Medical Updates
At Phin's latest clinic checkup in Atlanta, we learned he appears to be completely cured of his joint GVHD. That's the condition that was stiffening his elbows, wrists, and ankles, and reducing his flexibility and range of motion. After a year of treatment, it looks like there's no trace of it. This is beyond the hopes and expectations of the BMT team, which was already looking for alternatives for when the treatment plan they tried didn't work.
That's the main news. His doctor and he chatted about the World Cup (both are following it closely) and sung the praises of Phin's progress to Neesha. Phin's counts look good. His donor's bone marrow continues to do exactly what it was supposed to. All in all, a great checkup.
He got one vaccine at this visit, which he much preferred to the four or five he got the last two times. No more vaccines for six months. However, he still can't receive MMRI vaccines. That means it'll be another school year for him with his 504 at the ready to yank him back to remote school in the event that anyone rolls up with measles, which, sadly, seems less far-fetched than it once did.
Phin On the Daily
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Phin's first camp of the summer was an all-sports camp he attended with his friend, Grant. Mostly he played soccer. This photo, taken by someone else, was originally posted to the camp's host's social media page. |
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| Level green belt unlocked! Phin concluded his first year of martial arts classes with his promotion to green belt under the guidance of Mr. Murray (pictured here) and the other instructors at Savannah Black Belt Academy. |
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| Phin and his buddy kick a light-up soccer ball at dusk in the neighborhood. Soccer has become an almost constant preoccupation in our house (and yard), with Phin working on his dribbling and shooting from sunrise to sunset almost every day he's home. |
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| After his clinic appointment, our favorite World Cup fanatic stopped by FIFA Fan Festival in Atlanta. While he didn't get to catch Morocco's 4 - 2 victory over Haiti that evening, he did immerse himself in the joyous atmosphere of the World Cup by checking out the stations around the venue and partying and playing with other fans from around the world. |
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| Phin checks out his latest haircut--a modified version of the hairstyle worn by Phin's favorite soccer star, Neymar da Silva Santos Jr., commonly known as Neymar. A bit disappointed that it wasn't shaved to the skin on the sides and curly and bleached blond on top like Neymar's current cut seems to be, Phin was nonetheless satisfied with the results. |
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| Obelia (left) and Phin wade through crashing waves at Spash In the Boro, a waterpark in nearby Statesboro, GA. Phin, his sisters, parents, and Uncle Coire spent the day zipping down slides, floating the lazy river, braving the peaks and troughs of the wave pool, and soaking up as many summer vibes as they could. This easy day trip for the family had been on Neesha's to-do list for years. Now, in this moment of relative--and, hopefully, lasting--calm,, in which Phin's body can once again handle prolonged exposure to heat, sun, water, and crowds, what would have been completely out of the question even a year ago finally became a reality. |
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| Thanks to a dolphin cruise gift certificate we acquired at a Cure Childhood Cancer fundraiser earlier this year, Phin, Obelia, Uncle Coire, and I got to spend a sunny afternoon watching dolphins swimming around feeding and occasionally leaping through the wake behind the boat of the coast of Tybee Island. None of us had ever seen a baby dolphin before, but the tour guide spotted one for us, and we watched it cleave to its mother as the two of them searched for fish in the briny waves. |
