It’s the afternoon. Liam is sleeping…it’s a drug induced sleep…not a natural one. He’s receiving a blood transfusion to “top off his tank” since his red blood cell count was low. He was given Vistaril to counteract any reactions his body might have to the blood he’s receiving. Vistaril makes him very sleepy. He’s curled up on his side; surrounded by his 12 “puppies”; head on his beloved elephant pillow that goes everywhere he goes; covered in the “really, really, really soft” yellow blankie his selected as the lucky one to go to the hospital with him today; and gently sucking on his pacifier. (Yes – I know – he shouldn’t still be using a pacifier but it’s one of his greatest sources of comfort right now). Every few minutes I see the pacifier move in his mouth and it reminds me of the movement a bunny’s nose makes. He fell asleep watching a new Caillou DVD a dear friend brought to him today.
Guess what I just found out? Liam’s blood type (O-) is the rarest blood type available. I always thought it was AB, or A, or B. But O- as the rarest…who knew? Liam’s blood type can be given to anyone, but he can only receive O- blood. His surgery to remove the tumor that remains after three rounds of chemo is scheduled for May 2nd. We’ve been told to anticipate surgery lasting from 11 – 17 hours, something I can’t quite comprehend. What does one do for the period of time as you’re waiting to see the door open and the surgeon to walk through with a giant grin on his face saying, “we got it all”? If you’re reading this and have O- blood and don’t have plans four days before Liam’s surgery, please come donate for Liam. He’ll need blood during his marathon surgery and blood takes several days to process. And remember…one donation from an adult is the equivalent of two transfusions for Liam.
