Well after a very long flight home (24 hours total), we have made it home! Our flight was delayed in Los Angeles and we spent 6 hours in the airport. It wasn’t so bad though, because we found Chili’s. So, we had our first real meal in what felt like a lifetime!
Weston did very well on the flight, he kept saying, “I wanna be home”. So I just kept telling him, “Buddy, the pilot is going as fast as he can”. Since mom had been preparing him over the past week that we would be flying on the ‘Fastest Airplane’ they could find to get us home, he was already aware that we were going fast but it still wasn’t fast enough for him or me either for that matter!
Upon arriving home, we were welcomed by all of our family and also had a special surprise…..Weston’s teacher, Mrs. Felty and teacher’s assistant, Ms. Rose were also there. He was so excited, Mrs. Felty is very special to Weston and he would ask for her every single day. It was so surreal to finally get to hold my hubby and son, I was so tickled that I couldn’t help but cry. We gathered our luggage (thank goodness, every piece of luggage was found), and left on our way home.
Before going home though, Marcus took us to Whataburger for a good old juicy hamburger. I really enjoyed that! Since it was so late our hopes of going to our favorite restraunt had to wait until the next day. It didn’t really matter though, we were just so happy to be back home, on American soil! Once we arrived home, Weston had a surprise from his daddy and bubba…..a brand new 4-wheeler (battery operated of course)! He was so excited, he drove that thing into every piece of furniture that we have and then I had to bribe him just to get him off of it.
As for Weston, he is showing consistant signs of seeing the flashlight that is being held in front of him. We continue to test him in different ways, because he is so clever we cannot test him the same way. I feel we are on the game show “Are you Smarter than your 3 year old?”. Yesterday, we started moving the light in a swirling direction as we sat in a dark room and asked him what he saw and he responded with moving his hand in a swirling direction and said “It is doing this”!
It is like a dream come true to witness my son get the opportunity to experience what so many take for granted, SIGHT! Thank you God for answering our prayers. Please continue to keep Weston in your prayers, this procedure will take a full year to see the complete results. So, for now we will wait and be patient. It is now time to get back to our life and get this boy ready for school, he will start in about a month! Thanks for your continued support and prayers, I will continue to post updates as things change for Weston.
July 31st, 2008
On Monday, Weston received his last injection, this was a spinal injection. I have to admit that I was already very aprehensive about him having another spinal injection after the last spinal. Remember, his gasping for air and needing oxygen! I tossed and turned all night long, so finally got up and prayed about it. That morning, they came in to start his IV, and we already know that he is a very hard stick. They stuck him 3 times and after blowing 2 iv’s, I lost it! Weston was begging me to make them stop, he kept saying, “They are hurting me mommy!”. I already felt week from the mental stress that I had been going through with the constant thoughts of what could go wrong. I must say that i am very ashamed to admit these things, as I have been doing my best to rely on God for the strength and courage. I knew all along that this would never be easy. But you know I am human in the same, so yes I lost it! I started crying and even said, “I can’t let them stick him anymore, I can’t do this to him”. Of course the nurses, had no idea what i was saying, they just hugged me and said, “Sorry, Baby”. As I stood at the window contimplating what to do, I prayed and heard a voice so calm speak to me and say,”we’re almost finished”. I can only believe that was my Lord giving me the peace that i so desperately needed. So, I knew that we must continue.
Then the translator came in and told me they would like to give him an injection to make him go to sleep, it would be given in his hip and then they will start the IV. I had many questions at this point, what is the name of the medication, how much will they give him, will they still give him more once his IV is started?. Of course, no one could answer my questions (Surprise, Surprise!). So, we went down to meet with the anesthesiologist. They answered most of my questions and then proceeded to give Weston the shot in his hip, he cried out in pain more than ever before. I could only get through this by that calm voice I heard earlier and knowing that this would be the last time.
About 30 minutes later, they brought him back to the room. The spinal was completed, however he was with……….STILL NO IV! They said that not even the doctors could start the IV. My baby now resembles a pin cushion. They said that the pediatric nurse would come up to do it. I was furious, why had they not thought of this before now, and he has had no fluids given to him prior to or this long after the procedure. Without the fluids, the levels don’t seem to be at the right presssure point, which will lead to a severe headache according to all of the literature that we had been given. He was restless but still sedated from the shot he had earlier. Like before, we gave him the IPOD, he talked to Tim McGraw and at one point, even yelled out in a very high pitch tone, “Nana, now we’re going home to Texas?”.
About 1 1/2 hours later, he was more awake and began to cry with a headache, following this he vomited about 5 times. My heart hurt for my child as he can’t sit up for 6 hours and he is now vomiting lying on his back with his head turned to the side. He even asked, “Mommy can you make me stop throwing up?” I just thought, ‘Oh my doodlebug, I would trade places with you anyday if I could’. About the last 3 hours he finally slept. Mom and I sat near his bed and waited.
Finally when he could get up, he was much better. He ate a little bit, even played with the other children. He loves to throw the ball and catch it. But I had to limit the activity as his little body has been through alot today. Then it was time to go to bed. He woke up at about 4:00am and was asking for oatmeal, so Rise and Shine Mommy, it is time to make your baby some oatmeal, and that’s what I did. He seemed to be back to normal. It is amazing how the body recooperates so quickly.
As always, the first thing he needs to do is potty. So, I took him to the bathroom and as he sat there he said, “mommy I see the light” I asked him where it was and he pointed to the top of each of his eyelids and said “There”! Then I turned off the bathroom light and got the flashlight, he pointed to the eye that i flashed the light in and got it right 3 times. Now, I am trying to continue testing him, because folks I will tell you, my child is very clever. If he feels the heat from the light on his skin, or hears you turn the light switch, he is very accurate with his senses. But, still no matter what the doctors say, a mother knows, and this mother continues to think he is having some stimulation from the light. I would love nothing more than to see his pupils react more to the light and that would be confirmation that in fact it is working. I will not give up hope. We know that it takes a year to see the full results.
At least we are finished and my baby is healthy and back to me safely. It was very interesting to learn that 3 other children did not get the fluids prior to the procedure either and all were sick after. I hope they get some systems in place around here and soon!
Thank you for your continued prayers and comments, we will never forget! We will be home before you know it and man I can’t wait!!!
Missing everyone soooooooooooooooooo much from China,
Christina, Weston, & Sandra
July 23rd, 2008
On Friday, Weston completed his 4th stem cell injection. This was done through IV. It took the nurses 3 times before they could get find a vein on Weston. He is a very hard stick and always has been. This time he fought more than he has before, that is very difficult to watch him go through. Then, we were taken to a room about the size of a walk in closet, it had 2 couches on it. So, mom and I each sat on a couch with Weston on my lap. I thought, “Wow, this is nice everything is brand new”. About that time the nurse told mom to get up and for me to scoot over and in walked 3 other patients that they were placing in the same room to get their IV injections also. I have come to learn that the”bubble” we all have which is our own space……they don’t know what that is and have no such “Bubble”. Their philosophy is ‘Cram as many people in the tiniest spot you can find’!
So, then they began to start IV’s on everyone else in this room. I must tell you that it is very scary watching this, because they DO NOT use medical gloves or any gloves for that matter in China. About this time, Kirshner (who is the nurse that has been a part in developing this procedure) came in and starting yelling at the nurses and telling them she wanted the IV’s started in the patient’s rooms. I guess the husband of the lady sitting next to me didn’t like that, because he started yelling in chinese at Kirshner. Then the nurses were yelling (remember, we were all packed like sardines in a walk in closet) and everyone was yelling, and I don’t think either one knew what the hell the other was saying! I had to cover Weston’s ears because he started to get upset and I would’ve walked out, but he was hooked up to the IV. Finally, it settled down and we could concentrate on the procedure.
The Stem Cells were in an IV bag and they were dark yellow and very thick. It was very interesting watching approximately 15 million stem cells enter my son’s body and the whole time praying that this would be his ticket to sight. He still says he can see the light, but is not accurate with pointing to it. Dr. Ma (the directing doctor here) says, he doesn’t think he has had any change yet. Of course, I want immediate results, but just as our devotion book has taught us, Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
And that is what we will do, wait and the Lord will not fail us. It has been a very long journey and difficult as Weston’s mother to watch all that my prescious boy has been through. But we were brought here for a reason. As my parents have always taught me, ‘First the Test then the Lesson’ and that has been very true in so many factors of my life. I am so glad that mom has been with me, she has been my rock to lean on when I have felt at my weakest moments. There have been several times that I have almost called the whole thing off and came home early, but she has never left my side. She has been steady and strong and always ready to keep me focused on the goal that is at hand. I love her and will never be able to thank her enough for what she has done for me and for my son.
As for Weston, he is sound asleep in his bed right now. We went and ate steak at a restraunt that is very close. It wasn’t half bad either. Our only misfortune is that we have no hot water until Monday. That is getting very old, we had no hot water when we arrived, our toilet has broken 5 times and I am really starting to get cranky. Today, my American side came out, I was standing behind a couple at the ATM waiting my turn (BEING POLITE) when another couple walked up and got right in front of me!!! I was just…well…pissed off, so I tapped her on the shoulder and said, “NO, I was here, you go back there” and she did. When we walked off, mom said, “I was proud of you”. I think this foreigner can only be nice for so long.
Needless to say, we are still very ready to go home and are counting down the days. Weston will have his final injection on Monday, it will be a spinal injection. Please pray for him. Thank you so much for your prayers, comments, and words of encouragment they are very comforting and we all love to read them. I read each one to Weston and he smiles at each. We will be home before you know it. Take care. I am sure missing my guys, and thinking of them often. I send my love from across the world in China, Christina (more…)
July 19th, 2008
Weston had his 3rd spinal injection on Monday. He now has only 1 more spinal to go, the other will be an IV injection. I am so glad it is almost over. Uusally, they ask us to wait in the room until he is finished and they bring him to the room. But this time for whatever reason, they asked us to wait outside the operating room. There were about 50 people just gathered out the operating room and mom and I quickly became the center of attention with everyone staring and talking very quietly. I really didn’t notice until mom brought it to my attention. It is quite strange how nothing really seems to matter when they have my child (other than the fact that they have my child!) I can’t seem to focus on anything other than those doors opening for my to see my baby one more time. You really start to realize that our children are only loaned to us by God and that he could take them back at anytime. I pray with Weston each time before he goes in and he repeats the words that I say, it is so cute when I get to the part, “Dear Lord, please bring Weston back to me safely….” he says, “Dear Lord, please bring me back to mama safely…” It is so prescious. This experience has certainly taught to appreciate the simple things in life, don’t sweat the small stuff, and when you think things are at their worst…think again, they could always be worse than they truly are, and last but not least…God hears our prayers!
While mom and I waited, the door opened up and a nurse walked out carrying a bag full of blood and a plate with some type of organ or tumor on it. She proceeded to show the awaiting family. We were sick to our stomach and not very hungry for lunch after that. When they finally opened that door and saw my little doodlebug, I was freightened, his color was pale and he was gasping for air. Mom said we need to get him to the oxygen, NOW! They do not have portable oxygen tanks for the patients the source of oxygen is in the patient’s room. The operating room in on the 4th floor and our room is on the 8th floor. So, I ran ahead and got an elevator that about 25 people also ran into, the nurse had to yell at them to get off so we could get Weston and his hospital bed onto it. Time was of the essense! I pushed the button and the door wouldn’t shut and people kept trying to get on, I was trying to remain calm. Now I know why animals attack when others get near their babies. Finally, the doors closed and when we reached the 8th floor I ran and unlocked the door and hooked up the oxygen and we got him oxygen. I am so glad that mom brought her equipment, we were able to hook him up to her pulse ox and see how much oxygen was in his blood and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. So, the panic slowly left my body. He kept slurring and we finally figured out that he was trying to tell us, “Where is big daddy?”. That would be my dad, for anyone that doesn’t know. The next 6 hours would be the looonnnnnnnnngest 6 hours……….
He only slept for about an hour. He wrestled, and cried, and talked to Tim McGraw again. He really thinks Tim McGraw is going to buy him a present! Finally, I bribbed him (yeah, you would do it too!) that if he layed there for a little longer I would go and get him some icecream. He agreed and so I ventured to the market by myself. I got my baby ice cream and mashed potatoes, then for mom and I, we got chicken nuggets and fries.
For the past 2 days, Weston has woke up and said, “I see the light, mama” and the room was very bright, since the sun was out. We continue to shine the light in his eye to see if he responds, and sometimes he gets it and other times we wonder if he is just guessing. But for me and my mother’s intuition, I know for sure he is seeing something. He has never said those things nor has he rubbed his eyes when the light is shined in them. It is so wonderful! This mother’s dream for sure!
As for Qingdao, we are becoming more comfortable and acclomated to our surroundings. But we are always looking over our shoulder. It seems to be a safe place so far. We found that the nurses here do not use gloves, in fact since they have found out that mom is a nurse they ask a lot of questions. Mom gave them a box of gloves yesterday and I thought the nurse would cry. She kept saying, “Very happy to recieve these, thank you thank you”.
We are going to try and go out on Thursday, mom will pick up her traditional chinese dress. Thanks for reading and thank you so much, if it wasn’t for you guys, we may not be in Qingdao right now and most of all Weston may not be saying, “I see the light, mama”. This mother can’t thank each of you enough. Please keep writing, we sure are missing everyone and the writing helps a lot. We send our love to everyone and can’t wait to be home.
Love, Christina, Sandra, and Weston
July 15th, 2008
Well on Friday, we went with another family to what they call the GMO mart. For most of us, it is called a Flea Market. Mom and I were so overwhelmed with the stuff that you can buy for nearly nothing the USA. For example, mom got a beautiful tea set for about 100RMB which is $15 in american money. I found Oakley sunglasses for about 30 RMB which is $4 in american money. We hired a driver to take us down there and split the fare with the other family. It was about an hour away and we saw many beautiful things along the way. The sailing olympics will be happening in about 27 days, so there are many pictures of the olympic rings and everything is very colorful. I got many pictures. While we were at the GMO mart, we felt like Queens. Because when you find something you like, you point on your other hand as if you were punching a calculator. Then they get the real calculator, they type how much the item is that you are looking at, then you type how much you are willing to pay for it. For example, the tea set that mom wanted and has talked about since we got to China was 225 RMB, I offered her 100RMB and she laughed at me. I am getting kinda tired of being laughed at by the way, so then she typed 175RMB, and I typed 100RMB again and said “That’s it”. She typed 150RMB and I walked off, she grabbed me by the arm and said, “Wait, 100RMB okay”. So who’s laughing now…ha…I talked her down half of what she original wanted!!!!! So, after that we learned how to play the game. And guess what, when we returned to the hospital everyone was comparing their great buys and they were sick their stomachs when mom and I had the best buys. One guy bought 3 watches (2 of which didn’t work) for 500RMB, and we got 4 ROLEX watches for 580RMB.
So, we walked the GMO mart some more and then Weston decided that he needed to go potty. Mom and I looked at each other and began to gesture toilet to anyone that we could stop. We even told one guy, “KOKA, you know poopoo”, it was so hilarious. He looked at us like we were 2 crazy ladies. Finally, we found a sign that said, “TOILET” (what I want to know is why do they print english on their signs if noone speaks english), but I can only figure that God knew we would be in Qingdao one day and printed them for us! We headed straight for the toilet and OH MY GOSH, THE STINCH WAS UNBELIEVABLE, I was gagging as I tried to find an empty staul. They have no shame and do not close their doors first of all, then the toilet is the hole in the floor that everyone kids about in America….yeah they have ‘em. Thankfully, Weston just had to go #1 so I stood him up and just aimed it at the hole without getting to close. So what if it didn’t ring the hole, it didn’t seem like anyone else did either! Ok enough of that, you get the picture.
Then we went to a place called Jusco, it is like a mall. It was very clean and we enjoyed that. Just as we were going to meet our driver, we saw it, there it was right in front of us…… The Golden Arches! Mom said, we only have 5 minutes, go get us some Big Macs (which I don’t usually eat, but was glad to eat it). I ran in there with about 5000 other people and wiggled my way through the crowd like a stray dog after a plate of leftovers left on the table! (LOL) Got 2 big mac combos and 1 chicken nugget combo and was out the door in 5 minutes! We savored those big macs and enjoyed every single bite! We got in our minivan (which by the way, we americans don’t even know how spoiled we are with our “Mini Vans”)if your child has any Tonka trucks, that is the same size as their version of a minivan. And we made it back to the hospital safely and in one piece with our big macs in hand.
The next day, we went back to the RT mart for some groceries and on the way back mom suggested that we ride a Richochet (which a rusty old motorcyle in front and 2 wheels in back with a bench and it is covered). we thought it might pop a wheely with all of the weight it was carrying in back, and after we almost died about 3 times. I told mom she wasn’t allowed to make any more crazy suggestions like that again. So, for now, that’s all folks. That is about all that is happening in China. Mom has now gone to be fitted for a traditional Chinese dress that you get to pick out the fabric and they tailor it to fit you. She went with some other ladies that are here. I am so excited for her. She deserves it! As for me and Weston, we are enjoying some R&R back in our little safe haven we call home for the next couple of weeks. I will write more after his next injection which will be on Monday. Thanks for reading, take care and write when you can. Sending love from China and missing everyone still very much.
Christina, Sandra, and Weston
July 12th, 2008
Well Weston had his 2nd spinal injection on Wednesday afternoon. They seemed to be running behind on the procedures, Weston was scheduled for 3:00pm, they didn’t actually take us down to the operating room until around 3:45. He fell asleep on the way, so he didn’t fight or cry this time. It made it a little easier for me, but not much. I have learned that only prayer and God can get me through this experience. Mom and I headed back to the room with only “Puppy Dog Blanket” (this is Weston’s favorite blanket) in my arms and a huge void missing. We cried and prayed together. Then we decided to heat something up for lunch, since we hadn’t eaten all day long. I find it would be cruel to eat when he can’t eat or drink. Just after heating our delicious Noodles and Tomatoes which was about 20 minutes after leaving my precious doodlebug, the door slung open and the nurses were pushing Weston on a bed. He was talking like a little drunk, trying to pull out his oxygen. I was very worried, they say it usually takes 40-50 minutes for the procedure, so I couldn’t understand why it had only been 20 minutes since we left him. I told mom to go and get the interprator, since they were clearly not understanding me when I asked them “Why so Soon?”. Our interprator came in and asked them in their language. They said this time it was much easier, apparhently they inject into the exact same spot on his back each time.
Weston was very comical while in his drunkered state. He was calling his daddy, and then requested his ipod. I asked him what he wanted to listen to and he said, “Whiskey and You” by Tim Mcgraw. For whatever the reason, this is and has been his favorite song. About 2 minutes after starting the song, he started saying, “Hi Tim Mcgraw, Hi, Can I go to your house?” It was the funniest thing. We even videotaped him. He finally fell asleep for about 2 hours, then the nightmare began……
He woke up about 8:00pm and was crying uncontrolably saying that his head hurt. He cried until finally he vomited. We called the doctor in right away. Mom feared that the intracranial pressure was to high. Which could mean brain damage if left untouched. The doctor said he felt it was due to the intracranial pressure being to LOW. So, he suggested that we give him more fluid through his IV. It was very scary, I have never heard him cry in such pain for such a long time. Thoughts just ran through my mind like, “What have I done to my baby?, Why is this happening?, I hope the doctor is understanding us”. Then I heard my grandfather’s voice saying, Pray Christina! So, that is what I did. He fell asleep right after he vomited, so we checked his heart rate and O2 levels and they were good. We let him sleep. I curled up beside him and continued to pray for him until I fell asleep. Every time he moved in his sleep, I would sit straight up and hope that he wasn’t trying to sit up. Remember, he needs to lay flat for 6 hours. We were on hour #3.
It was like God answered my prayers, about 1:00am, he woke up and felt much better. He was talking and laughing. He wasn’t as hyper as last time nor was his appetite what it was the last time. But, he was sitting up and acting like my doodlebug again. He was very tired for the rest of the day, but fought it and didn’t have a nap all day long.
I got him a treat for lunch, I went to KFC and got him mashed potatoes. Regardless of the ricey taste, my baby loves them. I had the interprator write down what we wanted. This American will not look foolish a second time! Mom would not let me go alone (I felt like I was 12 years old again), but I didn’t argue. So, Sarah (she is here with her boyfriend and they are from Austin, TX) went with me. I got the order and came back to the room. I ordered chicken nuggets and guess what……Not only were they white meat, they tasted like a chicken nugget! It was not only a treat for Weston, but for me also.
We are going shopping on Friday with another family who is here with there 8 year old. We are shopping at a place called the GMO Mart, were they have the purses, sunglasses, and clothes. I can’t wait! I will write more after our trip. Thank you to everyone for your continued support and prayers. We love each and everyone of you and can’t wait to be home. Time is going a little quicker here, we have found a room with stationary bikes so we work out sometimes.
Sending love from China,
Christina, Sandra, & Weston
July 11th, 2008
Today we went to a 5 star restraunt that everyone was raving about. They said it was most like home. After 7 days of eating peanut butter and jelly sandwichs and tuna salad, I will just about try anything! There were about 11 of us that went. We have met many wonderful families from america and we can all relate to culture shocks that we continue to have. We split up and took seperate taxis so we could split the cost. Somehow, mom and I got the taxi with another couple and the taxi cab driver drove very SLOW, which in China is something you should NEVER do (unless you have a death wish). We have learned to just hold our breath upon entering an intersection, and PRAY!!!! I’m telling you this country could save so much money, by just not painting lines in the middle of the streets. To most of us those lines stand for dividers among the lanes, in China they mean NOTHING!!!
Anyway, our taxi cab driver took the long way to the restraunt which cost us 4RMB more. We got taken advantage of! So, we met our party at the restraunt and it was a beautiful hotel and restraunt. It had a beautiful waterfountain, big gold things in the ceiling, huge crystal chandeliers, and these large rocks that were hollowed out and inside of them were Amethyst gems. We were escorted to the restraunt area and there was so much food. Then we learned that it was ………..BUFFET! So, we got our plates and prepared ourselves to eat until our hearts were content. Mom went first and I followed. I found fried rice, rolls with butter, and meat that was seasoned (I told myself it was steak, and will not let anyone tell me otherwise)! Some of the pots that I opened, I wish that I had NEVER done that! I will have nightmares for a long time after those pots. Needless to say, it was a treat and everything that I got was edible. Still not Cracker Barrell or Olive Garden (my 2 favorite places to eat)!
The ride home was fun, I sware this guy wanted to see how much that VW Jetta could do. We took curves at about 50mph, Weston was flying from side to side between me and mom. He laughed so hard and mom and I just looked at each other and wished we had taken some sort of Anti Anxiety medication. But the Lord brought us back safely. Once again, glad to be back in our room. Starting to feel a little Cabin Fever. Weston will have his next injection on Wednesday at 3:00pm, which for most of you will be about 2:00am. If any of you are awake at this time, please say a prayer for my little Doodlebug. We are hoping to go out some more at the end of the week. Some of you may say that we are gluting for punishment leaving our rooms again, but try to put yourself in our shoes, we are stuck in a 160 square feet hospital room. We are praying that the next injection will go smooth and the results will continue. Thank you for your continued prayers, they are working!! We miss and send our love to each and everyone of you. For everyone reading this……EAT A BIG CHEESEBURGER FOR US AND SUPERSIZE YOUR FRIES! Love, Christina, Sandra, and Weston
July 9th, 2008
Well it is 8:30pm on Monday here in Qingdao, China and I thought that I would try shining the light into Weston’s eyes just to see what happens. He first rubbed his eye that I was shining thelight into, something he has NEVER done before! Remember, he is completely blind and has no light perception (according to the doctors anyway). He then began to blink when I would shine the light into either eye. Lastly, he said to me,”Stop doing that mama!”. These are the first signs of a miracle taking place in China. Praise God, my son is getting vision!! Please continue to pray for him as this process takes time. Thanks for the prayers and I will keep you posted. Love, Christina
July 7th, 2008
On Sunday, July 6th Weston woke up at about 2:30am and he played and ate like never before. His appetite is usually not much more than a bird would eat, however, since his first treatment he has eaten more than I have ever seen. Later in the morning he complained of a headache and is still running a low grade temp. However, he has been so anxious to get out of our room and find a 4-wheeler. So, we went to the RT Mart which is kinda like IKEA and a grocery store combined on 2 levels. We were accompanied with about a million other residents of Qingdao. The RT Mart is surrounded with clothing stores, jewelry stores, and my favorite SHOE stores! We began with looking in the clothing store and they have some very cute clothes. I found an outfit that I really liked and asked (which means I hand gestured) the store clerk to see if they have the pants in a larger size. Keep in mind that I have yet to see a female any larger than 5’5 and weighing about 100 pounds. She immediately got a tape measure out and starting to measure my hips-Yep that’s right- in front of everyone, she begins to shake her head and gesture to me that I am a 27 and they only have 24. HOW EMBRASSING WAS THAT! Needless to say, mom and I kept looking and we did indeed find the pants that I was looking for in my size—-OH YEAH!!!! I was going to buy them when Weston yells out, “Mom, stop looking at the shirts and find me a 4-wheeler!!” So, for any of you who are wondering who our boss is…that would be Weston!
I put the clothing back on the rack, and proceeded to the toy section. Which by the way is 1 aisle of 8foot long, that’s it. We did find a remote control car, small eighteen wheeler, and front loader for him to play with. Only to find each toy broken when we returned. Weston didn’t mind a bit though, as long as everything rolls he’s cool!
While there, Weston started to complain of a headache so we hurried up and gathered the much needed items that we needed: Toilet paper, Paper towels, canned tomatoes, macaroni noodles, sprite, and most of all Coca Cola! Before leaving we passed the KFC and the angels were singing!!!!! As we went in there were probably 1,000 people eating and as we passed them, they just stopped in the middle of taking a bite and stared at us. Not like a smile and stare, it was more like a ”What are you doing here?” stare. That is very uncomfortable. So, I proceeded to the register and let me tell you if it wasn’t for the pictures on the menu, I would’ve been in trouble. I pointed to the fried chicken sandwich with french fries and a small mashed potatoes (for weston). So, we caught a taxi and came back to the room to eat.
Upon returning to room we took the elevator up to the 8th floor. Please know that they have no limit as to how many people can fit in the elevator and i think they like to test the maximum. This time wasn’t so bad though, we only had 12 other people joining us in the 4×8 space. The kicker was the guy that got onto our elevator-SMOKING a cigarette! Mom and I couldn’t run off of that quick enough. When we got back to the room we decided, “Our room isn’t so bad after all!”.
Our KFC meal was waiting for us and I decided to feed Weston his mashed potatoes while mom ate her meal. Things were great until mom started gaging and running to the garbage can. She had bitten into her sandwich only to find a huge piece of YELLOW CHICKEN FAT! So, the angels stopped singing and mom decided to convert to vegetarian for the next 23 days. I think I will join her.
Weston loved his mashed potatoes even if they were a little ricey tasting. He will have his next stem cell injection on Wednesday. We did meet Kirshner, the person that is responsible for this enitre research project. I spent a lot of time visiting with her and understanding how the umbilical stem cell project even began. I also got the opportunity to discuss the acupuncture and how my heart, chest and stomach ached at just the thought of taking Weston for another treatment, much less the recommended daily treatments for 30 minutes. They really seemed to hurt him. She then told me that most parents actually opt out of the acupuncture-wished she would’ve told me that i had the option before I put him through that. But, if it was gonna help, I knew we had to. She also told me that she has not seen a difference in the children that had the treatment compared to the children that did not have the treatment. So, after much discussion with mom, research on the web, and most of all prayer…we decided to stop the acupuncture treatments. Whew, what a relief that is to me, that is one less thing that he will have to go through.
Then the next day when I spoke to the therapist that conducted the acupuncture on him the first time, he said to me, “It broke your heart, It broke my heart to, It a good thing”. So, I took from that that maybe he agreed with my decision to stop. So, for now, we are sleeping when Weston sleeps which is typically from 3:30 in the afternoon until about 1:00-2:30am. We just decided to join him on his schedule rather than trying to change it. I will write again after his next treatment unless we see any glimpse of a miracle before. Thanks for all of the comments, they help us feel closer to home. Please keep them coming. We love and miss everyone more than you can imagine. Can’t wait to come home! And I can say without a doubt that my new favorite song is “I am proud to be an American”! Sending our love from China,
Christina, Sandra, & Weston
July 7th, 2008
Well it is 10:25pm on July 4th here in China. Weston had his first injection today, it was in his spine which I was told the first was thru IV. But the doctor ordered spinal. That was very very hard. Leaving my baby with complete strangers that can’t fully communicate with me. At the moment he was leaving my arms he said, “Mama you won’t leave me”, to make matters even worse. It was then that I lost my breath, kinda like they had taken my heart out of my chest and I had no life in it. It took a moment to compose myself, upon returning to my room all I could do was hit my knees and take it to God! I asked for the strength and peace with everything and immediately felt a sense of relief. Thank you Jesus for that! Weston was returned to me after about 50 minutes, he was completely out of it and sound asleep. When he left they had placed the IV in his foot and when he returned, the IV had blown and his foot was swollen. The new IV in his wrist was not even working properly, so this means that they wanted to start another, in which I refused. My baby has been through enough for one day. Thank goodness for the anesthesia after all, what I was so afraid of actually worked in our favor. He needed to lay flat for 6 hours (which for those of you know Weston, isn’t possible) otherwise he would get the worse headache imaginable. He spent all but 15 minutes of the 6 hours asleep. He awoke and said, “mom are we going home now”. Bless his heart he just doesn’t understand. As for mom and I we made a pac with one another, no regrets, no looking back, and no blame. The Lord brought us here for a reason and we must continue “Full steam Ahead”. I don’t know what i would’ve done without her, she has been my right hand in all of this. Being a nurse, her expertise has been much appreciated, but especially me, but the nurses here are very curious of the fancy equipment she is pulling out like, the pulseoximeter that just fits on Weston’s finger and runs off of battery as well as her Pediatric Blood pressure cuff. They don’t seem to have any that small…scary. We thought we would keep the fact that she was a nurse secret, b/c we did not want to step on any toes….but I guess a nurse can always smell another nurse, especially when she is as AWESOME AS MY MOM!!!! We will be off for the next 2 days, which means Weston will have no procedures…whew!! We are gonna try and venture out on Sunday. I will write more after that, unless the miracles start happening sooner. Sending love from across the world and missing my honey and Nick lots, Christina, Weston’s Mom
July 4th, 2008
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