COOKIE et al Update 05/01/06

Dearest Friends and Family,
Today is +5 and counting to 90 days. That's the approximate length of the hospital IN PATIENT stay, knock on wood or cross your fingers or throw salt over your shoulder. Whatever works to keep us within the boundaries of "right on track". So far, so good. It's easy to say "We're doing fine and everything is going as expected." but it's absolutely not easy to actually live it.

In the past, over the last 8 years of COOKIE's battle with Leukemia, we've tended to stay in a sort of cocoon, just going through the motions of getting through the days and not allowing anything or anyone on the outside in so as not to upset the delicate balance of our determined purpose....getting through the treatment for COOKIE as best we could and looking forward, one day at a time. This time though, it was different. This relapse was bigger than just our little family could cope with by itself. Emotionally, financially and physically it would be the most challenging of all and we knew it right away. We opened up our minds and our arms and our hearts to all. We have not been disappointed. We have been inundated with support, with love, with prayers and good wishes. We've been humbled beyond our wildest expectations by the strength and devotion that so many of you have shown us. We're so grateful. Please know that.

With all of this exposure comes a certain amount of responsibility and that's where the little updates I began writing came in. I thought it was a good way to share COOKIE's progress with the masses. It's just not possible for me to speak to each and every one of you and relay our progress on a daily basis. I never dreamed it would turn into a "blog" where people are actually emailing me to remind me to start typing and get another update on there! I'm very thankful that you're all accepting my updates with such gusto!

Sometimes, it's very difficult to write about. This has been an extremely difficult few days. My emotions and empathy for my granddaughter run very, very deep and I don't want to include all of the negatives in my writing but it's difficult to write an update and not talk about the strain, emotionally and physically, that this ordeal is putting on all of us, especially COOKIE. I will begin this update by saying that as of this writing, COOKIE is doing better. THANK GOD.

Every step of this treatment has a delayed reaction and it takes time for the effects of the radiation and chemotherapy to actually leave COOKIE's body, especially considering the extreme doses she was just given prior to the transplant. So, that's what she's been dealing with. She's been in a lot of pain and discomfort for various reasons but it all seems to be under control at this time. She is feeling much better and some of her maladies actually seem to be healing. She is completely at zero counts which means she has no immune system. She received platelets a couple of days ago. It looks like she'll be getting platelets again today.

I actually spent the day with her yesterday and Mommy and Daddy spent the day with Parker. Cookie and I colored and colored and then she slept for most of the afternoon. Then we colored again. Forget Old Maid and Yahtzee! I can't lose coloring! Ha! Matt took Parker to the park and to lunch at "Chenny's", which was an ordeal in itself. UCLA hosted a BOOK FAIR yesterday and there was absolutely no place to park anywhere in the Westwood area! Matt finally had to park the car at the hospital and walk down the hill to Denny's. Of course, what goes down the hill must come up so he and Parker had to trudge all the way back up to the hospital. Thankfully, he was pushing Parker in the stroller, the one that he's way too big for, but they never would have made it otherwise. Shelee went down and met them and they walked to the campus side of UCLA to go to the Book Fair. Then, they grabbed dinner and went to the motorhome to eat.

The nurse came in while COOKIE was sleeping with one of her evening doses of medicine that she takes by mouth. They mix it with strawberry syrup so it's actually edible. She announced they were out of strawberry syrup. I called Shelee and they had to stop at the store for strawberry syrup. I said "No strawberry syrup on the entire floor?" What about all of the other little kiddos??? Anyway, mission accomplished. Shelee found some syrup and brought it up to the floor.

Can you imagine? 8:30 on a Sunday evening and it's bumper to bumper on the 405? Amazing.

Until next time, we wish you and yours health and happiness.
Much love,
Cookie, The Grandma