Well, we are back at home. Got in Sunday afternoon about 3:30 PM.

We left Colorado Springs on Friday morning. We were in no hurry to rush home, so we meandered through the Rockies and Western Colorado first. We checked out Aspen for lunch, went up to Glenwood Springs which we could see ourselves going back to, and then spent Friday night in Grand Junction. Saturday we hung out in GJ and took Emma to a children’s museum, called the DooZoo, where she was able to play around for a few hours. This was needed for her and for us. I skipped a block over and tried out some brews at the Rockslide Brewery and the girls joined me for lunch.

Next stop was Telluride. We had never been there since it isn’t really on the way from anywhere. We all loved it. The prices are ridiculous, but the mountains, slopes and overall aura was awesome. We will be going back again someday.

This morning after breakfast, we bee-lined home through the Painted Desert. There is no “nice” way to get home from Durango or the Four Corners area, so we just shipped donkey to Flagstaff.

I know I sort of dropped off of the internet face of the earth early last week. We had a computer in the waiting room at the VA hospital in Denver, as well as a lot of down time, so I was able to keep everyone in the loop. Here is a quick guide as to what had happened:

Zach had been sent to the E.R. (8/4/03) with a very rare blood and tissue infection that no one is real certain of how he contracted. The bacteria was eating away at his skin and spreading throughout his body. It was progressing at such an alarming rate, we were called by my parents to rush to Denver on (8/6/03). We left at 11 am and got there at midnight that night. At that time he was barely conscious. He was on some heavy doses of morphine and an antibiotic to kill the bacteria. Because of his weakened state from the chemotherapy the doctor’s did not have much confidence he would last long, neither did any of us.

Thursday morning (8/7/03) we walked into a kid that was sitting up and talking to us. The doctor’s moved him out of E.R. because there really wasn’t anything else they could do to help him. We were expecting this new room to be the place where he was to die. It was room 100 on the fifth floor. We were impressed with his recoil but not reassured that it was going to be permanent. He began hallucinating, which the doctor’s had originally warned was a side effect of the bacteria. Other’s thought it was the morphine. I thought it was the mind preparing the body to go, like I have read it to do in books. The one big plus was that Zach was laughing and joking just like the old Zach. It was the personality that I had not seen since February, when he visited us while we were moving.

Friday (8/8/03) the doctor’s began to talk about him going home, where he will be most comfortable. We weren’t sure if it was the hospital’s way to get him out of their bed, or if he was really capable to doing it, or if it was the hospital’s true concern for him to be in a more comfortable location. We grilled the head doctor who is an oncologist and an hematologist, ironically enough. After over an hour, we all decided that this was going to be the best thing for Zach, that we have absolutely no idea how much time this would buy him, but at least he would be in a familiar and pleasing location.

We held out through the weekend and then Monday of last week, the doctor’s said that Zach was good enough to come home so Abbie, Emma, and my two cousins that were visiting (Anne and Kate) all jetted down to the Mountain Home to prepare it for his medical needs.

Zach was transported by ambulance to the Mountain Home mid-day on Tuesday. With him came the rest of the crew that had been camped out in Denver (Kristi, Mom, Dad, and Kristi’s mom, Debbie). The Woodland Park hospice was involved and came up later on Tuesday. They have been a fantastic help for my family for getting all of his medications and needs squared away.

Abbie and I just did whatever we could to help out, but by Friday, we figured we were just getting in the way and needed to head home. Nothing should be changing real immediately, but what is immediately considering the current situation??

What is the current situation? Well, let me see.
Zach will not be able to continue with the chemotherapy unless his white blood cell count miraculously increases. This most likely will not happen because the steroids he has been taking since April greatly reduce the white blood cells. The steroids are the only real reason he is still functioning fairly well. The steroids prevent the brain from swelling and taking away what coordination, senses and muscle control he does have. He will be on them forever. Because of the steroids, he has acquired chemically induced diabetes and requires daily insulin shots. He is on oxygen 24/7 but at this point is taking in enough fluids to avoid having an I.V.

The bacteria are still in his system, but at bay with the antibiotics, which he also will be taking forever. There was talk of having the dead tissue in his leg surgically removed, but with no positive prospect that he would survive such an operation, we decided to leave it be unless his health improves to a point that it makes sense. The morphine he is taking is helping him handle the painful wound on his leg. This is where the “comfort” issue is the greatest priority. It must be redressed everyday, which Mom, Dad and Kristi are becoming experts at doing. The wound makes mobility a tough issue, but they have gotten a lift that is helping them get him to his wheelchair at the house.

Zach is where he wants to be. He is alert and doing as well, if not better than anyone ever expected.

With the tumor being untreated, there is no telling how much time he has left. We all just hope it is as painless and as peaceful as possible. My parents and Kristi are doing everything in their power to assist him and make sure he is comfortable. Right now, that is all that we can ask for.