Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Dylan's golden birthday, 10 on the 10th!!!

Dylan had a wonderful birthday on Monday. The morning started with him waking up early and "hunting" for his birthday presents as he requested. I have posted some photos in the gallery, I think I got most of the gifts, but some of the photos did not work out too great so their maybe a couple missing. By lunch time, Tim and I took Dylan on the bus to the Australian bakery downtown so that Dylan could enjoy an Aussie meat pie for lunch and also to pick up the party pies and sausage rolls. A huge thank you to the Tuckshop for his birthday discount! The afternoon entailed lots of playing with his gifts and then at 7pm we had his party in the dining room at RMDH. The great thing was that Tuesday was a school day off for Veteran's day, so there was no concern for a late night. 3 of Dylan's school friends came along and it was an awesome feeling to watch him interact with kids that were not of the cancer world for a change. Lots of people came along including his friend Ellie, her mom and brother, his latest "chicky babe" Kim, Missy, Sheila, Barbara, Skye and many of the house kids and families also joined in on the celebration. The RMDH bought him a cake and I even made an Australian Pavlova! Everyone seemed to love the "Aussie" meat pies and sausage rolls too. Again an enormous thank you to everyone who sent gifts and made the day such a success.
Yesterday was back into the medical routine, poor Dylan had 3 teeth removed, but was as brave as a lion. Next week another 2 will be removed and following that a possible root canal. The dentist said his oral hygiene was good but that the chemo had taken it's toll on his teeth. Today Dylan is off school as his mouth is still bothering him after the extractions. Today I am going to the ASPCA to do my volunteer animal work and then this evening the RMDH are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a party and house tours, so we will join in on that. Cain however has a much more important agenda for this evening, he is going with his Godfather (Greg) to see AC/DC at Madison Square Garden. Cain has been counting down this event for months now and this morning he went to school with so much excitement in anticipation for the concert. Most people know that Cain is absolutely obsessed with AC/DC, and this will be his first time seeing them live in concert. When Greg and Lynn bought him the ticket for his birthday, his response was "that is my birthday and Christmas gifts for the next 2 years!!!" We also found out that Cain will be playing with the NY Pops and the RMDH band at "Carnegie Hall" possibly in a few weeks! Cain is concentrating on writing his own music, he is very enthusiastic and motivated.
Birthday photos can be viewed HERE

Lynn is doing better, she is now in rehab and will remain there for at least 2 weeks. She still has paralysis on her right side, but the doctors are optimistic that she can make a full recovery but it will take many months. The hardest thing for Lynn will be dealing with the frustration of it all and having to take medication for the rest of her life. Lynn is a very busy person, always organizing things and very active in various school and neighborhood activities. Sitting around getting better is not in her nature at all, but at least her parents have arrived safely from Australia and will stay with her during her recuperation.
Cain and I did get an opportunity to visit her briefly in ICU, we had a cry and some laughs, and we certainly felt better after seeing her. Thank you to everyone who has expressed concern and prayed for Lynn's recovery.