Sisters, Starbucks and Card playing

Hello readers,

Garrett is on his last full day of a five-day chemo treatment. This 5-day has been different for one main reason... mom took the weekend off and the sisters have been in charge! Since it is the safest for mom to be out of cellular service while Garrett is in the hospital, she and our step-dad decided to take the opportunity and go camping for the weekend. Megan and Lindsy have been switching off staying with Garrett at the hospital. He went in on Friday morning and will be discharged at 4 AM Tuesday morning.

Garrett's daily routine to help the time pass has been to sleep in until 10:30ish, have some breakfast, go down to the amazing and huge new Starbucks and play cards/ drink smoothies, come back up to his room and take a shower, then start a movie at about 7 after some dinner.

Another reason why this session of chemo has been different is because there is pretty much NO ONE on the chemo floor! It has been quiet and Garrett has been blessed with a large room and no roommate. He did have a roommate Friday night... Devon. Devon and Garrett got to spend Devon's last night in the hospital together. He has finished chemo and if all stays well... go back to his real home on the 14th. Please pray for continuos healing for his ankle and a great transition back to his life at home with family and friends.

Thank you to aunt Sandy, Kahlen, Mckenzie, cousin Maria and Grandma for coming to visit Garrett during this 5-day stay. Garrett will have an 8-hour transfusion as his next chemo treatment in a few weeks and then one more 5-day stay... then if all stays well he'll be done mid-October : ). The few weeks that Garrett has after 8-hour transfusions are the best because his counts seem to stay high enough that he can do whatever he wants. This last time he spent as much time as possible with his AMHS Golf team... riding along at practice in a golf cart.

As always... thank you for the continuous prayers. Physical Therapy is going well and Garrett is working on getting his ankle stretched out and tilted the way that it should be.

We'll post again soon!

- Lindsy

Getting around

Last time I posted I was in the middle of my 3 day chemo. I made it through that pretty easily. That night I got pretty sick and ended up in the ER, but they gave me some fluids and sent me home and I was fine. I ended up going to my beach place the next day and seeing a bunch of family which was really well needed. I spent the next week visiting with friends and doing physical therapy. That Saturday I went with my family to the drive-ins to see Inception. Sunday I went out to my beach place for the day again. Wednesday I went in for my 5 day chemo. My 5 day chemo was pretty rough and seemed like it lasted forever. But once again I made it through. The following week was good but slow and I got really tired and had a blood transfusion on Saturday. I now know that the 5 day chemo kicks my butt and makes all my counts go low and hard to recover. I was suppose to have my first 8 hour chemo today instead of 3 days but my platelets were not high enough and I have to wait until friday to have my 8 hour. After this 8 hour I will have 3 chemos left; two 5 days and one more 8 hour chemo. I found out today that my friend Devon will be all done with treatment and get to go back to Yakima for good on September 14. I am sooo happy for him and it also makes me think that I am only about a month behind him. I am getting around well on my crutches, but yet super sore when I spend time walking on them. Things are moving along and I just need to stay as healthy as possible and on schedule so I can finish this treatment up these next couple months. I am past tired and frustrated with treatment and really worn down but I know I am gonna make it. Thank you for soo much great support.

Love,

Garrett