Bella Ballerina.... YAY

Yesterday I took Keira to the shoe store and they were able to fit Bella Ballerina sneakers over her braces. She was thrilled and so was I. Other than new cool shoes there is not much to update everyone on (which is wonderful). Keira is getting chemo pretty much every week at the clinic but no chemo at home right now which is very nice. Yesterday the kids were talking about Halloween costumes, this year is flying by.

Hard to believe it is September already!

Keira is doing great. She had chemo two days last week so her appetite isn't as good as it could be but she is still eating well. When we were in the hospital a couple of weeks ago they wanted to give her a feeding tube but we convinced them to try an appetite stimulant first and she has put on 3.5 pounds since then which is a lot for someone so small.

On Thursday she was fitted for leg braces, she needs them because one of her medications affects her reflexes and she has been having a hard time walking. The braces are actually really cute she got to pick a design and she doesn't seem to be too concerned about them. The only issue is that she has to wear high top sneakers with them and we haven't picked them up yet. This might not seem like a big deal but Keira likes to wear dresses all the time and not just casual dresses but very fancy dresses with pretty shoes. Any time I try to put her in sneakers it is a battle so hopefully we'll be able to find dresses that  work with high tops.

Tonight our amazing neighbors took us out to dinner for my birthday and Keira got sick at the table, it was a shock because she hasn't been sick since we were on vacation a couple weeks ago. The restaurant cleared out and I'm sure there were some complaints. I felt awful but while I was cleaning her up our friends cleaned up the table and she got through the rest of the meal without issue. We were able to have a great time despite everything.... a glass of white wine makes it easier to deal with pretty much anything!

The hardest thing about childhood cancer is that it never takes a break. Even when Keira seems to be fine there is always something she is struggling with. We are very lucky that her treatments have become much less intense and are "supposed" to get even easier as we approach her one year anniversary in December. As an outsider it might be hard to believe but there are times that I don't even think about everything that is going on with her. Unfortunately, there is always a reminder to bring us back to reality.

Vacation was amazing!

 Keira was discharged from the hospital on Monday 8/19 and we left for vacation. We visited her Aunt's farm and then headed down to Virginia Beach. It was an absolutely amazing time. We came back the next Monday and Dad went back to work on Tuesday. Mom-mom will be coming down from Sunday to Thursday for the year to care for Keira, I can't imagine what we would do without her.

 We are feeling really good about both being back to work for the first time in nine months! Brendan Jr. starts Kindergarten on Tuesday so we are all very excited for him. Keira knows that she won't be able to go and she seems to be taking it well but she does still ask occasionally why she can't go and I explain it to her but I'm not sure she really gets it. She tells me that she "won't make the other kids sick because she doesn't have a fever" and it makes me feel bad. We've told her it is because she could get sick from the other kids but I'm not sure she believes us.

 Keira has another round of chemo starting this Tuesday but it shouldn't be as intense as the last one and there are no scheduled hospital stays so hopefully we can all be home together for a while!

Counts are back down

Keira's counts went down significantly instead of coming up. I think I jinxed us by getting excited that she could come home. She is feeling good, eating well and has no fever so that is good news. Now we wait....

Pins and needles once again

Keira is feeling much better today. Her appetite and energy level are normal, and she hasn't had a fever since last night. Her counts came back up significantly but she is still neutropenic. Her Dr. believes she will be coming home on Friday if she continues to do well. There may still be a chance for vacation after all….. it would be wonderful!

Admitted

Keira was admitted last night. She is now neutropenic so she will stay in the hospital until her counts come back up. It could be days or weeks. Maybe by some miracle she will be out by Saturday and all better so we can take vacation but I'm thinking next summer is a better bet.

UGH.... the E.R. again.

Keira had a blast at her birthday party! We had so much fun and were so glad she was able to be there and enjoy it. Today we went to the clinic, her counts are up so they told us we are good to go for vacation..... we came home, she took a nap and woke up with a 102.7 fever. So, she is getting comfortable in the E.R. This is the highest fever she has ever had so we are of course very concerned. She could come home tonight and get high doses of antibiotics at the clinic or the next 3 days (since she is not neutropenic) or they will admit her. We likely won't know how they will handle this for several hours. Other than the fever she was perfectly fine, no aches, pains or any other symptoms, just a little sleepy so hopefully they will fix her right up!

On another note, below is a picture of the O'Neill family, with our lemon smiles.... getting ready for the Alex's Lemonade stand million mile run / walk..... go team Keira!!!!!