With tears and recriminations of 'But I've only just got home...' - and that was just Simon - the Rose entourage returned to Stanmore this morning. Extremely unimpressed after three fabulous days at home Rose and all her essential items for the week (truckloads of bears and dvds) are back on the ward safely in the hands of a senior physio. With all the expertise of Stanmore at her disposal we are hoping and hoping and hoping for some kind of breakthrough with weight bearing this week - despite all the best efforts of the community physios and us we have got nowhere with this. Rose is getting more and more able on her crutches, can go up and down stairs and walk short distances but is refusing/unable/too frightened (who knows) to put weight down. Frustration level at an all time high but she has had a serious talking-to from the Stanmore physio this morning ('I don't like her, daddy') and we are hoping for BIG THINGS...
The weekend was just life-affirmingly wonderful in every way - casseroles, chocolates, coffees and cakes appeared at regular intervals together with visitors bearing bags full of presents for Rose, the sun shone all weekend, the children were euphoric to be together and she wasn't sick right up until this morning! It was the best time we have had together for months and months and a really reassuring reminder that underneath the chemo, the infections and the sickness is Rose - just as gorgeous and fabulous as ever waiting to re-emerge from all this madness. She made us laugh all weekend and we revelled in her - the sight, the sound of her in her own home where she belongs.
So bit of a reality check today as the family split in two directions again and the week will deteriorate for Rose too as last week's chemo hits home. Her neutrophil count will drop, she will need blood and platelets tomorrow, her white blood count is on the way down etc and she will in all likelihood end the week in Stanmore in an isolation cubicle on anti biotics. But we've seen it all before and know that she will cope - because she is the most amazing six year old in the world.
