The New Normal

I finally have a moment to get to an update here. We are sitting here as we watch Caemon have a nap. Life with an (almost) three-year-old with leukemia isn’t always much different from life with any other child this age. They get cranky, they test boundaries, and they definitely need their naps.

Caemon has started to undergo chemotherapy. He is receiving a very mild form, and it is taken orally. He doesn’t seem to have nausea yet and may not. He may not lose his hair with this round either. For that we are grateful.

Caemon will need a bone marrow transplant soon. Unlike with most forms of leukemia, they don’t wait for the cancer to be in remission before the transplant. It is important that he receives his transplant as soon as a match is found. We hope this will be soon.

In the meantime, given Caemon’s chemo regimen, we may be able to go home soon and continue the process on an outpatient basis. This will be a welcome change.

For now, we’re trying to keep our boy stable, get him over his nasty cold, and keep him happy. Yesterday, Caemon aquired his very own real stethoscope, and he regularly holds clinic with his stuffed animals. His nurses and doctors are utterly charmed by his sense of humor, precocious vocabulary, and his sweet smile. Today his nurse gave him a thermometer to add to his doctor’s bag. One of his doctors thinks he deserves an honorary degree. We agree. This is a wonderful hospital with amazing staff, and we know Caemon is in the very best of hands.