Clouds ascend like sculptures, backlit by the setting sun. Wispy pink columns stand in dramatic array, the clump on top of one stack embellished with a viciously straight contrail that angles upward like a laser beaming from a cyclopean eye. It is a tiny thing but still audacious enough to pitch a galactic battle against an unseen enemy. The day closes over the Mississippi, with stormheads threatening their bounty of rain from the south. Colin and I have left the gentle wash of music and companionship of old friends on Mud Island, a sanctuary of gentile life only a stone’s throw from the urban grittiness that awaits patiently on the east shore of the mighty river.
Continue reading Same as it Never Was
Category: Second Opinions
Plans and Perseveration
Saturday morning was a lazy one, but I determined to hit the loop inside of St. Jude’s campus before it got too hot for this Yankee girl to even consider it. The sun was already insistently warm before 9 am, but I figured I had enough time to squeak in a reasonable run before it became unbearable to my delicate constitution. The previous 24 hours had been full and draining, leaving me an exhausted heap curled around Colin in the blessedly comfortable bed at St. Jude’s Tri Delta House on Friday night. He had asked me to snuggle with him and I happily obliged, but in the morning I woke up still wearing Friday’s clothes. Continue reading Plans and Perseveration
Colin’s Immunotherapy Treatment
Yet again, I have let too much time lapse between updates on Colin. This time, the reasons are driven externally more than internally. In the quest for an appropriate post-surgical treatment, we discovered a novel option in Augusta, GA, that provided Colin with the elusive combination of a good quality of life and the possibility of durable remission. Although there will soon be a trial open for children with relapsed high-grade brain tumors, Colin is the first child to get on this therapy and is being treated under compassionate use with the FDA. Continue reading Colin’s Immunotherapy Treatment
A *What* Transplant?!
Today, we continued to put Colin through the paces. Continue reading A *What* Transplant?!
Five Millimeters
Colin had a great day today. Continue reading Five Millimeters
Decisions, Decisions
We have finally figured out an enormously important piece of Colin’s complicated oncological puzzle. Continue reading Decisions, Decisions
Revamping
Well, the official read of Thursday’s MRI is in: no metastasis! Continue reading Revamping
I’m Considering, I’m Considering…
Colorblind James Experience is much more obscure than Paul Simon, but fortunately they have a MySpace page, so anyone unfamiliar with the band can find their tune “Considering a Move to Memphis” online. Continue reading I’m Considering, I’m Considering…
Graceland
Colin has been at the center of a whirlwind of activity. Continue reading Graceland
New Belly Button
On Monday, Colin had surgery to install a G-tube (a second bionic belly button next to the organic original) and perform a fundoplication, which serves to prevent reflux. Continue reading New Belly Button