The John Ricksen Fan Club

We are still at the hospital with John, and he continues to make great progress!

Since he's been here, John has been constantly surrounded by family. He gets daily visits from his cousins to play games - The "Stuart" Game, Crazy Eights and Go Fish being some of his favorites. You can hear the laughter down the hall when they are here. He's also had his Grandma and Grandpa up from Southern California. Grandma Judy brings him daily Jamba Juices while Grandpa Jim has been the perfect bed side companion. Sometimes, when John is resting, we'll return to the room to find Grandpa Jim asleep, too!

The highlight of John's weekend was when members of the Cal basketball team, Jerome Randle, Omondi Amoke, Bak Bak, and Mark Curi came by for a surprise visit on Friday afternoon. They are John's idols, and the smile on his face when he saw them was priceless. They brought a signed basketball from the entire team. The most special moment was when Jerome gave John his lucky game shorts. I was just relieved they were clean. In all seriousness, Jerome and the basketball team have been such a huge part of my boys' lives and Mike and I will forever be grateful for their kindness.

Saturday was game day - Cal vs USC. A signed football was delivered in the morning from the Cal team. Javid Best sent a Cal hat with a personalized note for John. Even Oski was thinking about John, as you can see from the picture above. John didn't let Cal's loss get him down - he remains a loyal fan. I'm not sure I can say the same about Grandpa Jim.

Sunday was Mike's and my twelve year anniversary. It took a team to make it happen, but Mike and I were actually able to go down the street for a nice dinner (thank you Jane, mom & dad and the John Ricksen family!). I could only laugh as Mike picked me up from the hospital dressed in flip flops, pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt with no make up. Seeing me, I'm not sure Mike fell in love all over again. But I knew the day I married him that he was going to be the most devoted husband and father, and he shows me daily that I was right. I'm so lucky to have him by my side.

John had another round of chemo on Friday and seems to be handling it like a champ. He still has an amazing appetite and has kept his wicked sense of humor. He is napping a bit more than usual, but that is to be expected. There has been a lot of talk about him going home this week. This is sooner than anticipated, but we are anxious to get him reunited with Jimmy and Caroline. We know there is still a lot to learn and many changes ahead of us. We are up to the challenge, thanks in a large part to your support!