8 years old

We celebrated Kevin's birthday today, since Monday is usually a very busy day at the hospital. Also, Mike and I both need to fly back tomorrow so we can be back to work on Tuesday. First of all Kevin felt pretty good. No vomitting or anything dramatic to speak of. After our GCSF and labs in the medicine room, we went back to the target house so I could give him his 1 hour redimed of vancomycen. He'll be on that for another week, 3 times a day. Next, Scotty, Mike, Kevin and I went to play Laser Tag. We had fun playing air hockey while waiting for our first game. The equipmet didn't fit well the first round, and was getting quite heavy for Kevin. He was actuallyget quit upset, and we both pretty much shut it down half way through. The guy who sets us up, said he could adjust his gear so it at least fit better. The second game Kevin was much more comfortable. However, his gun stopped working, and didn't get fixed by the ref until close to the end. All in all he had a good time, but he really didn't get a good round in because of the aforementioned problems. Still, Scotty had a really good time, and the course was really cool. You could go to a second level and could take sniper shots to those below. I stayed with Kevin and pretty much tried to cover him. He still had a good time, but was ready to go after the second game. His strength and stamina is definitely very low right now. Next we went to the apartment and had pizza and cake and ice cream. He didn't eat much but enjoyed celebrating. Opening the packages was very enjoyable for him. It was incredible how much we have to give to St. Jude. Kevin really felt a huge amount of pride that people donated so many toys in honor of his birthday. He also got plenty, including some gift cards. Thank you to those who gave toys and a gift card to him. It was completely unnecessary, but very much appreciated by us and Kevin. We're going to have a wagon full of toys to deliver, and I know a few people called or emailed me indicating there package will arrive a little later in the week. Rachel's going to get a picture of Kevin delivering the toys that we make sure makes it to eveybdoy. Kevin and I went left the apartment and I went and got him Mouse Trap with one of the Gift Cards. He's wanted that for a while, and we had fun playing it late into the night. Saturday night Kevin stayed with Rachel, and a friend of mine (Ali) from St. Jude and I went to watch the UFC pay per view event at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was nice to get out. Unfortunately they had sattelite trouble and the fight was never televised. We were disappointed, but had a good time and met some really nice people. And boy oh boy did we eat, and then we ate some more. A fellow UFC fan we met there insisted on picking up our tab, which was very kind. Monday will be Kevin's actual birthday, and I'll at least be able to spend a few hours with him. He had a tough year, and we hope and pray that 8 years old will bring more laughs and more normalcy. It will be interesting to see how his strength returns, because right now I don't think he'll be ready for recess, and I'm a little worried about his appetite, but I suppose this will slowly return. If he doesn't want to go back to school right way, we certainly won't force him. He says he does, but we'll see how it plays out as we see how quickly he recovers. The school is 100% behind whatever he wants and needs to do. I've been reading up quite a bit about returning to school after cancer treatment, and I think Rachel and I or at least Mike and I if Rachel's here, need to meet with the Principal and his teacher. Even though they're expressing support, we may need to sit down with them just so there are no surpises. I think the kids and community as a whole will be rooting Kevin on and will be very supportive. He still gets cards on a regular basis both from all 3 of his teachers he's had. Everything will all work out, especially as his appetite and strength return. Overall he's lost about 6 or 7 pounds, so we'll do what we can to get him back. Thanks again for everybody remembering Kevin on his birthday. He loves that he's not forgotten back home.

Take Care,

Eric