5/23/2008

Amazing

Will's dad wrote a very powerful and poignant blog entry about the video you can view here. Before you do that, let me just tell you a quick story about the doctor featured in it, Dr. Giselle Sholler.

This morning (Friday) I was honored to take Max to his 7am radiation appointment. Usually what I do is once Max is sedated, I run down to the cafe and grab a coffee and then return and wait for Max to be wheeled out of the radiation room. Today, I had another agenda and that was to call Dr Sholler as I had a question about this week's spike in Max's VMA (probably the marker to watch on neuroblastoma tumor activity). Max's VMA has gone up significantly again and I wanted to discuss with Dr Sholler what we might do to try to bring it down, even temporarily.

I call Dr Sholler's cell, and she picked up after about 7 rings. She sounded soft and a little bit groggy, but I figured I had just interupted her in some way. Come to find out she was in a hospital bed recovery from surgery. Rather than say, "I can't talk right now," she asked, "How's Max? How's he doing?" We had a brief conversation about what we were going to try over this weekend to bring Max's cancer, which seems to be on the prowl again, under some form of control. For those of you not familiar with the medical system today, the fact that I have the docs' cell phone, let alone that she picks it up and has a conversation with a parent whose child she actually isn't even officially treating, is just amazing. But then, we always knew she was amazing. Hopefully you see why she is now too.

2 comments:

Randee said...

I have been here twice a day for the last week but the words to post just haven't seemed adequate to what you continue to go through every day. You are truly amazing and I thank God for people like Dr. Scholler who strives to find your answer, for Deb who brings the essence of Max's cancer to life, for Lisa who moves the bar to a new level as she teaches her 1st graders with heart and love and especially for the Magic Water parents who along with everything else you do take time to make the way better not only for your kids but for all the NB warriors. As I read the essay from Spencer's Dad I thought of you and how you have chosen to live--we know the heartbreak and pain are there BUT your smile, determination and commitment to forge ahead with a spirit of life shining through and no matter what you always LIVE LIFE TO THE MAX-NEVER GIVING UP!!!! That is what heroes are made of.

Lucas, Kira, Thy, Chinh said...

Thank you so much for sharing Deb's powerful pictures. My favorite is the first of the set of sibling pictures. The kids look so blissfully and purely happy.

I don't think I ever thanked you for your email when I posted about getting nifurtimox in San Diego (over 7 months ago). Unfortunately, Lucas' disease progressed too fast we didn't make it down there. I was touched by the support you offered when we were seeking options and then your posting after he died. It means alot to us. Thank you for generously extending yourself when you have so much you are also dealing with.

You all, especially Max, are never too far from my thoughts.

t, mom to Lucas Tran

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