The teachers no longer make exceptions for you. No one asks how you are feeling any more, or tells you how brave and wonderful you are. You no longer get out of school and no one brings you special presents any more. Recently I received a call from a mother of a 7 year old girl who had just completed 3 years of chemotherapy. She was still in a state of shock after finding out she had been reported for child abuse.
All kids get fevers.
But if your child initially presented with a fever, your throat will get dry every time the thermometer reaches 99.5. The answers are not usually black or white, so you sit and mull over the gray areas for hours or days before you swallow your pride, take a deep breath and pick up the phone. When treatment began, you thought the magic day when worries all dissipated was shortly after the last treatment. On the other hand, you also know that one visit in Suite D, Children's Hospital, can change your life forever. About a week before the big checkup, morbid thoughts flash through your head that you try to block out.