Phew! It has been a long day. My day started at 4 a.m. when I awoke and could not go back to sleep. I cannot imagine why not, I have so much on mind with Payton’s scans that it mentally drains me every six months during scan time. When we arrived at Cook’s Radiology it was super busy and they were backed up on their appointments. I knew that Payton was hungry since he was not able to eat or drink anything since dinner on Thursday night. He did remarkably well though. Only one time did he mention that he was thirsty when he saw a lady in the waiting room slurping on a big drink. I really wanted to say to her ‘did you miss reading all the signs that say no food or drink in the waiting room?’ Here are all these small kids starving and you’re going to sit here a slurp down your drink. I resisted and kept my mouth shut. Maybe it was just my patience running thin after waking up at 4:00. After a bit of a wait, it was finally our turn. Payton knew what to expect and did so well at holding still and following directions. I was so impressed with him. He seemed to be so relaxed during scans maybe it was prayers being answered. After Payton’s scans were done we headed over to the Hematology/Oncology Clinic. It immediately brought back memories from the moment we entered. It made me teary to watch all the bald headed, skinny kids receiving chemo and transfusions. It was hard watching the parents as well. I remember it all too well what a helpless feeling it is as a parent to watch your child go through. I couldn’t help but feel such love for everyone in there. It was a long wait waiting for the results of Payton’s scans and blood work. Payton started to get a little frustrated at this point and wanted to go to McDonald’s to get a happy meal.
During our wait in the clinic, some volunteers from ‘The Hug Works’ came and sang songs to the kids. These were the same two guys that came and volunteered their time while Payton was in the hospital 5 years ago. They would bring in their guitars and would sing therapeutic music to the kids. They are a nonprofit organization. We were super surprised to see that they were still volunteering and it was fun to see them again. I was surprised that Payton remembered them. It immediately made me teary since it brought back memories of our time we spent in the hospital. I am truly amazed at the wonderful volunteers at Cook’s. It was great seeing the kids sing and get involved. They were all smiling and joining in. I love what powerful impact music can have on children. Payton thoroughly enjoyed listening to them and it helped the wait time go by faster for both of us.
Finally it was time for us to see Dr. Bowman. It was great to see him as always. He was very excited to see Payton and see how much he has grown over the past 6 months. Dr. Bowman had great news “4 Year A/T, CLEAN SCANS”. What fabulous news. It’s amazing to me how hearing those few words can make you feel like you have 100 lbs of weight lifted. I feel like I can face life again. I don’t take any clean scans for granted. I am so grateful that my prayers were answered and we can move forward. I feel very blessed that Payton has continued to stay healthy.
