6 Month Check-up

I cannot believe that we have made it to the 6 month mark. This is actually a small milestone as Catherine no longer has to take her daily antibiotic (the Dapsone) and she can now have her beloved peanut butter and honey sandwiches. She is very excited. She can also get her ears pierced, but I told her we'll do that for her 7th birthday. And finally, finally, finally her platelets are in the normal range at 157,000 (low end of normal, but normal nonetheless). It is about time. The only explanation I have in my head is that the steroids really propped up her counts and at least her platelets and her ANC sort of nosedived in the aftermath and have slowly worked their way back up. Her ANC was 2010 and her hemoglobin was 11.8. For the first time since she finished treatment, I left there somewhat happy.
Dave and I also met with the neuropsychologist a few weeks ago. Solely a baseline test and nothing she told us came as a surprise. Catherine is a visual learner, an excellent reader, and a child who works too fast and needs to slow down. Now it is up to us and the school to watch her over the next few years as girls more than boys tend to develop learning disabilities after cancer treatment. Her fine motor skills were definitely affected by the treatment. The neuropshychologist noted this as has her teacher. The reason is twofold: she was diagnosed at an age when kids are honing in on their fine motor skills (she was too tired to do any such thing) and the many many doses of Vincristine left her with weakened muscles in her extremities. They say it will take a full year for her to get back to normal and regain strength, but we may look into occupational therapy to help her along. If these are the only after effects of her treatment, I will be very happy.
Finally, I just want to update you all on our friend Mike who was left paralyzed in a bike accident. He continues to do well and is receiving the best rehab care there is at Kessler in NJ. A fund has been created for his family to help offset the costs of his care and all the work that will need to be done to get him a handicap accessible car and a handicap accessible home. Last week, a Halloween Party was thrown for him by members of our wonderful community and in 2 hours we raised over $11,000!! So amazing. If you would like to contribute, even just $10, please send your check to:
The Michael Loura Trust Fund,
c/o Joanne Morris
132 Farmingdale Rd.
Wethersfield, CT 06109
I know times are tough right now for so many people, but having faced some pretty awful moments myself, I can truly say that having your family, friends, and health are the most important and we all need to look out for each other.
With that, I hope there will be no need to update until our next check-up just before Thanksgiving. Happy Halloween!!