BEST DAD EVER!

Theo, Deme and Sophia were excited about Father's Day for quite awhile. They were secretly creating cards and gifts for Daddy for several days prior to the big day. So, when Theofanis' temperature started creeping up last Thursday night, Eleni knew to pack Daddy's gifts in the hospital bag. Then, when the home nurse called on Friday with the news that Theo's white blood count was 0.04, the family sprang into action to get Theofanis to Comer Children's Hospital. Well, "sprang into action" wasn't necessarily what happened..."sprang into tears" paints a more accurate picture. Theofanis didn't want to go. He cried and shielded himself behind the couch. Demetra and Sophia began to cry as well. They understood that they would need to be separated again.  Just a few days earlier, the family visited The Wellness Place in Inverness that provides support and services to families battling cancer. The kids met Lori, who helped them start expressing their feelings through art. Each of them felt that this was a place they could go to deal with Theofanis' cancer...together. It was too soon for them to be split up again.

The news that he was neutropenic was more difficult on the Yianas family this time around, though the drill was becoming familiar. Theofanis was admitted to the hospital, was started on a broad spectrum antibiotic, and tested for a bacterial and viral infection. This time, though, Theofanis was coughing, congested and had a runny (and sore) nose. And this time, his fever spiked very high....for four days straight. He was placed in protective isolation, and even mom and dad had to wear masks all the time. (I bet not many people know that those surgical masks, when worn constantly, can really cut into the back of your ears.)

Mom and Dad were able to convince the doctors to let Theofanis' sisters visit him. They spent Saturday hanging out with him in his room, playing Monopoly and other games. Because he was in isolation, they couldn't go to the playroom and they couldn't even go for a walk around the floor. His sisters understood Theofanis' fever needed to go away, so they wore their masks obligingly, until they had to leave to go home for the evening. Kosta and Eleni stayed at the hospital on alternate nights, so Kosta spent the night at home to take care of the girls.

On Sunday morning, Theofanis called his Dad from his hospital room to wish him Happy Father's Day. It's a heartbreaking phone call for a father to get from his 6-year old son, who instead should be home, jumping in bed to wake him, giving him Father's Day kisses and hugs. It's unimaginable, actually, and, it's heartbreakingly this dad's reality. Kosta quickly gathered the girls, gathered the grandmas, gathered some food, and headed to the hospital to spend his day with his family. They ate, opened his "Best Dad Ever" cards and presents, set up a small nerf basketball net, continued their Monopoly game, and watched the nurses and doctors come in and out to check Theofanis' vitals and also give him another blood transfusion. Everyone knew that it was an unusual way to spend the day. They were supposed to attend the Baptism of their koumbaroi's son, Anthony, and then they were supposed to stop by the Saint Demetrios Festival. No one complained that the day wasn't supposed to be the way it had turned out.  However, everyone was sad. And, when sadness overtook all other emotions, the entire Yianas family broke down in tears. It was one of the hardest moments yet. And Kosta and Eleni had to find the strength to wipe away their childrens' tears and reassure them (and each other) that everything is going to be fine, that they'll all get through this together, that the cancer will go away, and that it's OK to cry and get upset. The cancer will go away.  IT MUST GO AWAY! That's the only Father's Day gift Kosta is begging for.

THE SPOT

Theofanis is Neutropenic. His White Blood Counts are zero, his Absolute Neutrophils are zero, his Platelets are low, his RBC is low, and his stem cell harvest has been pushed back a few days.  There was also a bit of confusion and miscommunication over the weekend amongst the residents regarding the hospital's documentation of the drug Neupogen Theofanis was required to take.  We were told to administer a "double dose" at home. The hospital's computers stated "single dose," so they administered a single dose on Saturday. Then, they gave him the "double dose" on Sunday when Kosta and Eleni insisted they were wrong. (Before I go on, let me reassure you that Theofanis was not in harm's way with either the single or double dosage of this drug. Neupogen helps white blood cells recover. The "double dose" was to boost their recovery for the stem cell harvest.) Eleni rummaged through their garbage at home to find the used syringe to confirm and prove that Theofanis was taking a "double dose" at home. So, needless to say, Kosta and Eleni demanded an explanation of why the documentation was incorrect, why there was confustion as to what drug was called in to the home health care service, and why no one on call over the weekend appeared to know what dosage Theofanis should be given.  Both Dr. Cohn (our chief Oncologist) and Dr. Cunningham (chief Stem Cell Transplant doctor) met with Eleni and Kosta on Monday morning specific to this, and everyone agreed that this confusion CANNOT happen ever again. Eleni and Kosta have decided to learn how to calculate drug dosing. They currently document everything, but now they're going to start calculating everything, too.

Theofanis' fever lasted four days, much longer than during his last neutropenic bout. His fever spiked much higher as well. But, on Monday, he was fever-free and his WBC showed a tiny sign of recovery. So, the Stem Cell Harvest has been rescheduled to Wednesday and Thursday. He'll also have another bone marrow biopsy on Wednesday as well. The other MIBG and CAT Scans need to be rescheduled, too.

WITH LOVE, FAITH AND PRAYER, HE WILL WIN!

Father Andrew came to the hospital on Saturday to visit Theofanis. He has been in the hospital for the past several Sundays, so Kosta and Eleni felt blessed that Father also gave him Holy Communion. And as people continue to call, send their love and prayers, and help with the girls, they're constantly reminded of how Theofanis is not alone in his fight. And as the family moves along through this journey, their prayers are not only growing, but their prayers are more specific...specific to his fevers going away, his blood counts recovering, staying clear of germs and infection, his chemo working, his transfusions uneventful, his test results coming back with positive news, no side-effects from the drugs, his drugs being accurate, his doctors and nurses being meticulous, and his cancer to totally disappear. Please, Lord, give Theofanis, Demetra, Sophia courage every day. And, please, protect them every day.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.