Developing Strength Through Adversity

So while Samuel has certainly faced a few "rough" moments in treatment, it seems that all of these are steadily building up a reserve of strength for this amazing little warrior. The latest + greatest happened this past Monday when Samuel was the unfortunate "guinea pig" for a new nurse at the clinic. She is a wonderful girl, and of course, the best learning comes through practice... however, her attempt to insert the IV needle into Samuel's port was unsuccessful.

The IV needle did not fully enter the port's valve so the saline solution was injected instead directly into his skin surrounding the port. Needless to say, just like when the catheter leaked into his shoulder area... OUCH. It took a couple minutes of trying to "fix" the access before the needle was removed, and the whole process had to be started over. Happy to say the second attempt went great, and Samuel recovered well - although he was pretty shaken up by the intense burning sensation from the solution (and general needle trauma). In the future, we sure hope we can avoid port accessing challenges, but at least we know we can get through it :|

Tomorrow is another day, and it will be a GOOD one! Samuel will get anti-nausea medication in addition to Actinomycin, so we're prepping for a mellow afternoon - I see arts & crafts on the horizon for sure :)

He always keeps such a great attitude, but he has definitely developed a dread of going to the Children's Place. We are determined to remedy that anxiety and get back on a better path with less worry involved for him. Your prayers + support are so very greatly appreciated. We know that Samuel has been spared even greater trauma because of your loving prayers + positive words spoken over him. THANK YOU always....