Induction II, Day 2

It was a quiet day today. Ethan didn’t complain once about the nauseousness you could see him dealing with. He laid in bed until about 6:00 pm. We filled the day with countless Uno games. He loves it, and gets such pleasure in throwing down the Draw 2, Skip, Reverse, and Draw 4 cards. An Uno game guarantees smiles.

He received two of his three chemo drugs today. Yesterday he was nauseous, today even more so. While he thankfully didn’t vomit at all, he has occasional mild gagging that he so naturally does now. On his own, he discreetly manages the yucky feelings with deep breathing, quiet moans, staying as still as possible, often laying on his side. He’s on Zophran around the clock to suppress this. However, that doesn’t cut it for the entire day. So, today he also got Regalan and Benadryl. This makes him sleepy…so he took his Benadryl nap from 3-5 pm.

I saved a couple parcels from the day’s mail to use as a reward. After waking and another game of Uno, he spied them on the other side of the room. I got him redressed, shorts, a Red Sox jersey and his crocs. We slowly got up from bed, careful not to bring on a sudden case of nauseousness, and made our way over to the parcels. The beautiful care package contained many wrapped gifts, filled his eyes with excitement. We made a deal: he got to open one gift, and then upon returning from a short stroll he could open the others. He walked through the hallway, pushing his IV pole, slowly. Within seconds, this increased to a pace I was uncomfortable with, considering he had not walked all day. However, the mischievous smile that grows on his face makes it difficult to say no. I grabbed on to the IV pole in hopes of slowing him down a bit and/or preventing a fall from happening. So, after 5 minutes of walking through our hallway, we made it back to the room, feeling very accomplished for the day.

These parcels that come…they’re wonderful. Everyone is so thoughtful. They arrive from best friends, school mates, acquaintances, sometimes people that have never met Ethan. I only wish the senders could see the joy Ethan gets out of each one, regardless of the contents. This is one of the highlights of Ethan’s day. Thank you.

Ethan spent the remainder of the evening on the couch, making birthday cards for upcoming birthdays, with the TV on in the background. He smiled, cracked jokes, commented on commercials, and took his card-making very seriously, using crafty techniques he’s learned, or self-taught over his preschool years. He talked to his cousins on the phone, which always lifts his spirits and makes him feel connected. And while they are only 9 and 10, Joe and Cassia always know the perfect things to say, and how to make Ethan feel so good, so normal, and yet so cared for.

He decided Ramen “noodle soup” sounded good, and managed to eat about ¼ cup of noodles. It’s so good to see him eat. That was the only thing in two days he had wanted. After that huge feast, around 9:30, he decided to roll over on the couch and go to sleep. I carried him to bed at 10pm and tucked him in.

Tomorrow we look forward to Aunt Katie and Uncle Nick coming in from CT, making their weekly trek to Rowley and the hospital. No matter what, they’re here, every Friday through Sunday, making Ethan feel so special, giving him such love, providing laughter, and maybe a little Yankee/Red Sox trash talk. We also look forward to Grandma Mary and Eliot coming back in for the day, and the Friday night pizza party on 6 North. (The pizza party is funded by a former 6 North family…what a wonderful way to give back…). And of course we can’t wait to see Daddy tomorrow evening…it’s been too long.

I also look forward to my first introduction to 6 West…the Transplant unit. I will be meeting with someone for the first time, receiving an overview, tour and some reading materials. Although I have read a bit on transplants, I am anxious to hear the specifics of the process here, the policies here, and see exactly where we will be and what it is like. I’m anxious to report back with my learnings, so we all know what to expect…