Tag: Dr. La Qualia

Here’s to you, Wooddawg. 9 years later, baby.

Today, 9 years ago, I was married to my best friend, the
love of my life, my Woody. The only person who has ever truly had
my heart. It was the happiest day of my life; until today. Today is
the happiest day of my life in a different way; a bittersweet way.
Never in a million years did I think that 9 years after I married
my husband, that I would be crying tears of joy because my baby’s
bone marrow scan came back as clean. Yes, that’s right, you heard
me, CLEAN! When Ronan was diagnosed, his bone marrow was filled
with 5-7 percent of Neuroblastoma. Now, it has come back as gone.
What does this mean you ask? It means a lot of things. It means
that the chemo is working, it means that the Neuroblastoma is going
to be easier to get rid of, it means that Ronan truly is kicking
cancer’s ass, and it means that we are once again, filled with so
much hope for our baby of ours. He truly is a force to be reckoned
with. Nothing can stop this baby, not even something as evil as
cancer. This is the best news we could have received today; the
best anniversary gift I could have ever asked for. It is truly a
miracle and proof that all of our prayers, love, energy, and
whatever else is out there, is working in our favor. We met with
Dr. La Quaglia today. He was serious and to the point, but also as
soon as he walked into the room, I knew. I knew that we were in the
right place and I knew that there is nobody in the world that I
would trust with the life of my child. It was like he had a circle
of angels surrounding him. I took one look in his eyes and the
trust was formed instantly. He of course told us how serious the
surgery was; he had to make sure we were aware of the risks. This
was hard for me to hear; but I know legally, he has to tell us
these things. He said on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the worst,
Ronan’s Neuroblastoma surgery was about a 3. I asked him how long
he anticipated the surgery taking and he looked at me and said, “As
long as it takes to do a perfect job.” Done and done. I know this
man is a gift from god and the only person that should be operating
on my child. With that said…. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE…. spend all
day Monday thinking and praying for Ronan. He will need it and we
will need it. I have never been more scared in my entire life. This
is a huge deal… he has to get through this. Just imagining my
baby going through this makes me sick to my stomach. But he is a
fighter and has proven that he can handle anything. He loves us all
too much to leave us.

Tonight, I am asking that you keep a little
girl in your prayers named Ashley. Her mom got in touch with me a
few months ago and her daughter, who is 7, was diagnosed about a
week after Ronan. Today, as Ro and I were trecking through the snow
to Sloan Kettering, I heard her mom yell out my name. I turned
around and there she was, Nicole, on her way to Sloan as well. She
introduced herself and said she has been following my blog for
quite some time now. Ashley, will have her surgery tomorrow, by Dr.
La Qualia. I know she is going to be fine, but as always, extra
prayers help. I will keep you posted and I will be thinking of her
all day. I saw Ashley today. She has the exact same sparkle and
strength in her eyes that Ronan has. She is going to be fine;
another beautiful survivor.

So, New York has completey healed my
love for running. It truly has become my therapy again. Last night,
I was crawling out of my skin, dying to run since it had been a day
since I had gotten to. I headed up to Central Park and ran about 6
miles on complete ice. It was dangerous, crazy, and completely
cathartic. Tonight, I did the same thing as well. Right now,
running is the only thing that is saving me. I don’t have my
therapist here…. and I so need to do a phone conference with her.
Running is my saving grace for the time being. I am going to come
back here and make the NYC marathon my bitch. Mark my words.
Today, I got to meet the new love of my life, Miss Macy:) She is somebody
that emailed me awhile back on my blog to say that she lived here
and if I needed anything to please call her. She is around my age,
and we have been keeping in touch for awhile now. Finally, I was
able to meet this little angel of ours. And what an angel she is.
She came through the RMH, all bundled up in her fur, toting gifts,
and as gorgeous as can be. Ronan and Quinn instantly fell in love
with her and I did too. She stayed for a couple of hours and we
entertained the boys the entire time. Ronan was flirting away, up
to all of his usual tricks. Macy could not have been more fun and
just what we needed to brighten our day. Thanks, Macy… as I said
before, I feel like I’ve known you forever. I can’t wait to
celebrate my birthday with you.

So, tonight, I sit alone at some
amazing pub by the RMH, paying bills and blogging away on my
anniversary. Sad but true. I would of course, rather have Woody
with me but he so sweetly understood that I needed to get out.
INDEPENDENCE…. ugh. it is so important to me. I need this time to
do my thing…. blog, pay bills, be out in the real world
surrounded by people laughing and who have no idea what the fuck
cancer really means in life. Everyone here is laughing, drinking,
playing trivia, and living life to the fullest. Just as they should
be. Hey, it wasn’t so long ago that I lived this carefree life. I
will never take it for granted again. I used to be exactly like
these people in this bar. And I will be someday again. Someday, I
will be back here, with my husband, just enjoying each other and
not obsessing about Ronan’s cancer. Love you all. Sweetest dreams.
xoxox

This is dedicated to Ronan… thanks Linds. Because baby, he
is our firework. Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting
through the wind wanting to start again? Do you ever feel, feel so
paper thin like a house of cards, one blow from caving in? Do you
ever feel already buried deep? 6 feet under screams but no one
seems to hear a thing Do you know that there’s still a chance for
you ‘Cause there’s a spark in you You just gotta ignite, the light,
and let it shine Just own the night like the 4th of July ‘Cause
baby you’re a firework Come on, show ’em what you’re worth Make ’em
go “Oh, oh, oh” As you shoot across the sky-y-y Baby, you’re a
firework Come on, let your colors burst Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh”
You’re gonna leave ’em falling down-own-own You don’t have to feel
like a waste of space You’re original, cannot be replaced If you
only knew what the future holds After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe you’re reason why all the doors are closed So you could open
one that leads you to the perfect road Like a lightning bolt, your
heart will blow And when it’s time, you’ll know You just gotta
ignite, the light, and let it shine Just own the night like the 4th
of July ‘Cause baby you’re a firework Come on, show ’em what you’re
worth Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh” As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you’re a firework Come on, let your colors burst Make ’em go
“Oh, Oh, Oh” You’re gonna leave ’em falling down-own-own Boom,
boom, boom Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon It’s always been
inside of you, you, you And now it’s time to let it
through-ough-ough ‘Cause baby you’re a firework Come on, show ’em
what you’re worth Make ’em go “Oh, Oh, Oh” As you shoot across the
sky-y-y Baby, you’re a firework Come on, let your colors burst Make
’em go “Oh, Oh, Oh” You’re gonna leave ’em falling down-own-own
Boom, boom, boom Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon Boom,
boom, boom Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

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Sushi, Sake, and Cancer

I’m having a ton of anxiety again. Not sure why, it just seems to come and go in waves. I have not been able to run in 2 days… maybe that is why. Running seems to help me get rid of some of this nervous energy. May take a trip to the gym later…  I am really missing my Central Park but it is covered in about 10 inches of snow. Woody has been working today, I have been taking care of Quinn and Ronan while Liam has been hanging out with Woody and then met us down in the playroom. I took Quinn and Ro to eat at the pizza place nearby. Have I mentioned how much Ronan has been eating?? It is insane. I think he eats more than our family, put together. Here is an example of the lunch we just had. Me: Bowl of Tortellini soup. Quinn: 1 slice of pizza and some Fetuccine pasta. Ronan: 3 slices of pizza (they are huge) bread knots, and half of Quinn’s Fettuccine. Not to mention he had just eaten an hour before. I swear he is eating every hour on the hour. It is so great for him; he dropped a little weight during our last round of chemo. I bet you he has put it all back on and then some. Pizza seems to be his favorite as he is eating it at least 3 times a day.

I am trying to let Liam, Quinn, and Ronan soak up as much time together as possible before the twins have to leave. I know Ronan is going to be devastated when they go back to Arizona. Just the thought of it makes me tear up. I hate that they have to be a part, but I also know it is going to be easier on me. It takes a lot to entertain 3 little boys’ who are away from home. Liam and Quinn have been such troopers though; we have been dealing with a little bit of behavioral issues which has thrown me for a loop. It’s mainly my Quinn. I know where it is coming from. He is nervous, scared, and is trying to adapt to our new life but having me gone a lot of the time is hard on him. He is becoming more independent though. I notice little things that I see him doing on his own that he used to not be able to do. I sit back and watch him and wonder, when did he learn how to do that?? Wasn’t I supposed to be there to see it??  I’m trying to do my best to address the things going on with Quinn; we have been doing a lot of talking.

I’ve been emotional the past few days. Being away from our own home is hard…. we are basically in a little studio apartment. Lots of “stuff” in here which is about to throw me over the edge. This whole blizzard thing has left us pretty much inside the RMH all day. About to lose it. It’s a funny thing how whenever I seem to be at my breaking point, my friend Charisma calls me. It’s like she can sense it. She called today and we had a good chat for about a half an hour. She does that type of thing often…. when I am feeling overwhelmed or sad, ring ring, and it is always her. It was good to hear her voice today and I always feel better after our talks. Love you, CC.

That was from earlier today. Guess what time it is?!?! 2:30 a.m. which is what I call the witching hour around here. I wake up at this time every night like clockwork. I just woke up from a very vivid dream which involved Ronan and his cancer. Cancer never fucking sleeps around here; I swear I never get a break from it. Tonight, I was able to get out a bit. I took all 3 boys’ over to Kay and Charlie’s place and then I went and walked the city for a bit. It was a mess but I really needed the walk and alone time. Woody was on the phone with clients and ended up meeting me for some sushi and sake. We sat, I tried to eat a little bit, and we talked. I was in a funk today and he knew it. We talked a lot about Ronan…. at one point I looked over at him and said, “Did you ever think in a million years we would be here?” He of course said no. I told him how I always pictured our life and it was either something happening to me or him that I imagined dealing with. Never was it one of our kids. We had a nice time together but no matter what we do, it’s like a big black cancer cloud is hanging over our heads. Fun times I tell ya. We then walked back and picked up Quinn and Ronan. Liam stayed the night with Mimi and Papa. On our walk back, Quinn was telling me how much he loves New York and wants to go to Columbia University to be a doctor. It was something so little, but it made my night. He told me that this is his favorite city ever…. he is such his mama’s boy:) Ronan would not sit in his stroller and was running through the snowy city, and was laughing and laughing. It was such a perfect moment. We got back to the RMH and everyone was pretty tired since it was so late. The boys’ and I crashed out and Woody stayed up dealing with some airline issues. He needs to get back to Phoenix and we are trying to figure out his travel dates for everything now that it all got screwed up due to the snow. He was supposed to go back on Sunday; but obviously that didn’t happen.

On Wednesday, we should have all of Ronan’s scan results back. We also meet with Dr. La Qualia which I am super excited about. I talked to my friend, Pam White tonight and I think she is more excited than I am for me to meet La Qualia. He saved her daughter’s life. She gave me a picture to give to him of her daughter; she keeps him updated on her by sending him pictures of her beautiful little girl. I can’t wait to give it to him.

That is all for now. 3:30 a.m…. have to try to get back to sleep so I’m not a zombie tomorrow. Love you all. Hope you are having the sweetest dreams.

xoxo

Cheers to being finished with Ro’s Stem Cell Harvest!

We spent 12 hours at Sloan today. I took Ro over there this morning to finish up his stem cell harvest. We are finally finished and they got more than enough, thank the lord. I don’t think I could have handled one more day of him being hooked up and I know he couldn’t have. We did a stem cell collection at Phoenix Children’s and many of you have asked why we are doing another one here. We are basically doing it for “insurance.” IF Ronan’s Neuroblastoma comes back….. which we pray it doesn’t, Sloan believes by having his stem cells before a relapse will increase our chances of killing this god awful disease. If they were to try to harvest them after a relapse, they don’t think the stem cells will be as good. They will stay here at Sloan, frozen, and hopefully we will never need them. We are taking every precaution as parent; we have no choice.

It was a good day though. I had a visit from a friend that just happened to be in the city for the day; a friend who was my very best childhood friend and whom I have not seen or talked to really since I was 13. She was so sweet to come by the hospital to see me. It’s so funny how life works out; as soon as she walked in it was like, hello childhood! She looked exactly the same, except even more beautiful…. if that is even possible. I am so glad I got to see her and so hope to spend some more time with her when she comes back from her trip. Thanks, Jen for coming by. My friend from AZ, Danielle, or DD, is in NYC too! Yay for that! She is staying with her brother in the city for a few nights then heading to spend Christmas with her family. She came by the hospital and hung out with us for a few hours. Always love having her around. So, I had two nice treats today from two lovely ladies. I feel so lucky:)

We have nothing else too major going on tomorrow. Ronan will go to the clinic for platelets and then Thursday we have his CT scan done. So anxious and nervous all at the same time. Please pray extra hard for him…. hoping the tumor in his abdomen has shrunk even more after 3 more cycles of chemo. I will keep you updated as best as I can. We go in very early on Thursday morning.

I am taking a night off from my run tonight and all 3 boys are going to stay with Mimi and Papa. I am going to enjoy a night out with Woody and some friends. A night out together is very much needed. Ronan’s spirits have been great; he is such a little trooper. I am the luckiest mommy alive.

Enjoy the rest of your day<3 It’s the simplest things that are the sweetest!!

xoxo

Feathers, Glitter, and all things Sparkly

 

 

 

Today was a very productive day. My sweet, dear, Fernanda stopped by for a coffee drop off and a visit. She went over my “To do” list with me and helped me decide how to tackle it. We also talked about our little project we have in the works… she has an amazing business mind. More on that when we are further on down the road. Let’s just say the two of us, when Ronan is well, are going to change the world and make the most amazing things come out of this. It is a good, heathy distraction for me right now; something I am very excited about and I am so honored to have Fernanda by my side ❤ It’s so amazing to me, how you know someone through the years, and then something like this happens and your relationship either truly blossoms or bottoms out. Out of this, I have found a very special friendship that had always existed, I just never knew it until now.

After Fernanda left, one of our angels who writes on my blog a lot, but I have never met before, came over to help me out with some things. My new friend, Rita, came and did the mounds of paper work that has been looming over my head like a dark cloud. It took her around 3 hours and I am so grateful for her and her organization skills. There is no way I was going to be able to tackle that project this week. My mind is all out of whack and paperwork is something that has become totally overwhelming to me. Thank you so much, R. You saved my life today:) And Ronan loved having you here! I can’t believe how openly he welcomed you into our home. I am very thankful for that.

I cleaned out our pantry, caught up on all of our laundry, paid some bills, and cleaned and organized all of Ronan’s toys. If I leave here with things like that not being done…. I will drive myself crazy thinking about it. Stupid OCD. I will feel so much better going to New York and knowing that everything is organized and put away where it is supposed to be.

Ronan was a happy little boy today. He did a lot of playing by himself while I got things done. He snuggled up in my arms and we took a good nap together. Snuggling with him is one of my favorite things in the world. He fits so perfectly in my arms. Liam and Quinn came home from school and spent it playing with Ronan. I am trying to let them soak up their time with him as much as possible. They are such good big brothers. I am so excited to spend Christmas with them in New York. I have not done a thing as far as Christmas shopping goes this year. All of the gifts, cards, “stuff,” just seems so meaningless. Woody came home all excited about the gift he has gotten for me and I didn’t mean to burst his bubble, but I told him I didn’t want anything. That is not true; the only thing I want this year is the best doctor in the world operating on my baby. And he already got me that. I couldn’t ask for more at this point. I know I am going to have to get some things for Liam and Quinn, but I think I’ll leave that up to Woody. I can’t focus on stuff like that this year. One of my most favorite things about Christmas is sending out our annual Holiday Card. Not happening this year. Makes me sad; but I’ve got bigger fish to fry. I’ll send you all one on my blog, how bout that;) Think of all the trees I’ll be saving!!

We have a pretty good plan in place for New York. Woody, my in-laws, the twins, The Kotaliks, My mom, my oldest friend, Sandy, whom I have known since I was 5, and Tricia will be coming in and out. Trish and my mom will be with me on my birthday<3 So happy about that. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve as I always do as far as ways we will celebrate once Ronan’s surgery is successful. One of them involves glitter… and lots of it. I’m obsessed with anything sparkly and glittery and I used to be a very fun girl. I’ve been thinking of ways we can celebrate and make this milestone something to remember in a very positive, fun way. Trish and I went shopping for hats to wear in New York and I bought a silly feather white feather headband to wear on New Year‘s Eve. Who cares if we’ll be at the Ronald McDonald house…. we will still have sparkles, glitter, and feathers galore. This is our journey and I cannot wait to say goodbye to 2010. Remember how I told you about “Earmuffs??” Or maybe stop reading here….. You know what I’m going to say to 2010?? Adios Mother Fucker! Worst year of my life. 2011 is going to be all about getting Ronan better and healthy.

I heard “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls on Pandora tonight. It made me think of Ronan. Cheers to you, baby boy.
And I’d give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be
And I don’t want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it’s over
I just don’t want to miss you tonight

And I don’t want the world to see me
Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

And you can’t fight the tears that ain’t coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive

And I don’t want the world to see me
Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I don’t want the world to see me
Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am

P.S.  I totally heart Neil Young and  Johnny Cash. They bring me peace and sing us to sleep every night. Goodnight to all of you beautiful souls out there. Wishing you all health, peace, and happiness. Love you ALL. So thankful for all of you and how you are always keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Ronan is a fighter, there is not a soul out there like him. I PROMISE you, he will get through this. I can feel it in every fiber of my body and soul. And through this journey, I’ve come to find out how true and right my insights are in regards to my life. I BELIEVE.

Heart of a mother, soul of a fighter

Anxiety is the word of the night. Not sure why… but tonight I am more anxious than I have been in a while. We had a great day; a beautiful day. We started off up bright and early and Ronan knew that we had a clinic day ahead of us. He was actually really excited about going because he knew we would get to come home after. We had all of his counts checked and got to visit with our favorite people, “A” and Sharon. I guess I am having a little anxiety about leaving PCH to go to Sloan. I’ve gotten so comfortable here and I am going to miss seeing “A” and Sharon sooooo much. They take such good care of us and are always so warm and friendly. They feel like family to me. Going to a new hospital to try to get used to “new” people seems a bit scary. But hey, in the big picture of things… I know it’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m sure everyone in New York will be just as nice…(I hope). How could they not be… all they are going to have to do is take one look at Ronan’s big blue eyes and they will fall in love with him:) Dr. Maze came over to say hello and helped me with Ronan for a bit. I was dealing with setting up our next appointments and as soon as Dr. Maze came in, he scooped Ronan up into his arms and went and sat down with him while I took care of some paper work. It was adorable, to say the least.Ronan was talking and smiling the entire time. He was so happy today.

We came home and Sarah came over for a bit so I could go and run an errand. Ro was fine with having her here and told her she could come to New York with him. He sat and named off a list of the people who were allowed to come. Sarah and Trish both made the cut;) He is very excited to go and so am I…. for the most part. I’m torn about being away from Liam and Quinn so long, and not having Woody with me the entire time. I’m making the best of it though… I’m a big girl and now is not the time to willow into a little flower. It’s time to take New York by storm and stay focused on what we are there to do. I am going to be so relieved when his surgery is over; the anticipation is already driving me crazy. I just need to remember deep breaths and that Ronan is going to be in the best hands in the world. I can do this, he can do this, we can do this.

I need to go on a run or something… Ronan is already sound asleep and Liam and Quinn are tucked in as well. The house is so quiet but my mind is not. I can’t even watch T.V. anymore…. it is so hard for me to focus on it and seems like such a waste of time. I have so much to do before we leave and I need to get a list written out of everything that has to be done before we go. Where is my Marisa when I need her. Ris’ I need you and your HELP!! She is the best at getting things done like this. I usually have no problem getting things ready to go. But that was in my old life, before Ronan had cancer. Now the littlest things seem overwhelming. I think I’d better make a call to the “good doctor” and have him up my dose of my meds…. Pronto.

Sweet dreams to you all, you lucky, lovely, people.

xoxo

When you try your best, but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you’re too in love to let it go
But if you never try you’ll never know
Just what you’re worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down on your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down on your face
And on your face I…

Tears stream down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down on your face
And on your face I…

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Magic Medicine, Day 3 Round 4

Headphones on: check. Music blaring: check. Baby sleeping: check. Tears out of the way for today: check. Today, was overall a good day. Ronan slept in until 9 which is very unusual, but he had a rough night. From about 2-4 he was up and throwing a tantrum. He kept throwing himself on the cold floor, insisting he was hot, and he was mad that he was “hooked up” to all of his medicine. He would not let me touch him, hold him, and kept screaming for me to leave. Finally, he fell back asleep. Mimi and Papa came around 9:30 so I could run home and sleep/shower. The sleep part never happened, but it felt nice to be home for a while. I also got to see Liam and Quinn for about 5 minutes which was a treat. I miss my boys. I came back to PCH and played the rest of the afternoon/evening with Ronan. Trish came by to bring me a coffee and say hello. Ronan was not happy to have her here at first. By the time she left though, he was yelling to her as she walked out the door, “Love you! Thanks for coming! See ya later, alligator!” It was the cutest thing. The “thanks for coming” part melted my heart. The nurses were all cracking up standing outside the door listening to him say his goodbyes. He doesn’t talk much around here, so they got a big kick out of hearing him yell all of those things to Trish. I was going to take Ronan downstairs to meet Mimi as she was dropping off some things to us. I asked the nurse to make sure it was o.k. and I got a big fat NO. Apparently, if you are hooked up to chemo, you have to stay on your floor and I guess they have gotten pretty strict about enforcing those rules. As soon as I told Ronan he couldn’t go downstairs with me, it was meltdown city. We were in the hallway and he started screaming, hitting, and crying. I had about 5 nurses run out to see what the commotion was. This lasted about 20 minutes and finally he calmed down and fell asleep in my arms. His little meltdowns always make me cry. I hate that he does not have the words to express what he is feeling.

New York is right around the corner. I’m anxious to get it out of the way. I am excited to go… I couldn’t think of a better place to spend a month, even if it is under the circumstances we are dealing with. I have the best friends and family who will be flying out to help me out and to give me a break. I cannot wait to meet Dr. Kusher and La Qualia…just to be in the presence of such amazing Doctors makes me feel so thankful that we are fortunate enough to have Ronan in the best hands.

I am hoping that Ronan stays asleep tonight for the rest of the night. We were told today that we will be able to go home tomorrow around 9:00 p.m. Yay for that. We will start Round 5, November 22. I can’t believe how all of this is flying right by. Please keep a special little girl in your prayers tonight. Her name is Mia. A few weeks ago, Auntie Karen and I were walking Ronan around downstairs, and a man chased us down and asked if this was Ronan. He said he recognized him from my blog that he follows. His little girl, Mia, is here now completing another brain surgery. I spoke with her mom on the phone tonight and it sounds like everything went well. She needs lots of prayers and love send her way too. So many kids do. Our roommate, who I will just call, S, went home today. I missed it and I am so sad that I didn’t get to say goodbye. Mimi was here and told me that the dad was anything but nice. After listening to the way the dad was talking to his son (who he hasn’t seen in over a week) Mim went over and told the dad how proud he should be of his little boy, how polite and well-mannered he was. The dad replied with some snarky comment about how he doesn’t seen that side of him. UGH. I would like to punch that guy in the face. That little boy could not have been any sweeter. It makes me sick to think that he dad does not appreciate how amazing of a little guy he has. The poor kid has been here alone the entire time and never once complained about a thing. I am going to keep him in my prayers for the rest of my life. We have a new roommate now. He is 19 and seems really nice. He is quiet which is always a bonus.

My sweet Charisma rocking a Rockstar Ronan bracelet. And seriously, could she be any more gorgeous? Love her. Email us at rockstarronan@gmail.com if you want one. They are 5 bucks. She is wearing the “nice” one which says, “Rockstar Ronan” “Our little hero”…. I also have a “naughty” version which says something not so nice about cancer….”F*cK You Cancer.” I rock the not so nice version. Alright.. seriously going to try my best to get some rest now, while Ronan is resting. Whooohoooo for almost being done with Round 4! Only 2 more rounds of chemo to go!!!! Goodnight to all of you beautiful people out there. Please spread the word about Ronan and childhood cancer in general. Together, we can make a difference!

P.S. 96,874…. as of today… this is the number of blog views I’ve had. AMAZING! I am stunned that so many people are taking the time to read Ronan’s story. Thank you to each and every one of you! xoxo