Camp

OK, I'm a little slow on updating about Mason's week at camp. Well, I've been away. I'm home for a couple of days, then off again to the trailer. Anyway..... 

Mason's Week: Mason did really well at camp. I was expecting him to cry when he saw me. That didn't happen. Want to know the story of what he actually did when we arrived? I took Asia, Sydney and Grandma along with me. Sydney was actually glad Grandpa couldn't make it because she wanted Mason's attention. That girl missed her brother, big-time! If Grandpa would have been there, Mason would have ignored all the rest of us. So I walked into his cabin first, noticed some people sitting on the couches to the right, so I looked that way. The girls and Grandma were right behind me when I heard Mason's voice coming from the other direction. I turned toward his voice, held out my arms - ready for a big hug. He yelled out "MAMA" and ran into Grandma's arms! Right past me!!! Didn't even pause to look at me!! Big squishy hug. So you think that he would run straight into my arms after that, right? Not! He ran over to one of his councilors and was telling her "Mama! Mama!". Next he gave Sydney a big hug. Finally I told him to give me a hug. That's when he noticed me. 

I'll get over it...... 

Everyone there was sort of out-of-it-exhausted from a full week with kids, so I didn't get that much information. Paul filled me in on some stuff. Mason got homesick the last two days, asking for Mommy a lot. (not Mama .... he he he). He would not swim in the lake, but he loved throwing rocks in. Loved to feed the horses, but would not ride one. Slept well at night. They had a big food fight at dinner on the last day. Mason did not like that, so he and Paul went and did something else. Mason loved archery and kept asking for more of that. I don't know how he did, though, if he even got close to the target! Paul helped him hand-over-hand with it, though. 

He had a couple of bandages on his knees from falling down. :) I smile because it's nice to see him get owies from regular boy stuff, rather than seizures. :) And he let them put bandages on him! He won't let me!! Even the Sponge Bob ones! 

Mason came home with two bracelets he made. Obviously with a LOT of help. He really likes them and shows them to anyone who asks. 

Mommy and Daddy's Week: I actually did a lot better with the separation than I thought I would. I decided that I would not try to contact the camp until half-way through the week. I thought about him a lot. Daddy, on the other hand, was a little more anxious..... and He kept wanting me to email the camp and see how Mason was doing. Daryl would also start to get a sad look on his face and say, "I wonder how Mason is doing." and "Do you think he's ok?". I set him straight and told him not to talk that way. I didn't want to loose it. We did get an email part way through the week. It was quite generic, Mason was participating in activities and happy. But, as they told me, no news is good news! And that is the news we received all week! :) 

I had big plans to start packing. Didn't pack a single thing. I crashed. Did nothing. Napped. I just had no energy. I started getting some energy on day 4, and a little more on day 5. On day 6, Mason came home. I do feel better now for all that rest... and sleeping through the night for SIX days STRAIGHT! Woo Hoo!!!  

Asia and Sydney's Week: Asia has a summer job babysitting Monday to Friday, all day, for most of the summer. So she didn't really miss Mason. She's just busy and tired. A great experience for her! At the end of the second day, Sydney said that the house was so quiet, and she had nothing to do. I asked her if she missed Mason. Yup she did. Sydney mentioned that she missed Mason nearly every day. She, Mason and I went down the the trailer for the same day that Mason came home. Sydney got two straight days of playing with Mason. happy girl:) 

I have been very impressed with the the staff and volunteers at Zajac Ranch. They are very familiar with parents like me.... nervous first timers! And even better, they are really in tune with the kids. Working at a camp for kids with disabilities and chronic medical conditions would be a lot more intense than a regular camp. 

Mason smiles when we talk about camp. So hopefully he can go again next year!

Pray for Hope

I've been hearing the word 'hope' a little more often lately. I question some of the ways it's been tossed around. But then, what really is hope? The dictionary explains it as a feeling, a wish or desire. But how does one hope when those feelings cannot be mustered up? How does God grant hope? That, I believe, is a journey unique to each person and circumstance. I also believe that those answers can only be found in God's Word. Not by doing certain things, or trying to feel a certain way, or even some cute little story about it. I am thinking of three women right now that must find God's Hope in new or ongoing difficult journeys. I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to pray for them.

The first is my Mom. As you know her husband recently died. This is the second time for her, and I can't imagine what she's going through.  

The second is my sister's best friend, Shawna. I also babysat her many years ago. She is blogging an incredibly difficult journey. Her most recent blog on hope has been on my mind a lot. Click here: the road less travelled

The third one is my friend Kristy in Alabama. I have introduced you to her son, little Jon Andrew in Alabama. He has the same condition as Mason does. Here is a recent email from her: 

Hey All,

Wanted to ask that if you have a chance, pray that the Lord would protect Jon Andrew the week of Aug 3rd-7th.  We will be at Children's hospital in Birmingham doing a desensitization procedure with a medicine he has been allergic to in the past.  He will be in the ICU for about 2 days while beginning the process and then will move to a regular room.  We are praying that his body will be able to adapt to this medicine that has helped him in the past with seizures and behaviors.  Pray that he will not have any severe responses to trying the med again ie) shock, cardiac arrest, steven-johnson syndrome.  This is one of our last options before moving towards a brain surgery in the next year (we will only do this if absolutely necessary because my neuro isn't a big fan of the surgery, but we are running out of options).  

Another important part of this puzzle is that my doctors cannot find any allergy studies done in the world (literally) that have ever been done with this medicine (Banzel).  Lots of times they have done the desensitization process with penicilin, aspirin, a few other seizure meds, but not this particular med.  In other words, this is experimental with JA next week and very risky. Please pray for us.

Day 1

It's been 30 hours since I last saw my boy. And the camp hasn't phone us yet! That's good news!  It means he is having a good time and the staff and volunteers are able to handle any issues that arise. 

The drop off went...... well, it eventually went well. Mason slept for part of the ride in. He woke just before we got there. We pulled in to the check-in area, the medical building. We met Paul, a young guy that will be Mason's personal caregiver. He seemed very nice. Kind of a quiet, calming type. We went into the building, checked in his medication, did the head lice check etc. Mason had a bigger seizure during this time, so they could see what they look like, so that was a good thing. It was most likely triggered from waking up. We went out to get his luggage and he went straight into the car and buckled up and said "home". Not what I expected!

So over the next 30 minutes various people tried to talk him into getting out of the car, they took his luggage to his lodge, I drove over to his lodge, people continued talking to him. I went into the lodge and talked to Paul, Mason stayed in the car. One of his counsellors drew his attention to the horses. THAT finally got his attention! He wrenched his body to look, but was stuck in his seatbelt. I told him that he would have to take off the seatbelt to see. He unclicked himself in a flash! He got out of the car for a better look. We were parked just across the driveway from the fence, so Mason, Paul, and I headed over for a closer look. The horse was a distance away, but we walked up to another one, nearer to the fence (about 30 feet away). Mason pulled up some dandelions to feed the horse. It was more interested in the hay. I told Paul more about Mason. 

I realized that my car door was still open, so I told Mason I would be right back, and that he was supposed to stay with Paul. He said, "OK". I chatted for a moment with Paul when Mason suddenly said, "go". So I told him goodbye and he replied with the same. It was apparent that he was comfortable with Paul and the environment. So I gave him some hugs and kisses (which he immediately wiped off with hysterical laughter - our own little game). I headed back to my car with many waves from him. As I drove past the pair on my way out, I waved, Mason waved, and that was it. 

I had a moment where I almost started crying as I drove along the driveway. Quite a range of emotions going on. 

I slept good last night, no anxiety on my part. It's quite different putting a child like Mason than the girls into the hands of strangers. I've never been away from him this long ( six nights - five is the longest), he's never  been with strangers over night, when I have been away, it's been with people I know and I can have contact with them and Mason at any time. 

This is a good thing! Even though it's difficult. It's good for both Mason and us to have this separation. 

Off to Camp

I am in the middle of typing up an "All About Mason" booklet to go along with Mason to camp tomorrow. I'm on to page 3 already. Hopefully not too much more! 

Yup, Mason is off to Zajac Ranch Camp tomorrow afternoon! He knows that he's going to camp for a sleepover. He just doesn't realize it will be 6 sleepovers! I was somewhat nervous until Daryl, Mason and I took a drive out there on Saturday to meet with the camp director, Andrew. Really nice young guy. He toured us around, introduced us to various staff and volunteers, including the nurses and medical staff. They have a different group each week and Mason is going to Epilepsy week. They have extra medical staff on. I think he said two doctors and two nurses. They have a helicopter on standby in case of emergency. 26 kids and 31 staff and volunteers. Mason will have a one-on-one caregiver the whole time. They all go through extensive training. Just being there has eased my mind and heart a lot. Now I have to worry about Daryl! I told him tonight that he can't rely on me to calm any anxieties he has about Mason being away at camp, an hour away, in a strange place, with strangers looking after him. Andrew said they have very few issues with kids being homesick. They are all trained to deal with that. The parents are the ones that tend to have problems, apparently. The kids have no phone calls or emails or contact with anyone outside the camp. If we hear nothing, that's a good thing!

I think Mason will have a blast! He'll be homesick at times, but I think they'll be able to deal with it. :)

I copied this blurb off the Zajac website. Click on it to see more of what it's about. It's quite an amazing place! 

The Zajac Ranch for Children is a summer camp set on the shores of Stave Lake in Mission, BC. The ranch serves children with serious and chronic illnesses and disabilities. The Zajac Ranch seeks to normalize and enhance the lives of the children that attend camp by offering innovative and unique programs in a caring and supportive environment.

I'm adding this later.... I'm up to page 4 on my "about Mason" booklet. 

AND, as I know that some of you will comment..... I am still up at 2:30 am. Big thunder storm happening a few miles away, but noisy here anyway. ( I'm counting the seconds between the flash of lightening and the thunder) No point in going to bed if one of the kids wakes up scared...... I'll go to bed when it's done. After all, I will get a BIG chance to catch up on sleep this next week!