Hi everyone! Since my last entry I have had my first treatment of stem cells, and I must say it was easier than I thought it would be! On Friday, I got my first IV treatment and it took about one hour for the bag to drain into my system! After that I was a bit tired, but then I got hyper...kept my dad up most of the night! I'm still adjusting to this time schedule, but I think I'm starting to feel some effects of the treatment. I had no bad side effects...no throwing up, no fever, no headaches, but today I think I really surprised my mom. We were getting ready to go on a tour of the city and we were in the lobby playing at a table. My mom stood me up beside the table and I stood on my own for like 10-15 minutes and played on my own with the toys on the table! My mom was amazed but couldn't go get the camera to film me...but I'm sure I'll do it again soon for everyone to see!
So we went on a tour of the city that ended up being wonderful. Yesterday my family ventured out on our own and took a taxi to the shopping district but the experience was a bit surreal, and my sister and I really didn't want to be with all those people in the hot, sticky weather. Today, however, it rained and so the weather wasn't that hot or humid! So we returned to that shopping district on a bus that we rented with 4 other families. My parents bought almost all the gifts that they needed to get plus a couple of things for themselves as well! After shopping we went to check out the coast, the public beach and the main pier...all very beautiful. Downtown Qingdao is gorgeous...very modern, very manicured, very hip...even saw a few Starbucks....they are EVERYWHERE! My mom is going to post some pictures on here when she can so that you can all see what it's like! After all the touring we went to a fabulous Italian restaurant. It was so good for my parents to relax , enjoy the food, and get to know the other families a bit more!
So now we're back at the hospital and my parents just got the schedule for this week. From now on I will have 2-3 hours of therapy a day...PT, OT and Acupuncture! My next treatment (and all the rest too!) will be a lumbar injection on Wednesday, July 1st. I will have to be put under with a local anesthetic and then lay still for 6 hours after the procedure is done. These treatments are much more intense so I could have some side effects, but hopefully I won't! I can't leave the hospital the day before, the day of, or the day after, so we'll be around here a lot! I have Friday off and next Sunday too, but the treatment schedule for the following week will include two lumbar treatments, so we're going to have to lay low or split up...Soraya and dad or Soraya and mom will have to go out while someone sticks behind with me!
Ok...well I'm going to sign off for now. Hopefully I will have more to share soon! Thanks for joining me on this journey! See you later!
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Hi Najib(habibi), we are very excited to here of your bodies acceptance and positive response to your first stem cell treatment.Also, your families ability to be with you and share first hand in your own miracle demonstrates God's domain being greater than religons'."your will will be done on Earth as it (already) is in Heaven"
ReplyDeleteNajib.... Here are some words of encouragement that may not mean much now but I hope one day you are able to reread these words and truly feel the power behind them. I wish they were written by me but we have to give credit to Nelson Mandela (you can ask your mom and dad about him:) I am thinking about you and sending all of my love and prayers. Pretty soon you will be playing the tree game with your sister and I think you will both love it! “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to hear how great everything is going. I hold you in my prayers every day. Can't wait to hear what comes next.
ReplyDeleteHey Naji- We are so proud of you. You are a very brave boy! We were so happy to hear that you are feeling well. Can't wait to see pictures of you and your family. Love, Cheryl, Theo and Khairi
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