Hurray!!! Caca is having so much fun swimming as part of her rehab program. She was home for the weekend, although Dr. Jesse missed seeing her again this weekend, but is so happy for CaCa that her leg has finally healed all over that she can now swim. Let us praise God as we all celebrate this new big step of recovery for Cassidy.
Good job CaCa! We all cheer for you! Hurray!!
Despite the crazy snow storm yesterday, CaCa and Mama Carmen were safely sent back to Bloorview and perhaps CaCa had already gone to class at Bloorview this morning. Praise God that the chemo cleared pretty quickly this time and CaCa was doing well at SickKids. She told me that her wound is almost closed up and soon she'll be able to swim in the pool at Bloorview as part of her rehab exercise. Can't wait till the summer when we can all swim together with CaCa. It is very possible that CaCa will go home for this weekend, let us pray that she stays warm and healthy as the snow has started falling and the air turns crispy cold.
It is Dr. Jesse's prayer that CaCa stays strong and well, and that she can even come to a Christmas Concert next Sunday to hear me sing. It'd be a nice retreat for CaCa, GorGor Aaron, Mommy and Daddy to come enjoy a nice full orchestrated concert at a church. May be we can even gather everyone to come to the concert together. Leave a comment here to let me know if any of you are interested.
Dr. Jesse had a nice long chat over the phone with CaCa and she was telling me that things are going great with her chemo. She was sleeping in on Monday morning while the side effects started to subside slowly and she was starting to eat much better by lunch time on Tuesday. She says she'll eat more and save up the bones for Dr. Jesse because she knows that Dr. Jesse lost some weight from not getting the yummy treats in the last little while.
CaCa also told me that the nurses said her chemo is clearing fast that she might be able to go back to Bloorview sooner this week. Praise God for that and let's pray that the rest of CaCa's time at SickKids goes smoothly and that she gets to even go home for the weekend before returning to Bloorview.
Mama Carmen says she feels so blessed by all the love that were shown to Cassidy and the whole family in the last few months and she thanks God for His faithfulness in bringing them through all the sufferings and giving them strength to be brave and courageous to walk on whatever path He has planned ahead of them. Mama says she feels extra blessed with Aaron being such a great big brother throughout the whole time that Cassidy's been sick and needed all their attention, she prays that both daddy and her can work out more "Aaron Time" just for Aaron because they do not want to miss out any part of Aaron's growing up. Let us pray for God's guidance to Mommy and Daddy that they get to work out some great "Aaron Time" to be just for Aaron while still be able to attend to CaCa's need.
The weather man says there's a snow squall heading into town, so Dr. Jesse prays that everyone drives with extra care to and from anywhere you need to be and come home safe everyday to celebrate the loving family that God has given all of us. It is my prayer for everyone to stay healthy and keep warm!!
Cassidy came home briefly over the weekend and was back at SickKids already last night to begin her chemo. Dr. Jesse had yet another busy weekend and didn't make it to see CaCa, I miss her so much.
Mama Carmen just told Dr. Jesse now that CaCa is still sleeping because she was not feeling too great this morning. It could very well be the side effects of the chemo getting to her. Please whisper a prayer for God to minimize the side effects and that Cassidy can feel better and be able to continue to eat well and build up a strong body to endure the rest of her chemo. And also remember to pray for the chemo to work well in CaCa's body to kill off any microscopic tumor cell that she can remain cancer-free for the rest of her life. Pray that all the foods and drinks she takes would not interfere with the chemo drug and pray for God's continuous guidance for mommy and daddy to plan nutritious meals that would strengthen CaCa's body.
Mommy and Daddy are also trying to work out a better schedule so that they can also spend more time with GorGor Aaron. And Mommy was saying that she is so thankful that God gives her such a good boy to be her son that he is so mature and understanding especially during the time Cassidy needed her most. Mommy says she cannot wait till all the treatment is done and then she can spend much more quality time with Aaron to make up the time she missed with him in the last few months. Let us all remember to pray for things to work out that Carmen and Andy can fit in more time with Aaron and pray that God continue to protect and keep Aaron healthy and with a joyful heart even during this difficult time. At times when Aaron feels lonely, which is perfectly normal and fine, we pray that the Holy Spirit in Aaron's heart would comfort him and encourage him so he does not feel sad when mommy and daddy cannot be around too much.
Aaron, we are all so proud of you and mommy says she doesn't know how she gets so lucky to have you. Hang in there Aaron, you're doing great! God in heaven is smiling because you make your mommy and daddy very proud. Thanks for being a big hero to Cassidy. You are a real super bro!
Dr. Jesse has been so so so busy and then sick that I even lost track of where my princess is lately. She was back at SickKids last Friday for chemo, after a couple times back and forth because there was no bed for her. So that was done and over with, she is back already at Bloorview this week, but then she is going back to SickKids for another round of pre-chemo check ups because if there's bed, she might start the next round of chemo in the next 36-48 hours, so if you are planning to visit, make sure you call ahead so you know where to go.
Things are going so quickly and there's just another few cycles of chemo to go for her, if we are not taking the oncologist's advice to change chemo drugs. Mama Carmen says the oncology doctor wants to have another appointment with them to further discuss the possibility of changing the chemo which he strongly recommends. So let's pray that Mama Carmen and Papa Andy gets to book a good time to meet with the doctor and pray that God opens both their hearts to hear out the doctor's concerns and made the best decision for Cassidy.
Many people are sick these days, including Dr. Jesse, so let me remind you all to refrain from seeing CaCa if you yourself are sick or someone close to you is sick, same if you just had a flu shot recently. It is better safe than sorry, CaCa can become neutropenia easily especially when her chemo rounds are being scheduled so frequently and she needs to take extra caution in staying away from any germs. Let's remember to pray for God to protect Cassidy from any sickness and for God to build up her body ready for the next chemo.
Sorry for the delayed update, Dr. Jesse's computer went coo coo and couldn't get to doing the updates, sorry for making you all worry for a few days. Nevertheless, Cassidy is doing well and has gone home on Friday afternoon after 1 last bag of transfusion. Her blood count was a bit low on Thursday night so the doctor couldn't say if she could go home for the weekend or not, then Friday morning shows a bit better levels and doctor decided to give her 1 last bag of blood product before discharging her and we all went home for the weekend. But CaCa is still coughing a little bit so we still have to be very careful not to get her anymore sick. If you are thinking of seeing her, make sure you are at perfect health. If you had a flu shot in the last couple of weeks, even if you're not feeling sick, it is still better if you wait another week before you go see CaCa, just to be safe.
CaCa got a bunch of light-up gadgets on Thursday and she felt in love with those light-up glow sticks. May be we can have a great party of lights later and we can turn off all the light and let those little light-up gadgets flash with some nice music and food. Let's pray that CaCa continue to enjoy good health and strong body so we can plan more fun parties together.
CaCa also started to eat better since Thursday, but there is a very bad mouth sore in her gum, so that makes it painful for her to eat. Let us especially pray that her mouth sore goes away so that she can eat all the yummy foods she likes and quickly recover from her cold and from the chemo effects.
CaCa will be going back to Bloorview next week getting ready for her next chemo on the coming Thursday. Remember to pray that God would minimize the side effects on her chemo again and that the treatment reacts well to keep CaCa's body free of cancer cell.
It's seems that Papa Andy has decided not to take the doctor's advise to change for a higher chemo dose so there are only a few more treatments left for Cassidy. Let us pray fervently that God protects Cassidy from any future cancer even without the added chemo and helps her to quickly adapt to her prosthesis so she can start walking and running without help. Pray that whatever final decision Mama and Papa made, God give them peace in their hearts and sustain their faith and trust in Him. Amen.
