Levi was pulled out of school immediately once he was diagnosed with leukemia nine months ago. Tomorrow he returns. This is a huge milestone for him - he has put in a lot of work to get back to a place where he can be in school again. And so here we are. And I am scared...we have protected Levi these past nine months. We have said no to birthday parties, we have avoided certain places, I spray sanitizer on Levi's hands or make him wash his hands countless times a day, I ask if someone is sick before we agree to come to hang out, I do my best to protect him from germs. Daycares are filled with germs. Little kids sneezing on each other then sharing toys. I am so terrified. I compare it to having to leave your firstborn that first day at daycare - Mamas out there know that is a painful moment. This is comparable if not harder and somehow I have to remain composed and not cry my eyes out to avoid upsetting Levi. I don't know how this will play out. My plan is to walk in and just smile and pray for strength to get through the door before losing my shit in the car. Once back in the car, I am sure the ugliest hardest cry will happen for quite some time. I have to let Levi go back into the world...he needs to feel like a "normal" child again. We cannot lock him away and protect him forever....and Maintenance is when kids return to school and regular activities. So tomorrow is that day. I am happy. I am terrified.
Maintenance...
Well, for one - it's not the 'cake and ice cream' phase of treatment I was hoping for. We are only a week in and I am sure it'll become routine soon BUT right now...it's not easy. I am not going to recite his meds routine yet b/c I haven't mastered it and may get it wrong...basically, we go to clinic less but we play the role of Pharmacist more. We haven't figured it out. We will.
Man/Woman of the Year Gala
We had the honor of attending the LLS - Man/Woman of the Year Gala to support Joe Tedesco, one of the candidates! Joe is just an amazing person - I don't know him very well but it's obvious that once he puts his mind to something, he's committed. He raised over $50k - maybe close to $70k! That is A LOT of money! The event raised around $441k all in! Imagine what can be done with all that money - the trials, the research that will lead to better options and someday a cure. And we were a part of it! It's a night I'll never forget... I met Landon who was Boy of the Year. He was diagnosed with leukemia at 4 and today, he is a cute, charming little boy. Someday that'll be Levi. It was so inspiring.
But the highlight of the event was Levi meeting the Charlotte Fire Dept.! Once the event kicked off, the alarms went off...I wasn't sure if it was part of the show or a real fire.....alas, we evacuated briefly (there wasn't a fire) while the firemen did their job. Levi of course was loving every second - he didn't understand why people were walking so casually and not running...and starred intensely at the firemen's every move. At some point, Elizabeth took Levi to the restroom and after what seemed a very long time, they returned and she shared pictures she had snapped of Levi with the firemen. They were all bent down on their knees talking to him....I can only imagine how many questions he wanted to ask. That moment made his night...
HUGE thanks to our Moms again for helping us with Levi these past nine months. We couldn't have done it without your support. The relationship that he has with the two of you is priceless...he talks about his Nana and Maw Maw all the time!!!
And now the pics (most of which you may have seen on Facebook)...
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