Blood and Guts

Steven and Sean at the cactus garden at Balboa Park

I've received a few concerned emails and phone calls.

As expected, Steven woke Sunday morning feeling fine, but these little episodes are always scary for us.

I volunteered our family for a Family Brain Tumor Study at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas.

Monday was President's Day, a school holiday for our kids. Sean has a research project for school on a local landmark (Balboa Park), so I said we'd go down there and stop on the way at Children's Hospital to have their blood drawn for the brain tumor study.

Sean loves the ornately decorated buildings in Balboa Park

Sean has never had blood drawn and he was very apprehensive. Steven, an old pro, was trying to give Sean a pep talk.

When we got to the hospital and Steven saw the needles, he forgot about having done this before and didn't want to go first, and Sean wasn't going first, no way, no how.

Steven started with that trapped-animal look he gets when he's about to erupt into panic over having something done to him that terrifies him, but I was so proud, he got himself back together and offered his arm.

Three tubes of blood, then Sean's turn.

Sean is a real tough buy, he wasn't happy but he just sat there looking resigned with his arm out. At the end he said that it really wasn't so bad after all.

Both of them, they've got guts.

Friday we're all going here:

It's Doug's birthday, parents and in-laws are joining us. Can't wait.

- Kathleen