Last Dose of IV Chemo!!

Whoo Hoo!  We are coming to the end.  Yesterday Owen has his last dose of IV chemo.  It was a pretty exciting ordeal at the hospital!  The push of drug was the same as always, but afterward, a lot of the staff that has seen him all along came in to sing him a song.  Then he got to ring an enormous bell that was the loudest I have ever heard! (As you can tell from Owen’s expression, he thought it was loud too!) We updated his bead necklace and got the newest beads for him to put on.  We had to get another string because all of the others are full.

He still has two more weeks of taking chemo orally, then he stops.  We got back to the hospital in 5 weeks for a blood draw and will talk about a date of when to remove his port.  For the first 6 months to year, he will still go in monthly for blood draws, then they will start spreading out.  This will continue for the next 5 years.  That is crazy to think he will be 11 at that time!

It was superhero day at school yesterday, so he had his batman shirt on, and wore a cape.  When getting his vitals when first getting to the hospital the girls were asking him about superheros, and Owen came out with, “ya, I am a superhero.  My friends call me O-Lightning”.  We all cracked up.  I have never heard that one before, but that will stick.  He originally wanted to wear his Elephant shirt at the hospital, but it has short sleeves, and he was cold and kept his superhero shirt on.  Elephants are his favorite animal and have been so ever since I can remember.  It seems kinda fitting that he would like elephants.  Many cultures view elephants as a symbol of strength and power.  They are also known for their longevity, mental capacity and loyalty.  I think Owen chose a favorite animal that really fits his character.