Part 2 -- Day 1

In what is already a familiar and uncomfortably comfortable setting, Ori is sleeping in his hospital bed right now as I (Justin) type this on the parent's couch/bed next to him.

He had his new port successfully placed in the top right area of his chest this afternoon, this time including a 2nd incision along the right side of his neck about 6" above the port. I'm still confused as to what that was for, but have been assured that it is the safest way to place a port.

His neck is sore and taped up, his throat is scratchy (from the oxygen tube down his throat during the procedure), and his body is already pumping full of chemo, steroids, anti-nausea medicine and other assorted meds.

Andon was a super little brother all day long, staying at the hospital far longer than we'd planned (Ori's surgery was postponed 2 hours later than scheduled). In the course of the day he went from being fretfully frightened of elevators (insisting that we take the stairs to Ori's 7th floor room) to proudly walking into an elevator without so much as even holding Mommy's or Daddy's hand.

Come to think of it, I don't know if that better describes Andon's maturation in one day, or just how long this one day has seemed. Either way, he sweetly offered to leave some of his stuffed animal friends with Ori overnight, to keep him company.

So this day was the hardest of this initial 4-day hospitalization. The remaining days will be spent administering chemo and watching his blood work for how his body responds to everything.

And the remaining nights will be spent squeezing every last ounce of sleep out of the slivers of undisturbed time in the room.

Speaking of which...