March 1-20th-ish 2010: INDUCTION

First we want to thank all the people who have been so kind and generous during this ordeal. We are less than a month into the process and we have so many people to thank. We don't want to attempt to list you all and hurt someone's feelings by missing someone or something, there have been so many gestures of kindness!! We also don't want to offend those who have not been able to be here physically but have been sending us good thoughts from afar. We truly feel blessed by having so many loved ones in our lives.

Casper arrived home from the hospital at the beginning of March. His good white blood cell count was very low at the this point due to all the initial treatments he had received in the hospital, so his risk of developing an infection was high. We were all worried he was going to have to be re-admitted within a few days, but despite the fact that he and his dad picked up a nasty stomach bug almost immediately, he was able to battle through it on his own, and we've been at home most of the month. Spencer on the other hand is still recuperating :0).

Over the past few weeks, Casper has gone through some incredible physical transformations. First of all, he and his dad went for a haircut shortly after arriving home. Casper was thrilled with the new look and the fact that his dad was sporting the same one. More incredible is the effect of the 'roids, both physically and emotionally. Casper has transformed from a normal toddler of average size to a Chris Farley Mini-Me with the temperment of, as Spencer put it, a "rodeo bull stung by a bee." Suffice it to say he is less than pleasant both on the eyes and as company right now! We are longingly looking towards Thursday when this course of steroids comes to an end.

As far as his responsiveness to the treatment, the first marrow aspirate done on Day 15 of his treatment came back with very good results. The cancer appears to be on the way into remission, and the Dr's are very pleased with his bloodwork at this time. Casper will be having a number of tests done this Thursday to determine which protocal to follow during the next "Consolidation" phase, depending on how he is responding to the chemotherapy.

Amelie, although on the receiving end of much of the steroid side-effects, remains in high spirits and shows a lot of love and compassion towards her brother.