No Joke

So, Georgia is off the PEG train. After taking the actual shots like a champion (again), she quickly developed a severe allergic reaction and had to be admitted to the hospital Tuesday night. Streak over. Sort of.

We're focused on staying out of the hospital for things we can possibly avoid (like infection from being around sick folks or too many folks, especially when her numbers are low), but this was a situation we couldn't prevent. In fact, about 30% of kids have some sort of allergic reaction to the PEG shots at some point, although the severity varies kid to kid, dose to dose. While Georgia never quite reached respiratory distress, it was very close, and the amount of medicine required to counteract the full-body hives and nausea told us loud and clear that we can't put her through this again - especially since subsequent reactions would probably be worse.

What this means, as I understand it, is that she will most likely receive an alternative asparaginase medicine that is given in six shots for every one PEG shot. I'll let you do the math on that, but the answer is: it's a lot more shots. Luckily, Georgia is a Shot Warrior - did you know? Indeed. Plus, the chance of an allergic reaction is much smaller than with the PEG version, and the side effects are supposed to be less intense, so I think(?) it's a good trade-off. The bottom line is this medicine is so important in fighting leukemia, she has to have it one way or the other, so whatever we have to do, we'll do it, Peachy Keen style!

That said, the one good thing about spending the night in the hospital? A surprise visit from Floyd the Therapy Dog, in all his Easter finery:

In other news, we are one month away from Will's first century ride in honor of Georgia! If you haven't donated to his efforts for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, please click on his picture in the sidebar to learn more. Also, he and his wife, Dianna, have started a blog (click on the link in the sidebar) about their participation in Team in Training and their dedication to helping find a cure for blood cancers. Their journey began when Dianna's niece, Allie, was diagnosed with ALL as an infant 15 years ago, and they are still doing their part every day, so thank you, Will and Dianna!

That's all for now. We hope everyone has a great weekend!

Spring-ing

We took advantage of the beautiful weekend, and Georgia enjoyed every minute of it. We took a walk around our neighborhood hike and bike trail where we saw, truly, the biggest bullfrog ever - the size of a cat, as it hopped away! Afterwards, Georgia and Ivy donned their bathing suits and tossed around some water balloons, and we finished the afternoon with the First Official Snowcone of the Season. A month ago, we were throwing snowballs - crazy Texas weather!

Tomorrow, Georgia gets one IV medicine and her third round of PEG shots, and that's it for this week. Hopefully, she'll be up and hopping around again just in time for Easter!

Hills, Valleys, and Legos

Georgia is back on track, her usual perky self, after a long, rough day Wednesday. She needed two more units of blood, which made her feel great, but an early morning combined with her current medicines made her feel pretty awful until she finally fell asleep in one of the amazing "quiet rooms" at the clinic. She had a real (hospital) bed, lights down low, and NO noise, so she was out for over four hours and woke up feeling like a new person. Amazing what a little (or a lot!) of Hemoglobin can do! And because she's had far more good days than bad days, we know we're due for some hiccups now and then. Plus, her Thursday and Friday appointments went off without a hitch, so she's definitely on an upswing!

Starting next week, we go back to one- or two-day weeks for the majority of Georgia's treatment - barring any unforeseen (though not unusual for this protocol) bumps in the road. Our goal is to keep her out of the hospital (lovely, though it is) if at all possible, so we are ever vigilant about preventing any infection. Even with some pretty low ANC numbers here and again (again, normal, comes with the territory), we've managed to keep her fever-free, so let's hope that streak lasts!

Two more weeks, and we're on to the next phase of treatment. If she goes day-for-day on the current schedule, Georgia will be finishing up about the beginning of August, just in time to get back to school! YAY! She misses her friends and teachers, but she loves all of the blog comments, emails, cards, and well-wishes that make her still feel like a part of the community. Not to mention all the support she receives from all of you - we couldn't ask for anything more than to have you all Keepin' Georgia on Your Mind. Thank you!

And thanks to Giles, Georgia's classmate, for these great pictures:

Legoland loves Georgia!

His dad ran the Austin Marathon with his Georgia bracelet on - nice time, Simon!

Shine On

WOW. What an amazing event! St. Baldrick's was a huge success and incredibly inspiring to boot. Overall, the event raised over $80,000, and thanks to you, the Peachy Keens raised over $5,000 on our own! We came in a strong second place, including a last minute addition to the team who was the very last shavee of the day - thanks, Mike! And just so you know, you can keep contributing throughout the year - to St. Baldrick's in general or to our team specifically - so get those lemonade stands and car washes going for a great cause! Thanks for all of your donations, your support, and for always Keepin' Georgia on Your Mind!

Before ...

and after - Go Peachy Keens!

Lolly and Romy show their support

Georgia and Poppa

I'll add some more pictures (and a video, if I can figure out how!) to our Keepin' Georgia on Your Mind Facebook group, so you can head over there, too. We all had such a great time on Saturday and look forward to participating again next year ... any volunteers? : )

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow - Act II

So, I've done my part, and the rest of the Peachy Keens are doing their part tomorrow. Now YOU can do your part by supporting childhood cancer research!