The Best-Laid Plans...

I want to post a quick update on life around here: We have had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season, in general. The kids have enjoyed themselves, which means that 1. Cynthia and I have managed to do something right, and 2. Cynthia and I were able to have an enjoyable time as well. If pressed, we might even say that it felt like we had a vacation. Here is photographic proof of the kids' bliss--laying on the sofa, watching cartoons, eating marshmallows--not a bad day's work....



That said, we did have one major snafu: Andrew got sick this past week. Sick enough (double ear infection), in fact, that we had to cancel our family trip to Texas to visit my parents. Obviously, this was a big disappointment for me and for us. Lucia took it particularly hard, as she really had her heart set on the trip and some quality time with my mom and dad's cats. She had even bought Christmas presents for them (the cats) and is terribly upset that they will not get them in a timely fashion. Still, we felt that we could not put Andrew through the pain of flying with two ear infections, nor could we risk that he would come back from Texas even sicker than when he left, since he is due to be admitted tomorrow for the start of Round 4 of antibody treatment. We have re-booked our trip for the end of January, so please say those prayers and cross those fingers that we are all healthy when the time comes again.

As I said, Andrew and I do go in tomorrow to start Round 4. This round actually works as a two-parter: He receives IL-2 for 96 hours continuously this week, we go home for the weekend, then we go back in again next week, when we actually receive the antibody with more IL-2. This is a repeat of Round 2, which was the one that Andrew reacted to the most (read worst), so there is definitely some anxiety going into the next two weeks. At the same time, we continue to be optimistic and know that there is an end to Andrew's treatment that is almost within reach. Just a few more hurdles....

I do want to comment again on how truly fortunate we are to have the amount of love and support and interest in Andrew, his story and his well-being, as evidenced by the incredible success of his Lunch For Life Giving Tree. I didn't personally do a comparison, but I have been told that Andrew's tree was far-and-away the most-decorated of the season. We can't thank you enough for that kind of response to our plea. I want to especially acknowledge anyone who signed up to give a lunch on a regular basis throughout the year; that is a noteworthy commitment and one that acknowledges that this is a cause that deserves our attention year-round. As a small token of our gratitude, we want to offer Andrew's custom "WARRIOR" wristbands to anyone who participated in his Giving Tree (or anyone who wants to show their support for him, really). See one modeled (badly out-of-focus) by me below:



They are green and come in two sizes: Adult and Youth. Please email me directly at pfilippone@earthlink.net with your mailing address, quantity and sizes and we will send them out in the next few weeks.

Happy New Year to you all. May 2009 be a year of TOTAL HEALTH!

Paul