VADA

Our cousin Colleen and her daughter sent Vada two hats that look almost like hair, except one is purple. She loves them and posed so I could take a picture of her modeling the blond one. She says she's going to wear it when she leaves the hospital---until it gets too hot.

She's doing much better now that her doctor has taken away two antibiotics that were causing her some serious negative reactions. She's beginning to eat a little bit and is even going for short walks down the hall. Yesterday Chuck and I took her for a long walk. We took along a wheel chair and when she got tired she sat down and Chuck pushed her the rest of the way while I rode herd on her IV tree. We went outside for a few minutes and she was shocked by how hot it is was, but remember she arrived here at the end of June when we were still getting rain and cool weather. If she can eat and keep down what she eats she'll get to go home in a few days. She's in remission now (that's a miracle!), but her drug reaction is seriously interfering with her recovery. She'll have a short time after she gets home to decide whether or not to continue with the treatment and begin a stemcell transplant. This type of leukemia always comes back, usually between two and twelve months after going into remission. She's been so terribly sick and close to death for so long she isn't sure she can face the long transplant procedure and long months away from home.