Brody has been tired this week but feeling pretty good.

The second week into Brody's 3 week long chemo rounds tend to be the time when Brody is the most tired and this has held true for this week again.  The first week of each round Brody is pretty sick to his tummy most of the time.  So week 2 is much better.  Tired feels much better than nausea.  Plus even on the days he gets tired easy he still certainly gets his bursts of energy for awhile on most days and always makes some time for fun no matter what.  Brody is just getting ready to head into week 3 of this round.  Week 3 is when he usually feels his best. He starts to get his energy back and he doesn't have the nausea.  Today was our first hot day of the year.  Upper 80's with "feels like" temperature of 93.  It is suppose to be hot all week.  Brody recently bought a "waterpark" with money and giftcards many friends and family have given him since his diagnosis.  Brody was diagnosed with cancer on March 9th.  We had a birthday party planned for him and his brother Jaden on March 12th which obviously was canceled.  Part of Brody and Jaden's birthday present this year was going to be a springbreak trip to Kalahari (an indoor waterpark hotel) with Mom, Dad and big brother Geordi while he was on Springbreak.  This of course didn't take place either.  And Brody is not allowed per doctor's orders to go to public pools or waterparks due to risk of infection.  He is allowed to use a pool and watertoys in his own backyard though with proper safety and cleanliness in place of course.  So Mom and Dad decided to get Brody a pop-up above ground pool for the summer and pitch in on the waterpark Brody desparately wanted.  We figured we'll have a "staycation" in our own backyard this year and partially make-up for some of the fun stuff Brody missed out on this year.  Ordinarily I think I would consider these purchases to be way too much spoiling of our children and would be more frugal with our money. But this is certainly not ordinary times and right now I think Brody definitely deserves some "spoiling".   So if Brody can't go to a public pool and Brody can't go to a waterpark and  since the genorosity of so many friends and family have helped make it possible for us to swing it financially to purchase a pool and inflatable "waterpark" for Brody, then I certainly think he should be so "spoiled."  And today on our first hot day of the year, we set-up the waterpark.  The boys had a blast and so did some of the nearby neighborhood kids.  Brody played on the waterpark for quite a long time today before he finally got too tired and went inside to watch Max and Ruby.  Our new pool is all set-up too and filled with water but it will probably be Wed before the water chemistry is all good and we'll be able to get in.  It's killing the boys to have to be so patient and wait til that pool is all ready.  They'll be so excited when our pool is declared officially open. 

Brody goes in tomorrow morning for his one drug chemo (vincristine) and to get his labs checked.  It should be a short day at the hospital tomorrow.  Hopefully he doesn't need another transfusion.  He doesn't seem as tired as last weekend but he does still get tired faster than usual right now. 

Brody is scheduled to meet with the radiation oncologist on Friday afternoon.  We will start discussing and developing the plan of treatment for his upcoming radiation therapy.  He will begin radiation therapy after his tumor is surgically removed.  He will likely have this surgery in about 4 weeks.  He will continue chemo as he undergoes radiation therapy for 6 weeks and then once the 6 weeks of radiation therapy are complete he will continue with another 15 weeks of chemo.  We will likely know a lot more about what the radiation therapy will entail on Friday.  We'll be sure to let everyone know more details then. 

Thanks again to everyone for all the support and keeping us in your prayers.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.  You have all done so much to help make this all something we can withstand.  I have learned to truely appreciate all the wonderful people in our lives and to reprioritize my life around what is really truely so much more important than where some of my time and energy had been in the past.  I hate that Brody has to endure so much.  It is so unfair.  But I guess life is just not fair and we have to make the most of what we have and be thankful for what we do have.  I know I feel closer to my friends and family now more than I ever have in my life.  I've been inspired by the goodness and love from friends, family, and even those who barely knew us before this "tragedy."  I've even started to pray again which is something I had not done in many years.  I have a renewed love and appreciation of just living and being with those I love.  A new joy of just living in the moment and enjoying my life rather than always striving for so many, many crazy goals I set for myself.  I've learned to "stop and smell the roses."  I wish that I could have woke up to what really is important in life before all this happened to Brody and that this was not all happening to him.   I hate that I don't have control over what is happening to him.  But I guess I have to learn to somehow have faith and trust that things will workout the way they are meant to be.  That's a toughie for me.  I'm a control freak.  I suppose I don' t really have a choice though.  We can seek out the best medical care available and provide the best supportive care we possibly can and pray that God heals Brody and helps him not suffer but in the end we don't get to decide how things will be.