Trip to the Mall

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Things have been really busy with the continuation of Josh’s cancer treatment, therapy sessions, and more detailed discussions about what will happen when he is discharged from Mary Free Bed. As of today, a date has been set for his discharge: Saturday, June 29 at around 10 a.m. It is a relief to know that in just a couple of weeks Josh will be back home.

As much as I wish that things could just snap back to how they were back in March when all of this began, I know that they will not. The hope is that when Josh leaves he will be able to walk, although it could be with the aid of a cane. He might also need either a walker or a wheelchair for those times when he needs to cover longer distances. A lot of this will be determined as he gets closer to the end of his rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed. But, whatever condition he is in when he comes back home, he will also be continuing therapy locally so there is always potential for continued improvement.

As far as his cancer treatment goes, I feel like we are entering a whole new phase. After he wraps up radiation treatment and leaves MFB he will have a break for four weeks, followed by the first of several cycles of a stronger dose of chemotherapy which will be taken at home.

Wednesday was busy with an oncology appointment in the morning, followed by therapy, then a routine radiation treatment appointment in the afternoon, and then a trip to the mall with Recreation in the evening.

One of the things we learned during Josh’s morning appointment is that he will be able to make a wish as a part of the Make a Wish Foundation of Michigan. He can choose from a wide range of categories, including a trip, meeting someone, a big purchase, or being someone different. He was very excited, although still hasn’t decided on what he wants to do. The paperwork was being submitted yesterday, but there will be a lot of time to decide.

With everything Josh has gone through over these last few months, I was struck by how wonderful for him to have this kind of opportunity. He certainly has earned it.

While we were at the mall, one of Josh’s big goals was to find another baseball cap to wear when he wants to cover his head. We looked in several stores at the mall, but Josh didn’t find any that he liked enough to buy.

Josh’s physical therapy team has been working with him to refine his motor skills. He has been practicing going up stairs, and they have been working with him on shuffling to help him gain better control in situations where he begins to lose some of his balance.

Tomorrow, botox will be injected into Josh’s right arm and right leg to help loosen up the muscles a little bit more. This will help him to flex his arm more, and help him when he is walking. We should start to see the effects beginning early next week.

When I talked to Josh today, he and I agreed that we will broadcast live over Facebook again tomorrow between 4:30 and 6 p.m. It all depends on when we get back from his radiation treatment, and how he is feeling. We’ve gotten encouragement to continue the live feeds, as it could help with his verbal and cognitive skills.

I also realized today that it has helped to write these posts on the blog, as it forces me to reflect on recent events and new developments. As I told someone today, I often think ahead to what I might write next on Josh’s blog, and by doing that I’m forced to organize my thoughts. I am not well versed in medicine or hospital lingo, but blogging is second nature for me, and it has been comforting to be able to occasionally do something that feels familiar to me.