Easton took his first plane ride this weekend! We had to check a car seat, the pack and play, the stroller, two large suitcases, one of which held a high char, inflatable bath, and toys. We’ll learn little tricks and short cuts along the way, but this time it felt like we took our entire home with us to PA. Fortunately my mom, dad, and sister were able to join us, so we had tons of help.
So when I say we’ve felt the Lord’s provision through this whole situation so far, I mean it. The day before we left, my aunt Kim called and said a friend had contacted her whose daughter lived in Philadelphia and was away at camp this summer. She said we were welcome to stay in her apartment while Easton was there for treatment. We looked up the location and it was .3 miles from the eye hospital. The incredible woman who offered the apartment, just so happened to be in DFW this weekend and was able to meet me to hand off the keys. We were able to cancel our hotel and stay in this incredible space within walking distance of absolutely everything we needed. This generous offer saved us so much time, hassle, and money, and was just perfect for our family. Her daughter and roommate opened up their home to people they’ve never met – what an incredible act of service! We are forever grateful for them.
We came to Philadelphia a little early to get settled and try to enjoy the weekend before a long week of tests and consultations. We toured Independence Hall, saw the Liberty Bell, had lunch at Reading Market, and walked around exploring the city on Sunday. It was also Father’s Day, so we got to celebrate Scott and my dad as well. Scott has been the most incredible father to Easton. It’s been fun to watch his tenderness toward E. He had to step in more than most fathers do from the beginning – I did not recover from my C-section quickly, and then my disc issues in my back started just two weeks after Easton was born. There were times when I couldn’t move, and Scott would get up in the early hours of the morning to take care of the baby with a long day of work ahead of him. His sacrifice for us has been constant and without complaint. Easton is a Daddy’s boy for sure – he lights up anytime Scott enters the room and reaches for him from my arms (I’m just a little bit jealous of this). Their relationship is a treasure to me, and I cannot wait to watch that little boy look up to his daddy for years to come.
This morning (Monday), we went to Wills Eye Hospital to meet with
Dr. Shields. She is world-renowned for her success in ocular oncology, and we are very confident in her ability to treat Easton.
We began by all three getting eye drops to dilate our eyes – it’s protocol there to examine the parents as well. That was quick and only consisted of having us look in all directions while they looked at us through a hand tool. After a few other quick tests and a consultation with Dr. Say, we moved to the room where Dr. Shields would examine Easton. There were twelve people in this little exam room observing and assisting her. It was a little intimidating, but she was very kind and had a calming presence that put us at ease a little. Instead of putting Easton under anesthesia, they did an exam and ultrasound while he was awake. This was agonizing for us. There were five people holding him down while he screamed and cried for around 10-15 minutes. By the end, he was so exhausted that his screams were hoarse and he could barely muster the energy to cry. I was in tears the whole time. The second they gave him back to me, he was out. He was completely soaked in sweat. His eyes were bloodshot a thick, bright red from the tool they use to hold it open while she examined him.
We spent so much time preparing for our consultation with Dr. Shields using the information that our oncologist gave us about intra-arterial chemo plus many other case studies we had looked up on our own. Ultimately, we wanted her to explain why she felt Easton was a good candidate for this intra-arterial procedure despite its risks, and why we should do it instead of IV chemo. It felt a little strange questioning the guru of this procedure, especially with her twelve observers in the room (I envisioned them holding in their laugher as they thought, “Do you KNOW who you’re talking to here?”), but our oncologist had brought up enough concern that we just had to hear her justify this method of treatment. We really like what she had to say and feel much better about the risks involved. We are tentatively scheduled for June 29th if we decide to move forward with treatment, but it will all depend on how our visit to St. Jude in Memphis goes.
I’m so grateful that my parents and sister came with us on this trip. They spent so much time arranging our travel, researching the best flights and hotels, and coordinating our transportation. My mom and sister both work for American Airlines, so they are all seasoned travelers and handled everything we needed for the sudden change of plans. We were even able to fly stand-by to Memphis using their passes to avoid the change fee of our Philadelphia tickets. Our WHOLE family on both sides, both immediate and extended, has been such a strong support system for us through all of this.
We are relaxing tonight after a very long day, and are Memphis bound in the morning!
