Day -3

Kristen started out the day grumpy. She said that the cleaning people didn't even attempt to be quiet. It's too bad that they don't realize how many times a night these kids get woken up. They aren't being lazy when they are still sleeping at 9:30 in the morning. A new medicine was given to Kristen this afternoon. Thymoglobulin, or as Kristen calls it bunny juice. It is an immunosuppressant that is used to block the body's nature immunity. It is some how connected to Rabbits. I haven't quite figured out the connection. It's probably much more complicated than I care to get into. This medication makes Kristen feel like she has the flu. She was running a low grade fever this evening. Dr. P told her to watch out for Elmer Fudd. I asked her if she was craving some carrots. They'd have to be cooked though. No raw fruits and vegetables. She tried her best to eat today but her appetite was a little off. Or as she told her dad, sleep seemed more attractive than food. So she had a couple of good naps but I did succeed in getting her out of her room a couple of times.

So while she naps I often take walks. I love the quiet of the hospital on the weekends. I've been parking on the clinic side so that I have to walk a ways to get to the elevator to go up to Kristen's room. I notice all the art work and all the little touches they have to soften the fact that this is a medical facility. As I walked the skybridge today I noticed all the little shaded "park" areas that are interspersed throughout these massive concrete buildings. I appreciate the beauty of them. When you walk these areas on a busy weekday you miss these little things. You talk to people more when there are fewer people. I met a man here from Chicago. His daughter (8) had a tumor removed a couple of days ago. He was wonderfully upbeat even though she had to be taken back down to the ICU. He was just happy that the surgeon reported that they were able to get the entire tumor. I told him I look forward to seeing him again back at the peds floor. There are many parents on the ped floor that I can't communicate with. Some speak only spanish and at least one family only arabic. We communicate with smiles as we see each other preparing food for our children or walking with them through the halls.

Please continue your prayers visualizing Kristen free from this cancer. Also please pray for all the families that are battling this disease.

Happy Memorial Day!