Round 5 Complete

Just wanted to let you know that Hans now has all 7 days of Round 5 down the hatch. It seems that for some reason the odd-numbered rounds are going better for him on this Millennium than the even-numbered rounds. I have no idea why - but I'll take it! We do think he had a little bug on that last round.

We are actually getting into a little bit of a routine... Homebound school and clinic, and enjoying outdoor fun..flying kites, riding bikes, swinging, playing hide and seek, fun fun fun this time of year with the gorgeous weather!!! Getting Elle to: soccer, student council, clarinet lessons, girl scouts. It just makes you feel a little bit more human when you have something of a routine and you think you know what you can expect. Hans is starting up a program through TCH where Breanna, the child life specialist, comes out to our house to work on special projects with him. I think they are going to have some special times together.

Scans coming up next week. I am not getting too freaked out - but I sure am praying and praying and praying! I would love to hear that the spot is gone, but I know we'll be extremely fortunate if we hear of any continued shrinkage.

I need to say THANKS for all the miles. Michelle emailed me today that we've hit the half million mile mark! That kinda blows your mind. We are humbled by people's generosity and feel this great freedom now to be able to pursue Hans' treatment the way we feel most comfortable. THANKS SO MUCH!!!! WHAT A GIFT!!!

On another totally unrelated note, I know that this health care issue is very divisive, but I should let you know that I'm pleased that, thanks to this legislation, we no longer have to worry that we have a $2 or $3 million cap on our boy's life. We're three and half years into this treatment and our insurance has already paid out 1.25 mil for his treatments. I happen to hope that we have Hans for a long, long time. The way I see it - they haven't quite got the treatment plan for Neuroblastoma and Relapsed Neuroblastoma worked out. There is a lot of room for improvement! They're learning how to treat it on kids like Hans. Does a lifetime cap really make sense? How can you put a price or a value on the lessons learned from these clinical trials? Isn't it worth an investment that will hopefully pay dividends in better, smarter, and less toxic treatments for the children of the future? Could we place a value on any of our children's lives? I was talking to my dad tonight, and he told me what my grandma told him - You're priceless. They are our babies. Our future.

I'm glad healthcare passed. I know a handful of friends and family members who don't have it. I cannot imagine having walked our road without it. I am not lying to tell you that Hans would not have seen the end of November 2006 without healthcare. My wish is that every child, every American, would have access to the same should they find themselves facing an awful diagnosis. How could we not? Is it not a basic human right, on par with the free and appropriate education that we provide to each of our citizens, at the very least our children??