82) Stories, and pictures, and bears - oh my!

Recently our family was able to participate in a special event organized by our regional cancer support centre, Hearth Place.

The event put together for children who have cancer, and their siblings. For children, having cancer can mean missing out on many typical childhood activities. Participation in sports, crowded places, public transit, and indoor shopping centres can often be a no-no. The recycled air, the crowds of people, and the presence of germs can potentially do a number on these kids, who are immunosuppressed as part of their treatment.

In order to minimize germ exposure, but still give these kids an opportunity to be kids, Hearth Place worked together with the Oshawa Centre to organize a special visit before the mall opened to the public. The kids were invited in early to make a bear at the Build-A-Bear Workshop, followed by a story, and a picture with Santa from MyHolidayMoments.

I would like to express my gratitude to Hearth Place, the Oshawa Centre for organizing this event. I'd also like to say thank you to  Build-A-Bear, MyHolidayMoments, and Santa Claus himself for participating! Both of my boys had smiles on their faces, except for when it was E's turn to have a picture with Santa. He was a little afraid, and didn't want to get near him. I think the biggest smile was on my face, just watching them participate. Santa assured me that both boys were on the nice list, so he mustn't have been checking in when J broke a lamp just 2 days prior.

E's bear, lovingly brought to life with assistance from J.

J watching the stuffing machine.

E listening to Santa read a story from a safe distance.

81) Odd traditions

Traditions can often be strange. For instance Christmas wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't bring a small evergreen tree (or reasonable facsimile) inside our homes, and treejazzle it with lights, ornaments, and baubles.

According to Wikipedia, Christmas trees could possibly be traced back to Roman times, when houses were decorated with evergreen wreaths for the feast of Saturnalia. Alternately, they may be traced back to the Vikings & Saxons, who worshiped trees. They would decorate barns & houses with evergreens at the New Year in order to scare away the devil. Yet another theory traces their origin to medieval plays held on December 24th, where a tree was decorated with apples to symbolize the tree with the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. It's generally agreed that modern Christmas trees began in Latvia, Estonia, and Northern Germany during the Renaissance, when Lutherans would bring decorated trees into their homes. From there, is caught on, and eventually spread to other sects of Christianity. Regardless of where, why, and how it started, it is a little odd, especially when you think about it. You bring something that normally grows out of doors inside your house, and cover it in bling.

We recently put up our (artificial) tree when E was taking a nap. When he woke up, we brought him into the room, when he pointed, and exclaimed "tree!" He initially was quite interested in it, and pulled off a few ornaments. Lately, he's been better about leaving it alone. Yes, E, it's a tree. I'm not entirely sure why we do it, but it's been a tradition passed down through numerous generations, and now it's going to be a tradition of yours. Hopefully, it will be something you can pass down to your own kids, should you be able to, or choose to have them.

E, probably trying to figure out why there is a tree INSIDE the house.

80) Batkid

This post doesn't directly relate to E, but I thought I would share a good news story:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mbvd/batkid-cancer-free-remission

I'm sure a number of people will remember Miles Scott, a 5 year old boy being treated for leukemia. He's from San Francisco, and he used his Make-A-Wish wish to be Batkid for a day. Yesterday marked 5 years that Miles has been in remission, which means he is now considered cancer-free! A big congratulations to him and his family!

I remember watching the story with tears in my eyes, especially when it was reported that about fifteen-thousand people came out, and lined the streets to show their support, when organizers had only expected a few hundred! In 2013, Neither of my two boys had been born yet, but my wife was pregnant with our first. I specifically remember remember thinking about that little boy, and his family. I expanded that thought to all families who have kids with cancer, and just how unfair & difficult it must be. At that time, I had no idea that I would be going through the same thing with my youngest (not-born-until 2016) son in less than four years.

79) I am a flu fighter

It's a little bit later than normal this year, but today I went out, and got my flu shot.

Flu shot injection site.

Please go out and get your flu shot. Flu season is starting to gear up, and the flu shot is really your best defence against getting sick. Yes, the flu shot may not be 100% effective, but if you get your shot and catch the flu, the length and severity of your symptoms can be reduced. You are also not just protecting yourself, you are helping to protect the young, the elderly, pregnant women, the sick, and people who may be immunosuppressed, such as cancer patients. The more people who get their flu shots, the more difficult it is for the virus to spread due to herd immunity.

So please, go and get your flu shot. It really doesn't take much, and here in Ontario the flu shot is free - you just need your health card. It's available at your doctor's office and most pharmacies. Be a flu fighter, and you might just save someone's life.


Find a flu clinic near you:

http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/diseases-conditions-maladies-affections/disease-maladie/flu-grippe/clinic-clinique-eng.php


Flu facts:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/flu-facts

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/flu-influenza.html

https://www.forjudeforeveryone.com

78) Anniversaries & All Hallows' Eve

Happy belated 8th anniversary to my wife. The traditional 8th anniversary gift is bronze/pottery, while the modern 8th anniversary gift is lace/linen. Realistically, the 8th anniversary gift is "let's discuss our 4 year-old's classroom behaviours that warranted a call home from his teacher today".

Halloween fell on a Wednesday this year, and it was also the day we took E to our satellite clinic for bloodwork & chemo. He received a push of vincristine at the hospital, and later received his 5 dissolved-in-water methotrexate pills when we had returned home. Chemo on Halloween is definitely a trick, not a treat. We took him to the hospital dressed in his monkey costume, and everyone there loved it. We took him out trick-or-treating that night, but we only went to 4 or 5 houses with him. He's difficult because he wants to run everywhere. He doesn't yet understand what he's supposed to be doing, and he was rolling on the ground, which was soaked from the day's rain.

Still on Halloween, but mid-afternoon, we received a phone call with his blood results. His counts weren't so high anymore, and the neutrophils & white blood cells were closer to, and within normal ranges. The high counts have been dogging us for a few months now, and we've been a bit worried about it. We brought it up during October's parent support group meeting at Hearth Place. A few of the other parents told us that their kids had also had high counts during maintenance, and that it wasn't something to be overly concerned about. It's a reassuring to hear other parents' opinions & experiences, but it's also a relief to see the counts closer to where they should be.

Foggy, rainy Toronto on Halloween 2018. Looking northwest from the 7th floor at Scarborough Centenary.

E the monkey playing in the POGO room on Halloween while waiting for his chemo.