Journey Home
August 11th, 2008 - Happy Birthday Cameron
Here we are in August already. It’s hard to believe that tomorrow Cameron turns 12. What a huge day it is for him and every member of our family. Withthe first half of the year being filled with so much pain, fear and a journey into the unknown we now look forward to a climb back up hill filled with hard work, hope and excitement as we put our lives back together. Cameron is settling back into school life and is eager to just get stuck right back into everything. He is experiencing some difficulty recovering socially as friends have all moved on and he has been out of the loop for some time, but he has already shown how resilient he is and we know he will come out of this next stage of his journey even stronger. Read the rest of this entry »
July 20th, 2008 - Hearing Laughter
Standing today on the jetty at a friend’s house, listening to cackles of laughter coming from Cameron and his friend in her “tinny” boat as they were buzzing around the canal gave me such an intense moment of joy in my heart, which must have showed as my friend said, “It is good to hear them laugh, isn’t it?” I agreed and thought how blessed we are that Cameron is enjoying life and that we still have him with us. I thank God everyday for saving Cameron’s life and no matter what struggles we endure nothing can take away the appreciation of his life. Read the rest of this entry »
July 8th, 2008 - Whew…
Finally I get to update. Life in the Smith house is as busy as ever. The oncologists have now reviewed all Cam’s reports and have decided the way forward is to keep a close eye on him. He has no cancer cells and they believe the mass left is probably scar tissue and they are hoping that it will continue to shrink on its own. So he will have a consultant check-up and blood tests in a couple of weeks and then a C/T Scan in 5 weeks to check the progress of the mass. For now we try to return to ‘normality’ whatever that is and Cameron will try to be a child again. Read the rest of this entry »
June 28th, 2008 - Great News as the journey continues
We returned home to the Sunny Coast late yesterday after a very full and rather anxious two days with all the tests on Cameron, and within a couple of hours Cam was out at Youth… nothing is going to stop this boy! The great news is that there do not appear to be any active cancer cells! Praise God. The disappointing news for Cam was that the tumour or mass is still evident - although it has of course shrunk significantly since February. The senior oncologist was not surprised saying she thought with a mass that size she would expected some residue. Cam’s initial disappointment was heart-breaking as tears welled and he looked over at me with fear and anxiety. However, this soon passed as she emphasised that this PET Scan result, telling us that the cancer cells are all dead, is the most important one. So, in true Cameron style he was soon beaming again, joking and asking many questions. Read the rest of this entry »
June 19th, 2008 - Joy is a net of love…
Since the last update Cam has enjoyed relative normality. He completed his injections on Saturday which was yet another celebration and his treatment, if you can call it that, is down to mouth-care once a day now - from a high of four times, then twice a day and now just once! This all feels so easy for him now with only mouth-care and a preventative antibiotic that helps to shield him from a type of pneumonia he is at risk of developing - which he has to remain on for 3 months. Read the rest of this entry »
June 9th, 2008 - The waiting game
Cameron’s last day of radiation was made so special by the radiation therapy team. They painted his mask with a Reds Jersey and when we arrived for his treatment one of them came out in her Reds Shirt and cap and took us to the “torture chamber” and they all had Reds shirts and caps on and gave Cameron a rousing final welcome. They were so pleased for Cam and you can imagine how happy he was. Read the rest of this entry »
May 30th, 2008 - A fabulously loose end…
Just a quick note to let everyone know that Cameron had his central line removed yesterday without any complications and today had his last round of radiation therapy. Woo hoo! He and Leigh have just arrived back home and it feels like this dark cloud that has been shadowing our family since February has finally lifted.. even though it’s pouring with rain and 17c here right now… ha ha. It didn’t really begin to sink in until I saw Cameron without his line in. Thank you Lord for countless blessings. Special thanks also, to the many, many Read the rest of this entry »
May 28th, 2008 - Central line coming out
Yesterday we received wonderful news. Cameron will be having surgery on Thursday to remove his central line. Yes! On Friday we were given a date for the 12th June and we have been praying that it will be sooner but were at peace if that was to be. Today Cam saw his Oncologist for his weekly check up which was brought forward by a day she told us the she wanted the line out right away because of the combination of the clot, the line itself not working properly anymore and unnecessary prolonging of the clexane injections routine. So later on we got the call the surgeon has fitted him in! When I told Cam he was delighted - he just beamed - even more than normal. It is really hard to express the joy I feel inside - my heart feels like bursting and I want to stand on top of the building and shout yes… Lord, yes! Thank You! Read the rest of this entry »
May 21st, 2008 - Radiation second week
Well the first week of radiation went well. For Cameron the side-effects have been a breeze compared with chemotherapy. This week he has lost some appetite and is beginning to experiences some indigestion, but all in all, so far so good. All of the staff in the radiation therapy unit are lovely, which really makes the whole experience that much easier to deal with – unlike the kids oncology outpatients, which is extremely stressful. Read the rest of this entry »
May 12th, 2008 - Back to Brizzy
Today Cameron began his next and we hope final chapter of treatment, which is radiation. He and Leigh took off down to Brisbane this morning and will remain there until Friday. He had his first round of being strapped into the machine this afternoon and Leigh reports that he handled it really well. We talked through some relaxation techniques with Cam, which he seems to have grasped, so right now it looks like relative plain sailing compared with the chemotherapy experience. Read the rest of this entry »
