Good and Bad

Good: Grandpa Bixler's piano recital was quite a good time. It was an afternoon of deep pride for grandpa and for Maggie. It was also a chance to thank a home community, church, and family. It was a great chance to meet two of our fellow leukemia families whom we've read about and followed online. The music was great, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Lastly, grandpa raised $5,000 dollars for children's leukemia research! Wow. We are humbled by his efforts and grateful for the support that the community demonstrated.

Bad: Maggie's diarrhea is very bad right now. When did we start with this? February. I wonder how much laundry detergent we've gone through since then? We continue to follow our almost-daily ritual of trying to decide if we need to take Maggie to the hospital to double-check that she is okay. Getting covered in liquid poo while in public barely makes us flinch anymore. The referral to Cincinnati Children's can't come quick enough. We are told that it could take a month or so to be seen.

Good: A very kind lady named Sue who often works the booth at the hospital lets us park for free. She has saved us a LOT of money over the past 14 months. The permanent pass that she gave us was taken away but she continues to let us through when she's on duty. She does it with a caring smile, too. Tonight Whitney said that it is gestures like this that makes her think that she can get through another day. Which speaks to how wonderful Sue is and also how worn down a mother of a child with leukemia (and nasty side effects) can get.

Bad: Whitney is 60% through her first steroid week without my being home during the day to help. Please say a prayer for Whitney and Maggie to get through the rest of the week. Maggie isn't falling asleep well (because of the steroid) and not staying asleep well (because of diarrhea attacks).

We should end with a positive I guess......Maggie is beautiful.