We loved Long Island so much that we stayed another night and came back to Ronald McDonald House on Monday morning then went straight to the hospital for Dylan’s check up. Dylan’s blood counts were great and we don’t need to go back to hospital until next Monday, when Dylan will start his 8th round of chemo of Irinotecan for 5 days (more diarrhea!!!) Dylan has actually gained a little weight and is now 14.8kg, thanks to those Long Island BBQs I bet! The diarrhea seems a little better as Dylan is only going 3-4 times a day now. Today was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the weather was very warm. We headed out to Dylan’s Candy Bar and were met by the fantastic staff who were expecting us, thanks to the correspondence that Rebecca made from the Australian Consulate (Way to go Bec!!!) All the staff were great and the boys had a great time eating complimentary sundaes and choosing candy. Then the boys were taken to the party room where they got to make their own giant cookies! They are both so proud of their creations as you can see by the photos. Thank you so much, particularly to Michaela who really made us feel very special. Cain wanted to take his cookie back to his best friend in Australia, Alex. But we explained that it would most likely be rotten in two weeks…sorry Alex but the thought was there.
Because the weather was so nice we decided to walk to Central Park where we had fun watching some skaters dancing around to there MP3 players. We spotted the Carousal and for $1.25 we just couldn’t pass it up! I have put those photos in the view photos link below. Once we arrived back to Ronald McDonald House we were exhausted but the fun didn’t end there! The “Big Blue” NYPD bus rolled up to take us all to the Sony IMAX cinema to see “Robots”. We all loved the impact of seeing the movie on such and enormous screen. A huge thank you to Ronald McDonald House and the volunteers who continually organize these great adventures, it really is amazing and they do a terrific job in making the lives of kids, living with cancer, so much brighter. By the time we got back to our room we struggled on our pajamas and flopped into our beds…what a busy day, but we are not complaining, it’s so great to be hospital free to enjoy our time as a family.
It’s easier to take each day as it comes when I am having so much fun as a family but I still have fights within myself when I momentarily stare at Dylan and think of the future. It is so scary wondering what the future may hold. Sometimes it’s only for a second and other times it’s for several minutes, and tears start to well up in my eyes. I guess it’s normal, and all part of being a parent of a child fighting to stay alive, and I am sure every parent in this situation feels the same way.
