Sister, Sister

Getting Ready

His sisters will miss him when he's in the hospital.  While we were at Rush, the nice folks in Child Life Services gave Theofanis a colorful pillowcase. They also gave him two extra pillowcases for each of his sisters.  We decided that Theofanis will use that pillowcase every night he'd have to stay in the hospital and that the girls would also use their pillowcases those nights as well. The pillowcases have been washed and ironed (yes, for those of you who know Eleni well, she insists on ironing sheets). All three pillows are ready for tomorrow.

As promised, we'd like to tell you about Theofanis' fabulous sisters.

Demetra is eight years old and is in second grade at Pythagoras Children's Academy.  She, like her brother, was born on a special day...the night of the Anastasi. She is smart, creative, kind, compassionate, funny and sweet. She has been dancing for five years and now is a member of Palatine Dance Company 1.  (It's recital week this week, by the way.) She takes piano lessons, too. She played soccer and has taken ice skating lessons, but of all sports, Deme loves to swim. She loves to read.  She's currently reading the fourth book of Harry Potter. And, she has a passion for writing. Demetra wants to be a rock star. We already think she is.  She loves her brother very, very much and Theofanis loves her.

Sophia turned four in February.  We were shooting for another holiday baby, but we missed Valentine's Day. She was born on the 18th, which our niece informed us was Chinese New Year!  Does that count? She is finishing her first year at Pythagoras and is looking forward to Pre-K this fall so that she can go to school everyday. Like her siblings, she has a great sense of humor, if a bit more mischievous. She also is finishing her first year of dance and her ballet recital is in two weeks. She's very excited about it, too! Sophia is very good at the app game Angry Birds...she's the high scorer in the family.  Her favorite color is pink. She is learning sight words, enjoys coloring, loves to dress up and pretend play, and likes to play indoor basketball with Theofanis. She loves her brother very, very much and Theofanis loves her.


The Yianas kids take care of each other.

The Spot

Theofanis' treatment begins tomorrow.  He packed his own suitcase for his stay in the hospital.  His surgery is scheduled for 11:30 am.  Dr. Liu will put in his central line and Dr. Ruth will perform the bone marrow biopsy. Then he will be admitted to the hospital and will start his chemotherapy.  During his first cycle, he will be given Cyclophosphamide and Topotecan. He will be given this medicine every day for five days. Then, we'll get to go home for about two weeks, after which another cycle will take place.  He will have six cycles in this initial phase of therapy.

With Love and Prayer He Will WIN!

Please continue to pray for Theofanis.  Your prayers are precious to us. We continue to be touched and humbled by the number of best wishes, positive energy, love and prayers sent our way.  We cannot thank you enough for your love and friendship!

Dr. Cohn feels that there is every reason in the world for Theofanis to win and so do we.