The One-Year Reunion

Jake, Steven, and Tyler

Today Steven had only one appointment, this was with St. Jude's behavioral medicine department for a cognitive evaluation.

I requested this appointment based on his school performance. Fourth grade at his school is all about writing, and it's writing that he has the most trouble with.

To make a very long story short, we spent two hours discussing Steven's school issues and came up with the conclusion that they are most likely caused by the radiation to his brain.

It is more likely than not that a child who has had radiation to their developing brain develops problems with attention, and it seems like this is what we're looking at.

When we get home, we will try some behavioral modification strategies suggested by the doctor, and we may also consider medication to address the problem.

Steven's friend Jake from Kansas City arrived on Sunday and Tyler arrived today from Georgia. Jake and Tyler are two of the three boys who were diagnosed with a similar brain tumor to Steven's within two weeks of when Steven was diagnosed. Jake and Tyler had their brain MRI's today.

For all three of them, this is their one year anniversary of finishing treatment on the same clinical trial.

Doug and Sean arrived this evening, and all of us went out with Jake and Tyler and their moms.

We went to Jillian's where we ate dinner and the kids played in the arcade, then on to mini golf.

Then back to Grizzlies House where the kids sat at the checkers table, got out a deck of cards and used the checkers as poker chips.

They played blackjack for a while until they decided that playing to 21 was too boring and that 35 would be a far more interesting goal.

They had a blast. Watching them play it is almost possible to believe that nothing bad ever happened to them.

We're praying hard for clean MRI's for all three of them and that next year we'll be together celebrating their two year anniversary.

- Kathleen