Hello everyone. As the summer comes to a close, the Buckley clan are all healthy and strong in body and spirit.
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| Pausing for a photo on the trampoline |
We spent several days in Denver last week completing the first portion of Dillon's One-Year post transplant follow-up (there were 2 tests that we could not get scheduled while we were there and had to postpone them until our October visit). We have the next followup in October and then we move to an every 4-month Denver schedule with UNM being every 2 months.....the spacing of those visits feels like such a relief.
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| Dillon going into the bone scan machine on August 12, 2013 |
EVERYTHING is on track. Dillon's bone marrow is clear of all cancer cells and it has transitioned to 100% donor cells including his blood type and the chromosomes....there are none of Dillon's old corrupt cells left....which means chance of relapse is very very low!!
Lungs, kidneys, liver, endocrine, heart, ears, eyes, muscles, bones, stomach, growth.....everything is within normal limits and continuing to improve as we get further and further out from chemo, radiation, transplant, and steroids. His heart is stronger now than it was at diagnosis and he has begun to grow after not having grown in 20 months....now for the catch-up growth spurt :))
We are truly blessed and we finally feel like we are coasting on the downhill part of the strenuous mountain that has been our lives this past 15 months. Of course, we still hit the occasional pothole in the road....but that is to be expected at this phase of the game. A lot of the bumpiness is now emotional processing and healing for the entire family.
Keep praying for all the kids with cancer. Since we left Brent's Place in February, five of our friends have earned their angel wings.....so please keep these families in your hearts and minds.
We got a surprise visit a couple of weeks ago from Bryan, Giovana, and Sophia (the Dallas Buckley clan). The kids had a blast swimming and laughing. Dillon and Sophia are only 6 weeks apart and they are two peas in a pod. Even at the age of 12 and not having seen each other for months, they fall right back in together. The laughing that the pair of them do together is sweet and contagious. They were laughing so hard at the county fair when we went to see a friend show her pig that they had the whole group of us in stitches.
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| Sophia, Dillon, Luca and Copper |
School starts in 13 days. Dillon will be an official middle-schooler in 7th grade and Luca will be in 3rd grade. Both are excited and looking forward to the adventures that the school year brings. Luca will continue with his cello lessons and Dillon is resuming viola with his teacher Shanti Randall. The boys are both doing a golf camp once a week in September and October and then we switch over to basketball (Dillon) and hockey (Luca). I will be employed this school year doing childcare for a friend and keeping my schedule flexible to accommodate our busy family life, medical followups, and any unforeseen circumstances that might arise as Dillon transitions back into the very social and germ-filled world of school and sports.
ONWARD AND UPWARD!!!
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| Luca teeing up at hole 1 this morning (8/20/13) |
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| Luca swinging a driver at hole 1 this morning (8-20-13) |
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| Dillon putting on hole 4 this morning (8/20/13) |
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| Boys chatting on the green...they are such good friends |
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| Dillon hitting on hole 5 (8/20/13) |
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| Luca tending to the flag for Dillon's putt (08/20/13) |
