Kids Helping Kids.

This year Iza, Mimi and Magi have signed up to be Change Heros to collect change in their jars to help out Baystate Children's Hospital which is part of The Children's Miracle Network. The girls are very excited to be collecting change and helping kids! So if your purse is getting heavy with change, the car is getting cluttered with change, you have no idea what to do with your change... The girls will take care of it for you and donate it to a great cause!!! You may also Join our team and become a Change Hero yourself!

Fundraising Page:
Team Purple Sock Monkeys

MARK YOUR CALENDARS TO SUPPORT LOCAL KIDS!
Thursday, Feb. 16...6AM-7PM (We will be on air around 12:30)
Friday, Feb. 17...6AM-7PM (Our cancer fighting buddy Momo will be on!)
Saturday, Feb. 18...8AM-4PM

We hope you'll join us and the 94.7 WMAS crew for these three incredible days when children and families share their stories, laughter and tears. Since its inception in 2002, the Radiothon has raised over $1.7 million for pediatric and adolescent care in western Massachusetts. With your help, we can reach our goal of raising $200,000 this year! A BIG THANKS once again to the whole crew at 94.7 WMAS for their continued support of this event and Baystate Children's Hospital! And, thank YOU for YOUR support!

Good Counts = Earrings!

After school today Mimi had her monthly clinic visit. It was funny on the way there she asked me if she could just do a finger blood draw... until she realized that her port is not there anymore. Over the last month she had random headaches, some achy legs in the morning and sometimes I might have a mini panic attack but I realize she is just more aware of her body than an average seven year old. I can also relax by tracking back the leg aches to playing Just Dance on the Wii. One issue she has been having since her port has been out is rashes, very itchy all over her neck and upper torso. I guess according to some cancer moms it is not uncommon to have rashes off treatment. Her pediatrician decided to treat her for scabies, although it didn't really look like it, but it seemed to calm down. Now she has eczema all over her hands and arms, Iza has had it before also I am pretty sure if it wasn't for the steroids that Mimi has been on for the last 2+ years she would have had eczema sooner. We can deal with eczema.

So... never boring around here!

Counts came back GREAT! Mimi was quick to ask "So NOW can I get my ears pierced???" Answer was yes so we headed over to the mall to do just that. The woman doing the piercing was really nice explaining to her that it will be a needle going through her ear and it might hurt a little, to which she replied she isn't afraid needles. This was a "fun" poke for her! She picked out super cute magenta flower earrings.

WBC - 7.2
Hgb - 13.1
Platelet - 204
ANC - 2900

A Thanksgiving Hike

Clinic Day

I picked the girls up from school and informed Mimi she has a clinic appointment right after. She replied with a loud "Why?! I am done my port is out!" I told her we are just going for a finger prick to check her counts, again "Why?" To make sure your blood is doing what it is suppose to, we will got every month for a while. She seemed okay with that answer but then said "If it doesn't look okay then I have to get a port again? and the hospital?" Iza jumped into the conversation and said "We will just pray and wish your blood is always good!" Yes! Yes, We will!

Mimi has developed a rash sometimes hive looking the day after surgery which seemed to get worse over the weekend but after a visit to the pediatrician's office and a script for Hydroxyzine it seems to be under control. Her stitches look great, they are dis solvable do we don't have to go to get them removed. Everything checked out well so we are good until early January!

Counts:
WBC - 8.
HGB - 12.8
Platelets - 223
ANC - 3700

7!

We have two brand spanking new Seven year olds in the house! We enjoyed a weekend filled with friends, aunties, uncles, cakes, art, music, dancing, hugs and kisses. Thank you for Celebrating with us! oxo

It's OUT!

Mimi was so excited to go into the Operating room, I took a picture of her because it was funny to see a kid so excited. At one point a nurse asked me if she will need anything to keep calm, she looked at her and said "Never mind..." We borrowed Dziadziu's IPad to play with and she got spoiled not with one but two Child Life specialists! It was so great to have them there, Betsy has been with us for a big chunk of this journey it was so nice to have her at the De-PORT-ation. Mimi went in smiling at about 11am and around noon I was called in to post-op to wait for her to wake up. She woke up a bit groggy and with a rash, a reaction to either tape or cleaner they used in the OR but it seemed to clear up. Once she was able to drink and sit up off we went to meet her sisters and daddy who brought what she asked for: munchkins and Big Giant Marshmallows. We asked her if it is weird having the port out an she said no.

Later that night Mimi left a letter to the Port Fairy who also left her a note and a treat for all the girls. Apparently the Fairy got spooked by our dog and since she was flying with the tooth fairy that night anyway she left the treats on the bathroom window where Mimi found them. The girls all got some fancy chap stick, nail polish and what is a fairy treat with out some green money!

BIG day tomorrow!

Mimi's PORT is coming out!

She has known that once she no longer needs chemo the port will come out. She also always said she wanted it out before her 7th birthday. We met with the pediatric surgeon and although he wanted to wait until after her birthday, so she won't be sore for her birthday, she insisted she wanted it before.

Tomorrow, December 1st, Mimi is scheduled in the operating room at 11:30am. She will go under general anesthesia and the surgeon will try to use the same incision they used to insert the port, for minimal scars. The surgery itself should not take more than an hour. Mimi is hoping to keep her port read below to find out why...

"My Port" by Mimi, almost 7

"What is a SuperSib" by Iza

We like to Dance, UDance?

November 20th we attended the UMass UDance a dance marathon fundraiser to benefit Children's Miracle Network (for Baystate Children's Hospital). Last year the girls had so much fun and they were very excited to go again this year. Once they heard the music they were out on the dance floor along with the many college students who were there supporting Children's Miracle Network. The girls got their faces painted, balloon princesses made, ate a whole lot of popcorn but most of all Danced with their new found friends at UMass. All three of them begged to stay "at college" and wanted to do "college homework" I hope that sticks with them until they go!




Thank you UMass students for a great fundraiser and letting us be a part of it and have so much fun doing it!

Iza Mimi and Magi in front of all the students dancing to Wii Just Dance 3.