Well here we are on Sunday arvo, it's pouring with rain and I must admit feeling a touch homesick. We are ready to come home.
Lauren is now home at the apartment with us and we still go in every second day for blood tests and depending on those results she sometimes needs iv fluids or other treatments. A CT scan on Friday still showed those spots on her lungs, if it is a fungal infection it is being controlled by the drugs she is on. Even though she keeps herself busy with computer, crafts, DVDs etc she just wants to be able to go out and do somethings around Sydney e.g. shopping, hot chocolates at a cafe (I taught my kids well). Even though she doesn't say anything I feel she is getting frustrated when Michael takes Kate and Nathan out and it is always places with people which is a no no for Lauren. Trying to be more creative with places we can all go.
This week has been mixed emotions for us, as on Tuesday we heard that friends from the Oncology ward in Adelaide received the news that their 2 year old had relapsed and will be going down the Bone Marrow Transplant path. I so know the feeling of where they are at and it's horrible. In one way we feel that by us being here and our experiences will help others in the future. Trying to look for a positive !!!!!
On a brighter note, we know that lots of you are doing the Light the Night walk this week for the Leukaemia Foundation. Thank you for being involved, they are a great organisation and also doing lots of work in the research area, so hopefully one day kids/adults won't need to go through all this. The volunteer driver we had from the airport was the most amazing man and volunteers for the Leukaemia Foundation. He gives back because he was sponsored by a man to come out from South Africa at a time when if you spoke up against the Govt - you just disappeared. He was a businessman and knew his family and himself were in danger. An associate (think dentist) sponsored him to come to Australia many years ago and organised him to get out quickly. He made a life for himself and his family grew up here, but by the time he followed up where this man lived, he discovered he had died a few months earlier from cancer, and he missed the opportunity to say thank you. So he says he volunteers and hopes in some small way this is the thank you he never got too say. I thought this was a beautiful story (one of many I am going to bore you all with when I get home).
This morning we went to St Pauls Lutheran Church in Sydney city, we have had so much support from Pastor Fred and people in his congregation, our dear friend Emily is from there and the support she has given us all has been awesome. Also enjoyed coffees with Fred discussing the big questions of life. Actually meeting all these people has been another definite positive for being in Sydney. After typing all of this I am not feeling so homesick and actually will miss all these incredible people, but are so looking forward to seeing you all when we get back, and I hope you haven't forgotten about saving those good reds for us to share !!!!!!!
Another great thing I am looking forward too is next weekend when my dear friends Kathryn and Sarah come up for a couple of days - girls I warn you now get those credit cards ready. (hope Rob and Jon are not reading this) all jokes aside, just really looking forward to seeing some friends from home. Miss you all !!!
Won't even go into my recent afternoon when I got my hair done - suffice to say John (friend and hairdresser) is extremely cheap in Adelaide. Should of known, I went to a salon in a shopping centre where Joh Bailey also has a salon) people must take out personal loans up here to get their hair done !!!!! But saying that, the Doctors even commented how nice my hair looked !!!!!
Hope this finds you all well, this week we celebrate Kate's 9th birthday and continue with the blood testing for Lauren, I am hoping she will be able to get the nasal tube out soon.
Love to you all
Julie
xxxxooooo
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!