Hold The Phone!

Joann and I took little Tag back to Primary's for a what we thought was going to be a quick follow-up after his surgery.  Everything seemed to be fine with him, as he doesn't seem to even notice it was there and he's so happy.

Dr. Bruggers (our oncologist) came in and informed us that to their shock they discovered that Tag's tumor was what they call a "Rhabdomyosarcoma" which is a malignant form of cancer!  Joann and I just sat there in what can only be described as shock.  Dr. Bruggers explained that somehow the two biopsies they took when Tag was a month old showed no signs of cancer, but that upon testing more of the tissue it was apparent the diagnosis had changed.

So, the adventure continues!  What happens next are multiple tests to determine if the cancer is localized to that spot on his head or if the cells have moved anywhere in his body.  These tests will be done sooner than later (probably early next week) and include: A lung CT Scan, a neck and back MRI, a bone scan and a bone marrow aspiration biopsy.  This will include another stay at the hospital and more poking and prodding on our little man.

Rather than speculating on anything, including treatments and alternatives, we have decided to remain calm and simply wait for more information resulting from these tests.  Joann and I seemed calm as we left the hospital, but later that evening we stopped in to grab some items for and upcoming family reunion this weekend, and I left Joann in the running car with Tag.  A few minutes later I saw her in the store and she told me she had locked the keys in the car.  When I asked her about how this could have happened, she said she didn't even remember turning the car off, let alone getting out of the car and locking it.  This aptly described the numb shock we both were experiencing yesterday.

I believe all will be well and I am just trying my best to breathe and play with Tag.  Yesterday, Tag's cousins were in town and fighting for a chance to hold him.  Here's a few photos with Adele (my sister Darcie's daughter) playing with Tag:

Summertime

Tag's ready for Summer.  He's been smiling and growing.  Jo and I think he changes every other day!  I hope everyone's having a great summer.

Proud Father on Father's Day

 I'm sorry it has been a week since giving an update.  Many have called to see how Tag's doing.  The first of the week was a blur as Joann and I slept in and tried our best to get back to normal after little sleep and much drama.  It has been so good to just be home and see Tag smiling and playing.

Tag really is doing better than fine.  We all comment each day how lucky we are to get to share his smiles and funny sounds.  His windmill wound doesn't bother him a bit.  In fact, I haven't seen him touch it or grab at it even once.  He rolls to that side of his head as if the bump was never there and he seems more willing to have some tummy time, now that his head is easier to lift up.  From my viewpoint this is a gift and Joann and I are just so happy to still have our son.

On Wednesday morning Tag was wide awake at 6:30 AM, and Joann wanted to sleep, so I decided to break out the walking stroller and take him for a walk.  It was quite chilly (about 45 degrees) up on the mountain where we live, so I had to bundle Tag up to keep him warm.  We walked the hills where we live for 45 minutes and he didn't make a sound.  I stopped a few times to see if he was asleep, but when I walked around to the front of the stroller to check on him he just looked quietly at me with a tentative "I think I like this adventure" look on his face, then upon seeing me would give me a little smile.  It was so classic.

As my first Father's Day approaches tomorrow, I am so excited for this honor.  I've waited a long, long time to be a father and I hope Tag will always know how much I love him.  His constant smile and courage truly inspire me and if he ever reads this someday I want him to know how proud I am to be his father.  Good to have you home, son.

The Windmill

The photo below is not for the faint of heart, so viewer beware.  As you can imagine, when the doctors resected Tag's tumor, it was very large and had stretched the skin on his little scalp almost to its maximum.  So, to take it off without leaving a large vertical scar, Dr. Sadiki employed a strategy to fold the skin in a windmill fashion and stitched Tag up in the middle.  Thus, when he heals only a small, round scar will be what's left.

It just shocks Joann and I that in less than 48 hours from the time little Tag came out of such an unknown surgery, we walked him out of the hospital without even a bandage covering the wound.  And what a gnarly, impressive wound it is!  Here's Tag's new look for the next few months:

This was taken Sunday morning just before the doctor removed the little drainage tube at the base of his head.  When he removed it, it kind of freaked me out, as the tube was about 6 inches long and went way up into the area of the wound.  Yikes!

Anyway, as the wound heals, the skin is supposed to tighten and pull the skin folds away, leaving just a small round scar in the middle.  Tag doesn't seem to be too bugged by the wound and we even bathed him last night and cleaned things off.

This has to be the sweetest looking Halloween wound I've ever seen!  Oh, how I wish it was October.  Tag would for sure win any Halloween costume contest he entered.

 As you can see above, his little ear actually looks pretty good.  And look, NO BUMP!  I'm very proud of my son for his courage and amazing capacity to be happy.

Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and good vibes on our behalf.  We feel very blessed and lucky to have Tag back home again.

We are home! Tag got discharged at 11:30. Crazy how fast we got out after such a surgery. As we drove home, I felt pretty alert, but as we drove south on I-15, my eyes got heavy at about 90th South.  So, we pulled off in Draper to visit Grandpa Brinton.  I went in to catch a quick 20 minute nap and slept for about 90 minutes!

Will post some photos of Tag's new bump-free head soon! It's wild!

Sunday Morning Update

I stayed in the hospital with Joann and Tag last night.  They had the bed and I had the chair.  Surprisingly, we all slept pretty well.  We are awaiting the arrival of Dr. Sadiki so that he can check out the wound and hopefully give us clearance to leave today.  Tag woke up with nothing but smiles and the nursing staff said they are going to try to keep finding reasons for us to stay so that Tag doesn't have to leave.

We had some visitors yesterday and it was good to see everyone.  Here are some photos:

Grandma Julie Brinton

Aunt Liz and her son, Elijah

Tag's brother Jordan (center), Elijah and Nikki (cousins)

Tag's brother, Michael (center)

Naptime, Tag and Dad

Wagon Ride

We hope to be released today, bump free!

Make a Break For It, Dad!

We all had some nice naps this afternoon.  When Tag woke up, it seemed to me that he could use a little fresh air, so I got permission from the nurse to take him for a little walk down the halls of the unit we're in.  Then, another nurse who caught my vision of adventure, introduced me to a little wagon she had in a back room.  We loaded it with blankets and Tag enjoyed his first wagon ride!  I would make sounds like we were slamming on the breaks and he would laugh out loud.  Then we grabbed Joann and made a break for it and drove around the halls of the hospital.  I'm not sure, but it looks like Tag enjoyed himself. What do you think?