If you’re like me, you’ve never once wondered to yourself what the typical day is like for a kid getting treated for leukemia. Because that seems pretty depressing, and you’d rather spend your precious time learning In N Out’s secret menu or mindlessly rewatching The Office for the sixth time on Netflix.
However, if you have wondered recently what Payson’s typical day is like right now, then this Bud’s for you, in as non-depressing a way as possible.
Payson spends most of every day doing the following:
1. Sleeping
And that’s it.
Here’s a live shot from Sunday, May 21, complete with sleep talking:
I’ve never been on safari, but I did go on a safari in Disney World, and they told us that a lion sleeps 20 hours a day. 20 hours. That sounds like the worst thing ever, but also where do I sign up?
So anyway, the doctors haven’t disclosed this yet, but we are quite certain that part of his treatment includes injections of lion DNA. He’s gonna be so rad when they are finished genetically altering him.
Beyond sleeping, Payson fills most of his day with making random food requests, to which we always oblige. Always. They warned us that the steroids he’s on would make him ravenous sometimes. It’s the best part of having him have to go through this sucky thing. But his cravings are varied. He makes most pregnant women seem sane in their eating choices.
For example, in a 24 hour period this week, he requested French toast, sausage, miso soup, sunny delight, otter pops, Arby’s curly fries, Funyons, and a soft pretzel. It kind of sounds like his dad’s diet all the time
Here’s an average daily itinerary:
7:30am – Wake up, eat breakfast, take steroids, Prilosec, septra (some days)
8:30am – Sleep for three or four hours
1:00pm – Listen to mom tell you to drink more. Eat lunch while drinking nothing
1:30pm – Read and learn and all that garbage
3:00pm – Sleep for an hour or two
5:00pm – Listen to mom tell you to drink more. Eat dinner while drinking nothing.
6:00pm – Chill outside for a while.
7:00pm – Sleep for an hour
8:00pm – Netflix and whatever a seven year old does instead of Chill
9:30pm – Bedtime, mom or dad lays down and sings something awesome for lullaby. Never takes long for the sandman to do his thing.
A day has to have the 1, 2, 3 for it to count. 1 shower, 2 teeth brushings, 3 adventures, which can be as simple as sitting up in a chair reading a book when he’s feeling tired. 1, 2, 3 will prevent like 60% of infections they are worried about.
So that’s it. Really. He’s tired and weak, and his belly hurts, but he’s awesome and tough and sassy and kind. This week he told Wendy that she’s like his medicine, because when she’s with him he just feels better. What a little suckup.
Also, last thing, we had our first visit to the ER Saturday night. He was having some waves of stomach pain, and the doctor asked us to bring him in, just to be sure it wasn’t an infection. His immune system is pretty non existent right now, so any sign of something up, they want to see him. I’ve never been less stressed at the Emeegency Room. Two hours, a couple of pat downs, a long nap for the kid and a “complimentary” Coke Zero for the old man.
Turns out, the stomach pain was because we need to do a better job getting the, uh, cravings through the system. So, we are gonna do that. We are gonna tell him to drink more, and sometimes he’s gonna believe us and do it. And the rest of the time, he’s gonna be asleep.
And finally, Happy 18 years to us. Babes.
