Category: Leukemia

Back in May of this year…

I meant to post this video as part of Serenity’s 1 year survival with Leukemia. I actually put the video together quite a while ago but couldn’t bring myself to make it public because it was painful for me to watch. I put it on the kids computer a while ago and now Serenity watches it almost every time she gets on the computer. It’s not so painful anymore so I think I can make it public.

It’s probably close to time to start working on ‘Part 2’ to cover the year since diagnosis and how she’s doing now. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this…. (it’s formatted for full screen play, there’s a button on the bottom bar of the video that will make it full screen)

Serenity’s Cancer Journey from Phil801 on Vimeo.

Shoes

I am wearing a pair of shoes.
They are ugly shoes.
Uncomfortable shoes.
I hate my shoes.
Each day I wear them, and each day I wish I had another pair.
Some days my shoes hurt so bad that I do not think I can
take another step.
Yet, I continue to wear them.
I get funny looks wearing these shoes.
I can tell in others eyes that they are glad they are my
shoes and not
theirs.
They never talk about my shoes.
To learn how awful my shoes are might make them uncomfortable.
To truly understand these shoes you must walk in them.
But, once you put them on, you can never take them off.
I now realize that I am not the only one who wears these
shoes.
There are many pairs in this world.
Some women ache daily as they try and walk in them.
Some have learned how to walk in them so they don’t hurt
quite as much.
Some have worn the shoes so long that days will go by
before they think
about how much they hurt.
No woman deserves to wear these shoes.
Yet, because of these shoes I am a stronger woman.
These shoes have given me the strength to face anything.
They have made me who I am.
I will forever walk in the shoes of a woman who has a
child with cancer.

-Author Unknown

July

Life in the Burns household has been fairly uneventful. I broke my right hand 2 weeks ago and it will be another 4 weeks before I can use it again, so that has proved challenging. Phil and the kids have tto help me with everything from laudry to doing my hair.

Sereniy has been doing well, wih no fevers or infections. A week ago she started throwing up and she has been throwing up every day since. She is keeping most of her food down with the help of Zofran.

We had a clinic visit last week & she is doing well. The doctors were not too concerned about her throwing up and think it is probably a tummy bug. No one else has been sick though, and her CBC numbers were good. It is heartbreaking to watch her little tiny body wracked with the pain of being sick. Her chemo hasn’t changed recently and neither has anything else that we can think of.

Last week included a 4th of July party and family vacation to Yellowstone, as well as Serenity’s 3rd birthday. Hopefully we will have some photos up soon.

Be the Match Marrowthon

Many years ago when my mom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma I decided to register as a bone marrow donor. There is a $52 fee for the testing kit, and each time I thought about donating I put it off a little bit longer. Years have gone by and I still haven’t been tested.

The National Bone Marrow Registry has set a goal of 46,000 new members. Until June 22, or until that goal is met, you can register as a bone marrow donor for free. (A donor is covering the testing kit fee.)

I’ve registered already, and I hope that you will consider too. I hope that Serenity will never need a bone marrow donation, but it is a very real possibility, and finding a match isn’t always easy. The test just requires you swab the inside of your mouth, and then mail the swab back for testing.

Please think about becoming a bone marrow donor at http://marrow.org