So, that being said here we go..........
Let's see last I posted we had just had a great couple of Dr visits, some really great test results and we found balance again as a family living with our new equipment. Well, remember those curve balls I mentioned earlier, they came flying at full speed and I wasn't swinging. Kevin went out for the first ATV ride with my dad and brother and proceeded to wipe out, break a few ribs and his collarbone. Well, for the average family this is a minor setback. A few missed days of work, a little less help around the house, but manageable. In a household with a disabled child, this my friends is a MAJOR setback. I immediately without hesitation fly back into complete and total manic control mode. So much for balance, it didn't exist, it couldn't exist. Kevin was in a lot of pain and I put on my nurses hat and got down to business. I even had some sympathy, and for those of you that know me well, you can pick yourself up off the floor now :) We pushed through the first couple of days with some unexpected pains and bumps in the road, but we were getting there. 10 days after the accident I was scheduled to leave for a girls trip to Vegas so Kevin's sister came in to help with Cam so I could go and take in a few days of relaxation so I didn't fall completely off the cliff, and I can't thank her enough. It was a much needed break, had a great time with lots of laughs and came home with a severely broken pinky toe courtesy of the lifeguard chair. :( Through all of this Cam has kept going about his daily routine and adjusted well to all of the chaos that has now become our life. We are blessed that he is so compassionate and understanding that he just rolled with punches. Everyday he had to go to before school, which he really dislikes, he went to after school everyday without complaint until I could get there, he played alone and patiently waited for me to get things taken care of before asking me to do anything. I know the days got long for him and some days he felt like a burden, but he always said he understood and was OK. My parents were a great help through all of this, picking Cam up and taking him to dinner, helping with the yard work, helping with laundry and housecleaning, without them we would be lost! We pushed through the broken bones and things were getting somewhat back to what we consider normal by mid May so I was finding my balance and we were pushing up the hill towards the peak just in time for summer.
Mother's day was fantastic, we had brunch with my family, Cam made me some amazing gifts and Kevin made me dinner. Life does not get much better than that!
As we approach the end of the school year Cam is really looking forward to the last day of school and very ready for summer break to start. The last day of school arrives and I always volunteer at the end of year picnic (field day) so I can help Cam get around and be involved in all of the activities. Every year we have a great time outside doing games and crafts, inside we dance to the DJ and Cam and I are limbo experts. This year was very different. We started in the assembly and things were great, Matt Wilhelm was doing bike tricks and talking about bullying. then it was time for outdoor play and things began to go downhill. Cam started doing a craft and eventually a few of the girls joined in, meanwhile all of the boys were wrapped up in their game of football and could not be interrupted. Cam had taken his manual chair and couldn't get out on the grass very well so he sat on the sidelines and watched. I stood by him and watched him get quieter and quieter by the minute. I asked him if he wanted to leave or do something and he said he wanted to stay for the DJ. Finally after a very long hour and a half of outdoor play it was time for the DJ!!! Off we went excited and ready to go, until we entered the lunchroom. All of the kids ran around dancing and singing and left Cam in the dust. While I understand it's not their intention, nor do they mean any malice, it still breaks my heart to watch. Cam's eyes began to well up with tears and fought real hard to keep them back, but I knew they were there. I looked at him and he said "we can go Mom, I'm ready." I was speechless, wheeled him out, gathered his stuff and off we went. The car ride home was quiet, but we had a lot to look forward to. I asked him several times if he was OK and he without hesitation responded "Yes Mom!" We were leaving that afternoon for our first camping trip, so I was ready to be home and start packing. I was happy to have the distraction because my heart was breaking for him. I have thought about that moment many times and wondered how many more times will he have to feel that way, even though I'm sure he hasn't given it a second thought.
In the midst of this we learned that a member of our "fire fighter family" as well as a good friend to Cam, had chosen to take his own life. Try breaking that news to your 10 year old, NOT FUN! On Sunday evening we met with some of our MDA family to pay our respects and say goodbye. Cam was very quiet and kept to himself all day on Sunday, it was very hard to see him clearly affected by the situation, yet refused to admit it was bothering him. I think sometimes his strength and ability to deal with challenges gets the best of him and he refuses to admit when things are too hard. We arrived at the service and were introduced to his mom who had some very kind words for Cam and he began to cry. Finally he is showing the pain and man was it heart wrenching for anyone around to see this sweet little boy cry for his friend and not understand why it happened. It was a quiet car ride home and as we entered the house Kevin picked Cam up, gave him a big hug and Cam began to sob. We talked about things over dinner and spent the rest of the evening having family night watching Cam's favorite movie. All I could think was is the the end of the curve balls? Man I hope so!!!
On Tuesday of this last week Cam and I headed downtown for a slough of tests and appointments at the crack of dawn. We arrived at the hospital and got started. They took and X-ray of every bone in Cam's body, kinda cool, then did a dexa scan to measure his bone density, then we headed to the lab where they drew an enormous amount of blood. At 9am we were done and had a break until we had to be back for another appointment at 1pm. Cam and I walked what felt like a billion blocks to a breakfast place that he likes then contemplated what to do for the next 3 hours. He decided he wanted to ride the bus to the zoo, so off we went. We missed the first bus so we waited for the next one and on we went and let me tell you, it was so easy with his wheelchair!! We wandered around the zoo for awhile and headed back. We met with the dietician and Cam had gained almost 3 pounds!!! It was incredible to hear that he weighed in at almost 43 pounds, the most he has ever weighed!!!!!!!! She was very happy with his progress, but wanted us to push harder to get his boost to the 480ml per day goal, right now we were only up to 300ml per day so we have a long ways to go. She was also not very happy that Cam had started skipping breakfast because he is full form his morning boost. Recently Cam has been having problems with his nighttime boost giving him reflux and he has not been able to finish the full 150ml so she offered us a new plan. We would start hooking Cam up to boost at bedtime and he could stay hooked up to the pump all night while he sleeps. he could take the full boost amount over 9 hours and then not have to take it during the day at all. Cam agreed to try it and SUCCESS!!! The first night Cam took all 300ml while he slept, woke up saying he didn't even feel it and was hungry for breakfast. We will slowly start increasing the volume over the next few weeks in hopes to reach our 480ml per day goal.
Now we are going to kick back, relax and enjoy every moment of summer we can. Cam has a few appointments this summer with some new doctors so we will deal with anything they say as it comes, but for now we are smooth sailing and I will take it while I can get it!!!
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