This Easter is Different

Every year, Ryan’s Grandparents host Easter.  The highlight for all of the kids is a garage filled with hay that is laden with treasures.  The kids pile in and dig for eggs full of candy, money, and toys.

Ryan can’t participate this year.  In fact, he isn’t even supposed to go in the garage tomorrow because there is a fungus in hay that can be very dangerous for immune compromised people.  I feel so bad for him.  We are constantly having to tell him “no.”  He can’t go to school, can’t see his friends right now, can’t go to birthday parties, can’t go out in public, isn’t supposed to dig in the dirt outside (same reason as the hay), can’t climb up in his fort (because a fall could cause him to hemorrhage), the list goes on.

He is disappointed and even asked if he could stay home tomorrow.  However, I am going to try to make the day fun for him.  I have wrapped up treasures in orange tissue paper (his favorite color) and I plan to stash them around Grandma and Grandpa’s house so that he can have a scavenger hunt indoors while the other kids are out in the hay.  Hopefully he will enjoy that.

The picture of him above is from last year’s hay pile – about 3 months before he was diagnosed.  I have noticed that last year’s Easter pictures are the last pictures we have before he started to look pale and get bruises and petechiae (red dots on the skin from low platelets).