Enjoying a Normal Life

The last few days Kal and the rest of the family are beginning to feel more and more like things are starting to get back to normal.We've been really enjoying the company of Kathryn and her two boys along with just feeling like a family again.Kal and i went to the golf course on the weekend for 9 holes.Kal hit the ball pretty well but both of us had plenty of troubles getting a feel for the speed of the greens.They were very quick which is highly unusual for Beresfield.Shaylie again had to sit out soccer this week but will be available for the next game as she gets her cast off on Thursday.She can't wait for that.

Just a quick note of congratulations to my niece Tegan who along with her aerobics team members travelled to Adelaide to compete in the national championships.The result was a GOLD medal winning performance and with it game the title of national champions.Well done girls.

Times are in

The times for the City2Surf were published in Tuesday's Sydney morning herald.To my surprise i managed to come home in a time of 88mins and 51secs.It was a lot better than i expected.I thought around 100mins would've been a realistic time for me on limited preparation so to see that time next to my name was quite satisfying.

Yesterday Kal started Hydrotherapy near John Hunter Hospital.He said he really enjoyed it and worked his arm pretty hard.He said that he found some of the exercises pretty difficult and some actually hurt to do so they had to modify them a little bit.For his first time he did really well and he'll only get better from here.

Just a notice to all who have followed Kal's progress that on Friday the 28th of August we will be having a celebration of Kal's good health at the Bradford Hotel.It will also double as a thank you to the whole community for getting behind us throughout his fight.It will commence in the evening and I'll be able to give a time and some other details in the next few days.Karina and i feel it's the best way to let everyone know how much our family appreciates the effort of the whole community and others outside of the maitland area who have also showed there support.Absolutely everyone is welcome to attend and have a drink and a feed or even just to pop in and say g'day.Look forward to seeing everyone.

City to Surf

The 2009 City to Surf was run and won yesterday even before i crossed the start line.Being a novice to the event i started with the final group.There are 4 or 5 starting groups and the majority of the cure our kids team were in the final group.I was reunited with a lot of people and even some nurses that looked after Kallan participated in the event.It was a wonderful event with so many people participating for so many different reasons.My experience of the event was a mixture of pleasure and pain.There were plenty of well wishes along the way some very amusing and others that wouldn't have made it past lunchtime before passing out.The pain part came towards the end of the race and has stayed with me since.My feet are killing me and i had some trouble earlier in the week and probably didn't give them enough time to get better.I can tell you that along the way Kal was very much in my thoughts and everything he had to endure.I thought the pain i was feeling was nothing in comparison to what Kal and other precious kids felt throughout their respective treatments.My highlight was when i was half way up heartbreak hill and ran past former Roosters,NSW and Australian back rower Luke Ricketson.I'm sure he was taking it pretty easy but that doesn't matter I'll claim it anyway.

A huge thanks must go to my support group coordinator(that's a title she and mum came up with)Peta.She got me to the places i needed to be on time and did the same for mum and the kids.She took me into the city on the Saturday to pick up my timing tag and bib for the big race.I bought a new pair of shoes while i was there as i left my shoes at home(purposely despite what Peta and mum will tell you) as my old ones were making my feet hurt.As if I'd leave my shoes behind for an event like that.Kallan ,Shaylie and mum have said they all want to participate in next years event and anyone who has ever thought of doing the same should most definitely do so.

Physio Going Well

Yesterday Kal had some physio after a short break due to his line removal.He seems to be enjoying his physio and it's starting to show.Both the therapists that look after him commented about they've seen a marked improvement as he's gone along.He starts hydrotherapy next week which his physio has said will be fantastic for him.She said him swinging a golf club is also great for him which Kal was happy to hear.They couldn't be happier with how he's progressing.

Welcome Kathryn and Kids

The kids got a huge surprise this afternoon after school when Karina and I bought a little visitor along with us to pick them up from school.We had our little nephew,Kade,with us and of course if Kade was with us it meant that Kathryn and her other little boy Ethan was here.Shay didn't know who it was straight away but Kal picked it right of the bat.We had a lovely walk from the school back to Nanny T's house with Kade giving all of us the hurry along a few times saying "c'mon guys run c'mon".All the kids had a blast playing and all the women of the family were hogging the cuddles from little Ethan.We're all so happy to see Kathryn,Kade and Ethan and i know how much kathryn has been wanting to come out here especially since Kallan's illness.I hope they have a great time out here and i know we'll enjoy having them here.

Back Home

Today we headed back home after his latest procedure but not until after Shaylie had a good play in the starlight room.She wanted to hang out for a while because she doesn't know when she'll be back.I let her go for a while but i wanted to beat the afternoon traffic so i had to put the foot down at some point.It will be October before we are required back for more scans so that's a real good break for Kal.I guess now it's time for me to get back to work and start getting back to normal.I don't know how that will go but i will just take things as they come and hopefully things will fall into place.The main thing for me is that Kal is home and all the really tough parts are seemingly over.

Another Milestone

This morning Kal,Shay,Mum and I headed down to Sydney for the removal of his central line.You could say it's his last remaining link to his cancer treatment so it was a pretty big thing for us.It wasn't until late in the afternoon the he was finally called in and the procedure itself took around 20mins.He was a little upset just as he woke and was saying his throat was "tickley' but he said that he didn't feel any pain from the operation.He started to suck on a lemonade ice block but not long after he threw up big time.He did drink a fair bit of water as well to try and get rid of the tickle in his throat so that may well have been the problem.He seemed to feel so much better after it though and was up out of bed in no time.We moved out into a different recovery area where they continued to observe him.After an hour or so he was given the all clear to go but only as far as Ronald McDonald House.They didn't want him traveling too far so soon after the operation.It was pretty special to see him without his line and it must feel amazing for him to be without it.

Today Shaylie spent the whole day in the Starlight room because two of the cool captains were on today.She has a few faves and hangs out there all day when any of them are on.Today,and plenty of other days,it proved to be a god send for us because there is no way Shaylie would have been able to sit in the waiting room with us for as long as we did.I can guarantee though that they love having her there as much as she loves being there.

Latest Update

On Friday I took Kal to the Golf course as he has been asking for some time to go for a hit.After a bit of a rough start(that goes for both of us) he started to come good and showed that in time his arm won't be a hindrance.He hit some nice shots but got a bit tired after 5 or 6 holes so we called it a day.It was just good for him to get a taste of it again.When we got home he told me that he really enjoyed getting back out there.I told him that for me it was great to see him out having a hit again.

Unfortunately because of her injury there was no soccer for Shaylie on the weekend.I'm not sure how her team went but they had a game on Sunday as well so she wasn't too impressed about the whole thing.On a positive note my old soccer team the mighty warriors had a break through victory on Saturday with a 3-1 win.It was there first win of the year and I'm sure it was celebrated accordingly.I was lucky enough to make a guest appearance in the win and would like to think i had some influence in the outcome.Whether that is true or not is another thing entirely.

Kallan's surgery to remove his central line has been put of till Wednesday after he was bumped off the list for Monday.We won't find out the time until 3 o'clock tomorrow for some reason so it may mean going down tomorrow afternoon and staying the night at Ronald McDonald House.Whatever happens,happens and as long as he gets his line removed i don't mind having one more night down there.

Results are in

Today Kallan and i headed down to Sydney to get the results of his scans.Mum came along with us as she had a present that she wanted to give to Ronald McDonald house.Shaylie couldn't come down today as she had an appointment at Maitland hospital to get her full cast put on.She has a pretty pink one on and she sent me a picture of it after she had it put on.Kal and i had a fairly short wait in clinic today which was good but even better than that was the news that the scans came back all clear with no sign of any cancer about.It was a great moment to hear the doctor say that everything is good.We have another trip back to Sydney on Monday for kal to have his central line removed.He can't wait for that.His next lot of scans are not until October so after Monday he'll have a decent break from hospitals apart from his weekly physio sessions.

More drama's

Due to some problems with the Internet i haven't been able to get on and do the blog in the last few days.In that time we've had another drama but this time it didn't involve Kal.On Sunday afternoon while i was at the club having a few drinks with some of my old footy mates i got a call from Karina to say that Shaylie had had a fall at the park and was in some pain.She'd fallen off the flying fox and the lady that was there and bought her home said it was a nasty fall and she was sure that she had heard a snap.We headed down to Maitland hospital to get it checked out and sure enough the doctor found a fracture.She's been in some pain the last few days but most of the time we've been able to keep on top of it.She still says that she can't believe she broke her arm.On Thursday she'll get her half cast off and have a proper cast put on.

Today Kal had physio down at Newcastle.He worked very hard and his physio team has come up with a lot of different exercises for him to try and break things up.He seems to be enjoying it which is great.

Busy few days

The last few days the kids and i have been out and about spending time together then yesterday it was back down to Sydney.I took them to see Hannah Montana on Tuesday(Shaylie has been hanging out for it) and i took Kal to see Harry Potter today.Yesterday Kallan had a PET scan at Westmead adults hospital and while we were there Shaylie spent the whole time in the starlight room.The PET scan is a pretty long process so Shaylie got to hang out for a good couple of hours.Before heading up to the hospital we called in to Ronald McDonald house to catch up with the staff and the few remaining families that we know.

Upon our return home Karina,the kids and I went out for tea to celebrate Karina's birthday.She had to work during the day but finished early so we could go out for a family dinner.It was really nice.

Latest update

Kal was discharged from hospital last week just in time to attend the last day of the school term.He went for most of the day and enjoyed being around his mates again,although i don't think he was too thrilled that i made him go for the last day.
On the weekend i went to watch Shaylie play soccer and Kal is finding it a bit hard to go to the soccer.He doesn't like watching at the moment but I'm hoping that will change with time.After soccer i headed up to a mates place at Tamworth to catch up and attend my god daughter's birthday.

Today we headed down to Sydney for some scans.We have another one on Thursday and then the following Thursday we head down again to see the doctor who will by then have the results for us.It will be a nervous wait for the results but we are thinking positively and haven't even considered a bad result

Slight change of plans

After some more discussions with the team in Sydney we found out that they were unable to get Kal in for the PET scan on the Monday.They were,however,able to make it for the Thursday of next week.It means 2 trips to Sydney next week but i will ask if the CT scan can be put back for the same day as the PET scan.There going to be sick of me by the end of the week but we certainly didn't plan to be in here all week either.Kal also had some physio today and he worked pretty hard too.All his sessions from now will be pretty hard going for him and the physio has booked him in for some hydrotherapy for when he gets his line out.Her plan is to make it so that his sessions aren't all hard work and throw a bit of fun in there as well.

Tomorrow is his last day of antibiotics and at around 5 o'clock he should be free to go.We aren't going to worry about getting a gate pass tomorrow morning because I'm a bit over the drive back and forth everyday so we'll just hang out till 5 and then we're out of here.

Some good news

After several days of not much going right for him at last Kal had some half decent news today.The doctors here had spoken to the team in Sydney and after some maneuvering were able to schedule his scans for Monday so there for no need for us to be transferred to Westmead.Small consolation i know but at this point in time it's a bonus.So the plan now is to stay here until Thursday afternoon and then Sydney on Monday morning.A lot better outlook for him.

More of the same

Not a lot has changed for Kal in the last 24hrs.We now know the name of the bug that has caused all the problems but i can't remember it and even if i could i can't pronounce it let alone spell it.We are still yet to hear if we are going to be transferred down to Sydney but the doctor said that being that it is a bug that he has not had before it's highly unlikely that they'll stop the antibiotics early.That being the case it seems that being transferred will be inevitable.I know the nurses at camperdown ward love him but i think even they will be disappointed to see him back in there if that's what happens.The doctor also explained to us that these scans that he's due for on Thursday simply cannot be put back for another day.They are far too important and quite simply they would be completely booked out for months in advance.So we'll find out tomorrow if we're going and Wednesday would more than likely be the day we go.

Doing Fine

Kal is still feeling good which i would imagine is making him question his stay in hospital even more.At the same time he understands full well the reason he needs the antibiotics.Another thing that disappointed him today was the news that he will more than likely be transferred down to Sydney within the next few days as he is due for scans on Thursday and he won't be finished his course of antibiotics before then.He wasn't too impressed by that.All in all it wasn't a bad day today because while on leave from hospital Karina,Kal and i went to the markets for a few hours.Yesterday Kal spent his break at the movies to celebrate my nephew Isaac's birthday.They went to see Ice Age 3 and by all reports it was very funny.These breaks have certainly broken the monotony of hospital for him.Only problem arises when it's time to go back.

This afternoon I had the pleasure of spending some time with my beautiful girl Shaylie.She'd stayed the night at her Auntie netty's after her night out at the wrestling.She decided to hang around and help Ronnie and Netty with the renovations and then came to visit on her way home.She said the wrestling was "mad" and gave Kal the run down of the whole night.It must of been so hard for him but Shay was so excited and he took it like the champ that he is.

Kal Heart Broken

It's been a long time since i updated the blog and all i can put it down to is just enjoying being home and probably being a bit of a slacker.But since Kallan has been home he has been enjoying being at school with all his mates and having his family around all the time.We've had a trip back to Sydney to see his surgeon and received a good report.He told us that the scans show that both humerus bones are almost identical in length and that he doesn't need to see us for another 6 months.Since then he's been doing really well and feeling as good as he has been for a long time.

That all changed on Thursday when he started feeling unwell after he returned home from having physio and having blood taken at John Hunter.I told him to have a lay down and try to get some sleep and feeling quite unwell myself i thought that might do the trick for both of us.I ended up taking his temperature and when it read 39.9 i rang the hospital.Even though his chemo has finished they still needed him to come down.He immediately became upset and even more so when i told him i couldn't come with him because i was sick too.His main concern was that it was so close to the WWE and he might miss out on going.The next morning as i arrived at the hospital Mum rang me to tell me that Kal had returned a positive blood culture and that his much anticipated trip to see his WWE hero's in action was not going to happen.To say he was devastated would be the mother of all understatements.He'd been looking forward to it for so long and i decided that i just can't bring myself to going because i wouldn't enjoy it because I'd be thinking about him the whole time and how much he would have loved it.On the flip side i didn't think it would be fair if Shaylie missed out as well so i gave the tickets to her Uncle Ronnie so he could take her.I hope she has a great time.

Kal will now spend the next 5-7 days in hospital having antibiotics with the only plus being that he is allowed home for 4-5 hours each day as long as his temp is down and he's feeling OK.The doctors will have the final say each day as to if he can get out.

Home sweet home

This morning Kal had a CT scan on his arms for his surgeon to look at before his next appointment.He wants the measurements of both humerus bones to work out when he needs an adjustment done.After that was finished Shay headed to the starlight room to spend the day with another of her favourite captains,captain casual.She has a few faves and it was a sad day for Shay yesterday as probably her all time favourite captain,captain meercat had her last day as a captain.Shay shed a few tears but i can tell you captain struggled also.They all just love Shaylie and I have no doubt they'll miss her as much as she will miss them.We dropped into Camperdown ward to say goodbye to the nurses and it was definitely a funny feeling to say goodbye.It was definitely the hardest time in my life but strangely enough very rewarding at the same time.Things happened that I wish I could forget but I'll take a lot of very fond memories from our time in Sydney.I was fortunate to meet some wonderful people and have made some life long friends out of this experience.We plan on catching up with a few later in the year.At around 3pm we started our journey home and the mixed feelings remained I think because i know that there's still a lot left to do for a while to come yet.

After we arrived home this evening we had family come over for a celebratory dinner. We had a few pizza's and everyone got to spend some time with Kal at home.We'll take a bit to get settled back in and then it'll be time for us to start getting back to normal.We will be taking time out at some stage to go for a holiday somewhere nice. I can't wait for that.

Out of hospital

Yesterday we had an unexpected visit from Melanie Curtis and her family.Mel is young girl we met that had the same type of cancer as Kallan about 6-7yrs ago.She's kept in touch with us all the way through and was in town having scans and dropped in to see him.To give you an idea of what lies ahead for Kallan,as mentioned Mel had her cancer 6-7yrs ago and she still has one more scan to go until she is fully and officially clear.Add to that the continued surgical procedures on his arm it starts to make you realise that we've got a lot more visits yet.But that's OK we're just so happy to know that it will just be visits and not long term stays.That part is over baby(sorry I've been watching Austin Powers).

This morning we had another surprise when the Doctor said his levels were down to 120 and he could go.The normal target is 100 but they weren't going to leave him in with it being that close.He really got it out of his system fast this time around.A coincidence maybe since it was his last one,I think not.He has been quite emotional this afternoon as he comes to the realisation of what he has achieved.Thank you to everyone who has supported us and kept up with his blog.All the comments are fantastic and the last lot of comments were particularly touching.Thank you

Chemo,a thing of the past

Today was a huge day for Kal and now I can finally say that his chemo is now officially all over.I can hardly believe it and i don't think it's truly sunk in yet.Although when it was finished he turned to me and said "that's it I've done it,I've beaten cancer".If I didn't have a tear in my eye before that i definitely had one after it.I know I've said it before but I just have to say how proud i am of him.It's an amazing achievement and one he should be so proud of.It's something he can remember and always draw on this experience for the rest of his life.Although his chemo has finished he needs to stay in hospital as normal to get the drug out of his system.Sunday looks like being the day he'll get out and I'd love to have a little something for him as a celebration.Just as it looked like his last chemo would be a breeze he did get sick later in the night.He was given some anti nausea drugs and I gave him a long shower and it seemed to do the trick.He seemed pretty comfortable watching tele and went off to sleep with no problem.

Kal well....but Shay not so

Last night Mum was kind enough to offer to let me stay down with Shay and she would stay up with Kal.Turns out it was a good thing because at around 12:30-1am Shay fell ill.She woke with bad pains in the stomach and after trying to do a number two she threw up.After staying with her all night and being at risk of catching whatever it was that made Shaylie so sick I felt it was a good idea to stay away from Kal.It felt so strange to be down here and yet be away from Kal the whole day.I eventually went up to see him at dinner time and like the champion he is he fully understood why i couldn't come up.The latest on the situation is that they will be stopping his antibiotics tonight and will start chemo sometime in the morning.We had a nice little moment tonight when we talked about this being his last chemo and about our whole journey.Very touching actually.

Today also happened to be Mum's birthday.I know I've said it before but I think I would've definitely lost the plot if it hadn't been for her.I know it was my decision to stay with him the whole way through but I'll be the first to admit that it all got too much on more than one occasion and Mum was there to take a bit of the load off me.I know that numerous times people here at the house have commented on how wonderful she is.If only they new how wonderful.I love you heaps Mum and thanks again for everything.

No fever today

Today was a pretty good day today with no temperatures and a visit from his Mum.One of his doctors came to see us today and said that they may start chemo tomorrow as his blood cultures have shown no infection but they want to check his latest ones and make sure his blood pressure remains stable.So far so good as far as that is concerned.He did have a little bit of an unpleasant experience today though.Because he had a cough when he was admitted to hospital he had to have a suction tube put up his nose to get a sample of what was up there to make sure he has nothing nasty that he could pass on.Although he told the nurse that it was no use because he didn't have any boogers the nurse went ahead anyway.Thankfully it came back negative.When i say a tube put in his nose i don't mean just a little bit up there i mean a good 3 inches of tube up his nose.As you good well imagine he was none too impressed with that.Tomorrow we'll just wait for the doctor to come and see us and see what there plans are.Fingers crossed he'll have his chemo and then his chemo will be all over.

Temps still a problem

For the most part of the day Kal has been feeling good despite his temperature still being a bit on the high side.He was in the high 37's most of the morning and then had a few 38's in succession which prompted more blood cultures and possibly further delays in chemo.As the night went on Kal started to gradually feel worse and to make matters worse his blood pressure dropped.The doctor on duty gave him a heap of fluids in a short space of time and that seemed to improve things slightly.It's now at an acceptable level but unfortunately for Kal it means that he'll have his blood pressure taken every hour overnight.So he can expect a unsettled nights sleep but the nurse on duty can also expect some not too pleasant responses when she goes to wake him.When i spoke to his doctor this morning she told me that his chemo would probably be on Wednesday at earliest but that was before his latest temperature spike so who knows what the plans are now.All we can do is just take things as they are and hope that things turn around soon.

Still spiking temps

After a very long stint in emergency we were finally moved to a ward yesterday afternoon.They needed to get Kallan to an isolation room because he had developed a cough and with none available at the time we just had to wait it out in emergency.While in the ward last night Kal spiked a temperature again and had to have more blood cultures taken.His chemo will now definitely be put back a few days until he can keep his temp down.He will keep having antibiotics for a few days and the doctor explained to me this morning that they won't give him chemo while having antibiotics.They do it with some chemo's but with this and other one's they won't administer it until he finishes the course of antibiotics.

Not feeling the best

The last couple of days Kal has been pretty lethargic and not wanting to do much at all.I've really struggled to get him off the lounge at all and was getting a little worried.While checking his temperature regularly i found his temp hovering around 37.5 and 37.8.He's been getting down a little the last few days and earlier tonight the inevitable happened with his temp hitting 38.1.I think he's been dwelling on the fact that his temp was getting high which of course that made him feel a bit down.He developed a bit of a cough this morning but apart from that he seemed to be fine.The doctor has said that his chemo may well be put back for a few days as they wait for the results of his blood cultures.I must say that he has taken having to go up to emergency really well but i think he had an idea that it would happen so i don't think it surprised him that much.So as stands now Kal will be in for the next few days to see if there is any infection and i presume chemo will start straight after that.

Still doing well

As mentioned in the last post Kallan's levels were good and he continues to feel good.He had a pretty lazy day after his clinic visit,just watching dvd's and having a few naps.He has another clinic appointment tomorrow then we may head out to find something to do.I've even thought of going to the Tigers game tomorrow night but the weather may well intervene.I just can't have him out in the cold or wet.

I'm looking forward to Shaylie possibly coming down on the weekend and i can tell you I'm not the only one.I've had kids,starlight room captains and even nurses asking me where she is and how much they love her.She's very popular down here.

Yesterday's update

Late yesterday we got a pleasant surprise when we were told that Kal could get out.His levels were pretty low yesterday morning and the doctor asked the nurse to take bloods again in the afternoon just to see what they were.Although they were still a little high they were happy for us to go with some oral medication to be taken overnight then have bloods taken again this morning.His levels came back fine this morning but we have another appointment tomorrow just to get admission sorted for Monday as Monday is a public holiday.

I must apologise to my little niece Monica who had a birthday the other day and i forgot to mention it on the blog.Happy birthday Moni and i hope you got the whoopie cushion you wanted.I hope your other presents weren't too girlie for you.

Tuesday update

Kal continued to feel good yesterday.The only problem is that it seems his lines are playing up again.Stuff is going in fine but they're having a hard time getting any blood out.He had this problem once before but they are hoping he can hold out until chemo is finished next week.They don't want to put him under if they don't need to and with only one chemo to go it's even more reason to avoid surgery if it can be avoided.Kal got a surprise last night Nan & Pop coming down.He knew Nan was coming down but got a surprise to see Pop come down.

Long day

Kal and I left for Sydney this morning and straight back to reality by spending nearly half the day in clinic.As is always the case of a Monday it was a packed house with the waiting room literally standing room only at one point.I knew then that it was going to be a long day.When we came back this morning we walked in the house and realised that i hardly new anyone in the house anymore.Just about all the families we've met and become close to have now gone back home.Another one of my little girls went home on Friday with Angel and her mum Trish heading home to Condoblin.She was a little Angel in my eyes but if you ask her what her other name is it's "devil in disguise".I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to them so I want to wish them all the best and I hope we can catch again soon.My other little girl Georgia went home to Murrimbula a few weeks ago and is loving it so her mum tells me but still asks to see "Darrin" all the time.

Kallan was hooked up to his second to last Chemo just after 6 o'clock and was finished 4hrs later and so far he has been fine which is great.Usually if he gets sick on this it's before chemo is finished.So lets hope that he got through unscathed.It will be interesting to see how his mouth holds up considering that this chemo is one that causes the mouth sores and the one's in his mouth have not quite healed yet.But the doctors were happy to go ahead as scheduled.All I can do is keep up the mouthwashes and hope for the best.

Weekend Update

We had a nice early morning on Saturday for Shaylie's soccer only to get to the ground and find that it had been called off.Shay was quite put out by that and it took her a while to get over it.Kal and I headed off to Sydney to watch the crusty demons do there thing.These guys are amazing with what they are able to do.No doubt there has been a multitude of broken bones and litres of blood spilt in perfecting these tricks.Kal really enjoyed himself even getting up out of his seat and cheering when the riders pulled off a mad trick.

After a late night after the drive home Kal and I had a good sleep in this morning.We had a quiet morning then we went out for lunch with a family we met in Sydney who were in town over the weekend.Mel and her two kids,Zac and Alani,are from port mcquarie and Alani has not long finished her treament for AML Leukemia.She's doing really well and it was so good to see her today with her hair back(still pretty short though)and seemingly back to normal.Tonight it'll be just getting ready to go back to Sydney for his last lot of chemo.It's going to be hard to leave as per usual but comforting in a way to know that this will be our last lengthy stay down there.

Out early

While sitting in hospital this morning Kal asked me if i thought they would give a gate pass.So i said why don't you ask the nurse.When the nurse came back and said that after his antibiotic at 2pm we could leave and come back at 8pm for his next antibiotic.She also said that his blood cultures would be back by then and if they are negative we could leave straight away.So we left at about 2:30 and got to enjoy a little bit of time at home before heading back.When we arrived back the nurse hooked the antibiotic straight away and while it was running she rang for the blood results.Thankfully it came back negative for infection and we were able to leave.His mouth is slowly getting better and the doctors in Sydney still want him down there on Monday for his next chemo.They want to check his mouth first but may delay it if they are not happy with the way his mouth is going.

Hectic few days

You would all be aware that it has been a few days since i last updated the blog.That is largely due to the fact that the last few days have been hectic to say the least.It all started on Monday when Kal's uncle Dave came to visit and we went out for a lovely family dinner then Karina and I went out for the night with David and his good friend Tamara.We had a great night then went for a tour around the vineyards the next day.Just when we thought that things couldn't get much better our attention quickly shifted to Kallan.We had been concerned for a few days at the sores that he had developed in his mouth.Mouth sores are a common side effect of chemo and the doctors said to keep a close eye on it as they looked pretty nasty.But on Monday night although seemingly feeling fine he developed a temperature and we had to bring him down to John Hunter.While he didn't spike a temperature again at all through the night and with his blood counts good the doctors were happy for us to go home.What a bonus we thought only to have him spike a temperature again the following evening.So it was back to John Hunter and this time there would be no early exit for us.Although feeling fine and his temperature again settling down by the time we got down there the doctors weren't prepared to let us go a second time.He'll have to spend the next few days in hospital having some antibiotics and hopefully he'll be discharged on Saturday morning in time for him to go to the Crusty Demons which is actually part of his birthday present.He's been waiting for a long time to go and see them and it would be heartbreaking for him if he were to miss out.We have to wait for the results of his blood cultures to make sure there's no infection.If they detect an infection it'll be 7 days at least and that'll put an end to Crusty Demons.Fingers crossed it won't come to that.

Weekend update

On Saturday it was Shaylie's birthday.She was so excited when she woke up.She came running into our room with a great big grin.I had a special treat for her courtesy of Ronald Mcdonald House.They gave her some tickets to go and see Lady GaGa and the Pussy Cats Dolls.I drove her and Chelsea down to the house first to pick up the tickets and then to Acer Arena.Despite not being my cup of tea it wasn't too bad.The girls loved it so that was the main thing.

Today we had a little party at Super Strike for Shaylie with all the family kids and all had a good time so I was told.I went down to New Lampton bowling club where my mate Dan Quinn and his rugby league club had put together a bowls day as a follow up from the fundraiser from last month.I new it was coming up but only found out the date today.His club,Western Suburbs Rosella's,said instead of donating money last time they wanted put on day at the bowling club.It was by no means on the same scale as the day at the Bradford but still very much appreciated none the less.It was the clubs idea and to think that everyone at the club apart from one player don't know any of our family and yet they still turned out to support us.A huge thanks to Wests and the players.

Back home

Kal finished his chemo today and was discharged straight away.As his chemo was getting close to finishing the doctor came in and reminded me about the injection Kal needs 24hrs after this particular chemo.We were initially disappointed because we thought it meant that it would be another day in Sydney.Thankfully our outreach nurse did some quick organising with John Hunter so that we could bring the injection home with us and then take it to John Hunter tomorrow.We had a good trip home and arrived just as Karina pulled our dinner out of the oven.A very nice welcome home.We get to spend 10 days at home before we return for our final stay in Sydney.We will have many trips back there but they will only be for a few days at the most.

Lastly I'd like to wish my little nephew Trey a happy 4th birthday.Shaylie and I went over to his place to give him his present and have a bit of his cake.He was so excited when we sang happy birthday he could hardly wait to blow the candles out.

Still going strong

Kal continues to feel good and is in pretty good spirits.We are stiil on track to come home tomorrow and i'll find out tomorrow when he is due to come back for his final two treatments.I couldn't help but smile writing that because it just seemed like this stage would never come.I know that he'll have ongoing tests and procedures done on his arm but this is going to be a huge milestone for him one which i can't wait for.I think there will be a party for that for sure.I haven't thought too much about what we'll do when we are at home.In all honesty I'm looking forward to coming back and getting it all over and done with.Don't think Kal is looking at it like that though

Back in for chemo

Today started as all admission days do,with a blood test.He also had an echo(heart scan) which isn't so much painful for him but it is quite uncomfortable.After probably our shortest clinic visit to date there was a question mark over bed availability.I honestly thought that was a thing of the past but it reared it's head again.Fortunately that question mark soon disappeared as we got a call from clinic to say to come back up ready for admission.We had a bit of a wait in clinic as they had to get his room ready.They hooked him up with chemo in clinic while we waited but it wasn't long before we were moved into camperdown ward.So far he's feeling fine with the only problem being his little Indian roommate who is quite vocal in a normal conversation and even more so when he wants something.Lets just say his requests have been more like demands,and often.If Kal continues to feel fine he can be discharged as soon as his chemo is finished which will be on Wednesday afternoon.I had a brief chat to his outreach nurse who has started to organise blood tests and physio at John Hunter so that we can come home after he is discharged.I still have to find out when he is due back and how long we get at home.

Stars of the show

Today Shaylie and her friend Rose were supposed to perform with a live band.Only problem was the live band didn't show up.Not to be put off by the small inconvenience the girls soldiered on regardless and produced a faultless performance which included a few dance moves not seen in previous performances.They only had a short while to put it all together as Rose only arrived at the house this morning.But put it together they did and with the band a no show they were definitely the stars of the day.Kal had a good day and he filled the roll of MC for the girls.He did it in the most cool and laid back fashion you would only expect from Kal.

Later in the evening we went to hogs breath for tea.Mum and Shaylie will be going home at some stage tomorrow so I thought we could do something nice.Apart from her singing Shaylie it seems has a very busy social calender with girls wanting to play left,right and centre.It seems as though all the girls are leaving tomorrow as well so there shouldn't be too much drama when it comes time for her to go home.

Featherdale wildlife park

Today,Kallan and I went to the Featherdale wildlife park.Kallan loved every bit of it and on the way home said that he definitely knows what he wants to do when he's older.Any sort of work with animals will do him fine and i bet he'd be good at it too.We took our time walking around making sure to see everything that was there.We got up close to the animals and feed the Wallabies,Kangaroos,Emus and other birds.We saw everything that there was to see and saw some things more than once.But I didn't mind one bit as it was great to see Kal in his element and chemo the last thing on his mind.

This evening also saw Shaylie and my Mum arrive in preparation for Shaylie's big performance tomorrow.There is a big day on at the house tomorrow sponsored by Westpac and there will be jumping castles,clowns,bbq,face painting and a live band.It just so happens Adrianne from the house has arranged for Shaylie and her singing partner Rose to perform a few songs with the band.You can just imagine how excited she is about it.She has confessed to nerves because her and Rose haven't had the chance to practise for so long.I'm sure it'll be another breath taking performance.

Out and about

After a fairly busy morning Kal and I decided to get out of the house.He had blood taken then off to physio and finally clinic.Our clinic visit wasn't too bad with a pretty short wait and then they gave him the all clear with his levels.We came back down the house only to find the carpet cleaners had just about the whole house blocked off and we couldn't even get into our room.So the decision to get out of the house was essentially made for us.We decided to go to the movies and watch the latest X-MEN movie.We both enjoyed it and although I was initially a little concerned with it being rated M I don't think there was too much in it that was over the top for Kal.I don't know how Hugh Jackman lives with himself with the way looks in this film.I can't imagine how any women would find the chiseled and muscular physique attractive and the fact that he has his shirt off for most of the film must be off putting for females the world over.Poor bugger.

Tomorrow Kal and I have arranged to visit Featherdale Wildlife park where anyone staying at the house can get free entry.It's just a matter of staff from the house contacting them to let them know we are coming and then all we have to do is turn up.Anyone who knows Kal will know how much he'll love it

Surprise Discharge

Just before lunch while out having a stroll around we got a call to come back to the ward for some meds and to have his obs done.Turns out they did have to do obs but for him to be discharged which did come as a shock.His levels were still a little above the required level but we were given some medication to take and he has to have blood taken in the morning.I noticed a huge change in Kal instantly when he was told he could go.We went for a drive in the afternoon because I needed some trackies as it's starting to get a bit chilly down here and I didn't pack any.We have a fairly busy day tomorrow but with Kal feeling really good Friday looms as a day out.I'll have a think about what we can do and hopefully come up with something fun.

Latest Update

On Monday morning Kal had his latest chemo and overall handled it pretty good.Just as his chemo was finishing he felt pretty crook but after some medication and a good sleep he started to feel much better.Although feeling good he was very upset when Karina and Shaylie had to leave.We would both love nothing more than to have them both down here the whole time but in reality that just can't happen.Shaylie has missed a fair bit of school already so Karina had to get her home.Kal was very upset they didn't stay a bit longer but so was Karina because making him upset like that was the last thing she wanted.It's hard for her to leave at the best of times but when he's like that makes it harder.But not long after that he settled pretty good and it wasn't long before he went off to sleep.He's coped pretty good today doing some school work,going for a walk around the hospital and down to the birds.He got a surprise visit from Poppy this evening and he was pretty happy about that.Methatrexate levels are still quite high so not expecting to be discharged tomorrow but Thursday is looking good.

A Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all the mum's in my life,especially my mum,and i hope you all had an enjoyable day.Happy Birthday also to my nephew Campbell who had his birthday party today.Hope you had a good one mate.Karina and Shaylie came down after Campbell's party and we went out for an early dinner so we could be back in time for Kal to go into hospital.We couldn't get into Hoggies or our other choice Pancakes on the rocks so we went for the local tavern which proved to be slightly disappointing.Shaylie showed off her one of a kind shooting style on the hunting arcade game at the tavern.Very,very entertaining i must say.Even shooting the icon to start the game proved to be a challenge and she celebrated accordingly with the few times she did hit the target.Kal will have chemo tomorrow and will probably stay until Thursday.It is unlikely he'll be discharged any earlier than that.Hope he can get through OK without too much discomfort.

Not much happening

It's been a pretty boring couple of days as of late.It's days like this that make you miss home even more.We are both looking forward to Karina and Shaylie coming down tomorrow as well as pop as he has a few days work in the area in the next few days.Should be a big day at the house tomorrow as there is sure to be some activities for all the mothers.Unfortunately for Kal it also means re-admission to hospital tomorrow night.I'm planning on taking the family out for an early dinner and then be back in time for Kal and I to go up to the hospital in preparation for chemo on Monday.

Discharged

Kal was discharged this morning making him very happy.He pestered the nurses about the methatrexate levels from the time he woke up and just maybe they thought we'll let him go no matter what the levels so we can get rid of him.I'm sure that wasn't the case but he must have been driving them up the wall.Kal had physio after getting out and he continues to make good progress and his physio worked him pretty hard today.Afterwards both Kal and I were feeling exhausted and both had a sleep for a while.We didn't do much after that just hung around the house and mingled with some other families

Getting Better

Kal continues to feel good but is still struggling with his emotions.He looks and feels fine but has little moments throughout the day where he feels depressed.He seems to think about and dwell on sad events or memories and he just can't get them out of his head.I think a lot of it stems from just being in hospital.I took him for a stroll outside today and he really enjoyed that.We are expecting him to get out of hospital tomorrow but if for some reason his levels don't come down enough and he can't come out I'll make sure he gets out of his room for a while.We're all hoping that he'll be discharged because I know that will go a long way to helping him emotionally.

Just a follow up on yesterday.I mentioned the possibility of an encore performance in the starlight room today.Well it did take place,and after some serious plugging from the captains on the starlight channel,a reasonable crowd had gathered and the pressure was on.Again they were aided by their trusty MC young Dominic and again they wowed the audience.There were cries of "more more" but they didn't have anything else prepared so they decided to open the floor for any aspiring performers to have their moment in the spotlight.Look out for the Today show on channel 9 on Friday as there may be an appearance of the now famous duo.Nothing is confirmed but talks are on going and their should be an appearance of some description as they will be at the house for a mothers day segment.

Feeling a lot better

Kallan woke feeling much better this morning wanting breakfast straight away.Although feeling better physically his emotions have been a little down.It's not unusual for him to get like this just after chemo.He was cheered up however when the Procter family paid us a surprise visit.They have been great supporters of our family and continually follow his blog leaving supportive comments.It was great to have them stop by.

You may recall from a previous post i mentioned a friend of Shaylie's named Rose.Well today the two of them got together and organised a performance for everyone in the house.They made out invitations with the names of the songs they were singing and handed them out to everyone.They set up there stage and had all seating arranged around it.Adrianne from the house got into the spirit of things and got a little P A system type thing and microphones for them.It was priceless fair dinkum.I happened to mention it to one of the captains from the starlight room and her and the other two captains working came down and joined the massive crowd that had assembled.Their 3 songs were a hit and they were hounded for autographs afterwards.The captains were so impressed they are talking about an encore performance in the starlight room tomorrow beamed live throughout the hospital via the starlight channel.Can't wait for that.

Doing it a bit tough

Kallan had his chemo this morning and just towards the end it started to take it's toll.He was feeling quite crook but slowly improved as the day went on.He seemed better by bed time but still a little way off his normal self.It'll still be a few days before he 's allowed out.Shaylie was really excited this afternoon after she was asked for an in house sleep over.One of her friends down here,Rose,asked her to stay in her room for the night and Shay jumped at the chance.I shouldn't have any trouble in getting Shaylie to school while she's here because Rose is going all week as well.Hopefully Kal might be up for some school work himself at some stage tomorrow depending on how things are going.

Sunday Update

This was supposed to be where I go on about the Tigers and how great the game was.Well it was still a great game but the result didn't sit well with any of us.The Tigers goal kicker couldn't kick a cat up the arse and it proved to be the difference.That's all i can bring myself to say about that subject.Later on last night Kallan was admitted into ward as planned and started his chemo at around 6am this morning.Hopefully all goes well and he'll be out in a few days feeling good and ready to go out and do something fun.Don't know what that will be just yet but we'll just wait and see.

Lazy Day

As the title suggests today was one of those days where you just can't get yourself going.We had a party at lunch time for little Georgia's 3rd birthday.Her and her family have been here longer than we have and she's just adorable.After filling up on party food I fell asleep watching one of Kal's new animal documentary dvd's.The day soon brightened up when shaylie arrived with Mum.As per usual she was a girl in demand with some other young girls awaiting her arrival.Kal's still doing well and he managed to get a bit of school work done today,off his own bat too I might add.He's also got his mate Mitch to hang around with which has been good for him.

Throughout the day I had soccer results filtering through to me.First up Shaylie rang to tell me that she went well and her team had a 1-1 draw.Mum tells me she did do very well but came off late in the game due to an ankle problem.Then it was my niece Monica who said that they had a 2-2 draw and both her and my nephew Hayden tried their hardest.Then later in the afternoon news had filtered through of a great result for the mighty Warriors.I'm reliably informed that the boys tried their guts out and that all tackles were below shoulder height.They went down 3-1 and before you say "what great result" believe me when i say the boys would be wrapped with that.The team we were up against are renowned front runners so I'm sure the boys will take the 3-1.

Back to it

It was up nice and early to leave for Sydney so we could be there in time for an appointment.He had a kidney function test which actually goes over 4hrs but we're not stuck up at the hospital for that long.It's only for about 5mins every hour.The break home was fantastic and it's definitely what I needed.I feel refreshed and I think Kal feels the same.There's also that feeling of how close we are to the end of chemo but I'm trying hard not to get too far ahead myself.It seems when you start making plans is when delays start happening but he's been feeling great so let's hope that it stays that way.Kal and I had night out at the footy tonight watching the eels and the cowboys.A guy from the eels dropped off some tickets at the house this morning so Kal and I went along with some others from the house.It was a good night but the big one comes on Sunday when the tigers take on the dogs and I just pray the boys can get up over the doggies.

Shaylie and Mum are coming down tomorrow after Shay plays soccer.She can't wait for the footy because she wants to get her Jersey signed.I hope i can get it signed otherwise she won't be happy.I'll do my best.

Family Day

We had a relatively quick visit to John Hunter this morning to have the dressing on his central line changed.On our way home we stopped to have a nice lunch at the George & Dragon tavern at East Maitland.The food was beautiful and it felt great to treat ourselves to something nice while at home.Before we came home we went over to Greenhills for a look around.While there we ran into my Auntie Carol who was really happy to see us.We had a good chat then came home for a very relaxing afternoon.So much so that the only one awake after only a short time at home was Shaylie.Kallan and I both crashed on the lounge and Karina went to bed earlier.Karina had a massive sleep and neither of us could get ourselves going after that.

I'm hoping that we can make the most of tomorrow as it's Karina's last day off before Kal and I head back to Sydney.There is some jobs around the house that need doing but i think they can wait.

Weekend Update

This weekend proved to be a remarkable one.On Saturday the function at the bradford completely blew us away.It was a fantastic turn out and more importantly all those who attended behaved themselves with absolutely no incidents that can sometimes happen when you get so many people in the one place many of whom effected by alcohol.It was a very cheerful atmosphere with so many people showing their generosity in many different ways.There are so many people to thank for their contribution to a fantastic day but I'd like to make special mention to Dan and Karen Quinn as well as a lovely lady named Vicki Gamble who up until yesterday was unknown to all of us.She'd heard about Kallan through mutual friends of the Quinn's and just wanted to help out and be part of the day.She obtained numerous items for the auction and along with Dan managed to put together a great collection of items to be auctioned and raffled off.Of course none of it would've been possible had it not been for Mick Quinn and the people at the Bradford who provided a great facility for the day to take place.It was quite overwhelming to see the amount of people who attended and the mountains of well wishes that were forthcoming throughout the day.

I never like to single people out but i just have to pay a special thanks to Dan because i know how much he put in to the day.Don't let the muscles and bent nose fool you,he really is a big softy and a kind hearted guy to boot.He's always thought the world of Kal and has been busting to do something for him and with the help of others pulled off a magic day.Thanks again to all who contributed and i can tell you just attending meant the world to us.Cheers everyone.

Enoying Home

Last few days have been very relaxing just enjoying being back home.We had a trip to John Hunter this morning to have some bloods taken but were able to leave straight away rather than hanging around waiting for the results.Later this evening i took Shaylie to Kurri for her first soccer game for the year.She played very well considering she has only had one training session this year and i haven't been able to spend much time practising with her as i normally do with both her and Kallan.Her team had a 3-2 victory.Tomorrow night will maybe see me making an appearance for the mighty Warriors in a trial game against the Rutherford over 35's.It may well be a one off appearance for the Warriors and i don't know how much help i will be for the boys.More importantly i should be firing on all cylinders for the after game activities.Looking forward to catching up with the boys whatever the result.

Home Again

Hip Hip Hooray! We're home again.After a little packing and cleaning up,and some last minute playing and craft for Shaylie,we set off right on lunchtime.Our trip home didn't start well due to a pretty bad truck accident on the freeway.Traffic was banked up a long way and it was very slow going for quite some time.Once we got through the trouble it was easy going from there.It was early afternoon when we arrived home and what a good feeling it was.Even Shaylie was saying how good it was to be home.We had a nice early dinner and just chilled out for the rest of the night.I don't know what the plans are for tomorrow but I'm sure we'll find something to do.

Just a quick note to inform those who maybe interested or who are looking for something to do this coming Saturday that there will be a benefit day for Kallan at the Bradford Tavern.There will be some raffles and some memorabilia up for auction along with the regular two up that you see every Anzac Day.Huge thanks to Dan,Karen and Mick Quinn who have organised the raffles and memorabilia on the day.Hope i haven't left anyone out that has contributed to the day that I'm unaware of.I really don't know too much about the day to be honest so i could very well have missed someone.Cheers guys

Coming home

Today at clinic we received the news we were hoping for when we were told that we could come home for a while.I've got a little bit of cleaning and packing to do in the morning but should be out of there fairly early and be home around lunch time.He's due back in Sydney on Friday the 1st of May for some tests then Chemo on the Monday.We were all pretty excited when they said he could come home,all it means is a few trips to John Hunter for blood tests but that's a small price to pay i think.Looking forward to catching up with family and friends when we get home.

Discharged

As expected Kal was discharged after he finished his chemo.He is still feeling really good but has just started to feel a little emotional about a few different things.But apart from that he is doing really well.We'll find out tomorrow when he is due to return and if we can go home.Also today Shaylie and I went to the Parra Bulldogs clash at ANZ stadium where we were asked to do an interview on the field before the kick off to the game.It was for Ronald McDonald House as they were having a fundraising drive at the game and just to promote the house.I'm only too happy to help out because the house has meant so much to all of us and has made everything so much easier.The game itself turned out to be a bit of a fizzer with the Bulldogs having a crushing win.Not that i cared who won but would have liked to have seen a good close game.

Later on this evening we all went out for a belated birthday dinner at The Hogs Breath Cafe.It was great to have some time as a family away from the hospital and the house.We had some good laughs with the kids pulling out some good one liners throughout dinner.The best one was when Kal gave Shaylie his explanation of puberty. Bloody classic.Put simply "It's when things start growing and you get hair on ya tackle".That's kal's version and who could argue with that.

Still going well

Kal continues to feel really good,probably the best his felt while having chemo.He's eating and drinking as he would any other day which is a change from all the other times.He's been moved from variety ward down to his beloved camperdown ward and the worst thing the nurse from variety did was tell him he was going to camperdown hours before he was due to go.He hammered her with either "when am i going to camperdown" or "are they ready for me yet".Kal will have his chemo taken down tomorrow at around 2:30pm and then as long as he's still feeling like he is he can be discharged straight away.He will have to go to clinic on Monday to have a needle.Thankfully there will be no wait at clinic because this needle needs to be given 24hrs after the chemo is taken down.The Doctor has told me that everything is already at clinic ready for us to turn up and go straight in for him to have the injection.We'll also find out when his next lot of chemo is due and if we can come home.Not getting too excited about that just yet.

What a day

After an agonising wait at clinic Kal's chemo got underway this afternoon.Kal had bloods,physio and heart scan before clinic this morning and all was looking well.He continues to show improvement with his arm and his physio said she's really encouraged by the fact that she sees progress every time she sees him.That's as good as the day got as our clinic visit was unbearable.It wouldn't have mattered what day it was because it was the most frustrating day there yet,bar none.It just so happened to fall on my birthday.We waited nearly 3hrs before we saw a doctor then after doing the appropriate paperwork were told that chemo was going to start today and to go back out and wait again for the nurse to call us in.It was easily another hour before a nurse called us and then close to another 2hrs before we were taken to the ward as Kal had enough time to watch a movie and a lilttle bit of tv before we were taken up.Thinking that it'll all get better from here we got the ward and found that kal had a room but no bed.I think i was justified in being a little annoyed and having a bit to say about it.On a positive note Kal is so far doing really well but still has about a day and a half to go before his chemo is finished.Hopefully he keeps going and he can get out soon after.We were happy to see my wonderful mum come down to see us and she even bought me a cake god love her.She's staying while Kal's in hospital so Shaylie can still stay here with me which i'm really grateful for

Movies again

Yesterday when we went to the movies Shaylie had to go with Kal's choice because we intended to use tickets he got for his birthday.Turns out no free tickets were accepted for this particular movie but thought it fair that it was still Kal's choice.Shaylie of course wanted to see the latest Zac Efron offering,17 again,but she still enjoyed the movie anyway.Kallan had also said that he wanted to see it and with him having a busy morning tomorrow and then possible admission i thought today would be our only chance.I must say that i found it really enjoyable and had a few good belly laughs.Kal even got a good giggle up and I'll never get sick of hearing that.It goes without saying that Shaylie absolutely loved it with Zac obviously rating very high on the OMG!! scale.

As i mentioned before we have a pretty busy day ahead of us tomorrow with blood test,physio,heart scan and clinic appointment.Then as long as there's a bed he'll be admitted later in the day.

Day at the movies

Today Kal,Shaylie and I went out to the movies to see Monsters V's Aliens.What a good show.To make it even better it was in 3-D and the effects were pretty impressive.I don't know if you heard of the brazen jewellery store robbery but fortunately we were no where near westfields at the time.It happened well before we were there.Shaylie had a very busy social schedule when we returned home.She had to go to starlight room and then be back in time for the kids pizza cooking class that was being held at the house.All the kids had a blast and i would've sworn that there was pizza bases spread all over the kitchen floor because that's where most of the toppings ended up.Apart from that the little chef's did a sterling job and the end prodoct tasted really good.I didn't try all of the creations because lets just say some of the toppings were a little on the exotic side.

Later on Kal and I sat down and watched RPA and both of us were quite touched by the young guy going through the same thing as Kal but on a much bigger scale.This poor kid has had his tumor spread to his lungs and the tumor in his arm is so big they have to amputate for him to have any hope of survival.Through some pretty watery eyes Kal said he feels so lucky and he's gonna make the most of it.I don't know if lucky is the right word but he certainly has the right attitude.I don't think you could be considered lucky when you have any form of cancer.his story continues next week and despite it being a little too close too home we will be tuning in.

Great day at the show

After some worrying signs early the weather turned in our favour and we went to the show as planned.Kal started to feel the pinch a little after only a short time so Mum found a place that hired out wheelchairs and walked back with one for him albeit red as a beetroot by the time she got back.After a lengthy stroll through show bag alley Shaylie,Kiarna and I went on a few rides while Kal,Karina and Mum walked around checking out all the animals.Kal was a bit worried about going on rides partly because of the fact he has just come off chemo but mostly scared that he may get thrown around and hurt his arm.He did however show off his progress with his arm at sideshow alley when he had a go at a basketball game.No one else has seen him do it and Karina,mum and the girls were very impressed when he showed them what he can do.After a great day we arrived back at the house just in time for dinner put on by Coca Cola and they even arranged for a hair dresser and nail artists to come along.Mum and I had haircuts,as did others,with Shaylie getting her nails painted also.Sadly Karina,Mum and Kiarna left for home soon after but still a good time was had by all.

Discharged

As expected Kallan was discharged this morning.He wasn't shy in showing how happy he was to be getting out either.After getting out we all decided to head to westfields to do a few things and have a bit of a look around.After spending a few hours there we called into the DVD shop to hire a few DVDs to keep us occupied for the night.For dinner we had one of Kallan's favourite dishes,taco's.It was good to be able sit down and have a meal all together as a family.It doesn't happen very often so it's always nice when it does.If weather allows us we are all heading to the Easter Show tomorrow.Being that it has been raining all day today I'm praying for nice weather so we can all go and enjoy the show.Should be a really good day.

Special thanks to Shaylie who contributed to this post by doing the typing for me.It seemed to be decidedly quicker with her doing the typing.And I thought I was getting better at typing.

Happy Easter

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Feeling good

kal continues to feel good and can't wait to get out.His levels were still quite high this morning and won't be low enough by tomorrow so it will be Monday before we get out.I'm looking forward to some time out of hospital and hopefully Kal will be well enough to get out and do something fun.Not a lot else to report apart from the fact that kal lost his room mate and has a room to himself now.Don't know for how long but we'll make the most of the time we have.

Doing well

Kal had his chemo today and despite feeling ill for a little while this morning he bounced back and is feeling pretty good now.He's pretty sleepy which is fairly normal but he's eating and drinking already so all seems well.He'll probably feel sleepy for the next few days but he always seems to recover pretty quick from this drug so i hope that's the case again this time.

Happy Easter to everyone and i hope everyone has an enjoyable Easter break.

Back for more

After the hype of the last couple of days it was back to business to today with a number of appointments to go to.First it was bloods then a short break before going to physio immediately followed by clinic appointment.I don't know if it was yesterdays events but he seemed inspired at physio this morning.He was working really hard with his exercises and i was so surprised to see him get the little basketball and start shooting a few hoops lifting his arm above his head in the process.To top it off he drained 5 shots in a row and even had enough energy left to kick the soccer ball around in the outside area for about ten mins.Needless to say Bec(physio)was very happy with his effort and progress.Kal has even progressed to the stage where he is doing bicep curls with 1kg weights as part of his exercise program.I was over the moon for him after physio because he realised how far he's come and was so proud of himself.And so he should be.To finish the night it was back in hospital to get ready for chemo in the morning.Hope all goes well and he gets through it OK

A visit to tigertown

Wow what a day.Kallan had an absolute blast and i was like a kid in a candy shop.We were made to feel so welcome and were given a tour around the training facilities before sitting down to watch the boys train.I went from being a kid in a candy shop to a Japanese tourist,snapping pictures everywhere.While the boys trained we got to meet and chat to a few of the injured brigade,some only resting on precaution.Kal got to tell a few of the boys about his illness and proudly showed off his scar.He also had a kick around with a young guy,Blake Lazarus(Glen's nephew),who was ruled out for the season with a knee injury after only the first trial game.He chatted to us for a while and kicked and passed the footy around with Kal.The best part came when training finished and Kal was given a Jersey worn by Benji Marshall in a trial game.It was given to him by Benji and Robbie Farah as a birthday present from the Wests Tigers.They also gave him a flag,hat,beanie and one of the training balls they used today.It's too close to call on who was the most exited today so Kal and I will call it a draw and just remember the fantastic day we both had.Both our jersey's are now covered with aurographs,even Tim Sheens and Roycie Simmons.Wayne Cousins who was our guide for the day took a few photos that will be going on the Wests Tigers website along with a little story.A massive thanks to Tim Gilbert from channel 9 who got the ball rolling for the visit and then to the tigers for making us feel so welcome.It was a day neither of us will forget.

Before signing off i want to wish my nephew Hayden a very Happy Birthday for today.Happy birthday mate hope you enjoyed your day and all of the presents you told me about.Except those Bulldogs pj's.

Happy birthday Kal

And what a good day it was too.First it was a few formalities at the hospital to attend to and with all his blood levels good and his methotrexate levels down to a acceptable level it was time for him to enjoy his day.And that was my main aim of the day,to make it his day.I just figured that with all his been through he at least deserved to have a day where it was all about him.With all our family and kids from the house all here to celebrate i think that is exactly what was achieved.He even had the girls from public relations come down to spend some time with him.First we had all of my family here for a party with anyone welcome to attend and then in the evening Karina's family came down.It would've have been great if everyone could have been there at once but with work commitments it wasn't to be.I'm sure that didn't make any difference with Kal.He was just so happy to see that everyone made a special effort to come down for him no matter what the time it was.He said later that he had a great day and to all who made the trip down i thank you all so much.You all helped make the day what Karina and I had intended it to be,special.

Discharged

Despite his Methotrexate levels still being a little bit high Kal was able to be discharged on the condition that he still take some medication and he goes for bloods and a clinic appointment in the morning.They wanted to see him out for his birthday and he made sure they were aware that that's what he wanted.But they still need to keep an eye on his levels,hence the blood test and clinic appointment in the morning.

For those of you who missed the today show this morning also missed Shaylie front and centre on one of there weather crosses.They were there for an Easter promotion and they had a big Easter egg hunt and then a kids group sung a few songs.Just before the group(buggered if i can remember who they were)sang there songs Shaylie managed to get her way to the front near the camera.Apparently Karina and eye got in the shot as well but we most certainly didn't plan that.

On a very sad note i would like to extend my condolences to the entire Greedy family,especially Julie,Robbie and Alyssa after the tragic death of there son and brother Judd.He was killed while racing in super sport motorbike championship.He loved his bikes and i know he was adored by his family.He will most definitely be sadly missed

Yesterdays update

Yesterday saw even more improvement in Kal with he and his roomy,Sean,having plenty of fun on the x-box.It's proven to be somewhat of an ordeal when the nurses come to do obs.One has to pause while the other is being seen to.Although Mel does her best to muck up there game or make them crash just to annoy them.We had a visit from pop as well as my Auntie Ann and cousin Peta.Kal always enjoys there visits and later in the evening he said the reason he's so tired is because he hasn't laughed like that for a long time and he had plenty of laughs today.To make the day even better his Mum arrived in the afternoon which made him so happy.

Getting better

Today saw an improvement but still not feeling fantastic.He had a bit of an unsettled night but woke this morning a little better.He's sharing a room with another young boy around his age and he was able to chat and play a few games on the PlayStation together and with Mel,his favourite wacky nurse,looking after them both they were certainly kept amused.He loves having Mel look after him because she always keeps things upbeat and pays out on me constantly.He also had another favourite Nicole(Blondy)looking after him so it was a double bonus for him.I get the feeling that he's a bit of a favourite with them as well.Although feeling better he's still very sleepy and later tonight he started to feel a bit off again.He settled off to sleep OK and hopefully a good nights sleep will see more of an improvement tomorrow.

Another positive report

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Good report from physio

After the high of last night it was back down to earth with a thud this morning.We had a number of appointments this morning and he's also without a bed.After clinic he had an physio session and his physio,Rebecca,is very pleased with his progress.He is very close to being able to fully straighten his arm and his shoulder movement is coming along nicely.He had a relaxing afternoon while Shaylie spent the majority of her time either in the starlight room or playing schools at the back of the house.Speaking of the starlight room channel 9 had a camera crew there and once Shaylie new they were coming there was no way she was going anywhere.I don't know when it'll be aired and Shay said she didn't get on camera anyway.Also at the starlight room she fought for and won back her UNO championship belt beating a few of the captains in the process.Kal has an appointment with Dr Stalley in the morning then hopefully he'll have a bed so treatment can start so that he can be out of hospital for his birthday.Either way I'm certain he'll have a memorable day.

Latest update

Due to some Internet troubles lately I've been unable to update blog.Kal has had a really good time at home and has attended school everyday this week.He's spent a few hours at school each day and even went this morning before returning to Sydney.We both had a very relaxing time at home and caught up with some friends as well.Kal seems in really good spirits and is in no way daunted by the thought of returning to Sydney in fact i would suggest that he's keen to get things moving again.The break at home seems to have refreshed him and I have absolutely no doubt it's exactly what was needed.

Tonight Kal,Shaylie,Nan,Pop and I went to watch the socceroos play Uzbekistan at ANZ stadium.After a ordinary first half display the boys kicked into gear and,despite some early Oscar nominations from the Uzbek's,the Aussies came away 2-0 victors.A fine header from aerial specialist Josh Kennedy opened the scores for the Aussies and with there domination of the second half evident it wasn't too much longer before the one and only Harry Kewell added to his tally of goals for the socceroos.It was a most enjoyable night and it was great to watch some high quality football.Lucas Neill was man of the match for mine he was just awesome at the back and never really looked threatened.

Well it's back to hospital tomorrow,again depending on bed availability,and we are hoping for a change in fortunes for him so that everything goes smoothly.We don't want any more delays or other illnesses coming up.

Weekend update

On Saturday we had a relaxing morning before heading off to my little nephew Aiden's birthday party.All the kids had a ball and Allison did a fantastic job of Aiden's birthday cake.It looked like a star wars action scene,it was really quite clever.After a bit of a rest Kal and I headed of to watch the return of the pumpkin pickers into the Newcastle rugby league.The Maitland boys did well scoring wins in both grades with the reserve grade side giving Lakes United an absolute drubbing.In the evening we headed out to the Harvey's for a bbq and a bit of a catch up.

Today was a quiet day with both of us catching up on some rest.We were invited around to my sister Leyanne's house for dinner.Steve was cooking up some lamb shanks and he assured me that i would like them.Like them I did,they were bloody beautiful and Steve will be sorry he invited me around for them because I'll be sniffing them out from now on.It was a good weekend all up and Kal's looking forward to spending more time at school tomorrow.

Like a tiger

Smells like 2005 as the mighty Tigers turned on the razzle dazzle to down the roosters in emphatic fashion.It was the mighty Robbie and Benji show as the Tigers piled on the points late in the game to grab victory.With the help of Taniela the tank and others,the boys turned it on big time.We were invited around to a friends place for birthday celebrations where Kal and I were glued to the TV and with a few other Tigers supporters around it made for a pleasant evening.

Kal had blood taken at John Hunter this morning and after some delays in getting results it was a bit too late for him to go to school.He was a bit tired anyway and he just didn't feel like it in the end.Kal also had a taste of Lawn Bowls this afternoon after spending some time with pop having a roll up at Maitland City.By all reports it took little time for him to grasp the concept of the game and was getting them quite close to the jack.He enjoyed himself and said he'd like to give it another go.I might have to give it whirl with him next time.

Hello sailor

Today it was back to sydney for Kallan and I.But this time it was for a treat not treatment.We were invited aboard the yacht Wild Oats,the Sydney to Hobart race winner for the last few years.It was a very enjoyable day and i'm glad we made the trip.It was good to gain a better understanding of what is involved in sailing a boat of that size.Of course the intensity would be ten fold given a race situation but it was interesting just the same.Kal really enjoyed himself as did the other kids and parents that were lucky enough to join the crew.

Back at school for real

Today was a very exciting and somewhat nervous day for Kallan and to a lesser extent myself.We had a relaxing morning and just before midday he got suited up in his school uniform and headed off to school.Not only was it very satisfying to see him go to school but it was a important step in his recovery to experience a bit of normality.As expected his school mates were overjoyed to see him with a lot of them skipping afternoon tea to stay in the classroom with Kal as it was a bit too hot for him to spend too long outside.His teacher Mrs Tame also said how happy she was to see him looking so well.When we arrived to pick him up she told us that he'd had a great time and said he may not want to leave.But Kal had had enough and wanted to come home but did say how much he enjoyed his few hours with his school mates.He'll have the day off tomorrow and after he has blood taken at john hunter on Friday morning he's going to spend the afternoon at school.

Congrats Kathryn & Cory

Yesterday morning our time my sister in law Kathryn and her husband Cory became parents again to another beautiful boy Ethan Cory Benjamin Anderson.He's the little brother of little cutie Cade.Congratulations Kathryn and Cory and it was really lovely to talk to you yesterday.Kallan literally ripped the phone from me when he realised it was you.

Home at last

We finally made it home today albeit a little bit later than anticipated.Kallan had another magnesium infusion this morning which takes 4hrs so he was discharged a lot later than first thought.By the time we got out and packed up it was late afternoon and the traffic would've been chaos,more so than usual,so we waited a little while before heading home.I have to say packing up was made so much easier thanks to my mum who had just about everything ready to go by the time we got out.I love having mum down there because it allows me to get out and do things i normally wouldn't be able to do.Upon arriving home Kallan and I were welcomed with a sweet little welcome home note from my beautiful little Shaylie.Karina also had tea waiting for us which made for a really nice welcome home.kallan and i don't have a lot planned so we'll just see what happens and make the most of our time home.

Finally some good news

Kallan continues to improve and if it stays that way he'll be discharged at some stage tomorrow.I then had a chat to his oncology doctors to see what there plans were for his chemo.They told me that the plan was to start chemo on the 30th but i told them he had tickets to see the socceroos play on the 1st and that we were also wanting to have a break and a refresh at home.They agreed that a break would be good for both of us and had no problem with putting it off for an extra couple of days.Despite the good news i haven't been game to let myself think we are definitely coming home,I'll believe it when i hand the keys over at the house.If all goes well and we do get home Kal is planning on catching up with some school and soccer buddies.He'd love to go up and have a kick around with them at the oval and also spend some time at school.I,myself am just looking forward to being at home trying to be part of a family again,catching up with some friends and just spend some time relaxing.I refuse to get too carried away with my wishes because i know that everything may not turn out the way i want it too.

Still on the improve

Today saw further improvement with Kal.He hasn't needed any pain relief today and is now able to eat a light diet.The doctor came to see him this morning and said the only thing keeping him in was his stomach pain and with that seemingly disappearing we're hoping for a discharge in the next few days.At this stage we don't know what the plans are for his chemo.I guess that will probably be discussed tomorrow and Kal and I would both love some time at home but we'll just weigh up the pros and cons of both going ahead as scheduled or getting some time off.

Kal had a nice visit from Nanny T today before she heads off to America to visit Kathryn for the impending birth of her second child.She came down with Karina this morning and then went home later in the afternoon with my Mum and shaylie.I wish Kathryn and Cory all the best and hope all goes well on Tuesday.Were all very much looking forward to another healthy baby boy and if little Cade is anything to go by I'm sure he'll be another little cutie.

Just on Shaylie,it was completely remiss of me not to mention that Shaylie returned home as holder of the starlight room's UNO championship belt.She came back from there the other day as proud as punch with the belt draped over her shoulder and a photo of her holding the belt aloft.She defended the belt the next day and came within a whisker of losing her belt to one of the captains.As she won't be here to defend the belt she's had to reluctantly give it up.I have the job of handing it over tomorrow.I may even have to throw down the challenge to try and keep it in the family.

Finally some answers

This morning we finally got some answers on Kallan's condition.Despite the doctors still being unsure of what the problem is they did give us an explanation as to why they are delaying things.They also upgraded his diet to soft food only,which consists of custard,yogurt,soup and those sorts of things.Basically they think he's improving with the antibiotics and would have only operated if it was an emergency which they didn't believe his situation was.They didn't want to rush a decision on an operation because his blood counts were too low but in an emergency they would've taken that risk.One positive is that the blood cultures they took when he was originally taken to emergency have returned a negative result.But they still have to get to the bottom of his latest problem.He'll have a further review in the morning and I'm not too sure what there plans are after that but his oncologist said she would expect that he'll remain in hospital for a few more days at least.She also indicated that his chemo may still go ahead as scheduled which is yet another massive blow to our prospects of being able to come home.I plan on sitting down with his oncology doctors in the next few days and see whether delaying chemo is an option and maybe weigh up the benefits of having a break at home for a little bit as opposed to getting straight back into it.I know that any delay will mean the finish line is that much further away but i want to get there opinion on it.I think he is in need of a bit of a moral boost and i know i most definitely am.

The mystery continues

Well i don't know where to start and with the amount of time I've spent scratching my head you'd swear i had knits.The latest is that they are leaning towards not operating and they'll review him in the morning.Familiar bloody story.Meanwhile the poor kid has been fasting all this time and now has been told he can have clear fluids and that's it.They don't seem to be in any hurry to make a decision and all the while he's been starving.On top of not being able to come home he's stuck in hospital not being able to eat while they make up there bloody mind.I can appreciate the fact that there trying to get it right but surely they would be aware that he's still waiting to be told yes or no to the operation and is still going without food.Anyway i hope that when they say review in the morning they mean morning.There is a common terminology used down here and that is "hospital time".They give you a time and it could mean anytime there ready.

Conflicting reports

Last night while in emergency Kal started complaining of some abdominal pain.The doctor looking after him arranged for him to have an ultrasound this morning.His pain seemed to get a little worse this morning and the initial results from the ultrasound showed that Kallan had appendicitis.I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.He was told to start fasting in preperation for an operation.When some doctors came to see Kal later in the evening he said that they were now unsure as to whether they were going to operate because of conflicting reports.One report said that it was appendicitis and the other was inconclusive.The doctors said it was rare to see someone suffering from appendicitis while also suffering from cancer but it's certainly not out of the question.The other thing they suspect it could be is a condition called tephalitis(however that's spelt).It's a condition that causes inflamation of the gut region and is not uncommon for patients having chemo.Chemo kills off so many things and unfortunately it effects some organs as well.The doctors said they will go back look over the reports with a panel of doctors and come back to us with a decicion later on.Well as of 10:30pm we still haven't been told anything so we are none the wiser which is extremely frustrating.

From excitment to despair

This morning i spoke to a guy from the Wests Tigers and he said that we have an open invitation to attend training and we'd be welcome at anytime.Which is somewhat of a relief because Kallan fell ill this morning and developed a temperature.It means we can't go to watch the boys train tomorrow and even worse we aren't coming home either.To say we both took the news terribly would be an understatement of gigantic proportions.We were both certain we'd be coming home this time as he'd been doing so well.You'd think I'd know by now that nothing is certain down here.I have no idea as to when we'll be home now and that's something we're both having trouble dealing with.We won't know the results of the blood cultures for another 2 days and they'll determine how long we stay in hospital.

We had some more bad news today courtesy of channel 9.They rang our friend Julie to tell her that they'd got there dates wrong and they wouldn't be coming to the hospital as planned tomorrow.The lame excuse they gave is that they double booked for the day despite e-mailing Julie on three separate occasions confirming date and time.It would make sense that they would have to confirm the other booking as well so it would seem impossible for that to happen.It's absolute garbage if you ask me and there's no other explanation other than a better offer has come along.I'll watch to see what the other event is just to see what it is that is more important then helping promote an event for sick children.Thumbs up channel 9.They've either treated the occasion with complete disdain or they are completely inept at there job or both.

School time

Kal spent the full day at school today.He hasn't spent the full day there for a while so it took some convincing to get him to go back after lunch.Apart from an appointment at physio tomorrow we don't have anything planned.We'll get a head start on cleaning up our room so we can get away as soon as we can on Thursday.Nanny Carol arrived late tonight to give me a hand with the cleaning up plus i think she's been away too long for her liking.After all it has been a few weeks since she's been down.

Thursday is going to be a very busy day.Kal has to have blood taken first thing in the morning then he'll have his TV appearance straight after.Then immediately following that he has a doctors appointment which hopefully will be a quick one as they'll only be checking his blood counts and some paperwork for admission.Before we head home we are heading to concord oval for a visit to the Wests Tigers training.Tim Gilbert rang me today to let me know that everything is sweet for us to go.He gave me the number of a guy from the club to ring tomorrow so he can give us directions of where to go and what time.But judging by my previous expeditions around Sydney I won't be needing them.I'm sure we'll have no worries finding our destination.It's just that we may find plenty of other places along the way.Intentionally or otherwise.

Home on Thursday

Kal had a few appointments this morning and after seeing the doctor we were told that we could come home on Thursday.We need to see the doctor on Thursday before we leave and we'll be able to stay at home for the week.We are due back on the 27th for his next dose of chemo.During his time at home he'll get the chance to go to school for a few hours each day something he is really looking forward to.We are required to visit John Hunter for one day to have bloods taken.We're both really looking forward to coming home.

Today Shaylie had her 15 minutes of fame.While visiting the starlight room in her lunch break from school she was asked to co-host the starlight quiz in the afternoon.I watched from down the house and thought she did a fantastic job.She read the questions very well with some incisive comments added in at just the right moments.Good job Shay.