Three very happy people celebrating Sawyer's graduation from Alfred-Almond on Saturday!! It was a warm day but the ceremony was short and sweet and surprisingly not as emotional as I expected (I packed some tissues but didn't use them!). Sawyer received a scholarship from the school's alumni association which is a welcome resource toward college expenses (he also received one from the Allegany County Area Foundation).
College orientation is next week! We have to go shopping to pick up a few things for it that will also be taken in August (sheets, towels, fan, bath caddy, etc.). In the meantime, Sawyer has been working part-time at Herrick Library at Alfred U. amidst various doctor appointments (specialist and chiropractor for his hips, regular doctor for TB testing, oncologist, dentist). Overall his summer is going well as he continues to wrap his mind around moving away in about 7 weeks (yikes!).
We got good news at the visit to the orthopedic oncologist last week. He has avascular necrosis (AVN) in his hips, caused by the steroids he takes as part of his chemotherapy regimen. The steroids manage to interfere with the blood flow in the bones, causing decay and weakening. Hips are a main target since they are so weight bearing and have so few blood vessels in the first place. He takes Advil to help with the inflammation but has had times when he was so sore and stiff it was hard to walk. I was sure the damage was really bad but x-rays showed only minimal so far. He's at a higher risk of developing arthritis in his hips because of this but has been put on Fosomax as a potential way to slow that down. He doesn't have any restrictions for activity, just needs to listen to his body. He's not been running but has taken to hiking the mile long path around our property each day, doing four loops each time. He is amazingly driven to stay in shape and overcome each of the obstacles thrown in his way.
He had to have the tuberculosis (TB) test done since his immune system is compromised. All part of college admission requirements....
The week after orientation we'll be heading to Lake George for our annual camping trip with a number of other families. We very much look forward to this trip every year! This time Sawyer is bringing 5 of his close friends for one last summer get-together before they all head off in different directions. They'll have their own campsite on the shore of the lake that's already been named "Boys Town" -- should have some adventures and stories afterward!
