Dylan had his scan done today, he was so brave. It took a whole 2 hours of laying still. In the past it has not taken that long but the doctor in nuclear medicine explained that they needed to do not only the usual full body scan and separate chest/head scan, but also a separate one for his pelvis because he is much taller now. He got a little distressed during the last 10 minutes, but then it was all over. From what I was able to see on the scan as it was being done, it looked to me to be the same as the last, stable. I am pretty sure I didn't see any decrease or increase in disease. But the official results we will not have until Friday and that will be much more accurate than my interpretation.
When we got back to the Ronald McDonald House, we received a package sent from Japan! Dylan carried it up stairs and opened the box to find gifts from the students at Kodama Elementary School in Japan. They have been following Dylan’s website and made him a beautiful mobile of paper cranes, drew pictures of Yu-Gi-Oh characters and also sent him so very special Yu-Gi-Oh cards for his collection. They also took a photo of the students holding up a sign saying “We love Dylan”. I cried (typical) as soon as I saw the cranes because I remember when I was in primary school, learning the story about Sadako who had leukemia and wanted to make 1000 paper cranes, but died before she could complete the task. Our class made 1000 cranes in her honor, I must have been about Dylan’s age at the time. I told Dylan the story and of course now he wants to make 1000 paper cranes himself to wish his cancer away…I will have to look up how to fold them because I cannot remember, it has been a very long time since I made one. It amazes me at how many hearts Dylan has touched around the world, but let me tell you all that, you too have touched our hearts. The kindness we have seen in people since we began Dylan’s journey, astounds me. The kindness of strangers is incredible, strangers who are now our dear friends.
The Story of the Paper Cranes…
There is a Japanese belief that a sick person who, even on his deathbed, can fold a thousand paper cranes will be out of danger. Sadako Sasaki was an infant when the bomb fell on Hiroshima. When she was 11 years old she fell ill with leukemia. As Sadako's condition grew worse and worse she set about her task of folding cranes, and soon above her hospital bed there arose a web of strings on which the little cranes fluttered. But when the little girl had just made her 600th little paper creation, her strength began to ebb away, and with number 644 she was forced to give up altogether. Sadako died in 1955, her class mates completed the final 356 cranes.
I notice today in the news that there was a Coyote in Central Park that had been seen over the last few days, but they managed to catch it today and send it on it’s way. Not really relevant to Dylan’s website I know, but Dylan and I found it interesting because we don’t have coyote’s in Australia. Dylan loves wolves, he has always had a fascination for them and when he heard about the coyote (I know it’s not a wolf) he said, we should have gone to see it while it was free in Central Park!
