"Silly" Theo

EVEN WITH RAIN, THERE'S SUNSHINE!

Theo's had a couple of "double thumbs up days" as our family has stopped to take a breath and prepare for Theofanis' tough battle ahead. He went back to school (with homework and all), back to piano lessons, and back to baseball. With the weather cooperating nicely, he spent a lot of time at the playground and a lot of time with his friends. A silly-string-filled afternoon at the park on Tuesday with his best friend Pantelis and his family caused Theofanis to giggle and laugh well into the evening. (The water balloons and driving a convertible helped, too.)  And today, he played baseball for the first time in weeks! The Angels were looking good during the first inning when all of a sudden, the drizzle turned into rain, and rain then turned into a downpour. But, even with a rain cancellation, Theofanis warmed up that pitching arm and had some fabulous left-handed catches. (He claims the Angels won the game because we had more outs. Who wants to argue that?)

THE SPOT

Stopping to take a breath didn't mean we stopped anything. We went to the University of Chicago for a "second opinion" with one of (if not the) top Neuroblastoma specialists in the country. We spent three hours in a consultation. We became more informed. We had more questions answered. We understand more. We have a better glimpse into the reality of the long and difficult treatment that awaits a Stage IV Neuroblastoma patient. We became more scared. Six rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, a stem cell transplant and 6 months of immunotherapy (antibody) treatment. That's what lies ahead. But, we feel we found the right hospital, the right doctor, and the best environment for our son to beat this cancer. With tears in our eyes, we turned to the doctor and asked, "Will you cure our son?"  With a nod, Dr. Cohn said yes, that's the plan. Then she asked us if we wanted a tour. Shepersonally gave Theofanis a tour of Comer Children's Hospital. He really liked the playroom. He felt comfortable there. He smiled there.

Stopping to take a breath didn't mean that Theofanis put the cancer out of his mind, either. He's starting to talk about it more. Yesterday, he told us his arm hurt and his legs hurt. He pointed to the inside of his left arm and the back of his legs. We told him his muscles probably were sore from running around and playing. He wasn't satisfied with that answer. And that's when it hit us. We told him that there aren't any bad cells in his legs or on the inside of his arm, but just on his elbow. He looked at us and said "how do you know?" We told him we knew because the bone scan showed no other tumors. Then he pointed to his belly and said, "what about here?" And we said, yes, it's there, but we're gonna get those bad cells out. And we remined him that he should not worry, but instead "give his worry to us" (a game that Kosta and I started with him where he holds one of our hands to transfer his worry out of him to us). We said, "Give your worry to us." And he reached out and took both our hands and said to us, "Why? Do you want to be scared?" Our little boy is the bravest boy in the world!

WITH LOVE AND PRAYER, HE WILL WIN

As we drove up to our house this evening after a busy day, we noticed a manicured lawn, colorful fresh flowers and plants that filled a dozen pots (that were empty when we left in the morning), and a love-filled message written in chalk on our driveway. Some very dear friends and their children sneeked in while we were away, got the lawnmower started, filled their hands with dirt, planted beautiful flowers, and brought LIFE to our home. To the Tunney and the Kics families, we can't thank you enough for everything you've done and do! We love you very much!

And to all of you who continue to shower us with your endless support, prayers, and encouragement, words can't adequately express how blessed we feel to have so much love surrounding us. I told a mom at school today that we feel overwhelmed with pure joy that so many people love our son so much.  And all of you are true testament to the fact that with God's grace and love, Theofanis will win. We all will win! (That's definitely worth more than two thumbs up!)