Yesterday, Annalise was diagnosed with the flu after spiking a fever. The doctors do not check to see which strain of the flu it is, but since Annalise already received the vaccine for the seasonal flu, we are assuming that she has the H1N1 flu. Knowing that Isabella is immuno-comprimised and that children are highly vulnerable to this flu, the doctor immediately prescribed tamiflu to all three children, which they will be taking for the next five days. It's ironic that someone in our family got the flu first since we've been so cautious about washing hands and staying clear of crowds - we're still not quite sure when Annalise could have been exposed. So far, no one else in the family is exhibiting any symptoms, but we'll still be taking extreme precautions around the house.
UPDATE, 11/4/09, 10:01pm
Annalise felt a lot better today, but still has to stay home from school for the rest of the week. Fortunately, Isabella hasn't started showing any symptoms yet. Nathaniel had been coughing and sneezing earlier in the day, but it seemed to get better over the course of the day, but we're still keeping an eye on him. Julianne and I haven't felt anything yet, although yesterday, I started to feel a scratchy throat (although I may have just been thirsty...) I'm still working from home for the rest of the week. Hopefully, we've seen the worst of everything.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Notes Left Behind
An amazingly touching and gut-wrenching story about a six year old girl who lost her battle with brain cancer. Original article here.
Elena was almost 6 years old when she was diagnosed with Pediatric Brain Cancer. The doctors told her she had only 135 days to live; she survived 255 days until she lost her battle with cancer.
As her cancer progressed she lost the ability to speak and turned to writing and coloring. She would express herself through little notes to her parents, family members and even pets. After Elena passed away her family began finding notes hidden everywhere: briefcases, books, drawers, shelves, etc. and after awhile the Desserich’s realized that Elena had been planting these notes throughout the house to be found after she was gone.
A year after her family found what they thought to be the last note they found another, in a coloring book. Elena’s parents hope that they never stop finding notes.
In tribute to Elena her family has published a book called, Notes Left Behind, which is a collection of these special notes. Proceeds benefit “The Cure Starts Now”.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
NYC Marathon Complete!
Congratulations to Adlar who completed his first New York City marathon today! Adlar ran the race in honor of Isabella and we brought the entire family in to show our support. He ran as part of Fred’s Team, a group of about 700 runners who run to raise funds for Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer research. He mentioned that one of the highlights of his race was when he ran by Sloan Kettering and a bunch of the kids were sitting outside cheering on the group. When we met up with him afterwards and told him how proud we were of him, he pointed to Isabella and simply responded, “She’s the real trooper.”Click below to see a slideshow of our trip to NYC and the marathon. Also, check out the video as Adlar takes a quick break to greet the family.
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