Michael's Journey: August 18, 2004

Today Michael got up in a great mood, but soon after, he started getting sick. We are not sure if it was just excitement over today’s events, or if he is just flat worn out. Probably a little of both. Michael decided he was going to get all spiffed up for the big occasion today. He wore black pants, white shirt with a tie, his cowboy boots, and his cowboy hat. He really looked sharp. I baked a chocolate cake last night to take to radiation. We put a red circle with a line thru it (like a no smoking sign) and wrote “RADIATION” in the middle. On the way to radiation, Michael ended up getting sick again. Not really sure why he was getting sick, but we made it to the appointment with time to spare. All of the staff there commented on how nice Michael looked and they were grateful for the cake that we had brought to them. Michael’s last treatment went very smoothly and they gave him his mask to take home. We got pictures with several of the staff members and will get them posted to the website soon. Michael also got a Certificate of Completion signed by the staff and a $15 gift card to Toys R Us from Dr. Neilsen. This has been a summer to remember and not many children have been to a summer school like this one! This afternoon I sat and stared at his mask. I would pick it up and then put it back down again. I even tried it on myself and tried to envision what it must have felt like all of those 28 days he laid on that table with his head tied down to the table in that mask. This mask is a perfect cast of what his face was shaped like when he first when in for treatment. It is amazing to look and see how bulged out the right side of his face was. They had cut out the eye section of the mask during the last week of his radiation and thrown it away. I wish we would have gotten a chance to keep that. You can still see distortion in the forehead, cheek, and neck area on the mask and it is just incredible the advances he has made. Michael never did get the mouth sores or the sore throat like the doctors told us would happen. He did (and does) suffer from fatigue; he is emotional at times, and he did burn from the radiation, but this is nothing compared to what we were prepared for. God has been so good to Michael and us. He has kept His loving hand upon us even when we were so undeserving. This battle is not over, but round one has been fought and we believe that thru the grace of God, Michael is victorious! We still have months of chemotherapy and who knows what else the doctors have in store for Michael, but we will continue to hold tightly to the hand of God and we tread these stormy waters that He is bringing us thru. Please pray that Michael will regain his appetite quickly.