Us to give specific directions on exactly which legos or bionicles to buy (since he has just about every single one made, it's hard to know which one to get). On Friday, Aidian did very well on his homework. He's pretty much caught up on his homework & we are hoping to get some time in with Mr. Beyer before chemo starts again. Friday also brought Dana, Fred & Lexi to play while Mom & Tito went out to celebrate Valentines Day. He had so much fun, they are an entertaining group. Thank you Dana, Fred & Lexi for some alone time with Tito.
On Saturday afternoon Aidan got platelets and started feeling lousy on Sunday morning. By the early evening, he had a fever of 102. This, of course, calls for check in. So, Aidan is back at Kaiser Permanent (as Aidan calls it) for hopefully only a few days (depends on how he's feeling and/or when his fever is gone). He's on a new antibiotic called Fortaz and of course on Tylenol. The antibiotics are starting to work, he's feeling a little better already. Mom's already had her trip to Toys R Us & Blockbuster. He's building his newest limited edition Bionicle (thank goodness for directions from Aidan) while watching some movies. He also called mom while she was at Vons today to ask for "a whole entire rotisserie chicken". When he was told they were out of them, his next request was pumpkin pie. The third phone call from Vons was to tell him they didn't have that either, he said "fine I'll settle for Oreo's & milk then." Let's hope this appetite continues as we pump up for the next round of chemo.

Ramblings of a somewhat crazed and silly mother

Hello Family and Friends,

Thank You Bridgett for updating the blog for me last week. Just want you all to know that I have made Starbucks that much richer after last week's hospital visit. Not that anything bad or unusual happens but when you start knowing the nurse's rotation schedules and they know that you don't want to be disturbed before 7:30am(ha ha good luck)...why does Aidan have to be weighted at 4am anyway?And if I'm not there I am at Starbucks or Toys R' Aidan and that one of Aidan's incredible nearly personal staff likes iced mocha with whip and another likes nonfat vanilla latte extra hot... Sorry I digress-yes, nurse schedules and how their kids and grandkids are doing and why the lady that cleans our room was upset that her 15 year old dropped her second cell phone in the toilet-you know you've been in the hospital toooooo long!!!!!! You get the picture...

Enough about my dying brain cells-AIDAN is doing very well!!! He had a very hard chemo session as Bridgett mentioned. He started Monday and by Tuesday night spiked a fever-this was anticipated due to his HD Ara-C (high dose Ara-C) This lasted 2 days which seems to be the longest he holds a fever and then Thursday started getting a bright red rash on his abdomen. Thank goodness, this one was not itchy but it is still on his head a bit. His personal trauma is still the weekly changing of his bandage that covers his Broviac but seems to be getting through this amazingly well. (It stings when they take off the bandage because the skin underneath is not regenerating so it stays a little raw). After his last dose Saturday morning, Dr. M asked if we would like to go home and awwhhh yeah Dr. Darren we're out of here. Home felt so good-everyone knows now about my three day dehospitalization process. First-sleep in a soft bed, second sleep some more-maybe by day 2 get dressed but day three up and running. Guess what today is!!

I have had a few people ask me what clinic is (hi Jana) -it is Dr. Ruki's Oncology office that is basically equipped for any outpatient services her patients need. They do blood draws so we don't have to go to the germ filled lab, they give blood and platelets so we don't have to check in to the hospital, many kids with A.L.L. (acute lymphomic leukemia) get 2 years of treatment so a lot of their chemo is outpatient. Aidan has a routine-blood pressure, weight, blood draw, Dr.'s physical exam including a thorough external skin exam, wait for blood results and home. We wait for blood results there because there have been a few times as you already know that he's needed blood so I won't drive the hour home for them to call me and say come back for blood or platelets. It makes for a very long morning but Aidan brings a backpack full of entertainment-like a road trip only better!

Anyway, home feels good and he feels good so I am good. The Lord has given us this for a reason and we are going to do our best to make it through without complaints or self pity. I know that when you are in the midst of a crisis it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but I know that Aidan is very well protected right now and that he will see this through and hopefully someday help others get through the same thing. When you sign up for motherhood you never know what you're gonna get-its like the old grab bags the ice cream man used to sell-and I am fully accepting of what's in this grab bag and will carry Aidan through the best I can. Of course I have an incredible man by my side, Tito who would move heaven and earth for Aidan and me, as well as Lucho who not only has to shoulder the illness but has a new baby due in a few weeks. I cannot imagine his emotional tug of war-happy for baby, worried about Aidan-very hard and we pray for him a lot.

Ok enough,
Thank you to everyone who sent cards these last few weeks and a big thank you to come for the special gifts Aidan received over the past few days.

love,
Aimee

PS I'll post some pics this week

Aidan's Surprise Check In

This is Bridgett writing since Aimee was caught totally off guard today. This morning Aimee thought they were just going to the clinic to have Aidan's blood checked. To their surprise, Aidan's counts were high enough to start the next round of chemo. With no preparation, this of course was the cause for a very long & hard day. Thank goodness Tito was right there to the rescue & then Lucho came for the 2nd round of rescue. Aidan will be sad to see his daddy go back to South Carolina on Tues morning. He had a great time playing games with dad for the weekend.

This round of chemo is an intensified five day treatment which is supposed to cause a lot of side effects. Aidan got a visit from Brother Boughton, Brother Raica & Corey to have a priesthood blessing. As usual, they gave him a beautiful blessing of healing and strength. He also got a lesson per his request because he's "had to miss a lot of church & so he really needed a lesson". Aidan has always had such a faithful sweet spirit which is only getting stronger (Thanks to his Mom). Their true faith is such a great lesson to the rest of us. We all love & admire your strength Aidan!!

Thank you GEM BeBe

Thank you to everyone who has purchased Aidan's miracle candle. GEM BeBe has contributed close to $500.00 so far to Aidan. This money is going towards the weekly copays at the Dr.'s for clinic visits and medication as well as all the gas (and Mom's Starbucks habit). Audrey you have given us so much of your time and love and we appreciate you. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts.

YO YO YO

Well, its decided-the chemo has officially gone to his head-literally and figuratively. My son, who has hardly been 10 miles outside of Orange County-except to go to Las Vegas and SC-thinks he is a gangsta. He is sportin the Bling that Dad's friend Ira sent to him in the mail and he looks so cool-bald head in all, completes the look don't you think? Too funny.

As you can probably guess we are finally home after 6 grueling days of our Kaiser timeshare. Only grueling because Aidan felt so lousy at first and then after a few days felt better but of course we still had to stay until his counts went up enough that it was safe for him to leave. We left late Thursday and got home just in time for Aidan to hole up in his bedroom for a few solid hours of play. He had a lot of catching up to do with all of his toys and video games. They missed each other!!!! I really haven't done much of anything for the past two days-I get so zombified with hospital hours, it takes me so much longer than Aidan to readjust. I have a new appreciation for my privacy though. We have the best nurses you can get but when they are in and out so much it makes you want to cry. Thursday morning thank goodness I remembered to bring my clean clothes in the bathroom with me because when I came out the Dr. was sitting on the bed playing video games with Aidan. Mind you it was 8am. This Dr. has decided that he is going to adopt Aidan so when Dr. Ruki found out she was highly insulted that she was not on the top of the Aidan adoption list!!! This of course leaves Aidan beaming from ear to ear!

Thursday morning Aidan after the 8am Dr. visit, Aidan had his 3rd Bone Marrow Aspiration. Sad to say but this is getting easier every time. He SWEARS he was awake thru the whole thing but I watched what the Dr. was doing to his back (not for the faint of heart) and there was NO WAY this kid was awake. This time an anestheiologist was in charge of the drugging and he gave hims something really good. Not sure of what he used but there were no side effects at all-he woke up a few minutes after the procedure and didnt have hardly any of the loopiness that he has with the Versed/ketamine combo. After that they put a bandaid on and he's good to go.

Monday is a clinic visit and then we'll talk about checking back in for chemo. For now we will enjoy being holed up at home away from the germy world for a while.

love you
Aimee

Hospital Blues

Just got home to get stuff together. Aidan's fever is gone-Praise God-but he is on a very strong antibiotic called Vancomyocin(sp?). He will need to be in the hospital for "a while" according to the doctor. I am not sure how long "a while" is. It's a vicious circle-the antibiotics are staving off the infection so they can't just pull him off of them because he is better for fear of the infection returning due to his low blood counts. Also this antibiotic has alot of side effects so they have to check his blood before and after giving it to him. He has to get a blood transfusion today for his low Hemoglobin levels as well. Sounds like they will evaluate him at the end of this week-Friday maybe-and let me know from there.

On a brighter note, my friend Audrey's parents came last night and we had a wonderful visit. They are very knowledgeable in the Scriptures department and entertained Aidan for the better part of an hour with the story of Joseph. Aidan loved it. Afterwards, they laid hands on Aidan and prayed to God for the miracle of healing to be bestowed upon him. It was beautiful and uplifting and we both needed it. Aidan told me afterwards that while they were praying he felt as though the room was spinning and he was being lifted and floating. It is a sign that the Lord was truly present because it is exactly how i felt the day I was baptized at 33 years old and I know I never shared that feeling with Aidan. Afterwards, mommy got some buddy time with Audrey eating sushi and catching up. Thank you Audrey, Gloria and Ruben, we love you.

Dad's coming Friday for about a week and Aidan is very excited. It gives him something to look very forward to-especially since Luis is a terrible shopaholic and does alot of RETAIL THERAPY (like Nana) when he's out here. So we'll let ya'll know how this week turns out and I will log on in a couple of days now that I know there are so many out there actually reading my babble!!

Love Aimee

In the Hospital

Just wanted to update that we had to bring Aidan to the hospital yesterday. He started having a headache in the morning, chills in the afternoon and by 5pm he had a temp of 100.4. Its at this temperature that I have been instructed to take him in. I called the hospital on the way so they could preadmit him. He had a room waiting when we got there and about an hour later his temp went up to 101. So glad I didn't wait. After looking at his blood tests, the Dr. says he has some sort of infection-very typical for Leukemia patients and started him on antibiotics. As of right now we will be in for the duration, no telling how long we'll be at the hospital. I am home right now getting some stuff and am about to get back on the road. I will give an update as soon as I can.

love you all-aimee

Just Another Day in Paradise!

As you can see we are trying to keep our sense of humor alive at all times. The nurses at the clinic, our new home away from home, get a big kick out of us and our funny life stories. One of their favorites is how Grandma Robustelli used call Aunt Brenda's dog "Tyota" and then get really mad when he wouldn't come to her but the dog's real name was Dakota and he wouldn't give her the time of day! This silly pic of Aidan was taken last summer but it really depicts how we are all feeling these days. Its kind of like being in Alice in Wonderland or something like that. We are all on some strange trip through another world. Some days Aidan is ok with what is happening cause he's blocking it out really good and other days life just sucks and we just eat doughnuts and watch movies. We've almost seen every movie ever made-or at least that's one of our goals. The other is of course to have California's second Legoland park right here in our townhouse.

This week we went to the clinic twice. Monday was a full day with a platelet transfusion. Aidan is needing more Benadryl lately for the side effects. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, its just what is happening. He tends to have shortness of breath and stomach pain once the Benadryl wears off so he needs quite a bit of it. It is pushed thru his line so it works really fast and in a few minutes he's sound asleep! Thursday was just a blood check and we were out of there in a mere 3 hours and 45 minutes. That's probably a record for us. Sadly, Dr. Ruki's clinic is always full of kids with some sort of leukemia/lymphoma. We have met some pretty amazing families. We all sit and patiently wait our turn. Aidan is completely taken with the little ones who are 2 and 3. He is so entertained just talking to them and seeing that even though they are so much smaller than him they are going thru the exact same thing and I think it makes him braver than he already is-if that is possible. The other day at breakfast he was quite prolific,"Mom-well I really feel like my body is fighting this Leukemia really good and I think its gonna beat it." If he only knew how much money adults would pay in therapy to have that attitude! Go Aidan!!!

Our tentative calendar is Bone Marrow Aspiration on Monday, Jan 26 and possible hospital entry for round 3 chemo the following Monday. Of course this is based on the wonderful count that once again must be at 1000 to begin treatment so we'll see.

Thank you everyone for the continuous gifts and cards. We are so grateful for every thought and extra minute you have taken in your day to think of Aidan.

Sprung Free!!!

So sorry I haven't updated lately but getting wireless access in Aidan's room has been quite a challenge. The good news is that we are HOME again-Hallelujah! Aidan took this treatment a little harder, experiencing a terrible, itchy rash all over his abdomen and chest as well as fever and a little anxiety episode related to so much Benadryl for the rash but overall is still doing good. Apparently, they kept him longer in the hospital the first time because there are so many serious side effects that can happen and they won't take any chances until blood counts are up. This time they finished his last injection-AraC pushed like a shot thru his IV and they discharged us. We are so happy to be back home again so mom can brush her teeth and get dressed in private!!!! Oh yeah and so Aidan can be more comfortable-of course...He has started the terrible stomach pain and bathrooming every 30 minutes or so but at least we don't have to drag an IV pole with us just to get on the toilet!!! I was really worried about that because our room was so small but the the bathroom was in a very awkward part of the room around a wall corner-it was a challenge just to go every couple of hours never mind every 20 minutes-so we are thankful.

Before we left the hospital, I stopped in to see Dr. Rukki in the clinic so she could sign Aidan's release for for schooling at home. He will officially miss the rest of third grade. I am so sad about this because he happened to get the neatest teacher this year, Mr. Beyer and they are learning so many great things. I will do my best to help Aidan stay on top of things but I already know its gonna be WAR. We are so close and have such a great relationship except in this one small area of our lives, HOMEWORK. UUUGGHHH I am dreading it already. If anyone has any good ideas to keep the peace between us-let me know-I am very open to any and all suggestions. He will get a teacher 5 hours per week for tutoring and I am going to look into a private tutor also but this does not in any way replace the third grade experience.

ROUND TWO

Hi all,

We are back in the hospital. We checked in Monday, Jan 7 after waiting all day in the clinic for a hospital room. Apparently there was more illness over the weekend than one hospital could handle and to say it was a zoo would be an understatement. We finally got a room by 6:30 pm and settled in. They started Aidan's chemo around 10pm-kind of sucks because when it starts that late it automatically tacks on another day of staying here. Oh well.

Tuesday we changed rooms two times. I'm not sure why, something to do with other kids needing the certain monitors, so we are in room 401 and I'm sure we'll be stuck here because it's the smallest room on the floor and it has no monitors. The good news is that it has a great bathroom! What a trade...

Tuesday night after Aidan's full day of chemo he started feeling ill. He started with chills and then spiked a fever. He stayed at 101 for all of Tuesday night and Wednesday night went up to 102. YUCKKK. He really didn't move too much Wed. Totally out of it, nauseated and lethargic and freezing cold. We couldn't put the warmer blankets on him because we were trying to cool him down so he was basically miserable. Today, Thursday his fever broke around 10 am and he soon took up where he stopped last time he was here---back on the portable Nintendo game cube. Guess he is feeling better. Mom, nana and the lovely nurses are not allowed to ask him too many mothering, annoying questions like, "Are you hungry?" or "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Poor guy, not only does he not feel good but he has all these women hovering. Even the Dr. is a woman!!!! Mom was kind of out of it this morning, good thing I stocked up on extra SLEEP while we were home cause there is no such thing as it around here lately. Because of the fever, the nurse took his temp every 30 min and then Aidan had to use the restroom in between. I catch twenty minutes at a time where I can-just like having a newborn all over again!!

Thank goodness for Nana Susan's daily visits. I actually took myself to the gym twice this week to work out all the back cramps from the so called pull out bed and get my circulation going. It's a great stress reliever and Nana gets some quality time with Aidan. It must be so fun watching him play video games for hours! Haha. Welcome to the world of a 9 year old. He also perked up when I suggested the idea of his buddies coming to visit for a little bit tonight, so they are on their way as I type. I'm sure some good friend time will get him through a couple more days.

Thank you to everyone who sent us cute cards and special gifts in cards. Aidan was thrilled with them all. You are all too generous.

Please keep praying for Aidan, the last round was so great and I know its due not only to Aidan's tenacity but also to the power of prayers. This time seems like its already wearing on his body and he has 5 more days to go of treatment. I know he can do it but its hard to watch him go through this. His spirits seem good but he does have terrible moments when he questions why? What would you tell him? I tell him that we are soldiers and we are fighting a war and we are going to WIN. The "D" word is not allowed. Not on my watch. This is only temporary(thank you Jamie) and we have to tough it out to get him better. He can do it...

Just Waiting

We went to the clinic yesterday and hung out for a while. We thought we would be checking in to the hospital but Aidan's overall neutriphil count is still too low to begin chemo. He needs to be at 1000 and was at 647. Dr. Ruki went ahead and did his second Bone Marrow Aspiration and Aidan did much better than the first time. It seemed to go much smoother in the clinic versus the hospital for some reason. Probably because the clinic nurses do it all the time and are very calm. Aidan listened to music thru his headphones vs. me singing to him(less stressful for mom) to keep him relaxed so the Ketamine could do it's magic. He is so funny when he comes off of the drugs. This time he kept asking for the Dr. to stay in the room with him cause he needed company. The nurse had never heard him talk so much so we had a good laugh at the funny things he was saying. Needless to say, we were happy to come home for a few more days even if its just prolonging the inevitable. I did unpack the car (the worst part of returning home!!!) and the food(Aidan hates the hospital food). I guess this is the roulette all chemo patients play, the blood numbers game. It is very confusing and frustrating to think that he is so way below the low numbers but looks and feels so good. He is a mighty warrior. Whenever I feel like I won't be able to do or handle any of this, I look at him with his easy going strength and bravery and I feel the Lord moving through him to hold me up.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone Love Aidan!!

We went to the clinic yesterday expecting Aidan to have his second Bone Marrow Aspiration and Spinal tap with an intrathecal injection of Chemo. Lucky for us Dr. Ruki decided to wait until Wednesday the 2nd-do all that and admit Aidan all at once. We were very happy to have 2 more days at home!! Aidan played with all of his new toys and games-the ones not packed up for the hospital and mom cleaned out his room of all the old stuff and put away all the Christmas decorations. Now, what to do with that giant tree...hmmmm! We wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and will post some new pictures in a few days.

All our Love,
Aimee and Aidan