Goodbye Radiation!

We were glad to have you, proton radiation. You are less damaging than the alternative photon radiation. We hope you did your job-no more and no less. May we NEVER need you again!

(Emmett's last day of radiation was July 5th)

The kids that are sedated for radiation get prepped and recover in this backroom.
They have a lot of toys and entertainment to preoccupy them while they wait.

 

This is "Gantry 3"- the actual treatment room where Emmett was sedated and given radiation every morning

Emmett's favorite thing out in the lobby was the trainset in the playroom, of course

We met some other kids & families that were there every morning, too

This is Kenia-she's from the Dominican Republic & her 3 year old son was receiving radiation also.

Her mom and older son were visiting for a while, but she had an 18 month old back home that she hasn't seen in a while.  We loved her.  She'd give us a hug every morning when we saw her & was so sweet.  There is always someone who has it harder than you, that's for sure. 

We hope all goes well and her family is united again soon!

This is the recovery room again.  Emmett was often the 1st or 2nd to go because he was the youngest.

There were anywhere from 4-6 kids that needed sedation also.

One morning when Emmett was very first-he asked for the RC Train, as soon as he got that, asked for the iPad, and then wanted bubbles, too.  I swear he did it on purpose & wanted to hoard all the 'good' toys before any of the other kids got them ;)

In the Gantry

Right before being sedated

This is his face mask.  He was fitted for it under sedation for another scan before we started radiation.

They put it on him every day after he's sedated to make sure his head stays perfectly still.

We were inpatient for Week 10 of chemo June 26 - June 29.

They had to come 'transport' us down to radiation every day in a wheelchair.  

And EVERY day, Emmett dragged along this lawnmower that he loves from the playroom.

He also slept with it in his crib during naps and at night.  And would ask for it before his eyes were hardly open when he woke up.  He loves all things mowers.  The neighbors I'm sure are creeped out by him because if he hears a lawnmower in the neighborhood, he begs to go out and then just wants to stand on the sidewalk and watch them.  (Well, truthfully, he wants to play with it, but we usually just try to watch)

This is the world famous nurse, Rachel.  She runs the Pediatric side of the Proton Center and everyone in the hospital knows her by first name-just like Cher or Prince.  And nurses at Children's also knew her by first name, although, they'd never met her.  These next pictures were taken on Thursday, July 5th, Emmett's last day of radiation!  That staff bought him his on RC Thomas Train because that was his absolute favorite toy there.  He's loved having one at home, now!

They decorated his bed for his big day.  I got him dressed in his Sunday Best.  Emmett has been a fighter and done great during radiation.  This is a big accomplishment to be done with a such a significant part of his treatment and I am so proud of Emmett.  He's so little, that obviously, he just goes where ever we take him, but getting yanked from bed around 6:15 every morning for 6 weeks and only getting weekends to recover, put into a carseat, spending anywhere from 20-60 min one way depending on traffic, not being able to eat before sedation, being nauseous, having his skin have a terrible burn on it now,  having chemo treatments simultaneously, having to be sedated every day....you get the idea.  This kid has been amazing through it all and today was a big achievement for him and so he was dressed to show that! 

Here's the other nurse, Eileen.  She's really sweet and we saw her every morning and she 

helped get Emmett ready or oversaw him while he woke up.

This is Emmett getting ready for his very last treatment.  I'm bummed, because we took a picture with all the staff (it takes 2-3 techs, a nurse, an anesthesiologist & a resident every day to get him aligned correctly) but the camera wigged out.  They also let me take one of him 'asleep' on the table as they were starting, but that didn't turn out either.  The only one I got was the back of everyone's head :(

Even though it was his last day, we didn't get to go home and celebrate right away.  Emmett needed a 

platelet transfusion, so we headed upstairs to the clinic and spent some time up there. Emmett started 'flirting with a fever,' as the doctor called it, but luckily it's Sunday and we're still home, as his fever has never gotten high 'enough' to go in.

Grandma

We've heard of this tradition at a few facilities-you get to ring a bell at the end of treatment

Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle Cris & Aunt Laree made it to my bell ringing!