We started school on August 28th. Em started her 2nd year of kindergarten in my class....right alongside her best buddy Brindi. Life is good in Emma's eyes. That's all that really matters, right? She has had a few (OK quite a few) physical interactions with her classmates, and we are really trying to curtail those (diet and drugs...good combo right). She LOVES school, but it breaks my heart when her classmates don't want anything to do with her because she is so physical right now. OUCH! It stings a mama's heart. So, we are working on it.
Emma is also in the midst of some medical issues. At her last yearly transplant exam it was found that her EBV (Ebstein-Barr Virus) titers were elevated. So, they wanted to watch them for a month. Well, they were still elevated a month later so they put her on an anti-viral medication (at $700 a month...YIKES!). Well, she has been on antibiotics on top of the antiviral for 2 months now. The DAY after she gets off of antibiotics she spikes 104-105 degree fever! UGH! So, next Friday the 18th she will be getting a CAT scan of her head and neck (to check her lymph nodes) they are basically looking for a post-transplant lymphoma that can be present in post tx patients. I am living in denial!!! I am thinking that they are just being overly cautious....over-reactive!!! But, this is the GI doc that has followed Em since transplant, and I KNOW that he doesn't overreact. I know that this is possibly serious. But, I don't want to put the cart before the horse, so I am choosing to remain calm. YEAH for me!!! This is a BIG step!!!
On a VERY positive note! Our speech therapist told me the other day that the therapy team considers Emma a "success story" because she has come so far in the last year! She thinks by the end of this year Emma will be completely articulate. WOW! That is AMAZING from a child that had approximately 20 words at the beginning of last year! It is SO awesome to actually have conversations with her now and to hear her opinions on things! It is truly incredible....something that I thought might never come!
I'll try not to stay away so long the next time! Life is really just crazy right now. The thing that we are most looking forward to is Emma's Make-A-Wish trip that will take place in November. We are going to DisneyWorld during the week of Thanksgiving. Emma is counting down the days until we see Mickey Mouse and the princesses. It is going to be SO much fun!!
Here is a picture of Miss Em on the first day of school:
5 comments:
what a beautiful picture!!
What a big girl! So beautiful!
I missed you. So glad to get a update. I will be praying for Emma. That is great news from her Speech therapist too.
What a beautiful picture! I'll be praying for Emma and for you.
She is such a doll! So glad that school is going well!
Kelly W.
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