The hair is coming back.....

Sweet tooth is back

 Apologies for not updating. I have a big one coming showing a summary of the year. And we are trying to sort out our yard for Summer. We are either walking around in dust or mud at the moment.

Owen is doing really well. Just been in for a Lumbar Puncture and a top up of Chemo. Still taking his tablets, and we had a "sick" day yesterday. Throw up in the morning, and sat around all dressed up to work outside with me but had to sit on a chair and watch. A sad face all day. Bounced back today as you can see in the photo.

12/11/10 One year since diagnosis eve..... A celebration of community.....

Friday, a gathering happened. With Owen's One year milestone pending, Justine and Tracy, our resident Organiser/Angels decided that a party for those on our food roster was in order. That evening, wedged perfectly between massive downpours of rain we had an opportunity to say thank you to those who have supported Owen and our family. The meals, the fruit and vegetables, the gifts, the big things and the little things, emails, words of encouragement, the list never ends........ .
It turned out to be a happy and uplifting occasion. And Owen was in his element, moving, shifting, organising and helping. He gave a beautiful speech which he had spent 2 weeks on. As a 9 year old, he is comfortable in front of adults. The last year of his life, most of the time has been with doctors, nurses, and his mum and dad, a big part of his childhood has been bypassed. I can see the changes. His conversation is not childllike anymore. It is about the bigger things in life. This happens when you chat with haematologists, resident doctors, oncologists then psychologists and psychiatrists and the usual playful banter with nurses. Just a normal week for a 9 year old called Owen. (I actually love it when the child takes over and he sits a plays Lego...)
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We had said that having a child with a disabilty made us aware that the world was full of good people. People who help and support and devote their lives to making these children's lives better. We never understood why we had to go through the same learning cycle again with Owen. But, the support from everyone showed us that the world is a good place, and people care.

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So thank you to everyone.

This thank you extends to everyone....... Not just to those that were there on Friday. Everyone.....

We are now cooking and shopping for ouselves, and trying to do things as normally as possible.

I am now checking on Owen visually when I go to bed, and leave for work in the morning. No more checking his temps by touching his forehead. He is well.... except for his bad blood counts but they will improve.. with time.

Lee suggested that it was time to start going to school without a bandanna.... He is now happy to do it....!

10/11/10 Goodbye extension cords...

Hickman line. Just before removal.

This photo was taken just before Owen had his central medication line changed over from a "Hickman" to a "Port". The bandage on a Hickman line is nice and neat for 2 days then it starts lifting and loosening off. So we start taping and repairing until he sees a nurse who removes the bandage, and cleans up his skin before applying a new bandage. Then they flush his line. This takes about an hour..... And you have to be home, waiting for them...

Now, Owen has no cords hanging out of his body. Life with a port is a lot easier. Because it is under his skin, it only needs to be "accessed" once a month rather than weekly. He does not have to tie it back to his clothes and it will not get ripped or torn out accidently (Yes it happens). It will be under his skin for the next 2.5 years... as he needs medication in it once a month. You can see the bump where the "Port" is in the photo on the right. It is in a safe spot on his body, but it should not he knocked so rough play is off the books.. supposedly.. We are constantly reminding him and Joel....

8/11/10 Day 360. All is good.

The O-Man Bandanna. A special gift..

Closing in onto Owen's 1 year since diagnosis...

Had a checkup last week and all is moving along nicely. His health outwardly looks great as he slowly gets a little bit more colour back into him. His tablets are on hold for 2 weeks as they are knocking his blood counts around. His neutrophils are down to a point if he was in hospital, they would not let him out until they had recovered significantly as he was vulnerable to infection. I explained it to Owen in simple terms. His brothers bloods have 200 - 800 soldiers protecting them from infection. He has 10 soldiers..... Still, he is well and happy....

20/10/10 The best of the best.. Jason Hodges at Bunnings.. Wow

Apologies for taking so long to blog. As life settles down, we start filling it all those thing that we ingnored. Family stuff.... All those things that we skipped around now are important again....

Jason Hodges and The Big O

That magical evening..

.."Ohh.. Joel, this is amazing...." came out of Owen's mouth as he sat in the back seat of the car, travelling home, staring at his brand new Ryobi Cordless drill. "It's 18 volt as well. It's a proper tradesmen's drill".....

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The Saw Horses....!



We had just met the one and only Jason Hodges. The gun landscaper from the TV show Better Homes and Gardens. This is the one show that Owen watches religiously, and Jason is by far his favourite. Not Rob the dancing Builder as everyone would believe. Jason, the bloke on TV is exactly the same as the Jason we met. A good all round genuine nice guy. He looks Owen in the eye and talks to him directly and Owen just smiles from ear to ear. Jason then handed Owen some gifts, which Owen had been saving up for.... A cordless drill and work horses... As a bonus he was given a radio that uses the cordless batteries. He was and still is, stoked. The Drill sits next to his pillow when he goes to sleep. The workhorses go out to work then come back into his room at night. It was only as I started looking at the photos that I realised how happy Owen was. His smiles give it away.....



The drill...and look at the smile on Owen's face. Priceless..

Bunnings, Owen's favourite store had stunned us again. Sharlene organised an opportunity for Owen to meet Jason and then they organised gifts which absolutely floored him (and us). Thank you Sharlene, Sally (and all Bunnings staff that were involved) and Jason of course for being the gentleman that he is. Thank you for your efforts, and everyone's genuine care and concern, for Owen. He is kicking goals healthwise, and the drill has been used a lot already... Actually, it has been banned a few times because it is used inside the house, inappropriately. Typical 9 year old boy.....