It's Been a LONG Week!

It is Saturday night, and I am just waiting for the kids to go to bed, so I can head there myself! I am watching the freezing fog roll past the windows and trying to remember that it is April and tomorrow is Easter.

All in all, it was a good week. With Simon back to school, I was able to work again. When I can, I am a substitute teacher at the kids' school. It is a job I absolutely love! I have all the fun of teaching, without the chore of lesson planning. The kids at the school are great. When I am there, I feel like I have found my calling in life. I feel as though I am home!

In the 2 months before spring break, I was unable to work more than a few days. As much as I love the work, this week wore me out! I would come home and just want to collapse. (I actually did that one night! I told Bob the kids were his to feed and get to bed, because I was going straight to bed!) Being a mom, that is RARELY an option. I would get home and have to face dishes and laundry and try to figure out what to feed the kids.

On Wednesday, I took Oliver and Ezri to the doctor before going to work in the cafeteria. Ezri had a slight fever and a sore throat, and Oliver was still running a fever as well as having an ear ache and pain in his chest. Luckily, they did not have strep, but Oliver did have a severe ear infection as well as walking pneumonia. Doctor put them both on antibiotics. Ezri was back in school the next day, but Oliver was out all week. Today was the first day he actually started to feel human again!

Simon made it through the first 3 days of the week. By Thursday, he was exhausted. His throat was beginning to hurt, so he stayed home. On Friday, he was still drained and his throat was worse, so I kept him home. I called the doctor on my break, and they said to bring him in. I was afraid that his counts had begun to drop again.

When the doctor looked at his counts, he wanted to throw a party! Definitely a cause for celebration! Simon's platelets are reaching closer to the middle of normal range. His hemoglobin is just below normal, and his granulcytes are slowly creeping up! It looks as though Simon is on the mend!

Simon will go back for another check in 2 weeks, and another bone marrow test in another month. If the bone marrow is improving, we will start to look at weaning him off of the immune suppression medication he takes twice a day.

We still do not know if any of the other kids are bone marrow matches. The office got the results of the tests back, but there was a problem. Simon's test results came back in the normal format, but the results on ALL of the other kids was gibberish! Dr. Cook had to send them back, so they could be readable.

Tomorrow is Easter. The holiest day of the year. The day Christ rose from the grave after being crucified to pay for MY sins. Tomorrow will be a day of celebration. As we celebrate Easter, we will also celebrate the new chance at life Simon has been given.

On Wednesday, the community will come to the school for a blood drive, a show of support for Simon. How blessed we are to have so very many people who care about Simon and our family.

While I am breathing easier after seeing Simon's counts on Friday, I am also aware of the fact that they could start to drop again just as rapidly. I am taking every day as gift from God. I am cherishing my children and giving thanks. We will continue to pray for healing and continue to pray for strength, no matter what tomorrow may hold.