Chemo from France

The long awaited chemo from France arrived on Wednesday. It was stuck in Customs in Chicago. Dale received the first dose on Thursday and his second yesterday, Saturday. Because of his allergies, he is premedicated with antihistamines and
iv steroids which unfortunately give him headaches, eye pain, blurred vision and light sensitivity . It also makes him very sleepy. We've adjusted the doses so he won't be so sleepy all the time. This chemo(Erwinia - Aspariginase) is given as an intramuscular injection into the thigh. He ices it first so it won't hurt as much. He has been incredibly brave about this. He sits there quietly watching the needle go in. Derek has been by his side through all of the treatments so far, a promise he made to Dale when he was given the bad news a few weeks back. He held his hand during the last lumbar puncture procedure until his curiosity pulled him to the other side of the table to watch the doctor inject the chemo into Dale's spine.
In spite of the side effects, Dale still mangaes to play outside with Derek and Danny( when Danny is home) riding his bike and
skate boarding. He puts on his sunglasses and a hat so the sun won't bother him. He also went to the beach to ride his bike and play in the sand with the Morimoto girls. He came home, took a nap and woke up feeling great. I noticed that he tires faster now. He used to run from the hospital to the car but now he walks and stops for a break in between.
Dale's next chemo is scheduled for Tuesday , Jan 2nd. We will also be meeting with UCLA on Tuesday.
Thank you for your continued prayers. May you all have a happy and blessed new year.
Juliann