That was Damon's line and I thought it was pretty funny. The problem is that we have a big decision to make that could have negative consequences either way. We personally saw two doctors at MD Anderson, and they spoke to their colleagues about Aaron's case. All six doctors involved agreed that they would not recommend radiation. These were not clear terms, however. They would use phrases like "there may be a small benefit but I lean against it". Basically the problem is there are just not enough cases to get true statistical trends. If 10,000 four year olds had Ewing's sarcoma in their proximal femur that would be one thing, but we are looking at studies of 25 people of all ages and different tumor sites. We have a week to decide, so please pray. I don't think this is a decision that we can feel really good about either way. It was very sobering when Dr. Herzog stated that she wasn't as worried about leg recurrence as lung recurrence. She used the words "I'm worried for him". Not what a parent wants to hear, but I'm glad she was frank with us.
The fun stuff now! Aaron had a blast going to the Houston zoo. It is a beautiful place and the lush greenery amazed us Arizonans! Also, some friends in Houston helped us so generously by transporting us around and we had a nice dinner with their family. Aaron loved their kids and had fun. We also got to spend a few minutes at the lovely Hermann Park. The hotel staff was so nice and on two occasions gifts for Aaron were brought to our room. He also discovered room service, as a late night request for french fries (which you don't deny a child with a feeding tube) was met by a platter of fries brought to the door at 11:30 p.m.! Even though it is a place I'd rather not even know about, it was interesting and exciting to go to one of the top cancer hospitals in the world. It is truly a multi-cultural center - in the clinic waiting room I sat next to a lady in a full birka. That part was very sad for Damon actually. He told me that of all the people in the room he was most sad for her that she lived in that oppression.
Please just pray that we have wisdom in making this decision, and that Aaron stays healthy after all of the exposure on the plane.
Thanks
Barbara
