Justin had a busy Tuesday this week. He had three appointments scheduled for the afternoon. First on the list was Cancer Care at 1:00. The nurse took his blood, did line care on his central line and changed the central line dressing. At the previous appointment last Friday, they were concerned based on his counts that he may need blood or platelets this week. It turned out that his counts are good so no transfusion was needed. That's good news!
From there, he went for a CT scan at 2:00. The scan was part of his scheduled treatment plan and was done to see how much further the tumour has shrunk from the last one done in early August. The doctor phoned me yesterday and told me that his lungs are absolutely clear and the tumour has shrunk a further 50% from what is was after the last scan. Even better news!
After the CT, he had to go for an echo cardiogram at 3:15. This test is basically an ultrasound of the heart to see if the chemotherapy is having any negative effects on his heart. We have not heard any report on the results of this test yet. I'm hoping no news is good news!
Hindsight is 20/20
Justin had been taking Taekwondo since last fall. He loved it and was doing very well. His stamina, strength and flexibility had increased so much in the 8 months or so that he was attending. In April, Justin was complaining of back pain around his left shoulder blade. I was taking him to see a chiropractor to try and alleviate the pain and correct the problem. The chiropractor had said that it felt like one of his ribs was pushing things out of alignment. Due to the pain Justin was in, he missed out on gym classes in school and many Taekwondo classes throughout April and May. In early June, Justin was still in some pain but felt like he was well enough to take the promotion test for his green stripe. He went to the class, took the test and was to go back the following week to find out the results. A couple of days later, Justin started to feel sick. He had flu-like symptoms. He felt nauseous, had stomach pain and a fever. These symptoms persisted off and on throughout the week and by the next Sunday night he was admitted to the hospital. We were now on our way to finding out the true cause of Justin's back pain - a tumour on one of Justin's back ribs. That first hospital stay was 2 weeks and 3 days and then we were in full swing with chemo treatments and clinic appointments. With so much going on, we never made it back for Justin to receive the results of his Taekwondo promotion test. Finally, last night, we were able to go to the class and Justin was presented with his green stripe. I was so proud! He decided to stay and attempt the class. He was doing great with all of the exercises and was really pushing himself. I, being Mom, of course was worried that he was overdoing it. I watched him for a while and noticed the increasing strain on his face. I know that Justin is proud and didn't want to give up. It broke my heart to see him struggling with something that had been so easy for him only months before. The redder his face got and the more he winced, I knew I had to step in. I caught his attention and asked him if he needed to stop. He looked at me and I could barely keep the tears from spilling out when I saw his fallen expression as he nodded his head. The class was just taking a water break so I went and explained to Mr. J (his instructor) that he couldn't continue. He, of course, understood and wished us well as we left.
Looking to the Future
I don't know if Justin will continue with his Taekwondo, but I do know that when he beats this cancer he will be strong enough to do it if he chooses. He has shown us so much strength during this whole journey. Not just physical strength, which he proved last night, but emotional strength as well. At the beginning, just after his diagnosis, he was obviously shell-shocked and couldn't wrap his mind around the battle ahead. In the past couple of months, he has grown and matured into a young man who often says that no matter how bad it is for him; there are lots of kids out there who have it worse. We see it every time we are at Cancer Care and every time we are admitted to Children's Hospital for chemo. I am so proud of the young man that Justin is becoming. I can't wait to see the man that he will be.
Mr. Ryan (Ryan's Taekwondo) congratulating Justin on his promotion
Mr. J (Justin's instructor) and Justin
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