Things are looking up.......

We haven't posted in awhile because we were busy with the holidays, Bella's Food Drive, and because her JA has been pretty manageable. Bella's new infusion medicine is wonderful. It truly has made a HUGE difference in her life! We still have our ups and down, but there are more ups since we started this new medication. I remember how amazing it felt when I saw Bella do a cartwheel again in my living room (I videoed it because it has been something she couldn't do for so long). Now, the only down side to the new medicine is that is only lasts about 2-2 1/2 weeks. So we are working with her doctor to get this medicine to last longer. Unfortunately, it means increasing her steroid dose. If you remember, Bella gained a lot of weight and had extreme mood swings while taking high doses of steroids in the past. So, we are very cautiously adding more right before her infusion with hopes that it extends the length of time the infusion works. The one down side to the infusion and her chemo injection is that her immune system is very weak. So, she keeps getting sick. Last week we had to post-pone her infusion because she woke up sick on infusion day. The delay of that made for a rough week for Bella. Her legs were hurting her a lot. She missed 4 days of school last week. But she is doing much better this week, now were trying to keep her far away from her sick sister and dad! =) I want to talk about Hershey's Children Hospital because it isn't often you can find awesome health care these days. But our experiences at Hershey have been amazing. The staff is always so kind and helpful. They always make sure that Bella is comfortable and try to make it as enjoyable as possible for her. They have a common area where there are toys, video games, board games, and crafts for the kids getting their infusions. We also get our own private room with a tv and the internet. This appointment we had to take my younger daughter, Chloe because there was no school. Chloe was not excited about spending the day at the hospital but quickly changed her mind once she got to enjoy some of the perks. We also were lucky to have a couple of Thon girls from PSU there volunteering that day too. The Thon girls was awesome, they talked with Chloe and did crafts with her. They also came in to visit with Bella and did a craft with her too. I quickly learned that Chloe had chatted their ears off and told them all about her dogs, her love of animals, and told them many random facts about Flamingos(because that is her favorite animal). She was very excited to hear that one of the girls just took a marine biology class in college and told them that is what she wants to be when she grows up. Bella also found out that one of them was graduating and continuing her education to be a doctor. Bella told her that she also wanted to go to PSU and become a doctor too. So, the girl talked to Bella about what she would need to do when she got older to prepare for college. It was such an AMAZING day for my girls. Hershey is by far the best hospital to take your children. They are wonderful and I can not express my gratitude for everything they have done for my family. If you ever see the PSU Thon students out collecting money at a red light or a shopping center, donate to them!!! They are a wonderful group!!! Thanks for checking in!