Hi, Mark!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:   
      
   MH>  Very thankful to be finished with Interim Maintenance II   
   MH>  as of the Monday before Thanksgiving.   
      
      
            Ah.  No doubt that's a great relief....  :-)   
      
      
      
   MH>  It was a bit more challenging than I had thought.   
      
      
            These things are always a bit more challenging than one expected.    
   You do your darndest to learn all you can about what might go wrong so you can   
   spot it right away & get help promptly if necessary, but... [wry grin].   
      
            We've had our share of problems which weren't in the textbooks   
   either. I see you're well equipped for the role of father to this child,   
   however.  As a teacher I met others who worked with "special needs" children &   
   then went on to have one of their own whereas you worked in a hospital.  It   
   seems to me that we prepared ourselves in advance even if we didn't realize it   
   at the time....  :-)   
      
      
      
   MH>  We start Maintenance on December 12th.  Starts of with some   
   MH>  treatments, but at least after that, we are clear for 3 months   
   MH>  (other than a daily oral med - and another weekly one).   
      
   MH>  Will be very happy to see him start to have a normal life again.   
      
      
            Yes... whatever "normal" is (Hinton family/oncology parent joke).  ;-)   
      
            IIRC that is the stage where you no longer have to wait in the   
   parking lot (& fend off little old ladies with lap dogs who want to lick the   
   kid's face while they assure you they know all about immune suppression,   
   because they have the same problem) when your wife is shopping for groceries.    
   Although it's true that the immune system tends to be somewhat less efficient   
   beyond middle age it is a far cry from being told to avoid crowds & various   
   ill-informed individuals when the neutrophil count is below 1000 or what have   
   you... [wry grin].   
      
            Anyway, I hear you.  Looking back... I gather you got this surprise   
   on April Fool's Day.  I could tell you the exact date & time we got it too.    
   But I think what matters is that while you may not be out of the woods yet   
   things are looking up.  In my experience most kids achieve remission within   
   days.  Not all are able to maintain it, but the longer you & your loved ones   
   hang in there the better the chances are that it will be ancient history in a   
   decade or two.  :-)   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)