History

Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:35 PM CST

Wow, December already. Both kids are doing fine. Soccer season finished up and they both got trophy's. Tinley is enjoying Daisy Scouts. We went to Biloxi for Thanksgiving. The kids had a great time visiting with our family. Me and the kids also headed over to New Orleans to visit on Sat. & Sun. It was great being able to squeeze in a visit with my dad and grandmother. Brock's holter monitor he had a month ago showed he is still having the PAC's. They wanted to do another holter. But, Brock had a SEVERE reaction to the tape from the leads. His entire chest looked like he had second degree burns. It was horrible. I took pictures and showed the Cardiologist. He said it was the worst case he has ever seen. So, he definitely didn't want to hook up another holter monitor. Brock is to continue on the Digoxin and see the Cardiologist again in February. He saw the ENT on Monday. His ear has healed up really well from his surgery earlier in the year. They will recheck it again in 6 months. Brock saw the GI doctor on Wednesday. Everything looks pretty good. His Celiac numbers have come down which means he is following the Gluten Free diet good. It is a lifelong diet. Even though his numbers are low or clear, he still has to stay gluten free. Every exposure to gluten damages the inside of his body. It is an AutoImmune Disorder that is not curable. He is AMAZING on this diet. Even though he doesn't eat very much, he does not complain about the foods he can't have. Mommy tries to be quick with a gluten free alternative for everything. Brock was the Grand Marshall in a Christmas Parade here representing the American Heart Association. He had a lot of fun. He rode on a fire truck. We are getting ready for Camp Smile A Mile's big Christmas party on Sunday. The kids are excited. They get presents and get to visit with Santa. I hope everyone is doing well and I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!

Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:07 AM CDT

The past few weeks have been busy as usual. The kid's are enjoying school and soccer. Brock scored his first goal last week. He was so excited. I wish I would have gotten a picture. His little face was priceless. I was like a crazy mom screaming and clapping on the side lines. I am so proud of him. Tinley was in the hospital for a 24 hour PH probe. They put a tube down her nose to monitor her reflux episodes. She did have quite a few. However, medication will control it. Yay! No further procedures for her. We took the kid's to Chattanooga on Monday to See Rock City. They had a blast. It was so much fun. We also found a Gluten Free Bakery there. I wish we had one in Birmingham. I'm not sure what I am going to do when it comes time for his Birthday party. We had a Heart 2 Heart get together in our town not to long ago. It was great to get some of the heart kids together and play. We are trying to get something more organized. I will post the details after we have our meeting. Brock had an EKG done a few week's ago. His PAC's are getting worse. They sent his EKG to a rhythm specialist who recommended he wear a heart monitor for 24 hours. So, this morning we went to UAB and got him hooked up to a heart monitor. They told me it will be a week or two before we get the results and to let us know what the next step will be. Let's pray that it is something that can be controlled with medication. I know God is in control. He has been this whole time. Looking back, I can see the reason's why things have happened the way they have. I just pray that God continues to bless us and Brock the way he has. Through him we are healed!

Thursday, September 11, 2008 10:51 AM CDT

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Boy, do I know all about it!

7 years ago, on Sept. 11,2001, I held my belly rubbing it in shock. I was 5 months pregnant with my first baby. The U.S. was under attack and I couldn't help but wonder if I would get to enjoy motherhood. After the third plane crashed, I didn't know what would happen next. Would we all make it? It was a very scary day.

Then 2 years later, Sept. 11, 2003, took on a whole new meaning for me. I stood in the hospital while my second baby was going through open heart surgery. It was a very terrifying day. Then the news came that changed our lives forever. We were told that Brock didn't have heart problems in the way they thought, he had a huge Tumor that was eating up the inside of his heart. I couldn't believe my ears. Cancer inside of his heart. I never heard of such a thing. Well, come to find out, neither did his heart surgeon, cardiologist, or oncologist. The next year of experimental chemotherapy was scary. We didn't know if it would work. Well 5 years later, we are so blessed to have Brock in our lives. He is running around like every other 5 year old. He has started Kindergarten and is playing his third season of Soccer. He acts like all of the other kids his age. How he does it, I will never know. His scars lie deep. He has had 3 open heart surgeries, been put to sleep 13 times, one year of Chemotherapy, weeks of steroid treatments, countless numbers of blood draws, a blood transfusion, numerous hospital stays, hundred's of echocardiograms and x-ray's, Mri, Ct, 3 ear surgeries, and now we are dealing with Celiac Disease. It seems never ending. But, we are so blessed each day to have a little boy running around the house with so much energy and a smile on his face.

I love you Brock Matthew and cherish every day of your life!

Thursday, August 28, 2008 10:30 AM CDT

WooHoo! As promised, a new journal. Tinley is loving first grade. Brock doesn't start school until Sept. 3. He will be in Kindergarten this year. We went to meet the teacher yesterday. We already know Mrs.Laney. But, we took Brock so he could see where everything is in his classroom. Also, to go over all of the Gluten Free stuff with her. She is really concerned and has already looked sum stuff up on the internet to be prepared. I know she won't let anything happen to him. She is so good with the kids. After leaving the school, we stopped by Tinley's school to check her out, and then we headed to Children's Hospital to the GI clinic. Brock had some blood work done to recheck his Celiac Level's and also his RBC's & Iron. It will be a few days before I get those result's back. He was so upset about having to have blood work done. He cried and cried heading into the lab room. I held him in my lap. He looked at me and said, "Why do I have to get blood taken everyday of my life I see the doctor?" It broke my heart. My poor baby gets poked on all of the time. Tinley's blood work and biopsies have come back normal. She does NOT have Celiac or any other allergy at this time. They may retest her in a year or two since Celiac Disease is genetic. However, she is still having some major reflux issues. She will be admitted to Children's Hospital on Sept.15 for a 24 hour PH probe test. Depending on those results, the next step will be a gastric emptying study. Then the GI doctor wants to review all of the results and talk to us about the possibility of a Fundoplication(surgery). I did not want to hear that! We will have to see. Barry and I don't feel like we are at the point for the need of surgery. CAN WE CATCH A BREAK???????? We left the hospital at 3:30. We hadn't eaten lunch and the kids were starving. Brock got to pick where to eat since he had blood work done. He picked Mexican. We got home and both kids were feeling bad. I think Brock got exposed to Gluten. He was having horrible stomach pains and diarrhea last night. Tinley was having a lot of reflux and a very croupy cough(probablly caused by the reflux irritating her throat). She fell asleep on the floor at 7:00. They are both feeling better today. Hopefully we will make soccer practice tonight.

I forgot to tell you we went to Camp Smile A Mile this past weekend. Of course, we had a blast. Tropical storm Faye hit us on Saturday. It was a very windy and wet day at camp. It didn't stop the kids. They still swam and ran around. They had a blast. The weather got worst that night. They ended our Luau dance around 8:30 and sent everyone back to there cabins. Around 10:00 a HUGE tree fell right next to the Health Hut and next to Brock's cabin he was in with his counselor. No one got hurt. Praise God! God surely had his hands protecting us. 3 more trees fell during the night. No damage and no one hurt. We were all so blessed. Sunday morning during breakfast in the galley, they started bringing mattress's in. It didn't take long to realize we had a Tornado Warning. A Tornado was spotted just 5 miles down the road. Very Scary! The weather cleared up and we made it back home safely. We did lots of cool crafts. The parent's had a meeting with a panel of 3 young adult survivor's and an Oncologist. It was very informative. We learned about all of the late affect's they are finding with the chemo drugs. We had 33 families at camp this year. It was wonderful to bond with all of these families that know exactly what you are feeling and have been through.
Here are some pics from camp:

Friday, August 15, 2008 10:23 AM CDT

I guess I am overdue for an update. Does anyone even read these journal's anymore???
So, we were busy bee's enjoying the last 6 weeks of summer before Tinley started 1st grade. We had a visit from my godchild. We took her to Six Flag's in Georgia and Alabama Adventure. The kid's had a blast. Of course I had to pack food for Brock to bring into the parks. They didn't give us any trouble bringing stuff in. Tinley had her endoscopy done at the end of July. The biopsies came back that there is an area of concern. Not sure what that mean's. She will see the GI doctor on the 27th. I'm praying that it is not Celiac. Hopefully, it is just damage from her reflux. Brock went to the Cardiologist on Tuesday. His valve is still holding up pretty good. The right atrium is still enlarged. The cardiologist thought it would have gone down by now. But, now he is not too sure. The EKG showed that his PAC's(pre atrial contraction's) are more frequent. So, he put Brock on a heart medication (Digoxin) that he has to take daily. I also need to continue to monitor his heart rate. Also, we are working on trying to get him to understand when his body is tired he needs to take a break for a few minutes.
They are going to retest his EKG in 4 weeks to see if the medication is helping. Tinley started first grade yesterday. It was her first day at the big school. She did great. She said she loved it. She woke up at 6 am yesterday and today on her own. Tinley and Brock will both start soccer practice on Monday. Also, Tinley just started Daisy Girl Scouts. Daisy's is for kindergarten and first grader's. They are so cute! Well, I'm gonna go spend some time with Brock. Tinley is at school right now. He is missing her bunches! I'll update again after the kids see the GI doctor on the 27th.

Till next time.........

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 3:27 PM CDT

We've been busy, busy, busy again. Brock saw the Oncologist on June 17th. He had blood work and x-ray's done. The x-ray's looked good. The blood work showed that he is Anemic. The size and number of red blood cell's have decreased. The Oncologist is not sure if this is due to the Celiac Disease. She felt everything else looked good and doesn't have to see him back for ....drum roll......ONE YEAR!!! Wow, finally we get to go a year without visiting clinic 8. I never thought we would reach this point. As long as we keep a check on his RBC's , she is o.k. with releasing him for a year. So, I have to have either the Pediatrician or the GI doctor to recheck his RBC's in a month. Straight from the Oncology appointment, we left for the beach. The kid's had a great time. We were at the pool and the beach all day, everyday. We didn't leave the condo. It was a great get away. After we returned from the beach, the kids both had an appointment with the GI doctor. Tinley had blood work done. She wasn't too happy about that. She is so use to Brock being the one always probed and picked on. Tinley was scheduled for an UGI/SBFT(upper GI with small bowel follow through) this morning at Children's Hospital. I spent the whole morning there with her. She is also scheduled for an EGD with biopsies on July 29th. She has been having reflux since she is a baby and has not out grown it like the doctor keeps saying she will. She gets up from watching TV and runs to spit up. This happens a few times everyweek. Also, during the EGD to look to see if there is any damage from the reflux, they will be able to get some biopsies to test Tinley for Celiac Disease.
Brock's appointment with the GI doctor was just going over his result's. He definitely tested positive for Celiac Disease. He had to immediately start on the diet. It has been very HARD! It kills me to tell my little 5 year old that he can not have his favorite foods anymore. I thought we had come such a long way over the past two years getting him to eat new foods. Now I feel like that struggle was all for nothing. He can't have a lot of the things we pushed so hard for him to eat. The chemotherapy had really killed his taste buds. Now, that he can't eat what he wants anymore, he really don't care to eat at all. He gets so disgusted when it comes to meal time. The only thing that he has enjoyed is Fruity Pebbles. But, he is already getting burnt out on those. It is just taking a lot of patience and learning. This is another bump in the road that we are going to have to get over. The only thing is, it won't go away! We just have to learn to deal with it. My strength can only come from God. I hold on to him with all my faith. With God's Grace, we will learn how to overcome yet another obstacle.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 8:45 AM CDT

Brock's ENT appointment went well. His eardrum has healed up nicely. He doesn't have to go back until December. At least we get a break from one doctor for awhile :)

Brock had his EGD with biopsies done yesterday. We checked in at Children's Hospital at 7:30 and were home by 2:00. Brock tolerated the anesthesia very well. That part is always a concern for us with his heart issues. The GI doctor came in to show us the pictures after the procedure. Basically it shows that the inside of his stomach and entrance into the small intestines are very inflamed. There were red dots all over in the pictures. She believes this may be caused from the baby aspirin he has to take every day for his artificial heart valve. So, of course we can't stop the aspirin. The blood passing through the valve needs to remain thin or the valve will get overworked and wear out sooner. We want to get as many years as we can out of this valve. As far as the Celiac Diagnosis, the official results will come when we get the biopsy results on June 23. She feels very strongly that he has Celiac. But, we are still holding on to our faith that God can still grant us another miracle. We have been truly blessed these past few years. I know God is in control and only the best will come of this.

Tuesday, Brock has an appointment with the Oncologist for a check up. Of course, this involves blood work and x-ray's. Please pray that there is no signs of tumor anywhere. Brock is 3 years off of chemo. It never gets any easier waiting for all of those results. From there we will be heading straight to the beach for a much needed get away. Brock is so excited.

I am going to end with my favorite bible verse that I have held onto since the beginning of Brock's journey. A dear friend of mine, Leslie, wrote it in Brock's journal. It has meant more to me and helped me through the toughest times. Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Brock has been and always will be under the care of THE GREAT PHYSICIAN.

Saturday, May 24, 2008 8:06 PM CDT

Sorry for the lack of updates. Brock had two appointments this past week. First we went to the GI doctor to see what the verdict was from the blood work he had done. The GI doctor did confirm that Brock has Celiac Disease. All four of his blood work panels were extremely high for Celiac. Brock has to go into the hospital on June 10 to have an EGD done. They are going to take biopsies of his small intestines, stomach, and esophagus. I am really dreading this. This will be the 13th time he is put to sleep under anesthesia. Never a good thing for a heart patient. Please be in prayer for our family over the next few months. It is going to be a huge lifestyle(eating habits) change getting use to a life gluten free. Brock is a very very picky eater as it is. It is going to be tough taking all of his favorite foods away from him. Gosh, it seems like things can't ever be normal. I know God is in control and things could be worse. But, what else is there???? We don't have any choices. I'm going to stop here about the GI issue cause it just makes me very frustrated. Also, Tinley is being tested in the next few weeks for Celiac.

Brock also had an appointment with the Cardiologist. His EKG and Echocardiogram looked fairly close to his last exam. He is still experiencing PAC's. Also, we had an episode a week ago at school where he turned blue at Tinley's class party. The cardiologist believes that Brock is over exerting his valve. Basically, Brock is not listening to his body when it is tired and his heart is pumping really fast. He should slow down and rest. But, he is not. He is a very strong little boy and doesn't like to miss a beat. So, we just have to watch that he doesn't overdue it.

Well, the kids are officially out of school. They are enjoying the warm weather. We went fishing today. They didn't catch anything. But, we had a blast. Brock has an appointment this coming week with the ENT to check his eardrum from his surgery a few months back. Hopefully, he will be released. For some reason, the swelling on his eardrum hasn't gone down. So, they have been keeping a close check on it. I'm gonna go get the kiddo's to bed. Thanks for checking on Brock. Don't forget to sign the guestbook!

Saturday, May 3, 2008 7:38 PM CDT

Well, I was hoping for a better year this year. It seems like every time we start heading down the right path, we get pushed a few steps back. Last year was such a hard year. We lost so many loved one's. Now this year we've lost a very dear friend, Avery Ann Hildreth. She was such a joy to be around. She always put a smile on everyone's face. She will be forever missed.
Brock had a few doctor's appointment's last Friday. We reviewed some of the latent effect of the chemotherapy Brock received. One of the most important things is to watch for Osteoporosis. He will probably start receiving yearly Bone Density Scans. Also, they think his leg pain may be a latent affect of the chemo. Brock also saw the Endocrinologist. He had 5 tubes of blood drawn and x-ray's done. He is definitely small for his age. He was always at 0% until the past year and a half he has moved into the 2%. This is for his height. The doctor explained that if Brock has any underlying tumor cells in his body and received growth hormone injections it would cause them to grow. So, since we can't be 100% sure he is cancer free, we are not going to allow him to receive hormone's. The worst part about all of this, we had a message on our answer machine yesterday from the clinic. They received the remaining results of his blood work. One of the blood work panel's showed he tested positive for Celiac Disease. I'm not sure what all this entails. He has an appointment to see the GI doctor for this on May 19th. I've read a little bit about it on the Internet. But, I'm not going to jump to conclusion's until I am able to talk to the doctor about it. Of course, we are worried, but all I can do is pray about it right now.

Thanks for continuing to check up on Brock. He is sitting next to me right now. He is such a joy and blessing! Hug your children tight and tell them you Love them everyday. You never know what tomorrow may bring.

Thursday, April 10, 2008 12:15 AM CDT

****APRIL 24, 2008****
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR DEAR FRIEND AVERY. SHE IS LOOSING HER BATTLE WITH CANCER. WE LOVE HER AND HER FAMILY VERY MUCH! WE ARE PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE!!! WWW.AVERYANN.NET

Brock had a wonderful birthday on Saturday. He had a soccer game that morning. Afterwards, we had a party at the park with a few of his soccer and school friends. They ate pizza and ran around on the playground. The most important thing is that Brock loved it. He had a blast!

We also had a wonderful trip to New Orleans over the Easter Break. I took the kids to two St.Patrick's Day parades. It was so much fun. They loved it. They couldn't believe we were catching cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, chips, cookies, etc.... and of course beads. They had a wonderful Easter. Of course they are spoiled rotten. The Easter Bunny was very generous to them. Brock did have two little episodes with his heart while we were away. He started feeling really weak and his heart rate elevated. But, I was able to get him to rest and got it under control. Thankfully we did not have to visit the hospital. He will see the Endocrinologist at the end of the month to see about his growth. Then his Cardiology check up is at the end of May.

It has been a little over 3 years since Brock has been off of chemotherapy. I have noticed in the past 2 months that his taste buds are starting to change. The Oncologist had told us that it takes many years to regain there taste. Well, hallelujah!, it is finally happening. Last week, on me and Barry's anniversary, we ate out. Brock asked Barry if he could try a piece of his steak. I was SHOCKED! He said it was just o.k. Then he wanted to try some ketchup and french fries. He decided he did not like them at all. I asked him if he would try some ranch dressing with his chicken. He loved it. He said he was gonna eat that all the time now. He also has tried cucumber's and tomato's. He liked that o.k. Also, he ate some strawberries and tried an egg. He didn't like the egg. It has been wonderful getting him to try new things. For so long he has eaten only plain chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwiches, or cheese quesadillas. It is nice to be able to see new things on his plate without him throwing up all over.

Monday, March 10, 2008 1:03 PM CDT

***CARDIOLOGY UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM***

Everything has been going pretty well around here. The kid's have been busy with school and getting ready for lot's of fun spring time stuff. Brock started soccer practice last week. He is so excited to be playing again. He did really well his first practice and was not shy at all. He has definitely found his comfort zone.
Brock had his ENT check up a few weeks ago. The patch on his eardrum from surgery has healed. His hearing test came back normal. But, the surgeon is going to re-check him in May just to make sure the swelling on the ear drum is completely gone. He has been feeling pretty good. He does have his moments where he complains of being really tired or his legs hurting. But, this could just be typical stuff of a 4 year old. It is so hard to tell if it is truly a problem or not. Speaking of a 4 year old, that is only for 25 more days. Brock will be 5 years old on April 5. He thinks he wants to have a Bowling party. I'm trying to talk him into the park. It would be much cheaper. Tinley had her 6 year old check up a few weeks ago. Everything checked out o.k. She did not like the idea of peeing in a cup. That was quite a challenge to convince her to do that. Brock's Cardiology appointment is Wednesday. They will be rechecking the spot in his Superior Vena Cava that they are following. Please pray there hasn't been any changes in it.

Yesterday we went to the Governor's Mansion for an Easter Eggstravaganza with Camp Smile A Mile(Alabama's camp for kids that have or had cancer). It was such a beautiful day. We got to meet the Butland's finally. They are such a nice family. www.caringbridge.org/visit/lenziebutland Tinley and Lenzie's big sister Tori actually look more alike than Lenzie and Tori. We were laughing about that.
Also, Molly was there www.caringbridge.org/al/mollybailey. Tinley and Molly always have a great time playing together. Molly had on a beautiful dress her grandmother made. We also got to see Jacob again. We met him and his mom Valerie for the first time last summer at Tots N' Tykes camp. www.caringbridge.org/visit/jacobshear
Also, we got to meet a precious little girl named Alaina. They sat in front of us on the bus ride down to the mansion. She has a twin sister named Alise and a 5 year old brother Trent. She is so precious and sweet. They live not to for from us in Gadsden. www.alainaatkins.com
There were a total of 14 family's there. All of the kid's had a great time. There was lot's of activities for the kid's to do. They also took pictures with the Easter Bunny and had an Easter Egg hunt. We also ate dinner courtesy of Zaxby's and Golden Flake. It was such a wonderful day!!!

Me and the kids are heading to New Orleans for St.Patrick's day and staying until Easter. They are excited to get to go to the parade's and be there with the family for Easter.

Leave a message if you read all of this. We love to know who still stops by to check in on our little man.

God Bless You!

March 13, 2008
Brock had his Cardiology appointment yesterday. They did an EKG and an Echocardiogram. The echocardiogram looked pretty good. Not much changes from the last visit. His patch inside the right ventricle is holding up good. His artificial tricuspid valve is still functioning properly. There is some leakage coming out of that valve. But, should not cause any problems anytime soon. There is still a bright spot showing up in the Superior Vena Cava. We still don't know what this is. Tumor, blood clot, or scar tissue????It hasn't made any changes since we found it in December. Also, the blood is still passing through this vein without any problems. So, we are still going to watch this closely and have it checked every 2 months. This was all great to hear. However, the EKG has showed some changes in Brock's heart beats. He has now been diagnosed with having PAC'S. This is Premature atrial contractions. The atrium is contracting before the heart actually beats from what I understand. His heart may beat, beat really fast and then pause. I believe his heart will beat really fast for awhile and then stop when overworked for a moment. Some adults walk around with this without any problems. But for a child that has had multiple heart problems, this is something we have to watch. I need to periodically check his heart rate. Also, we need to watch for him complaing he can feel his heart beating really hard, dizziness, and change of color. If these things occur, we have to bring him to the E.R.
Prognosis is that he may not have any symptoms for awhile but it could cause problems tomorrow, in a year, or 10 years. So basically, along with watching him for how long his tricuspid valve is going to last, we also have to watch for this heart rate thing. It is never ending. But, in the end, I am very thankful for God blessing us with such a wonderful little boy. He is such a joy. His strength and courage amazes me everyday. I am thankful for the miracles he has already been giving and I know that God is in control of the future.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 12:36 AM CST

Nothing much to report on. Brock is still feeling good and showing no signs of complications. He goes back to the Cardiologist in March and the Oncologist in June. He also has a check up with the ENT at the end of February and a visit with the Endocronologist in April for some growing issues. So, lots of appointments coming up. Also, a dentist appointment this month too.
We went on a mini vacation to Gatlinburg,TN for 3 days. We went ice skating and the kids got to play in the snow. It was a nice get away. The kids also went to the circus with there school. They really enjoyed that. Nothing else to report on. Just keep praying that the spot inside his Superior Vena Cava doesn't cause him any problems.

Thanks :)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 4:40 PM CST

Brock's cardiology appointment was on Friday. They examined the superior vena cava again. There is still a suspicious tissue looking area inside the vein. We are still unsure of exactly what it is. It has not changed at all since his last exam. Also, it doesn't seem to be causing any complications at this time. They are going to recheck it in March.
Brock had his ENT appointment today. All went well. The patch looks to be adhering well to the eardrum. They are going to recheck it in 6 weeks and do a hearing test.
Tinley's party went really well. The kids loved roller skating. I even roller skated with them. It had been at least 20 years since I have skated. But, it didn't take long to get the swing of things again. I hope everyone has a wonderful week :)

Wednesday, January 9, 2008 10:42 AM CST

Sorry for the delay in updates. Between the holidays and Tinley's Birthday, we have kept quite busy.
Brock had his ear surgery on Dec.27th. The surgery went well. They were able to do the repair through his ear canal. He was in a lot of pain after the surgery! I was really surprised with how much he cried. He is usually pretty tough. On the 30th, we headed down to New Orleans and stayed with my brother for a week. The kids had a great time. They enjoyed all the fireworks on New Year's Eve. Also, Tinley loved eating King Cake! We returned home this past weekend just in time for Tinley's Birthday on Monday. The kids also started back to school on Monday. I made Tinley a cookie cake for school. She was really excited. I let her put the sprinkles on it. Then for dinner she picked Red Robin to eat dinner. The food was great. They sang Happy Birthday to her and gave her a ice cream sundae. Then we made it home in time to watch the BCS Championship game. GEAUX TIGERS!!! Brock had on his LSU jersey, hat, and played with his LSU football the whole game with his PawPaw. We also had a Cold Stone Ice Cream Cake for Tinley. On Saturday, she is having a skating party with all of her friends. She is really excited. The kids have never been to the skating rink before. Tinley has surely lucked out this Birthday. After Saturday, she will have had 3 birthday cakes and a birthday ice cream sundae.
Brock has a doctor's appointment with the cardiologist on Friday to evaluate the spot in his superior vena cava. We got a phone call from there office over the holidays. They decided they didn't want to wait three months to evaluate it. So they moved his appointment up from March to Jan. 11.

We want to wish everyone a blessed New Year!

Thursday, December 20, 2007 7:57 AM CST

The past few days have been an emotional roller-coaster. Monday night the Oncologist called and said the final report from the Radiologist was in from Brock's chest x-ray. They saw a suspicious area in his Superior Vena Cava(artery leading to the heart) that they wanted to image some more. So, in addition to his abdominal ultrasound on Tuesday, they added for that area to be looked at. Brock was not able to have anything to eat or drink since 8am that morning. We didn't finish until 4pm. I took him straight to the gift shop to get a candy bar and a chocolate milk(per his request). Then we had to go back to clinic to get the preliminary results from the Oncologist. The abdomen didn't show anything alarming. We still don't have the final report on it. However, they were calling the suspicious area in the Superior Vena Cava a blood clot. I wanted to know how they could be sure it was a blood clot and not new tumor growth we were seeing. She told me that they really don't know. His blood work did look good last week. So, that is very encouraging. After Brock's Christmas party at school yesterday, we went to see the Cardiologist to get his opinion on the area. Unfortunately his imaging of the area was not as clear as Children's was. However, he did feel that it could possible be fibrous tissue built up from where his port-a-cath passed through. He did measurements of the spot and is going to reevaluate it in 3 months. The actual echocardiogram of Brock's heart looked really good. The valve is still functioning properly with just a little regurgitation. The Oncologist and the Cardiologist have both noted that his heart murmur sounded louder this time. But, they are not quite sure why because his echo of the heart looked really good. So now we have to watch for neck or arm swelling. This would be a sign that the area of concern is blocking blood flow.
So, where are we now? We are not sure if it is a blood clot, tumor, or residual tissue. We have to just watch Brock closely for any unusual signs. Other than that, all of his exams have checked out great and he is running around being a happy, healthy 4 year old boy.

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas,
The Waggoner's

Thursday, December 20, 2007 7:57 AM CST

Sunday, December 16, 2007 8:33 PM CST

Brock had his six month Oncology check up this past week. It was a pretty tough day for him. We were at Children's for 4 1/2 hours. He had x-ray's and lab work done. They dug and dug and dug on both of his arms for his labs and blew one of his veins :( He was not happy! When it was over, he looked at me and asked if he could have a prize. Of course I said yes! His x-ray's looked good. Also, his blood work looked pretty good. His liver function numbers are a little on the high side. But, nothing to worry about at this time. The Oncologist did think she heard some changes on his heart exam. (scared me to death)
After two days of consulting with the cardiologist, the nurse from the cardiology office called me and said that the cardiologist isn't too alarmed and feel Brock can wait until his January appointment to be examined. He has complained ALOT the last 6-8 weeks of his stomach and legs hurting. Not sure what is going on. The Oncologist has ordered and abdominal ultrasound for Tuesday. Brock's teacher has called me twice the past couple of week's because he wasn't acting right and complaining of being in pain. Please pray for a clear ultrasound report and for his cardiology check up in January. Also, Brock's ear surgery to repair his eardrum is scheduled for Dec.27th. Please keep him in prayer during his surgery. Anesthesia makes me a nervous wreck. Also, the cardiologist won't approve him to come off of his blood thinner for the surgery. Pray that the bleeding will be minimal.

Thank you so much for continuing to pray for Brock and keeping up with his progress. I hope each and everyone of you have a wonderful Christmas!!!

Saturday, November 24, 2007 8:53 PM CST

I'm sorry for not updating sooner. Everyone is back to normal again. I guess it took about a week. We spent this past week in Biloxi at Barry's mom's house. The kids love to visit with family. We had lots of fun. We even ventured out this year. Yep, I woke up at 3 a.m. to stand in line in the freezing cold at Best Buy on Black Friday. Can't believe I did that. But, it really wasn't that bad considering some people had been there since 5:30 p.m. the day before. We did get everything we went there for. So, it was a very successful trip. Other than that, I made it to Belk's, Lifeway, and Sear's. Got a lot of great deals. I love sales!!!!!!!! I rarely buy anything at full price. Also, I am a big time coupon user. Love to clip coupons and wait for the items to go on sale.

Anyways, Brock is doing great. He was suppose to have an Oncology check up this month. But, I am going to wait until January so he can have his Cardiology and Oncology appointment's together. He is really excited about Christmas coming up. Brock loves all of the decorations and also marking B's on all of the items he wants in the magazines. This weekend coming up is our local Christmas parade. Tinley is riding with her cheerleading group. Then on Sunday is Camp Smile A Mile's big Christmas party. The kids are so excited. We didn't get to go last year because Brock had just had his surgery a few weeks before. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 24, 2007 8:53 PM CST

Sunday, November 4, 2007 9:12 PM CST

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. It has been really bad around here the past few days. Brock was scheduled to be at Children's Hospital Friday morning at 6am for his ear surgery. Well, we arrived at Children's at 5:30 not for surgery, but to be admitted to the E.R.
He woke up that night at midnight vomitting and then diarrhea followed around 2:30 am. By 4:30, he was already dehydrating. They gave him 3 bags of fluids and some IV Zofran. We were released around 1:30pm. He continued with severe diarrhea all day and night. He also started vomitting again during the night. We brought him to the pediatrician to make sure he wasn't dehydrating again. He has been pretty stable since yesterday evening. He does have diarrhea still. But, it is only every couple of hours instead of several times an hour. I have washed more sheets, underwear, and pajama bottoms than ever before. They told me the stool results won't be back for a few days. They suspect that it was Rotavirus.
Also, Tinley has been running a fever since Friday night. I just put her to bed with 102.5 fever. Brock did not run a fever with his virus. However, it did make is heart rate go way up in the E.R. This alarmed the physician a little. However, once they got him hydrated, his heart rate came back down. I guess no school tomorrow for either of them. Brock's surgery is rescheduled for December 27th.

Thursday, November 1, 2007 9:16 PM CDT

Please keep Brock in your prayers tomorrow. He is being admitted to Children's Hospital for surgery on his left eardrum. We are praying it can be fixed through the ear canal without having to cut behind his ear. He is really scared and has been crying tonight. I'll update whenever I get a chance.

Sunday, October 7, 2007 9:27 PM CDT

Just a quick update to let you know that Brock's surgery has been rescheduled to November 2nd. He's a little worried about it. He has been doing really good in school. He also loves soccer! He can't get enough of it. He especially loves game days. He gets really excited when I tell him it is a game and not practice. I'm really glad he has found something he really enjoys to do and is really confident doing it.

*************FINALLY, NEW PICS IN THE PHOTOALBUM*********************

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 8:17 AM CDT

Four years ago today we sat in the waiting area while our five month old little boy was having open heart surgery for what we thought was a simple fix. Then the news came that changed our lives forever. When they opened Brock up, they found a large tumor that filled 2/3 of his right ventricle. The surgeon had never seen this before. He immediately came out of surgery to let us know what was going on. We didn't know what to do, how to feel, or which way to turn. We were told to just enjoy every moment with him. His prognosis was poor. Well here we are four years later with a very healthy 4 1/2 year old. He is so full of life! These past 4 years we has gone through three open heart surgeries, 2 (going on 3 in Oct.) ear surgeries, and 2 port-a-cath surgeries. Also, one year of chemotherapy, steroid therapy, and many tests (pokes,sticks,scans). It has been a long road for us. But, we put our faith in the Lord through the whole journey. It is only through God where my strength came from. A lot of people often say that time flies with there little ones. Well, I feel like I have lived all four years. I feel everyday of his life. But, often try to make the most of everyday like there is no tomorrow.
I know I am rambling on and on. Sorry, today is always a difficult day every year.

O.K. onto a more happier note. Brock started PreK-4 last week. He loves his new teacher. Also, he had his first soccer game on Saturday. It was hilarious. He went out on the field and wasn't quite sure what to do. The crowd started cheering all of the players on. He got so overwhelmed! He stood there with his hands over his ears for a few minutes. He wouldn't move. He doesn't handle large crowds and loud noises very well. Then they took a water break. He came back out on the field and the coach let him kick the ball in. After that, he was full force. He was all over the field kicking the ball. He had a blast! Tinley had a football game to cheer for right after his soccer game. She did so good. We were a little worried because the first two games she didn't really cheer too much. But, this weekend she cheered the entire game. She told me she thinks she has found her thing she really enjoys and understands what she is suppose to be doing. Hmmmm...we will see on Saturday how she does.
Also, Sunday night we went to the annual Kandles for Kids. We remembered all of the children we have lost to cancer this year and they released white doves in there memories. We lit a candle and let it burn for the hope of a cure one day.

This month is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Please keep all of these precious children in your prayers. Also, please keep Brock in your prayers as we prepare for his ear surgery on Oct.12. My prayers go out to all of those we lost on 9-11-01. I know this day is also difficult for there families.

"Why am I so sad?
Why am I so troubled?
I will put my hope in God,
and once again I will praise him,
my savior and my God"(Psalm 42:5)

Wednesday, August 29, 2007 7:40 AM CDT

We just returned from another wonderful weekend at Camp Smile A Mile (www.campsam.org). It was really great to be surrounded by so many Childhood Cancer Survivors. We had a parents discussion panel on Saturday while the kids were off doing some fun activities with there counselors. It was incredible. There was 3 young adult survivors there, one of the pediatric nurse practitioners, and one of the pediatric oncology doctors. We were able to ask them anything and everything. It was some incredible info. Children's Hospital has just opened a Survivor's Latent Effects Clinic. The kids will be seen once a year. They will concentrate on the Latent effects of the chemo drug that each child has had and run any necessary test pertaining to any symptoms the child may be having. Some of the latent effects of chemo don't show up until years down the road. We are very thankful that the cancer is gone. But, now we have to deal with all sorts of other issues. I don't have alot of info yet on Brock's latent effects. I do know that the steroids he had could cause cataracts. Don't forget that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month! Wear your gold ribbons to support these wonderful kids. We will be having the annual Kandles for Kids at Liberty Park on September 9 at 6pm. Please come and light a candle for someone you know that has cancer or is a survivor. This is a very special night.

Brock's ENT appointment was yesterday. The hole in his left eardrum is still there. They have scheduled his surgery for October 12. Please pray for an easy surgery and that it can be fixed through the ear canal. If not, they are going to have to cut behind his ear to work on the eardrum. This will be Brock's 8th surgery. No matter how hard or easy the surgery is, it doesn't get any easier having to tell them they need surgery. Of course, anesthesia is always scary, especially with a heart patient. Just please keep Brock in your prayers the upcoming weeks as we prepare for this. He is already telling me he is scared.

Brock started soccer practice yesterday and Tinley is cheerleading. They are keeping me busy as usual. School starts next week. The kids can't wait to get started. We get to meet the teacher this morning.

Thank you for all of your continued support and prayers. We are on this journey to live out God's plan for us. I praise God everyday for the wonderful miracle's and blessings he has blessed our family with.

O.K. I just have to add that Brock just walked up and asked why I put crosses on his page. I told him it is to remind people to pray for him. He said,"You mean people are on there knees praying for me." With this being said out of the mouth of a 4 year old. Drop to your knees sometime and say an extra prayer for Brock.
Thank You and Heart Hugs!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007 8:34 AM CDT

Sorry my updates are getting farther and farther apart. I guess no news is good news.
We go back to Camp SAM Aug. 24 for Off therapy camp. This will be Brock's first time to this camp. It will be nice to be with other families that have been off therapy for awhile to see how all of the kids are doing.

Brock did have his Cardiology appointment two weeks ago. Everything was great! We don't have to go back for 6 months. That was really exciting news. The new valve is working properly. His heart is still enlarged. But, it has gone down in size some over the past 8 months. The valve does have a small amount of leakage. But, nothing to worry about anytime soon. Praise God! Thank you for all of your prayers! I do believe in miracles and I believe Brock is one of them.
I will be making Brock's ENT appointment this week. I'm praying when they re-evaluate his ear, he won't need the surgery on his eardrum. I'm leaving it in God's hands. All I can do is pray, pray, pray for no more surgeries.

We just got back from Atlanta,GA. We took the kids to the Zoo, White Water, American Adventure, and Six Flags. We had so much fun. We all came back exhausted. Here are some pics from that trip:

Monday, July 16, 2007 8:07 AM CDT

Wow, the days of summer are flying by. We have been on the go most of the summer. I am so thankful to be able to do the things we are doing this summer. Brock has so much more energy than he did last year. However, he has been quite tired lately. I think I am probably running him too much. We were down in New Orleans for 4th of July. My Aunt passed away from cancer. We went down to be with my grandmother (it was her sister) and let the kids cheer her up. Of course, they loved every minute of it. They got to play with all of there cousins. Brock and Tinley took swim lessons. They are some great little swimmers. The swim instructor said that Brock has the biggest set of lungs she has ever seen in a toddler. He holds his breath for a really long time.
We were at Camp Smile A Mile this past weekend (www.campsam.org). The kids love to go to camp. Brock had the best counselor this summer. Ryan is a firefighter close to our house. They became instant buddies. I'm not sure how Ryan's hearing is after the weekend though. Brock played the drums a lot of the time. He loved it! For dinner Saturday night was Jim N'Nick's Barbeque. The Jim N' Nick's from Montgomery drove over and sponsered the dinner at camp. Brock ate 4 cheese biscuits! He loves those things. As soon as I get a chance I will post some pics. They had a foam party on the beach. The foam smelled like Banana's. Brock and Jacob had the BEST time playing in the foam. Tinley and Brock both cried on the drive home. They did not want to leave camp.

Brock's Cardiology check up is in a week. Please keep him in prayer. We are praying the pig's valve is still working properly. Also, he has been having some pain in his left ear. This is the ear he is going to have surgery on in the next month or so. He got an infection in it from swim lessons.
Please keep a local family in your prayers. Amelia was a passenger in a car that went into the pond at the end of Deerfoot Pkwy. www.caringbridge.org/visit/ameliawoo
Both girls are teenagers.
Also, keep all of the precious children that was at camp this weekend in your prayers. It is amazing the strength all of these children have.

Forever Relying on God!
Heart Hugs <3

Friday, June 15, 2007 5:04 PM CDT

Brock has really been enjoying the summer so far. We just got back from spending a week at the beach. The kids and adults had a blast! The weather was wonderful and we are all sporting our new tans. We also went to New Orleans for a few days. Brock has decided he wants to sell our house and move to New Orleans next door to my brother. He loves being with his cousin Sean. They are only two months apart. They play so well together. We celebrated Sean's 4 year old birthday party while we were there and also went to my niece's Dance Recital. She received her teacher's license. We got back into town on Monday evening. My niece & her friend drove here later that night to stay a few days with us. It was quite a change having two 18 year olds in the house. It was all about text messaging and my space. We went to Alabama Adventure yesterday. It is a theme park here in Birmingham. There is a water park and theme park connected. The kids had a blast. Today, the girls left to drive back to New Orleans. Tinley & Brock were very sad when they left. Brock loved having them here. We took Tinley & Brock to the park to play for a little while and then to the library. Brock is doing great and swam like a little fish when we were down at the beach. He is such a good little swimmer. His next Cardiology appointment is at the end of July and he will see the ENT again at the end of August. Thanks for checking on Brock and keep the prayers flowing. Miracles and healings do happen. Brock is a true testiment to that!

Heart Hugs

Friday, May 25, 2007 9:32 PM CDT

Everyone is back to normal in our house. Thanks for all of the prayers. Tinley's illness just lasted a few days. Brock had a low grade fever for a few days. Also, Barry ran a high fever for a few days. Of course, Mommy's are not allowed to be sick. Praise God I wasn't! I have been a busy bee. Well, besides taking care of everyone, I went on an Emmaus Walk. It is a 72 hour spiritual walk(not actual walking, but your personal walk with God). It was incredible! I havn't cried so much in awhile. I have toughened up since Brock was diagnosed. Tears don't flow easily like they use too. I'm not quite sure. I guess I feel the need to be strong for him and protect him. But, boy it sure felt good to just let go. Tinley has decided to cheer this coming football season. So, I had to go to the parent meeting. She got fitted for her outfit and shoes. Too cute! She is on the puppies squad (4-5 year olds). She is so excited. It will start at the end of July with a week of cheer clinic and the next week practices will begin. The kids last day of school was last week. They both had end of year parties. Brock's class did a pajama party. It was really cute. They brought there sleeping bags and favorite stuffed animal and watched Mickey Mouse Club House, had pizza,cupcakes, and popcorn. The kids also had an end of year program. The pre K 3,4,&5 classes sang on the stage. It was really cute. Brock did so good. This was his first time to perform in front of a group of people. We were so proud of him. Also, we participated in the Relay for Life. Brock's team was called Brock's Brave Hearts. His team raised $2,900.00 . Thank you everyone for your generous donations! It was a great night! I had to carry him around the track for the survivor's lap(he was being to shy to walk). But, he walked for the luminary lap. He was so excited to see his name on the Luminary bags. Our campsite was next to our friend Molly (www.caringbridge.org/al/mollydianne) They had a blast playing. They blew bubbles, shot silly string on each other, played frisbee, jumped on the jumpies and slides. Also, Jellybean(a miniature horse) came to see Brock and give wagon rides. Brock loves seeing Jellybean. We are getting ready for a beach trip to Gulf shores in a couple of weeks. The kids are so excited! They love the beach. Then I am heading to New Orleans with the kids for there little cousin Sean's birthday party and there oldest cousin Heather's dance recital. She is graduating from dancing school that night also. Tinley is excited to see her dance.
Thanks for checking in on Brock. I hope everyone is starting to enjoy summer!

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2007

I've spent the whole day in the ER at Children's Hospital with Tinley. She started vomitting during the night, then spiked a high temp., and started screaming with stomach pains for over 2 hours. They examined her several times and did an xray. She received two bags of IV fluids. She couldn't even keep down 3 ccs of gatorade for them. Finally, they gave her some zofran in her IV. She was finally able to hold a little fluid down and they sent us home. They think she may have Rotovirus. We have to see the pediatrician in the morning for a follow up. Please say a little prayer that Tinley doesn't get dehydrated again and that Brock doesn't catch it. I don't think his immune system will be able to handle a nasty bug like that. Tinley has been passed out on the couch since we got home at 7pm. I'm about to join her too. I'm exhausted.

Hugs

MONDAY, APRIL 30,2007

Brock has been a busy boy this past week. Last Monday he saw the Oncologist. All of his blood work came back normal and he does not have to see her again for 6 months. Yipee!!! Then on Wednesday, Brock went to the pediatrican for his 4 year check up. I was glad I brought a copy of his labs from Oncology with us or he would have been stuck again. However, he did get three shots in his legs. All of his vaccinations are finally up to date. They were all post-poned because of his chemo. The pediatrician felt like all of his labs looked good. His liver function numbers are a little off. But, he feels like it is due to a combination of the chemotherapy and heart disease. It is nothing serious to worry about. His iron levels were borderline. So, he has to continue to take his daily vitamins with added iron. Brock thought it was really funny that he had to pee-pee in a cup. He didn't quite understand that whole thing and why I carried his pee-pee to the lab. He did see a hole in Brock's eardrum that he felt was significant enough to have checked out by the ENT. So, this morning Brock had his ENT appointment. First, the nurse practitioner came in and cleaned out his left ear. It took three of us to hold him down. Tears were flying, arms were flying, and I was getting kicked in the chest the whole time. Not fun! Then the doctor came in and confirmed that 25 percent of his eardrum had a hole in it. He doesn't think it will close up on its own. Brock will need another surgery to close up this hole. Long term could cause hearing loss. However, he does feel like we could wait a few months until summer is over. The surgery will involve cutting behind the ear and removing fatty tissue to rebuild the eardrum. Please keep Brock in prayer over the next few months. Pray that God will perform another miracle in his life and close up that hole.

On to a much happier subject. Saturday we had Brock's birthday party. He was very excited. The party was in our Family Life Center at church. The kids rode around on there bike's. We built fire truck banks(courtesy of The Home Depot) and painted them. The kids really enjoyed that. They got fire truck tatoos. They had a blast. Brock was asleep before we made it back home. He woke up from his nap and was ready to play with all of his new toys.

Thank you so much for continuing to check in on Brock and keeping him in your prayers. It means the world to us. Sign the guestbook. We would love to know you stopped by.

Love,
Amy

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:41 AM CDT

Wow, this month has flown by. We started the month off with our anniversary on the 3rd. Then Brock turned 4 on April 5th. We went to eat at his favorite place, Jim N' Nick's Barbeque. No, he doesn't eat barbeque. He just likes the cheese biscuits there and sometimes the grilled cheese sandwhiches. Also, on his birthday was his big Easter party at school. I brought muffins for morning snack. That is what Brock wanted instead of cake or cupcakes. They ate Chick fil A for lunch and had ice cream sundaes. Also, the class had an Easter egg hunt. So, Brock had a very busy Birthday. We went to New Orleans on the 14th. My brother and his wife had a baby girl on the 15th. Everyone is doing great. I stayed at my brother's and watched his other children while they were at the hospital. Tinley & Brock had a blast playing with there cousins. We also had a Crawfish boil. YUMMY! I got all of my favorite foods in while I was there: Crawfish, beignets, sno-ball, roastbeef poboy, and popeyes fried chicken. Now I have my New Orleans fix to last me for a few months. We went over to Biloxi, MS on the 20th and stayed at Barry's moms for one night. The me and the kiddos headed back home on the 21st. We had a very busy week. They were excited to come back and see daddy. They missed him bunches!

Yesterday, Brock had his check up with the Oncologist. He did so good! He didn't cry at all when they took his blood. He stuck out his arm and watched the lady the whole time. Thank God she got it first stick! Afterwards, there was a clown in the hallway painting faces. Brock got his whole face painted like spiderman. He was hilarious. Then we went back to clinic to get results. Everything looked good from an Oncology stand point. Brock does go to see the Pediatrician tomorrow for his 4 year check up. I am bringing him a copy of the labs. There are some things that are a little off that I need to discuss with him like some of the liver function numbers. But, all in all, everything looked great. He didn't need any x-rays or scans. The Dr. felt that he was radiated enough since November when he had surgery. We will go back to see the Oncologist in October. Wow, 6 months. This is the furthest gap we have had between appointments. That was great news. It's always good to not have to see the doctor. The Oncologist felt like Brock's outcome looks pretty good as far as any regrowth of tumor. This is just based on him not having any tumor growth in 3 years. She said there are no statistics of his type of tumor to say for sure if it will occur again. We will just leave it in God's hands and continue to pray that he is healed. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. Brock is doing so good right now.
Also, my pathology reports came back from the lesion they removed off of my scalp. It was a cyst. It is healing up really good. Just a little tender still. Also, on Saturday the 28th we are having Brock's Birthday Party. He is having a Firetruck party. He is so excited.

Heart Hugs to Everyone
XOXOXO

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2007

Just a quick update to let everyone know my surgery went well. They cut out a small portion of my scalp (about 2inches shaped like a football). The cyst was deeper and bigger than they thought. It turned out to be about the size of a gum ball (medium). It had alot of vascular blood supply wrapped around it. So, I bled alot. They are sending the cyst off for pathology to test it. I should here something in 7-10 days. I will get my stitches out on the 13th. I had to sleep sitting up on the couch Monday night. Only got about 2 hours sleep. But, I was able to wash all of the blood out of my hair last night. I felt much better being able to get it all cleaned up. However, it did hurt a bunch afterward. I slept pretty good now that I got the bandages off and was able to lay down. Our 8 year wedding anniversary was yesterday. Barry cooked me a nice dinner. Brock's birthday is tomorrow, April 5. He will be 4 years old. He is such a blessing! I have postponed his party from the 14th until the 28th. He is o.k. with it as long as we take him to get some cheese biscuits from Jim N Nick's barbeque tomorrow night.

Have a wonderful Easter!
Love,
Amy

SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2007

Everything is going pretty good here in the Waggoner household. We just returned from a cruise to Mexico. The kids had a blast! We went to Costa Maya and Cozumel. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We got some sun. But, it wasn't too hot. The kids loved the beaches. They also really enjoyed Camp Carnival on the cruise ship. It is a big playroom with scheduled activities all day for the kids. Brock loved the night time shows. He loves to see the girls dance. He is definitely a ladies man. Everybody on the ship loved him. Everywhere we walked, people tried to talk to him or give him five. Of course, he is very shy and would ignore them or hide his face.
April is going to be a busy month. On April 2, I am having outpatient surgery done on my head. I have two lumps they are removing. The doctor believes they are cysts. They have been hurting REALLY BAD. Then on April 5 is Brock's birthday. Also, he is having his big Easter party that same day at pre-school. Then we have to get ready for Easter that weekend. Brock's party is going to be April 14. He wants to have a firetruck birthday party. I guess I will have to start planning it this week. My brother is having a new baby on April 16. So, we will be making a trip down to New Orleans on the 15th.
Also, somewhere in there the kids have a field trip. I have to double check that date. Barry's birthday is April 29th. Of course we will be outside enjoying this nice Spring weather that is starting to arrive. Brock also has to have is 4 year check up with the pediatrician and is due to see the Oncologist in April. I'm not sure when he will be able to see the pediatrician. I found out that he was diagnosed with cancer and was out the whole month of March. We really love the kids pediatrician. I hope he is able to return in April.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 12:30 AM CST

I'm sorry it has been so long since an update. We've just been hanging out and trying to stay warm. I did take Brock to the Cardiologist last Wednesday. His energy levels have dropped over the last few weeks. I'm not too sure what is going on. His echocardiogram checked out o.k.
The measurement of his new valve is 20mm and he has a 4mm leakage coming off of it. This is minimal and should not be causing him any problems. His hepatic veins are still dilated quite a bit. This is from before his surgery. There was a great deal of blood pooling out of the heart(not getting pumped through) and going back into the liver. The cardiologist believes the hepatic veins should reduce back to normal size over time. I have not gotten any of his lab results yet. I suppose if there was a problem they would have called me by now. I'm just hoping he is acting this way from being stuck in the house and laying around watching t.v. since it has been so cold. We did have a beautiful day last Wednesday. So, after we left the hospital, I took the kids to the Zoo. They had a blast. Yesterday, both of the kids had a dentist appointment. It went really well. The dentist actually said that Tinley had text book perfect teeth. I hope she can keep them that way. They are spaced out so beautifully. Even the x-ray's show that the adult teeth look like they will be straight. Now, Brock's is a different story. His x-ray showed that he has an extra tooth at the top in the front. The dentist believes when he is around 6 or 7 years old they will need to cut it out and he will need braces early on. I laughed and told the dentist that I am going to up Brock's dental insurance. Also, he said we will have to watch for affects of the chemotherapy on his adult teeth. I'm not sure what all that means. But, we won't worry about that right now. I took them to the park to play after the dentist. The weather was around 67 degrees. It felt really good out in the sun. That is about it for now. Brock is excited about his birthday coming up on April 5. He is already making plans for it. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

God bless you,
Amy

Sunday, January 28, 2007 4:05 PM CST

Brock has had a great month. He has really enjoyed getting back to preschool and church. He is doing a lot better in his class at school. The teacher said he ate snack with everyone for the first time. He really is not a good eater and especially don't like eating at school. But, he seems to be doing better. Of course, I tell him in the mornings that I will be very disappointed if he doesn't eat anything. His meals usually consist of powdered doughnuts or blueberry poptarts, red grapes, animal crackers, and strawberry yogurt drink. For along time I blamed it on the chemotherapy. But, gosh, he has been off of chemo for two years. I think it is just mental now. He gags at the smell of foods that we eat. He will also eat chicken nuggets(has to be nuggets), grilled cheese, biscuits, waffles, and pancakes. That about sums up his menu. Oh yeah, he loves peppermints and fruit loops.

Brock has been really into wanting to help mom and dad with everything. Here are some pics of him helping with the cupcakes:

We finally decided to add some shelves to our living room closet to put coats in and the kids games. Of course, Brock ran into the garage and got some tools from his Home Depot work bench to help dad out. Here are some pics:

On Saturday, we went to the Circus with Camp Smile-A-Mile. The kids had a blast. It was really a great show. Here are some more pics:

Thank you all for continuing to pray for Brock and checking in on him. It means so much to our family to have everyone's continued love and support. It has been almost 3 months since his open heart surgery. I think he is doing better than ever. Don't forget to sign the guestbook so we can know who has stopped by to check on Brock.

Love,
The Waggoner's

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 1:05 PM CST

Brock was suppose to start back to preschool yesterday. However, he came down with a stomach virus. He was so upset. He had been looking forward to the doctor releasing him to return to school. He is feeling better today. I told him he can go tomorrow. He is so excited! Brock, Tinley, and I went to New Orleans last Thursday. We just returned Monday night(that's when he got sick). The kids had so much fun. Tinley's Birthday was Sunday. I can't believe she is 5 already. We had a cake for her at my brother's house. She enjoyed being with all of our family. She doesn't always get to see them for her birthday. We had a big suprise when we were there. Two Mardi Gras parades rolled on Saturday. I was so shocked since Mardi Gras day isn't until February 20th. They were special anniversary parades. The kids had a blast! Of course I came home satisified. I was able to eat boiled crawfish, king cake, and watch a parade.
These past couple of weeks have been hard. We have lost 6 of our little friends: Morgan, Lance, Brayden, Brent,
John Michael, and Kinsley.
I know there is a special place in heaven for these beautiful angels. However, it is so hard on the families of these precious ones to start the New Year without them. Please keep these families in your prayers.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2007

Brock is feeling much better. Today was his first day back to preschool since Nov.2. He was so excited when I told him he was going to school this morning. He ran around saying "Hooray!" After I dropped the kids off in car line, I drove away teary eyed. It was so hard letting him go. I feel so protective over him. I went to WalMart and just walked around lost. I thought to myself "What am I doing?" I even wrote a letter to the teacher giving her my cell phone number (again) just in case she needed to contact me. I know he is fine. I'm the one that's not. I can't wait until 2:00 to pick them up. Ahhhhh! I guess I need to go clean house. I only have an hour and fifteen minutes before I have to leave.

Amy

Wednesday, January 3, 2007 2:34 PM CST

Today was Brock's 8 week post op visit from his open heart surgery. We are truly blessed at how well Brock has recovered. The Cardiologist did an EKG, Chest x-ray, and Echo cardiogram. Everything looks pretty good. Brock's new pig valve is working great. He does have a little bit of leakage coming off of the valve. But, it isn't expected to cause him any problems any time soon. Also, he has some leakage of his pulmonary valve. This is also not expected to cause him any complications for many years. The plan is to have his heart checked every three months until the Cardiologist feels that he is staying stable with no changes. Then he will move him to check ups every 6 months. Thank you so much for all of your prayers, love, and concern for Brock. It truly means a lot to our family. Brock is a true blessing from God. Miracles do happen! Brock is one of those miracles. We were told he would not make it to his first Christmas. However, we just made it through his fourth Christmas. I wish everyone a wonderful blessed New Year.

All things are possible through him, Jesus Christ!

Amy

Thursday, December 28, 2006 9:37 AM CST

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great time! The kids were soooo excited when they came downstairs and saw all of the presents Santa brought. There faces were priceless! Brock said,"Wow, that's just what I wanted". He has sat and played for hours with everything. He is feeling sooo good. We can't get over all of the energy he has now. Tinley has recovered well from the flu. We managed to keep everyone else from catching it. I went through two bottles of Lysol. I wiped down and sprayed everything she touched. Thank you so much for all of the prayers. We all stayed well and were able to have a very joyous Christmas. I am so very thankful to have so many people praying for Brock. He is truly a walking miracle. We love all of you and wish you a wonderful New Year. May your New Year be as blessed as our last 3 years have. We couldn't have made it without Jesus Christ in our hearts. All things are possible through him!

Cool Slideshows

Monday, December 18, 2006 9:45 AM CST

Brock is on his way to a full recovery. Today is 6 weeks since his open heart surgery. He is feeling really good. He hardly wants to take a nap anymore. His energy levels have definitely increased. He had some bleeding on Saturday from his drainage tube site. I'm not sure why this happened. However, it is healing up. I thought it was completely healed before. But, it looked like it just tore open a little bit. We have been keeping Brock and Tinley seperated since Saturday night. Tinley started running a fever. I took her to the pediatrician this morning and she tested positive for the Flu. So, now she is on medication and the pediatrician gave me a prevenitive flu med for Brock to take. I came home and picked Brock up to take him to my mom's house for a few days. They don't want Brock around her until her fever is gone. Hopefully, we have been careful enough and he won't catch it. I have been lysoling everything since Saturday night. I havn't let Tinley touch any of the toys. I even lysol all of the bathroom after she comes out. She has been either on the couch or in bed. Please say lots of prayers that Brock doesn't get sick from this.

Cool Slideshows

Monday, December 18, 2006 9:45 AM CST

Monday, December 18, 2006 9:43 AM CST

Cool Slideshows

Monday, December 11, 2006 9:24 AM CST

Hey Everyone! Not to much to report from the Waggoner house. Brock is feeling really good these days. You would never know that he had open heart surgery just 4 weeks ago. Wow, kids are so amazing! But foremost, I know God had his hands on Brock's surgery and recovery. Brock is truly a blessing and our miracle child. There are some things that I have been amazed at since his surgery. The huge thing that I have noticed is that he has not complained about having leg pain at all. The surgeon said the heart wasn't' able to circulate his blood through his body properly and the poor circulation of blood in his legs were causing the pain. Also, we have noticed a huge increase in his bowel movements and urine output. I never thought there was a problem before surgery. However, he goes so much during the day now. They said it was also due to the fact his blood was getting to his organs properly. I'm so glad it is all over with. It is scary to think what could have happened if we would have kept waiting to do the surgery. Thank you so much for all of your continued love, prayers, and support. We are counting down the days until Jesus' Birthday and some wonderful time with family as we reflect on our many blessings this year.

Heart Hugs to All!

Monday, December 4, 2006 2:41 PM CST

Brock has been recovering really well. He is a lot more active. I think I am in trouble when he is completely healed. He use to be my quiet laid back child. Yikes!
He is running all over the house. I am having a hard time keeping him out of dangers way. He thinks he can wrestle and all with his sister. He physically feels good and doesn't realize the harm he can do. We finished most of our Christmas decorations. The kids had a blast. They both decided they wanted to try hot cocoa. So, I fixed it for them. Of course, they spit it right back out. I knew better. But, thought I would try since they asked. My kids are soooo picky with foods and drinks. We have been really tired of being stuck in the house. So, I took the kids to the local Christmas parade on Saturday. It was so much fun. I was parked right on the parade route. I was able to open the back of the van and they sat right there. They loved it. Brock was really excited to be out of the house for awhile. The only other outings he has had is to take his sister to school and pick her up from car line.
At bedtime on Saturday night he got really upset and crying. I asked him what was wrong. He said he really missed his big boy bed. He has been sleeping in our room on a little toddler bed because the doctors didn't want him going up the stairs by himself. Well, I agreed to let him sleep in his bed. He promised me in the morning he would call me on the baby monitor, which he did. He was so very happy! I know he is ready to have normalcy back in his life. Just a few more weeks and he can do whatever he wants. We just have to make sure that bone is healed really well. All of his incisions are healing up wonderfully. Thanks for keeping up with Brock's progress. We would love to hear from you in the guestbook. Since he is out of the hospital, all of the messages have really dropped a lot.

Heart Hugs to Everyone!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 8:05 AM CST

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving day. It was just Barry, I , and the kids. We spent a lot of special family time together. We sat around the table saying what we were thankful for this year. Tinley was thankful that her little brothers heart was fixed. Brock was thankful for being home from the hospital and his chicken nuggets.(He didn't have to eat turkey or ham).

Everything has been going pretty good here at home. It has been a challenge keeping Brock on low energy playing. Also, keeping him and Tinley from wrestling. They play baby kitty cat a lot, crawling all over the house, and they like to pounce on each other. All in all, he is recovering really well. The only meds he is taking is his aspirin a day and a vitamin with added iron. I have to take him up to the pediatrician office this morning to have some blood work done. They are going to come out to the car and draw his blood so he doesn't get exposed to all of the sick kids. I am so very thankful they are doing this for us. He is still looking really pale. I hope his blood counts aren't too low. Please pray for good counts! The kids are all excited that Christmas is almost here. I hope everyone has a really safe and wonderful holiday season.

Love,
Amy Waggoner

Wednesday, November 22, 2006 1:41 PM CST

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We are so blessed to have two beautiful, wonderful children. I am thankful for there health and joy. I am also so very thankful for all of the blessings God has brought into my life. My life has changed so much the past few years. Even though there has been many trying times, I feel as though I am a better person because of them. I understand and except a lot more than I could have years ago. I believe this is all because of where I stand with God in my life. I have always been a Christian. But, sometimes it takes some major life changing awakenings to set you on the right path. Tomorrow, it will just be Barry, Tinley, Brock and I celebrating the day together. Being thankful for our family together in our home.

Brock had his first cardiology check up yesterday since his surgery two weeks ago. We saw both the surgeon and the cardiologist. Brock had an EKG, x-ray, and echocardiogram performed. They all looked pretty good. There is no fluid built up so he can stop the Lasix. There is very minimal leakage coming off of the new valve. This was great news. The valve is working properly and his pressures inside the ventricle are near normal. His liver is still enlarged. But, has come down some since surgery. We will continue to watch this on follow up visits. They removed his stitches from where the drainage tubes were after surgery (below the sternum). One of them is embedded and couldn't be removed. The other stitch released a huge pus pocket. Good thing it was removed yesterday. It could have resulted in a yucky internal infection. It is still continuing to drain today. We just have to keep an eye on it keeping it clean and watch for fevers. They don't want Brock around any large groups of people until after Christmas. This is to prevent any germs from all of the nasty colds and flu's going around. So, we will be house bound until Jan. 3, his next appointment. All in All, he is feeling better each day. He only gets his pain meds now when he requests them which is very minimal. The surgeon did feel that he looks really pale. He ordered some blood work to be done. We will go on Monday and have his blood counts checked.

Thank you so much for the continued prayers and support we have received from everyone! It means so much to us. This has been a very trying time. We are thankful for everyones love, support, and guidance over this time.
Our prayer requests right now are for the valve to continue working properly, the holes in his chest from the drainage tubes to heal up and for no infection to set in, and also for his blood counts to return back to normal.

Sincerely,
Amy Waggoner

Monday, November 13, 2006 10:45 AM CST

We are so happy to be home even though it hasn't been very easy. I want to start off by thanking Leslie for keeping everyone updated on Brock's condition. I know everyone was concerned. She called several times a day to get updates.
Thank you so much for all of the prayers and wonderful messages left in the guestbook. We are so appreciative of everyone's love and support. Things were a little scary at times. But, I want to let everyone know that Brock was so brave throughout the entire time. I am really confident now that preparing him for everything really helped him to understand what was happening. We had told him everything that was going to happen before and after surgery. The nurses were amazed at how he would just lift his gown up when told to are put his arm out for blood pressure checks etc....
We got home friday evening. Everyone had a good night friday night. Brock only woke up twice during the night. We did find out that the tylenol w/codeine has an opposite effect on Brock. He gets really wired and silly with it. So, he is on just plain tylenol. Saturday I let him play hide-n-seek with his cousins in the house. It was a bit too much. He started bleeding a lot again from his incision where the drainage tubes were. They had stitched this area up. But, I think it tore a little. We got it cleaned up and have restricted his play now. He is just laying around watching tv, coloring, playing with his thomas trains, and his cars playrug. It took a little adjusting for him to understand he can't go up and down the stairs and run. But, he is getting use to it now. His chest incision got really irritated yesterday evening. He has been itching a lot. So, we have added benadryl to his daily meds to give him some comfort from the itching. He scratched so much he tore off his steri strips from his chest incision. Brock's follow up appointments will be next week. On Tuesday, my birthday, the kids have there big Thanksgiving feast at school at 11:00 and Brock is suppose to see the surgeon at 2:00. We're not going to let Brock go to the school for his feast because the doctors don't want him around anyone that has colds or fevers for 8 weeks. All in all, Brock is happy to be home and is feeling better each day. We praise God for Brock's surgery and his recovery. We know the power of prayer. I truly believe that God watched over my sweet boy. How else would he have been at such peace?

Friday, November 10, 2006 5:36 PM CST

Amy just called me to let me know that they are on their way home. She asked that I please send that update so that everyone would know they are offically no longer in the hospital room.

She told me again how appreciative they all are for your continued prayers, love, concern and support. Please continue to lift them up in prayer throughout the coming weeks.

This is my final update. From here forward you will be hearing from Amy again. Thank you everyone for your interest in the Waggoner family and Brock's situation.

Friday, November 10, 2006 1:17 PM CST
Well, open up the ways for the Hallelujah chorus to be sung!!!!!!!!!!!! Amy just called me and they are being released this afternoon!!!!!!

First and foremost, our God is an awesome God!!!!!!!! Second, Brock is an amazing kid!!!! I cannot believe how much of a trooper he has been through all of this. Even at times after he had been through a set back, he looked so calm and peaceful. I stand amazed at the strength of this little boy.

So, papers are being processed as we speak to release him. They will have to come back in 2 weeks for a follow-up visit. For 6-8 weeks, he will have to remain sheltered from any danger of disease or infection and he will be able to return to school in January.

What an incredible week this has been for Barry, Amy and of course – Brock. Let’s all join together and praise our Lord who brought each of them through this portion of the journey

****LUNCHTIME UPDATE Friday, November 10, 2006 12:53 PM CST****
Good news – good, good news!!!

I saw Amy while I was out at lunch and helped her to carry their food back up to the hall. When we walked on the hall, Brock was riding the halls on a tricycle! When I tell you that he was riding, I mean he was tearing up those halls! He was going up and down the long stretches and in and out of the side halls. It was so cute and so good to see him having fun. Amy got a good picture of him, so post a message in their guestbook and tell her to put it out there when she starts updating the journals again.

Amy seems to think that this is a good sign for the chances of getting to go home. Dr. Knott-Craig has not made rounds yet today so they do not know anything on the blood situation. Hopefully it is coming back up for him to have the energy to ride around. Please pray for this specifically. Brock is really ready to go home. He would ride the bike to the end of the hall and sit there, hoping to get through the door. So, let’s pray this baby home!!!!

Friday, November 10, 2006 9:25 AM CST
Good morning everyone!

Well, the night was much better for everyone. Brock slept, Amy slept, and Barry slept. I guess you just hit a point that it no longer matters that you’re crammed in a hospital chair or on a blow up mattress on the floor – you just simply crash!

The doctor called for an echo to be run on Brock last night and it came back looking good. They checked through some test (maybe the echo, maybe some other scan – I’m not a doctor) and found that everything internal looks good. It was not internal bleeding and was strictly related to more drainage from surgery that had to come out. Usually the blood will clot and prevent that from happening, but Brock’s did not.

So, the bleeding has stopped, but his blood counts are still dropping. Right out of surgery his level was 37 (again, not a doctor so I don’t know what unit of measure that I’m talking about – just follow the numbers ). After the bleed two nights ago, he dropped to 30. He has dropped to 27 this morning. Amy can’t remember, but she seems to think that 26 or 27 is the level at which they do a transfusion. So, again we wait to hear the results of that decision.

Amy said that he is really weak this morning and not really up to doing anything except to stay in bed and watch TV. He is uncomfortable (understandably so – I would be too!) but not complaining of real pain.

Oh – I almost forgot some good news! He asked for a pancake last night at 9:00. This was the first request for food so by golly, he was going to get a pancake somehow, someway. Barry went to the nearest grocery store and bought frozen pancakes, butter and syrup. He got back to the hospital and fixed him a plate of 3 pancakes and naturally when he gave them to Brock, he closed his mouth and shook his head “No”. So, Barry took a deep breath and began to eat them himself. After Barry had eaten all that he wanted he put them to the side. Brock then said, “Daddy, I only wanted 1 pancake, not 3.” Turns out there was the equivalent of about 1 ½ pancakes left and he ate them all up! Isn’t that such a cute story?!?! He kept them down all night without throwing up and even ate 2 more this morning. So, that is very good!

Keep on praying and I’ll be in touch later…

Thursday, November 9, 2006 8:53 AM CST

****UPDATE****Thursday, November 9, 2006 1:28 PM CST
I wanted to come on and post a quick update. It seems as though the message this morning really alarmed some as to how Brock is doing. I saw him about an hour ago and he was up and riding in the wagon in the halls. He was given a Cars racetrack rug and played with his cars on that for a little while. He seems to be feeling fine and the bleeding has stopped. They are still waiting on some lab results to confirm if a transfusion is needed - it looks like a good possibility that it will not be needed. So, I hope that this will help to ease some of the concern in many minds as to his condition. I will add an update when I get the final word on the transfusion.

Thursday, November 9, 2006 8:53 AM CST

I just spoke with Amy and got the update from last night. It was actually quite horrible. His chest tubes with the drains were pulled late yesterday afternoon and he bled extremely badly throughout the entire night. Early this morning the resident came in and put stitches in him right in the room. Brock was given local medication to deaden it but it was still very traumatic.

The end result this morning is that everything on him is low – blood counts, blood pressure, temperature and weight. There is a possibility of a blood transfusion but that has not been determined. Amy’s blood matches his, but she cannot donate as there would not be enough time before he would have to receive it. Please pray that his body will recover from this set back last night without having to have the transfusion.

I’ll be going to see them in a little while and will update again when I know something. Keep the prayers coming…

Tuesday, November 8, 2006 8:51 AM CST

****November 8, 2006 Update****
I just spoke with Amy, and Brock had a fairly difficult night last night. He continued to have the headache, but also began to complain of his chest and legs hurting. They had a difficult time managing the pain for him. They watched Cars twice and the Tigger movie once, with very little sleep in between movies.

He seems to be having moderate pain this morning but nothing like it was last night. He is holding in coughing since it hurts his chest so much and Dr. Knott-Craig ordered breathing treatments to hopefully help with that. He is also trying to avoid pneumonia setting in on his lungs. He also told them that Brock needs to begin to get up and move around a little bit today. Please pray for this because he does not feel good, but is going to have to move around some. This will be difficult for Brock and of course Barry and Amy.

Tinley was able to come to the hospital last night to see him, which was good for both of them. She was a little unsure at first but loosened up and even gave Brock some hugs and lovin’!

That’s really all that there is to update at this point. I’ll send information out as I get it. Again, Barry and Amy cannot thank everyone enough for the continued prayers, support, love and concern that have been poured out to them.

Tuesday, November 7, 2006 2:06 PM CST

Well, God just keeps on showing up for Brock and family…

Brock has just been moved to a room within the hour - about 24 hours sooner than planned. It is a private room and he is resting well. He has been having problems with a headache since early morning, so please specifically pray about this. He has been very peaceful and content all morning - much to the amazement of Barry and Amy. They first got to see him around 5:00 this morning and he had just gotten the breathing tube taken out. He talked with them some and watched TV some, but was very relaxed. He was not pulling on tubes and lines at all. He fell back asleep just before they were to walk out of the room which allowed them to quietly leave and not get him upset.

He is watching a Tigger movie and very happy right now. Amy said that he is a little withdrawn and not really into being social at this time, but is still comfortable and peaceful.

So, things just continue to move in the right direction. Barry and Amy are obviously so glad to have him in a room so they can now be with him at all times. They cannot thank everyone enough for the prayers that have been sent their way and still ask you to remain faithful in prayer as Brock continues to heal and become strong again.

Monday, November 6, 2006 6:39 PM CST

Hello all!

The next few updates will be coming from a friend of the family until Amy can get back to a computer. So, here it goes.

First of all, let me start by saying that God is good. He knows the master plan and works all things for the good. Brock came out of surgery just under 3 hours ago. It was a 4 hour procedure and went very well. Barry and Amy were able to go back and speak with Dr. Knott-Craig and then see Brock for about 5 minutes. So, here is the summary of the day and the results.

He went into surgery around 11:00 and they actually began the most of the work around 12:00. Around 2:30, they received word that the valve was not able to be repaired and had to be replaced. This was extremely disappointing and difficult to hear for Barry and Amy. The youth pastor for their niece was in the hospital at the time and everyone circled up and prayed. Barry and Amy were allowed back to see Brock just after 4:00. What Dr. Knott-Criag told them was that he will very rarely tell a family that he cannot repair something, but that there was truely nothing left to repair on Brock. A normal valve opening on an adult is 26-28 (not sure what unit of measure, but just follow the numbers). When Brock was in his office 3 weeks ago his was 31 and this morning it was 37-38! He told them that he did in fact have to put the pig valve in, but the good news is that it was an adult size one and it should last for about 10 years, rather than the 4-5 years that they thought. Also, he will not have to be on blood thinners or any other long term medications for his heart with this type of valve. Dr. Knott-Craig told them that the first thing that he noticed about Brock this morning was how horrible his color was. He said that he looked very ash in color and blueish (I think that I've recalled those descriptions correctly.) and that his face looked swollen. Barry and Amy both spoke of how amazed they were when they saw him. They said that he was not swollen and that he actually looked pink and his lips were pink. Since they see him all day every day, they had not noticed his decrease in color but could tell the instant that they saw him how much better he looked.

So, Brock will be in ICU tomorrow and possibly into Wednesday since his surgery was so late into the day today. He will be in the hospital for about a week. Barry and Amy were all smiles when they came out of the ICU and the spirits seemed really high at the hospital when I left.

So, God is good! Brock is doing well and even though the valve had to be replaced, it's good for longer than they were originally told. Barry and Amy are very thankful to everyone for the prayers that have gone up for Brock and ask that you continue to pray. I work in the hospital where Brock is and will be visiting them frequently and sending updates as anything changes.

Saturday, November 4, 2006 10:20 PM CST

Brock is being admitted to UAB Hospital here in Birmingham tomorrow at 11:00 am. Brock's open heart surgery will be Monday morning around 10:30. He is the second case. Please keep Brock in your prayers.
We are praying that the doctors can repair his tricuspid valve instead of replacing it. This will prevent another open heart surgery in 4-6 years. Also, for Brock to be as comfortable as he can in the CICU. I know the time away from Barry and I will be very hard on him. Hopefully, they won't be to strict on there visiting hours. Of course, pray for me and Barry's courage and strength over the next few days. We are both very stressed and nervous.

Love,
The Waggoners

Monday, October 30, 2006 11:14 AM CST

Is everyone ready for Halloween? Brock and Tinley can't wait to go trick or treating. Brock is going to be Tigger and Tinley is going to be Jasmine. They are so excited. They were in bed last night and at 8:30 our door bell rang. They jumped out of bed and went running to the door. Our house got "booed". Someone taped a phantom ghost on the door and hung a bag of candy on the door knob. The kids were so excited. It took another 45 minutes to get them back to bed.

Since our last update, we have been keeping very busy. We took the kids to Boo at the Zoo. The kids enjoyed an early trick or treat. Also, we went with Camp Smile A Mile to the Govenor's Mansion and the Pumpkin Patch. The kids loved the long bus ride from Birmingham to Montgomery to the Govenor's Mansion. This was there first ride without a car seat. They thought it was really cool to ride not buckled up. I was a nervous wreck. This past weekend we went to Biloxi,Mississippi to my step-sister's wedding. The kids really loved dancing at the wedding. Of course, Tinley was her usual self, into everything! Trying to dip crackers into the grooms cake, writing on the guest book, etc.... She kept me on my toes.
Saturday we are going to Disney on Ice with Camp Smile A Mile. The kids can't wait. We are counting down the days on the calendar.
Wednesday we are having a prayer worship for Brock at church. It will be Wednesday night at 6:15. It would mean a lot to us for anyone that can't attend to light a candle and say a special prayer for Brock at 6:15 Wednesday night(Nov 1). Please pray for the doctors to be able to repair his valve without replacing it. Also, for Brock to be comfortable in the ICU. This will be a very hard time for him.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. If I don't update before the surgery, I am going to have someone updating for me while we are in the hospital.
Brock will be admitted to UAB on Sunday, Nov.5 and his surgery will be Monday morning, Nov.6. We don't have a time for surgery yet.

Please sign the guestbook and let us know who is checking in on Brock.

Love,
The Waggoners

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 10:19 AM CDT

Sorry for the delay in updating. I just needed some time to gather my thoughts. We met with the new surgeon yesterday, Dr.Knott-Craig. He is very nice and personable. Brock seemed a little scared at first. But, Dr.Knott-Craig immediately started to play with him, tickling him etc.. It didn't take Brock long to start laughing and warming up to him. It was a little scary at first for him because it was three new doctors that came into the room. Brock was expecting to see Dr.McMahon. However, he was in the cardiac cath lab doing a procedure.

O.K. info about the surgery....
Brock will be admitted to UAB Hospital on Sunday, Nov.5.
Brock's surgery will be on Monday, Nov.6. This will be his third open heart surgery. The surgeon studied Brock's tricuspid valve with an echocardiogram. He summed it up by saying the valve is wide open. There is as much blood leaking out of the heart as there is pumping through. Long term, this could cause soarosis (sp?) of the liver.
Because Brock's heart is so enlarged, it is not definite that the tricuspid valve will be able to be repaired. This is because it is stretched out so much(the valve). We don't know a definite on how the surgery will go. However, these are the options we are dealing with.
1)Best case will be able to do a repair on the valve
If it is able to be repaired, the surgeon only expects
about a 70 percent function out of it. But, it is better than
the no function that he has now.
2)If the valve is not repairable, the surgeon will put a
pig valve on top of the existing valve. The down side
to this is that the tricuspid valve handles a high volume
of blood flow. A pig valve does not last very long in
this area of the heart. Another open heart surgery would
be needed in 4-6 years. However, at that time the pig
valve may have helped control the blood flow enough to
get the heart back down to normal size. There could be
an option at that time to remove the pig valve and repair
his own valve if it is not stretched out anymore. Also,
there may be advances in medical technology at that time
and we may have better options.
3)There is a chance that the surgeon may have to do a
procedure called a Bi-directional Glenn. This is where
they redirect the blood going into the right atrium
directly to the pulmonary arteries. They would only
redirect 60 percent of the blood flow. This would releive that
much pressure off of the valve.

All in all, we won't know which way the surgery is going to go until the surgeon is operating. He will do what is best at that time as he is operating. The good news is they will not use a mechanical valve and we will not have to worry about Brock being on blood thinners the rest of his life. This was a relief to hear. However, the pig valve will only last him a 4-6 years. Which means we will be dealt with another open heart surgery in the future. Also, the bi-directional procedure is new to us. The cardiologist had never discussed this with us before. I'm still not 100 percent sure of all of the details and the prognosis with that procedure. I researched it a little bit on the internet. But, still not completely sure of it.

Good news is that Brock went to the Oncology clinic on Monday. All of his blood counts are back to normal. He was having some problems with his red blood cells back in April. Which was a little scare. However, everything is in normal range and we don't have to return to oncology for 6 months! They did some femur x-rays to compare to the last ones. We were trying to figure out why he complains of leg pain still. The x-rays came back normal.
However, we learned from the surgeon yesterday, that the leg pain is being caused from his heart function. The extra effort of the heart to pump the blood through and the severe leakage causes edema(fluid) in the lower extremeties. When there are flare ups it is a discomfort. Kids normally associate this discomfort with pain. Hopefully, the discomfort will stop after Brock heals from his heart surgery.

I'm going to end this journal for now. I have so many thoughts in my head that I could just keep going on and on. Thank you so much everyone for your constant concerns and prayers. Thank you for all of the phone calls of support we have already received. Please sign the guest book and let us know you were here.

HERE ARE SOME PICS FROM BROCK'S PREVIOUS HALLOWEEN'S:

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 10:07 PM CDT

I'm suppose to do an update on our visit with the surgeon. However, I am to exhausted and mentally drained at this time to post. I promise I will update tomorrow after a good night's sleep and a long talk with God.

Monday, October 2, 2006 10:48 AM CDT

I just received the phone call from the Cardiologist office. We will meet with the pediatric heart surgeon
Dr.Knott-Craig on Tuesday, Oct.10. He is going to discuss with us the surgery options and answer any questions we might have. I'm not sure which date the surgery will be.

Also, I am taking Brock to the pediatrician today. He has a fever and a really bad cough. He has not had anything to eat since lunch time yesterday. He is really tired and not feeling good. Please send lots of prayers out for Brock.

Thank you!

TUESDAY, OCT. 3

Brock didn't go to school today. He is still not feeling very good. He told me he couldn't go because he had "The Cough". The pediatrician said it is probably just a viral infection. But, he went ahead and put him on an antibiotic so nothing respiratory brews up. We don't want him to develop any bronchiol type infections before surgery. Brock has to see the Oncologist on Monday for his 6 month follow up. They will be doing some blood work to check all of his blood counts and his sed rate.
Sunday, we will be going to the Pumpkin Patch with Camp Smile-A-Mile. The kids are very excited to go pick out there pumpkin. Have a great week! I won't update until after his appointment on Tuesday unless something changes.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006 12:12 PM CDT

Today was Brock's Cardiology appointment. He had an x-ray, EKG, and echocardiogram done. Well, I knew this day was coming, but the reality of it is really hard. We were told that Brock needs another open heart surgery, soon.
We've been knowing for well over a year now that his tricuspid valve was bad and he would need surgery to fix it. I guess we just got use to having appointments that ended in, "everything looks the same, see ya in three months, we'll see then if he'll need surgery anytime soon."
I can't tell you how many times we have heard that. Today, however, was different. First of all, Barry is always there with me. When I was in the waiting room, he called and said that he was taking care of a patient and he couldn't leave his side. So, when we go into the procedure room, the doctor starts doing Brock's echocardiogram. I told him that if anything looked any different than last time to let me know and Barry would come over because he wanted to see if any changes showed up. Halfway into the echo, he starts telling me that his tricuspid valve looked really bad. The leaflets aren't even meeting anymore. There was more blood regurgitating back out of the heart, than there was pumping completely through. To sum it all up, I have to call on Monday to find out when our appointment will be with the new surgeon whom we have not met yet. The surgeon will explain everything to us in greater detail and explain surgery options. So, it sounds like Brock will be having his 3rd open heart surgery sometime in the next month or two. The cardiologist said we can't wait any longer. I'm just really scared right now and don't know how to handle the whole situation. Brock is asking a lot of questions. I am trying to be as honest as I can with him. But, it is so hard to look at him and talk about it while trying to control my emotions. I guess I just need a few days to absorb it all in. But, I doubt it will be any better. My next few weeks will be waiting and waiting for that most dreaded day to come.

THURSDAY, SEPT.28,2006

Please stop by and visit our dear friend Avery at www.averyann.net
She is such a little princess and we just love her family. Avery has relapsed and started radiation and chemo treatments today. Please keep Avery and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Monday, September 11, 2006 11:35 AM CDT

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. Hang in there, this is going to be a long one.

First of all, I want to reflect on today, Sept.11. Five years ago today, I was standing in the Radiology department at work. A phone call came in from a fellow co-worker about the first crash. Then, she called about the second and then the third and then the fourth. I was four months pregnant with my first child. I remember grabbing my belly and rubbing it with tears in my eyes. I thought the world was coming to an end. I was devestated thinking I would never have the perfect family I had always dreamed of and see my daughter. I cried a lot that day. Wow, if I only knew what I would be doing 2 years later on the same date. On Sept. 11, 2003, I was shedding tears again for my child. This time for my five month old son. Brock went into surgery that morning. We thought for a fairly uncomplicated open heart procedure to shave back some thickened heart muscle. However, 30 minutes into the surgery, the heart surgeon called us out of the waiting area to inform us that Brock did not have thickened heart muscle. Brock had a huge tumor growing inside of his ventricle of his heart. This would be the beginning of our journey in not only the world of childhood cancer, but pediatric hearts too. We have met some amazing families along the way. I am so grateful to everyone that has stood by our side. I don't know how I would have made it this far without all of your love and support.

O.k. on to some exciting news, Brock's Make-A-Wish trip was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Brock loved his first airplane ride Hurricane Ernesto did not have any effects on our trip. We had a little bit rain. But, nothing to keep us inside. We had pancho's and umbrella's. We tried to take in as much as possible. It is truly amazing everything they do for the children. They offer almost anything for the kids that they could want to do. We spent three days at the Disney Parks and two days at Universal Studios. We tried to spend as much time as possible at the Give Kids The World Village. There is so much for the kids to do there. It is the most amazing place in this world for kids. Some of the characters came to the village to visit the kids.

Brock's favorite part of the trip was going to the Magic Kingdom and getting to see Tigger.

Tinley's highlight of the trip was getting to meet her favorite princess Ariel.

Brock's favorite ride was the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups. This is him a little dizzy!

Brock also loved the Buzz light year ride.
Like I said, we made the most out of everyday. Brock was totally exhausted!

The kids also liked Universal Studio's. There is not a whole lot for little one's there. But, the stuff they do have is really cute.

We were very sad when the trip came to an end. Brock cried a lot on the plane ride back home. He kept saying he didn't want to go home. However, we have some wonderful memories now. It was a once and a lifetime vacation for Brock. He enjoyed every moment of it.

When we got back into town. We dove right into a busy week. The kids started school. Brock is in preK-3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
His first day was pretty rough on me. I dropped the kids off and came home to an empty quiet house. He told us he cried in class. I wasn't too sure how Thursday was going to go. But, he woke up that morning and said, "I like school". He jumped out of the van with no problem and waved by to us. When I picked him up from school that evening, he didn't want to leave. I am really happy he is enjoying it. I'm really hoping this will help his social skills.
Also, Tinley started soccer. She is such a cutie out there. Anyone that knows Tinley, knows she does what she wants, when she wants to, and how she wants to. In the middle of playing, she will just lay down in the grass and look up at the sky. Also, in the middle of her first game she came walking off of the field to give me a hug and kiss.
This is before her first soccer practice.

This is after Tinley scored her first goal at her first game.

Last night, was Kandles for Kids. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. It is a candle light ceremony to celebrate all the survivors and remember all of our angels. Also, for those who are just entering this terrible journey. There is hope! All things are possible through Christ!
Brock and his Aunt Lyn

May God bless all of your families. I pray for your life to be touched with miracles as our life has. You have to turn to him. Let God fill your life and heart and your tree will be fruitful.

Wednesday, August 9, 2006 10:36 AM CDT

I can't believe summer is almost over. Most of the schools around here are starting back tomorrow. Tinley and Brock will be starting preschool in September. There school starts Sept.5. Brock will be in preK-3 and Tinley will be in preK-4. Brock will only be going 2 days a week and Tinley will be going 3 days a week. I'm really nervous about Brock starting. He hasn't been in a program since the day I took him from daycare to bring him to the Hospital for his angiogram. It is amazing here we are 3 years later and he is starting pre school. The doctors didn't even expect him to have his first Christmas or Birthday. He is truly a miracle. We are so blessed to have had so many people support and pray for Brock and our family through those difficult times. We couldn't have done it without you. I know a lot of people have been amazed with my strength. I often get asked, "How did you do it?" I don't know if I have a specific answer for that question. I just know that when you are told your child's diagnosis and prognosis, there is nothing you can do to take it away. You can't run from it. You just have to take a deep breath and buckle up. Because you are in for a hell of a ride. You don't stop to think through the journey. You wake up each morning and face your new journey for the day. You can't plan how your sick child's day will be. You just go with it and make the best of it. You have to live each day like there is no tomorrow. Our family included Brock in everything. We never missed a beat. Even when he was sick(throwing up from chemotherapy), we still went on with our plans(vacation, shopping, parties, etc... I never wanted him to miss out on anything. I wanted him to have the normal life that other babies and toddlers had. And he did. The only time we restricted him was when the doctors said his blood counts were too low and we had to stay home bound. We followed the rules at that time. But, other than that, we have made the most out of life. We have taken a lot of risks. But, our faith in God has gotten us through.

We are getting ready for Brock's Make A Wish trip. We will leave on Aug.29th for Disney World. We are so excited. Brock asks everyday if it is time to go. When we get back from Disney, he will start school two days later. The next cardiology appointment is on Sept. 27th. Let's pray for great results. I am so not ready to plan surgery.

I hope everyone has a great week and weekend. :)

Thursday, July 20, 2006 7:24 AM CDT

Brock has been having a blast. We went to the Saving Little Hearts picnic in Knoxville, TN the weekend of July 8. It was really fun. Brock ran around playing frizzbee the whole time. Knoxville's local NBC station did an interview with Brock and I. It was great to meet some other heart families. Everyone has a different story. But, yet we are all connected in some way. I guess by the scar that marks our children's chest. Here are some pictures from the picnic:

***Sorry about the crazy sizes of the pictures. I'm having trouble with my photo software***

The following weekend on July 15 we went to Alexander City, AL to Camp Smile A Mile. This is a camp for children affected by cancer. It was Tots N Tykes camp for children 2-6 years old. The kids had a blast. Each child was assigned there very own counselor. Brock's counselor was Matt. Matt played with Brock the entire two days. He even ate Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner with him. Matt was great! He is in his second year of Med school at UAB. Tinley's counselor was Ashley. This was a perfect match. Ashley is a pre-K 4 teacher. So, she knew just how to keep Tinley busy. Tinley addored Ashley. She was so sad when it was time to go. She kept yelling out of the window, "Bye Ashley"! It was wonderful to see some of our old friends from clinic and also meet some new friends. They even had massages scheduled for the parents. That was a real treat! Here are some pictures from camp:

We are getting ready for Brock's Make A Wish party. It will be here at the house on Tuesday, July 25th. The volunteers are coming to bring us our schecule for Disney with all of the tickets. Also, they bring Brock cake and some fun things to do on the plane.

The Cardiologist has rescheduled Brock's August visit to the end of September. They called and kind of did an over the phone consultation. Since Brock has been a busy bee and tolerating all of his traveling well, they felt it wouldn't hurt to post-pone his doctor's visit another month. This will give the new surgeon more time to get settled in. He just started on July 1. I talked to some of the nurses at camp this past weekend. It sounds like this new surgeon is going to be wonderful.

I hope everyone is having a great summer. We certainly are :) Enjoy each and everyday with your child like there is no tomorrow!

Tuesday, July 4, 2006 7:32 AM CDT

***Friday, July 14, Check out www.savinglittlehearts.com, Brock's heart story was posted on there sight.***

Wow, we have some incredible things happening that I couldn't wait to share with everyone. I know God is leading Brock on his daily walk. He has been so blessed and because of him our whole family has been blessed.
Where do I start?
On July 8 & July 9, I will be taking Brock to Knoxville, TN to the First Annual Saving Little Hearts Picnic. I am so excited to meet some of the other heart families. This is a wonderful organization that supports children with heart defects. They do some amazing things for the children. WWW.SAVINGLITTLEHEARTS.COM
The following weekend on July 15 & 16 I will be taking Brock to Tots N Tykes Camp at Camp Smile A Mile. This is a wonderful camp in Alexander City, AL that is just for children affected by cancer. It is an amazing place for the kids. This camp we are going to is for 2-5 years old. I am excited to meet other families that have gone through or that is going through chemotherapy treatments. It is theraputic to be able to share experiences with others that know what you are going through and to hear there experiences. WWW.CAMPSAM.ORG
We got the phone call this week that Brock's Make A Wish is complete. All of the final details have been approved. Make A Wish will come to the house on July 28th to give Brock a party. Then on Aug. 29th we leave for Disney World. We will be staying at Give Kids the World. I looked it up on the internet to show Brock. All I can say is Wow! It is amazing what they do for the children. Brock is so excited. He has been asking everyday if we are leaving to go to the fun place. That is what he calls it after seeing all of the pictures. WWW.GKTW.ORG
Some other exciting news, Another IMT (Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor) mom has contacted me via e-mail. I can't believe it. After almost 3 years, we have not found anyone else diagnosed with IMT. I didn't think we ever would. Harley's IMT was not in the heart. But, they have had an amazing journey. She was just diagnosed in October. They live in Texas. Please keep this family in your prayers. They are in the middle of all of there treatments. I know it is a rough road.

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July today. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Tuesday, June 20, 2006 8:39 AM CDT

I hope everyone is having a great summer! We have certainly been enjoying the sun. The kids have been playing outside everyday. They absolutely love being in the new house. It has been so wonderful. I just can't thank God enough for blessing us the way he has. Brock is doing wonderful. His leg pains have gone away completely. I believe it was just growing pains.

We spent the last week at the beach in Destin. It was so much fun. Barry had to attend some continuing education classes in the morning. But, he was done by noon. Me and the kids either hung out at the beach or by the pool until he was done. Then we would eat lunch and go to the beach all afternoon. They couldn't get enough of it. I took them to play putt putt golf one afternoon. It was right across the street from our hotel room. I think they are still kind of young for it. They had enough after about 9 holes. But, it was still fun. They really enjoyed seeing the big waves that Tropical Storm Alberto had pushed in. We were very fortunate and didn't get any of the rain. The Destin Newspaper interviewed us while we were playing on the beach and posted a big picture of Brock on the front of the paper. It was really cute. We spent Father's Day weekend in New Orleans with my dad. It was a short visit. But, the kids enjoyed it. Brock really didn't want to leave this time. They love going there so much.

Brock's new heart surgeon will be starting on July 1. We have an appointment on Aug. 2 to discuss what the plan is and to take another look at his heart. Please keep praying for Brock.

Here are some pictures from the beach:

Monday, June 19, 2006 3:03 PM CDT

I was going to update. But, just realized I have to get Tinley to gymnastics in 30 minutes. Will update either tonight or in the morning with our vacation to Destin and pictures.

Thursday, June 1, 2006 8:00 AM CDT

Brock has been doing wonderful the past few weeks. He has not had any leg pains lately. Hopefully, it was all just growing pains. His Red Blood Cell count has improved since he has been on the iron drops. Thank you so much for all of the prayers. The power of prayer is wonderful.
I can still tell that his energy levels are getting lower. However, some days he is full of energy and plays all day without a nap. But, those days always catch up with him. We are really enjoying the summer. It is starting to get really hot here in Alabama. We havn't had any rain here in weeks. I'm having to water the grass everyday. We just got back from a trip to Biloxi, MS. That is where Brock's Grammy lives (Barry's mom). We had a lot of fun. We didn't go many places. Everything is still so torn up from Hurricane Katrina. It is really sad. But, they are making the best of it and people have gotten on with there lives. They still have a great number of families living in tents. I don't know how they are going to make it through the hot summer. Maybe you can say an extra prayer tonight for all of those families still in fema trailers and tents. We have all gotten on with our lives. All of those thousands of people are still living the nightmare everyday.

We have some exciting news to share with everyone. Make A Wish came to the house last night to interview Brock. They brought gifts to Brock and Tinley. Brock told them he wanted to go see Mickey Mouse. He even drew them a picture of Tigger. I couldn't believe how much he opened up. Usually he is so shy with everyone. Anyway, we will know in a few weeks if everything was approved.

I've been trying to catch up on all of my laundry from our trip so I can repack it all. We are heading to San Destin,FL in a few weeks for Barry's work. The kids are excited to go to the beach.

Sign the guestbook if you have a minute to let us know you have been by. Thank you so much for your continued love and support. It truly means alot to all of us.

Love,
The Waggoners

Easter

Brock at the Zoo with Camp Smile A Mile

Brock & Tinley at the Zoo with Camp Smile A Mile

Tinley's Dance Recital

Friday, May 12, 2006 5:27 PM CDT

UPDATE TUESDAY, MAY 16: Brock's Nuclear Medicine scan came back all clear and his red blood counts are improving. Thank you so much for all of the prayers and support. I truly am so very thankful to each and everyone of you. Caringbridge is such a wonderful place...

Brock had a Nuclear Medicine Scan done today at Children's Hospital. The worst part was having the IV put in. But, he adjusted very well having to walk around with it in his arm for 6 hours. I can't explain how very proud of him I was during his scan. He didn't need any sedation. He laid there perfectly still the whole time. He even had to keep his head perfectly straight for two whole minutes without moving. Can you believe a three year old did that? I couldn't. I just kept talking him through it. The only request he had was that Barry and I each hold one of his hands. I promised him a new Thomas Train for being such a big boy today. Of course, we stopped at Books A Million right away and let him pick out one. He chose the Sodor Fire Trucks. He was so excited. But, I was even more excited of him being so brave today.
We don't have any results yet. His doctor was busy with an emergency in ICU all day. Hopefully, she will be able to call us on Monday. I will post the results as soon as I get them. Thanks for all of the continued prayers and support.

Love,
The Waggoners

Wednesday, May 3, 2006 7:03 AM CDT

UPDATE: FRIDAY MAY 5, Brock will be having a bone scan and his blood work done on next friday, May 12. He has been complaining of pain in his legs again.

Thank you so much for the continued prayers and support you have shown for Brock and our family.
Brock has improved a great deal from last week. He has been running around playing like normal. He has only complained about his legs hurting a few times. I am continuing to give him the iron drops. He will have his blood work retested next week. Hopefully, his red blood count will be back to normal.
Brock did vomit quite a bit on Friday and has had some days of puffiness on his face. I'm not quite sure how any of this links together. But, from the beginning, Brock has stumped us every step of the way. Nothing has ever been normal. He just knows how to keep us and the doctors on our toes.
Well, Brock just woke up and has come down stairs to tell me he as tee tee'd in the bed. Which he rarely ever does. I just put him in the tub and have to run up and clean off his bed. I'll update again next week after we have some results.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 6:47 AM CDT

UPDATE WEDNESDAY: Brock is feeling better. He played outside yesterday evening. This morning he is only complaining of his right leg. However, he is walking around. It is a big improvement from Monday. Thanks for all of the prayers, keep them coming.

Brock is in urgent need of prayers. He started complaining of his legs hurting over the weekend. By Monday morning, he was screaming and crying in pain. He would not walk or stand on his legs. He was scheduled for his routine 6 month check up at the oncology clinic. We went ahead to his 9:30 appointment. I carried him around all morning. They had to put him on the baby scale to weigh him. He couldn't stand up. By 12:00 he started toddling around after getting some Ibuprofen into his system. They did some blood work and x-rays. His blood work showed that his red blood cells have dropped and changed in size. This was very frightening news to hear because when they diagnosed Brock with his heart tumor, his red blood counts were very low and the shape of the red blood cells were very abnormal. When the blood passed through the heart, the tumor was eating up the red blood cells and causing the abnormal shape and size. We are praying and hoping that the tumor is not growing again. He just had a cardiology check up two weeks ago and the echocardiogram still looked clear. The Oncologist has put Brock on Iron drops 3 times a day for the next two weeks. Then we will retest his blood counts in two weeks. Hopefully his red blood counts are low due to iron deficiency and this added iron to his diet will fix the problems. As for as his legs hurting, they are not quite sure if this is related to his other problems. They did nine different x-rays. The only thing that showed up was some widening of the distal femurs. This could be a build up of blood cells fighting an infection or inflammation in the bone. We didn't see any obvious tumors in the chest, pelvis, femurs, or lumbar spine. If the pain continues this week, they are going to order a bone scan.
Please pray for the leg pain to go away and for the iron drops to help his red blood cell's. Whenever anything happens to a child that has had or has cancer, it is so hard to not automatically think of cancer instead of the normal childhood illnesses that kids experience. I know all of the cancer moms can relate to this.

Friday, April 21, 2006 2:41 PM CDT

I finally have internet connection again. Yeah! The move went pretty well. We've run into a few problems after moving in. There were some issues with the wiring on the house. The last thing we are waiting for is to have our TV hooked up to Satellite. It is suppose to be done sometime this afternoon. We have been without a TV this whole time. I can probably recite all of the disney videos by heart.

Brock had his doctor's appointment last week as scheduled. Sorry I couldn't update sooner. His lab tests on his liver all came back normal. I was really excited about that. I was afraid the blood pooling out of his heart was going to cause damage to his liver. But, so for so good. As for as the surgery, we still don't have an answer. They have hired a new heart surgeon. The new doctor is coming from Oklahoma. He will start here on July 1st. He is suppose to have a great deal of experience with the tricuspid valve on pediatric patients. So, we have sent Brock's records for him to review. If he feels he can do the surgery successfully, then we will wait for him to come. If not, we will let Dr. Pacifico do the surgery before retiring in June. We totally trust Dr.Pacifico. But, we don't want to rush the surgery just because he is retiring. I've just been praying that we make the right decisions. I know his energy isn't going to hold up forever. I can tell a big difference from 6 months ago. However, I know we still have time. The cardiologist feels like we could hold off another 6 months to 1 year if needed. We're just taking it one day at a time and making the most out of it.
Thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement left in the guestbook. It truly means a lot.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY PRECIOUS BROCK,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Today Brock is 3 years old. What an amazing 3 years it has been. Even though he has had a rough 3 years, it has been an incredible journey. I know Brock is here for many reasons. He is such a blessing to our family. He has opened my eyes to so many things. I thank God for each and everyday we have with my precious baby.

Barry and I had our 7 year wedding anniversary on Monday. We also signed the papers on our house. What an anniversary gift! I wonder how he will ever top this one (LOL). Today, I am going to try to move some small things over to the house. We are going to take Brock out to dinner for his Birthday tonight. We are officially moving into the house on Friday. I don't know how soon I will have access to the computer. As soon as I can, I will update on Brock's doctors appointment on the 10th.

Brock loves all of the Birthday wishes and cards he has gotten in the mail. Thank you so much. All of your love and support means the world to us.

Love,
The Waggoners

SUNDAY, APRIL 2, 2006

Brock had a great Birthday Party yesterday. He was so excited all morning long. The party was at the YMCA from 12:30-2:30. It was a Thomas the Train themed party. All of Brock's friends came. He loved everything except for when we sang Happy Birthday. He totally lost it. He cried so broken hearted. He doesn't like when he has that much attention on him. It scares him. I had to take him into another room to calm him down. He wouldn't have anything to do with his cake after that. He won't even touch it at home. Brock started playing again and then we were able to get him to open his presents. Thank you so much everyone for all of the great gifts. He loves each and every one of them.
Here are a few pics from the party:

Monday, March 20, 2006 12:09 AM CST

The big day is getting closer. Brock will be 3 years old on April 5. He has decided on a Thomas the Train birthday theme. He wanted to have his party at Chuck E. Cheese. But, they were already booked up. His party will be at the local YMCA. We had Tinley's party there. It was a lot of fun for the kids. Brock is really excited. He already knows he is getting a bike(tricycle). He picked it out at Toys R Us. NaNa and PawPaw are going to give it to him. He has been asking for it everyday. Our new house will be in a cul-de-sac. So, it will be great for him to ride his bike around. We are suppose to have a walk through on the house on Thursday. The projected closing date is March 30. It is all coming together. We are all really excited.
Brock has been doing pretty much the same. His energy levels are definitely way down. We are just taking it one day at a time waiting for his April 10 cardiology visit. He is so precious. He always hugs me and tells me that I am his best friend. It just melts your heart.
I finally got some pictures uploaded on my mom's computer. She was having scanner problems so I havn't been able to post pictures lately.

TINLEY AND AMY FOR MARDI GRAS

Friday, March 3, 2006 6:00 PM CST

I can't believe it is March already. Brock will be 3 in just a few more weeks. His birthday is April 5. He is excited to have a party. I'm not sure what we are going to do yet. He changes his mind everyday.
Brock's energy levels were pretty low this past week. One day he took 3 naps. That is not like him at all. Then the other day I walked into there room and found him asleep leaning on Tinley's bed. It broke my heart to see him like that. We are coming more to terms with the possibility of surgery. We know we can't keep running away from it. It will have to be done either now are sometime within the next year. Hopefully we will get better answers on our April 10th cardiology visit. Because of all of the additional stress, we have decided to put off building our house. We went ahead and purchased a house so we can be settled down and back into a routine when Brock has his surgery. Maybe we will be able to build in a few years when I can go back to work. The stress is just too much right now. Sometimes I feel like I can't breath.
We took Brock to the ENT this past week. He has a hole in his ear from where his tube fell out. His hearing test turned out good. They will watch it until he is 4. If it doesn't close up by then, they will do a surgical procedure to close it.
We went to New Orleans on Feb.19 for the parade Tinley and I rode in. It was a lot of fun. They had a pretty good crowd considering everything that has happened down there. I had knots in my stomach when we passed down Canal St. and by the Convention Center thinking of all the images I had watched on TV all those days after Katrina. It is so hard to imagine all that those people went through and are still going through.

Thanks for checking in on Brock. Sign the guestbook and let us know you stopped by.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 8:28 AM CST

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO EVERYONE!
Valentines day was always a special day. A nice romantic dinner and also my grandmothers birthday. But, the last two years when I see all of the happy hearts all over the place, all I can think about is my babys faulty heart.
I know God has a reason and a plan for everyone. But, how strong can one be? How much more complicated does life get?
I can sum up yesterday's doctors visit into one word, it "sucked!" The day started out with me rushing out of the driveway to get to the doctor's appointment and running straight into the garbage can. Boom, it busted out my tail light. Brock had his Cardiology appointment. Dr.McMahon did an echocardiogram. It looked pretty much like the one done 3 months ago. That was good news. Not much change in the pressures inside of the heart and no sight of tumor. So, then comes the consultation part of the appointment.
Have we talked about Brock's Heart Surgeon retiring in June?
Well, I knew about it, but didn't think too awful much about it. Dr.McMahon tells us we need to start thinking about having the surgery done. Brock has had some physical changes over the past 3 months. His energy levels have dropped, his lips turn blue when he is playing really hard, and also when he is playing hard his jugular vein in his neck is very prominent. It is working really hard to keep that blood pumping. Of course, nothing about Brock's open heart surgeries are normal. The first two open heart surgeries were for the removal of a tumor that no one had seen before inside of the heart. So, the prognosis we were given at the time was very poor. Now, Brock needs a tricuspid repair or replacement. There is a chance it can be repaired. But, more than likely he will need a metal valve replacement. They won't know until they do the surgery. But, they will be prepared at the time to do either. Tricuspid replacement's in toddlers are not very common. Once again, nothing can ever be easy or routine.
The reason it is very upsetting that his heart surgeon is retiring is that he has done a few of them. Out of the two candidates that have been interviewed for the position, one has very little experience in pediatric valves and the other has a great deal of experience with valves. But, Dr.McMahon said, we don't even know if either one of these guys will get the position. What happens in July or August if Brock goes into heart failure and there is not a qualified surgeon around to do the surgery? That is what Dr.McMahon is concerned about. He wants to see Brock back April 10. At that point we will have to make a decision whether to go forth with the surgery or not.
It really sucks. I feel like we are being forced to make a decision. How do I know when the right time to have surgery is? What if his heart can hold up for another two years or more without needing the surgery done? Will I be making a mistake electing to have the surgery done to soon just because someone is retiring? But, I don't want to be in the position of not having anyone available to help him.
Dr.McMahon is very comfortable with Dr.Pacifico(the heart surgeon)and would feel much better if he did the surgery.
I just don't know what to do or what to think. I love my sweet boy so much and can't picture him laying in that ICU again with all of those tubes and machines coming out of him. It is so true, you love your children more and more each day. I was so much stronger 2 1/2 years ago. I didn't have time to think or make decisions about the surgery. It had to be done right away. I am so much more attatched to him now. I love him soooo much. I'm afraid of him being scared and hurting.

Saturday, February 4, 2006 5:59 PM CST

We had a great trip to Biloxi and New Orleans. The kids loved visiting with all of our family. We spent Monday-Thursday at my mother-in-law's house in Biloxi. She has a cocker spaniel named Macy. The kids had a blast playing with Macy. They love to go to Grammy's house. They wake up in the morning and run into the kitchen with there Breakfast request. It was really sad riding around Biloxi. The hurricane destruction is unbelievable to see in person. We drove on Hwy 90(Beach front road)from Biloxi all the way to Pass Christian. There is absoulutely nothing. It is so sad to see all of those beautiful old houses gone. My heart breaks for all of those people. There is a lot of people living in tents. It is really sad.
We headed down to south Louisiana on Thursday to stay at my father-in-laws house. The devastation we passed through in New Orleans is heart wrenching. I can't even begin to guess how many homes are flooded out and caving in. Words can't describe how it looks. It's horrible. City after city is empty. No one around. I don't know how to contact any of my old friends. No telling where they are at now.
We spent the night in Montegut,LA and headed to my brother's house on Friday to Lafitte,LA. We stayed there until Monday. The kids had a great time visiting with all of there cousins and my dad and grandparents. I was really excited to meet up with my childhood friend. We spent a few hours chatting and catching up on old times.
Brock did really good on the trip. Of course, as suspected, he did get sick. I knew he would with me bringing him down there. The humidity and everything is so different. He has had a head cold and ear infection since we have been back to Alabama.
The Mardi Gras ball was a blast. Tinley loved it. She had fun following her big cousin around. Heather is my brothers daughter. She just turned 17. She is queen of King Arthur(Mardi Gras parade). Tinley was one of her page's. Tinley says she was the princess of the ball. She loved the spotlight and dancing!
Here are a few pics from the ball:

Thanks for continuing to check on Brock. His next cardiology appointment is February 13th. We're keeping our fingers crossed for good news.

Thursday, January 12, 2006 10:41 AM CST

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and off to a great New Year Start. We have been busy with lots of family coming to visit from Louisiana. It has been fun being able to see everyone. The last of our guest left this morning. They started coming two days after Christmas. As one family left, another arrived in a day or so. So, it has been very busy. We celebrated Tinley's 4th Birthday on Saturday. It was lots of fun. She had a Strawberry Shortcake party. We havn't started building our house yet. We met with the designer this week to go over our house plans. He should have them ready in two weeks. The builder is just waiting on the plans to get started. So, we are really excited to get moving on this big adventure! We are getting ready to go down to Biloxi and New Orleans at the end of the month. We are going to visit my mother-in-law for a few days and then head over to New Orleans. Tinley is going to be in a Mardi Gras ball on Jan.28th. Then her big parade day is Feb.19. She is really excited. I havn't been down to New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. I didn't want Brock to be exposed to all the germs. I have a lot of mixed emotions of going home to New Orleans. I know it will be pretty heart wrenching to absorb it all in person.

Brock has been doing really good. He had a great Christmas. He really enjoyed Tinley's Birthday. He is talking about his party already. It won't be until April.
He has his next Cardiology appointment on Feb.13. His energy levels have dropped some over the past 3 months. But, he is still staying strong! He is a true miracle in our lives. We are thankful everyday to be blessed with two wonderful children. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. You never know what tomorrow may bring.

Sunday, December 25, 2005 10:55 AM CST

First of all, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas morning! Merry Christmas to Everyone!
Usually, the kids are up between 6:30 and 7:00 every morning. At 7:30, I had to go wake them up to tell them Santa had passed. They flew out of bed quickly and ran into the living room. Brock's eyes got really big. Then he started acting scared. He looked at all his gifts and then looked at the fireplace. I think he was a little upset that someone had been in his house while he was sleeping. Well, that only lasted about 5 minutes. Before I knew it, he was digging through his pile of presents. It was wonderful to see the excitement in his eyes as he ripped open each package. This was also a magical year for Tinley. She was so genuinely excited. The magic in her eyes was priceless. We really had a wonderful morning.

I want to thank everyone that sent Christmas cards to Brock. He loves to get mail! Thank you to the Ross family for the wonderful Christmas package. Thank you Tumbleweed for the fabulous gift card. Brock can't wait to go shopping. Also, a very special Thank You to Eileen and her mother for sending the kids the beautiful hand made quilt and blanket. Thank you Let'd Do It For The Kids! The blankets are so beautiful.

Two years ago, I was told Brock wouldn't have his first Christmas. I didn't accept it! We did everything we could to keep him healthy. But, most of all, we turned him over to God. I put my full trust and faith in the hands of the Lord. I knew if there was a miracle to be granted, he was the one to do it. God has blessed our family over and over these past two years. Even though times seemed rough, good always came around the corner. Brock and Tinley both are our true Christmas Blessings! Happy Birthday Jesus! & Thank You for our continued blessings.

Merry Christmas,
Love-The Waggoners

P.S.
Please keep some of our special Caringbridge families in your prayers this Holiday Season. This will be there first Christmas without there children.
www.caringbridge.org/ne/haleygirl
www.caringbridge.org/ky/ryanbrown
www.caringbridge.org/wi/clownfish79
www.caringbridge.org/ny/averysheart
www.caringbridge.org/visit/dj
www.caringbridge.org/co/elijahkurtz

Thursday, December 8, 2005 9:03 PM CST

I finally have a few minutes to update. We closed on the house on Monday and turned over the keys. I am so glad it is all finally over with. We are settling in at my mom's. The kids are enjoying there new room. I'm trying to get them back on there routine. I think they are enjoying being with Nana & PawPaw all day, everyday. However, I had to lay down some ground rules. No candy all day and bedtime is still at 8:00. You know how much grandparents love to spoil them (LOL).

Brock had an Oncology appointment in the middle of all the moving. Everything went well. His blood counts were all normal. We don't have to go back for 6 months (YEAH). That is going to be a nice break. I don't know if all Oncology places are the same. But, it is a miserable day on appointment days. You can count on half of your day being spent in the waiting areas. It is a hard process, especially when you have to keep little ones entertained.

We went to see Dragon Tales Live last Thursday. It was an awesome show. The kids really enjoyed it. They needed that break in between all of the moving. It was one of the best kid shows I have seen so far.

On Saturday, I took the kids to two Christmas parades. We went to the Argo Christmas parade at 2:00 and the Trussville parade at 3:00. They were both really cute. They enjoyed seeing Santa and the marching bands and dance schools marching. Also, they liked all of the sirens from the police cars and firetrucks.

On Sunday, Brock had a Christmas party with Camp Smile-A-Mile. It is a camp here in Alabama for children with cancer. They had there Christmas party here in Birmingham. It was wonderful! I took the kids. Barry had to work. Santa was there and all of the kids each received a bag full of toys (siblings included). We really had a great time. I even managed to get Brock to sit on Santa's lap. He is now asking for Santa to bring him a firetruck. Uh Oh, I believe Santa has already finished his shopping.

SATURDAY,NOVEMBER 26,2005

Well, we have a great deal of packing done. I just have Brock's room to pack up and the big stuff to move out. We have been making daily trips to the storage garage to bring boxes. It's been really hard keeping the kids out of the boxes I am packing. I seem to get it half way full. I turn around and they have half of the stuff pulled out. They really don't understand what all is going on. They know we keep talking about living at NaNa's house. But, they don't realize the time frame.
I hope they adjust well.
We had a great Thanksgiving. We packed boxes until around noon. Then we headed over to my mom's house. My grandmother was in town for a few days. She called us Thanksgiving morning and told us she decided to cook for us. It was such a big relief. We were just going to grab a bite out to eat wherever we could find open. So we headed over there to eat and took the rest of the day off from packing.
We had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I am especially thankful for all of you wonderful people out there in cyberspace that have continued to check on Brock and pray for our family. It means so much to me to have met such wonderful friends through caringbridge.
There is a family this Holiday Season that my heart is breaking for. If you have a chance please stop by Madison's page and read her journal. She was diagnosed in Sept. with Leukemia. It has been a rough road. This past week while in the hospital receiving chemo, her house burned down. Please say some big prayers for the Beck family.
www.caringbridge.org/visit/madisonbeck

Thank you so much for continuing to check on Brock and for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.

THURSDAY,NOVEMBER 17, 2005

Sorry for the delay on updating about the cardiology appointment. Things have gotten really crazy around here. I'll get into that in a minute.
Brock had his Cardiology appointment on Monday. I don't know whether to report things went well or not. Physically Brock is doing so well and progressing just like he is suppose to. He has pretty much caught up on all of the milestones he was suppose to hit. The only thing is his height hasn't caught up. We are praying that will come over time. As far as his heart, for awhile now, his heart has been enlarged as big as an adult size. This is due to his tricuspid valve not working properly. Well, it is pretty much not working at all anymore. Over the past 6 months, his right atrium has enlarged 20 percent. There is alot of blood flowing back out of the heart instead of continuing to circulate through. We are keeping a close eye on his liver because of this. The cardiologist still wants to hold off on the open heart surgery to replace his valve. Brock is physically doing so well. They don't want to operate on a child with no physical signs of heart failure. We are watching for edema, shortness of breath, liver enlargement, and fatigue. We still feel o.k. with waiting. His next surgery will only bring on a whole set of issues. So, we want to wait as long as possible. One thing that we did find out, Brock's heart surgeon (Dr.Pacifico) is retiring in June. This came as a big shock to me. I havn't even thought about the possibility of someone else operating on him. If we wait until after June for the surgery, I pray they will replace him will someone really good. People come from all over for Dr.Pacifico to operate on them. We have alot of faith in him. Brock's next cardiology appointment is in February. His cardiologist wants to discuss then what we should do about the surgery. I guess only time will tell. Until then, I turn to the Lord and keep all of my faith in him.

As for the craziness around here, as I reported before, we put our house for sale. Well, they showed the house 10 times in 9 days. We had to constantly pack up and leave for them to show the house. There was no cooking going on that week. We ate out practically every meal. Well, except breakfast. We received two offers. The house sold in one week and we have to be out by Dec.3. We will be moving in with my mom. She lives about 20 miles away. Then we will begin building our house on our property. It is closer to my mom's house and to Tinley's school. I'll be able to keep up with the progress on the house everyday since I will be close by.
Well, we have alot of packing to do. I'll update again as soon as I get a chance.

Sunday, November 6, 2005 9:31 PM CST

I can't believe it is only 7 weeks until Christmas. I am at least half way through my shopping. This year has really gone by quickly. We have had so much fun with Brock. This has definitely been his best year yet! I am in awe everyday at something he does or says. I just absorb everyday to the fullest capacity. Brock is so loving. Always hugging you and saying, "I love you". He also looks at me and says, "Mom, we're best friends". It just eats me up everytime I hear him say that. I don't know where he got it from. But, it is the cutest darn thing I have ever heard a two year old say. Tonight at church something amazing happened. Brock went up with his nursery teacher and received communion. I sat in the back of the church with tears in my eyes. I couldn't believe, he was such a big boy. Just two years ago, around this time, I held Brock at that same alter while they annointed his chest with oil and the elders of the church prayed on him. It was a miracle to see him up there receiving the body and blood of Christ tonight. I am so blessed and thankful for each and everyday.

We went to see Disney's Princess' on Ice yesterday. It was an awesome show. The kids loved it.
We have been really busy this past week getting the house all spruced up. We put our house up for sale on Thursday.
It has been quite challenging, trying to keep the house spic and span with a 2&3 year old on the loose.

Brock's cardiology appointment is Monday, November 14.
I'm pretty positive everything will check out o.k. He has been looking and feeling so good lately. I believe we have successfully completed potty training. Today made day 4 of no accidents. We went off the whole day without a pull up on. He loves his big boy underwear.

Here are some pics from Halloween night. We went to the trunk or treat and fall festival at the church where Tinley goes to pre-school.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 12:47 AM CDT

We have had a very exciting month. The kids are enjoying the cold weather moving in and getting ready for the holidays.
Brock has been doing really well. He hardly even takes a nap anymore. He has been so full of energy. He expresses himself very well for a 2 1/2 year old. He tries everything to keep up with his big sister. Unfortunately, it landed him his first black eye this week. He thinks he can do everything just like Tinley. For the most part, they do play well together. He misses her a lot when she is in pre-school. Brock does have some big news to share with everyone. He is potty trained! He is so proud of being a big boy with his race car underwear. We are still having a few issues with poo-poo on the potty. But, he is doing really well. His reward is a peppermint. I don't know how that started. But, as soon as he goes to the potty he wants a peppermint. He loves them! I've gone through a whole bag and have been out the last two days. I really need to go to the store and buy some more. He is having a fit for his peppermints.
A couple of weeks ago, we went to the Pumpkin Patch with Camp SAM. Camp Smile A Mile is a local camp and organization for Oncology patients. The kids had a blast. They got there face painted, went through the petting zoo, rode the ponies, rode the train, jumped in the inflatable park, and went on a hayride to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. It was a blast! Here are a few pictures:

Last week we decided to carve some of the pumpkins. It was a beautiful day. We sat outside and each carved a pumpkin. Tinley's was pretty tough. Of course, she picked out the smallest pumpkin. It was pretty tricky carving out a cat on that little bitty thing. Brock picked out a cat's face to carve. He loves his pumpkin. He wants to light it up everynight.

Brock wanted to be Blues Clues for Halloween. But, he has now changed his mind to Tigger. It has been all about Tigger since we got back from Disney. I don't mind returning the Blues Clues costume. Tigger looks alot cuter! Tinley is going to be Ariel. Ariel is her favorite princess. She can't wait to wear the red wig!

Sunday, October 2, 2005 1:38 PM CDT

We just returned from 10 days of vacation in Sunny Florida.
We all had a blast. Tinley and Brock really didn't realize the whole meaning of vacation until we arrived. They caught on real quick. They got really spoiled! We arrived in Gainesville,FL on the 19th to break up the drive. We spent one night there and was back on the road the next morning heading to Ft.Lauderdale. Of course, we arrived in Ft.Lauderdale at 2 pm just when Hurricane Rita was passing over the Keys. We were just far enough north of Miami that we only ran into some rain and high winds for around 30 min.
We stayed on the Beach in Ft.Lauderdale with an ocean view room. It was absolutely wonderful to open the windows and have that beautiful view. That day the waves were huge from the hurricane. We took the kids on the beach to watch the waves. The weather was actually very nice. No rain at all, just huge waves. They really enjoyed it. We enjoyed 3 nights in Ft.Lauderdale. (I do have to say that the food there is really expensive. Yikes!) We left on Friday for a cruise to the Bahamas for 2 days. That was a blast! We went to the Blue Lagoon where Gilligan's Island, Return to the Blue Lagoon, and Cacoon were filmed. It was so pretty!
I can't even begin to describe how beautiful the water and the beaches were. It was definitely a tropical paradise. The kids loved it! The food on the cruise was yummy! The kids had fun swimming and watching the ocean. We arrived back into Port Everglades on Sunday and headed on to Orlando. We spent 3 nights in Orlando. We spent one day at Sea World. Brock really enjoyed Shamu. He also loved the dolphins. The kids had a blast at the huge kid area they have there. Lots of slides and net climbing and water spouts and tunnels to run through. We also spent a day at the Magic Kingdom. Of course, this was there favorite place. They had a blast! Brock's favorite ride was Peter Pan's Flight and Tinley's was Goofys BarnStormer RollerCoaster. They weren't too crazy about taking pictures with the characters. However, Tinley loved all of the princesses. I guess as long as they had a real face, they were cool with it. The firework show was fabulous. It was the Halloween Spooktacular fireworks. It was really good. We got back home late Wednesday night. We have been trying to catch up on all of the laundry. Yuk!

HERE ARE A FEW PICS FROM OUR TRIP!

TUESDAY, SEPT.13,2005

Things have settled down a little around here. Some family have been able to return to there homes.
Brock has really enjoyed having everyone around to spoil him. He has been playing hard everyday.
Sunday was a difficult day. But, we made the most of it. It marked two years since Brock's 1st open heart surgery. The day they found the cancer in his heart. I'll never forget that day for as long as I live. But, I am so thankful now, two years later I have a healthy beautiful boy running around. It is amazing after everything he has been through, his spirit and strength are more than I ever expected. I cherish every moment of every day. Yesterday, Tinley and Brock started dancing school. Brock and I are in a mommy and me class. Of course, I didn't expect to much out of him. He is very shy! He cried a few times. Hopefully he will get use to it and enjoy it in a few months. Tinley loved her new dance class.

We are getting ready to go on vacation next week to Ft.Lauderdale, FL. We are excited. This trip has been planned for over a year. I hope the weather will be good.

SATURDAY, SEPT.3,2005

I know everyone has been worrying about us from the hurricance. Things have been so crazy! I had 11 family members evacuated to my house and 11 at my mom's house. I was without power for 3 days with everyone at my house. It has been very emotional and chaotic. We had missing family members in New Orleans we just found 2 days ago. My grandfather that lives in Mississippi in Bay St.Louis lost everything. He is 80 years old and had a stroke last year. We don't know where his wife evacuated to. He refused to evacuate. My Aunt finally was able to get him out of the house before the storm hit. Thank God, because his house is gone. He is staying at my mom's and very confused. He is not fully understanding what all has happened. It is totally unbelievable. I can't even begin to describe the stories we are hearing from family that stayed in New Orleans through the Hurricane. It is very emotional and overwhelming. The New Orleans police were caught breaking into the Best Buy on the westbank stealing TV's. What are they going to do with TV's without electricity? There are fire's buring everywhere. Every grocery store, pharmacy, gas station, Wal-Mart etc....
are broken into. There is nothing left!
I fully support those that were seeking food and a change of clothes. But, it is not excusable to steal jewlery and appliances and burn down buildings. My Aunt's house survived the hurricane and the flood waters. But, her house has been broken into and destroyed. There are people volunteering to rescue people by boat. They are being shot and there boat's stolen. I could go on and on and on with the stories. Just pray! Please pray for all of the people that are still stranded at the Superdome and Convention Center. The sweet innocent children caught up in all of the mess. The wonderful medical people down there that are risking there lives to help others. At one of the hospitals, they ran out of food. No power, food, water in the hospitals. They are still trying to take care of all of these injured people with no sleep or food. The nurses are giving each other IV fluids to keep themselves alive. If anyone can help in anyway, these people truly need help. Please donate the Red Cross, Catholic Charities, or the Salvation Army. Please Please HELP!
God will reward you!

Love,
Amy

P.S. I didn't report on Brock. He has been very sick all night vomitting and diarrhea. I think it is just a stomach bug. Other than that, he has been feeling good.

MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2005

Our day started at 8am at UAB Hospital for Brock's Cardiology visit. It was a little stressful for him because he hadn't been in 3 months. Where as before he was going every week or every two weeks and it didn't seem to bother him because he was use to it. Not only was he afraid of going in the exam room, then in walks a new doctor. We found out that Dr.McMahon was on vacation this week and they forgot to reschedule us. We agreed to see the other doctor. He was really great with Brock. However, it took us putting the Wiggles on TV, the nurse blowing bubbles, and Brock's favorite cotton candy lollipop they always give him for him to warm up. The Cardiology report was about the same. It doesn't look like his tricuspid valve leaflets are working at all anymore. However, since Brock is tolerating his heart function so well, they will just recheck him in 3 months. The goal is to hold off the surgery as long as Brock is tolerating everything.
We headed to the parking deck and had to make a stop at the bakery when Brock and Tinley spotted the chocolate donuts. They were excited to get into the van and dig in. When we got to Children's Hospital, they were both covered in Chocolate. We had to dig out the baby wipes and scrub them clean. Brock always seems to stay cleaner than Tinley. She was a mess!
We signed in at the Oncology clinic. Brock had to go in the back for vital signs, temp, height, and weight. Then they sent us to the lab to have his blood drawn. That is always a horrible experience. He has bad veins. They always have to dig around to get the needle in the right spot. I took advantage of Barry being there with us today and made him take Brock to have his blood drawn. I am always the bad guy having to hold him down for everything. Of course, I could still hear him screaming his lungs out from the waiting area saying "Ouchie". After labs, we had to go upstairs to x-ray. He had 3 x-rays done. Then we went back to clinic to wait for all of the results. The oncologist said everything looked great and she would see us back in 3 months. All of his bloodwork was normal. No noticeable changes on the x-ray's. That was really good news! We were very happy to have good results from both Hospitals.
Thanks for all of the continued prayers and support for Brock and our family. It really means a lot to us. It's all of your encouraging words that make days like this a lot easier.
Here are a few pictures we took a week ago.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17,2005

Brock's Cardiology and Oncology appointments will be on Monday, August 22. This will be a long day for Brock. He will have an EKG, echocardiogram, chest x-ray, bloodwork, and will have to go to UAB Hospital and Children's Hospital to see his doctors.
Please keep Brock in your prayers. I will update either Monday evening or Tuesday. I also have some new pictures to post. Will get to them all as soon as possible.

Amy

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11,2005

Sorry it has been so long since an update. We have been having fun enjoying the summer. Last Monday, Aug 1, we brought my niece back to New Orleans. We had a great time with her visiting. The kids were sad when it was time to bring her home. We stayed in New Orleans untill Wednesday and then headed over to Biloxi,MS to visit Barry's mom. The trip was really fun. The kids got to visit with all of there family.
Brock went to the dentist a few weeks ago. Everything checked out good. The dentist said we had to take his pacifier away. I thought it was going to be really hard. He only gets it at bed time. I used the opportunity of our trip to say "Oops, I forgot your poppy at home". Well, it worked. We have been poppy free for two weeks. I guess the next thing will be working on potty training. I may wait a few more months for that.
Brock has been doing really well socially. He use to be so withdrawn and was scared of everyone (even family). Now he is wanting everyone to hold him. He is loving on everyone, giving hugs and kisses. This is a big change.
He has been so cute. The last couple of weeks he walks around the house singing his ABC's. He says them perfect! When we are riding in the van, he counts his fingers and toes. It's too cute!
I am going to have to cut this short. I have been having trouble with my neck the last couple of days and it is killing me sitting at the computer.

Amy

Monday, July 25, 2005 4:30 PM CDT

Brock had his two year check up at the pediatrician on Thursday. He has finally advanced onto the growth chart! He is in the 20 percentile for his weight and 5 percentile for his height. 6 months ago, he wasn't even on the chart. We were really happy with those results. All of his labs came back good. He was able to get his 6 month old immunizations. Brock was diagnosed when he was 5 months old and couldn't receive anymore immunizations. His doctor felt it was time to try to catch him up some. There are a few he can't receive until December because they are live viruses. He has to be off of chemotherapy for one year before he can receive any live viruses. Tinley also saw the doctor for a check up. He switched her reflux medication. We will watch her on the new medication for 8 weeks. If she doesn't stop spitting up, she will be sent for a GI check up.
We went to two Birthday parties over the weekend. The kids had a great time. It was extremly hot. The heat index was 110 degrees. We drank lots of water! My niece is flying to Birmingham tomorrow to spend a week with us. We are excited. The kids love to have people come over to the us. They can't wait to take Amanda to VisionLand. She will be 11 in two weeks. We are going to have a little Birthday celebration for her also while she is staying with us.
I hope everyone is having a great summer. We sure are!

Keep the Faith,
Amy

Friday, July 15, 2005 8:57 AM CDT

We survived Hurricane Dennis! It got pretty scary here for awhile. I was home by myself with the kids. The wind was howling so loud. The lights kept going on and off. They must have did that about twenty times throughout the night. I think it finally had died down by around 3 am Monday morning. A couple of big branches snapped off of the pine trees in the backyard. But, thank goodness, they didn't hit anything. The electricity blinking off and on ruined the TV and telephone. We had to go by a new TV this week. We hadn't replaced the cordless phone yet. I've just been using the regular phone in the kitchen.

We had some horrible weather yesterday evening. There was alot of flash flooding in the town's around us. Hopefully we can get a break soon from all of this rain.

Last Saturday and Sunday, Brock had a horrible allergic reaction to something. I hadn't quite figured it out yet. I am suspecting it is a new brand of Chicken Nuggets I bought. He started getting these huge bumps around his waist and they quickly spread all the way up around his neck. I dosed him up with some Benadryl and rushed him to the doctor. Of course, by the time we were getting ready to see the doctor, he cleared up.

I've really been enjoying the summer with the kids. Wow, what a difference it has been having Brock feel so good. I don't know how I kept up before. Tinley is also home with us all the time now. I had to take her out of her preschool. We had a horrible discipline situation that I didn't agree with. Tinley and I have really been having a good time together. I think she misses all of her friends. However, I've kept her busy enough to forget about it. I've got her on some waiting lists to get into another program.

I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Keep the Faith!
Amy

Saturday, July 9, 2005 9:13 PM CDT

Hey Everyone! Things have settled down around here. We have just been hanging out enjoying the summer. Barry and I have spent a lot of time playing with the kids the past two weeks. We took them to Visionland, which is an amusement park with a huge waterpark, here in Birmingham. We went with 3 other families. The kids and of course all of the adults had a blast! We had 7 kids with us under the age of 5. We had to do head counts quite often. Tinley and Brock keep asking when we are going back. We have been playing in our backyard just about everyday. Swimming in the kiddie pool and playing on the swingset. You can tell the kids have my cajun blood. They are some dark sun tanned babies already. Brock wakes up every morning saying "swimming pool". He is really enjoying the summer this year. I am really happy we put off his surgery. We have had the best time. He is tolerating everything really well. We had a great 4th of July. We decided not to cook. We went to eat at a Jim~n~Nicks Barbecue restaurant. Then we went downtown to watch the fireworks. It was really nice. The kids loved it!
Well, I wanted to get this update in before the Hurricane comes. I know I hadn't updated in awhile. Hurricane Dennis is suppose to hit sometime tomorrow evening. They are still not sure how bad it is going to be. It looks like it could reach a category 5. Last year, we were without power for 4 days from Hurricane Ivan. I hope that doesn't happen again. It is too hot to not have air!
I don't know when I will be able to update again. Please pray that we will make it through this storm safely! We don't have to worry about flooding at our house because we are on a hill. But, we have to worry about all of the wind that could be over 70mph, trees that could fall on our house and the tornado's that occur on the east side of the storm.
Please leave us a message in the guestbook to let us know you stopped by to check on Brock. It means so much knowing so many people check up on Brock and continue to pray for him. He still has a long road ahead of him.

Brock's crazy hairdo! Uncle Paul had a great time messing with Brock's hair that day.

SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2005

Everything is back to normal. Tinley and Brock are both enjoying the nice Summer weather. They have been swimming in there little kiddie pool and swinging on the swingset. They love to go out on the back deck and blow bubbles. Brock has really been big into cars and trucks lately. He spends hours pushing around his little hot wheels cars. He loves them! My two niece's Lauren and Katie spent the night with us on Wednesday. The kids had a blast. The swam in the kiddie pool for awhile and rode on Tinley's barbie jeep and Brock's ford truck. We came inside to watch the movie Garfield and pop Pop-Corn. On Thursday we went to the McWane Center. The kids had a blast. There is a new Dinosaur exhibit up. Tinley was very afraid of it. The dinosaur's looked so real.
My echocardiogram came back good. It showed that I do have Mitral Valve Prolapse. The doctor said I can control my discomfort by exercise, drinking lots of water, and no caffeine. I think I can handle all of that. It is much better than having to take medication. Also, if I have a protein snack in the evening, it will help with the fatigue. I will go back in the middle of July for a follow up to make sure everything is going O.K.
One of our Caringbridge friends earned her angel wings this past week (www.caringbridge.org/ne/haleygirl). She was a very special little girl that fought very hard until the end. Please keep her family in your prayers. They are having a very hard time. Hug your kids tight and let them know how much you love them. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

God bless,

Amy

TUESDAY,JUNE 21,2005

On Friday morning the kids and I headed to New Orleans for a weekend with my family. We went to my grandmother's house on Friday. We sat around and visited. The kids did so great. They usually take a little while to warm up to people they havn't seen in awhile. It didn't take longer than a minute this trip. Tinley and Brock were both all over Mimi and Pop. I took the kids to get a SnowBall. Tinley had been asking for one since our last trip down there. Saturday morning we woke up and headed down the bayou to my brother's house. It was a Birthday party for my nephew Sean. Sean and Brock are 2 months apart. Sean's house is there absolute favorite place to go. That is because it looks like Little Tikes and Fisher Price threw up in the front yard (ha ha). Tinley and Brock always have a blast! The party was so much fun.
Here is a picture of Brock and Sean swimming. Sean is standing up and Brock is laying on his belly:

On Sunday, we went to my dad's house to visit. Then we all loaded up in the van and went to my aunt's house for lunch. The kids had a great time playing with the Karoke machine. Brock was so cute. He grabbed the microphone and started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I wish I would have had my video camera. We left around 3:00 and of course had to head back to my brother's house so the kids could play some more. They played untill around 9:00. They had so much fun. We loaded up Monday morning to head home. Brock kept saying, "No Home, Go Sean's House." It was too cute. We made it home safe and sound. We took Barry out to dinner last night for his Father's Day Dinner.

My echocardiogram is tomorrow. Hopefully everything will turn out all clear. However, I am still experiencing some chest pain with pain in my wrist and thumb. I just keep taking my Ibuprofen.
Brock's Aunt miscarried the baby. It has been a very hard time for there family. Please keep them in your prayers. Her two girls are 8 and 10 years old. They have taken it very hard.
Brock's next cardiology and oncology appointments are not untill August. Please pray we will have a safe and healthy summer.
Here are a few pictures from Swim Lessons:

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2005

Things are finally settling down a little around here. Brock had his Oncology appointment on Tuesday. Everything seems to be O.K. We didn't get the bloodwork or chest x-ray results before we left. They said they would call if any problems showed up. So, no news is good news.

Brock's Aunt has recovered well from her procedure. The other issues I didn't mention about her is right before the procedure, she found out she was 3 weeks pregnant. It was a complete suprise. The procedure of course could have been dangerous for the baby. However, she is doing good so far.

I saw my doctor on Monday for some problems I have been having. Alot of shortness of breath and pain in my chest and arm. They did an EKG, bloodwork, and chest x-ray. The EKG & bloodwork were good. However, the chest x-ray showed that I could have an enlarged pulmonary artery or something wrong with the lymphatic vessels. So, they sent me for a CT scan yesterday. The doctor called last night and said the CT scan was clear. They are sending me for an echocardiogram next week just to be sure everything is checking out O.K. They did find that I have Mitral Valve Prolapse (heart murmur). The doctor tends to think the stress I have been under is aggravating the heart murmur.

Today was the kids last day of swim lessons. I have pictures to post. But, won't be able to get to it till next week. Tinley almost drowned this morning. I was soooo mad! The lifeguard wasn't paying attention. She slipped off of the step while the swim instructor had Brock out kicking. I saw she couldn't reach back to the steps. Barry and I took off running to the pool. I just remember screaming at him to jump in after her. He went in shoes and all. He handed her to me. She was O.K. just coughing up a little water. I sat with her untill I made sure she was o.k. After about 5 minutes she went back in to finish her lessons. It didn't scare her at all. I realized the lifeguard didn't even come over to check on her. Of course, I went and complained to the owner. I was shaking I was so mad and of course still shaken up from the incident.
Me and the kids are heading to New Orleans in the morning for my nephews 2nd birthday and spend Sunday with my dad.

TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2005

Brock has been doing really good lately. We have been trying to find things to keep us busy indoors because it rained here for 6 days. YUK! We took the kids to the McWane center one day last week. It is a science museum that has a big toddler play area. The kids love to go there and run around. Of course Brock's favorite thing is the water table. He always manages to get soaking wet even with the apron on.
Barry and I had an adult night out on Friday night. This was the first time we had a babysitter come to the house to watch the kids. It was wonderful to eat dinner and not have to worry about spilled drinks or forks falling on the floor. We went to a really nice restaurant downtown. I actually splurged and bought a new outfit for the occasion. I even bought a purse to match. Barry was laughing at me. He didn't know I had been shopping because he worked all day. It was great. We'll have to do that again soon. It was long overdue.
Brock and Tinley started swim lessons yesterday. I was really nervous about him. I didn't think he would go with the instructor. For those of you who know Brock, you know he is very shy and doesn't go to anyone. Well, she picked him up and put him on the steps in the pool. He just looked back at us and smirked. That was it. He didn't pay attention to us the rest of the time. He did everything the instructor told him too. We are about to head back to swim lessons now. It is 30 minutes a day for two weeks.
I need everyone to keep Barry's sister and her family in there prayers. Lyn is only 39 years old. She started experiencing chest pain over the weekend. She went to the cardiologist yesterday. They did an EKG and stress test. They saw some things that didn't look right. They immediately sent her to have a Heart Catheterization. They found her left main artery was 99 percent blocked. They had to put a stent in. She came out of the procedure doing well. This was a very scary day for the family. There are also some other issues they are dealing with. Please keep Brock's Aunt in your prayers.
I have to run to swim lessons. I will add some pictures today or tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 12:48 AM CDT

We have survived yet another busy weekend. Tinley's dance recital was so good. I am so proud of her. I expected a little stage fright. However, she went out on the stage like she was a pro. She even waved and said, "Hi Mommy". She danced so good. The whole class was as cute as can be. Of course she couldn't wait to get her trophy, flowers, and lots of presents. Here are a few pics from Sat. night.

Sunday we went to my niece's Baptism. Then we went to Brunch afterwards at the Country Club. It was a beautiful day. The kids had a great time playing with there cousins.

Monday was Brock's cardiology appointment. I always go with great expectations. I guess I think I am going to finally get an answer to what Brock's situation is. Then of course I get home with tons of unanswered questions. Brock's EKG and Echocardiogram showed no big changes since our last appointment in March. The cardiologist feels like Brock is holding up really well. He is not showing any physical signs of heart failure. The latest conclusion amongst the group of Cardiologist's is to have Brock as close to 3 yrs old as possible before having to replace his heart valve. They are just really afraid of having a two year old on Coumadin. They are afraid of him bumping his head and the Coumadin could cause him to have a stroke. I understand what they are saying. To me a 2 and 3 year old toddler are fairly the same. However, I guess he will be a little bit stronger at 3. They don't feel like we will have any permanenet damage by waiting. They feel like if there is any affect on his other organs, it will be fixable. The thing that bugs me is the closest situation they have come to that is like Brock's is a heart transplant patient. Isolated Tricuspid valve regurgitation in a young child is not very common without other heart issues going on. They did have a heart transplant patient, through multiple heart biopsises, that had tricuspid valve regurgitation. They went in and repaired the valve only because the child was having major signs of heart failure. However, it was a repair and not a replacement.
It really sucks having to sit back and wait for something to happen to your child. You know it is coming. As of right now, all I can do is listen to the doctors recommendations and leave the rest in God's hands.
Our check ups will be every 3 months untill the next surgery occurs. I'm going to try to put everything out of my mind and go on with a normal life. I'll face the issues every 3 months when they come. Unless if Brock starts showing signs of heart failure. That's the best I can do right now. I kind of feel helpless. But, I know I can take everyday and make him as happy as can be.

"For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory." Romans 11:36

Thursday, May 19, 2005 1:00 PM CDT

Brock has been doing fine the past couple of weeks. It's amazing how grown up he has become lately. Life off of chemo has been amazing. Brock has grown in height and weight. He is talking so much now. He is keeping up with me dragging him all over the place.
We have been so busy lately. We got back from our fishing trip on Sunday May 1. Then the next weekend was Mother's Day. We had a great weekend. We left Tuesday May 17 to go to Biloxi, MS to my mother-in-laws house. We stayed there until Saturday. The kids had a lot of fun. We went to the beach and put up a little swimming pool in the backyard for them to splash around in.
Of course we had to hit the outlet mall. We got a few cute needed summer clothes. We had a great time.
Then this past Friday, we left for New Orleans. I had a family reunion to go to. We had a great time. We had a Crawfish boil on Friday night. We spent the day at my dad's house on Saturday. We also stopped by my grandmother's house for a little visit. We got back to my brother's house Saturday evening and the kids got there first taste of Sno-Balls. There is nothing like a New Orleans Sno-Ball. Yummy! The kids loved them. Sunday was the family reunion. We spent the whole day there. Then we packed up and headed back home on Monday. Of course, we had to stop and get a sno-ball for the 5 1/2 hour drive home. I am wiped out.
But, we still have one more busy weekend ahead. Friday is Dance Rehersal for Tinley. Then Saturday is Tinley's first Dance Recital. I can't wait. I hope she does good. If not, that is O.K. too. She has really enjoyed going all year. Sunday is my niece's Baptism. Then Monday is back to the Cardiologist for Brock. This is the longest we have gone between visits. It has been two months. I am anxious to see if there are any changes in his heart condition. He has been doing so good for the past few months. I pray everything still remains unchanged.
Well, here are a few pictures from our trip to Biloxi, Mississippi. Have a great weekend!

Sunday, May 1, 2005 9:20 PM CDT

Wow!Wow!Wow! We just got back from an amazing trip. Brock was invited by the United Special Sportsmen Alliance (www.childswish.com) on a fishing trip this past weekend to Eutaw,AL at a place called Leavellwood (www.leavellwood.com). It is a hunting and fishing Lodge. USSA is a non-profit organization that fulfills the dream wishes of terminally ill and disabled children by sending them on an outdoor dream adventure. There were about 8 other families their. Trey and Pam are the owners of Leavellwood that pulled this trip together with 53 volunteers and 40 sponsors. Brigid with USSA brought all of these families together for a wonderful family fishing trip.

We arrived on Friday around 2:00 p.m. and gathered around the lodge. The families were paired off with professional fishermen. We were with Jeff and his wife Belinda. They are wonderful people from Huntsville,AL. Thank goodness they have 2 grandchildren and were use to toddler chaos. Because having a 2 & 3 year old on a boat all day was quite an adventure. They took us out fishing Friday afternoon. Brock enjoyed trying to drive the boat while Tinley blew the horn about 50 times. Then everyone headed back to the Lodge for Spaghetti and Pizza. They also sang Happy Birthday to Barry. Tinley & Brock were quite excited about that. Then Trey presented all of the kids including siblings with a huge fishing package(fishing pole, tackle, criquet holder, shirts, caps, flashlight, etc.........) It was so wonderful. They got so much stuff. Saturday morning we woke up and headed over to the main Lodge for breakfast then everyone headed back out with there fishing guides. This trip Brock and Tinley both caught a couple of fish and were really into it. Brock was reeling his line back in. Whenever Barry would unhook the fish, Brock would say "Fish Back Water". He knew we were suppose to throw the fish back in. We headed back to the Lodge for a nap around 10:30. Then at 12:30 we all got up and headed to the main Lodge for lunch(hot dogs, barbeque, chicken nuggets, potato salad, baked beans, and peach cobbler). After lunch, everyone headed back out fishing. Brock mostly enjoyed playing with the criquets this trip. We got off of the boat after about an hour or two and fished off of the pier. As soon as your bobber hit the water it went under. The fish were biting like crazy at the pier. The kids loved it! We headed back to the Lodge around 5:00 to get ready for dinner. They had a big fish fry with hushpuppies, french fries, baked beans, potato salad, homeade tartar sauce, and chocolate cake. Yummy! The food was sooooo good! Then each of the Pro Fishermen got up and talked about their experience with the child that was on their boat and presented them with a trophy. Brock's little face lit up! He was very embarassed but excited. You could see it in his eyes. Everytime we returned to our room there were little gifts on the counter. Saturday night there was a wonderful letter and gift from the owners of Leavellwood and all the volunteers.

This truly was an amazing experience. We were able to connect and talk to families that are going through or have gone through the same or similar circumstances. It was great meeting people from the same Oncology Clinic as Brock. Also, we met a wonderful family from Louisiana. All of the children had a blast running around together. We are so thankful for all of the hard work and time Leavellwood and USSA put into this trip.

Monday, April 25, 2005 11:28 AM CDT

My updates have been getting further and further apart. But, no news is usually good news. Brock has been doing really great these past few weeks. He continues to grow and strengthen everyday. His heart doesn't seem to be bothering him right now. I am very thankful for that. When the time comes, which I don't know when that will be, we have some difficult decisions to make. I've been researching Brock's present heart condition which is severe tricuspid regurgitation. This has caused his right atrium and right ventricle to enlarge larger than an adult size. From the research I have done, a tricuspid valve replacement is not a very common procedure. They try to hold off as long as possible. The replacement would be a metal valve. This would require Brock to be on Coumadin the rest of his life. It is very dangerous for toddlers to be on Coumadin. Any slight scrape or bump will send us to the E.R. because of the bleeding. Also, you have to watch they don't bump there head. The internal bleeding can cause a stroke. We are trying to decide the right time to go forth with the surgery. We have to watch for signs of heart failure such as swelling and lethargic signs.
Our next caridology appointment is May 23. Hopefully we will get a little more insight on the situation then.

I have some really great news. Brock was invited by the United Special Sportsmen Alliance on a fishing trip this coming weekend. We are so excited. We can't wait to go. It will be a 3 day trip. I'll update next week with all of the details of our trip.

I spent the last week getting ready for a garage sale. I had it Friday and Saturday. Boy, it was a lot of work. But, well worth it. We did really well.

Thank you for all of the continued prayers and support. It really means a lot to me. Even though Brock's health has been pretty good lately, he still has a difficult road ahead. Keep the prayers flowing! God is Great!

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 7:51 AM CDT

Brock's Birthday and party were wonderful! On his Birthday, we took him to play at the McWane Center which is like a children's/science museum. They have a Richard Scary exhibit there right now which has a lot of things for toddlers to play with. It is great and the kids love it!
We had Brock's Blue's Clue's birthday party on Saturday at the house. The weather was so pretty. Sunny and in the 70's. The kids played in the backyard all day. Brock had a great time. It took two tries to get him to open his presents. You have to let him go at his own pace. He is very shy when all the attention is on him. Also, he didn't want anything to do with his Birthday cake or ice cream. However, he was very excited to get a pop-tart. That's all he ate all day. I should have just made a popt-tart cake.(LOL). Brock received so many wonderful gifts. Thank you so much everyone for making his day extra special. Brock also received some wonderful packages in the mail from some special internet friends. Thank you so much for the cards and presents everyone sent. He was so excited everyday when I would tell him he got mail.
Here are some pictures from our trip to New Orleans and also Easter pics. I havn't downloaded his Birthday pictures yet. I will post those later this week.
Thanks for stopping by and leave Brock a message so he knows who is checking up on him.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005 11:29 PM CST

I guess I'll begin this journal with what we have been up to the last two weeks. On Friday, March 18, the kids and I went to New Orleans to stay with my brother for 10 days. It was a very fun trip. We had my niece's Sweet Sixteen party, a crawfish boil at my grandmother's house, went to
the Audobon Zoo, the Bayou Coquille nature walk, a huge Easter party at the Lafitte Pavillion, and lots of good eating! We really had a great time. The kids and I were worn out when we got back in town this Monday night. And Alisa I did eat a Mufallata for you. However, I didn't make it down to the Central Grocery across from Cafe Du Monde. I had to settle for one from a little place in Westwego.
On Tuesday Morning Brock had his Cardiology appointment. I know everyone is waiting to hear when his next surgery will be. Well, we still don't know. Right now there is a debate between the Cardiologist's whether to do the surgery now or wait untill Brock is showing signs of heart failure. The reason is that his right atrium and right ventricle are so enlarged that the only type of valve replacement they could do is a metal valve. This would require him to be on Coumadin the rest of his life. Which is not a good thing. It is not good to have a child on coumadin. Any little bump or scrape can send you to the hospital. They had a patient a few months ago that was one years old on Coumadin that tripped and bumped her head. From the internal bleeding, it caused her to have a stroke. Also, you have to have blood work done every four weeks for the length of time the valve is there. The valve could last 10-20 years. We are waiting for our Cardiologist to speak to one more of his partners for his opinion. Then we will have to make a decision whether we want to wait or go through with the surgery. Brock is doing so well right now that we are leaning more towards putting off the surgery as long as possible. We know he will need it before too long. We will leave it in God's hands. He is our Great Physician and will lead us in the proper path.

Right now I am concentrating on planning Brock's birthday party. Brock will be 2 on April 5. He is going to have a Blue's Clue's Party here at the house. I'm shooting for April 9th if the weather is nice. I want to have it outside. Also, my 6 year anniversary is April 3. So, we will have another busy week coming up.

Till next time....
God bless

SUNDAY, APRIL 3

Wow, Brock's guestbook has been archived and is so much easier to access. I still have the old turtle dial up and it would take me forever to retrieve his guestbook entries. Thanks so much CaringBridge for taking care of it for me.
Brock has had a really great week. I've been practicing singing Happy Birthday to him. He just gets embarassed and hides his face. It looks like we are going to have nice weather on Saturday for his party.
Brock is one of the April featured children at the Tumbleweed foundation. Stop by and check out this wonderful site. www.tumbleweedfoundation.org
They do lots of wonderful things for sick children. It is all volunteers.
Have a great week!

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2005

Happy Birthday my sweet little boy! I love you sooooo much and hope you have a wonderful day. I wish you many many more.

Love,
Mom

Tuesday, March 15, 2005 6:59 AM CST

Brock has recovered well from his port removal. The only trouble was the second night when I gave him a dose of Tylenol w/codeine. He was bouncing off of the walls. It made him so hyper. It took about 5 hours to wear off. He jumped off of the couch and landed on his incision causing it to bleed. However, all is well now and he is healing.

Brock had an Oncology check up yesterday. Boy I am really spoiled now not having to go every week to that clinic. I forgot how horrible it is. We got there at 10am and at 2pm finally got called to the exam room. Then at 3pm the doctor finally came in to see us. I was really mad and starvin by that point. Brock and I had to wait 5 hours just for her to come in and say that his blood work looked good. However, I did get to sit there and talk to her about life off of chemo(Brock's future). Of course she is unsure. Every question I asked her was answered "I don't know". I understand he has a rare form of cancer. But, I still hope for answers. She pretty much said that as agressive as Brock's tumor was, it will be a long time before they say his chances for regrowth are slim. I don't know if he will ever be considered cancer free or in remission. However, I feel like Brock is a miracle child given to us for a purpose. I beleive that he will overcome anything given to him. One day he will have a strong powerful story to tell everyone. The miracle that God has given him. The miracle of life and to open everyone's eyes to the reason of life...God

We are getting ready to celebrate Brock's 2nd Birthday on April 5. I am still not sure what we are going to do. I want it to be really special. I want him to have a wonderful Birthday before he has to have his 3rd open heart surgery. It looks like the surgery will be at the beginning of May. We don't have an exact date yet.

FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2005

Thank you for all the prayers and phone calls for Brock's surgery today.
We are home and Brock is doing pretty good. He is in a lot of pain. The catheter was hard to remove. Dr.Saito didn't want to chance it breaking so she had to make a cut on his neck. It is on the right side. He keeps grabbing the back of his head and saying "hurt hurt". I'm just glad it is all over with. Hopefully he will recover in a few days. He has stitches in his neck and above his right nipple. They gave him an extra dose of Demerol and Phenergan in the recovery room to help him with his pain. It really relaxed him and took him along time to wake up. He looks like he is starting to feel better already. We are so thankful that everything went well. Dr.Saito said some of the tissue may have went into his lungs. But, expects him to have no problems at all. Thank you so much to NaNa, PawPaw, and Leslie Chastain for being there with us. Also, thank you Shannon for the offer. I know you wanted to be here with us.

Thanks again for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers this week. Please sign Brock's guestbook to let him know you stopped by.

TUESDAY,MARCH 1,2005

I am having a very stressful week waiting on friday. I'm just really worried about having Brock put to sleep for his port removal. His surgery will be this Friday, March 4. I still don't know what time. The nurse still hasn't called me with all of the details. Brock's blood isn't circulating very well now that his valves have separated. We have had a few episodes of his lips, fingers, and feet turning blue. I called the cardiologist to see if we needed to come in and get checked. He said no because it has only been a few episodes. If it happens more frequently and lasts for hours then we need to go in. It has happened about 3 or 4 times in the past week. It only lasts about 15 minutes.
I hope they don't wait too long to do his valve repair. I don't want there to be any other damage.
I'm dreading tomorrow. I have to go to the dentist and have two teeth repaired. It's just to replace some old fillings. But, I hate all that drilling and stuff.

Please keep Brock in your prayers this week.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005 8:01 AM CST

We hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! We spent our morning at the Cardiologist. Brock had an EKG and an Echocardiogram done. Dr.McMahon did not see any regrowth or changes in the residual tumor in the right ventricle. However, the tricuspid valves are not only weak and flapping around, they have separated some. We are scheduled to go back on March 21 to the Cardiologist. At this time we will evaluate the heart condition again and talk about scheduling Brock's third open heart surgery. They expect Brock's energy level to drop until his valve is repaired or replaced.

I also talked to the General Surgeon at Children's Hospital yesterday. Dr.Saito has scheduled Brock to have his port removed on March 4. This will involve surgery and anesthesia to remove the port. It makes me really nervous to have this done because of Brock's heart condition at this time. But, the port has to be removed before Brock can have his open heart surgery. They can't do it all at the same time. We will need lots of prayers on March 4 that Brock does well with the anesthesia. Also, he has tissue (fibrous sheath) that has grown on the tip of his catheter inside the heart. Hopefully, they will be able to dissolve it with some medication before they pull the port. We don't want this tissue floating around. Please pray the tissue won't cause any problems.

I didn't report on our last Oncology visit two weeks ago. We just had labs drawn and talked to Dr.Hilliard. All of his labs looked good. We are really pleased that his RBC's are at 38. This is the highest they have ever been. Brock's tumor use to eat up his Red Blood Cells' as they flowed through the heart. His RBC counts use to range from 15-20. What an improvement!

Our trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras was wonderful. We stayed with my brother. The kids had a great time playing with all of there cousins. Of course, I had a great time eating! We had Jambalya, fried fish, fried alligator, boiled crawfish, and of course King Cake! We only went to parade's on Tuesday. Brock loved it. He would wave at all the floats as they passed by. There was close to 200 floats. We got four huge bags of beads and trinkets(stuffed animals, toys, cups, etc...) The weather was great. It started raining 15 minutes after the last float rolled in front of us. We got really lucky to not get rained on during the parade. We left New Orleans on Wednesday evening and went to Biloxi, MS to Barry's mom's new house. She had just moved in that week. We stayed there until Friday night and headed back to Birmingham when the kids were ready for bed. I don't think any of us have recovered yet. I still havn't unpacked my suit cases.

Thanks for stopping by to check on Brock and our family. It truly means a lot to us. Sorry it sometimes takes so long to update.

The Waggoners

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2005

Sorry it has been so long since an update. I just wanted to let everyone know Brock is doing good. We just got back in town at midnight last night. I will update during the week to catch everyone up.

Sunday, January 23,2005

I can't believe January is almost over already. It seems like I was just getting ready for Christmas. We have been busy...busy...busy lately. Barry has a new work schedule. It has taken us a little while to get use to it. I think everyone has finally adjusted.

Brock's Cardiology appointment went well at the beginning of the month. No new news to report. He still has the same problems he has been having. We are just taking it one day at a time hoping to hold off as long as possible on the next heart surgery. His next Cardiology appointment will be on Feb.14. Kind of funny to have his heart checked on Valentine's Day. I can't think of a better way to spend your Valentine's than with your Heart Doctor (ha ha ha). Brock was suppose to have an Oncology visit last week. However, Mommy was bad and didn't take him. This is his first visit he has ever missed. We did go to the pediatrician on Wednesday. Brock has pretty much had diarrhea all of his life. I always thought it was because of the Chemotherapy. Well, we have been off of Chemo for 2 months now and he still has it. The pediatrician did some stool samples and will call me next week with the results. I know Brock doesn't have the best diet. But, should he always have diarrhea? Also, he has been having a rash on his legs and belly since July. It doesn't bother him. It kind of looks like petechiae(small,purpllish, hemorrhagic spots on the skin). Cardiology and Oncology don't really know what it is. They told me not to worry about it unless it bothers him. So, I asked the pediatrician about it. Of course, he didn't have a clue either. HELLO...something has to be causing it. I'm going to keep pushing for an answer. Both of the kids have gone to the dentist over the past two weeks. They both had excellent check ups. No plaque or cavities!
Tinley's Princess party was wonderful. We had a great time. I got creative and made a castle for her Birthday cake. This was my first attempt at making a cake. It actually turned out pretty cute. Now I'm going to have to think of something creative for Brock's Birthday in April.
We are getting ready to go down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I'm excited to stay with my brother and visit everyone. We already have our spots reserved in Metairie on the parade route. I'm going to try to get Brock an appointment with the Oncologist sometime this week. I'll update again if anything changes.

Tuesday, January 11, 2005 6:20 PM CST

Well, I guess No News Is Good News. Brock's cardiology appointment went well yesterday. He had an echocardiogram done. There have been no changes since our last echo three weeks ago. That was real encouraging. The longer he has no changes, the further we can push back his surgery. I know he has to have it done this year. But, I would like to wait as long as possible. He has progressed so well lately. Everyone can't believe how much he runs around and keeps up with Tinley. He is even talking quite a bit. Well, Brock and I communicate very well. I guess I understand everything from being with him all the time. Barry often has to ask what he said. Brock and I have had a stomach bug the last two days. We both slept all day today. We are starting to feel better tonight. Hopefully it is over with. I need to start getting ready for Tinley's Princess Birthday party Saturday. She is so excited. That is all she has talked about for the past two weeks.
Brock has an Oncology appointment Monday. I hope everyone has a great week. Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to sign the guestbook. We love to read everyone's entries. It's wonderful knowing how many family and friends think of our family. Can you believe Brock's Webpage has had 10,000 hits! That's amazing knowing how much everyone has been concerned about him. Thanks for taking time out of your day to check on us.

Love,

The Waggoners

TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2005

Our appointments were good yesterday. Tinley got a wonderful dental report. Brock didn't have to see the doctor. They flushed out his port and drew some blood. We will get those results when we see the Oncologist on Jan. 17. Brock has been doing really well this past week. He is playing a lot more than he use to. We went to the park yesterday. It was the first time he climbed up on the play equipment and went down the slide by himself. I got teary eyed watching him. He had a great time. We are getting ready for Tinley's birthday on Friday, Jan.7th. She will be 3. She is so excited. She wants a pink princess party. Her party won't be untill the 15th. That's about all that is going on right now.

Love,
Amy

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2005

The week leading up to Christmas was a little rough. Brock was really sick. We were doing everything we could to keep him away from the Hospital. It seemed like he had a severe allergy/sinus infection. We managed to get it under control with some over the counter medications, vapor baths, and lots of liquids. He didn't eat much of anything for two weeks. I was really getting worried. Then Christmas morning he woke up and started off a little slow. But, when he realized what it was all about, he was full fource into the gifts. He had a great time! Santa was very good to him and Tinley. One of his favorite gifts is a tractor that has farm animals on the back. It sings Old McDonald and all of the animals make sounds when you push them. Also, he loves his Leap Frog train set. He sits for hours playing with it. The day after Christmas he finally decided to start eating. He has done really well this past week with increasing his appetite again. We had family in town from New Orleans for the Christmas Holidays. My dad, step-mom, and grandmother stayed with us for 5 days. It was a lot of fun.

I have spent this past week getting the house back in order. Lots of washing and putting Christmas decorations away. I even decided to clean out the attic and organize everything. We had a Great New Year's Eve. We went to my mom's house and grilled steaks. It was fun. The kids watched some fireworks for a little while.

Brock has to go to Children's tomorrow to have his port flushed out and some labs drawn. Tinley has a dentist appointment tomorrow also. Our next Cardiology appointment is on Jan.10.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Love,
Amy

Monday, December 20, 2004 7:08 PM CST

I want to start off by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope everyone has a safe holiday season. Remember....Jesus is the reason for the season!

Last week we went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for 3 days. My mom and grandmother were spending a week there for vacation. So, we decided to go up and spend a few days. It was a lot of fun. There was lots of snow. The kids had a blast playing in the snow. I took Tinley ice skating. She loved it. She only fell twice. Pretty good for an almost three year old who has never been on roller skates.
We rode around Cade's Cove and saw lots of Deer. Tinley kept looking hoping she would see Rudolph.

Today was Brock's Cardilogy appointment. He had an EKG and echocardiogram. Same report as usual. There is still residual tumor that has not changed for the past year. Brock continues to have a lot of leakage through his heart valve. The pressure measurements are around the same as two weeks ago. The atrium is still enlarged. The Cardiologist talked about doing his surgery in the Spring. I asked if we could wait untill the summer. He said if Brock is still physically doing well we can hold off another month or two. I just want to get past his Birthday in April. Ultimately, we will do whatever is best for Brock's health. His health is my number one priority.

We are anxiously awaiting Santa's arrival. Brock walks around the house saying "Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas". It is the cutest thing.

Here are some pictures from Gatlinburg:

Merry Christmas,

The Waggoners

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 2:09 PM CST

Wow! This is the longest I have gone without updating. I'm sorry everyone. I guess it gets a little crazy with the holiday season and dealing with a 1 & 2 year old.
We went to Mississippi during Thanksgiving week to Barry's mother's house. We had a great time. We left on Monday and came back on Friday. We had a huge Thanksgiving dinner. Brock's Thanksgiving meal consisted of Fruit Loops, crackers, and cashews. He had his own idea on what a Thanksgiving Feast should be. He has now added a few foods to his diet. Besides the chicken nuggets, fruit loops, and m&m's, he now is eating fried shrimp, biscuits, and pillsbury waffle sticks. Oh, last night he ate a piece of bread with peanut butter on it. I was so excited! We've come a long way from eating only yogurt 3 times a day everyday for 9 months to only chicken nuggets. At least he
has tried a few other things.

Barry has been working A LOT lately. Which has been nice to help us with Christmas. But, I have had no help with the kids and have been quite tired lately. He worked 60 hours last week and is doing the same this week. When he is not working he is sleeping. Last year my old job adopted the kids for Christmas. It was wonderful! I didn't have to worry about anything. They took care of it all.

I managed to get all of the Christmas decorations up this weekend. It took two days to do it. But, I am glad it is all done and I can sit back and enjoy the coming weeks.

Brock gave us a little scare last week. I took Tinley to daycare. I was talking to one of her teachers for about 20 minutes. Brock ran around playing in the playroom. He tried climbing up on all of the slides etc... We came home and caught the last 10 minutes of Barney on T.V. I set him down on the floor while I went to put the clothes in the dryer. When I came back into the living room he was knocked out spread eagle on the floor. It wasn't quite nap time yet. And for those of you who know Brock really well, he does not go to sleep on his own. You have to hold him for him to fall asleep. It scared me to death to see him lying there. After a minute, I realized he was napping. He just exerted himself from playing hard those 20 minutes. These are signs the Cardiologist told us to watch for. His right Atrium is larger than an adult size due to his Tricuspid Regurgitation. The leakage is causing his atrium to enlarge. They said eventually he will only have energy in short periods until his valve is repaired or replaced. He is taking longer naps during the day and sleeping better at night. But, I have to wonder if it is only because of his heart condition. It is so hard to distinguish between a toddler going through growth spurts or normal tiring from playing and needing a nap from getting exhausted and loosing energy due to his heart condition. I hope this is all making sense. It is kind of hard to write about things that are confusing to yourself and when your mind is all over the place.

Brock had his Cardiology and Oncology appointments on Monday, Dec.6. Cardiology went well. He had an echocardiogram done. There are no changes from two weeks ago. He told me to just keep a close eye on Brock's energy levels, signs of swelling, or green coloring. The greenish coloring would be signs of poor liver function because of the blood leaking out of the heart back into the liver. So, nothing new with cardiology. Just preparing for Brock's 3rd open heart surgery in about 6 months. Our oncology appointment went fairly well. Except Brock's port wouldn't work. They could not get any blood return. This is not a major deal. They just like to keep it working for 6 months after chemo in case if something comes up. After being stuck having his port accessed, we had to go to the lab for an arm stick to draw blood. He was not happy! He is a very hard stick. They have always had to dig the needle around in his arm. That is a big reason we always used his port. They flushed his port with TPA (a blood thinner) and after awhile it started working again. By this time we already had lab results and were consulting with the doctor. His blood counts were wonderful! The best they have ever been. We will go back in 4 weeks to have his port flushed again and then 2 weeks after that for a doctor visit. The funny thing is she wants Brock to try to eat red meat because he is not getting any Iron. We will see how this is going to go. You can't make a picky eater eat anything they don't want. He will just gag and throw it up.

Until next time, I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season. We are so thankful to have so many wonderful friends out there who always check on Brock. It means so much to our Family!

Merry Christmas

The Waggoners

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2004

Friday was Brock's cardiology appointment. Things didn't go as good as I hoped. I knew Brock was going to need another open heart surgery. But, I kept hoping I wouldn't hear there was a need for another couple of years. Brock's right atrium has grown larger than an adult size. The continued leakage from his tricuspid valve is what has caused this problem. The cardiologist wants to have his valve replaced soon. However, they are going to try to hold off until Brock has been off of chemo for 6 months. They want him to become stronger and for his blood counts to have enough time to improve. I'm glad we will be able to have a wonderful holiday season without having to worry about surgery until next year. They are thinking sometime during the summer. They are not sure if they are going to be able to repair the valve or have to put an artificial one in. We won't know until they do the surgery. I'm really scared for him to have to go through a 3rd open heart surgery. We had so many problems during the 2nd one. I know that was because it was only 8 weeks from his 1st surgery and he had not had long enough to recover. However, it is still scary the things that happened to him. Please continue to pray for Brock. We need him to stay strong as long as he can so we can hopefully put this surgery off as along as possible.
We have a very busy week ahead. I'll update again next weekend.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
We sure have a lot to be thankful for this year!
Love,
Amy

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2004

Things are starting to settle down around here after a long weekend. Friday I had another yard sale to raise money for Brock's medical account. It went pretty well considering the cold and sprinkly weather. Saturday was the BIG PARTY! It was so wonderful. Everything fell into place perfectly. All of the kids had a great time playing on the moon walk and the swing set. We started at 11 a.m. and our last guest didn't leave untill 6 p.m. Brock had so much fun. He ran all over the yard playing. After about 2 hours of staring at the moon walk, he finally let me put him in. He loved it!
Sunday I ran around all day trying to get some Christmas things taken care of. Also, it is getting cold here, Tinley was in need of a winter coat. I got all of my errands taken care of and was back home by 8 p.m. Unfortunately, I have ran my kids so much, they were both running fevers yesterday. Brock started last night with 102.8. He had a very rough night. Finally he settled down around 3:30 a.m. He is still asleep right now (8:45). If he wakes up with a fever I guess we will pack up and head over to Childrens Hospital. Tinley's fever's have only been 99.9 - 101.0. I'm going to keep an eye on her today to see how she does.
We should have a pretty quite week until Friday. Brock has a Cardiology appointment on Friday. Then on Sunday I turn the big "30". I'm pretty depressed about this Birthday. I usually love Birthday's. But, I don't look forward to this one.
Hope everyone has a great week!

Love,
Amy

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2004

WE ARE HAVING A "NO MORE CHEMOTHERAPY CELEBRATION" ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13. AT BROCK'S HOUSE!

Yesterday was a busy but good day. We arrived at Children's Hospital at 7:30 a.m. The cutest thing happened that made me tear up. I went to get Brock out of the van and remembered I had to put his Emla cream on for them to access his port. I took the ziploc bag that I keep it all in out of the diaper bag. As soon as Brock saw it, he lifted up his shirt and was pointing at his port. It's amazing how much these little ones know and understand. Off to clinic we went to get accessed and blood drawn. Then we went upstairs to Radiology to have his CT scan. After sitting there for 45 min. they came out and asked us to go wait in clinic. I anticipated a problem before we ever got there and of course here it was. Anytime Brock has to be put to sleep, everyone puts up Red Flags and freaks out. I held my cool and headed downstairs to clinic to find out what was going on. They had no idea. They gave us his registration forms and arm band and told us to go back up to clinic. I go back up to CT and head straight into the scanner room to find out what is going on. They asked me to have a seat out in the waiting room. They were waiting on the sedation team. So, why did they send me down to clinic? Who knows! I sit and wait another 30 min. It is now 8:45. Brock is screaming for his bottle! I'm not very patient anymore. I go into the CT scanner room and demand to talk to the sedation person to see how much longer it will be. I find out that once again his CT was scheduled the wrong way. It is suppose to be scheduled with anesthesia for sedation not the normal CT sedation team due to his heart problems. I totally understand that. However, I let them know this is the 3rd time this has happened. To make this long story short, I was told they had no way of contacting anesthesia to find out how much longer it would be. Amazingly after I had my fit, Anesthesia showed up within 5 minutes. Hmmmmm.... I wonder how they managed that. Brock was put to sleep at 9:15 and his CT scan was done at 9:30. We took him back down to clinic. It took him about an hour to wake up. I'm not sure why it took so long this time. Usually he is up within 15 minutes. Anyway, everything turned out fine. Brock's CT was clear. His CT was just of the chest area. However, it does not show the inside of the heart where the tumor is. This is followed with echocardiograms. The CT he had done is just to make sure nothing else is going on in his chest area. Dr.Hilliard came in and talked to us. Brock's blood counts are still on the low side. They have been this way for 6 weeks now. She only gave him 75f his chemo dose. YEAH THE LAST DOSE!!! She will recheck him in 4 weeks. Right now there are no future scans scheduled. She thinks she will follow him by drawing blood and chest x-rays. She doesn't think CT scans are necessary in Brock's case unless he shows some signs of difficulty. I agree. Why radiate him if it is not necessary?
Dr.Hilliards opinion at this point is that she doesn't feel like she can do much for Brock now that he is off of chemo. She feels Brock will be followed best by the Cardiologist. Our plan is to see the cardiologist every two weeks for echocardiograms and the oncologist once a month for blood checks and to flush his port.
We will continue to just take it one day at a time. Only God knows how Brock's story will unfold. Please continue to pray for Brock. These next few months will be scary not knowing what will happen being off of chemo.

Love,
The Waggoners

Tuesday, November 2, 2004 1:46 PM CST

Hey Everyone! We had such a busy but awesome weekend!
Saturday morning we got up bright and early. We went to Birmingham Swim League's Swim For Life. This year all of the swimmers collected pledges and swam for two hours to raise money for Curing Childhood Cancer. It was a really awesome event. Brock and 3 of the other Clinic 5 children(Britton, Karissa, Margaret Anne) were there. A fall festival followed the swim-a-thon. They announced each of the children and gave them all t-shirts. You could tell how much it touched these swimmers to actually see some of the children that they were swimming for. The money will be presented to the Oncology Research Group at Children's Hospital.

After trunk-a-treating, hot dogs, face painting, pie throwing, and jumping in the moon walk, we headed over to Helena to trick-or-treat with our friends. They live in a big neighborhood. Pam made a wonderful huge pot of home made Chilli. It was yummy! The kids had mac-n-cheese, chicken nuggets shaped liked bats & ghosts,goldfish, and of course plenty of candy. Everyone gathered up and went trick-or-treating. The kids had a blast. Tinley got pretty spooked out from the houses that were decorated a bit scary. We got home Saturday night around 10:30. Boy, were we wiped out!
Sunday, we kind of hung out trying to wake up. But, we managed to pull it together and make it for 10:00 a.m. service at church. After church, we met up at Copeland's to eat lunch for my Mother-in-laws birthday. She was in town this weekend. It was really great to get to spend some time with her. We recovered at Lyn's house(my sister-in-law) for a little while. Then we packed everyone up and headed over to ClearBranch Church for there Huge Annual Trunk-a-Treat. We got there around 5:00 p.m.. Nana and PawPaw were there waiting on us. We had a great time with everyone. Brock was excited to go trunk-a-treating with his PawPaw. There were lots of games and activities for the kids. They had a blast. We got home around 9 p.m.
We were worn out.
I forgot to tell you what everyone was for Halloween.
As you can see on the picture, Brock was a Dalmation Puppy and Tinley was a Pink Cat.
Last Wednesday and Thursday Brock was feeling a little down from his chemo. But, on Friday he started feeling much better. All has gone well this week so far. Brock went with me to Vote this morning.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8 WILL BE BROCK'S LAST CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT! HE WILL ALSO HAVE CT SCANS THAT MORNING. I AM TRYING TO PLAN A "NO MORE CHEMO CELEBRATION" FOR HOPEFULLY NOVEMBER 13.
I truly appreciate everyone continuing to check on Brock. It means so much to me. Thank you so much for all of the wonderful guestbook entries. They make my day as I read each one. We love you all and will update after our big day on Monday.

Love,
The Waggoners

TINLEY & BROCK AT THE PUMPKIN PATCH

BROCK PICKING OUT HIS PUMPKIN

BROCK WITH HIS PAWPAW

Tuesday, October 26, 2004 10:45 AM CDT

Yesterday was Brock's Cardiology and Oncology appointments.
We started the morning at 8:30 am at UAB to see the pediatric cardiologist. His echocardiogram looked good. The pressures inside the atrium have not increased anymore and the residual tumor remains the same. Dr.McMahon has not been able to pull everyone together yet for the conference on Brock's case. However, he was able to informally talk to some of the other cardiologist. They would like to see Brock off of chemotherapy for a few months to see how his body does. They are questioning whether his lack of proper growth is from the chemo or from his heart condition. Alot of children with heart problems have delayed growing. Brock grew some the past two months. But, it was due to the help of the steroids he was on. So we will see what the upcoming months will bring as we finish chemo. These are the things that they are watching for to do his valve repairs: if the pressures in the right atrium increase, right ventricular dysfunction, lack of energy, and swelling. We just have to keep a close eye on everything. A letter was sent to Brock's Heart surgeon. But, Dr.Pacifico has not responded yet. Dr.McMahon wants to know if his valve is fixable or will he need an artificial valve? If he needs an artificial valve, we will put off the surgery as long as possible. An artificial valve would bring about another set of medical issues to deal with and life long drug therapies. We left UAB around 10am and headed over to Children's Hospital for chemotherapy. Deidra Downs (Miss America) was there. She was visiting the clinic and presenting the money from the Curing Childhood Cancer license plates she developed. Brock was quite fascinated looking at her. He loves to see beautiful girls. He always stares at them. Around 11am we got called back to have his port accessed and blood drawn. Then we got a beeper and headed to the cafeteria for lunch while we waited for the lab results. Around 1pm we were called into a room. Dr.Hilliard said his blood counts looked pretty good. They were a little on the low side so she only gave him 75f his chemo dose. Brock does have a bad cough. So she didn't want to chance giving him his whole dose if he is coming down with something viral. It would just knock his system down. The exciting news is we have our last dose of Chemo scheduled Nov.8. We have to be at the hospital at 7:30 am for CT Scans and then he will get his last dose of chemo.
The plan off of chemo is to have his port flushed out every 4 weeks. He has to keep his port 6 months past chemo. Also, to have biweekly echocardiograms done for the first 2 months. If everything remains unchanged then we will move to monthly echocardiograms. I'm not sure yet how often he will have CT scans done.
I had a big yard sale on Saturday to raise money for Brock's medical fund. So, I was quite busy last week getting ready for the sale. It went pretty well. It took all day Sunday to rest. Tonight is Tinley's Halloween party at dancing school. She is excited to get to dress up in her Pink Cat Costume. I guess I have typed enough. Thank you to everyone who contributed items to the yard sale. I will have another one in a few weeks before getting rid of the remaining stuff.
Thank you so much for continuing to check up on Brock. It means so much to our family. He is a true blessing and our miracle from God.

Love,
The Waggoners

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19,2004

JUST A QUICK UPDATE TO LET EVERYONE KNOW BROCK IS DOING FINE. THE BLEEDING IN HIS EAR STOPPED THE NEXT DAY. WE HAVE NOT BEEN BACK TO THE DOCTOR. HE IS STILL ON THE STEROID/ANTIBIOTIC EARDROPS. OUR NEXT DOCTOR VISIT IS MONDAY THE 25TH. WE WILL SEE THE CARDIOLOGIST AND ONCOLOGIST THAT DAY.
WE WENT TO THE PUMPKIN PATCH ON SUNDAY. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY. TINLEY AND BROCK BOTH GOT TO PICK OUT A PUMPKIN. THEY HAD A GREAT TIME.
TILL NEXT TIME.....

THE WAGGONERS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14,2004

OH MY GOODNESS! THE SCARIEST THING HAPPENED YESTERDAY. I WAS OUT DELIVERING MEALS ON WHEELS. I GOT HOME AND WENT TO GET BROCK OUT OF HIS CAR SEAT. I REALIZED HE HAD BRIGHT RED BLOOD COMING OUT OF HIS LEFT EAR. I RUSHED INSIDE TO CLEAN UP HIS FACE AND EAR TO SEE WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. I WASN'T SURE IF HE HAD SCRATCHED HIS SELF OR WHAT. I SAW THAT IT WAS COMING FROM INSIDE HIS EAR AND HE SCREAMED WHEN I GOT CLOSE TO HIS EAR. I CALLED HIS ONCOLOGIST AND TOLD THEM I WASN'T SURE WHO I WAS SUPPOSE TO BE CALLING THEM OR THE PEDIATRICIAN. THEY TOLD ME TO BRING HIM TO WHOEVER WAS CLOSER. I CALLED HIS PEDIATRICIAN. OF COURSE HE WASN'T IN YESTERDAY. THE SECRETARY TOLD ME SHE WOULD HAVE A NURSE CALL ME RIGHT BACK. I EXPLAINED THE EMERGENT SITUATION TO HER AND THAT BROCK JUST RECEIVED CHEMO THIS WEEK. WHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THEY ARE GOING TO CALL ME RIGHT BACK, 15 MIN. OR LESS IS WHAT I EXPECT. 45 MIN. LATER I STILL HAD NOT RECIEVED A PHONE CALL. I CALLED HIS ENT DOCTOR. THAT WONDERFUL SECRETARY PUT A NURSE PRACTITIONER ON THE PHONE RIGHT AWAY. SHE TOLD ME TO BRING BROCK DOWN TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL RIGHT AWAY. DR. HILL WAS DOWN THERE AND WOULD MEET ME IN CLINIC 4. I'M DRIVING TO THE HOSPITAL. BROCK IS ASLEEP IN HIS CAR SEAT. THEN HE STARTS COUGHING. AS I LOOK BACK TO CHECK ON HIM HE TURNS HIS HEAD AND I SEE BLOOD FLOWING OUT OF HIS EAR AND DRIPPING ONTO HIS SHOULDER. I FREAKED OUT!!! IT SCARED ME TO DEATH. I COULDN'T DRIVE FAST ENOUGH. DR. HILL LOOKED IN BROCK'S EAR AND TOLD US HE HAS A GRANULOMA IN HIS EAR. THIS MEANS THAT THE TISSUE IS GROWING UP AND PUSHING ON HIS TUBE. GRANULOMAS ARE VERY VASCULAR SO THEY CAUSE BLEEDING. WHEW! WHAT A RELIEF TO HEAR. THE DOWNSIDE IS IF THE BLEEDING DOESN'T STOP BY FRIDAY THEY ARE GOING TO SCHEDULE TO REPLACE HIS TUBE NEXT WEEK. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRAY THAT THESE EAR DROPS WILL SETTLE THE TISSUE DOWN AND LET THE TUBE RELAX BACK INTO PLACE. I DON'T WANT BROCK TO GET PUT TO SLEEP AGAIN. IT IS ALWAYS SCARY GOING UNDER ANESTHESIA BECAUSE OF HIS HEART PROBLEMS.

LOVE,
AMY
P.S. BRIDGET ~ I GUESS I JINXED MYSELF. I E-MAILED YOU YESTERDAY MORNING TELLING YOU NOT TO WORRY ABOUT ARIANNA'S TUBES THAT BROCK HAD NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH HIS TUBES SINCE JUNE. I GUESS THAT E-MAIL CAME A LITTLE TOO SOON.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12,2004

HELLO! I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND. IT HAS BEEN RAINY HERE FROM TROPICAL STORM MATTHEW. THE RAIN RUINED OUR WEEKEND PLANS. WE WERE SUPPOSE TO GO TO THE PUMPKIN PATCH SATURDAY. SUNDAY, ONCOLOGY CLINIC WAS HAVING A FUN DAY AT THE ZOO. INSTEAD, SATURDAY WE VISITED SOME FRIENDS AND LET THE KIDS PLAY. AFTER OUR VISIT, WE BROUGHT THE KIDS TO GET THEIR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES. TINLEY IS GOING TO BE A PINK FANCY CAT AND BROCK IS GOING TO BE A DALMATION PUPPY. HE HAS BEEN CRAWLING AROUND THE HOUSE SAYING WOOF WOOF. IT IS THE FUNNIEST THING. SUNDAY, WE WENT TO CHURCH AND HAD LUNCH WITH NANA & PAWPAW. THE RAIN IS SUPPOSE TO BE OVER BY TOMORROW. WE HAVE A FORECAST OF A BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND AHEAD. YEAH!!!

MONDAY WAS BROCK'S VISIT TO THE ONCOLOGIST. WE GOT A VERY GOOD REPORT. HIS BLOOD COUNTS ARE BACK TO NORMAL. HIS NEUTROPHIL COUNTS WENT FROM 250 LAST WEEK TO 3,000 THIS WEEK. IT'S AMAZING HOW QUICKLY HE REBOUNDED. I DID KEEP HIM LOCKED INSIDE ALL WEEK WITH NO VISITORS. I LYSOLED AND BLEACHED THE WHOLE HOUSE DOWN. WE WERE GERM FREE. I JUST WANT TO GET THROUGH THESE LAST WEEKS OF CHEMO. BECAUSE BROCK'S COUNTS WERE SO LOW LAST WEEK, HE ONLY RECEIVED 75F HIS CHEMOTHERAPY DOSE. I'M GLAD DR.HILLIARD DECIDED TO REDUCE HIS DOSE. HOPEFULLY HE WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE THIS ROUND OF CHEMO BETTER. HE GAINED 2 OZ. I AM REALLY HAPPY WITH THE WEIGHT GAIN. BROCK IS NOW OFF OF HIS APPETITE STIMULANT. I THINK HE IS SLOWLY COMING AROUND TO EATING TABLE FOODS. HE ATE SOME FRIED OKRA ON SUNDAY AND HE ATE A FRENCH TOAST STICK THIS MORNING. EVEN THOUGH IT IS ONLY A FEW BITES A DAY, I AM PLEASED TO SEE HE IS AT LEAST TRYING.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTINUING TO PRAY FOR BROCK AND OUR FAMILY. WE ONLY HAVE TWO ROUNDS OF CHEMOTHERAPY LEFT. I AM REALLY NERVOUS WHAT THE FUTURE MONTHS WILL BRING. BUT, I LEAVE IT IN GOD'S HANDS. HE IS OUR GREAT PHYSICIAN. I KNOW HE WILL TAKE CARE OF OUR LITTLE MAN. I AM THANKFUL FOR CARINGBRIDGE AND ALL THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WE HAVE MET. YOUR CONTINUED LOVE AND SUPPORT MEANS A LOT TO US. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SENT CARDS THE PAST FEW WEEKS. IT MEANS ALOT TO ME. THE WONDERFUL WORDS PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE :)

LOVE,
THE WAGGONERS

Tuesday, October 5, 2004 1:50 PM CDT

Friday, October 1 Barry and I had a weekend trip planned away. For Christmas last year, my mother gave us two gift certificates. One was for a two night stay at the Marriott in New Orleans and the other was for dinner at the Red Fish Grill(one of the Brennan restaurant's) on Bourbon St. She knew we had a long road ahead of us with Brock's illness and thought we would need to get away for a few days. Since Brock seemed to be doing well, we decided to go this past weekend. Barry's sister had a $100 coupon for Southwest airlines. We hardly had to pay anything for our plane tickets. Lyn, Barry's sister, picked us and the kids up on Friday. She dropped Barry and I off at the airport and took Tinley and Brock to her house for the weekend. My dad picked us up from the airport in New Orleans and drove us to our hotel. It was very nice. We had a king suite. We walked to Mulatte's for dinner. It is a really awesome cajun restaurant that has live cajun bands playing. We had been there a few times in the past. It was yummy as usual. They have the best bread pudding around! We turned in early. Bright and early Saturday morning my cell phone rings. Lyn calling to tell us Brock had thrown up 17 times that night. Also, during the night diarrhea and fever. We decided to wait it out hoping it was a stomach bug. I was kind of concerned it was food poisioning from his chicken nuggets. When we lost the power during hurricane Ivan, I brought some of my meats to Lyn's house. I was afraid maybe his nuggets had spoiled. Barry and I decided to go on and continue our mini vacation. We rode the street car down St.Charles and then went walking through the French Quarter. We had lunch at Mr.B's and then headed over to Pat O'Brien's to the Piano Bar. We had as good of a time as possible while worrying about Brock. We called every couple of hours. He seemed to be getting a little better as the day went on. We did a lot of walking through all the antique shops and the French Market. Then we went back to the room to get ready for dinner. O.K. I havn't worn heals in forever! I put on a dress and heals and we walked over 6 blocks to catch the street car. Well, it was no where in sight. So we decided to start walking towards the restaurant so we wouldn't miss our reservations. Well another 9 blocks later, we are at the restaurant. Oh my goodness, my feet hurt soooooo bad! Dinner was wonderful. We walked to Harrah's Casino after to look around. We had never been there. It was beautiful. We didn't gamble. Just looked around for about 15 min. then started our journey back to the hotel. Feet killing me again. By this time, Brock is feeling bad again. Hasn't been walking or playing all day. We pray he is better by the morning. Phone call Sunday morning. Brock has been throwing up all night again. Still with diarrhea and fever. We put a call into Oncology. Of course they send him to the E.R. I tried to get us an earlier flight home and couldn't. So we wait it out. Lyn calls and says his counts are pretty low but not low enough for hospitalization. They give him 500 cc's of fluid. He was very dehydrated. He gets sent home around 3pm. Anymore vomitting more than 2 times he is to be brought back into the hospital or fever greater than 100.4 .
Barry and I ate Beignets at Cafe DuMonde that morning and then took a horse and carriage ride around the French Quarter. It was nice. We tried to enjoy ourselves as much as possible. After the carriage ride, I had enough and couldn't wait to get home to my baby. I called my dad to come pick us up from the hotel. We went back to his house and ate lunch and waited until it was time to go to the airport. By the time we got to Lyn's house it was 9pm. Brock was feeling much better after all the fluids he received. He was so excited to see us. He had finally started walking and playing a little at 5pm. We packed up the kids and headed home. Tinley was happy to see us. But, cried most of the way home because she had such a great time being with her cousins Lauren & Katie. Brock did well all night. Monday morning he had his first bottle of formula since Friday. Drank 6 oz. and kept it all down. At 9am he ate 3 crackers. I called oncology to see if they still wanted us to come in for his chemo. I knew he wouldn't get it. Well, after 2 hours waiting on labs to come back and see the doctor. Dr.Hilliard comes in and says no chemo today. His neutrophil counts on Sunday were 780 and on Monday had dropped to 250. They normally admitt you to the hospital whenever they drop under 500. But, knowing he had a virus and he wasn't running a fever anymore, they sent us home. Yep, we are under house arrest for a week now. No contact with the real world. I have to keep Brock away from all germs and Tinley home from school. The daycare has some cases of Hand,Foot,and Mouth disease right now and I don't want her to bring home any germs. Any signs of fever this week he will be admitted to the hospital for I.V. antibiotics. If all goes well this week, we will attempt Chemotherapy on Monday. That is pending blood results on Monday.
As you can read, things have been pretty crazy for us. Just glad to be at home snuggling with my two little ones. Brock hasn't thrown up since Sunday. He only had one diarrhea diaper yesterday. Hopefully, things are going to start getting better for him. Please keep Brock in your prayers this week. We only have three more rounds of chemo to go. We want to get them over with A.S.A.P. so we can start concentrating on his heart repair. Dr.Hilliard also extended Brock's steroid(appetite stimulant) this week. He was suppose to end on Sunday. Please pray we don't start seeing any side affects from the steroids. These normally occurr after week 8. We are starting week 9 on the steroid.
Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

Love,
The Waggoners

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2004

HEY EVERYONE!
We are getting back to normal around here. The hurricane put us without power for 3 days. I was able to bring my meat over to my sister-in-laws house. But, we lost everything else in the refrigerator. We went to Barry's moms house in Gulfport,MS for a few days to help her clean up her yard. Everyone came out good from Ivan. Just a few trees down and messy yards to clean up. We were all very lucky seeing what it did to Pensacola and GulfShores.
Brock missed his cardiology appointment Monday. We are rescheduled for this coming Monday. He had his Oncology appointment on Thursday. Everything went wonderful. All of his counts were good. He even gained weight and grew a half inch. YEAH!!!! I took Tinley to see her pediatrician before I took Brock to Children's. She has bilateral ear infections and a sinus infection. She got two shots and a script for antibiotics. I felt bad because I had to drop her off at daycare after getting the shots. But, I wasn't about to bring her into the clinic around all the chemo kids with low immune systems. Her teacher kept a close eye on her and told me she did really good.
Sunday evening in Birmingham is "Kandles For Kids". They are recognizing lives touched by childhood cancer. Since September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
It is at the Liberty Park exit off of I-459 at the base of the statue. It starts at 5:30 with pizza and entertainment.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2004

Sunday night was the Kandles for Kids. It was wonderful! I was so glad we went. It was great hearing a survivor's story and listening to others talk. There was Pizza, Ice-Cream, and Cookies. The kids had a great time playing with bubbles before the program started. At the end of the program, everyone formed a great big circle. Everyone had a candle and lit there candle off of the person next to them. They played the country song "Angels Among Us". It was very touching. I was holding Brock and everytime I went to cry I would look at him. There he was trying to blow the candle out. It was the funniest thing. He would just make me smile real big and laugh. Then he would get this silly little look on his face. I felt like he was telling me "Hey Mom, I'm O.K., I don't need this silly candle". You couldn't begin to imagine the joy he has brought to my life. At the end of the song, everyone walked over to some containers filled with sand and placed there candle in it.
Here are some pics from the Ceremony:

BROCK

BROCK AND DADDY BLOWING BUBBLES

BROCK BLOWING BUBBLES

BROCK AND MOMMY HOLDING THE CANDLE. OUR CANDLE OF HOPE FOR OUR FUTURE.

CANDLES BURNING IN MEMORY OF OUR SURVIVORS, FIGHTERS, AND ANGELS

Monday was Brock's cardiology appointment. Same report as usual. The tumor looked fine. No growth or shrinkage. It is not affecting the heart function at this time. I told Dr.McMahon I am both nervous and excited now that we are reaching the end of chemo which is in November. I am nervous because what will happen to the tumor when there is no chemo there? and excited that Brock can hopefully start feeling good and not have all of the side affects of chemo....diarrhea, loss of appetite, tiredness, irritable, fever, and achy at times. Also, we won't have to worry about his blood counts and catching every germ out there. I asked him from a cardiology stand point what is the plan for Brock off of chemo. He said, they will be having a meeting in the next month with all of the cardiologist and heart surgeons at UAB to review and discuss Brock's case. The big issue from a cardiology stand point right now is the Tricuspid Regurgitation he is having. How is it affecting his heart function and how is the back flow into the liver damaging the liver? I thought all along Brock would not have to have another open heart surgery to correct this valve problem until he showed signs of problems. Well, the cardiologist concern now is do you go ahead and fix the problem now before you have problems that are not fixable. Also, can Brock's valve be repaired or does he need an artificial valve? Can they do this at UAB or will we have to be sent to Boston? Hopefully, all of these questions will be answered in the next month or two after there meeting. They may wait untill Brock is finish his chemo to meet. They want him as strong as he can be to undergo another open heart surgery. I'm praying that we won't need one and by some miracle his heart will strengthen and get that blood pumping in the right direction.
I hope all of this made since. It was alot to absorb yesterday. Expecially when you are trying to hold Brock,who is talking and fussing,while trying to listen and ask questions to the doctor.

Thank you so much for your continued love and support. It means alot to our family.

P.S. A big THANK YOU to The Dill With Buttons for there donation to CaringBridge In Honor of Brock. I was so touched when I saw this under the Tribute Donations. If we go to the Women's Show coming up, I will look for you guys.

TUESDAY,SEPTEMBER 21,2004

Just wanted to let everyone know we are back home safe and sound. We had lost power for a few days. Over the weekend we packed up and headed to the gulfcoast to check on Barry's moms house. The kids were quite miserable from the heat and playing and reading books with a flashlight. I'll update again soon. I'm tired from the long drive home.

THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER 16,2004

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This is a quick update on our status. It is 9 am here. We live about ten miles from Birmingham city limits. The hurricane is approaching very soon. They expect us to loose power. So, I thought I would update before everything happens. We are suppose to have the worst of the hurricane between 2pm and 2am. Barry is at work and me and the kids are riding out the storm by ourselves. Hopefully, they will let him go this afternoon sometime. Because he works at the hospital they have to be prepared to go into emergency mode and work around the clock. So, who knows what will happen. The winds are picking up and we have had some pretty strong rain all morning. I called New Orleans to check on my dad and grandmother. They are doing fine. No damage where they are. All the rest of the family in New ORleans, LA and Gulfport,MS have evacuated. So, we don't know if they have any damage yet. Tinley is starting to wonder what all is going on. I think she understands a little. She asked if it was going to be like the storm on Lilo & Stitch. What an imagination!!! Brock is running around happy. We are getting in all the T.V. time we can then it will be all on me to keep them occupied once we loose electricity. I'll update later when we are able too. Say lots of prayers for everyone's safety.

TUESDAY,SEPTEMBER 14,2004

I want to ask everyone to please say some extra prayers for our friend Elijah Kurtz and his family. Elijah is not doing too good. Please visit his caringbridge page and leave some words of encouragement for this wonderful family www.caringbridge.org/co/elijahkurtz
Ann has become a very good friend and has shown me lots of support these past months. She has also sent Brock some goodies in the mail. This is a wonderful family who needs a miracle from above right now.

Thank you,
Amy & Brock

SATURDAY,SEPTEMBER 11,2004

O.K. I've put off this entry all day.
Today is a very emotional day for me. It is not only a devastating date for our country. But, it is a day that one year ago turned my family's lives upside down. This is the day that Brock's heart cancer was found. We had no idea when he went in for surgery that morning what the next year would bring into our lives. Brock was only in surgery for about 45 minutes when we received a phone call to report upstairs to the CICU meeting room. I knew something terrible was wrong because his surgery was suppose to take about 2 hours. There the surgeon sat with my baby's(Brock was 5 months old) blood splattered on his mask. I had no idea what he was going to say. Before the surgery they told us his heart muscle was thickened and it was causing a small hole for the blood to flow through his heart. They were going to shave the muscle back and everything would be fine. Well the surgeon had called us in the meeting room to tell us that as soon as they opened Brock up they found a large tumor inside of his heart. I was devestated. He had stopped the surgery to come tell us. He had never seen anything like this before. There we sat as he went back into the O.R. to finish up. It was a horrible day full of unanswered questions and emotions. Now, one year later, I have a miracle baby. The cardiologist told us his prognosis was very poor. He has proven his doctor's wrong every step of the way. Even though this past year has been very hard and trying, it is definitely worth the end result. Brock is such a wonderful, fun, and loving son. I couldn't ask for a more perfect angel. Today I am both sad and joyful. Sad as I think about all the horrible things my son has gone through in his short little life. Things I don't think I would have been strong enough to overcome. Joyful that I have had him for over a year now when I didn't think we were going to see his first birthday. I thank God everyday that he looks and acts like a normal healthy 1 1/2 year old boy. Looking at him you would never know the surgeries he has had and that he has been receiving chemo for 10 months now. He is a true blessing. I want to thank everyone for there continued love and support.

Love,
Amy
P.S. Brock is back to normal. No more fever. He was fine on friday so we did not have to go back to the hospital. Tinley has her splint off and is using her arm again with no problems. The x-rays on friday were fine. We are all back to normal and have had an enjoyable weekend.

THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER 9,2004

Most of you know I usually don't update this soon. But, I had a scary morning. Brock woke up with a low grade fever. For the most part, he was acting fine. I started getting ready when I noticed him shaking. He was just standing there shivering. I never saw him do this before with a fever. He started to walk to me and started busting out crying saying "Boo-Boo". I knew he was hurting. I picked him up and layed him in the bed. He just sat there not moving. So, I layed him down and he watched me as I tried to finish dressing. He then sat up for a few minutes. Then he just fell over onto his face on the pillow. I don't know if he fell asleep or passed out. He looked very pale. I picked him up and started talking to him. He tried to look at me, but his little eyes kept rolling like he couldn't stay awake. I layed him down and finished getting dressed. I picked him up and by this time he was burning up. His fever was now 102.5 I called the clinic to let them know we were on our way. Of course, I am trying to get out of the door and there is Tinley taking her clothes off. I'm trying to dress her back and she is pulling her shoes off. I started to bring her to daycare naked. But, we got it all worked out.
At clinic they did some blood work. His blood counts had really dropped a lot. Dr.Hilliard was really stumped. The chemo he gets don't usually drop your blood that much in 30 hours. Of course, Brock's body always does its own thing. He always has to keep the doctors on there toes. His WBC's went from 7,000 to 2,000 and his Platelets from 200,000 to 90,000. This is not low enough for him to be in the hospital. So, we are back home. If he still has fever tomorrow I have to bring him back to re-check his blood. They also drew cultures from his port. They gave him IV fluids for 3 hours and IV antibiotic. Hopefully, this will help. He still don't really feel good. He is not walking very well. You can tell he is weak and feels rotten. Tomorrow I have to bring Tinley to the Orthopedic doctor. Hopefully Brock will feel better. I'll keep you updated if anything changes.

WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER 8,2004

Hey Everyone! You might have noticed I changed Brock's background and added a few pictures. I had those pics taken about 3 weeks ago at Target. I wasn't very happy with the guy who took them. But, I guess they are cute enough. So, I thought I would share them with you guys.

Brock's Oncology appointment went very well yesterday. He is now a whopping 20lbs 9oz. Praise the lord for M&M's and Cheese Puffs. I was so excited. He even grew a half inch. He is now 28 1/2" His blood counts were SUPER! His neutrophil counts is up from 800 to 3,100. Of course, we don't know why he had dropped so low 2 weeks ago. But, the important thing is he is higher now than he usually is. He is normally around 2,000. We are going to continue the appetite stimulant two more weeks and then cut the dose in half for two weeks after that. This will put us at the eight week mark for the steroid(appetite stimulant). I'm glad he will be coming off of it then. After 8 weeks is when they start to see all of the bad side affects.
The other Great news is Brock only has 4 chemo treatments left. We should finish up sometime in November. I am so excited! We will have a CT in November and then get a plan for the next year.

As always, thanks so much for checking up on us. You guys have been such great support!

Love,
Amy

P.S. Here are some pics of my wounded soldiers

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 6, 2004

On Saturday evening we took Tinley to the after hours clinic. They did another x-ray and said it looked fine. There opinion is there may be a hair line fracture that can't be seen. We are going to keep the casted splint on for about 2 weeks and re-check from there. She is use to it already. She doesn't even try to use her right arm. She is doing everything with the left and doesn't want anyone to help her. She is such a big girl! On Sunday evening, Brock took a tumble off of the front porch.

We have two steps. He fell off of the top step straight on his face onto the cement. I scooped him up quickly. He was screaming and blood was flying everywhere. It took a minute to see where it was coming from. His forehead has a HUGE cement scraped up knot. His nose is all busted up. He also had a bloody mouth. My poor children look like they have been abused. But, they are both running around happy. I'll update again after we go to the doctor on Tuesday.

SATURDAY,SEPTEMBER 4, 2004

Yesterday I met up with some of our friends at the park. The kids had a great time playing. Molly is 4, Sophia 2, Michael 3, Tinley 2 1/2, and Brock 1. Everyone had a great time running around playing. Then it started to rain on us so we all left and headed over to the McWane Center which is a big hands on science museum. It has an awesome toddler play are that is huge! We were there less than 30 minutes. When Tinley and the others started taking off running. Here goes all of us trying to catch up with them. Barry caught Tinley and held her by the hand. He fussed her for taking off and then turned to try to walk back to the rest of us. She immediately threw herself on the ground and said "NO". He tried to pull her up and she started screaming. After about 5 minutes, we realized that her right arm was hurt.

When she threw herself down, he still had a hold of her hand and it must of popped her elbow out of place. So, off to Children's E.R. we go. They thought it was a Nurse Maid elbow(dislocated elbow). So the doctor tried twice to pop it back in place. She never would take her motrin for pain. So as you can imagine the screaming that went on.

They gave her a little time to see if she would start using her arm. She still cried with it hurting. They wanted to try to pop it back in place a 3rd time. I told them no, I wanted an x-ray. By this time, I realized her wrist was hurting her the worst. So, we got elbow and wrist films. Which showed nothing but some fluid build up in the elbow. They splinted her arm and sent us on our way 4 1/2 hours later. So, we still don't know what is wrong. They thought after her arm being stable for 12 hours that she would be o.k. Well, I took her splint off earlier and she still won't use that arm. I think we are going to head over to the after hours clinic in a little while. I'll update when I know more.

Love,
Amy

TUESDAY,AUGUST 31,2004

NOTICE***NOTICE***NOTICE***NOTICE***

SEPTEMBER IS CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. PLEASE SUPPORT ANY FUNDRAISERS OR EVENTS GOING ON IN YOUR COMMUNITY. SHOW YOUR SUPPORT TO HELP FIND A CURE FOR THE HORRIBLE CANCER'S THAT AFFECT CHILDREN EVERYDAY. THE GOLD RIBBON SYMBOLIZES CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS.

Last week was a long week trying to keep both kids occupied inside. But, Brock did really well. He showed no signs of illness at all. Who knows why is neutrophil counts were so low. Hopefully when we go back to clinic Monday, they will be back to normal. I think his appetite stimulant is working a little better now. He has changed from the yogurt boy to the M&M and Cheese Puff boy. All he wants to eat is M&M's and Cheese Puff's. Of course I am letting him. My thought is More Calories! Yeah! Maybe he will have a big weight gain on his next clinic visit. He is finally starting to have an opinion about what he likes. I was worried for awhile because he never seemed interested in one thing. Well he is loving Elmo, Nemo, & Dr.Seuss. I better not leave out balls and dogs. He has really taking a liking to them.
I love to see his face light up when he sees Elmo and to hear him say it is sooo cute! Tinley has some Nemo figurines. He loves to watch Nemo and points at him on a book. But, he walks around carrying Bloat. I think Bloat is his favorite. I have to tell you, if there was a toddler car race I believe Brock would win. He rides around the house on Tinley's old princess car. He is sooo fast! You would have to see him to believe it. I never knew little legs could move soo quickly. The funniest thing happened yesterday. I looked over and Brock was sitting on this pink princess car with Tinleys pink heart shaped princess purse hanging from his arm. He was telling me Bye Bye. I cracked up! I thought if your daddy would see you he would die! I wish I could have gotten a picture of it to tease him when he brings over his girlfriends one day.
Tinley is still giving us LOTS & Lots of trouble! She is really stressing me out. She is only 2 1/2. I guess this is what they call the terrible two's. She is having these major tantrum's. Sometime's I can't get her in or out of her car seat. She is sooo strong when she goes into these fits. I hope she out grows this. What happened to my good sweet little girl?
That is about it for now. Thanks for stopping by to check on us. Please sign the guestbook to let us know you were here.

Love,
Amy

WEDNESDAY,AUGUST 25,2004

Yes, we made it back from our trip to New Orleans late Sunday night. We had a great time. But, boy am I worn out. This was my first trip with the kids by myself. They kept me quite busy. But, my family was a big help. Tinley was quite occupied playing with her friend Katie who is 1 year older than her. They had a great time. I think they had the most fun destroying baby Sean's room (I'm sorry Shannon). Brock did really well on the trip. It took him about a day to break out of his shyness. But, he started running around playing with his cousin Sean who is two months younger than him. But, little cousin Sean is actually bigger than Brock. So, Brock really thought he had to keep up. His appetite picked up on the trip. I was so excited. It took alot of that stress off of me. He is not eating nearly what he should at meals. But, he has decided to try stuff and at least take one or two bites. He is not crying and freaking out like he was last week. Hopefully before long his intake will increase. I am just letting him go at his pace which is about 10 bites of yogurt and a few froot loops or crackers.

On Thursday, me and the kids went to visit with my dad and grandma for awhile. We even took a ride and got a yummy Sno-Ball. Thursday night my sister-in-law fixed us some delicious Shrimp Etouffe and potato salad. On Friday, we ran some errands I had to get done while I was there. Then Friday night I went out to eat with my oldest brother Scott and his family. We went back to his house afterwards to visit for awhile. Tinley had fun playing with her cousin Trevor who is 7. Brock was impressed with all of the cute little girls my 15 yr old niece Heather had over. He likes looking at girls. Saturday, my brother Kevin boiled Crabs and Shrimp for us. Oh my God, they were awesome! We had a great time that day sitting around eating and letting the kids run around. There front yard is like the Fisher Price vs. Little Tykes wharehouse. The kids had a blast playing on all of the different stuff. Sunday, we packed up and headed into Slidell to my step-sisters baby shower. It was really nice. Again, there was plenty food-Shrimp mole,Crab dip,crawfish pasta,buffalo wings,veggies with spinach dip,sandwhiches,etc....... I got home with the kids about 9:30 Sunday night. As much as I have talked about the food, I ate that much. So now I have to go on a diet the next few weeks. I still feel stuffed. I miss everybody already. It always takes me a week or two to get back to normal when I come home from New Orleans.

Brock had his cardiology appointment Monday. They did an EKG and it looked good. Actually a little better than it had been. His echocardiogram looked the same. The tumor is still unchanged. We are still pleased with that. The tricuspid regurgitation is still there. We just keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't increase anymore. His liver is slightly enlarged because of this. We want to make it through the end of chemo before having to repair those valves. I think I explained that in a previous journal entry. The short story - his valves are weak due to his previous 2 heart surgeries when they removed some of the tumor. He now has blood leaking back out of his heart while it is flowing into the heart which is causing pooling in his liver. I hope that makes some sense.
Brock's Oncology appointment went fairly well. He has gained 7oz over the past 2 weeks. That was real encouraging. His doctor wasn't there so we had to see someone else. Brock's neutrophil counts were really low again 800. They gave him only half of his chemo dose and told us to keep him away from any germs. Which means stay locked up in the house for a week. If your counts reach 500 you are put in the hospital. These are the cells that fight off infection.

Yesterday was pretty hectic. I am still trying to unpack and wash clothes. Tinley can't go to daycare because of Brock's infection fighting ability being low. So she went stir crazy being inside all day yesterday. Well, that is about it for now in the Waggoner household. Thanks for taking time to visit us and read about all of our craziness(ha ha).
Love,
Amy

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18,2004

Not too much has been going on around here the past week. My mom is getting out of rehab today. They still don't know what that spot is in her spinal canal. But, they have ordered outpatient therapy for her to continue strengthening her muscles and they will followup with an MRI in a month or two to see what that spot does if anything.
Brock's eating habbits have gotten worst. Thank you those of you that told me the stories of there children's eating battles while on chemo. I am going to ask his doctor Monday about the other appetite stimulants you all have told me about. It seems like he wants to eat. But, when food gets in front of him, he FREAKS out! It is heartbreaking to see him under so much distress. He'll tell you eat eat, but when he see's the food it upsets him uncontrollably. Anyway, on that same note, I am really stressed about his eating and with everything that has been going on with my mom and Tinley going through the terrible two's, I am loading the kids up in the car today and heading down to New Orleans to stay with my brother untill Sunday. Hopefully, a change of atmosphere and a little family help will make things a little better for a few days. Thank you so much for everyone's prayers lately and for all of the kind words left in the guestbook. It means a lot to have everyone's support.

Love,
Amy

TUESDAY, AUGUST 10,2004

What a crazy time it has been lately! I've been back and forth between Brock's hopital and the hospital my mom is in. Man I need a break. To top it all off, I woke up sick this morning with a fever, GI problems, and a sinus infection. YUCK!!! I told Barry I needed a break so he called in sick to work today. Thank goodness! I needed some rest. He worked on Saturday all day and on Sunday we had to run a bunch of errands. Monday, I took Brock to get his chemotherapy. All of his blood counts were wonderful. He was able to get all of his treatments. However, he has not gained any weight. She looked back and over the past 8 weeks he has only gained 6oz. He is falling further and further under the growth chart. I know he doesn't eat much but he doesn't look that under weight to me. So now I am really stressed about his eating situation. I told the doctor he has really gotten bad lately. He won't hardly eat his yogurt anymore. That was the one thing we could count on before to get calories in him. I have to force feed him while he screams. It breaks my heart. I feel like I am being cruel, but I know I have to get some calories in him. She wants him to stay on his Enfamil formula until the end of the year because that is the only way we are getting all of his nutrients and majority of calories in him. I guess he will be on a bottle untill he is 2. But, that is O.K., whatever it takes to help him gain weight. The hard thing was I was given 3 options to help his eating. 1)An appetite stimulant 2)occupational therapist interaction or 3)TP feeding tube again. I hope I made the right decision. We are trying the appetite stimulant Megace(megestrol). The only problem is it is a steroid and he can only be on it for about 6-8 weeks because there are alot of side effects (high blood pressure, diabetes, bone density loss, liver function, etc...) I hope it can make a difference in a couple of weeks then we can come off of it. On our next visit in two weeks, we will check his weight and depending on how he has done on the medicine we may see the therapist then. Last resort would be the feeding tube.
My mom was moved yesterday to a rehab hospital. They are going to try to strengthen her arms and legs. We still don't have the spinal fluid results in. We are just waiting patiently. She feels good but is very nervous to find out what her future holds.
Thank you for stopping by to check on us. It really means a lot to us to have everyone's continuous support. Please sign the guestbook to let us know you stopped by.

Love,
Amy,Barry,Tinley,& Brock

THURSDAY, AUG.5,2004

We went yesterday to get Brock's first hair cut. Here are some pictures of the big event!

BEFORE

AFTER
He looks all grown up now. He has been so much fun this week. Even though we have been spending all of our time at the hospital with my mom, he has been very good. He has become quite a PawPaw's boy. Today I have had a break from the hospital. My grandmother and grandfather came in town yesterday evening. So, they are at the hospital with her. We still don't have much news on her diagnosis. They said it may be Saturday before we have the spinal fluid results. Hopefully, that will give us the answers. There guess is tumor or Multiple Sclerosis. But, they are only guessing at this point. The cervical myelogram showed the area of concern but didn't give any answers. Hopefully, the lab tests will answer our unknown questions. Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers. It has been a difficult week.

I want to thank Ann and Elijah Kurtz for the wonderful gift they sent to Brock. It meant so much to us. Especially getting happy meal this week when things have been crazy. It was a wonderful pick me up. Brock has really enjoyed his book.

THANK YOU ELIJAH!

TUESDAY, AUG.3,2004

We had a great week last week. On Thursday, we played with a friend of ours. Saturday, we had a birthday party to go to and then that afternoon we had a friend come over and play. We had a great time. Brock is feeling great and is back to his normal routines.
For the bad news, I spent all day yesterday at the hospital with my mom and I am headed back over there in a little while. She had neck surgery back in Jan. They repaired a herniated disc that was pressing on her spinal cord. Well, she has progressively gotten worst since the surgery. She went to a different neurologist for a second opinion. They did a total body MRI last week and found a concerned area in her spinal canal. They believe it could be a tumor. She lost some feeling in her back on Sunday. She called me yesterday morning to take her to the hospital. She was admitted and they are doing a cervical myelogram today and testing her spinal fluid and cells to see if they can find out what this ball is in her spinal canal. So, things have gotten crazy this week. Please say extra prayers for my mom and our family.
Love,
Amy

TUESDAY, JULY, 27,2004

Hey Ya'll,
I hope everyone had a great weekend. On Friday, Brock and I just hung out at the house. I was really tired all day. Didn't do much of anything. Tinley went to daycare. It was swim day and she had a great time. Saturday we had a birthday party to go to for some friends of ours. It was a lot of fun. Boy was it HOT!!! The kids went in the swimming pool, jumped on the trampoline, and slid down this great big blowup slide that you put soap on. It is like an oversized slip n slide. They had a great time. We got home really late. Sunday, we went to church and out to eat lunch afterwards. Sunday night was a little concert at the church. It was Awesome! They had hamburgers and hot dogs when it was finished.
Yesterday, Monday, was Brock's doctors appointments. We went to see the cardiologist. He said everything looked great! We were really happy. His echocardiogram looked good. He still has the leakage in his heart. But, he is tolerating it well and hopefully we can go another year before we have to repair it. Then we went to Oncology clinic. Brock's blood work was back to normal. What a relief! I'm really happy they didn't have to do all those test they were talking of before if his counts didn't recover. All looked good and he received 100 percent of his chemo. He even gained 7oz. in the past two weeks. We had an exciting day full of good news. Yesterday evening, the weather was horrible. Lots of lightning and rain. Some areas of town were flooded. We stayed inside and ordered pizza. Well I am off to clean house. I found out at 7pm last night that my mother-in-law is coming in town from Mississippi and she is stopping by some time today to visit. AAAAAHHHHHHHHH my house is a wreck after being on the go so much this weekend and yesterday. As you can imagine Brock 15 months old and Tinley 2 1/2 years old can make quite a mess. Hope everyone has a great week!
Hugs and kisses to everyone,

THURSDAY,JULY 22,2004

This has been an uneventful week for us. Which is always nice. We have just been hanging out here at the house. Yesterday, we got out to deliver meals to the shut-ins in the area. Then I went to the medical library to do some research on Brock's tumor. Trying to find some info on a little girl in Virginia at Charlottesville that may have had the same thing as Brock. I'm going to try to take the kids to the Birmingham Zoo this morning

. Tinley's favorite animal is

&Brock's favorite is to ride the

.

SUNDAY,JULY18,2004

Just a quick update before we are off to church. We have had a nice week. On Wednesday, me and the kids spent the day outside swinging and swimming. Well, Tinley swam and Brock didn't want to do anything but swing. On Thursday, we went to Oak Mountain State Park here in Birmingham. Tinley went fishing

with her PawPaw there. Tinley caught 2 fish. PawPaw and daddy caught 0! Not bad for a first timer. She was quite pleased with herself. Then we let her go swimming for a little while. There is a little beach at the park. Brock can't swim in public water like that so he just hung out under the umbrella with Nana & PawPaw. On Friday, Tinley had swim day at daycare so I let her go for the day. She was really excited. Brock and I just hung out at the house and played all day. On Saturday, we stayed home all day. Barry took the kids off in the morning for a little while so I could have some quite time. It was great!!! Today we are off to church and then to meet Barry's sister and family for lunch. Then we have a birthday party to go to this afternoon. Lyn is going to keep Brock while we go to the party so he is not exposed to all of those little kids while his counts are still low. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Tuesday,July 13,2004

Hey everyone,
Yesterday was the big day to find out how Brock has recovered. We went to see the Oncologist. Of course, he lost a little weight. I kind of suspected he would. His blood counts have come up a little since we were released from the hospital. However, they are still low and not near where they use to. They don't understand why his counts did this. Expecially now that he gets chemo every two weeks and not every week like he use to. Also, the chemo he is receiving Methotrexate and Vinblastine usually don't attack the neutrophils like it has Brock. What the heck is going on?

They are going to keep a close watch on him. If his blood counts continue to act funny, they may do a test to test his bone marrow. I don't know what all that involves. Due to all of this, he only received 50 percent of his chemo doses yesterday. I just pray that the next two weeks he will recover from this. We don't go back to clinic until July 26 unless we see a fever or anything else out of the ordinary.

Last week while we were under house arrest(ha ha ha). Stuck inside so we wouldn't catch any germs

. Brock began to take a few steps

. It won't be long before he is running around. I was really excited. Also, I was able to get Tinley potty trained

. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We only had accidents the first two days. No accidents since last Wednesday! I also spent the week cleaning house

and cooking

YUCK!

Thanks for checking on us.
Love,
The Waggoners

Sunday, July 4, 2004 2:00 PM CDT

NEW PICTURES IN PHOTO ALBUM!!!

Wow, I have a lot of updating to do! So, I will start with the most recent and work my way back to our vacation.
Last Monday, June 28, we started off our day 8am at UAB Hospital. Brock had an EKG and Echocardiogram done. Everything looks fine. No changes in the past 8 weeks. His cardiologist is shooting for us to get through chemotherapy, which will be November, before Brock will have to have his heart valves repaired. We pray that the tricuspid regurgitation (leakage) he is having will not back up the liver too bad. We want him to finish chemo so he will be stronger to overcome another open heart surgery.
Then we were off to Children's Hospital at 10am. Brock had his port accessed and labs drawn. About 1pm it was time for us to see the doctor. Everything was normal, all of his blood counts looked great. The nurse came in and gave Brock his chemotherapy drugs. We were back home around 3:30pm. Everything was going well. On Tuesday around 2pm Brock had a fever of 101.2. I called Clinic 5 (oncology). His doctor told me to monitor him and if he had a fever on Wed. to call them. During the night we got up to 102.5 and in the morning 100.8 with tylenol on board. They told me to come on back to the hospital and they would recheck his labs. Tinley had a 9am dentist appointment (her 1st check up) she is now 2 1/2yrs.old. She was such a big girl! They said her teeth were perfect. Then we were off to Children's Hospital. They cultured Brock's port to check for infection and ran other labs. Dr.Hilliard came in and said we would have to be admitted. His neutrophil counts were only 300. These are the part of the White Blood Cells that fight off infection. You are admitted when you drop below 500. She couldn't believe that this happened so quickly. The type of chemo he receives normally doesn't do this. There conclusion was Brock was brewing some sort of fever virus when he received his chemo on Monday. The combination really attacked his blood cells. Of course I am freaking out because I never expected to be admitted and this was the first time I had brought Tinley with me for Brock's doctor visit. I had to find someone to come pick her up. My sister-in-law came and picked her up before she had to rush off to a swim meet with her two girls. She stopped at the store and bought diapers and borrowed some clothes for Tinley from a neighbor. On Thursday Brock's counts started to recover to 590, no fever, and platelets were 96,000. All was looking good. On Friday, counts dropped back down to 400. Monocytes went from 40o 12Then came the typical response from the doctors. Brock has really stumped us. We don't know why his blood counts are acting the way they are. The type of chemotherapy Brock receives shouldn't do that. Of course Brock's body has never done what they told me in the past. He has always proven them wrong and done complete opposite. They said there was no more they could do for him. They couldn't find any signs of infection, his port was clear, ears clear,no more fever, urine clear, and lungs clear. They sent us home. I couldn't believe. The same reason we were admitted, we were being sent home with low blood counts.
My conclusion, we were better off at home since they weren't treating us. He was not critical enough to be in isolation. So, he was exposed to the cleaning people coming in and out, the cafeteria people delivering meals, all of the different nurses and aids, doctors and residents, and other family members visiting there loved ones. We are more germ free at home. We are confined to the house for a week. No visitors or outings. We go back in for a re-check July 12.

Two weeks ago, we headed to New Orleans for Sean's 1st birthday party(my brothers son). Then the next day we headed over to Gulfport,MS to my mother-in-laws house to eat lunch and spend some time visiting. That evening we headed to Gulf Shores,AL to the beach to stay with some friends from Sun-Fri. It was a lot of fun. Brock couldn't go into the ocean because of his port. But, he had lots of fun playing in the sand. The condo had a really awesome kid pool. It took him a day to get used to it. We couldn't keep him out of it after that. We spent all day, everyday at the pool. Tinley proved to be a natural in the water. We put floaties on her and she swam like a fish. She missed most of her nap times. Weather was beautiful with only one day of rain that kept us indoors. Gosh, I wish we were still there. It was nice to be away from doctors and hospitals. Everyone felt great the whole time and we had no worries. Now we are back to normal life and reality.
Thank you so much for keeping up with Brock and our Family. It means so much to us. It gets lonely here sometimes. I love to read everyones messages in the guestbook. Brock has gotten to where he enjoys me sharing them with him too. If you are reading this, please let us know you were thinking of us and drop us a line in the guestbook.

Lots of Love,
The Waggoners

P.S. Thank you so much Kristin & Leslie for tracking us down in the hospital and checking on us. It really meant alot to Barry and I. It is wonderful to have such great friends.
Also, thank you Nana & PawPaw(or as Brock would say, Thk u) for bringing my Cozy Coupe red car to my hospital room. I absolutely love it!!! Besides playing with my little people, My red car is the best! I ride it all over the house.

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

UPDATE 5pm:
Brock is admitted to Children's Hospital. He could not recover from his fevers. They cultured his port and checked his blood counts. His blood counts were perfect on Monday and today they had bottomed out. I didn't catch all of the numbers because Tinley was running around screaming as I was talking to his doctor. I just ran home to grab some clothes and a toothbrush. I have to get back to the hospital. Will update when I know more.

QUICK UPDATE 8am:
We returned from vacation this weekend. Things got crazy on Sat. We have been non stop. Brock started getting sick Sunday night. We spent the day Monday at Children's Hospital and UAB for all of his normal stuff chemo, echocardiogram, and ekg. I am headed back to Children's right now. His fevers have gotten worst since Sunday. Will give full details on doctor visits and vacation as soon as I get a chance.

FRIDAY,JUNE 18,2004

We are so excited!We are leaving for New Orleans (home for me) today. Tomorrow is my nephew's 1yr. B-day party. Then we will leave on Sunday and head over to Gulfport,MS to visit my mother-in-law. Then Sunday evening we are heading out on vacation to the beach. We are excited. This is a long overdue vacation. We are staying with two other friends of ours. 6 adults and 5 kids (1-4yrs.old) in 1 place. I don't think there will be much relaxation. But, it will be fun. I will miss reading all of your messages. Will check on my caring bridge friends when we get back in a week.

TUESDAY,JUNE 15,2004

Hello everyone,
We had a great Oncology visit yesterday. Brock's blood counts were all within the normal range. He gained 6 oz. from two weeks ago. He is now 18lbs 15oz. We are really happy with the continued weight gain. Life is a lot easier without that feeding tube. Brock received 100f his chemo doses. We didn't get to see his normal Oncologist. She was in a meeting. Dr.Berkow came in to see us. He was nice. It is always different seeing someone else. They don't go over the same things with you that you are use too. Well, we are pleased with all of the results. Brock has recovered well from his surgery on Friday. He does have a lot of nasal drainage right now. But, as always, he his a fighter and doesn't let anything slow him down.
He started climbing up and down the steps last week(scares me to death). Still not walking or crawling, but he scoots around on his behind and walks around holding on to things. He ate a fish stick last night. We were really excited. It was a change from our normal 3 meal a day yogurt. I hope he starts eating different foods soon. I have to run around to all of the different groceries and buy up all of there Dannon Strawberry/Vanilla yogurt because that is ALL he will eat. He won't eat any other brand or flavor. I have tried them all!!!

PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK OUT BROCK'S NEW SPREADING SMILES QUILT. THERE IS A LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. IT IS BEAUTIFUL!
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
LOVE, AMY & BROCK

FRIDAY,JUNE 11,2004

WE'RE HOME! Brock's surgery went very well. They removed both of his ear tubes and cleaned his ears out. They put new tubes in his ears. He came back into his room wide awake and ready to play. He did really good. He is back to eating and playing normal. I was really nervous and couldn't sleep last night. Now I am screaming with joy!!!

THURSDAY,JUNE 10,2004

What a rotten week this is turning out to be. I got a call Tuesday night that a storm came through New Orleans and tore the whole roof off of a local store and it landed on the top of my dad's house and the neighbor on both sides of his house. It smooshed his boat, shed, and work equipment. He doesn't know how much house damage he has yet. Thank goodness he wasn't home when it happened.
Yesterday, Brock had an ENT appointment. I was rushing to get there and I started smelling something. I pulled over and Brock had thrown up EVERYWHERE! It was horrible. I stripped him down on the side of the road and cleaned him up. Thank goodness I had Tinley's car seat in the car. I put him in her seat and headed to our appointment. His doctor told us that his right ear is completely blocked. He has already had two rounds of antibiotic ear drops, 7 days of vinegar drops, and has had it vacuumed out since April. He said he doesn't know what is causing the blockage. Brock has to have surgery tomorrow to remove his tubes, clean out his ear, and replace with new tubes. Hopefully this will fix the problem. I just hate that he has to be put asleep yet again. He has been put asleep 10 times in the past 9 months. He has thrown up this morning too. I don't know what is making him throw up. Maybe his chemo? But, he received chemo last week. Maybe the ear blockage is causing him to be dizzy?
The rest of yesterday wasn't anybetter. I rushed home to get the car cleaned up and give Brock a bath. I got home at 10:15 and I had to be at the firestation for 11:00 to deliver meals to the elderly. I made it at 11:15. When I finished, I had to go pick my mother up to bring her to her doctor's appointment. She lives 30min.north of me. Then I had to drop her off at the hospital in Birmingham and I had to go to Children's Hospital to get Brock cleared with Anesthesia for his surgery. Barry picked my mom up when he got off, then he picked Tinley up from daycare. Then his brakes went out. I had to go meet him at the service station and pick them up so he could have his breaks repaired. Now I am home today with the kids and no car. That's o.k. I don't feel up to doing much anyway after the day I had yesterday and we will have to leave at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow to go to Children's Hospital. I will update when we get back home.

MONDAY,JUNE 7,2004

Brock had his Cardiology appointment today. He had an echocardiogram done. We discussed three different issues. 1)From a tumor standpoint the heart looks great. The tumor has not changed in shape or size since November. It is not causing any trouble in the heart at this time. We are really excited about that. 2)Brock continues to have leakage in his pulmonary valve. It is called Tricuspid Regurgitation (however you spell it). The blood returning to the heart is not continuing to pump through the heart. Some of it leaks backward. This is caused by his weak valves. Eventually we will need surgery to correct this. As of right now, Brock is doing fine. They will keep a close eye on it. Surgery will only be done when the timing is right and it seems to be giving him serious trouble. It is causing his liver to enlarge or as they call it Liver Congestion. This is because the valves aren't keeping the blood flowing through the heart and some of it is leaking or pooling in the liver. When he has his heart surgery it will correct the liver problem. This issue really sucks because I never expected us to have liver problems. I guess I was always so focused on the heart. Speaking of the heart... 3) The third issue discussed is Brock is now placed on the inactive status of the Heart Transplant List. This means he is not critical for a heart. They have all of the information they need to keep him listed. However, they will not call us or his cardiologist unless we tell them he needs to have a transplant. I am so happy and relieved about this issue. I have been praying about it for awhile now. I was really nervous about getting a phone call that a heart would be available and Barry and I didn't feel like he needed a transplant at this time. I'm glad we don't have to make that decision.

THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2004

Hey Everyone, Sorry I havn't updated sooner. I have been quite busy. Of course we were at Children's Hospital most of the day on Tuesday getting Chemo. Brock did really well. All of his blood counts had recovered and are back to normal. I was so happy. His RBC's were the highest they have ever been since our journey began. That was really good news. Brock received 100f his chemo and will go back in two weeks. He also gained weight (YIPPEE)!
He was 18lbs two weeks ago and is now a whopping 18lbs 9oz.
Last Friday was the first day I have been back to work since September. It was really hard leaving Brock. It felt like the first day I had left him to go back to work after he was born. But, I got through the day and it was really fun. I was able to have adult conversations all day and have a peaceful lunch. I didn't have to gobble down my food worrying if he would wake up from his nap before I finished. In case anyone of you are wondering what kind of work I do. I do Bone Density Scans. I also worked yesterday, Wednesday. I'm only filling in if someone is sick or needs a day off. So it won't be very often.
Tinley started K-2 this week. She loves it. The class is a lot more structured. She is going to have bike day and swim day every week. She is really excited.

I want to say a very special Thank You to Kimbra for helping me add some things to Brock's webpage. I couldn't have done it without your help. Thanks a Bunch!
Also, Thank you to Helen for making Brock's Banner. We love it. It is beautiful. You are a gifted young lady.

Thank you for checking up on Brock and keeping up with his progress. He is feeling really well. We have our Cardiology and ENT appointments next week. Keep us in your prayers.

Love,
The Waggoners

Sunday, May 30,2004

Brock has had a great week. This was his first break from chemotherapy. We went to the Zoo on Thursday. He had the best time. He loved watching all of the animals. He fussed at the Billy Goat. It wanted to lick his toes.
He had an ENT appointment on Friday. It was a routine follow up from his tubes and adenoid surgery in March. His right ear has a blockage. They want us to do vinegar drops for 7 days and come back in on June 9th to re-check. If it is not clear they may have to do surgery again. Please pray his ear will clear up. Those tubes are suppose to help. I don't know why ther always has to be a problem. Anyway, Brock is happy and scooting around the house. We have a new tooth that came in top right all the way in the back. I couldn't believe it when I found it.
We go back to the Oncologist on Tuesday. I'll have an update then.

Tuesday,May18,2004
We had our final weekly dose of chemotherapy yesterday. I can't believe 27 weeks have gone by already. Brock still has to receive his chemo every other week for 26 more weeks. Hopefully the week off in between doses will allow him to strengthen more. Brock has gained more weight!!! We are so excited he is now 18lbs. His nutrionist came in to see us. She said he looks great and to keep up what we are doing with him. However, he is still off of the growth chart. The very low end of the growth chart for his age is 19 1/2 lbs. Hopefully we can reach that goal soon. He should be taking in 950 calories a day. They want him to have 17oz. of formula. We are lucky if he drinks 12 oz. But, we will continue to try. He eats about 20 oz. of yogurt a day. That is good because there is 120 calories in 4 oz. We just can't get him interested in other foods. She said not to give up. To just keep offering different things everyday even if he don't eat it. His blood counts have dropped by 50 We were really shocked at his numbers. The doctor kept saying are you sure he hadn't been sick the last couple of days. Brock hasn't been happier this past week. He has been so energetic and eating a lot more (yogurt of course). There is no way he has been sick at all the past week. She only gave him half of his chemotherapy dose. She didn't want his counts to drop anymore and have to have a blood transfusion.
Continue all of your prayers. They are working!!!!!!!!
Don't forget to let us know you stopped by to check on us by signing Brock's guestbook.
We love you,
Amy, Barry, Tinley, & Brock

I want to send a special Thank You to Palmerdale United Methodist Child Care Center for dedicating there Annual Yearbrook to Brock. I was so touched. I got home and just cried and cried. You guys have been so wonderful and supportive. We love everyone for taking good care of Tinley while Brock has been sick. We can't wait until the day Brock can return and play with you guys again. We love you!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 3:40 PM CDT

We have had a great week. On Monday, Brock had an echocardiogram done. Everything still looks the same as it did three weeks ago. The right atrium is still enlarged. But, it has not changed in size in the past 6 weeks. As long as it stays the same, it should not have any affects on Brock. The tumor still remains unchanged. There is just a little residual tumor left from his surgeries along the border of the septum. But it has remained unchanged since November. We are now moving to a monthly schedule for echocardiograms. I am excited about that. It gives us a break from going to UAB so often.
At Children's Hospital we just finished week 26 of Chemotherapy. This is our half way point. I can't believe it is here already. Brock is tolerating his chemo so much better now. His blood counts looked great this week. He is back up to 100ose of his chemotherapy medications. He also gained weight (YEAH!!!!!We are so excited we don't have to get a feeding tube)He was 16lbs 11oz. last week and this week he is 17lbs 3oz. Thank you so much for praying for his appetite. It really worked!!! Brock has to get a CAT San tomorrow at Children's. It is routine to have one done halfway through chemo. Brock has started getting blisters in his mouth this past week from his chemo. They told us at the beginning this was a side effect. But, it never occurred before. It hasn't seemed to bother him from eating. We also have two more teeth coming in at the top. This will total 4 teeth in 2 weeks.
We will keep you updated. Thanks for checking on Brock.

Love, The Waggoners

Friday, May 7, 2004 10:08 AM CDT

Well this has been a much better week for Brock. It started out slow, but he has improved everyday. On Monday we had our usual Oncology appointment. Dr.Hilliard only gave Brock 75% of his chemo dose because his blood counts had dropped due to the virus he had. He lost more weight. He has lost weight two weeks in a row. He is now 16lbs 11oz. If we don't see a weight gain by Monday the doctor said he will have to get his feeding tube put back in. We have really been forcing him to eat this week. He is just not very interested in food. However, he is starting to eat more than he had last week. Hopefully it will be enough to put some weight on him.
Brock finally got his first tooth on Sunday and his second tooth on Tuesday. We are so excited. He also started giving hugs this week and playing pat-a-cake. He is a little behind on his learning skills. But, it is all coming together and he is starting to progress well. He has come such a long way. He is so strong and happy.
Thank you for keeping up with Brock's progress. Please visit his Quilt of Love. There is a link at the bottom of this page to access his Quilt. It is beautiful!!!!

Love,
The Waggoner's

Friday, April 30,2004

What a busy and tiresome weekend we had. Friday night Tinley spent the whole night throwing up. We had to bathe her 4 times during the night. She was back to her normal self on Saturday. On Saturday night, Brock began coughing really bad. He had a slight cough earlier in the week. However, Saturday night it got a lot worst. On Sunday afternoon, Brock began running fever. I took him for his Oncology appointment on Monday. He still had fever on Monday. They only gave him one of his chemo drugs. Dr.Hilliard feared giving him both would only make him weaker. It would be harder to fight off this virus he may have. However, they did a culture of his port to be certain that it isn't the source of the fever. We pray that the port is not infected. We do not want to have surgery again to have the port replaced. He is really having a hard time with this cough. They said it could last as long as two weeks or more because the chemotherapy prevents you from fighting it off quicker. We pray that it doesn't lapse into pneumonia. We are awaiting a call back from Clinic 5 at Children's Hospital to see if we need to go into the hospital today. This morning Brock's fever got up to 102.8. We had to bring Tinley to the emergency after hours clinic yesterday evening. When we picked her up from daycare they think she put her earing back up in her nose. Tinley is telling us it is in her nose. They did x-rays and couldn't find anything. We have to watch to make sure she doesn't get an infection on one side of her nose that would indicate the earring back would be in her sinuses.

Please pray for Brock. Pray that he can fight off this cough and fever. Also, pray that is port is not infected.

Love, The Waggoners

Update:
Brock is finally starting to feel better. Sorry it took so long to update. We have been very busy all week. We were back in the Hospital on Tuesday. Brock christened the Oncology department by throwing up everywhere!!!
They finall took us in a room and he threw up in there too. Brock received IV fluids to keep him from dehydrating. His chest x-ray looked good. We got home at 5:30. It was a very tiring day. Barry finally got off of work at 3pm and was able to come relieve me to use the bathroom and get something to eat. In the meantime, Daycare found the back to Tinley's earring. Thank goodness it is not in her nose. We stayed home on Wednesday. He seemed to be doing a little better. But, on Thursday, he started feeling really bad. I couldn't get his fever of 102.5 to break. We took him to the after hours clinic at 6:00 pm. They did a chest x-ray and some labwork. He has some linear streaking on his chest due to all of his congestion. He also has pus in his right ear. They changed his antibiotic and started him back on his ear drops. Hopefully this round will take care of whatever infection he has going on.
Thank you for checking on us.
Please check out Brock's Quilt of Love. There is a link at the bottom of the page to go to his quilt.

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 1:24 PM CDT

Brock had his Cardiology and Oncology appointments on Monday. His echocardiogram looked good. His right atrium is still enlarged. However, the measurements are the same from his last echo three weeks ago. Brock received his weekly doses of his chemotherapy. He is tolerating it well this week. We did have to see the ENT on Monday. He had drainage from his right ear. They vacuumed out the fluid and sent it to the lab to culture it. It's been one month since Brock had his tubes put in his ears. He has done well till this past weekend. We had a great night last night. He slept from 9 pm until 8 am. That's a first!!!!
I was way pass due (1 year) for a full night of sleep.

Brock's Birthday was wonderful. Thank you so much for all who came to his party and for all the cards we received in the mail. We truly appreciate it.

Don't forget to sign the guestbook. We love hearing from everyone.

Love,
The Waggoners

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 10:58 AM CST

Brock had his cardiology and oncology appointments yesterday. The echocardiogram showed no changes in the size and appearance of his tumor. However, his right atrium is slightly enlarged due to tricuspid regurgitation. This is occurring due to his heart surgeries he had. The leaflets are not keeping up with the growth of his heart. The cardiologist is going to keep a close watch on it. His oncology appointment went well and Brock received his normal doses of chemotherapy.

Visit Brock's photo album. I finally added some pictures.
Brock' Birthday party will be Saturday, April 10 from 11:00 till 1:00 at Overton park in Mountain Brook. We will have an Easter egg hunt and the Easter Bunny will be by to visit.
Come join us to celebrate a blessed year with God's little Angel, our miracle baby!

Monday, March 22, 2004 7:23 PM CST

Brock's surgery was very successful on Friday. He had his tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed. By the end of the day, he was back to his old self. His chemotherapy went well today. All of Brock's blood counts are back to normal. We are getting ready for Brock's 1st Birthday on April 5. We can't wait. We have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for.

Love, The Waggoner's

Wednesday, March 10, 2004 12:06 PM CST

Brock had his cardiology appointment on Monday. He had an echocardiogram done. Everything looks fine. There is still some residual tumor. However, it is not showing any signs of growth. We pray that his chemotherapy will eventually shrink it. We just finished week 16 of his chemo therapy. Brock gets Chemotherapy every week for 26 weeks. After 26 weeks he will get a CT scan and then get Chemotherapy every other week for 26 weeks. He is having a good week. No vomitting so far. We are getting ready for his great-grandmother's 90th Birthday party on Sunday in Oneonta. Thank you for visiting Brock's website and keeping up with his progress. We love each and everyone of you.

Tuesday, March 2, 2004 6:49 PM CST

Brock had an ENT appointment yesterday. We have been questioning if his ears were infected because he has been digging in them for some time now. His Oncologist has been telling us they looked fine. Well, he has been snoring lately and I thought we better get his ears and adenoids checked at an ENT. Well, sure enough, he has fluid in both ears. Dr.Hill sent us to get a hearing test done and Brock has some hearing loss. He is going to get tubes put in his ears on March 19. At the time of surgery, he will decide whether to take out his adenoids. If his adenoids look O.K. he is going to schedule a Sleep Apnea test to be done at a later time.
We are really excited. Brock has had his feeding tube out for a little over a week and has begun eating on his own in the past five days. He is drinking his bottles with no problem now. He was only drinking 7oz. a day when they put the tube in back in December. We are now up to 14 oz. since the tube has been out. He is eating some foods too. He loves yogurt and pudding. We can't get him to eat baby food, he doesn't like it. If he would get any teeth I think he would love table food. We went for Brock's Chemo today and he has finally gained weight and weighs more than he has ever had 16lbs 10oz. We are sooo excited. All his blood work turned out good today. His RBC's are a little low but they believe it is from his surgery last Wednesday and expects it to improve. He received all of his chemo today. We pray that he won't have too much vomitting the next few days and keeps his appetite up so we can keep the feeding tube out.
Thanks for visiting Brock's website. Please sign our guest book.
Love, The Waggoners

Thursday, February 26, 2004 3:33 PM CST

Brock had surgery yesterday at Children's Hospital to replace his port-a-cath. His doctor felt like it was at risk for an infection. One of the stitches holding his port had irritated the skin underneath causing a pimple looking sore at the port sight. It caused Brock to have fever for 2 weeks. They decided to remove it. They placed a new port-a-cath on the same side, just slightly higher up.

Thursday, February 26, 2004 12:23 AM CST

Brock's History Aug.2003-Feb.2003
Brock went to his pediatrician for his four month well visit and immunizations. A loud heart murmur was found that was not present before. We were sent to UAB to a cardiologist. An echocardiogram was performed and showed right ventricular hypertrophy and an unusual appearance of a narrow right ventricular outflow tract. Brock had a cardiac catheterization on Sept.9,2003. The RV outflow was severely narrowed. Cardiac catheterization was unsuccessful. Brock had his first open heart surgery on Sept.11,2003. Most of the tumor was removed. On Oct.6,2003 we began to see new tumor growth. Brock was immediately started on steroids. They were hoping the steroids may shrink the tumor since it had an inflammatory classification. On Oct. 22,2003 Brock had to go to Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans, LA for a Cardiac MRI. The MRI gave us a better look at the areas around the heart to make sure there was no other tumors. The MRI confirmed the tumor was localized to the Right Ventricle and RV outflow tract. On Nov. 6, 2003 Brock had his second open heart surgery. Again, Dr.Pacifico removed as much tumor as possible. There is some residual tumor that could not be removed without damage the the walls of the heart. Brock began Chemotherapy at Children's Hospital on November 19. Brock has to have Chemotherapy done every week for one year. On November 26, Brock had surgery to place a Port-A-Cath. Brock has very bad veins and a port-a-cath was necessary to administer his chemotherapy and draw his blood every week. On Dec.10,2003 Brock was admitted to Children's Hospital for a blood transfusion. At this time they placed a TP Feeding tube in through his nose. Brock wasn't eating very well and was loosing weight. He would only take up to 7 oz. of formula a day. The feeding tube has helped him gain a little weight. Brock has a lot of vomitting every week from his chemo. He doesn't sleep very well, he is up about every 1-2 hours.
Please pray that the chemotherapy continues to help Brock's tumor. We have not seen any growth of the residual tumor. Also, we pray that Brock's appetite will increase so he can begin to gain weight. His weight is way below the chart for his age.
Thank you for visiting our website and keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers.

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