Message from Andrea - November 6, 2009

Hello friends,Just a little update from room 328 at CHOC. Julian is getting his 7th round of chemo right now. He arrived at the hospital this morning in a perky mood, but got sick pretty quickly as soon as the chemo started. It could have been caused by a drug he received at the same time, amifostine, which can potentially prevent some hearing loss in children going through his type of treatment. This is the first time he is receiving this drug, but it sounds promising. His recent audiogram did show that the normal range of hearing is now being affected. After a few hours of feeling very yucky, he started to feel a bit better, at least well enough to play a short round of drums with Eric, the music therapist. Then tired and yucky again, and then a moment where he wanted to sit on a whoopie cushion just as his nurse entered the room. He's trying to fall asleep now, but the tummy's still a rollercoaster. We hope to go home tomorrow.Goodnight and blessings from Julian and Andrea