June 13, 2009.....6pm...."Your son's white blood cell count is extremely elevated. That can mean one of two things; he may have a tumor of some sort, or he has Leukemia." I can hear those words as clear in my mind as I heard them over a year ago. Cancer has changed our lives-- Leukemia has changed our lives. I still cannot believe it has been over a year since Dylan was diagnosed. I remember that day so vividly-it was a nightmare that became our reality. It is hard to write this without crying, even knowing the wonderful outcome. We were so desperate for answers that day. So worried, frightened, and scared beyond our worst imaginations. He was just so little....so precious...our little boy. I WILL NEVER forget that pain. And I do not want to. I don't want to forget about how God brought us through the unimaginable. How He was by our side every second of every heartbreaking day....and remains with us today. How GREAT is our God?! Praise Him for bringing us through this horrible trial as a stronger family with a greater love for each other and for Him! Whew....WHAT A YEAR! Now, we get to deal with the boring, everyday troubles of life....and it is AMAZING! I LOVE being bored! Ha! I love laundry, cleaning the house, and getting to spend every second of my boring life with my family! Things are going very well around here. Dylan had his LAST appointment in Tucson 2 weeks ago, and Dr. Graham is officially moved to the Banner Desert in Mesa. It will be nice not having to drive to Tucson anymore, but we will miss our friends and nursing staff dearly. I am sure we will make a few more trips down there to visit everyone :) Dylan's labs and numbers all looked perfect. His platelets are above the highest average number, so Dr. G said that he wants some of them back! Ha! He amazes the nursing staff every time they see him. He is a bundle of energy and smiles! This has been a very hard year for transplant patients, so it is always great for them to see the good cases :) Dylan is a major attention hog. HE LOVES ATTENTION. He has a knack for getting people to pay attention to him and he does not have a shy bone in his body. Last week we went back to Phx Childrens for another eye pressure check, and he had those nurses putty in his hands. He was blowing kisses and batting his eyelashes and flashing his pearly whites....it is quite entertaining watching him 'work' his audience. His eye pressure test did not go too well. His pressure is still high, despite being off of his steroids. The Dr seemed a little worried, but we are going to give him another month with drops before we try surgery. His next pressure check is scheduled for late July, and if the pressure is still high, then the Dr will make a small incision in each eye to try to relieve some of the pressure. This will be the first step before doing a more invasive eye surgery. Please pray that his drops can help the pressure on their own. The Dr also said that he is severely near sighted and will need glasses as soon as he starts walking. I hope they make those things indestructible! :) In other news, Dylan is REALLY wanting to walk. He still has a very weak core, but he is building his muscles quickly. His physical therapist brought over a little catwalk with rails that he loves to walk along....its only a matter of time. Thank you to all of you who continue to pray for Dylan.....we are truely thankful for each and every prayer. Please continue praying that his eyesight does not worsen and that the doctors can figure out a way to stop his pressure. Other than that, he is doing amazing! A bundle of joy! Thank you for your support and LOVE!! We love you!
