Wish trip night one

Well, here we are: In Vancouver. On Dominic's wish trip. In a situation we never wanted, but now that we're here it's one we are grateful for.

The road here wasn't smooth. The days leading up to our departure were full of phone calls and emails, to the point where we didn't actually know what day of the week it was. We may be in our hotel room but aside from a visit to the B.C. Children's Hospital tomorrow we have made no plans for the week.

That's OK, because as Trish pointed out today, the important thing is that we are spending time together, as a family. I don't have to drive back and forth to work, we don't have any major medical decisions to make. Sure, we have to deal with NG tube feeds and now a portable oxygen machine, but that's old hat by now.

Thanks to the North Hill Lions Club in Calgary, we had first class airfare which included breakfast in the airport lounge, lots of space and Dom even had his own seat. A heavy fog and ensuing hour-long wait on the tarmac didn't faze him, as he waved and smiled at everybody he could.

Being in public - especially a germ-heavy airplane - is a scary proposition given his ruined immune system. He wears a mask but let's face it, we're taking a calculated gamble. Knowing he's only got weeks or months left, the experiences are now worth the risk. And besides, he's been on isolation due to a common cold since his leukemia relapsed in August.

Sadly, his blood counts are on the rise. A year ago that was good news, but now we know there's cancer in the stuff that's returning. If anything, we'd like to see the counts stay low. But maybe some of the cells aren't cancerous and his immunity gets a little boost.

We had a little freak-out dealing with the rental car company, then had to spend an extra hour to pick up a back-up supply of oxygen (since you can't exactly bring compressed gas on an airplane).

Once at the hotel, Trish set to work cleaning the room with hospital-grade wipes that you have to use plastic gloves with. He roamed, giggling and exploring his new digs. I unpacked.

And now he's asleep. Here I sit with a drink in my hand and my wife next to me with a glass of wine. Today, life is good.

By the way, here's a photo presentation from the special trip, Steven's Run, that we got to experience last month. Many thanks to Codio Photography who took all the photos and put it together. Just like the trip we are on now it's a great set of memories for us. 

https://animoto.com/play/l4BUQreMf3AolOF0DFnWJg