Jennifer Wyeth Photography Blog

He wanted Addilyn to be the very first person to sign his cast.

We have ran full speed to meeting our medical deductible.  And I mean, SPRINTING towards it.  Carter managed to fall off our kitchen table bench on Saturday, breaking his ulna at his elbow.  Yep.  Broken elbow.  As my brother so rightly put it, “It’s about time he has a normal little boy experiance.”  Yup.  Agreed.

When Carter takes his monthly steroids his bones weaken.  The steroids make his bone marrow release all of their white bood cells into the blood stream so they kinda start over empty creating new ones.  (I’m not a doctor- shocked, right?- but if I understand it correctly, that’s what happens.)  Hence the weak bones.  The pediatric orthopedic sergeon said it certainly isn’t out of the question for Carter to break another bone before he’s done with treatment.  Awesome.  Just what a parent wants to hear.

The good news is he only has the cast on for three weeks.

The even better news?  IT GLOWS IN THE DARK!  True story.  Carter couldn’t decide between the green (which nearly glows all on it’s own) and the glow in the dark.  So, the tech suggested he do green with a glow int he dark candy cane stripe.  JACKPOT!  So, on our way we were sent with the coolest cast around.  And, in case you’re wondering on weather or not it really does glow, the answer is YES.  Quite well, in fact.  Like, I hope it doesn’t keep him up at night.  But, he’s a happy camper and headed to school with three different colored sharpies in hand for all his friends and teachers to sign it.

Because this has taken up a nice chunk of my week, I decided to make this my Glimpses 52 project for the week on Chic Critique Forum.  Next week, I am vowing to NO Carter in my Glimpses project.  He’s getting the boot.  That kid just needs to stay out of trouble long enough for me to take pictures of his sisters!

Clearly I did NOT take this picture (I'm good but not THAT good. ). However, I did add the green writing so you can see where he broke it... even though you can't really see the break on here.

As I mentioned last week, I’m starting to do the Glimpses 52 project on the Chic Critique Forum.  Just any ol’ “glimpse” from my daily life.  These pictures are a very real, and now normal, part of my daily life.  I have taken pictures of Carter at the clinic before.  But I don’t know why I haven’t taken more.  This will be a part of his life that he will never, EVER forget.  Something that will be a big part of him forever.  So, I need to start taking more pictures of it!  After all, May 16, 2014 will be here before we know it and we will have a cancer-free household!  ;)

This one was Carter's favorite. So, I told him I would put it first.

He stays cool as a cucumber every time now. It's pretty impressive. How many adults do you know that go into full panic mode when they have to give blood? LOTS!

Entering the arm. Good thing this kid has his mama's veins. Nice and obvious.

10 months ago today our world was rocked.  Like, seriously rocked.  Like, changed forever.  Like, faith had to take over completely so that we wouldn’t go crazy… or cry myself to death.

We got that call…. you know…. THAT call.  The one you never want to get.  The one you hope will start with, “Good news!  It’s really nothing at all!”  Or even, “It’s pneumonia.  I’m sorry.”  Not the one that starts with, “I’ve been trying to come up with a plan for Carter before I called you.”  And not one that continues, “Get him out of bed and take him to the hospital.  He needs blood.  Lots of it.  And platelets… lots of them.”

BUT…. we have made it this far!  We have made it to Maintenance, which, honestly has been harder than we thought it would be.  It’s been an adjustment… the whole adventure has been.  And while I would trade all the silver linings and a future Make-a-Wish trip for a normal, healthy little 6 year old who can run around with his friends, that’s not our lot.

Our lot right now is this.  Cancer.  And that’s okay.  There are still days for me that are hard.  But there are a lot of days that are wonderful.  Where cancer is just a part of our lives and we don’t give it a second thought.

There are things that I never thought I would hear my 6 year old son say… “Hey Mom.  Since my counts are good can I go play at Dylan’s?”…  ”What?!?  My liver counts are that high?  Oh man!”…  ”I know, Mom.  Don’t.  Touch.  Anything.”  (Every time we take him anywhere I say that to him.)…  ”Mom, when I turn 9 and my cancer is gone can we go to Chuck E. Cheese’s?”…  ”No, Addilyn, you won’t get cancer, too.  I promise.”…  ”It’s ok, Mom.  I don’t mind playing alone at recess.  I played with my friends until they started running.  Then I got tired and couldn’t keep up.”  (That one is especially hard for me.)… “My name is Carter and I have A.L.L. Leukemia.”  (Correctly it’s just A.L.L. as the last “L” stands for Leukemia… I think it’s so cute when he says that, though.)

I am sure to thank the Lord each and every day for his doctors and that they are saving his life.  I also thank the Lord for him reacting well to the medications– meaning the cancer IS going away… although the side affects are less than ideal.  I thank the Lord for allowing us the opportunity to save him; giving us that chance and not just taking him from us.  I thank the Lord for the friends and family that have taken such good care of us, who have prayed for us, cooked for us, listened to us, called us, texted us, emailed us, sent us sweet cards or gifts for the kids.  We have SO much to be grateful for.  And I hope I never act otherwise!!!

Ever since Carter was diagnosed and his hair started falling out I have been growing out my hair.  Those of you who know me know that my hair is long.  Always has been.  Always will be until I’m too old to pull it off.  While I love my son, I’m not about to shave my head.  (Vain?  Perhaps.)  But I wanted it to get long enough to be able to chop it off and donate it.  I don’t color it a whole lot so I’m a good candidate.  (Don’t worry, we pulled up the hair that has been colored and only donated the bottom portion.)  It’s really easy to donate your hair.  Just chop off 10 inches (that’s the hardest part, FOR SURE!), fill out a form, and stick it in the mail.  Anyways, my sister lopped it off for me and actually made it look cute.  It doesn’t look as cute when I do it… in fact it’s kind of like I have a big poof ball on my head but that’s ok.  At least I don’t have cancer, right?  Plus, it’s a super cute little pony.  :)

Look at all that hair! (I'm super tired in this picture... don't judge.)

My entire family.

I thought it would be funny to take a family picture like this.  Usually Carter has to be the one wearing the mask… but not this time!  Everyone else had to wear one and he got to be mask-less.  (More of my family pictures to come.)

In two and a half years we will have a cancer-free son! He started maintenance this past month.  We have an official “cure” day. May 16, 2014.  A meer month before he turns 9.  I can’t wait for that day.  SERIOUS celebrating will be going’ on up in her’! I know it’s a long, long, LONG ways away still but at least there’s a date.  We’re so proud of Carter for being so strong, brave, and positive throughout all of this.  We could not have been blessed with a more perfect son.  By Christmas he’ll have a short little buzz cut! It’s already looking great. When you rub his hair (which is as soft as a newborn’s) you can feel little spikes of new hairs coming up.  I can’t tell if he looks like a cancer patient anymore because to me he has a TON of hair.  But then, I think if I saw him like this 9 months ago would I have been horrified?

He was diagnosed with Leukemia 9 months ago today and now he’s into his final cycle of chemo. What to expect for the next 2 1/2 years is this:

–> 5 days of steroids a month (3 pills in the morning and two pills at night). They cause insomnia for about a week. Sucks.

–> 1 prevacid each morning (helps with stomach acid which is caused all of the other meds)

–> Mercaptopurine nightly (a type of chemotherapy in pill form taken at least two hours after dinner with only water… I have to set my alarm every night. So annoying. Because it’s chemo you can’t touch it with your fingers… yet I willingly have my son swallow it. Weekends he has two pills at night. This one makes him kind of sick. I don’t like it.)

–> Methotrexate (another oral chemo– again, can’t touch it) every Monday (with a few exceptions). 6 1/2 pills at night.

–> Each chemo visit will consist of Vincristine through his port.

–> Each chemo visit will also consist of an hour long dose of Pentamidine (an antibiotic to preventpneumonia… which could kill him).

–> Every three months he has a spinal tap where they give him Methotrexate into his spine and test the spinal fluids for cancer.  (These are the Mondays where he won’t take his Methotrexate at home.)  We are very excited that he will be getting them so less often.

There is a chance that some of these will be switched up a bit if he doesn’t react well to them.  For example, the Mercaptipurine caused serious elevated liver counts last time he took it.  He had to take it for a month last time and by the end of the month one of his liver counts was 875 and in a normal person it’s 25.  Left that high for too long there will be permanent liver damage.  If he does that again this time around they will have to change it up with another drug.  The one that they would use would probably be one that causes serious hair loss and nausea.  (Although last time he took it he didn’t get real sick… but went VERY VERY bald.)  Only time will tell though.  Just because he reacted a certain way last time he took a specific drug doesn’t mean that he’ll react that same way this time around.  (Annoying, right?)

I have mixed feelings about his hair coming back in.  Him being bald is a very visual reminder that he has cancer.  Now that his hair is coming back in I feel like people won’t be as careful but he’ll still be as sick… you know?  But, it’s fun to watch his hair come back in.  It’s pretty light.  I think it’ll be a dirty blond.  Much lighter than before.  But there’s still time for a curve ball with his hair color.