Home Sweet Home

Christopher wanted me to let everyone know that he is "very happy to be home, glad to be back in school and feeling great"!
He felt strong enough to attend school the last couple days and did very well. I believe being among his peers helps him stay positive and lends a bit of normalcy to an otherwise not so normal situation. If all goes well with his blood work tomorrow he will even be able to make the final class field trip on Friday. Many thanks to all the New Leaf staff and students for their sincere concern and understanding.
On another note...Chris agreed to try Traditional Chinese Medicine in conjunction to his current protocol. (yeay!) We saw Dr. Jiang in Orange Park, Florida. He has worked wonders for me over the past couple years and I felt strongly about having him in the mix . He is using homeopathic remedies to boost Chris' immune system and strengthen his kidneys, both of which have taken quite a beating form the chemo. I am so happy that Christopher is not only open to alternative therapies but actually says he believes that it can help him!
Next week we see the orthopedic surgeon to get more x-rays, an MRI and an idea of what type of surgery will be best. We will also find out how well he is responding to the current chemo protocol.
For now we are both enjoying some time at home.
I thank God that he is "feeling great" ...today.

Greetings from the Jag Room

Here's some video from yesterday AM in the "Jag Room", a common area with games, internet, etc. for the kids on the 5th floor of Wolfson. Chris was discharged last night and came home this morning. He's doing pretty well except for a lot of nausea from the Cisplatin. I know he's glad to be home with his mom and Jake. Fortunately there's a marathon of "Penguins of Madagascar" on TV to add some humor to a Friday nite. Hopefully he won't crash as hard as the first time he had this chemo regimen.

Report from the western front

Here you can see Chris and his mom, Patty, in room 510--his home for the week. This round of chemo includes 2 really strong drugs, Cisplatin and Doxorubicin, which follow the methotrexate he had the past 2 weeks. Yuk. Poor kid is taking it well, but these are nasty drugs. Notice mom's chipper attitude. I forget what "FINE" stands for...

Chris Back at Wolfson for round 4

Chris was admitted to Wolfson yesterday to start another intensive round of chemo. He made it through the past couple weeks in pretty good shape: not too much nausea or side effects. He may have even gained back a few pounds (yay). The highlight of last week was a visit from his entire class at New Leaf. Thanks Ms.McDonald so much for making Chris's day. Hopefully he'll be home by Friday. And where's Jakie?

Oh boy, more chemo.

Chris is back at Wolfson today for Round 3 of chemo (methyltrexate). He made through last week in pretty good shape, so hopefully this week will be more of the same. His blood counts were good and pain in the leg subsiding, so lets keep our hope up and prayers coming.

A Few Word from Chris

We're nearing the end of round 2 of chemo and Chris is doing pretty well. Hopefully he'll get to go home tomorrow morning. Jakie will be glad to see him. His uncle, Mike Staley, came down from Atlanta and stayed with Chris in the hospital last night. What a guy! Thanks Mike.

The Start of This Whole Mess

In February 2009, Chris was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his right leg after complaining of knee pain for a couple months. He lives in Atlantic Beach, FL with his mom, Patty Severino, dog, Jake, and guinea pig Cocoa. He started treatment a few weeks ago which involves several months of chemotherapy, surgery to remove the tumor, then more chemo. Chris goes to New Leaf School in Neptune Beach and was on the Yankees little league baseball team in AB. His main doctor is at the mayo Clinic in Jacksonville but he is undergoing treatment at Wolfson Children's Hospital.