Goodsearch

09/19/06

Information Worth Sharing: Several times a day, I call up google.com on my computer to put my finger on a piece of information that I want or need. I just learned today of a better alternative. Instead of googling, if I go to goodsearch.com for my search, the company will donate a penny to a designated charity (FOR ME, AND I HOPE FOR YOU, THIS IS THE CHILDREN'S NEUROBLASTOMA CANCER FOUNDATION). Imagine, people all over the country/world searching the internet and a penny dropping into the bucket each time they do. It's as easy as that.

I don't know how Davis stayed sane doing a weekly radio show for a year. Our hour on A Family Affair last Friday night set me on edge and left me exhausted, not to mention thirsty. Luckily, no one called in with a question I couldn't answer. Let me re-phrase that. No one called in. I hope any of you who listened could tell that Erin had a great, big grin pasted across her face every time she spoke. I, on the other hand, bordered on the panicked look most of the show. Doug only really caught me offguard once. I mentioned that since Erin became sick, my world had crystallized as to what was important and what was not, and that I didn't do things I didn't want to do anymore. Then I panicked. I couldn't think of anything I had actually stopped doing (although now in my off-air office I can think of plenty: I don't pretend to understand when students lie to me, I have little patience for cheaters, I don't agree to serve on committees just to be a good soldier, I don't wear uncomfortable shoes, even if they make my ankles look attractive). So, I said I don't gossip. That probably wasn't true.

Erin had a fine day on Saturday at the BAHA Horse Show. She only rode in one event. Her horse had never been under a covered arena before, so we weren't sure how he would react. He did great, and so did Erin. She came home with a lovely red (second-place) rosette ribbon for 10 and Under Western Equitation Walk Only. I think some kind folks took digital pictures, so her gleaming eyes and toothy smile may appear on the photo page before too long (I did update the photo page earlier with a couple of fresh pictures of Erin with Chet Edwards).

Erin had a pretty social weekend, otherwise. Her friend Clayton Sue from Fort Worth came to town, and she hung out with us at the horse show, out at Veteran's Park for soccer pictures, and back at our house for general nonsense and some top secret science experiments. Unfortunately (for Erin and CS), we had to share her a little bit with her grandparents, so she didn't get to spend the night. They did meet up for Sunday School and church and added Nico to the mix. After CS headed back home, Erin spent the rest of the afternoon with Nico and Adam, so that she wouldn't have to sweat it out at my soccer game (yes, our record is still in tact, 0 and whatever, with no chance of a victory in sight).

Yesterday brought a goodly amount of homework, so we were both a little relieved that the big rain Sunday night had left the fields too wet to practice. The rest of the week looks pretty low key. We will drive to Houston on Thursday after lunch for clinic. I don't expect any surprises. After clinic we will meet up with Davis for a family dinner (in honor of the anniversary of the day yours truly burst into the world completely naked). We may sneak some swimming in on Friday afternoon. Otherwise, we just have school, homework, soccer, and choir.

Willie has really been too bad to write about. We are losing the vanity in the bathroom a mouthful at a time. We have no toothbrushes left in tact. He has shown more than an academic interest in Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August. He will come when I call. . .if he wants to. More Barbies have lost hands and feet--no doubt their punishment for stealing and dancing. I wish he were cute. At least then he would have redeeming value.

Fat Hand

9/14/06

Walter and I ran down to Houston this afternoon to visit with Davis and bring him his bicycle. This weekend is parents' weekend at Rice (strange timing, huh?), but none of us really wanted to spend the whole weekend wandering around experiencing campus life together (I, for one, get enough of campus life every day when I go to work). We did want to be supportive though, so we took a batch of cookies, Davis's second pillow (how he thought he could do with only one is beyond me), and the bike and went to pay a friendly call. He had bought a six by eight foot rug at a rummage sale for $5, and it really made the room. The only thing he mentioned that wasn't going so well was the complete absence of mail from home (stab me in the heart son o'mine). Here I was, thinking I was hip and happening because I wrote chatty, but not maudlin e-mails two or three times a week, and ALWAYS waited until he replied before I unleashed more news from home on him. What a slip up.

So, bail me out here Erin (and Davis) fans. If you still know how to use a pen or pencil and can afford the cost of a stamp, drop Davis a line at

Davis Buenger
Will Rice College
6330 Main Street
Houston 77005

Don't tell him you know how badly his mother let him down.

Erin had a good week, save one bad incident. Sunday night out at the soccer fields she got stung by some unknown insect, so she has spent the week with a much fatter than usual hand--so fat that she couldn't hold a pencil, so fat, in fact that we had to run to Dr. Parr's office to find out if she was allergic or infected (infection would have been much worse). Luckily??? it was merely an allergic reaction. She has spent the entire week taking a combo of three different antihistamines. She has also had three soccer practices, children's choir, and an afternoon at Nico's. Tomorrow she will bathe horses after school in preparation for the horse show on Saturday where she will ride Western Equitation (am I the only parent in America who remains clueless about the activities their children are involved in?). Tomorrow night is also Erin's radio debut. She and I will be the guests on A Family Affair, Doug Vance's show on KEOS (89.1) that focuses on children, teens, and families. Tune in 6:00-7:00 p.m.

For those of you who read this update for medical news, there is precious little to report beyond the fat hand. Erin feels well. Her blood counts this week were robust (WBC--4900, ANC 3000, hemoglobin and platelets normal) even though this was the third week of this cycle of chemo. She has clinic next Thursday (9/21), and we fully expect to get the go ahead for one more round of etoposide before the October scans.

I'm going to tuck the fat handed one in now. Until next time!

Handwashing: A Priority

09/08/06 (later)

Thank you for pushing those little neutrophils up! Erin's ANC had moved from 700 on Tuesday to 1900 (almost normal) today. We have thus ducked difficult conversations with doctors, etc. and are primed for a regular weekend. Erin immediately made sleepover plans with Jackson, and who knows what else will grab her attention tomorrow! Whew!

09/08/06

In about three hours, I will take Erin to get her blood counts done for the second time this week. Tuesday, her ANC and WBC (germ fighting numbers) were lower than expected. Not so bad as to keep her home from school, but low enough to make handwashing a top priority for the last several days. I am hoping that the numbers were the result of vigorous play at the local Contamination Factory (a.k.a., McDonald's Playland) on Monday or perhaps because she licked the ice at Arctic Wolf Ice Rink last Saturday. Other than the September Sniffles, shared by many in the Brazos Valley, Erin feels well. BUT, if the ANC is not over 500 this afternoon her doctor will DC (medspeak for discontinue) her chemo until it recovers. Aack! (What a weird world I live in that the possibility of not poisoning my child on schedule distresses me.)

We are stumbling along in the early weeks of school. Erin seems to have mastered her schedule quite easily. Walter and I fall asleep earlier each night than we would prefer, but you know we both need our beauty sleep. Davis appears to have become a True Believer about his Rice education. We get cryptic, but almost entirely positive, e-mails from him a couple of times a week--usually with the date/time stamp of somewhere between midnight and 3:00 a.m. Today I got one that started this way:

I just got back from a 6 mile run with JJ. I went back to the book store and boughta few folders, a model kit, and an ether net cable, and when I was checking outthey put in a five bladed razor, four for broad strokes and one for precision.Also, get this, it had a battery in it to make it vibrate. I know--Wow! Asskeptical as I was, I tried it out and it felt pretty nice. I think I'll use ittill it wears out.

I think he has mastered the college thing: find out where the free stuff is and take advantage.

Erin took another step towards political maturity last week. The evening after she visited with Chet Edwards by phone, she wrote up a letter to the editor on his behalf. You can check it out here in its full glory, or just read the text of it:

To The Editor,

Thank you for running my picture on August 30 and helping me raise awareness for childhood cancer. Chet Edwards is also helping kids like me with cancer by co-sponsoring the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2006. Last June, on my birthday, I went to his office in Washington D.C. to ask for his help with this bill. We were scheduled for a short meeting, but he gave us more time and even made people wait while we finished talking. He listened to me and my mother and took what I had to say seriously.

A couple of months later I saw him again on the A&M campus. He remembered me right off and told me he had been reading about me on my website. When he saw my picture in The Eagle this week, he called to check on me and see how I was doing. I think you should vote for him. He is good to me, and I bet he will be good to you, too.

Erin Buenger, age 9
Bryan
822-6552

I hope that Erin's counts are passing this afternoon. The doctor has suggested discussing the possibility of reducing the dose if her counts give her trouble. We are so in love with this particular regimen (so few side effects or quality of life damaging effects) that we would like to ride the wave much, much longer. I'll let you know.

In the meantime, Erin's dance card is filling up. She has signed up for Oral Reading (UIL event) at school, begun children's choir and bells, started fall soccer, and will ride in her first horse show a week from tomorrow. Maybe her ANC just didn't get the word that the pace had picked up and took a slow start to the week. If that's the case, it better get a move on and catch up--preferrably in the next couple of hours.

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM ERIN BUENGER

08/31/06

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM ERIN BUENGER: "I DON'T HAVE BRAIN CANCER!"

Apparently, in the rush of getting this photo to press at The Eagle, Dave McDermand (who took the picture) interpreted the "neuro" part of neuroblastoma to mean brain-related, so that's the way the tag line ran. Anyway, you Erin fans and prayer-warriors do not need to add another worry bead to the chain. Erin does not now, nor has she ever had brain cancer.

Besides getting to ditch school with her best buddies and being honored by a really great group of local officials (who treated us all like visiting dignitaries), Erin's trip to Commissioners Court on Tuesday netted her a couple of other plums. We have been invited as guests on Doug Vance's radio show, "A Family Affair," on KEOS (89.1) on Friday, September 15 from 6-7 (p.m., I hope). There may also be a possibility of a little coverage on the health segment on KBTX. I'll let you know.

Now, on to other matters. What would you think if you walked into your kitchen from outside at 5:15 in the afternoon to find your nine year old chatting away animatedly on the telephone?

a. School mate checking on homework?
b. Bored telemarketer?
c. Call from grandma?
d. Your Congressman, who is in the midst of one of the toughest races in his life?

If you guessed "d," you would be correct. Chet Edwards had called Erin because he had heard about the commissioners court thing while he was at the Eagle Editorial Board meeting. He wanted to tell her that she was his inspiration. He had cut out her picture from the newspaper and was carrying it with him to remind him that his hardest day in Congress or on the campaign trail was not as hard as many of the days Erin had been through. It just floored me to hear her chatting away with this busy, busy man (he was on the phone at least fifteen minutes and called back at one point when his cell phone dropped the call)!

[Does this story make you want a Chet Edwards yard sign? Just let me know. I am an endless source of very fashionable and decorative (the red and white sets off both the greens of watered lawns and the golden hues of naturalized lawns) Chet Edwards/Congressman lawn signs and bumper stickers.]

This whole exchange hardly affected Erin. She handed off the phone to me and headed out the back door with her friend Aaron and her dog Willie. Their plan: to explore the wilds behind the dam. If only life were always so simple.

Those of you waiting for a Davey B. update may have to be satisfied with a more bare-bones story. He reports he is registered for classes (English, freshman seminar in Thomas Jefferson, Organic Chemistry, Honors Calculus III, Introduction to Game Theory, and PE) and having fun. Ask yourself, could both of those statements possibly be true?

A Goldfish and a Cheerio

08/27/06

I had to answer a bunch of questions at church this morning about Erin and her health. She looks great and for most people seeing = believing. They see that she looks healthy, so they want to believe she is healthy (whole, cured, recovered. . .you pick the word). They don't say it, but some of them don't understand why she is still on the prayer list. I struggle to explain.

Does she still have measurable cancer?

Yes. She has two suspicious areas that show up on her CT scan (both small, but definitely there. Remember the Goldfish and the Cheerio?).

What're those two tumors doing?

Nothing much. They've been sitting there looking the same (I always use the word stable) for a pretty long time (maybe four or five scans in a row--at least since late last fall).

Do you know for sure they're tumors?

Not really. They could be scar tissue, dead tumor, or latent tumor just biding its time for later.

Why doesn't the doctor just take them out, look at them, biopsy them, whatever and find out. Then Erin would be cancer free.

The doctor won't remove them for three reasons: 1. Relapsed neuroblastoma is incredibly tricky. It would almost certainly come back even after resection, so surgery doesn't buy you much. 2. In fact, removing the tumor might put the doctor into a moral conundrum about treatment. We would probably have to stop treating Erin (which we believe is why she has stayed stable all of these months) if there was nothing measurable to treat. 3. By leaving the bits there, the doctor has a point of comparison from scan to scan (like a marker) that indicates what's happening inside.

How long will this go on?

We hope for a long time. That will mean that Erin is feeling well and the tumor is behaving. In the meantime we're going to take advantage of our good fortune.

Speaking of which. If you have a free moment Tuesday morning around 9:00, you might want to come down to the Brazos County Courthouse (ask for the room where the county commissioners meet). The County Commissioners are declaring September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Brazos County. Erin will receive the proclamation on behalf of local pediatric cancer patients (in treatment, off treatment, and angels). We would love to see a large crowd there raising awareness for Childhood Cancer.

On other fronts in the Buenger family. The old Buengers all start class tomorrow. Yippee! At least we hope we are all starting classes tomorrow. The jury is still out on Davis, who had his registration blocked because he did not have a current TB test. As it stands now he will have his hastily administered test read tomorrow, and as I understand it, we will either know he has tuberculosis or he will be able to register for classes. I hope there are a few spots left for him, preferably in something related to his degree plan.

"I Brush My Teeth"

08/20/06

Imagine the changes coming to Erin's life after this conversational exchange:

Scene: Erin visiting with her nurses at University Pediatrics the day after returning from vacation.

Beverly: "So, Erin, what did you need a vacation from?"

Erin: "What do you mean?"

Beverly: "Like chores. Do you have a lot of chores around the house that you needed a vacation from?"

Erin: "Oh yes. I have lots of chores."

Beverly: "Like what?"

Erin (thinking or maybe stalling): "Well.. . um."

Beverly: "You probably don't do anything to help out. You probably make your poor mother do all the work."

Erin: "No, really. I do chores every day."

Beverly: "Like what?"

Erin (smiling because she finally thought of something): "I brush my teeth."

Mother collapses in a mortified heap on the floor.

What kind of failure of a mother am I that the only chore my nine-year old has is the brush her teeth? Wait a minute. Maybe I'm brilliant. Maybe I have so brainwashed her and disguised the chores that she really thinks that setting the table, loading the dishwasher, and collecting the garbage are fun and games, not work. Yeah. That's got to be it. It can't be that I have given her a free pass on chores.

School started uneventfully last week. Erin has a few of the usual suspects (her buddies) in her homeroom which has made the transition to fourth grade a piece of cake. We think her new teachers, Mrs. Carson (homeroom, language arts, and social studies) and Mrs. Harper (math and science), are super already. And here's one for the small world category. It turns out that the only new student from Bryan High going to Rice this fall with Davis is Connie Carson's niece. Davis is still trying to figure out how I am able to plant so many spies around him.

Speaking of the college man. He irritated me yesterday. About the time I got the living room organized to start staging items for packing, he decided Walter couldn't make it to the grocery store without him. Then, he had to touch up a project he had been working on. Then, he had to go to the rec center for one last work out. Then, we had an early family dinner planned so that he could have one last night out on the town with his high school buddies. So, the little red hen (that's me) said, "That's okay, I'll do it myself," though inside I was thinking "How do I know what he wants to take?" and "This is so inefficient. He's likely to forget some important things because we're not doing this together. By the time he gets in tonight. I'll be sound asleep and no help."

In the end, it all got done, of course, and I didn't have to stay up past my appointed bed time. He may have forgotten some things, and I may have packed some things he didn't want to take. I decided that those miscues were just like dangling threads and loose ends, and that I faced a choice. If I really tied up all the loose ends and cut all the dangling threads, then Davis would be just like a marble--solid, compact, nothing hanging off. If he were like that, then he could just roll away, where ever he wanted, and everyone knows that a rolling marble has no reason to come home. If there are still the telltale bits of string dangling there, it probably means I'll see him again (and if whatever he has forgotten is important, it will probably be sooner rather than later--like maybe even Tuesday, when Erin and I will be across the street at Texas Children's for her monthly clinic appointment).

Not Enough

August 14, 2006

Hypothetical question: if you left bottles of hops-based adult beverages as inducement to your pet sitter, with instructions to drink one every time your pet misbehaved, how many do you think you would need to stock for a nine-day trip?

Answer: I don't know, but a twelve-pack wasn't enough.

Do you remember reading below how Willie had a talent for shortening all of our shoe laces? Did you know that the same skill works on electrical cords and phone wires? So here's a favor: if you thought you left us a phone message while we were vacationing, please call back, especially if it was important. Willie may have listened to our messages before they disappeared, but he's not talking.

Being in the market for new telecommunications equipment was just one of the downsides of returning from vacation. Blistering heat might be a more obvious one. Starting the grind of the fall semester ranks up there. Counting down the days until Davis moves out also makes the list. But since I don't dwell on the negative, I'll move on.

If I told you about everything we did on vacation, it would sound like that tired joke about people's vacation blogs that ran last week in the Cathy comic strip. Suffice it to say that we spent many happy hours with old and new friends, hiked great trails, and enjoyed each others' company. Many of the highest highlights came at or near the track at Ruidoso Downs. Davis entertained all of our friends by building a mathematical model using Excel to handicap the races. I did not use anything that fancy, but hit the money 8 out of 9 races. Erin was in the money in six races, using her perky ear method to choose her bets. She also put her amazing ability to network to the test and somehow found herself officially escorted under the track to the saddling paddock, where she met some trainers and jockeys and saw the ponies from a much more intimate distance. She was also invited to the winner's circle contingent on a particular horse (who up that point had never won a race and was therefore running in a maiden race) winning. Well. . .Future Cash paid off, and Erin had another once-in-a-lifetime treat. The jockey even gave Erin his goggles as a souvenir of the race. Thanks to Joanie, Jimmy, and Carla for making one little girl extremely happy.

School starts tomorrow, but only for Erin. Davis is very smug that he has two more weeks before hitching himself to the cart. I will close for now (but hopefully get back to it later in the week) with the news that today (on day 15 of 21 on Erin's sixteenth round of chemo since relapse) all of her key blood counts were in the normal range (WBC--4500; ANC--2900; HGB--12.3; PLT--271,000). Hallelujah!

Primed for Vacation

August 3, 2006

Everyone in the Buenger household has their back-to-school haircuts, including Erin who had her trim up under extreme duress (I know, I know. Every hair is sacred, but she really did have a lot of split ends and needed a little shape up). Davis's do will have to last him until mid-October or possibly Thanksgiving. No quick trips home for haircuts for this college boy.

Erin has passed the time since our Houston trip happily, with plenty of friends, swimming, and lazing about. We'll leave Saturday morning for New Mexico (warning to burglars: in our absence the Texas Rottweiler and Doberman Club will hold their annual meeting and guard dog recertification classes at our house). We always try to find some cooler mountain air before we face the heat of late August and September. I just checked weather.com, and Ruidoso's current temperature (4:00 p.m.) is 65F. We will practice for cooler weather by stopping by Carlsbad Caverns on the way, where it is a constant 56F in the lower cavern year round.

I recently had a conversation with Davis about vacation next year, wondering to him if he would like to try to go to Poland with the group he has worked for the last three summers. (They have a forest there that they study every other summer.) I told him that he should find ways to broaden his horizons and have new experiences. He said, "Poland would be fine, but mom did you know that I have never visited a Blue state? Well, that's not exactly true. You did take me to California, but we stayed in Orange County (very Red) the whole time. If you really wanted me to expand my horizons you should show me parts of America I have never seen." Hmmm. Maybe I should plan on a trip to Boston or St. Paul.

While we are on Davis, he has a request for you Erin fans. If anyone has a copy of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" album ON VINYL that you are willing to part with (for $$) let me know. He is one retro kid and prefers "records" to CDs.

Last Sunday, I played in my last soccer game of the summer league. I got home that night (we only lost 10-1, a psychological victory because we scored), and Walter was a bit miffed. He had taken out the water left over from boiling corn on the cob and used it to water the potted plants out back in an effort at conservation, only to discover that SOMEONE had left the water running (maybe for hours) in the bathroom upstairs. He leveled his stare at me and asked, "Do you know anything about this?" "Well, maybe. . .a little. . ." I thought about lying. I thought about blaming Willie. I thought about mythological plumbing snakes. I thought of naughty house brownies who caused mischief. I thought the truth was much funnier. I was running a little late getting off to the game and had rushed upstairs at the last minute to put in my contacts (much better that eyeglasses for heading the ball, as if I had enough coordination to actually get my head on an airborne ball). I squirted liquid soap into both hands (remember, cleanliness is next to Godliness), and turned on the faucet to scrub and rinse. No water. Both hands full of liquid soap. What would you do? I took the top off of the back of the commode. Rinsed, popped in my contacts, and made it to my game with minutes to spare. End of story. Well, except for the part about not returning the fawcet to its upright and secure position before dashing out the door. How can you tell if a fawcet is on or off if there is no water dripping out?

One final bit of information. Erin saw her buddy Congressman Edwards on Friday. She walked up to him at a public gathering at the Architecture Building. I think they call that self possession or maybe poise. He called her name immediately and had a long and friendly conversation. She left happy and so did he. Nobody told her that he was at A&M on official business. No one told her that she was the only child there. No one told her that she held up the start of the entire meeting when she stopped Chet for a chat. She knew that she was happy and he was, too.

No More Pins and Needles

July 28, 2006

Lash me to a pole and torture me. I have been home almost 18 hours and have not updated Erin's website. I could barely swim through the hallway this morning when I delivered Erin back to vacation Bible school without stopping to reassure inquiring eyes that our day had gone well yesterday. Erin, Nico, and I dragged our tired, but happy selves back into the Microplex around 5:30 yesterday evening. We brought with us news that Erin's scans remain stable, her counts look fine, and we will start round 8 of oral etoposide on Monday. We will scan again in three (or maybe four) months.

The staff on Erin's pod at Texas Children's Hospital have had a rough summer with new diagnoses and more relapses than usual, so I know that everyone was glad to see a very healthy appearing and very happy Erin Buenger come through with good news on the inside as well.

For any of you who might be interested in honoring Erin by supporting Neuroblastoma research, Nikki, a wonderful young woman is doing a fund-raising blog-a-thon starting
9 am (EST) Saturday, July 29. She will post updates every half hour for 24 hours and will feature different cancer kids and their websites.

Neuroblastoma is a very “under-funded” cancer as far as research dollars go, so your help is extra appreciated.

To read more about Nikki’s efforts and to make a sponsorship donation, go to:
http://bloggingforchristi.blogspot.com and click on “sponsor me.” On the next page, scroll down about halfway and you’ll see the details you need.

I have a bit more to pass on to you, but want to take you off pins and needles by getting this posted as soon as possible. I'll try to post again in a quiet moment this weekend. Until then, thanks for checking in.

Full Week

07/20/06

Erin's blood counts held steady over the last week, helping us to accept that the ditch we hit a week and a half ago was infection related and not tumor related. Everyone who sees her remarks how well she looks. Next Thursday's scans will, of course, show the truth, but I have not started the worryfest. Everything is going too well to run over that already flat rabbit again. Erin lives large considering she is in the midst of her fifteenth month in a row on chemo since relapse.

Last Friday, as the finale to her creative arts camp, Erin performed in the festive, yet poignant, production of "Fat, Fat Jehosophat!" She sang and danced and smiled the whole time. Now, I have to confess, what I knew about Jehosophat before last Friday would have fit in Erin's Barbie's thimble (that would be the now passé Seamstress Barbie). Apparently, Jehosophat was a righteous OT king who required prayer (sincere, heartfelt prayer) from his soldiers before battle. After praying and fasting too long enough to become "Flat, Flat Jehosophat (what a side benefit), his enemies attacked and vanquished each other. Now, I don't know if that sort of dedication could protect folks over in Lebanon or Iraq, but there is a good chance the prayers laid out by our wonderful friends at the Methodist church where Erin had camp last week kept the germs at bay. Pretty good deal!

Last weekend we did our usual weekend stuff, plus a couple of other things. The Tjoelkers made it back to town after their two plus week odyssey to Pittsburg, via Columbus, Ohio (hurray, we survived, although, unfortunately the triops didn't). They made it back just in time for our annual Christmas party Saturday night. Luckily, one of the boys received a new package of triops to start. Quelle coincedence.

Perhaps I toasted too many times on Saturday night because I was barely fifteen minutes into my soccer game on Sunday afternoon when I began feeling very unfit. I tried to pawn it off on the 104 degree weather, but no one was buying it. In the end, I didn't throw up; I did finish the game thanks to strategically placed water breaks; and we only lost 1-0 (our slimmest margin of loss all season).

Davis practiced hard at becoming a college student over the weekend. Rice requires incoming students to read several articles and summit two directed essays about the readings so that someone can determine which English class they should enroll in. They have three days to get it done, and (stereo)typically Davis took it down to the wire. Just when he was on the brink of having to submit a pile of c*&#, the Rice server experienced technical difficulties and the deadline was extended another sixteen hours, giving him a do over instead of the object lesson as I had hoped. Oh well, I have always said it's better to be lucky than good (though perhaps he'd be better off adhering to the corollary that it's best to be both good and lucky).

Wednesday found us heading towards Houston for a non-medical trip. Erin went to spend the day with Aunt Quin at her Education Through Music colloquium. I think they had a blast singing and cavorting and cutting up all day. Davis went along so we could travel in the HOV lane, and also to meet one of his new Rice roommates, Ryan. Ryan's going to run track for Rice next year, and being athletic is only one of many things they seem to have in common. I think it took a lot of the pressure and mystery away for Davis to meet his roommate face-to-face and discover that he wasn't a complete (or even partial) weirdo.

What's next: Davis is counting down--eleven more days of work. Erin has Vacation Bible School all next week, with a side trip to Houston on Thursday for scans. I am checking things off of my summer project list. Walter is looking forward to vacation; we head west towards New Mexico on August 5. Luke and Uma are already getting miserable at the thought of being left here without their people in the dog days of summer, and Willie, blind to that disaster, continues to wreak havok and create disasters of his own each and every day.

Pump Primed

July 13, 2006

Pat yourself on the back. For some reason, after sitting like a bump on a log at the bottom of a bog for three days over the weekend, Erin's white count put on the afterburners and returned to normal this morning (WBC--5100; ANC--2500. You read that right, her ANC is five times higher than it was three days ago.). And we owe it all you Erin Fans who put the big call in to get the pump primed for more bug fighting juice in Erin's marrow. Thank you!

This news relieves no one more than yours truly, who made the call to send Erin to camp this week with 130 other kids. Normal counts today make me look brilliant (and of course, much loved by Erin who would have gladly punished me soundly had I kept her at home all week waiting for definitive news). Had they stayed put, I would have looked stupid and perhaps abusive. What a narrow line cancer parents walk between protecting their kids so they can live and letting them live.

As it is, Erin (I assume, I haven't actually talked to the doc yet) is back on chemo and set for the next two weeks, until we return to Houston for scans. I have been warned that I need to bring a video camera to the camp finale performance tomorrow night to capture Erin's dance. Alas, the highly technical, but gadget-poor Buenger family doesn't own a video cam. Once again we must depend on the kindness of strangers to record the important moments in our lives. We are also expecting the arrival of Walter's sister from California. Hurray!

I have put a picture of Erin with Chet Edwards here, and will also add the link to the photo page.

No Rebounds

July 10, 2006

Things seem a lot quieter around here today. Both sisters and both nieces returned to Garland yesterday. We've shoved the extra mattresses back under the beds, taken Raffi out of the CD player, and returned the borrowed baby equipment (and managed to do it without renting a U-Haul). Erin had great fun with both Emma and Annabelle despite the large age gap among the cousins. We kept it pretty low key for the Fourth of July, but did manage to get some swimming and movie watching in later in the week.

I really had few expectations about Erin's blood counts last Friday. I thought we might see high numbers inflated by antibiotics or steady numbers since we were early in this cycle of chemo. I never expected borderline neutropenic (ANC=500) and self-imposed house arrest for the weekend. I made the tech run the sample a second time (ANC=400). Oops. I talked (bribed) Erin into a venopuncture (ANC=300). Double oops. I tried to convince myself that I just caught her in the trough following an illness and that Monday would bring better number. I even entertained the thought that the machine had validity and reliability issues.

Erin did not take the news well. Believe it or not, Erin was invited to a birthday party on Saturday (not unlike every other Saturday for a long time). Walter and I played the heavy and made her stay home. We rented Wallace and Grommit and some other less palatable kids films. We tried to remember the rules of neutropenia (the only one that readily came to mind was the one about repeat handwashing, so based on the notion of cleanliness being next to Godliness, we proceeded to act like obsessive-compulsive handwashers for the next three days).

We returned for more blood work this morning, convinced we were going to see the biggest rebound since Dennis Rodman retired from the Detroit Pistons. "Uh oh." I looked the print out and then at the technician. "Did you hand me the results from last Friday? These look very familiar. . .Oh, these are today's?" Seeing numbers in the same ranges as last Friday left us with a tough decision. Do we continue the self-imposed house arrest or let Erin attend Creative Arts Camp? What would you do? We armed her with her own personal bottle of hand soap and sent her off to camp. We'll check her blood again on Thursday. In the meanwhile chemo is still on hold.

What does this all mean? First, it makes us a little nervous to delay treatment for a week, but we did it last fall when Hurrican Rita closed down the clinic with no ill effect. Since we have scans scheduled in a little over two weeks, I don't think the decision will have much effect and will hopefully give her counts a chance to recover on their own.

Why did her counts fall? I have three thoughts about that. 


1. Erin has been sicker then usual this summer (first the lung gunk (post Disney) then the ear infection (post DC trip). Her immune system may just need time to recover. 
2. We have been poisoning her with chemo for 14 months ,and her immune system has taken a hit and will continue to drop lower and take longer to recover, regardless of the number of germs she encounters. 
3. Something (tumorwise) is going on causing her counts to drop.

At this point I am pulling strongly for #1, discounting #3 because her other counts like hemoglobin and platelets are normal and don't seem to be crowded out by tumor cells in the marrow, etc., and hoping we don't have to face either #2 or #3 ever or at least for a very long time.

I checked on thomas.loc.gov this weekend and was pleased to learn that Chet Edwards, true to his word to Erin, joined the list of Congressional co-sponsors for the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2006. If your representative is not on this list, you should write or call them and ask why not.

I'll close for now, but will not leave you hanging for a week or ten days before I update the status of Erin's immune system.

Where Is Lassie When You Need her?

July 1, 2006

Clinic went well on Thursday. Erin checked out fine for another round of oral etoposide (we'll scan on July 27 to check if Erin's lung gunk has resolved and if the tumor is still cooperating). The nurse practitioner also found two infected ears, which explained Erin's somewhat sluggish week. I promptly announced a moratorium on plane trips for the rest of the year. Erin has picked up some sort of floating virus both times we've flown in the last month, and given her compromised immune system, I think it best to avoid the germs.

Despite her less than stellar health, Erin made it to three days of music camp this week and has thoroughly enjoyed Mary Beth and Rachel, who are visiting their grandparents (who live next door). Their visit has taken the edge off of Nico's departure for an almost three week trip to the northeast. We are babysitting his triops (and Elaine, if you happen to check the website while you are gone, try to prepare the boys for there being one fewer triop than when you left. The smaller one died overnight on Friday.).

Aunt Kat and Emma have managed to fit in another trip down to Bryan, and if things work out, we may get to keep Emma for awhile. Luckily, she is a sweet and low-maintenance girl, because odds are, I have forgotten even the basics of toddler care. It may be just what I need to get back into the swing of things. Here is the latest Vickie funny. Last Saturday Erin went to an out-of-town birthday party all day. Davis worked, and Walter drove to a family get together in Taylor. I can't remember the last time I had the house to myself on a Saturday with nothing important hanging over my head. I had the day mapped out in my mind, starting with spreading wet newspaper in a flower bed I planned to rehabilitate. Within minutes of starting, I turned the wrong way and got stuck on my hands and knees in the middle of the back yard. By some freak accident, my back no longer supported me, but instead became a throbbing set of spasming muscles. Willie thought I had dropped to my knees to play with him, so he didn't listen when I asked him to go get my mother next door. I think he saw my pleas as a request for face licking and crotch sniffing, which he complied with cheerfully. Where is Lassie when you need her? Eventually, my mom did go into her backyard to do some watering, and I got her attention and with her help eventually hobbled inside. I have had to take it a bit slow ever since. Each day I have improved and am hoping to convince Walter that I am fit for my soccer match tomorrow night.

Speaking of soccer, most of you probably think that Davis has finally put soccer behind him. Not true. He got picked up by Arsenal in the local Division II league and had two games this week. On Thursday he netted the go ahead goal in a tight game with a left-footed shot that rivaled Maxi Rodriguez's beauty in World Cup play last week. Speaking of which, Davis and I put our fandom behind England after the US failed to qualify. They went down on penalty kicks this morning, losing to Portugal. Rooney's mom should have taught him that stepping on an opponent's crotch was bad manners, then he would not have been ejected from the game at just the wrong moment. Oh well. I guess we will switch loyalties yet again. What do you think? Germany? France? Brazil? Italy? Definitely not Portugal.

Several people have asked if I really thought Chet Edwards listened to us. Some even implied that he may have just been a skilled politician. I'll let you decide. Erin received a handwritten letter from him this morning:

Dear Erin,
It was a joy and inspiration to meet you, because you are a beautiful girl, inside and out!
I have told my wife and my two sons, J.T. (10) and Garrison (8) about you and maybe some day when we are in Brazos County, my family and I can take you to lunch and J.T. can introduce his teddy bear to yours.
Until then, thank you for coming to visit me and please know that you will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Your Friend,
Chet
P.S. What was your teddy bear's name?

He also included a large photo his staffer took of him and Erin in his office last week. He signed it:

To Erin,
I believe God smiled when he brought you into this world. Your courage and sparkle for life have touched my heart. As my new friend, you will be in my thoughts and prayers, always! Chet Edwards

I also learned in an e-mail from his director of constituent services, he has also instructed his staff that any mail he gets from Erin goes directly to him without being opened or screened by anyone. He has also secured one of the flags that flew over the capitol the day we visited and is having it sent to her in honor and remembrance of her visit. Perhaps he is a skilled politician, but he seems like a kind man to us.

Priceless

June 23, 2006

I sometimes wonder what the gelcap Erin takes every day actually has inside. Certainly, it has some anti-tumor something, because her tumor is keeping its head down. But could that be all? Consider her schedule for the last week:

Last Saturday--ninth birthday party (lake swimming with 18 of her best friends), plus a sleepover

Last Monday--shopping for a kicky outfit to wear to Washington (successful)

Last Tuesday--fly to Washington DC (first flight cancelled for equipment issues; second flight delayed because of weather). Total travel time: 12 hours.

Last Wednesday--lobby on Capitol Hill--6 meetings. (missed departure flight; caught later flight--no seats available for College Station, so Walter picks us up at Intercontinental in Houston; arrive home at midnight)

Last Thursday--depart for Houston at 7:30 (a.m.) for a day with her church group at the Houston Aquarium

Yesterday--errands, including blood counts (white count has finally returned to the normal range--first time since we returned for Disney), and an evening festivities at the Tjoelkers

Today--leave for Temple at 8:00 (again, in the morning) for a birthday party at a horseback riding school plus swimming. When she returns at 4:00 she will go to a second birthday party/sleepover

Are you feeling sluggish in comparison?

Let me tell you a little more about Gold Ribbon Days and our visit with Chet Edwards. We had meetings scheduled with staffers and aides from the following offices: Kay Bailey Hutchison (her staff calls her Senator KBH), John Cornyn, Joe Barton, and Kay Granger. We actually got the see Chet himself.

He met us at the door, brought us in to his office, sat Erin down right next to him at the conference table, and proceeded to share Skittles with her while he listened attentively and took notes for the next 40 minutes. Twice his staffers slipped in and tried to move him along to his next appointment, but he brushed them off so he could continue to listen to what we had to say. He asked intelligent questions. When he had heard what I had to say, he looked me in the eye and told me we could count on his support for the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act of 2006.

Two planes tickets to DC: $950
A night in the Holiday Inn in the nation's capitol: $198
Meals and snacks in various airports while waiting for flights: $40
Having a Congressman listen: priceless

We Speak for Ourselves and Others

June 19, 2006

Erin's party was blessed. We got much needed rain on Friday night and Saturday morning, and plentiful sun by party time. I have said it before, but it bears repeating: Erin has great friends, and we never take for granted the time we get to spend with them. Thanks to everyone for making it such a special day.

But On To The Business At Hand. . .

Erin and I leave tomorrow for Gold Ribbon Days in Washington, D.C. We plan to make the best of our time and hope to bring a piece of our lives to the men and women who make our laws and govern our country. You all know our story, and most of you agree that we have a story worth telling. I want to introduce you to some of the young cancer patients we have met along the way.

The first is Hannah. Hannah lives in Tomball with her parents and older sister. She is one of Dr. Russell's patients and was diagnosed at age 2, right around the time Erin was diagnosed. She had a very rough time with treatment. She lost her hearing and one kidney. The other kidney struggles. She spent a lot more time in ICU than Erin, but like Erin, always left the hospital with a beautiful smile on her face. I remember that she wore the cutest outfits with matching hats that her father sewed for her. She has just learned that her permanent teeth have no root development because of the harsh chemo she received. Her family hopes that the scans she has scheduled for today and tomorrow will confirm the good news that she is still cancer free.

Ryan, AKA Batman, is another one of Dr. Russell's patients. This boy charms all the nurses at Texas Children's and attacks the world each day with vigor and a terrific sense of fun. Ryan is just drawing near the end of his treatment and is also having scans this week that will hopefully bring tears of joy and relief to his parents. Ryan has had to follow his own path because his body couldn't produce enough stem cells to risk transplant. This has meant extra rounds of chemo instead of transplant. He has also had to have around 50 transfusions just to make it through to this point. Imagine having to keep up with a high energy superhero who is continually on the low side for platelets!

We'd also like you to meet Colby. Colby is just finishing the second leg of his tandem stem cell transplant this week. His mom and dad hope they can make it back to College Station by Wednesday with their precious cargo. The pictures on his website tell the whole story of a much loved little boy who is fighting his hardest to throw off the cancer monster and return to what children do best: playing.

Our friend Razak, with his sparkling eyes and upbeat attitude, seems like he has licked the beast. He has welcomed a new little brother in to his life and is ready to put cancer behind him. We think he is a great model to follow.

There are also children with compelling stories whom we have not met, but whom we follow because we share something in common. Christi Thomas is Erin's age, with Erin's spunk. She was diagnosed right around the time Erin was, but unfortunately has never been able to enjoy even a day where her doctors declared that she was No Evidence of Disease. Despite that she leads a full (full with a capital FULL) life and meets her challenge head on. Her website is one of the spiffiest around. Since April most of the new news has been put on the link marked Blog. Brian from Oklahoma is a tad younger than Erin but has had a very similar experience and is currently on the same roadmap that Erin is following. Spencer lives in Canada and his father's blog makes you laugh even in the face a Spencer's numerous set backs. Sarah also has a parent who captures the pediatric cancer experience eloquently.

I know you can't spend your entire day in front of the computer, but I'd like it if you would take some time to browse. We are representing these children and their families when we fly out tomorrow, and I want you to know who we are speaking for.

Even Walter Noticed

June 13, 2006

Okay, okay, okay. When even Walter notices I haven't updated the web site lately, it's time to get back to work.

It took Erin a full week and a full-strength Z-Pak to get back on top of her game after the Disney World trip, but by the beginning of last week she had turned the corner, with renewed energy, renewed appetite, and renewed spirit to attack the summer with vigor. I have to admit that had she not had stable scans on the previous Monday, I would have taken myself into orbit. She had all of the telltale signs of relapse: low grade fever, back pain, loss of the Erin sparkle. The look inside let me take a much calmer outlook. She was just sick. And now she's better.

Erin completely enjoyed soccer camp at Texas A&M last week. Her small group leader all week was Ashlee Pistorius, who has garnered this list of awards in her first year at A&M (the website hasn't been updated with her sophomore accomplishments, but I know she was the team"s leading scorer and Offensive MVP last season):

• Soccer Buzz 3rd Team All-American
• NSCAA All-Central Region
• Soccer Buzz 1st Team All-Central Region
• Soccer Buzz National Freshman of the Year Finalist
• Soccer Buzz 1st Team Freshman All-American
• Soccer Buzz Central Region All-Freshman Team
• Soccer Buzz Central Region Freshman of the Year
• 2nd Team All-Big 12
• Big 12 All-Newcomer Team
• Big 12 All-Tournament Team
• Big 12 Rookie of the Year
• Three-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (9/13/04, 9/28/04, 10/12/04)
• Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week (9/13/04)

What an honor and a privilege for Erin to work with her all week in a group with just 6 other nine-year olds. It almost made me weep to hear her praise Erin and say how heroic she was.

Davis made his final trip to Mo Ranch as a youth last week. He fully enjoyed the beauty and comradierie of this 9th summer camp, and knows he is leaving something behind that he can't return to as he moves into adulthood. Speaking of which. He made his first (of many?) bonafide research trip of his life. He is in Louisiana measuring pine tree respiration (or something).

I am in the full stream of summer school. Tomorrow is the halfway point, and I am feeling confident that I will survive. I did complicate my life somewhat by moving offices last week at work, but my view has improved considerably and it gave me a chance to do a bit of housekeeping.

Erin's social calender is filling up rapidly. Ayesha is here for the week to help her plan and prepare for the Big Number 9 Birthday Party on Saturday. We hope the lake won't dry up by then. Erin's big pay-off for enduring the dreaded port removal surgery in March was that she wanted a swim-in-the-lake party for the party theme. On her actual birthday (next Tuesday) she and I are flying to Washington D.C. for Gold Ribbon Days. We will visit as many congressmen and women and staffers as we can and tell them about the need for funding for pediatric cancer. I am sure she will put a great face on childhood cancer for those lawmakers and staffers who think they can think dispassionately about the topic.

I will try to be more dutiful about keeping you all filled in. It's just that during the summer, I can always think of more excuses not to sit at my computer.

Business As Usual

05/31/06


My philosophy of not using up good luck on smooth sailing through scan day worked again yesterday (I'm starting to re-think this a little, given the magnitude of the unpleasantness of our afternoon.  We had a continual string of bad luck from the drive to Houston and beyond, which included sorry weather, construction, and so many delays once we got to the hospital that we didn't even get to see Dr. Russell before she left for the day).  When she called this morning with nothing but positive news about Erin's scans, I wasn't surprised.  The bone scan was normal, and the CT scan was stable or perhaps even improved.  Erin did have some gunky stuff in her lungs (evidence that she caught a bad cold last week when we visited The Germiest Place in the World).  We have signed up for another couple of rounds of oral etoposide and will scan again in late July (so we can get that done without having to miss school).


Thanks for checking in with us, for holding us up while we waited for scan results, and for celebrating with us over the good news.  I'm going to take Erin to the pediatrician tomorrow and hopefully he will prescribe a Z-Pak (antibiotics) to take care of her lung gunk.  Otherwise, it's business as usual.

Erin Reports on Disney

05/27/06


We made it back to the Microplex last night in time to hit the sack in preparation for an early call this morning.  Davis graduated at 9:00 (in the A.M.), so the seat savers had to start saving seats by 8:00.  I can't possibly be old enough to have a college-bound high school graduate, but all the folks sitting around me looked pretty ancient cheering their high school seniors across the stage.   We made a date with Davis to do this again in four years, with built-in incentives for early completion (remember, in the college tuition world TIME IS MONEY).  Davis had a great attitude about the whole thing.  He wasn't too sentimental or morose over leaving buddies behind.  He took it as intended, as a commencement.  I think we will all follow suit and start our lives anew this morning.


I read in USA Today yesterday that more people choose Disney World, Orlando for their vacation destination than anywhere else in the country.  We, along with about one million other folks per day, can attest to that.  On the trip home, I told Erin that I would turn the website over to her, so she could tell you about our week at Disney.  Here's her story in her own words in purple (with my smarmy comments in their usual color and font):

Being up at 4:00 is hard enough, but when you have to be up at 4:00 to drive to the airport by 5:00 and your jet takes off at 6:00, you're kinda tired.  Well...that is what we did.  I got the window seat on the flight to Houston.  Nico got it on the flight to Orlando.  We arrived smoothly, although we had a little trouble finding the bus (you'd think that wouldn't be too difficult, seeing how big they are, but somehow, if you are looking for a bus with 20,000 of your closest friends the buses tend to get lost in the shuffle).  Check in was fine.  By then we were starving (not an overstatement), so we ate some flat bread pizza and took a look at our villa.  After that it was "parks here we come."  

We went to Animal Kingdom first.  We went to Dinoland while mother got the golden ticket situation under control (this is where I presented the doctor's note which turned into a Guest Assist Pass for us to flash at rides, etc. so we could avoid lines as much as possible.  This ragged piece of paper is my one and only sourvenir from the trip, because it reminds me of how much more fun everything is if your patience isn't continuously tested by how long you are willing to wait to have said fun).  We saw a life-sized model of the world's most complete t-rex.  It was a girl, but I don't remember her name.  Mom found us after that, and we went on a spinning roller coster for kids called the Time Machine.  Then we started walking to one of the Animal Kingdom lands, looking for something interesting.  We found, after a few walks around and a few rides, the best ride (in my opinion) Mount Everest.  You go backwards on this and down really fast. 


Those were the two hits for Animal Kingdom (Time Machine and Mount Everest).  We did a lot more, but it is too much to put down and fit.  We went to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.  The line was long, so we sat at the bar (guess whose idea this was?).  I had cocoanut shrimp which was pretty good.  We went home, and I was the first to bed.


Well, we slept pretty good that night conisdering that Nico hogged the covers, and I nearly pushed him off the bed in my sleep.  We woke up, had a bit of cereal and toast, and got ready to go to the Magic Kingdom.  We got there and went straight to the Haunted Mansion.  I had ridden this at Disneyland and thought we should start with one that we knew was fun.  After that we learned that many of the rides we were looking forward to (Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain were closed for the moment), so we went on other rides.  I think that Nico's favorite spot was Tomorrowland.  He like the race cars and Space Mountain.  You can drive your own race car on a track and you can feel what it's like.  I wasn't really big enough to push the gas and steer without being uncomfortable, but I loved Space Mountain as much as Nico did.  It's a ride that has many turns and not too many downs.  Its all inside and mostly dark.  We tried to end the day with one final ride on Space Mountain, but it shut down while we were in line.  That made us late to the parade and we didn't get very good seats.  Mom and dad had choice seats but we couldn't get to them.  We went home, and again I was first to bed.


We slept in a little bit on Wednesday because we were going to a water park and it didn't open so early.  We got our bathing suits on and headed out.  We went into the wave pool as soon as we got there and that was our first big mistake.  Mom had one rule at the water park:  we had to stick together.  Davis, Nico, and I went out into the water while mom got situated.  Nico was braver and pressing forward, I was lagging a little.  We broke the only rule.  Nico got hit by the wave and lost his footing and had to be rescued by a lifeguard.  He was more careful after that, especially because they closed down the wave maker for about twenty minutes after it happened.  We went on some slides next:  three curvy ones and three that went straight down four stories.  After that we ate our picnic, then did the tube rides.  Davis had enough and took off for a nap.  We rode the water roller coaster and the slides again before heading back to our villa.


We took a little rest and went to Epcot for the evening.  We entered by the big golf ball.  We looked at some of the inventions and games, but kept walking towards our dinner restaurant.  Mom and I got sidetracked down the butterfly exhibit, but made it to the Chinese Restuarant in time.  After the Chinese restaurant where I had soup and sesame chicken, we went to Norway, rode the Viking ride, and watched the show.  We wondered around some more and stopped for a longer stay in Japan where we made masks.  We caught up with Davis and dad in time for the big fireworks show.  By squeezing in between some people's legs we were able to see a magnificent fireworks presentation.  We went home and zonked out.


The next day was our last day in the parks.  We went back to the Magic Kingdom and rode every ride there.  We didn't watch ANY SHOWS.  While we were riding It's A Small World, Nico and I turned into fourth graders.  We celebrated afterwards with ice cream (for me and mom) and a popsicle (for Nico).  We rode Space Mountain three more times, and mom even rode it twice.  We went home and zonked out. 


Friday we had to get up early to have our suitcases ready.  It took all day to get home.


Well, that pretty much covers it.  Except the part that Walter and Davis take a slow start to the day everyday, work out in the spa and fitness center, stroll across the canal to Downtown Disney for a civilized lunch, and join us later for the evening activities.  It didn't bother me a bit.  I had my coffee and chocolate chip cookie every morning.  That's the good life.  It's a perfect vacation where everyone gets to do what they want.  The amazing thing about this vacation is the generosity that begat it.  I do not know who treated us to this getwaway, which is great.  It means that I can look in each person's face at church and believe that it could be that person who loved us enough to give us this treat.  You would be amazed at how different it feels when you assume the very best about every single person you meet.


Tuesday we will get back to the grind.  Davis has wrangled himself two pretty decent part time jobs (one working at a forestry experiment, the other in a pathology lab at the med school).  Summer school starts for me bright and early Tuesday morning, and of course Walter faces a hip-high mound of paper work as soon as he darkens the door of his office.   As soon as class is over on Tuesday, I'll grab Erin and make a run to Houston for Erin's quarterly scans and a clinic appointment.  I will post results when I hear them, but with the Memorial Day holiday, Tuesday is likely to be swamped down.  We're hoping for stable or improved.

Full Speed Ahead

05/15/06


The count down has begun.  In six days, seventeen hours we will leave for the airport and head out on big adventure.  We'll leave the drudgery behind.  We won't think about summer school which rears its ugly head a mere week later.  We'll chuck the chores and can the commitments.  We won't do wash for a week.  Yep.  That's the way it's going to be, if. . .

• if Davis can work out the details of exempting finals (apparently missed finals count as absences that affect his exemption from the finals that he will be exempt from but missing?)
• if Erin can shake the virus that hit last week (keeping her home from school on Monday and Tuesday and setting off a flaming ear infection by Thursday afternoon.  Can you say high dose antibiotics?)
• if the dogs pose no more unexpected health challenges (what kind of sick-humored vet ordains that even though you live on a lake, you must keep your two lab-mix dogs dry, ALL THE TIME.  Talk about a Herculean task.  I think I'd rather clean the Augean stalls.)
• if I can get enough clothes clean and dry, given that I no longer have a functioning dryer
• if I can get my summer school course material in a presentable form
  

Oh well, no telling what delinquency I'd have my nose in if I didn't have something to keep me busy.  You know what they say about idle hands (although, I think I might like to try the devil's workshop just once).

The last week has flown by.  Softball season wrapped up (at least for Erin who will miss rainout make-ups next week).  Davis knocked off three AP tests and feels like they all went very well.  I plowed through my stacks of finals and got grades turned in without too much sweat.  Walter continued to attend meetings at a heady clip.  Add in the care and maintenance of a toddler and someone just released from a hospital stay, and you just about have par for the course at our house.

Seriously, Erin enjoyed nursing Aunt Kat (if watching movies and working sudoku puzzles really constitute nursing) and thought having a little sister in the house was the grandest.  Kat got stronger under her capable care and got back home on Saturday in time to be pampered for Mother's Day.  It rained again this year for Mother's Day here, which canceled my soccer (bummer), but let us all move at a more leisurely pace.  The children's choir sang at worship on Sunday morning, but I didn't use good judgment in choosing my seat and could only catch glimpses of my precious daughter.  Davis put the icing on the cake by highlighting bunches of my favorite songs during Beyond Guitar.  Who needs an ipod when the local deejay plays just what you want?

Remember to think of us on May 30 when we return to Houston for scans (CT and bone scan).  I am not nearly as panicked as I was headed into scans three months ago, probably because Erin is continuing a known treatment rather than switching things around.  Nevertheless, I am going to cross my fingers and push my thumbs for clear or stable scans, and we ask you to do the same. 

I wish Erin hadn't taken sick last week, but no one promises that cancer children get to forego normal childhood illnesses.  She is feeling better now, still sniffly and not completely up to par, but on the road to recovery.  I know it won't hold her back from enjoying Disney to the fullest.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

05/05/06

Happy Cinco de Mayo.  For the first time since Erin was diagnosed in 2002, we are home on the fifth of May!  And what fine kettle of fish have the Buengers gotten themselves into lately?  Well, even when left to their own devices, they have not produced trouble to any great extent.  Relay for Life had an early ending last Friday because of the incoming thunder and lightning storm, leaving Erin with only 21 (five and a quarter miles) laps under her belt.  Her school’s team raised over $6000 (obviously, can recycling wasn’t the only fundraiser.  I heard that a couple of teachers raised $400 with a rousing evening of chicken-poop bingo.  For you city slickers, this is a game of chance where intrepid betters attempt to predict where a hen contained in a raised wire cage will drop her next load, so to speak.  As the nation’s interest in Texas Hold ‘Em wanes, look for Texas Chicken-Poop Bingo to show up on ESPN2.  The concepts of waiting for The River and staying in for the Flop will take on whole new meaning.)    

Clinic on Monday went well.  I hadn’t realized when I set up the appointment that BISD had scheduled a teachers’ work day for Monday.  Since nobody but Walter had class, we practiced for summer vacation.  For me, this meant having a warm chocolate chip cookie with my morning coffee.  For Erin, it meant a trip to the local pool before heading to Houston.  For Davis, it meant he could go to work (oops, that doesn’t sound like so much fun).  Erin’s counts were strong, and her doctor gave her the okay for another round of etoposide with the hopes that this easy-to-handle drug will keep Erin’s neuroblastoma dormant (indolent, lackadaisical, inactive, quiescent, etc.) for a long, long time.  So I guess our revised mantra is 

Shrink, Shrink, Shrink
Die, Die, Die
Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

(Definitely not as blood curdling or satisfying to shout as the original)

Word must have gotten out that Walter liked committee meetings and needed more of them.  Last week, the church nominating committee tapped him (and several other poor souls who didn’t hide quickly enough) for the Pastor Nominating Committee.  Seriously, choosing a new pastor is very important, and we feel grateful that Erin’s health is good enough for Walter to feel comfortable taking on such a big commitment and that we can, in a small way, return something back to the church community that has lifted us up so many times during our journey.  

Wednesday brought my sister Kat and my niece Emma back to town.  Kat had sudden onset pneumonia last weekend, and we plan on taking good care of her and spoiling Emma until she recuperates.  Erin gets her wish to have a baby sister the easy way (no nine-month delay).  Davis adds another listener to his radio audience.  Walter has an excuse for buying that 12-pack of Michelob on sale at Albertson’s.  And me?  I just get my baby sister to torment.  Remember, I’m the big sister, and there is nothing she can do to change that.

Some third graders I know (code-named Erin and Nico) have begun to get excited about the upcoming foray into the Magical Kingdom.  Little do they know that Erin’s doctor has performed the ultimate magic before we have even left town.  She provided us with a letter, explaining to the folks at Disney that Erin really needed to avoid the germiest parts of the park.  I understand this means that we will soon become the ultimate line breakers, moving to the front of the line without waiting our turn.  Aack!  What does this teach our children about fairness and equity?  Maybe the same thing that being targeted by cancer in the first place teaches them.  Not everything is fair and equitable.

What’s coming up?  Willie is scheduled to lose his manhood next Thursday and will, no doubt, need pampering.  Davis’s intramural basketball team remains undefeated and is on a collision course with the other unbeaten team.  He pulled down twelve rebounds and scored two points this morning.  A little unbalanced, don’t you think?  I’ll remind him at dinner tonight that he needs to brush up on the defensive end of the court.  That ought to go over well.  Erin will return to clinic the May 30, the Monday after our Disney trip, for a CT scan and bone scan, plus a consult with the doctor.  Until then, we will wind down the school year.  I’m going to practice this evening, by sitting on the dock and watching the snapping turtles glide by.