The end is near.........

This is the fifth and final round and we'll be living at the hospital for about another month. Hunter is obviously very excited. No more acid eye drops.



Can you even believe that this all started the day before Thanksgiving......last year!!?? Actually, Hunter was admitted into the Children's hospital that day. All of it really started back in October when he got sick. It was in and out of the emergency room several times before we even got to the hospital. I feel like we've lived in the Twilight Zone the last 7 months. It all seems so real........yet not really. To think that my sons life was hanging on by a mere thread and that the doctors couldn't tell us whether he was going to survive or not, just doesn't seem like it was truly a part of our life. I certainly don't remember checking the Leukemia box on the life form. I'm pretty sure I might have opted NOT to check that box. But.....anyway, he we are and he's kicking Leukemia's ass.

We were admitted into the hospital on Wednesday evening. They basically wasted no time and started with a spinal tap at 8am the next day. They also injected his routine splash of chemo into his spine. After that we traveled down to the second floor for his echocardiogram. By 11am they started his major dose of chemo.


Getting situated on the table about to get his Spinal Tap.




Here is his echocardiogram exam. The results came back later on in the afternoon and his heart seems to be just fine for now. Yay!



His chemo will end by the end of this week, and then we'll have to sit and wait for his blood counts to drop and then come back up. The typical schedule. The doctors have informed us that the body takes longer and longer to recover with each dose of chemo, so apparently, this last round will take the longest.

Hunter..................sitting and waiting




Hunter calling the nurse when he's not supposed to.



Hunter with his "IV backpack". Dad's genius idea. Such a smart cookie. This was while we were home and had to administer his antibiotics ourselves. Quite the pet project. Every 8 hours and they run for two hours. So up at midnight and two in the morning putting on our green exam gloves and getting out the machines and needles and tubing and alcohol and everything else that came with it. Holy crap. Not so bad during the day. But I will say, sometimes during the night anitbiotics - I thought I was dreaming.



His antibiotics are stuffed in the pack. Most parents aren't allowed to be sent home with antibiotics...it's a pretty intense schedule. Since it meant we got to go home for two weeks - we FOR SURE let them know that we were willing and capable. Obviously dad needs to sell his backpack idea.





Some of our last fun images before we left for the hospital.




I kiss him to death. I think he's almost over it.



Zen and his mom on Mother's Day.



This was the first room they put us in Wednesday night. Quite tiny. There's a whole other family right on the other side of that curtain. We've since moved and now we have a much larger suite. Still no view, but we get sun! And we are by ourselves!



Hunter during the move. Dad just sticks him on the bed with the rest of the baggage and rolls him on over. Hunter's a willing participant as long as he gets to ride.



Nap time.