Day 5 (Tuesday Dec 10):
After the exhausting day yesterday, we were looking forward to a nice calm day today. Liam slept well and so did Natalie and I. As much as we love to cuddle, Natalie sleeping on the couch and me sleeping on the floor seemed to help us sleep better. When Liam first woke up he was still a little tired so he laid down by Natalie and I. Today would be a good day though. No poking, no scans, and best of all, the IV in his hand would be removed so he could have both hands back! Chemo would start tonight and we could start trying to get rid of the tumor.
Where he wasn't NPO we ordered him breakfast and then headed out to run the halls while we waited for the food. We made some new friends who were also battling cancer. Crew was about 5 years old and was battling Leukemia (ALL) and loved playing with the toys. Indie (3 yr old with Down Syndrome) and her dad Bryan were also out in the hall sharing their yummy strawberry smoothies with everyone. Indie was also battling leukemia (for the 2nd time) but had just received a bone marrow transplant and was almost ready to go home after a month in the hospital. Unfortunately, they had been there so long that they knew all of the in's and out's of the hospital and considered the staff family.
We went back to the room and ate breakfast and finally had his IV removed. Freedom!! We talked to the doctors about what the chemo process would look like and took it easy. I hadn't been home since Friday so I decided I would go home and spend the day with Emery and then be home to take the kids to dance so Grandma and Papa could have a break and run errands. I was going to stay the night at home but with chemo starting we decided it would be best if I came back to sleep in the hospital. Just as I was leaving the hospital, Hillary Evan's, a friend from our ward, stopped by to visit Natalie. I showed her the room and then headed home.
I didn't realize how much I missed the girls until I got home. I travel frequently and so it wasn't unusual for me to leave the girls for several days, but this time it was different. Life was different. Being a dad felt different, but in a good way. I showered and cleaned up and then spent the afternoon playing with Emery. When the girls got home from school, we headed to Ogden to do dinner and go to dance. We went to Wendy's and sat inside so we could talk. I asked the kids if they understood what was going on and if they had any questions. They were concerned about Liam and wanted to know when we would be coming home, but didn't seem to bothered by things. I think for them it was fun to have Grandma and Papa there. Hallie did mention that a kid on her bus had told her Liam had cancer and asked if it was true. We hadn't told them he had cancer yet because we wanted to wait until tomorrow when they came to visit him. We wanted to make sure we were both there to help talk them through what was going on. A few years ago, Gracie had a girl in her class die from cancer and we were concerned with how they would take the news. I gave Hallie a non answer and told her they were still waiting for some tests to come back. They finished their nuggets and we headed to dance.
After dance we headed to Nic's house and Grandma and Papa took the kids and I headed to the hospital. When I got there I helped get Liam settled for the night. While I was gone Natalie received a visit from the Relief Society to catch them up on what was going on. They brought a tote of snacks, lotions, toys, and all sorts of things that were so helpful. She also had a visit from our neighbor Jill. Jill brought him a stuffed animal, a sloth minky blanket, and some treats for the girls. Though Natalie was hoping to get a nap in, she was really glad she had some people to talk with and work through what was going on. This wasn't easy for either one of us but we know that we are surrounded by many people that love us and care about us and it was nice to have the visits.
Tonight would be a long night for Liam. His chemo would start at around midnight with 2 separate drugs, each about an hour a piece. He could sleep through the chemo but to avoid chemo sores on his bum, they would be coming in every two hours to change his bum. Hopefully he would sleep through it but it would still disrupt his sleep. This would be the first of 3 nights of chemo for the first round. That evening they decided to re-do the dressing on Liam's port again because the tegaderm they put on the night before was leaking and wasn't sealed off anymore. Natalie showered while we did this so she didn't have to listen to him scream. Luckily, the nurse we had was much more calm and did a way better job. We went into a separate sterile room and the nurse slowly removed the tegaderm. Liam struggled at first but calmed down as she worked her way around the port. She placed the new tegaderm on and it looked a thousand times better! We got Liam to bed and Natalie went to sleep shortly after. I couldn't sleep so I watched a show on my phone.
Would this be the first of just a few rounds of chemo, or would this be something we would have to do several more times? We still weren't sure if the cancer had spread so we were praying that it was contained to the mass. How would his body handle the chemo? Would the Liam that we've come to love and know be the same Liam or would this change him? My mind raced as I thought about all of the possibilities. Hopefully this would be over soon. I finally fell asleep. Not much later, the nurses came in and hung the chemo bags. The fight had begun. A fight we know we will win.
Day 5 (Tuesday Dec 10):
After the exhausting day yesterday, we were looking forward to a nice calm day today. Liam slept well and so did Natalie and I. As much as we love to cuddle, Natalie sleeping on the couch and me sleeping on the floor seemed to help us sleep better. When Liam first woke up he was still a little tired so he laid down by Natalie and I. Today would be a good day though. No poking, no scans, and best of all, the IV in his hand would be removed so he could have both hands back! Chemo would start tonight and we could start trying to get rid of the tumor.
Where he wasn't NPO we ordered him breakfast and then headed out to run the halls while we waited for the food. We made some new friends who were also battling cancer. Crew was about 5 years old and was battling Leukemia (ALL) and loved playing with the toys. Indie (3 yr old with Down Syndrome) and her dad Bryan were also out in the hall sharing their yummy strawberry smoothies with everyone. Indie was also battling leukemia (for the 2nd time) but had just received a bone marrow transplant and was almost ready to go home after a month in the hospital. Unfortunately, they had been there so long that they knew all of the in's and out's of the hospital and considered the staff family.
Where he wasn't NPO we ordered him breakfast and then headed out to run the halls while we waited for the food. We made some new friends who were also battling cancer. Crew was about 5 years old and was battling Leukemia (ALL) and loved playing with the toys. Indie (3 yr old with Down Syndrome) and her dad Bryan were also out in the hall sharing their yummy strawberry smoothies with everyone. Indie was also battling leukemia (for the 2nd time) but had just received a bone marrow transplant and was almost ready to go home after a month in the hospital. Unfortunately, they had been there so long that they knew all of the in's and out's of the hospital and considered the staff family.
We went back to the room and ate breakfast and finally had his IV removed. Freedom!! We talked to the doctors about what the chemo process would look like and took it easy. I hadn't been home since Friday so I decided I would go home and spend the day with Emery and then be home to take the kids to dance so Grandma and Papa could have a break and run errands. I was going to stay the night at home but with chemo starting we decided it would be best if I came back to sleep in the hospital. Just as I was leaving the hospital, Hillary Evan's, a friend from our ward, stopped by to visit Natalie. I showed her the room and then headed home.
I didn't realize how much I missed the girls until I got home. I travel frequently and so it wasn't unusual for me to leave the girls for several days, but this time it was different. Life was different. Being a dad felt different, but in a good way. I showered and cleaned up and then spent the afternoon playing with Emery. When the girls got home from school, we headed to Ogden to do dinner and go to dance. We went to Wendy's and sat inside so we could talk. I asked the kids if they understood what was going on and if they had any questions. They were concerned about Liam and wanted to know when we would be coming home, but didn't seem to bothered by things. I think for them it was fun to have Grandma and Papa there. Hallie did mention that a kid on her bus had told her Liam had cancer and asked if it was true. We hadn't told them he had cancer yet because we wanted to wait until tomorrow when they came to visit him. We wanted to make sure we were both there to help talk them through what was going on. A few years ago, Gracie had a girl in her class die from cancer and we were concerned with how they would take the news. I gave Hallie a non answer and told her they were still waiting for some tests to come back. They finished their nuggets and we headed to dance.
After dance we headed to Nic's house and Grandma and Papa took the kids and I headed to the hospital. When I got there I helped get Liam settled for the night. While I was gone Natalie received a visit from the Relief Society to catch them up on what was going on. They brought a tote of snacks, lotions, toys, and all sorts of things that were so helpful. She also had a visit from our neighbor Jill. Jill brought him a stuffed animal, a sloth minky blanket, and some treats for the girls. Though Natalie was hoping to get a nap in, she was really glad she had some people to talk with and work through what was going on. This wasn't easy for either one of us but we know that we are surrounded by many people that love us and care about us and it was nice to have the visits.
Tonight would be a long night for Liam. His chemo would start at around midnight with 2 separate drugs, each about an hour a piece. He could sleep through the chemo but to avoid chemo sores on his bum, they would be coming in every two hours to change his bum. Hopefully he would sleep through it but it would still disrupt his sleep. This would be the first of 3 nights of chemo for the first round. That evening they decided to re-do the dressing on Liam's port again because the tegaderm they put on the night before was leaking and wasn't sealed off anymore. Natalie showered while we did this so she didn't have to listen to him scream. Luckily, the nurse we had was much more calm and did a way better job. We went into a separate sterile room and the nurse slowly removed the tegaderm. Liam struggled at first but calmed down as she worked her way around the port. She placed the new tegaderm on and it looked a thousand times better! We got Liam to bed and Natalie went to sleep shortly after. I couldn't sleep so I watched a show on my phone.
Would this be the first of just a few rounds of chemo, or would this be something we would have to do several more times? We still weren't sure if the cancer had spread so we were praying that it was contained to the mass. How would his body handle the chemo? Would the Liam that we've come to love and know be the same Liam or would this change him? My mind raced as I thought about all of the possibilities. Hopefully this would be over soon. I finally fell asleep. Not much later, the nurses came in and hung the chemo bags. The fight had begun. A fight we know we will win.
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