"Not so Short" - Update

Sorry it's taken so long to send an update. Believe it or not, I had the whole, long e-mail typed yesterday and the computer automatically re-booted on me, making me lose the whole thing! I just didn't have it in me to retry at that point, so....I waited until today!!
Matthew had his treatment on Tuesday and scans on Wednesday. We are waiting for Monday for results and the next step.
Now, if you are busy and want to stop there, you've got the basic info. But if you are like me and like DETAILS, then read on. Let me say at this point that we have learned on this journey that when you are trying to figure out what to expect, expect the unexpected. So...
We arrived at McGhee Tyson Monday evening for our 6:20 pm flight. Thirty minutes before the flight came the fateful words: "The flight has been delayed, maybe as late as 8:20 p.m." Great!!
So Matthew & I decided to go get a bite to eat not knowing what the night would bring. We were about to give our order when the announcement came for all passengers on the New York flight to come IMMEDIATELY!! (It was 6:50 pm) So much for the food!
They changed our flight to go to Cinncinnati and then change planes to go to New York. They were frantically getting us on the flight and getting our luggage re-routed before the plane had to leave. Whew! We made it!
As soon as we got in the air, Matthew started feeling bad. I think he has become allergic to planes now! Ha! It was a short flight to Cinncinnati and I got him to a place to sit so I could go get pretzels and a coke for him. There were 2 other Clintonians on the flight, the Cunninghams, that we met up with on the layover in Ohio. Mrs. Cunningham, being the prepared teacher she is, pulled out a bag of pretzels to the rescue. We enjoyed getting to talk with them while we waited for the NY flight which - you guessed it - was also delayed.
The flight to NY was uneventful until we landed and then we sat on the tarmac for 45 minutes before a shuttle took us from the plane to the airport back door where we climbed the steps to the terminal. (flying just ain't what it used to be!!) At 11:55 pm we were finally in the cab to Manhatten. At 1:00 a.m. we were sitting in our room at Ronald McDonald House eating a sandwich from the 24 hour deli around the corner.
Matthew had a tough day Tuesday. He didn't feel well when he arrived at the hospital so they gave him meds to help him before the treatment. The nurse, Chris, that has put his IV in several times before took 3 trys using both arms before getting him set up. That's never happened before and she was mortified. During the treatment, Matthew had a reaction to the meds for his stomach. Not a fun day for him. He finally fell asleep after the treatment and since they didn't need the room, I let him sleep until he woke up which was after 4 pm. The sleep seemed to help him alot.
Tuesday evening we enjoyed watching the Lady Vols win the NCAA National Championship over Stanford! What a game! I actually wore my orange shirt the next day.
On Wednesday, we arrived at the hospital at 12:30 pm and after drinking the "yummy concoction" Matthew had his CT scan at 2:30 p.m. His Petscan was scheduled for 4:30 pm but we got there early thinking we'd get out early - we left at 6:10 pm - par for the course.
Matthew slept most of Thursday since he wasn't feeling well again. Today, he's a little better and we hope to go to Central Park for a ride around the park after I finish up here. Ian is supposed to be here before supper today.
I'd like to ask for a special prayer request for a couple I met when Matthew was having his scans. Their names are Jacqueline and Stephen Chu and they are from Hong Kong. Jacqueline was diagnosed last week in Hong Kong with a sarcoma and was given a few months to live. Within days they made the 17 hour trip to New York to Sloan Kettering for tests to see if anything can be done. They receive their answers today. They are in their mid-30's and have two small children. We are communicating by e-mail. Thank you for remembering them in your prayers.
God continues to bless us by meeting people that bless us and that we can hopefully bless by sharing our story to encourage them. As I sit here in the computer room at Ronald McDonald House, I look at children who are at the computers with their precious bald heads and smiling faces. They are an inspiration to be around! I ask your prayers for them, as well.
Well, now that you've had to eat a snack, take a walk and a nap to finally get through this message, I'll close. I send my love and thankfulness for each of you. Love, Nancy