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July 9, 2005
We’ve had a great couple of days here. No finger stick in clinic on Thursday, plus Hazen’s counts met the gold standard: discontinue GCSF shot, and no transfusion. Nurse Linda gave us the okay to vamoose until Tuesday with the option to come in on Monday if Hazen looks like he needs a tune up.
We made a quick pit stop to Talbot’s Kids, in our never-ending search for affordable soft cotton clothes. Hazen’s skin is still a bit hypersensitive, so he won’t endure most of his old clothes. We found a couple of things he liked, on sale. Then we ventured off to Central Park. Well, before we actually got to Central Park we stopped for: a donut, a cupcake, a shortbread cookie and some Veggie Booty. We sort of eat our way across Manhattan, literally. I’ve become the human garbage disposal. Hazen takes a few bites, then says, “Here you go mom, you can finish it,” and boy, can I.
But I’ve got to support the urge to eat, whatever the quantity. Hazen might end up a chef. He’s always imagining flavors and textures together. Plus he has impeccable taste. His favorite ice cream is Haagen Dasz, his favorite cookies are Fauchon’s sugar cookies (or homemade Butterscotchies), and Eli’s shortbread iced cookies. His favorite cupcake is from Magnolia. His favorite donut is Cupcake Café. This all coming from the kid who saw his first concert at Carnegie Hall at 3 months. He’s quite debonair, our little mugsy.
This Friday has been sooo relaxing. A far cry from our stints in the ICU, etc. Actually, Hazen brought up the ICU today. He said that it’s his favorite hospital because they have the Disney Channel. He must have failed to remember that he had a tube down his throat while he was watching it. Thank goodness for selective memory. I pray to God above that our days to come bring complete healing, Intensive Care Unit free. For a second I regretted not having cable. Is PBS really that bad?
Thank goodness we went to visit Aunt C.C. today. She and her boyfriend George have the Disney Channel. And Noggin, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, and more. He watched TV till his eyes crossed and even did yoga during a commercial break. He loves C.C. and was happy to see her and the Disney channel. We’re getting scans the week of July 18th, still working out scheduling anesthesia for the MRI of his liver. Hazen can do most anything without anesthesia, but I heard from most adults that the noise of the MRI is mind bending. So, we’ll take it from there. From there on out it’s either more chemo, then on to radiation and antibodies, or another surgery for the liver. I pray to God it’s the former. If it is, we may just have to get cable.
PLEASE SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK and see lots of GREAT PICTURES by visiting the following site while we update Hazen’s own site. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hazen
Love and Laughter, Suz , Scott, Haz
June 10, 2005
Another Pit Stop on the Rat Race: or What we Learned from Cancer (this week)
Cherish the possibility of learning from your children
You have to be open to it and not so all-knowing, age-centric, “we’re the parents you’re the child”. These wondrous kids, all of them, have magnificent ideas and perspectives from their wee vantage points. “Dad, how come it’s a haunted house if the house is so beautiful”? We must learn to hear and better yet, listen and still better, take their expressions to heart. To see them exhibit acts of unrequited kindness reminds us of what it means to honorable beings- they teach us the potential of the human heart without any agendas. If I tell a fib, my child is the first one to call me on it. View the world through a child’s eyes, if only briefly. Soon, there will be a sparkle in your eye, a spontaneous smile on your face. We need to respect and learn from our children. Peter Pan had it right.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 31 / June 1, 2005
To: Our Family who Loves & Supports the Amazin’ Hazen Kennedy
Happy Memorial Day
We dared to go out into the world – of New York City pedestrian sidewalks teaming with humans, of busy grocery stores that have traffic cops in front of the checkouts, a quick visit to a neighbor’s place. Well, we faced the germies and the bugs on their own turf without incident. No, this isn’t a Hell’s Kitchen gang showdown but rather an important and symbolic step towards healing Hazen. It has been over six months time since our family has ventured out of the cocoon in pursuit of the mundane activities of daily life.
We are grateful to have spent twenty-one nights at home. Hazen may be sick, but his heart has never been larger. As parents, we are so proud of his capacity to love at such a young age. He dazzles, thrills, and amazes. Our little firefly’s light is starting to shine. Kindly continue to pray and offer your positive energy and intentions towards Hazen. He is feeling better, thank you.
We will go on and continue to eradicate the cancer, every last bit.
A Pit Stop on the Rat Race: or What we are Learning from Cancer
Take Advantage of Other People’s Catastrophes
This is a memorable way of expressing the notion of learning from other’s experiences. There is so much to be said from this powerful idea. There is a valuable by-product of tragedy that should me mined of all its worth – to live each day in the moment and never take for granted the gift of tomorrow’s dawn. We New Yorkers should well remember how changed we were from September 11 – many of us decided to marry, change careers, reconnect with those who were out of our lives, have a baby, move far away, etc. For others, by October 11 of 2001, they were returned to being consumed by the rat race, feeling untouchable and focused on 12-hour workdays. Either way, we all should have time and the capacity of heart to carry some of the ashes of others misfortunes with us – taking a moment in our lives to spontaneously create love, invoke passion, and recall the most basic human qualities of happiness – family, friendship, romantic companionship, spirituality…laughter, etc. Even last year, we were already stressed out about getting Hazen into the right kindergarten – two years before being old enough to attend (a neurotic New York thing) Now, we cannot relate to our previous neuroticism and realize how misguided we were in directing our energy towards this pursuit. It’s just kindergarten! How wonderful just to have a happy, healthy kid in school. Learn from us.
We’ve had a great couple of days here. No finger stick in clinic on Thursday, plus Hazen’s counts met the gold standard: discontinue GCSF shot, and no transfusion. Nurse Linda gave us the okay to vamoose until Tuesday with the option to come in on Monday if Hazen looks like he needs a tune up.
We made a quick pit stop to Talbot’s Kids, in our never-ending search for affordable soft cotton clothes. Hazen’s skin is still a bit hypersensitive, so he won’t endure most of his old clothes. We found a couple of things he liked, on sale. Then we ventured off to Central Park. Well, before we actually got to Central Park we stopped for: a donut, a cupcake, a shortbread cookie and some Veggie Booty. We sort of eat our way across Manhattan, literally. I’ve become the human garbage disposal. Hazen takes a few bites, then says, “Here you go mom, you can finish it,” and boy, can I.
But I’ve got to support the urge to eat, whatever the quantity. Hazen might end up a chef. He’s always imagining flavors and textures together. Plus he has impeccable taste. His favorite ice cream is Haagen Dasz, his favorite cookies are Fauchon’s sugar cookies (or homemade Butterscotchies), and Eli’s shortbread iced cookies. His favorite cupcake is from Magnolia. His favorite donut is Cupcake Café. This all coming from the kid who saw his first concert at Carnegie Hall at 3 months. He’s quite debonair, our little mugsy.
This Friday has been sooo relaxing. A far cry from our stints in the ICU, etc. Actually, Hazen brought up the ICU today. He said that it’s his favorite hospital because they have the Disney Channel. He must have failed to remember that he had a tube down his throat while he was watching it. Thank goodness for selective memory. I pray to God above that our days to come bring complete healing, Intensive Care Unit free. For a second I regretted not having cable. Is PBS really that bad?
Thank goodness we went to visit Aunt C.C. today. She and her boyfriend George have the Disney Channel. And Noggin, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, and more. He watched TV till his eyes crossed and even did yoga during a commercial break. He loves C.C. and was happy to see her and the Disney channel. We’re getting scans the week of July 18th, still working out scheduling anesthesia for the MRI of his liver. Hazen can do most anything without anesthesia, but I heard from most adults that the noise of the MRI is mind bending. So, we’ll take it from there. From there on out it’s either more chemo, then on to radiation and antibodies, or another surgery for the liver. I pray to God it’s the former. If it is, we may just have to get cable.
PLEASE SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK and see lots of GREAT PICTURES by visiting the following site while we update Hazen’s own site. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hazen
Love and Laughter, Suz , Scott, Haz
June 10, 2005
Another Pit Stop on the Rat Race: or What we Learned from Cancer (this week)
Cherish the possibility of learning from your children
You have to be open to it and not so all-knowing, age-centric, “we’re the parents you’re the child”. These wondrous kids, all of them, have magnificent ideas and perspectives from their wee vantage points. “Dad, how come it’s a haunted house if the house is so beautiful”? We must learn to hear and better yet, listen and still better, take their expressions to heart. To see them exhibit acts of unrequited kindness reminds us of what it means to honorable beings- they teach us the potential of the human heart without any agendas. If I tell a fib, my child is the first one to call me on it. View the world through a child’s eyes, if only briefly. Soon, there will be a sparkle in your eye, a spontaneous smile on your face. We need to respect and learn from our children. Peter Pan had it right.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 31 / June 1, 2005
To: Our Family who Loves & Supports the Amazin’ Hazen Kennedy
Happy Memorial Day
We dared to go out into the world – of New York City pedestrian sidewalks teaming with humans, of busy grocery stores that have traffic cops in front of the checkouts, a quick visit to a neighbor’s place. Well, we faced the germies and the bugs on their own turf without incident. No, this isn’t a Hell’s Kitchen gang showdown but rather an important and symbolic step towards healing Hazen. It has been over six months time since our family has ventured out of the cocoon in pursuit of the mundane activities of daily life.
We are grateful to have spent twenty-one nights at home. Hazen may be sick, but his heart has never been larger. As parents, we are so proud of his capacity to love at such a young age. He dazzles, thrills, and amazes. Our little firefly’s light is starting to shine. Kindly continue to pray and offer your positive energy and intentions towards Hazen. He is feeling better, thank you.
We will go on and continue to eradicate the cancer, every last bit.
A Pit Stop on the Rat Race: or What we are Learning from Cancer
Take Advantage of Other People’s Catastrophes
This is a memorable way of expressing the notion of learning from other’s experiences. There is so much to be said from this powerful idea. There is a valuable by-product of tragedy that should me mined of all its worth – to live each day in the moment and never take for granted the gift of tomorrow’s dawn. We New Yorkers should well remember how changed we were from September 11 – many of us decided to marry, change careers, reconnect with those who were out of our lives, have a baby, move far away, etc. For others, by October 11 of 2001, they were returned to being consumed by the rat race, feeling untouchable and focused on 12-hour workdays. Either way, we all should have time and the capacity of heart to carry some of the ashes of others misfortunes with us – taking a moment in our lives to spontaneously create love, invoke passion, and recall the most basic human qualities of happiness – family, friendship, romantic companionship, spirituality…laughter, etc. Even last year, we were already stressed out about getting Hazen into the right kindergarten – two years before being old enough to attend (a neurotic New York thing) Now, we cannot relate to our previous neuroticism and realize how misguided we were in directing our energy towards this pursuit. It’s just kindergarten! How wonderful just to have a happy, healthy kid in school. Learn from us.