So we are a little behind in updating everyone, but we just finished up our induction rounds of chemo  and recently had our surgery to remove the primary tumor in Liam’s abdomen (I am sure we will have updates on those coming soon).   We are currently getting ready to embark on our journey through Liam’s Stem Cell transplant, but I wanted to share a quick story:

During Liam’s fifth round of chemo, which runs 4 days + one day hydration, he started feeling bad on the third day. On the fourth day he went to sleep and slept for the next 30 hours, only really waking to roll over or throw up.

When we were ready to leave, we woke him up and asked him if he wanted to go home (mind you the car is loaded, we need to sign one piece of paper and leave). He responded by pulling himself up and asking Maureen to change him out of his pjs. Liam then grabbed the big brown paper bag our lunch came in (think big shopping bag with handles) and started throwing a blankie and some random hospital bedding into the bag. He turned to me and said:

“I am ready to roll dad, can you let me down”

I said no, because he had been asleep for 30 hours and just woke up, but he demanded to be put down and not carried. So I relented and let him down (but hovered over him). Liam then demanded the brown paper bag he had just packed and pulled his bag on the floor behind as he staggered out the door.  He made his way over to the nurses station, stopped to say goodbye to some of his favorites and then saw our stem cell doc, looked up at her and said “I need a mask to leave, can you get that for me?”…she did, and he walked over and hit the auto door open button and walked out…we got him in the car and he slept the whole way home.

I am not sure who summed it up best, you decide…

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
Mohandas Gandhi