Radiation Week 5 Finished!

Today, Isabella finished her fifth week of radiation. This means that there is only one week left! On the day that someone finishes their treatment, they get to ring a bell when they leave to celebrate the completion of their treatment. We will all be here next Friday to see Isabella ring that bell.

I came up to Boston for the weekend, but unfortunately, the weather may not cooperate as Tropical Storm Danny will be making its way past New England. School will also be starting next week so I'll take Annalise home with me. Isabella will only miss a couple of days of school as she'll be ready to go back to school when we get back after Labor Day.

Christopher's Haven

For the last two weeks and the remaining two weeks, we've been staying at Christopher's Haven. This is another one of the many charity houses around Boston available to families undergoing treatment at local hospitals. Christopher's Haven is a set of apartment/condos located across the street from Boston Mass General and is really convenient for us. It's also right along the Charles River so we have a nice view of the river.

From their website:

Christopher’s Haven was founded in 2001 by Dan Olsen, a local actor, singer-songwriter and three time cancer survivor. While receiving treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital, he met families struggling to care for a child battling cancer while also facing the staggering costs of extended stays near the hospital. After surviving his third bout with the disease, Dan committed himself to doing something to help families like those he’d met. He envisioned a haven for young cancer patients and their families -- a place that would free them from concerns about lodging,and allow them to focus on their child’s treatment and recovery.

Radiation Week 4 Finished

On Friday, Isabella completed her fourth week of radiation therapy. She still feels great and is acting like her usual self. We are beginning to see some physical effects of the radiation, namely, some redness on the left side of her head where the radiation is being applied. In addition, the hair that is growing on the left side of her head is noticably thinner and has a couple bald spots. Truthfully, we're absolutely fine with these side effects because her hair wasn't even supposed to grow back for a couple more months. The fact that her hair even started growing back so soon is another sign of her recovery.

Everyone is also back home in CT for the weekend to celebrate Nathaniel's 2nd birthday! They'll be going back to Boston on Sunday so we don't have that much time together. It is pretty lonely at home alone while everyone is in Boston. Although to an outsider, our home on a normal day may seem like complete and utter chaos, but without it, the house is just an empty shell. I can't wait for another two weeks when the treatments are done and we'll all be home together.

Geeky or Cool?

MSNBC recently ran an article on geeky tattoos.  It’s amazing what some people are willing to put on their bodies.  While I look at some and say “Wow!”, others make me question how that person will feel about their tattoo when they are 50!  My favorite one (being the geek that I am) is the one with the pi symbol made up of binary digits, but I also thought this one was interesting.

From the description, this is “Radiation breaking double helix DNA.  This is the basis of radiation therapy for cancer patients.  More nerdy than geeky I guess!  I am a medical physicist.” Submitted by Jonathan Rogers.

Radiation Week 3 Finished - Half Way Done!

Today, Isabella completed her third week of proton radiation therapy. This also marks the half way point of her therapy. To celebrate, we went to Six Flags New England amusement park, where we spent the afternoon in Hurricane Harbor (their water park), then jumped on a few rides for the evening. I have a bunch of pictures and videos to post from the park and Isabella's birthday, so check back soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISABELLA!!!

Today, August 10th is Isabella’s 6th birthday.  She has been so excited that for the last several days, all she could talk about was how she couldn’t wait for her birthday.  We had a small party for her while she was home this weekend with the family and I hope to post pictures soon.  Isabella and the rest of the family are back in Boston to continue her radiation treatment.

Radiation Week 2 Finished!

Isabella completed her second week of radiation today. I stayed home all week for work, while Julianne stayed in Boston with Isabella, Annalise and Nathaniel. They came home today for the weekend and will go back on Sunday to continue for the third week of treatment. There's nothing new to report from the treatment, which is how I like it. Isabella has experienced no side effects from the radiation and continues to enjoy the summer with her siblings.

One thing I should mention is that every single doctor we've seen so far are completely amazed at Isabella's progress. Whether it's the oncologist, or radiologist or therapist, they are amazed how great Isabella looks given the size of her original tumor. They've seen children with tumors half the size with many more problems than Isabella has. So for that, we're grateful. Everything that Isabella has had to go through in her young life is just not fair, but the way Isabella has handled everything is such an inspiration to us.

Ronald McDonald House

As you can imagine, if we had to stay at a hotel in Boston for the entire 6 weeks, it would get expensive really quickly.  Fortunately, there are several charity houses in the area that provide lodging either at little or no cost for families that are receiving treatment at any of the local hospitals.  For the first two weeks of treatment, we are staying at the Ronald McDonald House which is located in Brookline, MA and just a few minutes drive to Mass General Hospital.  The house is a beautiful, old mansion located in a nice, quiet neighborhood.  The house can hold 23 families and includes a special annex for stem cell/bone marrow kids who need to be isolated.  The house has a giant kitchen with two refrigerators, sinks, dishwashers, and islands.  Best of all, on the lower level, there is a children’s playroom complete with all sorts of games and two arcade games.  It was no surprise that Isabella, Annalise, and Nathaniel quickly grew to love staying at the house and couldn’t wait to get back to Boston after going home this weekend.  The only disappointment I had was not being able to get a Big Mac and fries whenever I wanted!  Click the link below to see a slideshow of the house.

View Slideshow

Whale of a Time in Massachusetts

As you’ve read, Isabella is currently receiving proton radiation therapy at Boston’s Mass General Hospital.  A couple of weeks ago, we paid a preliminary visit to meet with the doctors and check out the living quarters.  We also decided to make it a vacation at the last minute as we spent some time enjoying Boston, then proceeded to Cape Cod for a couple days.  The visit to Cape Cod included a Whale Watching tour which was awesome.  Click the pictures below to see a slideshow of our visit, then check out a couple of our videos.

View Slideshow

 

In this video, Julianne and Isabella risk getting soaked by some tricky fountains in downtown Boston.

 

In this video, you can see a great show put on by a humpback whale during our whale watching tour in Cape Cod.