Sorry we have been lazy lately. The family took a break for a while just to get away from everything. So…. Hannah’s hair finally started falling out on the fifteenth day. We were a little afraid that she shaved it for not. She still just about refuses to wear a wig because she says they are itchy. Dad tried one on and agrees that they are very itchy.
We felt like the family was being neglected so we decided to do something as a family. So we took a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. Hannah had been there a couple of times on field trips but neither of us had been there. We were so impressed that we bought a family annual pass. That way, when we want to go again we won’t have to wait in line. We assumed that there was a walk that day because there were a ton of people wearing matching cancer awareness shirts. It made Hannah feel more comfortable to go hatless seeing other patients walking around. Brother JJ had a blast petting the stingrays and sharks and seeing all the different types of sealife.
That evening we dropped the kids off with Nana and Papa, got all dressed up and went on a date. That had been the first time we had ever done anything like that in years… if ever. Even though we felt a little guilty about leaving the kids, we really needed to get away. Even if for just one night.
Today was Hannah’s fifth grade promotion (graduation). She was supposed to have chemo today but the doctor pushed it out one day so she could be with her class. Hannah waited patiently for about an hour and a half for everyone to be called. Naturally, she was almost last. She was wearing a wig and we could tell that it was really bothering her, but she was a good girl. As soon as the students were released… off came the wig! I think she was counting the seconds until she could get that darned thing off. Anyways, it went very well and Hannah is moving on to the sixth grade. Boy how time flies. It seems like it was only yesterday that we were walking her up to her kindergarten class.
As I mentioned earlier… Hannah’s treatment was pushed out one day (tomorrow). She is all amped up right now due to the steroids and probably won’t sleep much tonight. We were (are) a tad bit concerned that she will get sick again so we had her meds changed from Zofran to Emend. It came very highly recommended to ease the nausea, so hopefully it does the trick. There is nothing worse than seeing your own child in pain and there is nothing you can do about it. We will let you know how well this new med works in the next few days.
Thursday is Hannah’s birthday. Yup the big one one. We are not planning on having a party until she feels up to it. Who would want a bunch of people around them when all they want to do is sleep? We will play it by ear and see how she feels. We were only planning on having a small family party anyways.
We should be back into the swing of things now that we have gotten somewhat back to a routine. Anybody who knows us knows how routine we were. Lately it is like we get to it when we get to it.
That’s about all for now, until next time….
Hi All,
Mommy here, just wanted to drop quick note and let you all know what a true blessing you all have been for my baby girl and I! Although I do not comment on here much, (nor does Hannah) we both read the site each and every day. I cannot even begin to explain my gratitude for all of our loyal supporters. I greatly feel that without all of the love, prayers and support that come our way that our road would be much bumpier. There have been times over the past couple of months when I ask myself…Why?….Why does it have to be my baby? What did she ever do wrong? And then she will remind me that she is strong, everything happens for a reason and we will get through this. Hannah is my true strength and inspiration! I am very proud of the amazing girl that I have raised! We have hit quite a few bumps along the way, but things seem to be smoothing out some what. Hannah has her good days and bad, just as I would assume anyone who is going through chemo does. I want everyone to know that I am so proud of my baby girl and her strength to fight this battle! Hannah and I talk each day, and I remind her that it won’t be long before she is back on the softball field, back to school and back to having slumber parties with her friends. We both look forward to the day when we can truly say “mission accomplished!” Until next time….Thank you all again for your continued support! We Love You!
As most of you know, we had a “little” party for Hannah. We were expecting…. oh…. like 15 to 20 people. By about 6:30pm there were probably about 60 to 70 people! We were so not prepared for a gathering that big, food, seating, etc… Don’t get us wrong, we were very pleasantly surprised to see how many people came to support Hannah. We had to have the party in the front yard to accommodate everyone.
You may notice the lack of pictures from the party. No, I didn’t forget the camera! I cannot find the memory card adapter. So, as soon as it is found, there will be pictures. Anyways… It seemed like people were getting a little anxious to get everything rolling. Mom, just as precaution pulled Hannah aside to make sure if she was alright with cutting her hair in front of so many people. “Do I have to do it myself?” She asks. So after mom asked her another 137 times, on with the show. Auntie Leah, who is a hairstylist by profession had the honors. She put Hannah’s hair into a ponytail and SNIP! off it came. As Leah was buzzing Hannah’s head, she was entertaining the crowd by making funny faces with her hair (mustache, unicorn, etc…) After she was done everybody cheered and applauded. We figured she would get at least a little emotional after she had a look in a mirror….. WRONG! She was like “COOL!” That was a relief. So next up was Grampy. Nobody knew he was going to shave his head but we weren’t surprised, he’s a cool grampy. Next was one of Hannah’s friends, Levi. He went up to his mom maybe a little teary eyed, but definitely not crying. Now that was a surprise! We would have never guessed him to cut his hair off for Hannah. That just shows how much compassion kids can have. We were talking about it all night. Thanks Levi!
Last but not least, there was dad. I went with no clip because my hair is always short. But never that short. I think I am going to borrow some of Hannah’s hats, my head sure gets cold now! I actually kind of like my hair/scalp now, I’m thinking it is going to be the new style for a while. Even though mom isn’t too jazzed about it, whatever.
Hannah went to the baseball field today with grampy and absolutely refused to wear a head covering. Even we are a little surprised at how confident she is. She really doesn’t care what people think. She’s like “Here I am, bald is beautiful”. A few people had questioned how emotionally strong she really is. Everybody who has actually met her say the same thing “Are you sure you are ten years old?” She has always been mature for her age but she has shown how mature she really is. She still likes to be a kid though, whether it be making necklaces or dancing with her brother. We must admit though… she has shown us how not to sweat the small stuff. or the not so small stuff for that matter. Most of the people that have spent any amount of time with her have told us they have a better outlook on life because of her. Even quite a few of the folks that have posted here have said the same thing.
That’s all for now, good night and thank you.
Information | Hannah's Dad | 
June 16, 2009 10:16 pm | 
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