Tuesday, October 25, 2011

As usual, I can't believe how much time has gone by since my last update! I've certainly been keeping busy. Unfortunately our basement flooded on September 7 due to the obscene amount of rain we got from tropical storm Lee, and our house has been in disarray ever since. Because of Collin, we absolutely couldn't chance having any mold grow, so we called a restoration company to come in and dry out the basement. They tore out the baseboard trim and carpeting, and had industrial strength fans and dehumidifiers running for four days. Thankfully the insulation and drywall dried completely, and didn't have to be removed. We moved the toys up out of the playroom when we realized our two sump pumps weren't keeping up with the water and flooding was inevitable, and everything else that was stored in the basement was in Rubbermaid storage bins, so we didn't lose any belonging. But everything had to be moved upstairs, so we had piles and piles of bins in the living room and garage. I decided it was time to go through every single bin before it could be moved back down to storage, and get rid of what we don't need anymore. So over the past few weeks, in between Collin's therapy appointments and other family activities, I have been working on going through everything and deciding what can be thrown away, donated, or re-packed and re-stored. This has of course led to me cleaning out and reorganizing other areas of the house too. It is not a job I had time for, but I decided it was life's way of pushing me to do a job that I wouldn't have done for another 5-10 years. In the past, I found myself too emotionally attached to things to let them go, but I have a different perspective after the last year and a half. It feels really good to simplify. The only part that I had trouble with was going through all of Collin's baby things. When I was sorting through his outgrown clothing, his babyhood felt farther away than Neya's, and I found myself sobbing as I went through his clothing. Every so often things just catch me off guard. I think most of the time I just plow through each day and keep my emotions under wraps because I know they could easily get the best of me. This probably isn't the healthiest way to handle things, and maybe it'll land me in counseling someday, but right now I just do what I have to to get through the day. Anyway, I am happy to say that I finally can see an end to the huge undertaking of getting the basement and the rest of the house back to normal. Last Tuesday the baseboard trim was replaced, Friday it was painted, and last weekend a Salvation Army truck came to collect the many things we donated. Today the carpeting is being replaced and we can start putting the playroom back together. I am so excited for it all to be done; I feel like our house will be more organized than it has been since we moved in almost eight years ago.

On September 23, Collin and I were on our way home from speech therapy when my phone rang. It was Caiden's mom Sam saying they were in the area and asking if they could stop by to see us. I was SO excited to see them outside the hospital! Caiden is doing very well, and it was nice to see him and Collin play like little boys should.



Some of our friends from the Guardian Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club came to visit Collin in August, and gave us tickets to take Collin for a Day Out With Thomas. So on Saturday September 24th, we took Collin to the Strasburg Railroad to ride on Thomas the Train. He had a great time, and cried when it was time to get off the train.








On Sunday September 25, Bill, Neya, Collin and I walked in the Four Diamonds Fund 5K. Team Collin raised $711 for the Four Diamonds Fund. Some of the wonderful doctors, nurses, social workers, and child life specialists who mean so much to us were there as well. It was a beautiful day, and we had a lot of fun. I hope to take part in the event again next year. Thank you to everyone who made a donation!




Collin's physical therapist has been monitoring Collin's feet for the past few months. She has determined that he has planovalgus, which means his feet are flat, and they pronate (lean inward).  It is not uncommon for children Collin's age, but since it isn't improving, she recommended that he wear orthotics in his shoes to give his arches more support. He was measured for the orthotics on October 5, and they should be ready any day now. It will be interesting to see whether the increased support helps his balance when he walks.

Last Friday, October 14, Collin's mediport was removed from his chest. Collin wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight the night before, and we had to be at the hospital at 8:15 in the morning. Collin was cheerful and easy going for quite a while, but unfortunately we waited for almost three and a half hours before they were ready for him in the OR. By the time the anesthesiologist came to have me sign the consent form, Collin was bright red, sweaty, and screaming "Go home, go home!" He was hungry and so tired of waiting. Thankfully he calmed down as I carried him to the OR. I stayed with him until he was asleep, and then grabbed a quick lunch. I had barely finished eating when they called to say the surgery was done and I could go to the PACU to be with him when he woke up. It didn't take him too long to wake up, and thankfully he woke up calmly. Before long he was sitting up, looking around, and asking for his books. In recovery, the nurse brought him some graham crackers and apple juice, which he happily ate. He talked and played, and even put his arm around my back and patted my shoulder at one point, like he comforting me. He watched the nurse take the IV out of his foot without making a peep, and was ready to go. We got home around 3:30, and Collin seemed to feel fine. So fine in fact that he didn't want to let go of a Penn State garden gnome I had bought to put out in the front of the house; he wanted to play with it instead!





The first weekend of October was the first canning weekend for Penn State's Dance Marathon. We had the opportunity to visit some of the students who mean so much to us while they were canning, and despite the cold, drizzly weather, we had fun. Then on October 15, two of the girls from our Altoona THON family came down to meet us. We had a great time with them, and we are very excited to visit the Penn State Altoona campus in November. The students who are so dedicated to THON are nothing short of amazing, and we are blessed to have them beside us through this journey. They are making a huge difference to so many, and the world is a better place with them in it. <3




Thanks to one of the wonderful ladies that work where Collin goes for therapy, we are having a fundraiser on November 11 in Collin's honor. All proceeds will go to the Four Diamonds Fund. It will be a lot of fun, and we are very excited! If anyone local needs information or would like to purchase tickets, please let me know.

Tomorrow is Collin's next MRI. He finished his maintenance chemo in August, so this will be his first scan since being completely of chemo. Please send up prayers and positive thoughts that it will continue to show NED. We have to be at the hospital at 7:45 am. Our doctors are really good about not making us wait too long for results, so I am hoping to have at least preliminary results by tomorrow night. As soon as I know, I will share an update!