RADIATION ENDS!!!

Mason finished his last treatment today. He is very happy. He made cookies for the techs and woke up actually to go to treatment. He usually sleeps in the car on his way there. He got a present from the ladies at NIH- a snow cone maker. He made us make it as soon as we got home. Then he got dressed,went to school and had a special snack with his friends in class to celebrate the end of 30 days of radiation. His skin is burnt, lost some weight, has two good scars from it all, but he survived it. He got to keep the mask they made of his face. They took the PICC line out of his arm so he is a free man for now.

The next step will be an MRI in six weeks. The radiation needs to to its full job before they take the films.

Busy Weekend

It was a busy weekend for Mason and Mateo. First up was Mason's Blastball (like T-Ball) game. He had two nice hits. Next up was Mateo's first game in the Arlington Soccer Association 2nd grade league. He's only in 1st grade, but got moved up due to his play in the 1st grade league in the fall. Mateo scored three goals in his team's 8-1 victory. We'll try to take some video of both boys' games next weekend.

Next up was the DC United vs. Kansas City Wizards game at RFK Stadium on Saturday night in the pouring rain. Along for the game, was our neighbor, Sean. We were the guests of DC United defender Bobby Boswell, who visited Mason in the hospital back in the fall. We were the first recipients of the Bobby's Bunch game package, and had first row seats. The boys and Kirk got to go on the field before the game.

We also went downstairs after the game and saw Bobby,

Christian Gomez


and Jaime Moreno. Francisca was very excited to meet Jaime, as he is Bolivian.

Bobby gave a pair of cleats to the boys, too. Thanks for everything, Bobby!!

Sunday was Mateo's 7th birthday! He had a "soccer" birthday (surprise, surprise) at the gym in his elementary school. A good time was had by all.

In other news, we are buying a house. Closing date is June 8th.

Only 8 more radiation treatments! Yay!

Mason gets tired of treatment

This week has been a bit rougher. Mason struggled with treatment as he seems to be feeling more of the effects. He had one bad day of vomiting and a slight fever. Last night we went to the emergency room to get his blood drawn. All was fine but made for a long night for Mom and Mason. Today the placed a PICC line- which is a bit more permanent than an IV - which will remain for the rest of his treatment. We asked Mason if he wanted to sleep for his treatments and he said yes. He was trying his best but he was tired. He has been sitting on the couch the last few days- which is unusual for him. It is always hard for us to see him when he is down and not his peppy self. But it is part of the process and we have to accept the bad with the good. As our surgeon told us in the first few days of his diagnosis- this will be a roller coaster, full of bad days and good days. We just have to keep reminding ourselves of that.

This weekend is Mateo's birthday. We have planned to go to the DC United game. We are guests of Bobby Boswell, the DC United defender who came to visit Mason in the hospital. He is a great guy and contacted us to be a part of a program he is doing to give 1 family tickets to every home game. The boys are exicted and will get to see the players warm up on the field. Mateo's party is Sunday and hopefully the weekend off from radiation will give Mason a decent break as we head into the last 10 treatments.

Easter Fun

We had a lot of fun coloring eggs and hanging out with our cousins and neighbors.

A little good news

When we went to radiation this morning, the doctor told me that Mason would not need the spinal radiation during the second half of his treatment, which starts in a week or so. The two cancer lesions on his spine have shrunk and all but disappeared. They are still barely visible on just one slice of the MRI, which basically means they are microscopic. No word about the lesions on the cerebellum yet, but this means that the cancer seems to be reacting to the radiation.

Kirk