17 December 2012

Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.

Keian has been on Dexamethasone for 10 days now - this is a steroid similar to Prednisone, only approx 6 times more potent. There are definately a couple great things that come with this, but the one we've been having a little difficulty in finding a balance with has been the mood and personality changes that have come along with it. One second our little man is jumping on my lap, cuddling and talking sweet and the next second he is getting angry and yelling. This is to be expected, but was no where near to this extent with prednisone. It's hard to find a middle ground in order to be a parent, while trying to remain understanding as to why these changes have came to fruition - on one hand, you want him to know that this behavior isn't acceptable, and on the other hand, this drug is causing him to be this way. Now, the absolutely amazing thing that comes with this drug is his appetite and WHOA, has it come back with a vengeance! He has gained nearly 3 kg in 10 days and is showing the bulk accumulate in his cheeks and belly. This is our opportunity to feed him as much as he'd like, as it will help him to gain strength and allow his body to get ready for the rigorous treatment to come!

He's back to having daily naps, as his body is seemingly extremely tired. He's always been great at going to sleep, but now he's actually begging to go to bed. Tonight, we set him up in our bed to watch a movie on his DVD player, so he could watch Megamind for the 100th time!

Keian's blood counts are currently at critical level once again, but are being masked by the effects of the steroid. With that comes alot of home bound activities - we've been trying to get him out a bit, by driving around to christmas light displays and areas we know that go all out for the holiday season.

This weekend has also proven the power of one special little boy. How he can increase hope, bring joy, encourage smiles and build new friendships. We have been given unconditional love, compassion and dedication - because of this, we can begin our week with a new strength that has risen to the surface. To all of you beautiful women and men that have done this for us, I will never truly be able to thank you enough. We have our strength continuously renewed because of you!

"If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell"

~Chantal

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