Day 14

I have been with Adam two days now and I am in utter awe at the amounts of food this kid is eating. And he's not even on steroids (which can make you really hungry). It's very impressive. Today is the first day Adam has been unhooked from his IV tube which allowed me to give him his first shower since coming to the hospital. He screamed so loud and so long, I had no less than three nurses come in and ask if I needed any help. But, we were successful and now we have a clean boy. After the shower, we went to the oncology playroom where he immediately attached himself to a large yellow toy dump truck. Needless to say, the collection of earth moving vehicles in our room continues to grow. So, all in all, he is doing very well.

A Room With A View

Adam has been feeling MUCH better. His appetite has returned with a vengeance and he is also constantly asking to "go for a walk." We bought a weather cover for his stroller which allows him to leave the room (he still won't wear a mask), so we are able to go to the Oncology Playroom where he can get out of the stroller, a.k.a. the bubble, and play like we were in his own room. It's a nice break and a much needed change of scenery for the both of us.

It is clear that he is doing much better then a week ago. That's why it's a bummer our five day break ends tomorrow afternoon. That's when Adam will start the last four doses of chemo for this round. The break was nice while it lasted.

This is a view last night from our hospital window of the sun setting in a mist of humidity. It was a photo opportunity I just couldn't pass up!

Off To A Rocky Start

It's day five in the hospital and I think we've finally given up hope that this is all a bad dream. Adam continues to bleed from his central line incision. His blood is having a hard time clotting. He is feeling really lousy right now, so he's not moving much. When he is given meds that make him feel a little better, he will move more and then the site bleeds more. They are working on helping his blood clot more efficiently by giving clotting factors through plasma transfusions. He is receiving his second plasma transfusion today. We hope this helps things. After the transfusion, he will get one more dose of chemo and then we get a five day break at which point, he will receive a set of four more doses. After that is all done, we will have finished this round. 

All About Adam

Adam was 18 months old when he was first diagnosed on March 28, 2008 with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. He started the first of five rounds of chemotherapy the next day. After almost six long, grueling months, Adam was sent home from the hospital with a clean bill of health. He continued to be monitored once a month for six months, and then once every two months for the next six months. Unfortunately, he did not make it to the end of the second six month period. After nine months in remission and without any indication anything was wrong, he developed a fever with no other symptoms. He was taken to the doctor the next day to get his blood checked, and the results came back with a white blood cell count of 57,000. His Leukemia came back. He was admitted to the hospital that night and had a bone marrow aspiration and spinal tap the next day to confirm relapse. On Thursday, his central line was placed and by early Friday morning began his first of two rounds of chemotherapy to put him back in remission and to prepare his body for a bone marrow transplant. 

Update: Adam successfully completed his transplant in September 2009. At 12 months post transplant, he continues to do very well. We are thrilled with the outcome and are hopeful he maintains a steady path to a complete recovery. 

Adam has ALWAYS been a high energy kid. He loves people and makes it his mission to say "hi" to everyone. He especially loves to say hello to our neighbors when we go out side or when we are getting ready to take his older brother to school. He is fascinated by everything, first and foremost, helicopters. He developed a love for aviation while he was at the hospital last year. He was able to watch the helicopters take off and land and it delighted him to no end. He also LOVES his older brother, Russell. In his eyes, Russell can do no wrong. Adam cannot wait to go to school just like his brother. He has also turned into quite the turtle activist. Whenever there is a turtle in the road, if it is safe, Mom or Dad must get out and put the turtle in the grass. He has always been fascinated with babies, and gets very concerned when one cries. It makes him extremely happy to know that the "baby's Momma is taking care of him." He loves to go get a "cream cone" with Russell after school and especially loves to go play at the park when the weather permits. 

Adam's Favorite Things

Anything Helicopters
Airplanes

Dump Trucks/Bulldozers/Cranes

Tractors/Farm Equipment
Trains
Fire Truck/Ambulance/Police Cars

Animals: Cows, Horses, Cats, especially Dogs and "Goose Geese", and Baby Turtles

Movies: Toy Story, Cars

Cookies

Ice Cream Cones

Cameras (Thanks to Momma's Hobby)

"Red Blanket"

Mint flavored Tic Tacs

Taking a Bath

Bubbles/Bubble Lawn Mower
Chocolate