Random acts of kindness

So much love. So much strength. So much more than we ever imagined.

And it seems there's so much more to come.

Isn't leukemia supposed to be a horror story? Thus far ours has been more of a romance, minus the Fabio.

This week has presented the usual challenges and triumphs for Dominic. It started with a bout of mucositits (mouth sores) which meant he didn't sleep well and had to get mucous sucked out of him. But that seems to be under control now and he never stopped getting out and about with his walker and toy car.

Wednesday was an exciting one as Dom met another little boy, Kai. Kai is two months younger than Dom and they have similar (bald, chubby, cute) looks. They hung out in the playroom and at one point Dom was essentially pushing the walker as Kai stood in it.

And then it happened.

Dom got excited and started bouncing up and down with his hands on the walker. Face, meet walker. New tooth? Back where you came from! Blood? Like a horror film.

Grandma gave him a popsicle and all is well now, but it was quite the scare at the time. It was a good thing his platelet levels were decent so the wound clotted up on its own.

Today his white blood cell count is up so there's optimism we might be able to start the second round of chemotherapy next week. And we're pushing hard to get a day pass for his birthday on Saturday.

My week at work was filled with unexpected surprises. A card signed by everyone at the Medicine Hat News where I work and gifts for Dominic. Another card and donation from Trish's work, Ensminger, Beck and Thompson Chartered Accountants.

Monday night I got a random email. "Being a mom, I was extremely touched and saddened by Dominic's story... My friend and I wanted to do something for your family to help relieve at least some of the stress you must be going through."

Meet Carly Desjarlais and Krista Wilde. We haven't! But they're already our new best friends. These two ladies are organizing a steak and silent auction fundraiser Nov. 14 at Ralph's Texas Bar and Steak House in Medicine Hat with proceeds going to our family.

If you want to get in touch with them Twitter (@kristawilde and @CarlyD85) is the best place but all fundraisers relating to Dom are being tracked by our good friend Trevor via the website donationsfordominic.com. We're still looking for sponsors for the Extra Life fundraising team that our friend Krista is running as well.

Every day I heard about something new. Medicine Hat's American Legion baseball teams are collecting donations at their games Saturday (starting at 10 a.m. at Jefferies Park). I'm meeting with other groups next week who want to do fundraisers. Every time I go to cover an assignment people are coming up to me with support and asking how Dominic is doing. It's incredible.

Trish and I chatted over the phone last night as I drove in to Calgary after work. We just can't believe everything that's happening. It's more than we think we need and we've already started to think about the bigger picture and how we might be able to pay it forward some day.

But the truth is we don't know when some day will happen. So for now, it's all about Dominic.