Welcome to The Team, Jenn!

Georgia had the first of this round of Erwinia shots on Monday, and tomorrow, she'll have the second. The new IV medicine she got on Thursday didn't give her any problems, and she'll have another dose of that, plus shots, on Friday. More shots on Sunday and Tuesday, and then we're back to IV medicine and shots on Thursday. And THEN, the real fun begins ... But, for now, we'll just focus on tomorrow - and October! Yes, October! That's when a dear friend of mine is running the Denver Marathon with TNT in honor of Georgia! Jenn and I were friends in high school and college, and it turns out, she also has a daughter named Georgia and has been participating in TNT events for a few years. When she heard about our Georgia's diagnosis, she was eager to help spread the word and raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, so she's joining the Peachy Keens in our war on blood cancers! Click on her picture there in the sidebar to get to her donation site - y'all have been so generous so far, and every little bit counts!

We've got other special events on the horizon, so stay tuned for more info. And remember, Georgia is as determined to do what she can to help other kids in the fight as she is about her own recovery, so let's all follow her lead and do our part to help end this! For good! Thanks, y'all!

And We're Off!

Delayed Intensification has officially begun! Everything went off without a hitch today, and Georgia was so fired up, she even had a special message for Dr. Neff to view as he performed her lumbar puncture:

Erwinia shots start Monday, but for now, our girl is sitting pretty! Have a great weekend, y'all!

Last But Not Least

Tomorrow, Georgia starts the final phase of treatment - Delayed Intensification. Emphasis on that last part there. All told, over the next eight weeks or so, she'll have three more day surgeries and two more rounds of Erwinia shots, plus a whole lot of other medicine, but THEN ... knock on wood ... she'll be through! And moving on to maintenance! The good news is, she's had a wonderful break and is feeling great right now, but she needs our support to finish this fight! We have been overwhelmed and lifted up by all of the love shown to our family these past six months - it has made such a difference in Georgia's recovery - so thank you thank you thank you. That said, the Peachy Keens have rededicated ourselves to helping her stay positive, focused, and strong in this last leg of primary treatment, and any good thoughts, prayers, and wishes you can send her way would, as always, be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for everything and for Keepin' Georgia on Your Mind! We love y'all!

Film, Fish, and Fathers

What a week! Ivy thoroughly enjoyed (her words) "Information" Bible School, while Georgia had the best time at claymation camp - she said she can't wait to do it again next year. She and her group worked very hard on their project, which starred an apple, an orange, a worm, and ... a shadow hand. It's a love story, of course. We'll get a DVD of the finished piece, and there's a real screening of all of this summer's projects in August, so we've got that to look forward to. Thanks so much to the Austin Film Society for the experience!

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon dancing with sharks! Yes, you read that right! Thanks to Starlight, we were treated to a dance party at Qua, which has a shark tank for a dance floor. First, a marine biologist did a presentation all about sharks and how they rescue and care for the ones they keep. Then, a local author read from his children's book, Shark vs. Train, and after that, we all got our groove on:

Today, we celebrated Father's Day by taking a blindfolded Daddy to the movies. We did let him take the blindfold off to actually see the movie, which was Toy Story 3, which we loved. Then lunch at Waterloo and a quick trip to Border's for MORE books, and we spent the rest of the day "kickin' back," as Ivy says. Georgia is feeling great right now, so we've got a couple of fun things planned for next week before we start up again on Thursday.

For now, Happy Father's Day to Trevor, Ratty, Poppa, Dr. Neff, Dr. Wells, and all the other amazing dads out there! Have a great week!

Coming Soon ...

to a billboard near you ... Georgia! Promoting the incredible place that is Dell Children's Medical Center! Our girl was very honored to be asked to pose for a billboard as part of a new ad campaign, so she went for her very professional photo shoot on Saturday and had a blast. She's the only actual patient of the four kids featured, but the doctors are all doctors at DCMC, and everyone's wearing ... Groucho glasses! We're not sure when the billboards will be up or where they'll be, but we'll post a picture as soon as we see hers. Be on the lookout if you're in the Austin area around mid-July!

Tuesday night, we were treated to a sneak preview of "The Karate Kid," courtesy of the Starlight Children's Foundation. Even though we're not big martial arts fans, we all enjoyed the movie, most (or all?) of which was shot in China, so the scenery was beautiful. And from now until June 20th, if you buy your tickets on Fandango, $1 from each ticket will go to help Starlight provide more fun free events for seriously ill children and their families, so go see it!

Finally, this week, Georgia will be attending Claymation Camp, courtesy of the amazing Austin Film Society. She is beyond excited, especially since she missed out on completing her class claymation project at school this spring. Thankfully, the stars aligned just so, and this happens to be a great week for her to have some fun for a few hours each morning. So now Mommy just has to actually let her go ... : )

Please and Thank You(s)

Monday was Georgia's last day of Interim Maintenance - three phases of primary treatment down, one to go! Yes, it's the toughest one, but it's also the LAST one before maintenance, so every day will bring us one day closer to the finish line! Georgia will have a nice little break here to get charged up and ready to rock on the 24th - so focus your positive thoughts and prayers on that big day. Thanks!

Also, thanks to Aunt Kate and a blood drive at her office, we have 23 more units to add to Georgia's blood donation tally! We'd like to get 100 units, and now we're halfway there. If you can, please donate, then let us know, and we'll post it here. Every donation can help two to three people, so be a lifesaver - give blood!

Finally, Will completed the century ride in Lake Tahoe last weekend, and it looks like it was an incredible event. Thanks to everyone who donated and, especially, to Will and Dianna for honoring Georgia in this way. We will really appreciate all of you!

Survivor

Today, we joined friends, new and old, at Doc's for National Cancer Survivors Day, a celebration intended to show the world that there is life after a cancer diagnosis (go here for a short video from the event, with a quick glimpse of our girl). According to the NCSDF, a "survivor" is anyone living with a history of cancer - from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life. In America alone, there are over 11 million people living with a history of cancer, and while major advances in prevention, early detection, and treatment have resulted in increased survival rates, surviving cancer can cause a variety of post-treatment problems. Thankfully, places like the LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center are here, providing medical and psychosocial care and other support to the growing number of warriors beating cancer. Once we get through maintenance, Georgia will make regular visits to the Survivorship Center to monitor her recovery and track any late effects that may arise from treatment, so again we feel very lucky to have world-class treatment and post-treatment facilities right here in Austin.

I've always been struck by the power of the "yellow bracelet," but wearing one now, and reading "LIVESTRONG" everyday is like a call to action, not just for Georgia, but for all of us. Go here to get one for yourself, support the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and make a commitment to live. STRONG.

As It Should Be

This morning, both Ivy and Georgia headed out to the last day of school! Thanks to this break in treatment, and the prospect of having a "normal" day, Georgia was full of energy and ready to go. She was lovingly welcomed back to her class and was thrilled to participate with her friends in the end-of-year Gates of Life ceremony, a beautiful tradition at Parkside. It was especially special (is that a saying?) because Ivy "graduated" from the Primary to the Lower Elementary class, so it was wonderful that we could all be there to cheer her on. Afterwards, we celebrated with Ivy's choice of veggie corndogs at Dog Almighty and a matinee showing of Shrek 4, which we can highly recommend. Also, there was ice cream. And a trip to Super Target for a new Barbie. So, pretty much your perfect graduation day. Thank you SO MUCH to our Parkside family for another great year and for all the love and support this semester - have a great summer, and Ivy AND Georgia will see y'all in the fall!

Also, Sunday is National Cancer Survivors' Day, so we're joining some LIVESTRONG folks for brunch to celebrate. If you know a survivor or a caregiver, give them an extra hug on Sunday - I know I will!