ALL for Ally: July 2012

I knew it had been a while since I had updated the blog here! When I logged on tonight I realized exactly how long. YIKES. So much summer fun time going on which makes for a tired Momma at night. I remember the days well when I sat down nearly every single night and wrote something up on how Ally was doing. Just keeping everyone in the loop but more importantly writing the story for her and I so we could always look back. Our days are very different now. We are focusing now on having a fun summer. The kids finished up the school year well ...I am proud of both of them for their school achievements about all else...and now we are into going to the pool several times a week. We have also taken a weekend trip to Chicago to see my college friends (love them so much)....done some golfing....some fishing...visited with our old neighbors who came to visit....movies....lots of swim meets....badminton....time with both of our families and our friends. It has really been so good. We do not ever forget from where we came from and I am always so grateful for these times because we had so many days when we couldn't do the fun things because of Ally not feeling well.

Speaking of not feeling well, lately we have still spent some time down at Dayton Children's as our friend Caulin has been doing some inpatient chemo. This last weekend he was in and I think we went down Thursday, Friday and Saturday...and then he came home Sunday. Of course we all love Caulin and want to help him pass this time away from home. But Ally is just so ultra sensitive to it all...she wants to be down there all the time with him. Asking to go, never wanting to leave him. You would think she would run the other direction from the place. But NO. She knows. She understands. When she did her inpatient chemo, visitors were not allowed...not even her brother and sister. We were really trapped in there for most of the fall. She remembers and she doesn't want him to be trapped like her. I love that they have this kinship with each other and I love that her heart is so full of empathy for her friend. She even baked some cupcakes for him and took all the things with her so he could decorate his own. Her idea. Totally her idea. Of course she knows almost all the nurses and aides and such and I do think they enjoy seeing the fruits of their labor down there. Ally...all her hair....feeling well and looking healthy and I see them all look at her with some sort of pride that they helped to make this little girl better!

Ally seems to be doing very well. Her stomach pains have subsided and she sleeps better most nights. Her ANC and other counts have all been where Dr Broxson wants them to be. She gets a blood draw every month to check on these. She still has some neuropathy in her legs. This results in ankle pain for her and she still refuses to do some things (i.e. ride her bike). Dr B says her reflexes have not come back yet in her legs. He thinks they should be back very soon, but if not we have to do some physical therapy to get her on the right track with that. He says we can blame 28 months of vincristin for this. It adds up. Month after month she got that one. We shall see how this one plays out. I continue to pass by the binder we have labeled "long term side effects" for Ally. I don't want to look into it. I don't want to worry about the million things that could come later as a result of her treatment. We will just deal with it if and when they occur. After all my years of dealing with cancer, I am giving myself this gift of not worrying about it until the time comes. Even though Jerad has declared this fact to me since the day we got married. It took me a long time to realize that this is the way to live.

Last but not least I want to thank my friends Lori and Jim Fultz for organizing the 3rd annual TJ Chumps Rally for Ally motorcycle poker run. They had huge success this year recruiting riders....we had 57 bikes that rode in the event and they rose over $3000 for our Curesearch team! We met them at the end of the ride at TJ Chumps. I will never forget the roar of all of those bikes coming down the main road...police escorts shutting down the road. Watching all of these riders (most of which I have never even met) riding for our girl and our cause to help other kids with cancer. I couldn't help but end up a crying mess, but bursting with gratitude for what they had done. There are so many good people in the world. I see it everyday and all around me. Thank you to all those who rode this year! THANK YOU!!

Please save the date and consider walking with us this year again in the 2nd annual Curesearch Walk to be held on Saturday September 22. This walk was very special to us last year as it was Ally's last day of chemo. We would like to continue to do this walk every year in her honor and for all the other warriors we have met along the way. We are one big family!

Please continue to keep all the kids, but especially Caulin, in your prayers as he continues to navigate down his path in beating this disease too. Some day these kids will not have to worry about cancer anymore and can get back to the business of being a kid!