Good day today, got to have everyone home on a gate pass for a short couple of hours. Enough time to watch Snow White, eat some normal food together and be at home for the first time in three weeks. I think all were happy, especially Abs and Em.

Rougher week

A bit of a rougher week as Abi has developed her first fever and picked up a bit of a virus as well over the weekend. Neither were that surprising, she has been neutropenic for the entire trip thus far and fever is a known side-effect of the chemo drugs and/or virus. Still, not good seeing her obviously sick. As a result we were moved to another ward and are currently in isolation. Cabin fever has set in as we're stuck in a tiny little room and not allowed out at all, there are only so many hours in a day that can devoted to Diego (as in Dora's cousin, use google those without kids) . Worryingly she was asking for that to be played while stirring in her sleep the other night.

Still the fever has eased from the spikes of the weekend and she is back to herself again, though has had another transfusion and will likely get some more platelets soon as well. As a precaution she is on heavy anti-biotics and anti-fungals, and has learnt to keep herself amused by mastering yet another TV remote as you can see above. Someone has also taught her how to surf along IV poles while being pushed, though this has not gone down well with mum... So, a few bad days this week but on the mend again now. Should be back in her usual ward in a few days once the runny nose eases up, til then lots of painting, drawing, sticking and maybe IV surfing to fill the days.

End of first chemo round

Well, as you can see Abi is coping well with her chemotherapy and hospital stay. Her sister enjoys visiting as well, though everyone is getting a little cabin fever as her stay kicks over into it's third week. Health wise Abigail is doing really well with few side effects, though these will likely becoming more of a problem soon. Still, so far so good and her eyes are responding well to the treatment.

Several people have asked what they can do to help, and we shall try to take people up on this when we can. One thing that is easy to do and critical is to give blood. Abi has already had one transfusion and is facing many more over the months ahead. It is sobering to think of all the kids in all the wards around the country that are reliant on this scant resource, and what might happen if it ran out. Thus if you are able making a blood donation it would be a good thing for all. Thanks again for all the offers of help and support, very much appreciated.

Finally a reminder about what to post here. I think you can post comments, sign up for notifications of updates etc, however please remember that the blog is open access and thus anyone can view it. So, no placenames, DOB, details etc of the girls please. We'll try to keep this updated c.weekly or when we get some more news.

Our little girl

Abigail Grace McDonald was born in July 2007, and right from day one she has been a very headstrong little girl. Even before she could sit up, much less talk, she had her own way of letting us know what she wanted. But, given she often has a dubious level of 'help' provided by her older sister, I guess a bit of attitude is not to be unexpected. She has a special spot for her mum, Diego, Dora and of course the two middle fingers of her left hand that rarely leave her mouth. Her smile is always huge though, and she is generally doing her best to keep up with Emily. Her favourite words are 'no' and 'me', as in 'me' do it.

Our world came crashing down last Friday, 8 May 2009 when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). This has hit everyone hard, not least because Abi is still seemingly in such good health on the outside. She already holds her hands out to allow BP cuffs to be put on, or lifts her arm for temp to be taken in her armpit and tries to pull the drip trolley behind her.

However, she is a very sick little girl and has begun chemo tonight. The road ahead will be very long, with 6-8 months of treatment to be expected. So many people are a part of her life that we'd thought we'd try and keep this blog as a way of letting people know what is happening. We appreciate all of the messages we have received, and appreciate the offers of support. While the road ahead will be difficult, Abi's strong spirit and the excellent staff give us a great deal of hope and confidence. She is a fighter like all of the McDonald girls, and for one so small such a big spirit will be amongst the best medicine that she can get.