This week Mom and Karlee got to see Dr. Struther. He seems to be Karlee’s favourite and one of very few she will talk to. He commented that he saw us at the KCCFA Quest for the Cure Gala and then spent some time admiring Karlee’s beaded journey. Everything is going well according to him and he didn’t seem to think Karlee was going to get the chicken pox now. He did give us a prescription for a bigger jug of ondansetron (the anti-nausea medication) and gave us a bunch of refills. This is nice as asking for a prescription each visit seems to be a hard thing to remember and we have issues whenever Walmart tries to make it up. Karlee got to go last for her procedure because she was on isolation. If there is no one on isolation they go with the youngest first. That can be kind of scary when they tell you that and Karlee is still near the end of the line. Some days there are a lot of very young kids in their fighting cancer and living their own journey’s. Thankfully they started almost an hour early so she wasn’t too late. This time they had to let her wake up in the procedure room since she couldn’t be out with the other kids. It took a while for her to wake up, but that isn’t too unusual. They were back in the isolation room just before 1, but had to wait for the chemotherapy. By the time if finally showed up and they got everything into her it was just after 2:30 so they weren’t home until after 3:30. Clinic days have become fairly routine, but sitting around doing nothing seems to be very draining and leaves you feeling exhausted and wiped out.
Friday night we took the kids swimming in Okotoks. We were not sure Karlee was going to be up to it, but once we got there she had a great time and really enjoyed herself. Saturday morning it was obvious that Karlee was coming down with her first cold since starting treatment. She has spent most of the weekend sneezing and with a runny nose. She seems to be hanging in there pretty good, but definitely has a few more cranky moments than normal.
Saturday morning we also had an appointment for Mom and Ryley to give blood. Ryley has been sick a lot this year and the doctor wants to rule out anything in the blood and Mom was getting blood work for her yearly physical. Ryley did a great job this time; there was no fussing before hand and one little yell when the needle went in and then he was fine. They took 5 vials of blood and a pee sample from him. I guess they want to rule out everything. Saturday afternoon we went to Christian’s birthday party at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino. It is amazing what a few hockey and soccer teams can do to a normally quiet pool. We still managed to have a great time with all the kids and didn’t lose anyone. Birthday parties there are always fun!
Right after the party we took off for Drumheller and the Royal Tyrrell Museum for a sleepover with the Beavers. It was a quick drive as we had to be there by 7:00pm. We managed to make it there with 2 minutes to spare and still beat a lot of other people. The plan was similar to the last time we were there. We dropped our gear, but didn’t set up, and then headed off to 4 different activities. Our first activity was making plaster casts of fossils. Ryley enjoyed this one the most. Next we picked through the extra goodies they get from dig sites and found fossils, petrified wood and shells. This was very interesting and the kids enjoyed finding the different types of items. Our 3rd activity was Dad’s favourite; we got to learn about and hold Brittany, a 6 foot long boa constrictor. Brittany was there 2 years ago and is still a big favourite. This year Ryley wanted to hold her in his arms to feel how heavy she was and Dad still put her around his neck. Our last activity was a trip into the museum to look at some fossils and talk about dinosaurs and everything about them. We then had snack and headed to bed. We got to sleep in the main exhibit hall with all the dinos. We all could have used more sleep, but it wasn’t too bad. Sunday morning we had a good breakfast, watched a few movies and then wandered the museum.Saturday night was also the windup party for Ryley’s hockey team. Mom and Karlee went and had a great time. It was a potluck at the barn this year and it sounds like it was a great time. Coach Joe got Karlee a trophy for “The little girl with a lot of heart.” Karlee was so excited to get a trophy and had fun at the party.
Sunday afternoon was the final game of the year for the team. They played a team of pyjama clad, oven mitt wearing Mothers with Barney in net. The kids had a great time playing the Moms and the Moms did an incredible job out there. Ryley’s Mom had never played hockey before, but gave it a great effort and did really good. It was a good thing there was boards for her to stop against or she might still be going. Coach Joe put on the Barney outfit after stressing to the kids that we didn’t want any big slow moving dinosaurs on the team all year. This was definitely the best way to end the year with an incredible group of parents and kids. Hopefully we will run into a lot of them again in hockey or soccer in the years to come. After the game Coach Joe presented Ryley and Dad with their trophies for the year. Ryley “The Hitman” Lewis got a trophy saying, “This kids is amazing, he baffles the other team with his amazing skills. Truly the best Canada has to offer.”
We are going to miss the hockey season and everyone associated with it, but it will be nice to get some of our time back again. Coach Joe really is incredible and does a great job with all the kids. We also had a great pair of managers, Lee and Connie, and excellent assistant coaches. Add to that good kids and excellent parents and you have a hockey season that all others will be compared to.
As always if anyone would like to be added to the distribution list when we add a new entry let me know at ronlewis@telusplanet.net.
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