Cards and greetings posted in Harry's hospital room.Thanks to you all for keeping Harry in your thoughts and prayers and for the messages of support that continue to pour in. Harry finished his first round of chemo on Tuesday and his oncology team is pleased with the way he's managing the effects. Recent conversations with Cynthia and Henry confirm that Harry is suffering minimal nausea and has lost a considerable amount of the weight associated with fluid retention. His abdomen is far less swollen than it was, down by at least 5 cm, which means he can be off oxygen for the first time in more than a week: there's finally room in his little body for his lungs to work again.
We had further cause for celebration when the results of a baseline CT brain scan on Thursday morning came back completely normal. "Thank God!" Henry writes by email.
On Wednesday, Harry's Oma, Norma Neudoerffer, arrived from Guelph, which gives at least part of Cynthia's family the rare chance to spend Palm Sunday weekend together before Cecelia returns to Warsaw on Monday. We know that Cynthia's sister Sarah and her family in Paris would be here if they could, and will certainly be present in spirit.
In extended Neudoerffer family news, Cynthia's cousin Karen wrote to say that her young son Sam was so moved when he heard about Harry's illness that he asked if the friends coming to his 10th birthday party would consider helping Harry instead of bringing presents. We'd like to meet Sam sometime: in just one afternoon, he and his friends raised $250, which they donated to the Canadian Cancer Society in Harry's name. Sam's generosity reminds us that there are families all over Canada facing similar crises and that many of them have far less extended support networks than we enjoy.
So we sign off for now with continuing and deep gratitude to you all,
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