Radiation Week 2 Finished!

Isabella completed her second week of radiation today. I stayed home all week for work, while Julianne stayed in Boston with Isabella, Annalise and Nathaniel. They came home today for the weekend and will go back on Sunday to continue for the third week of treatment. There's nothing new to report from the treatment, which is how I like it. Isabella has experienced no side effects from the radiation and continues to enjoy the summer with her siblings.

One thing I should mention is that every single doctor we've seen so far are completely amazed at Isabella's progress. Whether it's the oncologist, or radiologist or therapist, they are amazed how great Isabella looks given the size of her original tumor. They've seen children with tumors half the size with many more problems than Isabella has. So for that, we're grateful. Everything that Isabella has had to go through in her young life is just not fair, but the way Isabella has handled everything is such an inspiration to us.

Ronald McDonald House

As you can imagine, if we had to stay at a hotel in Boston for the entire 6 weeks, it would get expensive really quickly.  Fortunately, there are several charity houses in the area that provide lodging either at little or no cost for families that are receiving treatment at any of the local hospitals.  For the first two weeks of treatment, we are staying at the Ronald McDonald House which is located in Brookline, MA and just a few minutes drive to Mass General Hospital.  The house is a beautiful, old mansion located in a nice, quiet neighborhood.  The house can hold 23 families and includes a special annex for stem cell/bone marrow kids who need to be isolated.  The house has a giant kitchen with two refrigerators, sinks, dishwashers, and islands.  Best of all, on the lower level, there is a children’s playroom complete with all sorts of games and two arcade games.  It was no surprise that Isabella, Annalise, and Nathaniel quickly grew to love staying at the house and couldn’t wait to get back to Boston after going home this weekend.  The only disappointment I had was not being able to get a Big Mac and fries whenever I wanted!  Click the link below to see a slideshow of the house.

View Slideshow