Emma was scheduled for a "long day" at clinic, which means she had to have an IVIG. Emma's IVIG always takes about 3 hours, and before they can even begin the IVIG drip they have to access Emma's port, draw her labs, have her visit with her doctor, and give her some IV Benadryl. This particular visit, they also had to give her a flu shot and some Tylenol.
Emma had to be there at 9am, and we got there around 10. Her port was accessed at about 11, and, finally, by 12:30pm, Emma's IVIG drip was started. While we waited for the IVIG to start, we did some puzzles and colored some pictures, and played with a new friend, Terran.
Terran is turning 3 at the end of this month, and he is also fighting ALL, just like Emma! Terran was diagnosed on Father's Day, and his treatment plan is longer than Emma's because he is a boy. He and Jordan had a lot of fun playing with army men and helicopters while Emma and I did puzzles.
Terran's chemo drip was started right before Emma's IVIG, and he crawled into his mother's lap, and Emma crawled up in mine. Jordan had gone home to get money for the late lunch we planned for when Emma was done, so Michelle and I had a good conversation with Terran's mom and dad about the Toby's Dream Foundation and Emma's dream come true trip to Disney and Sea World, and Terran and Emma's diagnosis stories, etc.. and before long both kids were asleep.
I laid Emma down in one of the big chairs, and she was OUT!
This lasted around 45 minutes, but in that time, Terran's chemo was finished and his parents took him home. Emma crawled back in my lap and we watched Cinderella III: A Twist in Time on the clinic TV.
Jordan came back and Emma was hungry, so I pushed her IV pole behind her to the snack room. We got some crackers and Teddy Grahams and circled around the clinic for another coloring book. When we got back to our spot, we ate and colored and watched Disney Channel. By then it was going on 3:30 and, besides Emma, there was only one child left in the clinic. This little boy had a loose tooth and was really concerned about getting it out so that the Tooth Fairy would come.
Emma went over to him and told him about how she lost a tooth at Disney World and they talked for a few minutes, and then, finally, Emma's IVIG was finished. Both of the kids' IV poles beeped at about the same time, so the nurses came over to unhook them, and Emma had her port de-accessed..
When we finally left CHKD it was a little after 4pm. We headed over to iHop for our late lunch, and I got some adorable pictures of Emma and Kaleb.
Kaleb is so cute! He is the baby of the Bulich/Barcus bunch.
Wrote Emma's name on the kids' menu.
Emma!
Close up!
Kaleb LOVES straws. LOL!
We had an awesome day Thursday with Emma and some of her family, and it was awesome meeting Terran and his family. Actually, there's something really neat about meeting Terran. Over the summer I worked as a photographer in Virginia Beach at a PictureMe. During my interview I told my manager about Awareness Beads. In turn, Gina, the manager, told me about another associate at one of our sister studios who's son had just been diagnosed with Leukemia. I didn't realize until we got home and added Terran's mom on Facebook, but his mom was that associate! So all these months later I finally meet Terran after knowing about him for so long! It was an awesome discovery.
After we parted ways with Michelle, Emma, and Kaleb at iHop, Jordan and I did a little shopping and spent the evening together. I love his days off.
Shine Bright,
<3 Stormy
No comments:
Post a Comment