Hands on... Day 217 17JUN09

First off Joshua did real well at the hospital. His LP went fine and he didn't have any problems getting accessed or receiving his chemo. His counts are down a little but still okay for the most part. To be expected from all the chemo. He is still accessed and we will do our chemo thing at home for the next three days until Saturday when we can pull the plug.

While Joshua was at the hospital he got to take part in a special ceremony sponsored by Hyundai Hope on Wheels. Hyundai sponsors research into pediatric cancers that is already bearing fruit. This year, the Hope on Wheels Tour will travel to children’s hospitals across the country and donate $1.3 million to support further training and study for doctors involved in pediatric cancer research. Hope on Wheels has designated these medical professionals as Hope on Wheels Scholars. Our own Dr. Wynn is one of the researchers and he has been developing a protein that attacks specific brain cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone. Since its inception in 2004, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has donated more than $12 million to institutions nationwide to help kids fight cancer. As part of the ceremony Joshua got to put his very own handprint on the car that they brought to the hospital. He was the first one to get the opportunity to add their mark. There were lots of people around and he was going to be in the newspaper. He was really excited.

Joshua spent most of the afternoon running through castles, flying in spaceships, and wielding the only true Jedi weapon. A lightsaber.

Renee stopped on the way home from the hospital to let Josh pick out a wii game to rent and he chose LEGO Star Wars Adventure. He was doing quite well at solving all the puzzles and wiping out the never ending droid army. His energy was pretty good despite the chemo. He had a little trouble trying to find something to eat that both his brain and his stomach would agree on, but that is normal for the meds. Tomorrow he has already announced that he is going to rest and take it easy. Good for him.