Here's a picture of out little trooper, home after a full month in hospital bar a few hours. She came home yesterday and as you can see, she's very excited. The hair fell out completely two days ago, but even with that she looks very much better than she has done for the last week. Even the very dark circles around her eyes are fading. No hair actually makes her look older than just nine.
I hope she gets to enjoy some time with her brother and sister and that the (inevitable) infections stay away for a while.
She's been a real trooper about treatment. Transfusions and a lot of other treatment go into the central line which is on her right side of chest below the collar bone. She can cope with that and she can even cope when the line is flushed and cleaned although she doesn't like it much.
Not everything goes down that. Two parts of the chemo are given by intramuscular injections and hurt. Usually this takes at least two nurses to administer to children and is nerve-wracking to all concerned. Miss M knows she needs them and has steeled herself to accept it. She told the nurse she would be fine and rolls over for the injection. And fine she is. She hates it but put up with it without more than a grimace and a bit of a whimper. The same goes for the several times a day injection of insulin to deal with the steroid induced diabetes. She pricks her own finger for the tests and an adult does the reading.
I ordered some organic cotton from
Ecoyarns on the NSW Central Coast. The yarn is died and spun in Peru from certified organic cotton and using fairtrade practices for the workers. The women who work there are paid a wage and also receive a litre of milk everyday they work.

My brain was in such a distracted state that I sent off the order online, giving only half my address. Vivian who has the business had to email me for full address. I explained I was distracted. I have not been able to get to the PO to pick up the parcel which was left there, even though I was at home when it was theoretically delivered. SOn picked it up yesterday. The three skeins I ordered were there but there was an extra A little kit of yarn and pattern to make a hat with tendrils from the top. So I have to get cracking on some chemo hats for Miss M.
This is yet another example of the kindnesses we have had shown to us by so many. I wrote "by strangers" on the ravelry group and was admonished for it. Not strangers but friends who have just not met physically. The postman asked why the influx of mail to my little used box. Cards, toys, books, knitted things, prayers, good wishes, games and more
have come in in an amazing quantity. We have been overwhelmed, son has been totally surprised at the the kindness shown to his little girl.