Saturday was day three of Esther’s chemotherapy. The doctors are already noticing improvements in her tumor, Josphat said.

As nice as the surroundings and staff at Children’s are, Esther and Naomi are ready to go “home” to Karen Smith’s. The hours drag on endlessly. Saturday’s boredom was broken by  visits from Jake and Amy – friends from “The Rock” (Rock Hill Baptist Church), and Mildred, a friend of Josphat and Naomi from Kenya who now lives in St. Louis.

In the middle of the somewhat surreal hospital atmosphere, Josphat and Naomi were facing very down-to-earth worries  about their father Andrew back in Kenya, who has suddenly developed  a very serious intestinal blockage and faces surgery Sunday.

To pass the time Saturday, Esther watched cartoons, drew, photographed everyone and everything with her new pink digital camera,  played with visitors, and snoozed. She has eaten very little in the hospital, partially because of the nausea in the hospital and partially because food here is so unlike what she’s used to.

She had just finished a bread and jelly sandwich and some chai, which is popular in Kenya and which she loves, when nausea from the 4 p.m. chemo that was being administered overtook her despite anti-nausea drugs that had been administered to her.

Undergoing chemo may be boring and unpleasant, but it’s a big part of what Esther’s here for… and it appears to be working.