Today’s appointment took a long time. The clinic is typically very busy on Mondays, and today it seemed extra busy. What happens is that patients that don’t have scheduled appointments develop symptoms over the weekend and need to be seen as soon as possible, so the staff squeezes them...

Friday night while I was bragging about Tate being able to tie his shoes by himself for the first time in a long time, he was at his friend Clark’s house playing a cello! MaryJane texted me a video of them playing together. I could see Tate smiling in...

Tate had a busy week. A good week. His teacher Maggie was here Monday and Wednesday for lessons, and she loaded him up with assignments because she won’t be back until April 1. Tate had physical therapy yesterday and occupational therapy today. His physical therapist told us it won’t...

Yesterday something very normal happened, and it felt extraordinary. For the first time since May 2018, Tate went to his friend Clark’s house to hang out. The boy trapped in his bed for months finally had the strength to leave. I have dropped Tate off at this house many...

Eight days. That’s how long it took for Tate to feel like himself after his last spinal tap and chemotherapy. This morning I went to check on him and found him awake, alert, and ready for breakfast. Tate is strong enough to resume his school lessons with Maggie and...

The last few days have been quiet but kind of sad. This sprint of steroids seems to be making Tate weaker than the last two did. His whole body aches, and he has no strength to walk at all. He has been eating all his meals in his room,...

Tate’s lumbar puncture and chemotherapy went well yesterday. He was the first patient so we had to check in by 6:45am. Tate wore a pair of wacky Tetris cat pants, striped fuzzy socks, and his warmest port shirt. The staff always appreciates his wardrobe. Yesterday Tate got intrathecal Methotrexate...

Today was a BIG day! It began with Tate walking into the clinic for his appointment. It was December the last time he could walk that far; there have been so many ups and downs. Tate has decided to forgo a traditional cane or walker and chose instead to...

Tate loves rainy days. He always has. This afternoon when he rolled into the kitchen to ask if he could go outside I couldn’t say no. I might get some grief for this, but I have never been the mom that believes that being in rain equals getting sick....

Tate has experienced both highs and lows these first few weeks of Maintenance and seems to have landed somewhere in the middle now the side effects of the drugs have lessened. When my friend Stacey asked him how he felt today his response was, “It’s not good, but I...