One down, less to go!

Monday was a long yet productive day! Elena was in and out of sedation by 10:45 and was in her room having grits by 11:00 am. She did really well earlier in the morning watching others eat breakfast and knowing that she had to wait. I don't think that there was even one "that's not fair." The nurses had Elena "hooked up" to her IV even before she was completely awake from the sedation and she spent the next 5 hours receiving her chemo and fluids.

Having to drag her IV stand with her wherever she went didn't seem to slow her down a bit either. Once she heard that there was a "live" band out in the main gathering area, two guys with guitars and a sound system, she wanted to go check them out. They were affiliated with a group that plays songs for children in the hospital and out at camps and they were quite good. They knew all of the "cool" songs the kids knew, and even a few of the ones us older folks grew up on. They also encouraged the kids to play instruments along with them and to grab a mike and sing along. After listening for a while, and playing some mean bongo drums, Elena did get up and sing a few songs with another little girl. They were great! They got more than one standing ovation from the nurses station. It was a lot of fun and helped us pass the time. We will post pictures soon!

Elena was finally released at around 4:15 and we were home by 5:30 with dinner waiting for us. Thank you all for everything you do to help keep things manageable for us. Elena was tired after this long day and she went to bed pretty easily that night. She did wake up around 12:30am with a headache and was up for a little while before settling. She woke up the next morning still a little tired but wanted to go to school. She is such a trooper! She stayed at school all day and was very happy at home while doing her homework. That took a brief downturn after dinner when she found out that we had to give her a shot at home, but she rebounded quickly after the shot and had a better night's rest last night. She wanted to thank her handholder for coming over and helping her get through that. :-)

We are constantly amazed by the love and support we receive from friends and family. Now I'm not saying that this is "fun" by any means, but I know for a fact that things are much better than they would be if we had to go through this alone. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

In Him,
The Tates

"Let every living creature praise the Lord. Shout Praises to the Lord!" Psalms 150:6