School days



Thanks to Aunt "T" and Uncle Harry for the awesome house!

It's hard to believe that Gavin is two years and nine months.  We have enrolled him in his own "early three's" preschool class that begins tomorrow.  It's at the same school that Ty attends (it couldn't be a more warm and loving environment) and the class is made up of five girls, plus Gavin.  Oh Boy, this should be interesting :) 

Ty was diagnosed when he was two years + ten months.  I remember every second of checking him into the hospital, and it's very hard to imagine Gavin going through the same thing now that he is almost the same age.  It makes me sick.  I could vomit at any given time whenever I allow myself to think about it.  Gavin weighs ten pounds more than Ty ever did (he's enormous for his age - 97th percentile) yet I still can't imagine my little baby having to be poked and prodded and put through the machines that Ty was during his very first hospital stay.  Lou and I sat in the room while he was under anesthesia for his very first MRI thinking this was the scariest, worst thing we would ever put him through.  We held hands for the entire hour, unable to talk to each other because it was so loud in the room, dying for it to be over.  How little we knew about the life that was waiting for us.  The horrors that we would face over the past year and a half.  I pray with every ounce of my soul that those days are behind us forever because I would rather saw off my arms with a dull, rusty blade than watch Ty go through another serious surgery, or another round of high-dose chemotherapy, or another infection of the central nervous system.  Have you ever had meningitis?  I haven't, but the few people I know who have tell me that it is by far the worst head pain they ever experienced in their entire lives... and these are adults who remember what it felt like decades later.  Ty had meningitis THREE TIMES in the past year and a half. 

Anyway, my point is... I pray the only side effect that Gavin ever has to experience when it comes to cancer is his frequent bandaid envy.  Sometimes when Ty comes home after getting his bloodwork, Gavin needs a bandaid, too.  I believe this one here is a Captain America bandaid. 

I can't wait to report back on Gavin's first day of school - ever!  I had his backpack ready to go since this afternoon and I am very nervous for him!  I know he will do fine, but I can't help but worry about leaving him alone with strangers for the first time.  I'll probably just get a cup of coffee in town and drive around the block a bunch of times until I can pick him up. 

In the meantime, Ty is doing AMAZING.  His physical strength is phenomenal.  When his PT came to see him Wednesday morning, she brought tape and bandages to make a splint for his foot after being so discouraged at how weak he was on Monday.  She might as well have thrown them out the window!  She was as excited as we were to see what a drastic improvement the steroids have made.  Ty is doing really well.  His foot is still weak (it drags and drops when he's trying to walk) and he has almost zero dexterity in his left hand, but the core muscles in his arm and leg have improved SO MUCH.  He is a new kid, once again.  The comeback kid.... I am not kidding.... this kid just keeps on going in the face of every challenge.  God bless him always and forever. 

As you know, Ty loves him some candy.  We had to decorate a Campbell Family Snowman for his school and here is what he came up with all on his own.  Of course, since he has so much trouble with his hands I did all of the gluing so it looks a lot better than if he did it on his own, but Ty directed every type of candy he wanted to use, and where he wanted it placed on his snowman.  I am so proud!  That is a pink starburst hat (with smarties for the rim), Gummy lifesavers for the ears, square pretzels for the feet and his favorite chocolate truffles for some of the buttons, among other things. 

 
 Good night everyone and God bless.  XOXO love Ty and the rest of the Campbell Family.