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August 5th, 2003 - [UPDATE] - Everything is fine with Aidan. His blood counts were normal, and he is feeling great today. According to the nurses, this scenario is not uncommon, but scary nonetheless. He goes in to clinic on Thursday for another CBC and his weekly Vincristine chemo dose.

We had quite a scare last evening. Aidan came in from the back yard with his shirt and shorts soaked with blood. We didn't notice at first, since he was wearing dark blue. He showed me his arms, which were streaked with red, and I thought at first that he had spilled some juice or Cherry Coke on himself, but when I picked him up to take him to the sink to wash up, I noticed his whole shirt was soaked. I raised his shirt and saw his chest covered with blood, coming from one of his central lines. The end cap had come off the line, the line lock was open, and blood was just flowing out the end.

Aidan said he fell down, so he must have knocked it loose. The little guy was even apologizing for "making a mess". He's such a sweet natured boy. Anyway, it seems the nurses hadn't taped up the end cap after our last visit. We won't let that happen again.

Corinne quickly grabbed a clamp and sealed off the line. She called the Texas Children's Hospital emergency number and spoke with the oncall doctor, who asked a bunch of questions to evaluate his condition. He walked her through a process to inspect the line, flush out the blood with saline, and attach a new cap to the end of the line. After a few minutes, she had the situation under control, and Aidan was just fine.

We checked him all through the night to look for an adverse reaction to the blood loss, and he's going in today for a CBC just to make sure he's alright. He may need a transfusion if his counts are too low. However, he's feeling great today and doesn't seem any worse for the wear.

That little scenario reminded me just how many things COULD go wrong, and also how blessed we are that so many things have gone right. We have been so fortunate throughout Aidan's treatment so far. I hate to think what could have happened.

August 4th, 2003 - Aidan had another set of scans (CT, MRI, and chest x-ray), all of which came back clear!

(BRAG WARNING) Normally you have to sedate small children for these tests, since the scans take a long time, the child must be absolutely still, and the machines can be really loud and scary. Well, Aidan took all his tests without sedation! He even fell asleep during the MRI, which you have ever seen one is REALLY LOUD. The staff was amazed; they said they have never seen anyone that young take 3+ hours of tests without getting knocked out. We are so proud of him!

Last week, Aidan also completed his 12th overnight chemotherapy treatment. Only 2 to go! His last treatment is scheduled for September 11th. After that, assuming all is clear, he will get his central line removed and only have to go in for tests and bloodwork periodically. Of course this is something that will have to be watched for the rest of his life, but the treatment protocol itself will be over! It's been a long haul, but we are really excited to finally see a light at the end of this dark tunnel. Keep praying for Aidan, now more than ever!

July 28th, 2003 - We took a trip to the beach this past weekend. Aidan had a blast playing in the sand, collecting shells, and wading through the tide pools. We had to be really careful to avoid sunburn and infection from dirty sand, so he had on SPF 45, a t-shirt, hat, and sunglasses, but he didn't seem to mind. I'll put some pictures up soon. We kept his central line covered with a bathing patch (a sheet of plastic that sticks to his chest covering his IV lines to prevent moisture and infection) and extra tape to be safe.

We go in Thursday for his third-to-last overnight chemo treatment! His other 2 will be around August 21st and September 11th. Then, assuming all his scans continue to be clear, he is officially off his treatment protocol! Of course, there are follow up scans every 3 months for the next 5 years, but he will get to have his central line taken out near the end of September. It's nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Please continue to keep Aidan in your prayers.  

July 22nd, 2003 - First of all, today is both Adam and Carrie's birthday (July 22, 1994 and 1996)! We wish them both a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and hope they get all the things they are hoping for.

In Aidan's world, he's having a blood transfusion today since his hemoglobin levels were WAY down. It's odd how we don't even think twice about blood transfusions anymore. Once again, another birthday spent at Texas Children's...

Anyway, today at TCH, the kicker for the Houston Texans football team, Kris Brown, was there signing footballs for the kids (ALL the kids, not just the patients). He and his wife Amy started the Kris Brown Kick Club, which benefits Texas Children's Hospital. They come by TCH from time to time doing cool things for all the kids there. Thanks, Kris & Amy. You guys rock!

July 16th, 2003 - I added some pictures from Aidan's 3rd birthday to the site. Also, below is a fun picture from the midnight release party for the 5th Harry Potter book at Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago:
 

July 11th, 2003 - THE SCANS CAME BACK CLEAR! The area in his lung showed absolutely no trace of the suspicious material or whatever it COULD have been. Thank you for all your prayers! They will of course continue to monitor him and do scans, but for now, all is clear!

July 10th, 2003 - We have been really busy around the house and doing Summer stuff. Aidan's birthday was a great success! He loved his GameBoy Advance SP, and he got lots of cool games for it too, including his favorite "The Legend of Zelda", of course! I will try to put up some pictures soon.

Aidan went in today for his 4th-to-last overnight chemotherapy treatment! Only 3 more to go. Since they occur every 3 weeks, we still have a way to go, but it is nice to finally see an end on the horizon. Today is also the day they are doing the follow-up CT scan on that suspicious area in his lung. Dr. Meuller, the head oncologist, said it is probably nothing to worry about, but we will continue to worry anyway until the results are back...Please continue to pray for Aidan!

Finally, tomorrow is Corinne's 30th birthday! It's rotten that we will be in the hospital for her big day, but I know that the best gift she could receive is for Aidan to make it through this journey and live a long, happy life!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDAN!  
WE LOVE YOU!!!
   

June 27th, 2003
Channel 2 has posted QuickTime files of Aidan's story on their FTP server. These are very large files, so you probably don't want to try to download them unless you have broadband service. I am trying to get a smaller file that I can post for you. Until then, feel free to hit the Channel 2 server. Note, these files require QuickTime 6, which you can get here for free.

June 24th, 2003 - Aidan's 3rd birthday is this Saturday, June 28th. This year it's all about the GameBoy Advance SP and anything related to The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, or Mario...yes, we are slaves to Nintendo.  :-)    He is also getting into Harry Potter these days too.

June 23, 2003
Today was our big TV premiere. I hope you got to see it. If not, we will have a downloadable version on this page soon. Click2Houston added this site to their News2Houston Links page for Monday, June 23rd. Don't forget that the whole point of the story was to promote blood donation - so, get out there and donate!!

Aidan finished his 11th overnight chemo treatment last week - only 4 more to go! All in all, he is feeling okay, but the chemo is starting to take its toll on his little body. Still, he's a fighter and is taking it all in stride. We are so proud of him!!!

Finally, while I try to keep this page positive, I need to be honest and share everything that is going on with Aidan. The CT Scan shows some questionable material in one of his lungs. The doctors do not think it is cancerous (there is normally new growth at the original tumor site before it spreads), but they cannot identify it 100%. It could be anything from scar tissue, infection, collapsed lung (he was heavily sedated and not breathing deeply), etc. At this point there are no plans to remove it, but they will continue to monitor it. They want to do another CT scan in the first part July with him awake to more fully expand his lungs. We will keep you up to date on what we find out. Please continue to pray for Aidan.