So much to tell you!

Thank you for your patience.  Finally!  We have a connection!  First, of course, I want to share an update on Ty.  After several tough days, he is finally doing better.  We came home from the hospital late on Friday, and returned to the hospital today for an MRI.  Of course he was nervous about going in, but when I assured him that we weren't staying and that he wouldn't be getting any needles he immediately turned around and he has been surprisingly playful with the staff instead of his usual shy self.    He is in MRI right now, and he is expected to get out around 1:30PM.  Rather than stick around and wait for the results, we are going to return home, wait for the full report from the radiologist and talk to his doctors about the results tomorrow.  As you may know, this MRI is a very, very important one so we want to be together when we get the results, and we want to be sure that the full report is in because our doctors have delivered terrible news in the past and then apologized for the error (remember when they told us the tumor grew almost 3X in size, but it was really just bleeding??!!??)

As you may recall, just over a week ago the doctors saw what they believe to be new tumor growth in various places up and down his spine, but they were unable to find any cancer cells in his CSF fluid to prove it.  In this next image they are looking for any changes that would prove whether or not the cancer has metastasized.  Please, God… we are praying for a clean image (or, at the very least, a cleaner image than the last one).  We are praying for the doctors to be wrong.... for this to be a magic MRI.  There is a possibility that what they were seeing is scar tissue from the various bouts of meningitis poor Ty endured, or signs of another infection that they were unable to pinpoint.  We will find out tomorrow, and until then we will be experiencing a level of anxiety that most can't even imagine. 

Now for a lighter update on Ty and the rest of the Campbell's…

I've noticed a trend with Ty where the longer he stays in the hospital, the longer it takes for him to adjust to being home on an emotional level.  He starts off very anxious, irritable and sad… but with time he gets more and more comfortable, slowly returning to himself.  This is certainly holding true this time around, but with every day he is winding down more, and his increasing laughter fills the rooms. 

It is a harder adjustment for him this time, too, because we MOVED!!  When we checked into Urgent Care on Thursday night last week, we were still at our house in Long Beach.  When we checked out on Friday evening we drove straight to our new home upstate.  He is excited and he loves it, but it is a lot to take in.  It's a lot for all of us.  Plus, Gavin arrived a couple of days ago, causing chaos.  (Note to Colleen and Sissy - I think you will appreciate this picture the most J).

They say when you are going through difficult times that you should avoid making any major life changes (i.e., don't change your job, don't move, don't get married…).  Well, in order to better accommodate Ty's needs, Lou changed his job AND we moved, all in about one week's time.  To say we are stressed out is an understatement, but it will work out and it is already coming together so quickly thanks to all the help from our amazing family.  The reason why we decided to do this is because at Lou's new practice he will have much more time off to spend with Ty, we were able to get a house with much more space to meet Ty's needs and we are now closer to Lou's family who can help with Gavin. 

Last night, Ty was visited by Spiderman, Batman and Superman.  It was an incredible experience for him and I will be sure to post pictures ASAP.  In the meantime, please remember that we DO want to hear from you, so please send your holiday greetings to our new address (below).  Don't worry if you mailed something to the Long Beach address, either.  I will be back and forth quite a bit, and we also arranged for the post office to forward all of our mail.  Thank you!!

23 Bridle Way

Pawling, NY 12564