Game On. Opening Day.

Over the past 2 weeks, Cole spent his days in the hospital and his nights with us.  Today, he will be admitted to the hospital for several months to begin the next phase of treatment.   He'll undergo general anesthesia to have his central line catheter installed into his heart, then begin a cocktail of chemotherapy, steroids and anti-viral medications.  Those will be administered over the next several weeks to eliminate his immune system and prepare him for the bone marrow transplant that will take place at the end of this month.

We took him out to McDonald's for dinner last night.  He's only been to McDonald's a couple times in his life, but we bent on our principals and allowed him to be in control for a while.  He's earned it, and will continue to do so over the next two years while he recovers.

After dinner, we cut his hair short to minimize the effects of going bald from the chemo.  Surprisingly, he seems more concerned with gaining weight from the steroids than losing his hair.  I look forward to the day when he's old enough for nature to cause both his baldness and weight gain.

As I type this, Cole sits next to me, reminding me to thank everyone for the notes, prayers and love.  The comments and support keep his spirits high.  He also saw a commercial promoting the Reds opening day tomorrow and asked if we can go to a game.  I'm an Indians fan, but would happily take him to a Reds game.  I'll even go so far as to root for the Reds to make the playoffs in hopes that I can take Cole to watch a game in person in the Fall.   Game on.