Day 4……….

Today has been a rollercoaster of a day.  One minute she is doing ok and calling Memaw a silly baboon. The next minute she’s crying and upset.  Her temperature has been up and down as well.  It was as high as 103.3 at one point today.  This is just side effects from the Immunotherapy and is expected but it is still hard watching her go through it.  She had a few spells with her oxygen level that really scared me.  On two different occasions her O2 saturation got as low as 79 and her respirations as low as 10.  Her nurses are great and was on it and took care of that issue right away.  She slept a lot today and hopefully is good and rested.  Her body needs the rest so we just let her sleep as much as she wants.  She has been a little pistol again today and not much makes her happy for long but that is ok.  I can only imagine how it feels having all of that medicine pumping through your body so we just get her calmed down and in a few minutes she is ok.  She complains with her tummy hurting and is not really wanting to each much today.  Just one more day of this and she will be DONE!  Hopefully she will be on to stem cell and back on track with her treatment plan.

Scottish Rite does something called Beads of Courage.  Basically she gets beads for different procedures, days in the hospital, transfusions, etc.  I was getting together a list to see if we had all of her beads and man it made me sad seeing all that she has gone through in just 6 months.

In just 6 months this is just some of what my sweet girl has endured:
36 chemo/immunotherapy treatments
26 dressing changes
23 days of fevers
67 plus IV infusions
75 days in the hospital
30 plus blooddraws
29 shots
11 Scans – MRI/MIBG/CT Scan
17 Blood/Platelet transfusions
10 times using anesthesia and being put to sleep
Just to name a few of the many things she has endured.  When we think we have it bad or when we think we feel bad, remember these cancer children, not just Addi but all of the children who are suffering from this terrible disease called cancer.  This is just a small list of all that she and the other children endure.  This does not include all of the meds she has to take, the pain she endures, all of the fun “kid” stuff she is missing out on or what it does emotionally.  It broke my heart as I was adding all of this up and I began to think…..she is only 6 months into this with 18 (maybe more) months to go of this.  Whew…..that is just too much for a 2 year old to endure.  Please keep Addi and all of these precious children in your prayers.

I have said it before and I will say it again….If you want a new perspective on life and if you want to really feel grateful for your health or your children’s health….go take a walk down the hall at Scottish Rite on the cancer floor.  You will see children of all ages walking the halls with IV poles, no hair, some in wheelchairs, mask on their faces, thin from being sick, with parents that have bags under their eyes from no sleep and worry and some that don’t leave their room due to pain and sickness.  It will give you a new THANKFULNESS for life!

With all that she has went through she still has a happy life filled with love, joy and fun! We will see to it that she is happy as she can possibly be and that her life is filled with all of the good she deserves.  As hard as it is, we don’t go around with a frown on our faces or crying everyday with worry.  We get up and keep going and enjoy every minute of every day so that her life/our lives are as full and happy as possible.  You have to find peace in the storm, joy in the midst of trials and happiness in everyday.  Cancer can’t have her!

Another t-shirt campaign started. It will end on 2/22 and shirts will ship on 3/4.
https://www.bonfire.com/store/addis-journey/
Thank you all so much for the love and support.  We are so thankful to have so many that love Addi and our family and who continue to lift us all up in prayer.  God is so good and we are eternally grateful!