Happy New Year! We're Goin Home!

P in the window. —photo by Fred

Just in time to get ready for our night on off-the-chains new year's eve partying, the docs are lettin us go home!

He got his regularly scheduled chemo late this morning, plus another bag o' platelets for good measure. Pablo's white blood cell numbers are on the incline - ever so slowly. We are on strict orders (as always) to keep an eye on his temp, and to return him to the CHLA scene if he exceeds 100.4 degrees. Part of the docs' decision to let P go home is that we live five mins away, and they have faith in our (read: Jo Ann's) supreme diligence around every minute detail of P's health.

This is all great news. Our new year's eve will probably consist of, um, sleeping through midnight. But, still, being home is supremely (yes, I used that word twice in 10 seconds) ILL!

Have a safe night wherever in the world you are. If you have room in your 2009 wishes and resolutions, throw a little love 'n light Pablo's way.

Our family's simple wish for 2009 is to have a happy and healthy Pablo - with a full head of hair - back in that bedroom at the end of our downstairs hallway. We're WELL on our way to that goal. Jo Ann and I are going to meditate tonight and envision Pablo growing, grown, strong, helping us as we get older. I am going to envision him kickin my butt up Angeles Crest.

Once we hit it, the rest of our family dreams - family vacation to Europe, riding bikes all over LA, some Hawaii beach time directly after P's treatment, Grady learning how to drive, Grady's first date, Jo Ann going on a solo vacation with friends, etc - will come easily. Through all of this cancer stuff, we have come to appreciate - TRULY APPRECIATE - what we have just hangin out with one another. And just supporting one another's experiences.

Lastly, I want to express our GRATITUDE to ALL OF YOU for your tireless, constant support. The phone calls. The emails. The gifts. The food. The blog comments. The financial investments in The Pablove Foundation. The hugs and ears and words of comfort. I could blow up the blogger.com servers listing all the thanks we have for you all.

We love you. You have proven that community is a real, powerful aspect of life. We have all had our lives enriched as our community has defined and strengthened its web to help and support Pablo. Imagine how this has affected our kids! You can't learn this stuff in a book. Thank God. And you never know when teaching opportunities like this will pop up in life. The one thing I do know is that just by showin up, by caring, by expressin empathy and sympathy, our children's lives are enriched.

Happy 2009!