"Cruckie"

After two days of driving to Baltimore and back, we have a day at home. Yesterday was a lot of logistics - running around Hopkins trying to find the right building. We push Henry in the stroller and he laughs when we go up and down the sidewalk curbs. He's starting to understand what we're doing in that he recognizes the hospital now and wants to go home. At night he wakes up saying "I want to go home" - during the day we've come to expect some tantrums, usually at little things, normally inconsequential.

A few months ago a friend of mine gave us one of those motorized kid trucks. Henry loves it. He called it 'Cruckie' (can't quite say his T's yet). Cruckie burned up batteries (quite expensive batteries) really fast - but yesterday I decided we needed to try again. Henry had a terrific time. He picked up the mail from the mail box and 'drove' his sister back from the bus stop. He laughed chasing some of the neighborhood kids around the street and going in tight circles, getting dizzy.

Henry's plan for treatment is shaping up to look like the following:

---

• Monday - Surgery to put in his central line


• Wednesday - Echocardiogram (heart sonogram) and Audio test (under sedation)


• Thursday - Admission to the hospital (7 days) to begin chemotherapy.

Henry's chemotherapy regimen will be a 3 monthly cycles. We'll spend a week in the hospital for the administration of the therapy, then weekly checkups. We will give him some of the medicines at home, some of these medicines are simply for side effects. During the days following Henry's treatments, his white blood count will drop to zero then return. When it returns sufficiently we begin again. After two cycles of chemotherapy, we will have an MRI done to see how well its working. That's really all the further we're looking ahead right now.

Tomorrow we go for a second opinion from Dr. Roger Packer at Children's National Medical Center. We feel this is necessary for our peace of mind, but have been reassured by Dr. Packer that we are in good hands at Hopkins and that he likely will not give us a different recommendation. Because of the rarity of this cancer, the hospitals work together on a protocol of sorts in order to compare and improve results.

Henry should be home and alert for Halloween, despite his surgery. He has consistently said he wants to be a ghost. He's looking forward to dressing up and seeing his friends, not to mention the candy.