Cycle 3, Day -3: Doing OK but not great...

Steven began chemo yesterday. As he has done in the past, he began throwing up a half hour or so after the amifostine hit his bloodstream. He felt badly most of the day, then around 5:00 pm he perked up.

The first day is always the worst, primarily due to the amifostine, which isn't a chemo drug, rather it helps to protect his hearing.

He's done now with the nastiest drugs (in terms of immediate side effects), the cisplatin and the amifostine, now he gets cyclophosphamide and mesna (to protect his bladder from the cyclophosphamide). He started throwing up about 2 hours after he got the cyclophosphamide, in addition to his regular nausea meds we gave him benadryl, which knocks him out, and at the moment he's sleeping. The hope is that when he wakes up, the worst will be over and he'll perk up again in the evening.

Tomorrow will be a repeat of today in terms of drugs.

So, it's a mixed review-- he's doing not as well as last time, but still better than the first time. We're praying he feels better this evening and can enjoy some time with Sean.

Regarding Sean-- he's emailed a few people and said that he and Doug are flying back to California today. That is a rumor and came as a result of our dinner experience on Saturday night, Sean wasn't the only one having behavior problems that night.

He's since had a change of heart and has decided to stay in Memphis until the end of Steven's chemo. He is on spring break this week, we pointed out to him that if he flew back, he'd be back in school.

I've been busy arranging things for Sean to do so it doesn't turn into a week of playing computer games. He's having a sleepover with a friend tonight, going to the zoo with the same friend tomorrow, and is golfing on Wednesday with an 18-year old boy who was diagnosed with a very similar tumor to Steven's when he was 11 months old and who was treated at St. Jude's.

Tyler, one of the little boys going through the same treatment protocol as Steven is next door doing exactly the same thing, except that this is Tyler's fourth cycle, and after he recovers this time he will be going home. All three of the little boys going through this with Steven-- they're amazing. I am blown away by how tough they are, I wish I could heal their tumors and bring all of them home with us to grow their hair back and play soccer and go to school and do all those little boy things.

Soon, soon...

We love you all.

-- Kathleen

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Sean's Email

I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT MY DAD AND I ARE PROBLY GOING BACK TO SAN DEIGO TOMOROW. AND NOT TO FAST. THERE IS SOME BAD NEWS. THE BAD NEWS IS THAT STEVEN IS PROBLY GANA BE HERE IN MEMPHIS WITHOUT HIS BROTHER OR HIS FATHER.

YOU PROBLY WON'T BELIEVE THIS BUT IT IS TRUE.

FOR CRISTMAS STEVEN AND I GOT BATTLEBOTS. STEVEN'S BATTLEBOT NAME IS KILLERHURTZ AND MY BATTLEBOT NAME WAS SON OF WHYACHI. WE HAD TO PRACTICE DRIVING OUR BOTS BEFORE WE COULD BATTLE. BUT WE PRACTICE DRIVING UNTIL WE WERE GOOD ENOUGH. BATTLE ONE. SON OF WHYACHI V.S KILLERHURTZ. STAND BY. ONE TWO AND THREE! BATTLE! SMASH! EAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! CRASHHHHHHHH! BOOM! THYIIK! SON OF WHYACHI JUST KNOCKED A PICE OFF OF KILLERHURTZ! THIK! TUU! YUOIK! BGHJKLFDSAQU! BHNJMKLPOIUYTREWQU!

WRITE BACK WHEN YOU HAVE TIME.

LOVE SEAN

P.S SON OF WHYACHI WON THE BATTLE.