Wednesday, July 2, 2003 4:42 PM CDT

2 Radiation treatments down!! Only 28 more to go!!!

Luke suffered with a severe headache last night. We were headed out for dinner and had to come back to the room because he was crying so hard. After some tylenol, cheese pizza and lots of games with Daddy he was able to go to sleep feeling better. I mentioned this to the doctors today and they said it is common for patients receiving radiation to the brain to have a headache, especially the first time. Today went like clockwork!! Once again, as they called him back he cryed a little but after about 45 seconds of "happy juice" he was sound asleep. I was able to observe the treatment from the monitors today. Initially I was overcome with emotion as I saw my baby lay lifeless, face down as they adjusted his head and neck to get it just perfect. Now I know why he had a headache. After the fact, I am very glad I was able to see exactly what goes on. His treatment probably only lasts 15 minutes, he receives 9 beams of radiation (they reposition either the table he lays on or the actual machine between each ray). It's the preparation that takes time. It took him about 30 minutes to wake up. He was much happier today!!(FYI-Luke is fascinated with THE INCREDIBLE HULK especially since he has discovered that THE HULK became THE HULK because of radiation. Luke has asked his doctor if this is going to happen to him-he is practicing faces in the mirror to see what happens. So far...he's still Luke. Today the nurse put a HULK sticker on his shirt and when he woke up he thought that THE HULK actually visited him while in radiation and gave it to him. The nurses wanted to paint his fingernails green but my husband wouldn't go for that=) No chocolate chip pancakes today, instead he wanted PASTA!! Tomorrow's radiation is at 7:45a.m. and then we are off to the airport for a weekend at home. HIP HIP HOORAY!!!! We are excited about going home.
Speaking of home...God has blessed us with the opportunity of meeting many special friends here. Two of our buddies are going home (for good other than check ups). Drake from Texas and Brandon from Washington. Although, we are very happy for then we are going to miss them. They both had brain tumors and have gone through surgeries and extensive treatments. Drake has a caringbridge web page, stop by and say Hi www.caringbridge.org/tx/drakedahn
Please continue to pray for Luke. The pic line has worked great so far, please pray this line will last for the entire course of treatment. We are claiming there will be NO complications and with each treatment this tumor is decreasing and being destroyed forever.
We are trying to go through this with our eyes open and asked The Lord to show us exactly what he has for us to see. He continues to bless us and we continue to thank him for everything.

Wishing you all a Happy 4th of July!!!


In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Tuesday, July 1, 2003 3:00 PM CDT

1 Radiation treatment down!! Only 29 more to go!!!!!

Our morning started off with lots of questions from Luke, which is very normal. Are we going to the hospital? What are doing there? Am I going to get a shot?(Can Spiderman beat up Superman?) I never know how much he is going to process but I did tell him he was getting his first radiation treatment today. Don't ask me why but those words lead him to a mini-melt down. "I don't want to go" he said but after redirecting and distracting, which we have become very good at, he was ready to go. Today being his first treatment was much longer as they had to take films and make sure the radiation alignment was correct. As they called his name to go back, he didn't want to go but they let us all go back (initially) and that made him better. Payton packed her back pack with toys and played with him while the anesthesiologist prepared everything. Damian then took him into the actual room where the radition is done, held him and after about 45 seconds he was asleep. Damian laid him down on his body mold (face down,oxygen is put under his nose)and then Damian was able to observe the entire procedure from another room where monitors were. As I said, today was longer so in about an hour he was finished. They called us to recovery in another hour,where we found Luke wide awake and... GROUCHY!!!! They told us the sedation usually takes about an hour to wear off. As we got to the car he told us he was hungry and wanted "Chocolate" (What else right?) So... he got to have chocolate chip pancakes!!!! In about an hour he was feeling like his old self.(General anesthesia for breakfast, chocolate chip pancakes for lunch, running around way before dinner-Life is GOOD!!!) Half way through his treatments they will start giving him something for nausea, half way is when he will probably start to lose his hair. He has already gotten a package of some really neat hats (Thanks Aunt Darla). Tomorrow his radiation is at 9:00 a.m.
We are very excited about going home on Thursday afternoon.
Although is it only a quick week end it will be great to see our family and friend and sleep in our own beds. They scheduled Luke's radiation for 7:45a.m. so we will have plenty of time to get to the airport.
THANK YOU GOD FOR THE FIRST OF 30 SUCCESSFUL RADIATION TREATMENTS!!!! We appreciate all of your prayers (and calls) today. I know God heard Lukey's name many, many times this morning. Please continue to pray for the specifics-no trouble with the pic line, no side effects, that this tumor is being destroyed and will never come back.
Pray for Lukey to be surrounded by peace.
TKO in ROUND 2!!!!

STOP NOW AND PRAY FOR LUKE!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Monday, June 30, 2003 3:46 PM CDT

Luke's day started with another "OUCHIE". He had his second bandage change on his pic line. He was NOT a happy camper!! This SHOULD be the last one he will have to have while he is awake, the others will be done twice a week after radiation treatments while he is still under anesthesia. Luke is doing extremely well with the IV flushes that we do twice a day. They gave him bright colored wrap for the top so he gets very excited to pick out his color for the day. (Ususally green like "The Incredible Hulk") The psycological evaluation went well, thankfully it didn't last the whole three hours. He did very well and will be evaluated again in 6 months. After that we were free, we went to "Mudd Island" (I heard this is where Tom Cruise filmed "The Firm")for Pizza (my kids favorite thing!). The Mississppi River runs right through and we were able to see a few Tug boats.FUN!FUN!
TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY!!!!!Radiation starts. We have to be at the hospital at 7:45a.m. (Pray that Lukey doesn't find another pretzel on the way!!) and the radiation starts at 8:15a.m. I had a moment today where I couldn't believe this was all real, I couldn't believe my precious boy is going through this and about to begin the unknown. But God only asks us to trust him, not to understand him. It is when I try to understand things that the "why's" and the "what if's" start. We are choosing to TRUST God and BELIEVE in another miracle. I refuse to let myself repeat in my mind the risks of this radiation but instead believe in the MIRACLE.
Please think of Lukey tomorrow morning as he undergoes his first treatment. Pray that he is calm and the anesthesia works effectively and that this treatment is the first on the road to eliminating his tumor FOREVER. Pray that there will be no complications. Pray for his medical team.
Thank you for your continued encouragement and prayers.

Stop NOW and Pray for Luke!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda DeAndrea

Friday, June 27, 2003 5:12 PM CDT

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!


TGIF!!!!!We made it through another week. The last few days have been relatively easy for Luke. On Wednesday he had a physical therapy evalution, that was a quick appointment-we were done by 9:30a.m. and had the rest of the day free. Yesterday was an "OUCHIE" as Luke says. He had his first bandage change on his pic line. This is more scary than painful(although that tape really hurts to get off). He did really well until he thought he saw "BLOOD", which was actually betadine. After we convinced him (and Payton) that he was not bleeding, he was fine (Payton on the other hand was really upset) That was all for yesterday. Today we had nothing on our schedule at the hospital. It is a gorgeous day today so we went to the zoo. Memphis has a beautful zoo and it free to St. Jude patients. They continue to amaze us at everything they do to make your stay easier. We all had a great day. Tonight there will be KARAOKE at The Ronald McDonald House (I'm sure Damian is excited about singing...NOT!! Payton on the other hand has her songs all picked out!!!!)
On Monday Luke will have a 3 hour psycological evaluation. His radiation has been reschedule to start on Tuesday instead of Monday. (I am really learning the meaning of patience) We are asking again that you specifically pray that his pic line will work effectively with no complications for the entire 6 weeks. We ask again that you continue to pray that he will have no side effects or complications from the radiation, that he will handle the general sedations well. Pray that this tumor will be destroyed and never return.
Thanking you again for your love and support. God continues to show up all day in big and small ways. Our prayer is to please him and give him all the glory for another miracle in ROUND 2!!!!!!

In His Grip!!!
Damian and Amanda

Tuesday, June 24, 2003 7:22 PM CDT

Well, we are officially know around the hospital as "The Pretzel People!!" I told Damian that I will never look at a pretzel the same way again. We have had two extremely busy days. They have both started around 8:30a.m. and we have not made it back to our rooms before 7:00p.m. Yesterday we were blessed becasue they were able to reschedule the MRI!!YEAH!! Lukey was able to have the MRI and the pic line placement under one anesthesia. He did really well. We had been practicing with a mask (that they use for sedation) over the weekend and when he went to the surgery room he even asked where his mask was. But all of a sudden it became a reality and he told Damian "Daddy, I don't want to go to sleep here." I was worried about his cough but there were no problems. It took about 3 1/2 hours total. Then we had to learn how to flush his line. We have to do this twice a day and he has to have his dressing changed twice a week. Please pray that this pic line works for the entire course of radiation!!! (Sometimes the anesthesia it too thick?? and the actual line may work its way out!!) Today was extremely busy. We had an eye appointment-we are to continue what we are already doing (drops and taping it shut)We'll follow up before we go home . Then we had a hearing test/appointment-they said his left ear (which is the one affected by the tumor) is not hearing at capacity-it's only a mild loss and at this point it doesn't render a hearing aide but we will have tests in the future to monitor. FYI-sometimes radiation can make hearing worse. We then went to occupational therapy , which Luke did awesome!!! She was extremely impressed by his intellegence (of course!!!) and his fine motor skills. We'll follow up before we go home. Again, radiation can affect this as well. After that we headed back to see our radiation oncologist. Today, we got the nitty gritty on the risks. I will briefly share these with you so that you can pray specifically for these things NOT to occur!! First, intellectual impairment (the part of the brain that inables him to remember things could be afftected therefore a learning disability) Second, a physical impairment (may cause his body not to grow properly-steroids can be given to help) Third, neurological impairment (much like things that happened after the surgery-swolling, breathing issues, may affect his hearing, motor skills,anthing the tumor affected radiation can affect-eye closing, hearing etc.) Fourth, increases the chance for Luke to have other tumors. Radiation can kill tumors and create them at the same time. Any of these things can occur up to a year after treatment. WOW!!! After hearing all of this, we stand confident in GOD and his power!! We believe Luke will have a successful treatment and none of these things will happen. (TKO IN ROUND 2!!!) The rest of our week is fairly easy. Tomorrow he has a physical therapy appointment and Thursday a quick appointment for his first bandage change on his pic line. Nothing on Friday and then Monday is the BIG day. His first radiation treatment!!!! He is handling everything SO well. The PGA St. Jude's tour is here so Luke and Payton played putt putt golf at the hospital today and met a few professional golfers!!(They knew our friend from home who is a pro golfer-Brian Kamm, so that was neat!!)We were suppose to do CAMP this week but so far we have been unable to make it. Tonight we stopped by the TARGET HOUSE (another place for families to stay)which is gorgeous, feels like a resort. The kids did a craft and there was a catered dinner by the PGA!! We didn't stay long because the kids started running and getting hot and I didn't want Luke to do anything to his pic line. Damian and I are doing really well. Continuing to trust God for another miracle!! We are VERY VERY excited because we are going to be able to come home on July 3rd for the weekend!! (Damian's small group (men's group at church)took care of arranging this incredible gift for us!!! We are so thankful and thrilled!!)Our thanks go out to all of you who have and continue to help us in your special ways. We could not go through this without you!!!Thanks for the e-mails which encourage us and thanks for the regular mail that you are sending. Luke (and Payton) look forward to opening it!! Most importantly we thank you for your prayers.
Continue to pray for us as we get ready for this treatment. Pray for a text book case of radiation and follow up. Pray that nothing negative will occur. Pray that God's hand of peace and protection will be around Lukey. We are boldly asking The Lord that this radiation treatment will shrink Luke's tumor away and that he will never be affected by it again and live a long,happy, Christ centered life.

Stop Now and Pray for Lukey!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Sunday, June 22, 2003 2:41 PM CDT

Dear Friends,
I intentionally waited to update the web page until now because Friday was such a HORRIBLE day and I didn't want to seem negative or upset. As I sat in church last night and listened to the minister, his message really hit home with me. He spoke about how you may be unhappy with things going on in your life but you can still have JOY in your heart. That is exactly where I am right now. Through our faith we have JOY but sometimes life steps in and that doesn't always mean we are happy. We had a 9:00a.m. check in on Friday at The Ronald McDonald house, we had a quick tour because we had a full day at the hospital starting at 10:00a.m. Luke was scheduled for an MRI with general anesthesia so he could NOT have anything to eat. We made sure we put away all the snacks and drink and tried to explain to him about NOT eating. As we quickly finished the tour and ran for our car, strapped the kids in and were beginning to pull away, we hear "CRUNCH"!!! I immediately screamed "SPIT IT OUT!!!" Luke had found a tiny pretzel and had began to eat it. I made him spit it out and asked him if he swollowed any and he said yes. It could only have been a tiny amount. Although, my husband thinks I am a bit dramatic at times (laugh, laugh) I knew they were going to cancel the test. We'll get back to that later. We started our day at the hospital by speaking to a physician about chemotherapy. They wanted us to know all of our options. After waiting almost two hours (rememeber Luke nor any of us have had NOTHING to eat still in hopes of the MRI so you can imagine how anxious we all were getting) Finally the doctor sees us, he is extremely knowledgable and kind but his realistic views upset me. He explained how there are no benign tumors in the brain and that Lukey's tumor was a very low grade cancerous tumor, that we would have to watch for the rest of his life. Again, I guess I know all of these things but as they are presented in such a clinical fashion it is very painful. After speaking with us for almost an hour he concluded by stating he agreed with our decision about radiation and that chemotherapy is not a good option at this time. HAPPY DAY we can leave now!!! We immediately ran (literally) to our appointment for anesthesia. The first question from the nurse was "When was the last time Luke had anything to eat or drink?" (Damian had told me earlier that he would answer this question due to my dramatic interpretation of the pretzel scene (laugh again!)) They immediately told us "NO!!" he could not have the sedation. See, we need the MRI so they can actually plan the radiation and it takes about three days to do this. Without having the MRI on Friday there would be no way to start radiation on Wednesday and this was what we had planned. After a long explanation...the answer was NO!! Well... we decide to regroup, get some lunch and pray. We had to be at the surgery clinic at 3:00p.m. to speak with the surgeon about the central line or port that Luke will be having placed in his chest on Monday. To make a long story short at 5:30p.m. we were still waiting!!! The surgeon had been delayed in surgery. By all means we understood but this day kept getting worse. Finally, his assistant came in to explain what everyone else had explained to us as a "simple procedure" the central line. Guess What?? This lady scared me to death. I understand that they must tell you the possible consequences but I was not ready to hear how she presented these things (possibly punture a lung, possibly hit the top of the heart and cause bleeding???) Maybe on a different day I would have handled things differently but not then. I am so thankful that Damian has the strength to handle things and comfort me. Finally, we decided on a different option (remember this line is only to administer his general anesthesia everday)we decided on a pic line. This procedure is much less invasive, he will be under anesthesia but they will place an IV in his arm and feed the tubing up toward the top of his heart. This will be done Monday morning at 9:00a.m. Things have definately gotten better. The Ronald McDonald House has been great for the kids. Payton was very upset because we had to miss vacation bible school at our church. But again God shows up in even the smallest ways, a church youth group (actually from Florida) is here having bible school this week at The McDonald House! They have made a lot of friends already. Luke asked us earlier why some of his new friends had masks on. He has met other little boys with brain tumors as well (none exactly like Lukeys). We are learning our way around Memphis but we miss home.
Luke has about 4 spots on his head where they haved shaved and placed big black X marks (this is where they will do the radiation) As we were at breakfast yesterday in a local restaurant, I noticed people looking at him, whispering and then offering that smile of condolence to us, the same smile that I have given before when I would see a child with a health issue but this time it's me and my child. I got teary eyed the first few times but after praying I realized those looks of curiosities can turn into opportunities for me to share what God has done for Luke and my family!!!
As you pray for us today-specifically remember Luke's procedure tomorrow morning (and now he has a bad cough). Continue to ask God to protect him and blanket him with peace. We are believing in another miracle in ROUND 2!!!
Thanking you all for even reading this.

Stop NOW and pray HARD for Lukey!!!
In His Grip,
Amanda

Thursday, June 19, 2003 3:50 PM CDT

Yes, we made it. Monday was a easy day of travel, lots of games of "I spy" and Mommy's favorite game "The Quiet Game" although Payton and Luke could never seem to win that one. We made it all the way to Birmingham, Alabama on Monday and spent the night there. Tuesday was a bit of a hassel. Our tire seperated and we ended up sitting at a Good Year Tire for about four hours. That wasn't a lot of fun but.... now even the Good Year service men are praying for Luke too. We arrived at St. Jude's on Tuesday about 5:00 p.m. We were absolutely amazed at what a beautiful hospital it is. The grounds remind you of Disney World, everything is so manicured and maintained. It only gets better on the inside, it is very child friendly with lots of paintings and murals on the wall. This facility runs like clock work. You check in every day and are given a schedule of what your day will be. You report to different clinics and areas. It is absolutely amazing. My words do not do it justice. Wednesday was very long. We met with the oncologist, child life specialist and then social worker. We were not finished until late afternoon. Luke handled everything well (because there were no shots or treatment). We told him this was HIS hospital and that makes him smile. Now he says "My hospital is nice". Luke seems so out of place here, he is NOT sick like most all of the other children you see- but then it came to me he is but his disease just chooses to be a quiet type. Yesterday was very hard for me. You have NO idea how protected you are until you come to a place like this and see these beautiful innocent children fighting for their lives. Although it may only be terminology I had to come to grips with the fact that my son is now a "Cancer Patient". That really hit me hard. Today Luke had a radiation semulation- this is where they place him in the exact position he will receive the radiation and they mark his head and form a mold completely under his body, the way he will be laying. He then had a cat scan. He was sedated (general anesthesia) for all of this. He did very well through it. They left the IV in his arm so tomorrow when he is sedated for his MRI, he will not have to be stuck again. He was NOT happy to wake up with the IV!!!Tomorrow is another busy day, MRI at 9:00 a.m. then visits with an eye doctor, hearing specialist, psycological evaluation and then to surgery clinic. On Monday he will go to surgery where they will put a central line or port in his chest so he can receive his sedation everyday for his radiation.
We are all doing well. We are moving to the Ronald McDonald House tomorrow. This will be good because we can unpack and they have activities for the kids to do. We will have an address so you all can write us. We are staying strong and leaning on God through all of this. Even though we are here and going through this we see how blessed we are. As I said earlier to see these sick children and their families and how they are coping and fighting makes you see the miracles in your own life and that your issues are so minor compared to what others are facing.
Please continue to lift us up in prayer. Pray for Luke as his days get tougher and tougher. May God blanket him with peace and comfort. May Damian and I (and Payton) draw strength from each other and especially from God to go through this. Count your blessings!! We will hopefully have our own access to the internet (thanks to The Bile's Family) by Monday so we can update daily!! We thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Stop now and pray for Luke and all of the children in this fight for health!!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Thursday, June 19, 2003 3:50 PM CDT

Yes, we made it. Monday was a easy day of travel, lots of games of "I spy" and Mommy's favorite game "The Quiet Game" although Payton and Luke could never seem to win that one. We made it all the way to Birmingham, Alabama on Monday and spent the night there. Tuesday was a bit of a hassel. Our tire seperated and we ended up sitting at a Good Year Tire for about four hours. That wasn't a lot of fun but.... now even the Good Year service men are praying for Luke too. We arrived at St. Jude's on Tuesday about 5:00 p.m. We were absolutely amazed at what a beautiful hospital it is. The grounds remind you of Disney World, everything is so manicured and maintained. It only gets better on the inside, it is very child friendly with lots of paintings and murals on the wall. This facility runs like clock work. You check in every day and are given a schedule of what your day will be. You report to different clinics and areas. It is absolutely amazing. My words do not do it justice. Wednesday was very long. We met with the oncologist, child life specialist and then social worker. We were not finished until late afternoon. Luke handled everything well (because there were no shots or treatment). We told him this was HIS hospital and that makes him smile. Now he says "My hospital is nice". Luke seems so out of place here, he is NOT sick like most all of the other children you see- but then it came to me he is but his disease just chooses to be a quiet type. Yesterday was very hard for me. You have NO idea how protected you are until you come to a place like this and see these beautiful innocent children fighting for their lives. Although it may only be terminology I had to come to grips with the fact that my son is now a "Cancer Patient". That really hit me hard. Today Luke had a radiation semulation- this is where they place him in the exact position he will receive the radiation and they mark his head and form a mold completely under his body, the way he will be laying. He then had a cat scan. He was sedated (general anesthesia) for all of this. He did very well through it. They left the IV in his arm so tomorrow when he is sedated for his MRI, he will not have to be stuck again. He was NOT happy to wake up with the IV!!!Tomorrow is another busy day, MRI at 9:00 a.m. then visits with an eye doctor, hearing specialist, psycological evaluation and then to surgery clinic. On Monday he will go to surgery where they will put a central line or port in his chest so he can receive his sedation everyday for his radiation.
We are all doing well. We are moving to the Ronald McDonald House tomorrow. This will be good because we can unpack and they have activities for the kids to do. We will have an address so you all can write us. We are staying strong and leaning on God through all of this. Even though we are here and going through this we see how blessed we are. As I said earlier to see these sick children and their families and how they are coping and fighting makes you see the miracles in your own life and that your issues are so minor compared to what others are facing.
Please continue to lift us up in prayer. Pray for Luke as his days get tougher and tougher. May God blanket him with peace and comfort. May Damian and I (and Payton) draw strength from each other and especially from God to go through this. Count your blessings!! We will hopefully have our own access to the internet (thanks to The Bile's Family) by Monday so we can update daily!! We thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Stop now and pray for Luke and all of the children in this fight for health!!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Thursday, June 19, 2003 3:50 PM CDT

Yes, we made it. Monday was a easy day of travel, lots of games of "I spy" and Mommy's favorite game "The Quiet Game" although Payton and Luke could never seem to win that one. We made it all the way to Birmingham, Alabama on Monday and spent the night there. Tuesday was a bit of a hassel. Our tire seperated and we ended up sitting at a Good Year Tire for about four hours. That wasn't a lot of fun but.... now even the Good Year service men are praying for Luke too. We arrived at St. Jude's on Tuesday about 5:00 p.m. We were absolutely amazed at what a beautiful hospital it is. The grounds remind you of Disney World, everything is so manicured and maintained. It only gets better on the inside, it is very child friendly with lots of paintings and murals on the wall. This facility runs like clock work. You check in every day and are given a schedule of what your day will be. You report to different clinics and areas. It is absolutely amazing. My words do not do it justice. Wednesday was very long. We met with the oncologist, child life specialist and then social worker. We were not finished until late afternoon. Luke handled everything well (because there were no shots or treatment). We told him this was HIS hospital and that makes him smile. Now he says "My hospital is nice". Luke seems so out of place here, he is NOT sick like most all of the other children you see- but then it came to me he is but his disease just chooses to be a quiet type. Yesterday was very hard for me. You have NO idea how protected you are until you come to a place like this and see these beautiful innocent children fighting for their lives. Although it may only be terminology I had to come to grips with the fact that my son is now a "Cancer Patient". That really hit me hard. Today Luke had a radiation semulation- this is where they place him in the exact position he will receive the radiation and they mark his head and form a mold completely under his body, the way he will be laying. He then had a cat scan. He was sedated (general anesthesia) for all of this. He did very well through it. They left the IV in his arm so tomorrow when he is sedated for his MRI, he will not have to be stuck again. He was NOT happy to wake up with the IV!!!Tomorrow is another busy day, MRI at 9:00 a.m. then visits with an eye doctor, hearing specialist, psycological evaluation and then to surgery clinic. On Monday he will go to surgery where they will put a central line or port in his chest so he can receive his sedation everyday for his radiation.
We are all doing well. We are moving to the Ronald McDonald House tomorrow. This will be good because we can unpack and they have activities for the kids to do. We will have an address so you all can write us. We are staying strong and leaning on God through all of this. Even though we are here and going through this we see how blessed we are. As I said earlier to see these sick children and their families and how they are coping and fighting makes you see the miracles in your own life and that your issues are so minor compared to what others are facing.
Please continue to lift us up in prayer. Pray for Luke as his days get tougher and tougher. May God blanket him with peace and comfort. May Damian and I (and Payton) draw strength from each other and especially from God to go through this. Count your blessings!! We will hopefully have our own access to the internet (thanks to The Bile's Family) by Monday so we can update daily!! We thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Stop now and pray for Luke and all of the children in this fight for health!!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Thursday, June 19, 2003 3:50 PM CDT

Yes, we made it. Monday was a easy day of travel, lots of games of "I spy" and Mommy's favorite game "The Quiet Game" although Payton and Luke could never seem to win that one. We made it all the way to Birmingham, Alabama on Monday and spent the night there. Tuesday was a bit of a hassel. Our tire seperated and we ended up sitting at a Good Year Tire for about four hours. That wasn't a lot of fun but.... now even the Good Year service men are praying for Luke too. We arrived at St. Jude's on Tuesday about 5:00 p.m. We were absolutely amazed at what a beautiful hospital it is. The grounds remind you of Disney World, everything is so manicured and maintained. It only gets better on the inside, it is very child friendly with lots of paintings and murals on the wall. This facility runs like clock work. You check in every day and are given a schedule of what your day will be. You report to different clinics and areas. It is absolutely amazing. My words do not do it justice. Wednesday was very long. We met with the oncologist, child life specialist and then social worker. We were not finished until late afternoon. Luke handled everything well (because there were no shots or treatment). We told him this was HIS hospital and that makes him smile. Now he says "My hospital is nice". Luke seems so out of place here, he is NOT sick like most all of the other children you see- but then it came to me he is but his disease just chooses to be a quiet type. Yesterday was very hard for me. You have NO idea how protected you are until you come to a place like this and see these beautiful innocent children fighting for their lives. Although it may only be terminology I had to come to grips with the fact that my son is now a "Cancer Patient". That really hit me hard. Today Luke had a radiation semulation- this is where they place him in the exact position he will receive the radiation and they mark his head and form a mold completely under his body, the way he will be laying. He then had a cat scan. He was sedated (general anesthesia) for all of this. He did very well through it. They left the IV in his arm so tomorrow when he is sedated for his MRI, he will not have to be stuck again. He was NOT happy to wake up with the IV!!!Tomorrow is another busy day, MRI at 9:00 a.m. then visits with an eye doctor, hearing specialist, psycological evaluation and then to surgery clinic. On Monday he will go to surgery where they will put a central line or port in his chest so he can receive his sedation everyday for his radiation.
We are all doing well. We are moving to the Ronald McDonald House tomorrow. This will be good because we can unpack and they have activities for the kids to do. We will have an address so you all can write us. We are staying strong and leaning on God through all of this. Even though we are here and going through this we see how blessed we are. As I said earlier to see these sick children and their families and how they are coping and fighting makes you see the miracles in your own life and that your issues are so minor compared to what others are facing.
Please continue to lift us up in prayer. Pray for Luke as his days get tougher and tougher. May God blanket him with peace and comfort. May Damian and I (and Payton) draw strength from each other and especially from God to go through this. Count your blessings!! We will hopefully have our own access to the internet (thanks to The Bile's Family) by Monday so we can update daily!! We thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Stop now and pray for Luke and all of the children in this fight for health!!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Wednesday, June 18, 2003 8:02 PM CDT

The DeAndrea's do not have access to the internet as of yet, but would like to tell you they had a very busy day seeing doctors and planning Luke's treatment. Tomorrow is another very busy day as Luke will be having a radiation simulation and a CAT scan. This will done under general anesthesia. Please pray for him. Please pray that he will handle all of this well. On Friday he will have an MRI under general anesthesia as well. Amanda will update the web page as soon as possible with more details.

Please stop and pray for Luke.

Monday, June 16, 2003 7:43 AM CDT

TKO IN ROUND 2 BABY!!!!!

Well, we are all packed (everything but the kitchen sink) and getting ready to leave any minute now. We will try to travel half way to Memphis and continue tomorrow!! We are anxiously expecting to see God's hand throughout our journey. Pray for travel mercies. We have our first appointment at St. Jude's on Wednesday so we'll update the web page Wednesday evening. Thank you all for your continued love, support and PRAYERS!!! Keep em coming!!!

STOP NOW AND PRAY HARD FOR LUKEY!!!
In His Grip,
The DeAndrea's

(Hey Killeen Family (and Friends)!! You guys are awesome!!Thanks for everything!!!)

Friday, June 13, 2003 11:37 PM CDT

We received a phone call today from St. Jude's and things are moving faster than we thought. We have to report to St. Jude's Tuesday (June 17) and we start with a multitude of appointments and meetings on Wednesday (June 18). We will start with an appointment at 9:30 a.m. with the chief Radiologist/ Oncologist, then move on to a meeting with the child life specialist and then on to social services. On Thursday Luke will have a CT scan and a semulation test. On Friday he will have an MRI. From what I can understand his radiation will start the following week (June 23). We are still not sure of the housing arrangements as there is a waiting list at the Ronald McDonald House. We are planning to drive and will leave on Monday and split the trip into two days (we believe it will take about 13 hours to get there)Payton is going with us. Damian is planning on staying for the first two weeks and will return home (those plans and dates are still up in the air depending on how Lukey is doing) It would be ideal if Damian could be home (Tampa) Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and come back to Memphis over the weekends and Mondays and Tuesdays. But we don't know if this is feasible. When he does come home (to Tampa) I am hoping that between my mom, family and friends that someone will be able to come up to Memphis so that I am not by myself so much. The doctor said that we could come home on the weekends as well so maybe we could come home once or twice within the 6 weeks.?. Everything is up in the air until we get there and find out the details of the housing and Lukey's treatment. I was rather shocked to find out how quickly things are happening but the faster we start the faster Luke is healed and the faster we are back home. I can't imagine being away for 6 weeks and I am trying to only take one day at the time. My biggest concern of course is for Lukey and how he is going to handle all of this.
Please continue to pray for him and his little body to be completely healed. Pray that he will handle the radiation and daily sedations with ease. Pray for another miracle!!!
Pray for our entire family that we draw strength from each other and the Lord and that we use this time to bring Glory to God. May we be a light to others and be able to shine for God even through our own pain. Pray for a safe trip and that all of our plans will fall into place. We will update the site as often as possible. We are thanking you from the bottom of our hearts as you enter into another phase of Luke's journey with us-ROUND 2!!!

Stop now and pray HARD for Luke!!!
In His Grip-
Damian and Amanda DeAndrea

Wednesday, June 11, 2003 9:43 PM CDT

I can't believe how long your days can be when you are sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring. Our surgeon in Tennessee returned from vacation today and called us this evening. He started by explaining the three things that can happen to that small little bit of tumor that was left. First, the bodies immune system usually will take care of it on its own. Second, it may stay the same for the rest of someones life or thirdly, it may grow back. This is what has happened to Luke (he said it was about the size of half of a lima bean) So now the question is what do we do. The first option is surgery but at this point he feels the risks out weigh the benefits. Second, is focal radiation which is his recommendation. This would be done 30 times which is a six week treatment and he recommends we come to St. Jude's in Tennessee as they specialize in this type of radiation and only work with children. There is a 80% success rate for Lukey's treatment.
We believe we are going to do this (our local neurosurgeon is still on vacation) Of course, we don't want Luke to have to go through anything else but.... We feel extremely fortunate that we have this option and this hope!!! It will be challenging to be away from home this long but we have to go and do what we feel is the absolute best for Luke. As of now, Damian and I are tossing around plans.. how long can Damian stay?should Payton go? The surgeons coordinator will call us on Friday with details on when Luke will begin treatment (The doctor said with in the next week or first part of the following)so we will have more details on Friday.
We tried to have a very light discussion with Luke about this. Damian told him that we needed to go see Dr. Sanford again in Tennessee. He told Damian "That's okay, I don't want to see him." He can't process this and we don't want him to be afraid. Payton on the other hand knows something is going on and we have told her a part of Luke's tumor is back and we need to go make him better. She is very emotional and while she was saying her prayers asked God not to let her brother die. This was one of the saddest moments I have ever had!!!!
I think I have been in shock over the last few days but I know I am blessed, I know there are hundreds of mothers who would change places with me because their child has no options, no hope, no treatment. So as my husband says "We are ready for Round 2!!" and we will be victorious again!! We are trusting in the Lord for another miracle, another healing, another list of answered prayers. My Luke will live to tell his grandchildren how God has used him to touch each of you and thousands of people everywhere. He is special!! A fighter (actually he's more of a lover)!!Those of you who know Luke know what a sweet spirit he has, he is quiet, charming, easy going,loves his daddy but is definately a momma's boy-he told me yesterday as he stroked my hair that I was the most beautifulest mommy in the whole world!!! We will never give up our hope, our faith, our walk with the LORD.
We need your prayers!!!We need God to prepare our way, let the right doors open, let the plans fall into place. More importantly we pray that this radiation will destroy this tumor and that it will never grow back again. We pray that Luke is surrounded in peace and that whatever pain and discomfort he has to tolerate that God will give his little body strength to endure it!!! We give all the glory to God.
We will update you on Friday.

PLEASE STOP NOW AND PRAY FOR LUKE!!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda DeAndrea

Friday, June 6, 2003 11:43 PM CDT

We have received some very devastating news. Luke's tumor has "grown back st the surgical sight". Our main surgeon in Tennessee is on vacation (so is our local neurologist in Tampa) apparently this is why no one was calling us. I have not left the side of the phone in three days and no one had called to give the results. I left message after message and finally today I phoned a liaison at the hospital in Tennessee who told me that Dr. Sanford was on vacation but she would find out if Luke's films were reviewed at the brain tumor meeting this past Wednesday or if they planned on waiting until Dr. Sanford was back. It only took a short while before she called and stated the brain tumor clinic board reviewed Luke's films and the news was not good and that the tumor was back. She said Dr. Sanford's associate would call me back with details but that Dr. Sanford would be the one to call back next Wednesday (june 11th) with his recommendation for treatment. The other doctor did phone late this afternoon stating the tumor had recurred. I ask if they could have possibly misdiagnosed the original tumor because why would such a slow growing tumor grow back so fast. He said they felt the original diagnosis of a benign low grade astrocytoma was correct but often in these cases if the tumor is going to grow back it does very rapidly. He said the board suggested radiation but the question was do you operate again first or go straight to radiation. He said that Dr. Sanford would be the one to offer the plan of treatment.
There aren't words to describe my feelings right now. I NEVER thought this would be happening. We are trying to regroup and only take a day, an hour, a minute at the time and not jump to the WHAT IF's and WHY's. We will draw strength and courage from above and get through this!!! Of course as a mother my biggest concern is for my darling baby. I never want him to have to go through any more pain or suffering.
I am begging AGAIN for your specific prayers for ANOTHER absolute miracle!! I am not sure what to even say. Find your own words to beg GOD to have mercy on Luke and to spare him from another surgery and to heal his sweet little body from this terrible tumor!!
PLEASE STOP NOW AND PRAY FOR LUKEY!!!
In HIs Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Thursday, June 5, 2003 5:05 PM CDT

Thank you all for your continued care and concern for Luke. As of now, we still do not know the results of the MRI. We will update you as soon as we here something. Please continue to pray for a clear scan.

In His Grip,
Amanda and Damian

Monday, June 2, 2003 7:31 AM CDT

Our appointment for today has been canceled due to the fact the doctor is on vacation for two weeks. I explained to them that we did not want to wait two weeks to discuss the results of Lukes MRI but..... the doctor isn't there. THE GOOD NEWS IS... we went and got a copy of the films ourselves and overnighted them to Dr. Sanford (our surgeon in Tennessee). I franticly called his office after our appointment here had been canceled and he instructed us to send the films to St. Jude's, which is where brain tumor research is done. Their radiologist will review the films and compare them to the originals and then Dr. Sanford will see them on Wednesday (June 4) at a weekly brain tumor meeting at St. Jude's. He will then call us on Wednesday with his findings. This is what we were to do originally anyway other than we would have found out something today. Oh Well, I am being taught a lesson in patience, faith and trust just to name a few.
We are still asking for your constant and intentional prayers that this and every scan in the future will be clear!!!! I will be back with the good news on Wednesday!

Stop now and pray for Lukey!!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Tuesday, May 27, 2003 7:06 PM CDT

We made it!!! Things went extremely well today. (I think Luke handled it much better than I did) Luke did not know where or what we were doing today. There is only so much a three year old can process and with the fears he has we did not tell him anything. So.... at 6:45 a.m. when we were leaving the house he wanted to know what was going on. At first I tried to avoid the questions but then as we got closer to the hospital Damian told him that he had an appointment at the doctor. His immediate frantic question was "Am I going to get a shot and bleed?" Then he started repeating " I don't want to go to an appoitment, I don't want to see the doctor!!" Payton went with us so she did a good job at playing with him and distracting him. As we approached the hospital, I felt this huge lump in my throat. I had done such a good job at preparing myself but a lot of memories suddenly flooded my mind. Once again, I got to see "God at work" as we began to pray before entering I was able to breath again, swallow, smile, talk and I knew everything was going to be okay. Luke walked right into the hospital, he first donated some toys at the front desk (he was very excited to do this) and we checked into radiology and within minutes we were with the nurses going over his history. It was so neat because the same nurses who did the first MRI (where we found the tumor) were there again and were so excited at how he was doing. Luke remained calm as they did his vitals and we answered questions about his surgery. The anesthesiologist made me a bit anxious, he explained the risks of "just not knowing" how anesthesia will affect a child who has gone through what Luke has gone through (and having a paralysed vocal cord and shallow breathing) he went into what they would do "IF" something happened. For a moment I felt my heart burn again BUT it had to be done and we have faith that God didn't bring Lukey this far this fast for that to happen. As I signed the consent with teary eyes the nurse began looking for a vein. This is when Luke knew something was going on. (My biggest concern was that he understand as best as possible that he was NOT having another surgery and that he was going home with us today!!! I didn't want him scared that he might being going through anything like before) She found a vein quickly and inserted the IV. He screamed (what child wouldn't)once again he begged for us. They tore him (literally) out of my arms and Damian and I stood outside the door as they began the sedation. (All Children's Hospital has been awesome with their care and how fast they do things, they don't call you back until they are ready for you. So, from the time he got the IV it was only 3-4 minutes until he was totally out!!That's a good thing) We heard him in the room crying for us and for Payton but within seconds he was under. In about an hour, Damian disappeared to what I thought was the bathroom but he drifted back to recovery. Luke was still deep asleep but as soon as Damian called his name he woke right up. He had his crackers and juice and was ready to leave. So...what a GREAT day this turned out to be!!! God is good. Now we are awaiting the results. We have an appointment with our local neurosurgeon on Monday at 10:00 a.m. Please continue to pray for a clean scan FOREVER!!! Thank you all for your prayers and concern. This journey would be so difficult without all of you.

STOP NOW and PRAY FOR LUKE!!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 6:29 PM CDT

PLEASE STOP NOW AND PRAY FOR LUKE!!!!

We ask that each of you who read these words will stop and pray for Luke. He will be going for his first MRI since his brain surgery in Febraury. His MRI is scheduled for TUESDAY MAY 27th. We will not have any results until we see the neurosurgeon on Monday, June 2nd. We ask that you specifically pray for Luke as he undergoes this test. Pray that he will be calm and handle the actual surroundings of the hospital, nurses, needles (etc) with a peace that only God can give. His is extremely afraid of being hurt and "bleeding" (he always asks us now if he is bleeding when he gets hurts) Above all PLEASE pray for a clear scan and that there will be NO trace of a tumor on this film or any other film for the rest of his life!!!!! We continue to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and know that he is the master of all miracles and healing and all good things. We continue to claim a complete miracle.
Ephesians 6:18 "Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit's wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere."
Please pray for peace and strength for Damian and I as well. Thank you for being a part of our journey.
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 6:29 PM CDT

PLEASE STOP NOW AND PRAY FOR LUKE!!!!

We ask that each of you who read these words will stop and pray for Luke. He will be going for his first MRI since his brain surgery in Febraury. His MRI is scheduled for TUESDAY MAY 27th. We will not have any results until we see the neurosurgeon on Monday, June 2nd. We ask that you specifically pray for Luke as he undergoes this test. Pray that he will be calm and handle the actual surroundings of the hospital, nurses, needles (etc) with a peace that only God can give. His is extremely afraid of being hurt and "bleeding" (he always asks us now if he is bleeding when he gets hurts) Above all PLEASE pray for a clear scan and that there will be NO trace of a tumor on this film or any other film for the rest of his life!!!!! We continue to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and know that he is the master of all miracles and healing and all good things. We continue to claim a complete miracle.
Ephesians 6:18 "Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit's wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere."
Please pray for peace and strength for Damian and I as well. Thank you for being a part of our journey.
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Friday, May 9, 2003 6:14 PM CDT

WOW!! Yesterday was a BIG day for us. Payton graduated (cap and gown-the whole works) from pre-school and Luke was an undergraduate (quite the cutie in his dress clothes). It was a very special ceremony at Gaither High School. It is amazing how far God has brought Lukey over such a short time. As I sat there and watched him sing and accept his diploma I was overcome with JOY (once again) at what a miracle he is!! He is doing AWESOME. His eye is maintaining. The redness is so much better. It is staying lubricated mostly on its own. We still do not notice a difference in the closing, it still only closes about half way. We are praying that he will remain comfortable and eventually the nerve will regenerate and heal (this will take at least a year if it happens at all). We will see the eye doctor for a re check next week.
Please continue to pray for him as he goes for his first MRI on Tuesday May 27th. Please pray specifically for clear scans. We will not find out the results until June 2nd , when we see Dr. Tuite. We cling to our miracle and are EXPECTING nothing but positive news!!!!
Thank you all for the continued love, care and interest. This journey would have been impossible without your prayers and love. Join us in praying for continued healing and that this tumor NEVER EVER returns.
Stop now and pray for Lukey!!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Sunday, April 27, 2003 9:36 AM CDT

Check out the new pictures of Luke with his new glasses and Payton and Luke on Easter!!

Luke is doing GREAT! His eye is doing remarkably well. We are not having to do the drops as much, it is staying lubricated more and more on its on. This is a big PRAISE!!! We are still holding off on the surgery.Continue to pray for healing.

We had an awesome Easter. We have so much to celebrate. There is not a day that goes by that we are not thankful for the miracle we have been given. It's hard to believe where we were only a few short months ago and how much Luke has overcome. (Funny Easter story-our church had a special service where JESUS rode into the sanctuary on a donkey. Damian was reading a book to the kids about Palm Sunday and Lukey said with utter excitement "Daddy, Jesus goes to our church, I saw him there on a donkey just like the book." So now Lukey is telling everyone that Jesus goes to his church)

Our next big adventure will be the MRI (which is scheduled for May 27th) We're clinging to THE WORD. Philippians 4:6 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with THANKSGIVING present your requests to God." Please continue to pray for a complete healing for Luke. We are claiming that when they do this MRI that there will not be a trace of any tumor. We continue to give all the praise and glory to GOD for HIS work. It is amazing how God continues to use Luke to spread the good news and how he continues to bless us with peace and strength.

We are honored that you continue to read this and continue to pray for Luke and our family.

In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Tuesday, April 15, 2003 8:59 AM CDT

Luke has had a GREAT week. His eye has amazed us-there have only been hints of red this week. We continue to use the drops and tape it closed at night. He is starting NOT to like any of that any more. He got a pair of glasses-this is for protection only. Boy does he look cute in them. As of now we are patiently WAITING (and praying) to schedule the surgery. We will know when the time comes.

He is happy to be back at school. You would be amazed at how the children at school, church and friends are welcoming him and being so concerned and gentle. He told me last week that all of his friends ask him how he is and if he is feeling better. I asked him what he said back to them. He told me he tells them "I'm fine, my brain stem is all better". That basically sums it up!!

Luke will be having an MRI every three months for three years and then every 6 months for a total of five years. His first MRI is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27th at All Childrens. Mark this date and specifically pray for him.

Continue to pray for a complete healing for his eye and a total healing for his little body. Pray that this tumor NEVER returns. Thank you for your prayers. We are amazed at how you keep reading this and keep reaching out to us.

Wishing you a blessed Easter!!

Stop now and pray for Lukey!
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Monday, April 7, 2003 6:48 AM CDT

We had another busy week of Doctor appointments. On Thursday, we had a follow up with Luke's eye doctor. To his surprise, the lesion on his eye was healing. He does still feel that Lukey probably has paralysis of the 5th cranial nerve which controls the feeling in his eye. He thinks this because Luke has not complained or does not act as if he is in any pain or discomfort from his eye. He said a person with normal sensation would be extremely uncomfortable through all of this. I am thankful he is not in any pain. We are still doing eye drops every hour and taping it closed a night (he pretends to be a pirate). As far as surgery, the physician recommends it. It is not urgent to schedule but the sooner we do it, the sooner the drops will stop and we can avoid another lesion. I was not in the frame of mind on Thursday to decide, Damian did not go to the appointment with me and I wanted to discuss this with him. We have decided to pray about it and schedule it in the next few weeks. For now, as long as the eye stays lubricated it will be fine. On Friday, we saw the ENT. Upon exam, he could not tell if the left vocal cord is still paralyzed or if the right one is working for the left. He feels it is too early to know anything. He recommends a scope of his vocal cord in 4 months which will be 6 months from the surgery. Luke had a hearing test and the left ear was normal. As I sat there and watched him take the test, the flash back of the Doctor saying "he will DEFINATELY lose his hearing" came to my mind. What a miracle that he can hear. We continue to feel the power of your prayers. These are small obstacles that are continuing to build our faith and trust in God. We ask that you specifically pray for protection of Lukey's eye and for a complete healing to continue. Luke's attitude and strength continues to amaze us. He continues to share with people about his scar and talk about his surgery. Our shy little boy is changing. He told me the other day, his brain stem hurt. I laughed out loud!! He was pointing to his scar while saying this so we stopped and prayed that he would feel better. In a few seconds he said "Mama, my brain stem is all better."
Remember how fortunate you are to have your children!! Enjoy them. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
In His Grip,
The DeAndrea's

Monday, March 31, 2003 8:03 PM CST

Luke gave us quite a scare this weekend with his eye. Friday evening we decided to go out for yogurt, before we left I went through the routine of his eye drops. As we were sitting in the yogurt shop, I noticed his eye being extremely red but in a different spot. Instead of being red on the bottom, it was bright red on the part nearest his tear duct. After yogurt, we decided to go to Michael's Craft (Payton's favorite store-she is quite crafty) in a matter of only about twenty minutes I looked down at him and became almost frightened. His eye was the brightest shade of red I have ever seen and it was as if he had mucus on the brown part of his eye. As I screamed for Damian to look at it, he tried to wipe the film from his eye and then he said to me "A piece of his eye is missing." I know this sounds crazy but a piece of the colored part of his cornea was dug out in layers and gone. In a matter of seconds we were in the car and for some reason I wanted to go to Eckerds, thinking the pharmasist would say we were crazy and that this is normal. On our way there I beeped Luke's eye doctor that we had just seen last week. At this point, it was 9:00p.m., Luke had gone to sleep in the car and was not in any pain. The doctor returned our call and offered to see us back in his office that night or since Luke was asleep, first thing Saturday morning. So, that is what we did. (What an awesome Doctor to be so amenable and concerned!!) Dr. Slonim basically described to us that Luke's eye is so extremely dry it is almost brittle and that he could have poked himself or gotten something in his eye and the dryness will not allow it to heal like normal so infact a piece of his cornea is "dug out". He also feels that Luke's 5th cranial nerve is affected which controls the senses to your eye because normally to have what Luke has you'd be EXTREMELY uncomfortable and it is as if he doesn't even realize it. (We are claiming that as a blessing for now since he is not in pain and will continue to pray for complete healing of this 5th nerve too). Where we stand now is he has two drops and an ointment which go in hourly, taping the eye shut at night, avoiding wind and direct air. We will see Dr. Slonim on Thursday. It is important that is NOT get infected. I think God has opened my eyes to see that the eye surgery is the best thing for Lukey. I was being selfish not wanting to go through another surgery but it is not possible to put enough drops to keep it lubricated. Imagine following a three year old around every hour with drops-not fun. He was suppose to go back to school this week but that has been put off for a while.He said to me this morning as we dropped Payton off "Mama, I use to be able to go to school, before I had brain surgery." He misses his friends and teachers. We will discuss the surgery at our appointment on Thursday. Friday he has an ENT appointment to evaluate his vocal cord. Believe me, we are still counting our blessings-these are such small things to be going through compared to what "could have been." PLEASE pray specifically for his little eye to heal, for the nerve to start working and his eye to be able to shut. Pray for no infection. Pray for a complete healing for him. He is so precious. We are so blessed and honored to be his parents. Oh yeah-he got a great haircut which makes him look even more like his daddy. Thank you all for your faithfulness to our family.
In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Tuesday, March 25, 2003 2:21 PM CST

Luke has had been busy with doctor appointments. On Thursday we saw an eye doctor. As you know, Luke's left eye only closes half way, we currently put eye drops as needed for dryness and irritation. We have noticed his eye being very irritated lately. The Doctor said he felt Luke would probably have to have surgery. This is the procedure they told us about in Tennessee where they put a gold weight in his eyelid so that when he blinks the weight will pull the eyelid down and prevent the irritation he is experiencing. This appointment was very tramatic for him because he is still so afraid of being hurt and "bleeding" and he says. The doctor increased his drops to every hour, we have to tape his eye shut at night, he has to get glasses and we must try to eliminate direct air (ceiling fans, windows down in the car)We will see the eye doctor in a few weeks to re-evaluate. His next appointment was yesterday with the neurosurgeon that we originally saw at All Childrens. I felt we needed some direction as to his eye, throat, speech, hearing. I can't tell you how it felt to be back in that building, sitting in the office where we found out what we thought to be the most devastating news of our life. It brought back so many emotions. Then I looked at my beautiful miracle boy and felt such joy. It was quite a day for me. Needless to say, Luke didn't want anything to do with the Doctor- but he ended up showing him his scar and giving him a high five. I thanked Dr. Tuite for his direction and honesty and for sending us to Tennessee. Some physicians may not have done that. He referred Luke to a ENT to follow up on his vocal cord and swallowing and possibly a hearing test of his left ear. He will have Luke evaluated by a speech pathologist and ordered another swallowing study in about a month. Luke's next MRI will be May 8th. Please keep us in your prayers. Ask for protection to be placed around Luke and our family. The last two weeks have been rather difficult for us-I think everything is kind of catching up to us. We are counting our blessings, we have an unending amount!!! Continue to pray for a complete healing for Luke (specific- eye and throat) Pray that this horrible tumor will NEVER return!!! We are so thankful to God for our miracle and to you for your continued prayers and love.
Still In His Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Monday, March 17, 2003 11:49 AM CST

Hello!!
Luke has had a GREAT week. He continues to improve. We have cut back on the "Thicken It" in his drink. We are even giving him sips of fluid with nothing in it. So far so good, he is coughing with each sip (which the ENT told us he may do for a very long time since his vocal cord is paralyzed) We find ourselves amazed everyday, how could it be that only 4 weeks ago our son was lying in ICU and is now enjoying picknicks with his friends? (Check out pictures on Jon Adairs guestbook entry). We got AWESOME news from the Doctor in Tennessee, the final pathology came back as the tumor being an ASTROCYTOMA which is what he suspected and a very low grade. We are on our knees daily thanking God for our miracle. His scar continues to heal. Luke is very sensitive to bug bites and something bit him on his incision, so it is red and a bit swollen. He will be going to the eye doctor next week to have his vision and the left eye checked. He still can not close his eye and has to have eye drops quite often to help with the irritation.We have to take this very serious in order not to damage his cornea. He has been quite the comedian lately. For those of you who don't know Luke, he is (or should I say was) extremely SHY. His preschool had a talent show last Thursday and Payton was singing, I asked him if he wanted to go with her and sing and he said Yes. I just knew he would back out but he marched right to the front and sang his little heart out, with hand motions and everything. He has amused us by talking a lot this week about his surgery. He bragged to his cousin as he showed him the scar on his head. He asked me the other day out of the blue "Mom, is my tumor all gone?" I said yes, Jesus and Dr. Sanford took it out. He said "Okay, Good" and went on about his business. Payton asked to have a drink of his juice and he told he No because it had his medicine in it, She continued to beg(and whine) And with the most serious look on his face and his hands on his hips he said "Listen, if you want to go to the hospital and get surgery on your brain, you can have my drink with medicine" It was the funniest thing, we laughed for hours. He still has a few scary memories that he has also shared especially the tape being ripped off the back of his head before they removed the sutures. If he ever falls or gets hurt the first thing he asks is "Am I bleeding?"
His incision is such a tool to witness to people, as people see it and ask we are able to share what God has done in our lives and along with this hear of people who have needs and need prayer as well.
Our request for specific prayer this week is continued healing for Luke. Ask specifically that the nerve will be regenerated and Luke will be able to use the left side of his face again (we are asking for the whole enchillada!!)Pray that his eye will close more and more and that he will continue down the path of complete healing and will be tumor free FOREVER. Find another child in need of specific prayer and ask God for a miracle in their life. We thank you for your continued love and prayers. We'll update next Monday!!
In His Grip,
The DeAndrea's

Monday, March 10, 2003 1:56 PM CST

Dear Friends-
Life is slowly getting back to normal. Luke is doing better everyday. His voice is still a whisper at times, he still can't drink liquids but as I said before this is improving because if we get his drink too thin- he'll cough which is a great sign. We'll repeat a swallowing study in a few weeks. He has gained about 4 pounds which makes a big difference in him (his little legs looked like toothpicks) He won't be returning to pre-school until his swallowing improves. We had a GREAT weekend. We were able to share a bit of Lukey's story with our church. It's hard to tell of all that the Lord has done for us in a 10 minute testimony. We are still amazed at how far and how fast Luke has come. God has taken care of every complication that Luke has faced. Thank you so much for your continued support and PRAYERS. We still need them. His next MRI will be in May. He will have an MRI every three months for two years and then every six months for five years. Please continue to pray for Luke's complete healing. We are amazed at the hand of GOD and give him all the credit. We will continue to update the webpage (our computer has been down if you have tried to email us on our personal email. Sorry!)
Continue to remember us. Thank you for your love and prayers during this difficult journey. God is GOOD!!
In His Grip,
The DeAndrea's

Wednesday, March 5, 2003 9:42 PM CST

Dear Friends-
We are still "Walking on Sunshine" although the enemy has been after us this week. Our computer, airconditioner and refrigerator all went out. Isn't that funny? It is amazing what a different perspective we have on things now. Nothing is going to steal our joy!! Luke is doing incredible. We say several times a day "It's like the old Luke". We are continuing to go less and less with the "Thicken It" in his drink. He seems to be handling it well. We are hearing more of his voice each day. We hope he can return to school in a few weeks. His incision looks Great. His hair is growing in so it is itching him. Pretty soon his hair will almost cover it all. His neck seems stiff at times and he likes to curl up and just rest through out the day (but who doesn't). We are all adjusting back to normal life. Damian and I seem to be extremely tired. It's like the past month has caught up to us. Payton has had a few melt downs. Every morning on the way to school we pray and as she prayed a few days ago she said "God, help me have a good day at school and thank you for not letting my brother die in the hospital because he is a nice brother and I love him." She has been very patient with him (although a little of that is starting to wear off)She is always making sure when he drinks that he tucks his head down, if not she tells on him.
We continue to be amazed at the stories some of you are sharing with us at how Lukey's journey has touched so many lives. We feel truly blessed and find even more comfort in hearing your words of excitement.(We'd love to hear your messages in the guest book)
Please continue to pray for a complete healing, Luke's vocal cord to heal and his swallowing to continue to improve and of course that the tumor NEVER returns.
Hope you all prayed for Riley (from my last entry). Today I will share with you about Ashley. She is a beautiful one year old little girl that we actually didn't meet until the day we were leaving. We passed her mom in the hall as she was cradling Ashley to calm her down. Ashley had a brain tumor and surgery but the surgeon was unable to get all of the tumor. She is now a patient of Dr. Sanford and he did the second surgery. They were waiting for the results of the second MRI to see if he was successful. Pray for a complete healing for Ashley and comfort for her parents and family.
God is Good! Continue to pray for our family. We are truly blessed and want others who are going through tough times to feel the love and support that God has provided us through each of you. Hug your kids!! Say something extra sweet to your sweetie!! Value each moment.

Stop now and pray for Lukey and Praise God for your life!
Damian and Amanda

Sunday, March 2, 2003 2:23 PM CST

WOW!! What a difference a day makes. On Wednesday, I was telling you how Luke had began to walk on his on. Since then he has improved even more. He is running, jumping and trying to wrestle (that's where I draw the line). I went to my women's small group at church on Friday and Damian stayed home with the kids, when I pulled up they were all outside playing basketball. Luke is quite the dribbler! He has a great appetite. He has lost alot weight through all of this, but the way he is going he'll put it back on quickly. As I've shared with you, he LOVES chocolate, he is actually eating M&M's right now. He is waiting for his night out to Applebees. He is basically eating whatever he likes, we just make sure he takes small bites and chews alot. He is starting not to like the "Thicken It" in his drink, I hope that means that his swallowing is improving. We are gradually adding less and less to see how he handles it, so far so good. He's practically the same old Luke. (A little more spoiled) His voice is still hushed and strained at times. The ENT told us it could take up to two years for his vocal cord to heal. Continue to pray for a complete healing. We are walking on sunshine, screaming (literally) the Praises of the Lord and the miracles he has delivered to our son and to us. God wants you to share this miracle as well, just as you shared the need. Join us in telling everyone what an awesome God we serve. Remember I wanted to tell you more about some of the people we met. Today I'll tell you about "Riley". He is an adorable red headed two year old little boy. Riley had a two hour seizure which destroyed the front part of his brain, the part which controls logic and speaking. One of the surgeons that assisted with Lukey's surgery removed the front part of Riley's brain. He was without a skull for weeks. He finally went home and was back in the hospital when we were there for a problem with his heart valve. His precious little veins could hold no more IV's (they stuck him eight times one day ,as we listened to him scream- all we could do was pray). They finally took him to surgery to give him a central line for his IV's and to draw blood. His Great grandmother is his caretaker. She stayed with him all day, everyday. We became very friendly with him as did the whole hospital. He loved to give Payton high five, and would smile a bashful smile when he would see us. They could not figure out the problem with his heart, finally they called in an infectious disease doctor who told them that due to the surgery Riley had a bacteria in his heart valve that was causing this problem. They put him on a super high dose of antibiotics. The day we left they were taking him for some type of study to see if his heart had improved. The most awesome part of this story is the day we met him, his grandmother was telling us about his situation, and right as she was saying he can't talk, Luke was pulled right beside him in the wagon, Riley looked at Luke and said "Hi"! The word was crystal clear. Everyone was absoultely amazed!! (All those prayers for Lukey are bouncing off.) We ask today that you not only continue to pray for Luke but to lift up Riley (and his family) to the Lord. He needs healing, he has a long road to recover. Thank you all for your continued prayers. Don't stop. We'll update in a few days.
Count your blessings!!
Screamin' his praises!!
In His Grip,
The DeAndrea's

Wednesday, February 26, 2003 2:37 PM CST

(More photos on web page)

Ther's no place like home! There's no place like home! We are thrilled to be home. We checked out of the hospital Monday afternoon after Luke had his swallowing test, stiches out and feeding tube removed. This was the last of his "ouchies" as he says. He did not completely pass his swallowing test, he can not have any liquids. We have to put something called "Thicken It" in all of his drinks. It turns to a slushy consistency, it doesn't have a taste so he doesn't mind. He also has to tuck his chin to his chest to swallow. He did not like having his stiches taken out. At the bottom part of his incision, the skin had grown over so it hurt as they removed them. After that he had his feeding tube removed. Needless to say it was a rough last hour for him. We were so happy to be going home but in the same breath sad for all of the children and families that were staying. Some of these kids have been there for months and months and the word "HOME" has not been mentioned to them. We will never be the same. We have seen SO many miracles and want to share them all with you, I wish everyone that has shared in this experience could come together and hear details of what the LORD has done, but I'll try over the next few weeks to share them with you on this page. We are truly in awe at the hand of our Lord and Saviour and have committed to Him that we will tell of his goodness. This has been a tough journey. To see your child with tubes, not breathing at times, crying for you to help him, being scared, confused- all this is very hard but God heard our cries and extended his hand to pull us through. Luke's result is an absolute miracle. First, he is alive(he had two plates and 8 screws in his head), then there's the fact they got all of the tumor (we have had nurses tell us that in all of their years it is rare for this to happen because of the location in the stem) then we were told he would DEFINATELY WITH OUT A DOUBT lose the hearing in his left ear and the paralysis of the left side of his face would be worse(the Doctor stated after coming out of surgery "the tumor was not where we thought it was, it did not affect these nerves")
Can I get an "AMEN?" Then there was the breathing, the talks of the trachyotomy(now this was the toughtest part for us, to see Luke struggle to breath, his chest collapsing but we immediately put out the word for prayer, he did have to have the second vent but was able to come off of it)There were talks of a more permanent feeding tube directly into his stomach-We Prayed-and it didn't happen. There were talks that he may have to come home with the feeding tube in his nose-We Prayed-and it didn't happen. How can anyone doubt the Lord? How can anyone not see his hand? The even better news is he is waiting to do miracles in your life and he already has (some you may not even recognize). As I said before all you have to do is go to a Children's Hospital to realize the miracles that God has given you. As I would be listening to other parents share their stories, I found myself thanking God that my baby had a brain tumor. That may seem crazy but when you hear the condition of these kids and see the pain their parents are in you would understand. Thank you Lord for what you've given me and the path you've made for me and the people you've put there to make it easier.
We see Luke changing hour by hour. Yesterday he walked as if he were drunk. He'd take 4-5 steps and then stumble. He thought he could do alot more than what he was capable of. He had a good night. He and his Daddy got up about 2:00a.m. and had pudding and applesauce. (Damian forgot how to sleep without the nurses coming in every hour) I can't tell you how strong Damian has been through all of this, there would be times that I would feel physicially sick watching them do things to Lukey, I'd go get on my knees in the corner and Damian would stay right by his side, reassuring him that he'd be okay and that Daddy and Mommy loves him. Once in ICU when Lukey had the vent and couldn't speak, Damian said do you know Daddy loves you and with Luke's eyes still shut he nodded YES. They made many trips in the wagon to the chapel to pray together.
Today has been amazing. He walks like he did before we left. I actually caught him sneaking chocolate. He has had a awesome day playing with Payton. Please continue to pray specifically for his vocal cord to heal (he sounds like he is on helium when he talks, it's quite cute) his swallowing to improve, his strength and healing to continue. Also, that this tumor will NEVER EVER EVER return (one in five tumors may reoccur)
We continue to stand on the promises of God. We thank you all from the pits of our souls for all you have done. Our words are inadequate but we are so grateful to each of you.Each of you took part in saving his life through your sincere and dedicated prayers. We will update again in a few days. I ask you again to count your blessings, don't take another day with your children or family for granted. Continue doing the Lords work by helping his people as you have done for us.

Stop now and Thank God for this miracle and continue to pray for Luke.
Bursting with Joy,
Still in HIS GRIP.
Damian and Amanda

Monday, February 24, 2003 2:53 PM CST

Hello! I am writing on behalf of Amanda and guess what? THE DEANDREAS ARE COMING HOME!!!!!!! Tomorrow in fact. Luke was just released from the hospital. He had his stitches removed and also had another swallowing test. The test went well. He is still not completly OK with liquids, but he has progressed enough to come home. Once again, God has worked a miracle and answered our prayers. Damian, Amanda, and Luke will be staying at a hotel tonight near the airport and will be on a flight in the morning!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, February 22, 2003 3:04 PM CST

Luke has had a great day! He was able to have a few bites of pudding yesterday. It was awesome! He handled it quite well. He loves chocolate, so it hit the spot. He is restricted from all liquids and still has the feeding tube. Today got even better for him. The doctor allowed him to have tiny bites of ravioli- he was in heaven! This was the first time we were able to eat in the room with him, because we didn't want him to smell or see food. We usually hide in the bathroom or eat in the hall. He keeps asking to go to Applebee's (which is his favorite restaurant.) He is very anxious to go home. His sister went home today, which was very sad for all of us. He has looked forward to seeing her daily and playing with her. More good news... he has taken several steps on his own- which is awesome!!! Everyone that sees him is amazed at how well he is doing. The nurses use words like unbelievable, phenomenal, and miracle! So... we're just hanging out in the hospital- playing with play-doh, watching movies, and walking the hall in the wagon. (Did I mention that Memphis time practically stands still?) He gains strength everyday. God is so good! Please continue to pray specifically for his swallowing test on Monday at 11:00 a.m., that he will pass and be able to have the feeding tube removed. He is also having problems with his left eye. It is only closing half way, which causes dryness and irritation. He gets drops hourly. The doctor said if this doesn't improve, they may have to surgically implant a weight in his eyelid to help it close. Pray for continued rest, healing, protection, and no complications. The Lord is so real! Read Psalms 91. Thank you all for your continued prayers, fasting, love, caring, sharing, and the list goes on. Take a moment to just thank God for answered prayers, not only about Luke, but for all the things YOU have to be thankful for. If you could see the children here and their families, you would realize even more all of your blessings.

Psalms 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.

We give God all the glory. Stop now and pray for Luke.

Love,
Damian and Amanda

Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:27 AM CST

Dear Friends,
Luke had his swallowing test. At this point , they do not feel it is safe for him to eat. They have placed a feeding tube thru his nose to feed him. They do feel this will be a temporary complication. (We know it will be-Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he who has began in good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.) At this point things get a bit confusing beause you have different doctors following you for different things-this tube should only be used for 2-4 weeks. At that point if his condition had not improved they would put a device directly into his stomach. They are going to re-evaluate his swallowing in a week. He is extremely weak and he can barely lift his arms or speak, but he has managed a few of his charming smiles. He is very popular throughout the hospital-we had a nurse specifically ask to take care of him today because the nurses in ICU told her about him. Even sick he has his sweet spirit. Yesterday afternoon and this morning were heartbreaking for us. He has been extremely hungry and has begged us to eat. He said " Mama can I just have a piece of bread?" ( I saw that a friend prayed that he would be filled with the bread of life and he is). He then asked for some chocolate M&M's and this morning for donuts. This has been hard to hear him beg for food and then try to distract him. But once again God has gotten us through this. They hooked the feeding tube up at 3pm and this has done wonders. Damian told him he is eating a vanilla milkshake through his tube. We have seen the power of prayer first hand and continue to see it daily! With each obsticle, you all have gotten the specific request out and the prayer chains going and we have seen miracles daily. One story I will share is on Tuesday at 11 am they could no longer give Luke pain medicine due to the fact that it slows down your breathing and since they had to remove the breathing tube, he had to have his breathing at 100%. How can you go through brain surgery and have no pain medicine? It's the Lord and another step in this journey. You all started the calls and e-mails and specifically asked for rest and my boy slept all afternoon and even today he is only getting Tylenol and is managing his pain well. A nurse said "he must have been tired". Thats not it! Its God amazing us and honoring our prayers. We are taking advantage of your prayers and continue to ask for specific requests. We see God show up all day long here. A few weeks ago, I mailed a letter to some of the local Memphis churches stating that Luke would be undergoing surgery on Feb. 14th in their city and asked them to join in prayer for his healing. ( The Lord laid this on my heart when I was here 2 week ago-I was looking through a newspaper and saw a list of churches) What a blessing! Friday morning a pastor showed up before Lukes sugery to pray with us. A nurse here at the hospital saw us in the hall and told us her church had received my letter and they were praying. I got a call today from another church for an update. Isn't God awesome? Our home church in Tampa (Van Dyke Methodist) has reached out with a love and support that is incredible. I know God is smiling down thinking " This how it is supposed to be!" Those of you who don't know us but are honoring us with your prayers-we are speechless and grateful. Even people here are amazed as we share in waiting rooms and halls . They can not believe the prayers. God is affecting everyone through you. I'll close with specific prayers for Luke- to rest-for comfort( he is very scared at times)-for healing-for his vocal cords to begin working-for no complications. Damian and I continue to be amazed at our Lord. This miracle is not by anything we have done but by HIS might and power. We give Him all the glory, praise him for everything good! He fills us with hope. Hug your kids (and each other ) extra hard tonight. Thank God for creating you. Ask him to show you your purpose. Make a difference in someones life, as you have done in ours!!
Stop now and pray for LUKE!!!
With Love-
In his Grip
Damian and Amanda

Tuesday, February 18, 2003 5:33 PM CST

I am writing on behalf of Amanda and Damian. They asked that I update everyone. He is now breathing on his own and the breathing tube has been removed. He also been moved out of ICU and into a regular room. We thank God for these blessings! The next issue he is facing is swallowing. He will be having a swallowing test tomorrow morning at 11:30 am. The family has asked that you pray specifically that his vocal cords will be healed and that he will be able to eat. He is extremely hungry and is miserable. He has been asking for food every ten minutes. The nurse unsuccessfully attempted to put the feeding feading tube back in (it had to be removed yesterday when they removed the breathing tube). Without sedation, it is a difficult procedure to put the feeding tube back in, so they are feeding him only thru IV fluids. This is why he is so hungry. They also ask that we pray for Luke to have a comfortable night. The family is standing strong. They have seen many miracles and feel the power of your prayers and are grateful for them. Please stop now and pray for Luke!!

Sunday, February 16, 2003 6:52 PM CST

(Hospital pictures on website)

Luke had a good morning yesterday. He was answering questions with a nod. "Does your head hurt?" He nodded yes. "Does you leg hurt?" He nodded yes. "Do you want medicine?" He nodded no! (Same old Luke.) Yesterday afternoon got rough for him! They removed his air tube to scope his vocal cords to see if they were functioning properly. During the scope, they found his right vocal cord functioning properly, but his left is partially paralized. (We need your specific prayers for his vocal cords!) He also was struggling to breathe. His airway was too swollen to leave the tube out, so they had to reinsert it. While the tube was out, the ENT Dr. was trying to get him to speak, and was telling Luke to say eeeee and cheeeeese, but Luke wouldn't say it. But he struggled and said "Daddy." AWESOME!!! It was a very rough episode Luke (and for Damian and I.) Then they sedated him completely and he rested the rest of the day. This morning we got a special surprise. The new nurse on duty let us hold him!!!! What an awesome thing to hold our baby after 3 days! We sang to him, talked to him, and prayed for him. Reassuring him we love him, he was safe, and Jesus is with him. He is such a trooper. He now has a feeding tube through his nose. We need your specific prayers that the swelling in his throat will go away so that his air tube may be removed! Pray his vocal cords will not be paralized. Rebuke a tracheotomy! Pray for no complications. We have seen so many miracles here and met so many people ( we have a prayer list a mile long.) God has given us a supernatural peace and courage. It's hard to see our baby like this- in pain with tubes, but we trust the Lord. Without Him, this would be impossible. Please continue to pray for a complete miracle and no complications. We love and miss you all. Stop now and pray for Luke's healing!

God bless,
Damian and Amanda

Sunday, February 16, 2003 6:52 PM CST

(Hospital pictures on website)

Luke had a good morning yesterday. He was answering questions with a nod. "Does your head hurt?" He nodded yes. "Does you leg hurt?" He nodded yes. "Do you want medicine?" He nodded no! (Same old Luke.) Yesterday afternoon got rough for him! They removed his air tube to scope his vocal cords to see if they were functioning properly. During the scope, they found his right vocal cord functioning properly, but his left is partially paralized. (We need your specific prayers for his vocal cords!) He also was struggling to breathe. His airway was too swollen to leave the tube out, so they had to reinsert it. While the tube was out, the ENT Dr. was trying to get him to speak, and was telling Luke to say eeeee and cheeeeese, but Luke wouldn't say it. But he struggled and said "Daddy." AWESOME!!! It was a very rough episode Luke (and for Damian and I.) Then they sedated him completely and he rested the rest of the day. This morning we got a special surprise. The new nurse on duty let us hold him!!!! What an awesome thing to hold our baby after 3 days! We sang to him, talked to him, and prayed for him. Reassuring him we love him, he was safe, and Jesus is with him. He is such a trooper. He now has a feeding tube through his nose. We need your specific prayers that the swelling in his throat will go away so that his air tube may be removed! Pray his vocal cords will not be paralized. Rebuke a tracheotomy! Pray for no complications. We have seen so many miracles here and met so many people ( we have a prayer list a mile long.) God has given us a supernatural peace and courage. It's hard to see our baby like this- in pain with tubes, but we trust the Lord. Without Him, this would be impossible. Please continue to pray for a complete miracle and no complications. We love and miss you all. Stop now and pray for Luke's healing!

God bless,
Damian and Amanda

Friday, February 14, 2003 7:42 PM CST

Update
7:30a.m.-They took Luke down for anesthesia, Damian and I were able to walk him down to "The Bunny Room" to pick out a special toy before surgery
8:15a.m.-They gave Luke something in his IV and took him screaming and terrified out of our arms
8:30a.m.- As we walked back to Lukes rrom Dr. Sanford was waiting to speak with us once more to confirm our decision
9:24a.m.- Surgery began
10:30a.m.- They are still working to get to the tumor
11:30a.m.- They reached the tumor-starting biopsy
12:20a.m.- They started actual resection (that means they feel it is not malignant)and stated "they had it almost all out"
2:00p.m.-Dr. Sanford came in to tell us the surgery went well. He feels he got most of the tumor, although he will not know until he does an MRI tomorrow. He feels his hearing may NOT be affected (remember this was one of the guaranteed complications. Praise GOD!!)because the tumor was not laying the way he originally thought on the 6th and 7th cranial nerves. The next 48 hours will tell more. The 9th and 10th nerves were affected (which control swallowing and breathing) He now has a breathing tube-tomorrow we will have an ENT look to see if the vocal cords are paralized. They have mentioned a possible tracheotomy. WE ARE STILL CLAIMING THE FINAL PARTS TO OUR MIRACLE!!!! The Lord will finish this. We were able to go see our baby in ICU. They counseled us on "what to expect". Explaining we will not be able to touch him as they do not want him stimulated by anything. They painted a scary picture of ICU-tubes,monitors,sounds and that we need to prepare ourselves for the way Lukey will look. As we made the steps around the corner where Luke was laying, I found my beautiful boy never looking more peaceful. As the tears streamed down our faces and we praised the Lord for the mere miracle of Lukey living through this delicate operation-the Lord performed another miracle right in front of our eyes. Luke tried to pull the breathing tube out of his mouth. Guess which hand he used? The right one,(remember there was a possibility of his right side being paralyzed)We are singing the praises of our Creator-of the Miracle Worker. More like we're screaming his praises. Today and yesterday have been the two hardest days of our lives. Yesterday Luke was tramitized badly. He had so many needles and tests, vitals and medicines. They put probes on his tiny head and shaved two spots with a dry razor as he screamed with a sound I had never heard my shy boy use. As we handed him over for an MRI, tears running down his precious face he said "I'm scared". This is the most painful thing to hear from your child, we felt helpless. And as the doors shut this morning seperating us from him-they held our child in their arms as he cried and begged for us to take him home. "I want to go home" he screamed. When we could go no furhter with him, the Lord continued. He was present in the OR and guided the physicians. We all waited back in Luke's patient room (there are 10 of us here plus Payton)we surrounded ourselves in prayer(at times on our knees)in song and in scripture. As we received those phone calls from the nurse with the news our voices rang in praise as we promised (Show us your strenth Lord so all may see it and we will sing your praises). We can't explain to you how we feel right now-we know this is not over but in our eyes it is!!Our hope is in the Lord because of Him we have seen a miracle. We still ask for your specific prayers-no complication,no infections, no tracheotomy,voice and throat nerves healed-peace and rest for Luke. He will wake up scared-Lord grant him peace and comfort. We are tired but inspired. We know you are all praying and rejoicing right now where ever you are. We feel your prayers. How will we ever repay you all for your love and prayers? We cant but the Lord will. We have truly seen the Hand of the Lord.
Spread the good news of Luke and the road to his healing.
Stop and continue to pray for Luke.
God Bless,
In His TIGHT Grip,
Damian and Amanda

Friday, February 14, 2003 1:04 PM CST

Update
7:30a.m.-They took Luke down for anesthesia, Damian and I were able to walk him down to "The Bunny Room" to pick out a toy
8:15a.m.-They gave Luke something in his IV and took him screaming out of our arms
8:30a.m.-As we walked back to Luke's room the surgeon was waiting to speak with us once more to confirm our decision
9:24a.m.-Surgery began
10:30a.m.-They were still working to get to the tumor
11:30a.m.-They reached tumor, starting biopsy
12:20a.m.-They started the actual resection (that means it is not malignant) and stated "they had it almost all out"

We are sitting here at the nurses desk- Praising the Lord for his goodness and blessings. This is the critical part of the procedure. Please get on your knees and THANK GOD for all he has done to this point and ask him to finish our miracle. Stop now and pray for Luke.

Wednesday, February 12, 2003 6:44 AM CST

Dear Friends,
It's hard to believe this day has arrived, we start the next stage of our journey. I can't explain to you how these last two weeks have been, every level of emotion you can imagine and at times contemplating our decision- but in every moment of weakness we have turned to the Lord and he has filled our hearts with hope and PEACE. For those of you who don't know me(Amanda), I have a tendancy to worry (imagine that) This is something I have been working on and praying about for 2 years, since I quit my job to stay home with my children. And I must say I have improved but these past few weeks even I have been amazed at the supernatural peace I have allowed (that's the key) the Lord to give me. Damian and I have discovered that God wants to give us many things but we often don't allow it. As we were on our way to Disney even Damian said to me that it's hard to describe the peace he had but knows without a doubt this peace is a gift from GOD. Please believe us when we say WE ARE EXPECTING A MIRACLE!! The Lord is in control of our lives and certainly of little Lukey.
Psalm 18:1 I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer:my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
We have seen God's hand in all of this, just as some of you have. We see an extention of him in all of you, just by your words and prayers. What a comfort that is. Thank you all, weather we know you or not for that GIFT. You are a part of our peace.
We will be leaving at 3:00 p.m. today. Luke will check in to the hospital tomorrow and his surgery is Friday, Feb 14th at 7:30a.m.(that's 8:30a.m. our time Memphis is an hour behind) We ask for a final plea of your prayers for our son. That God will guide Dr.Sanford, Dr. Boop and their team and that God will amaze even them at his awesome power and strength. We rebuke any complications. Through all of this we have learned as much control as we try to have or think we have over people (in our case our chldren)or things -We really have no control but GOD HAS ALL CONTROL and we glorify him for allowing us the priveledge of parenting our children. What an honor to be parents. We're standing firm on His word and promises and continue to ask you to do the same.
We will update the web page as soon as we know anything. Thank you for reading this and being apart of our journey to a miracle. Pray for our baby.
Psalm 34: I will exault that Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me;let us exalt his name together!!! WOW! We are glorifying the Lord!!
Wherever you are tomorrow at 8:30a.m. and throughout the morning... STOP AND PRAY FOR LUKE!!
IN HIS GRIP,
The DeAndrea's

Monday, February 10, 2003 4:31 PM CST

We had a WONDERFUL time at Disney World.(Check out the new pictures) The weather was cold but thankfully there was no rain. Luke never fed Mickey any cheese (actually Luke wouln't get near Mickey or any other characters without screaming- but he had a GREAT time in spite of that)His favorite ride was Buzz Light Year and the Rollercoaster. Payton liked Pirates of the Carribean. It was a wonderful day. Thank you again to ALL who made it possible (Kelly you're the best!!)
We started packing today for the big trip!! We fly out on Wednesday afternoon. We are filled with faith and hope and are anxiously awaiting our miracle. As you know Lukey's surgery is Friday, February 14th, Valentine's Day-What a great day for God to show his LOVE. We are dependent upon your prayers! God has been so good to shower his blessings upon us. How can we have PEACE right now some ask. The answer-JESUS. He has provided a blanket of peace that we can not describe. We owe all the glory to him.

Mark 11:24-"Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours"
Thank you for asking and for believing that we have received our miracle. Continue to lift our son up to the Lord, now even more. We continue to be inspired and comforted by your words of love and your prayers. Thank you doesn't begin to tell you how we feel.

We will update the website on Wednesday before we leave.
STOP now and pray for Luke (and Dr. Sanford)
God Bless,
Damian and Amanda

Thursday, February 6, 2003 7:44 PM CST

Well, once again our plans have changed. Now instead of driving to Tennessee we will be flying. After realizing how far it actually was we decided it would be better to fly (my husband gets a little cranky if he's in the car too long) We've had a great week. The kids went back to school, Ms. Becky and all of the teachers and Little Wranglers were happy to see them. Go Gaither!! We are very excited because tomorrow we are going to Disney World. Luke has never been. He says he can't wait to feed Mickey a piece of cheese. We were blessed with this special trip from a host of friends. We would like to say thank you.We feel your prayers. The Lord keeps pouring his peace and love upon us. We are anxiously awaiting to see his miracle.We are still asking for your daily prayers. Let the Lord hear Lukey's name more this week than ever before. We are still in awe at your continual emails and prayers. Thank you for praying for us and asking others to as well. As one person stated "Faith doesn't get you around problems, it gets you through them." It is our desire to glorify the Lord. We'll update the sight on Monday, hopefully with some pictures of Disney.
One of our favorite verses: Jeremiah 28:11-12 "For I know the plans I have for you delcares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you." As my husband and I were in prayer together he said a simple prayer that said so much "Lord let our plans for Luke be your will"
Stop now and pray for Luke!
With Love,
Damian and Amanda

Thursday, February 6, 2003 7:44 PM CST

Well, once again our plans have changed. Now instead of driving to Tennessee we will be flying. After realizing how far it actually was we decided it would be better to fly (my husband gets a little cranky if he's in the car too long) We've had a great week. The kids went back to school, Ms. Becky and all of the teachers and Little Wranglers were happy to see them. Go Gaither!! We are very excited because tomorrow we are going to Disney World. Luke has never been. He says he can't wait to feed Mickey a piece of cheese. We were blessed with this special trip from a host of friends. We would like to say thank you.We feel your prayers. The Lord keeps pouring his peace and love upon us. We are anxiously awaiting to see his miracle.We are still asking for your daily prayers. Let the Lord hear Lukey's name more this week than ever before. We are still in awe at your continual emails and prayers. Thank you for praying for us and asking others to as well. As one person stated "Faith doesn't get you around problems, it gets you through them." It is our desire to glorify the Lord. We'll update the sight on Monday, hopefully with some pictures of Disney.
One of our favorite verses: Jeremiah 28:11-12 "For I know the plans I have for you delcares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you." As my husband and I were in prayer together he said a simple prayer that said so much "Lord let our plans for Luke be your will"
Stop now and pray for Luke!
With Love,
Damian and Amanda

Monday, February 3, 2003 9:37 PM CST

Thank you all for your continued support,e-mails,calls, notes and most importantly your prayers. We received more details today regarding the time of Lukey's surgery. It will be Friday, February 14th at 7:30 a.m. He has to be checked into the hospital on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. They will do another MRI (Psalm 21-The message "Show your strenth, God, so no one can miss it. We are out singing the good news.") We have decided to drive to Tennessee, we will leave on Tuesday (Feb 11th) we plan to split the trip and stay over night somewhere. Payton will be going with us for a few days but will fly home early. If we feel Luke can not make the car ride back, one of us will fly home with him. The physcian feels Luke will be in ICU for two days and then in a room for about 8 days. A lot of people still think this is at St. Jude's Hospital but it is not. It is at LeBoneur Childrens Hospital.We anxiously await this (Jerimiah 29 "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future")Please continue to pray without ceasing. Pray for Dr. Sandford and his team. If they are able to remove the tumor the procedure will last 5-6 hours. We're claiming our miracle. Thank you all for spreading the word, it's amazing to read those e-mails and see how we're being prayed for all over the world. Our God is AWESOME!! We continue to be touched and amazed at your thoughtfulness and dedication to our son, our family and the Lord.
Stop now, get on your knees and pray for Luke!
With Love,
Damian and Amanda

Thursday, January 30, 2003 at 10:34 PM (CST)

Well, we made it home. We are considering our trip a successful one. As we shared with you yesterday, Dr. Sanders spent three hours with us discussing Lukes condition. The type of tumor he feels Luke has is an astrocytoma (not a pontine glioma as we thought before)Glory be to God,of course we will not know for sure until the biopsy. He is hopeful this is a benign tumor due to the slow growth. Now that we look back over pictures we see a slight weekness in Lukes left eye as much as a year and a half ago. The plan is he will do a biopsy, immediately send it to pathology for a priliminary diagnosis, this takes about thirty minutes, as long as it is not malignant he will go to the next step which is seeing if he can remove 90-95% of the tumor without an extreme compromise of Lukes quality of life. If he can not remove that percentage of the tumor he will stop and he will go to another course of treatment. If he feels he can, he will. He stated there is no way not to affect the 6th and 7th cranial nerves. He feels Luke will lose total hearing in his left ear and the left side of his face will be paralysed worse than now. (He apparently hasn't seen the prayer warriors on this website) Also, there is a chance of complete paralysis on the right side of his body. We are claiming victory over ANY complications. This was not an easy decision but we felt the Lord led us to this man and empowered us to come to this. We are begging for your specific prayers to be lifted up: that this surgery will be safe and successful, that NONE of the complications above will occur, that we will see a miracle. Our Lord is the ultimate surgeon. Pray for the knowledge, direction and ability for Dr. Sanford and his team. Pray for peace and protection for Lukey. Pray for strength for our family. As Damian and I flew back on the plane today our prayer was that God will open the eyes of our hearts so that we may truly know what He longs to show us through all of this. We are drawing our strength from God and because each of you have honored us by praying for us. While we know this is a tragic situation, we see time and time again how the Lord is being glorified. God's fingerprints were all over our trip. Every where we went God put someone in our path who prayed for us and encouraged us or who Luke touched with his precious smile. My little brother, J.C. (who attends Lee University in Cleveland, TN and is becoming a youth pastor) came to Memphis with the Senior Pastor of his church. On Wednesday night they set out to find a church. They passed church after church who did not have Wednesday night services, they were about to give up when they found a little Baptist church. After the sermon, the pastor of this church recognized my brother and Pastor Tim as visitors and asked Pastor Tim to share a few words. He shared with the congregation that he was in town because J.C.'s nephew had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, immediately the church formed a circle and lifted our little Luke up in prayer. They did not intend on being acknowledged at this church and instead the Lord gave them the opportunity to allow that church to share in our journey. This is only one story of the many. As I told my friend earlier we are relying on God for each breath for without him we would not be breathing right now. We are empowering ourselves with scripture. Thank you all for giving us verses. I write each of them down that you give and look them up time and time again. Today someone sent us James 5:16 The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. All of you are a part of the "wonderful result" that we are going to have because you are praying. It has been so moving how you are sharing our needs with your friends and family.We will tell you everytime we write that we are honored you are sitting here reading these words and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers on our behalf. Luke's surgery is scheduled for Friday February 14th at LeBonheur Childrens Hospital (not St. Jude's). We will know more details next week. Keep praying, keep writing, keep sending scripture.
Stop now and pray for Luke!!
God Bless You.
Damian and Amanda

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 at 03:55 PM (CST)

We are sitting in a Kinko's in Memphis, TN. We know you are all are anxious to know what is going on. To briefly update you, we met with Dr. Sanford today for almost three hours. After reviewing all of our difficult limited options, it seems to be that preforming a radical resection is in need. What this means is he will start with a biopsy and attempt to remove at least 95% of the tumor. He has stated that if he can't get 90-95% of it he won't get any of it or if it too risky he won't remove it. He spelled out the complications in black and white. With the removal procedure Luke will lose his hearing in his left ear and the paralysis of the left side of his face will be worse. There is also a chance of paralysis to the right side of his body. We are asking for you to join us in praying specifially for none of these complications to exsist. We pray for a safe and successful surgery. We are standing strong in our faith and the power of the Lord. We know he can preform a miracle and Luke will fully recover. There are a lot more details but we will update you when we get home. Again, we would not make it without your prayers and support. Continue to lift us up and pray specifically for these things. We are so thankful for each of you, no matter if we know you or not, you are blessing us with your prayers. We find comfort and strength in that. We will be home tomorrow afternoon, and expect to return within the next two weeks for the surgery. Lukey misses his sister. It's too cold for him here!!
Stop now and pray for Luke.
God Bless you all.
Damian and Amanda

Monday, January 27, 2003 at 09:21 PM (CST)

We had our follow up appointment this morning with the neurosurgeon. The new MRI confirmed the original prognosis. Luke has a pontine glioma in the brain tissue of the brain stem. We candidly asked the doctor "If this was your child, what would you do?" He answered with "I would start with a second opinion and formulate a plan." He referred us to a top neurosurgeon at St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Our flight leaves tomorrow afternoon. Damian's parents, my mother and my best friend will accompany us for support. You have no idea how much we appreciate ALL of you, even though you may not know us you are lifting us up in prayer. What a comfort and a blessing. Please join us in praying specifically for a miracle!! For guidance, for wisdom, for the physcians knowledge, for safe travel, for peace. We want you all to know we are GLORIFYING the Lord through all of this. We are leaning on him for each breath. We want all the glory for the miracle that we are claiming to be His. We will be home Thursday afternoon and will update you then. Again, we are overwhelmed with your love and prayers. Stop now and pray for Luke!
Love,
Damian and Amanda

Sunday, January 26, 2003 at 09:23 AM (CST)

Yesterday morning we were honored to have over 45 people from our church come to our house to lay hands on and pray for Lukey. What an overwhelming example of Christ's love. This is only a fraction of you who are lifting Luke up to the Lord. This website has been such a blessing, we find ourselves checking it regularly and receiving such comfort from your words of love. We have shown Luke and have started reading your "love notes" to him. I asked him earlier "Luke, what do you think about all these people praying for you?" He said "It's cool"!! Alot of you have asked if he knows what is going on. He has been praying for his face since we were first diagnosed with Bells Palsy in August. He says "Jesus, please heal my face" other than that he doesn't realize anything. Alot of people have been in and out of our home over the last two days but he thinks we're having a party (because his Aunt Chelle and other friends have brought over balloons). He did ask our friend Sue (who was with us all afternoon and evening on Friday and was the first one who arrived Saturday to pray) He said "What are you doing here again?" It was cute! Other than that he is a normal 3 year old boy playing, laughing and fighting with his sister. God has blessed him and Payton with a special peace. They have enjoyed the constant company and different playmates all day long, so to them it has been a party. How do we thank each of you for just reading these words? My heart wants to tell you so much more but for now I beg you for more and more and more prayers. Thank you all for loving us and loving God. We are claiming a miracle. In less than 24 hours we will hear the word from the doctors but we have already heard the word of the Lord!! He will be healed. Thank you all for your love and concern. We are so blessed to have each of you. In closing, I found great comfort in a scripture that someone from our church sent to us on the website "So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your GOD. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10. Please stop right now and pray for Luke!
With Love,
Damian and Amanda

Saturday, January 25, 2003 at 11:06 AM (CST)

Thank you all for caring about and praying for our little boy. Luke turned three on August 26th. He is a very shy but active boy. He loves Thomas The Train, Bob the Builder, football (his favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys, just like his daddy) he loves to wrestle, color, play outside. His best buddy is his sister Payton, who is five. He loves to go to church and learn about Jesus and play with his friends. A quick history is Luke was diagnosed with Bells Palsy in August. We noticed the left side of his face was not functioning properly. When he would smile only the right side would move, when he cried only the right side had tears, when he would sleep the left eye would not close completely. The peditrician suggested we watch his face and visit him monthly to check for changes. Finally, after no change he suggested we see a neurologist to make sure nothing else was going on. Last Friday (Jan 17) we saw the neurologist and he recommended an MRI, he did not feel it was a brain tumor becasue Luke's left eye moves and he has no other symptoms (his motor skills are perfect, it is only affecting his face) We had an MRI on Wednesday (Jan 22) Luke did GREAT, he had a slight sedative, went to sleep and woke up not knowing anything had happened. We received a phone call from the neurologist on Thursday (Jan 23) stating they had found a mass he did not know any details as he had not seen the actual films but said we needed to get to All Childrens Hospital as soon as possible to see a Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Dr. Tuite. Dr. Tuite informed us that Luke has a tumor on his brain stem, he could not tell from the films if it was on his brain or in his brain. (First of all we are praying for a miracle and that the tumor is gone but it would be better for the tumor to be on the brain and not in it) He sent us directly for a Cat Scan which again, our beautiful little boy did great, he pretended to be Buzz Light Year going up in a space ship. The Doctor scheduled another MRI with dye for Friday morning (Jan 24). This time Luke had a general anesthesia. God was so present!! As the nurse put the IV in his little hand he just sat there, never cried!! We will see Dr. Tuite on Monday at 9:00 a.m. for the results and to decide what will be done. Please join us in praying for a miracle and that our son will be healed!! Pray for peace and comfort for our family. Pray for direction and guidance for the physicians. Thank you all for your concern.

Saturday, January 25, 2003 at 11:06 AM (CST)

Thank you all for caring about and praying for our little boy. Luke turned three on August 26th. He is a very shy but active boy. He loves Thomas The Train, Bob the Builder, football (his favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys, just like his daddy) he loves to wrestle, color, play outside. His best buddy is his sister Payton, who is five. He loves to go to church and learn about Jesus and play with his friends. A quick history is Luke was diagnosed with Bells Palsy in August. We noticed the left side of his face was not functioning properly. When he would smile only the right side would move, when he cried only the right side had tears, when he would sleep the left eye would not close completely. The peditrician suggested we watch his face and visit him monthly to check for changes. Finally, after no change he suggested we see a neurologist to make sure nothing else was going on. Last Friday (Jan 17) we saw the neurologist and he recommended an MRI, he did not feel it was a brain tumor becasue Luke's left eye moves and he has no other symptoms (his motor skills are perfect, it is only affecting his face) We had an MRI on Wednesday (Jan 22) Luke did GREAT, he had a slight sedative, went to sleep and woke up not knowing anything had happened. We received a phone call from the neurologist on Thursday (Jan 23) stating they had found a mass he did not know any details as he had not seen the actual films but said we needed to get to All Childrens Hospital as soon as possible to see a Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Dr. Tuite. Dr. Tuite informed us that Luke has a tumor on his brain stem, he could not tell from the films if it was on his brain or in his brain. (First of all we are praying for a miracle and that the tumor is gone but it would be better for the tumor to be on the brain and not in it) He sent us directly for a Cat Scan which again, our beautiful little boy did great, he pretended to be Buzz Light Year going up in a space ship. The Doctor scheduled another MRI with dye for Friday morning (Jan 24). This time Luke had a general anesthesia. God was so present!! As the nurse put the IV in his little hand he just sat there, never cried!! We will see Dr. Tuite on Monday at 9:00 a.m. for the results and to decide what will be done. Please join us in praying for a miracle and that our son will be healed!! Pray for peace and comfort for our family. Pray for direction and guidance for the physicians. Thank you all for your concern.

Saturday, January 25, 2003 at 11:06 AM (CST)

Thank you all for caring about and praying for our little boy. Luke turned three on August 26th. He is a very shy but active boy. He loves Thomas The Train, Bob the Builder, football (his favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys, just like his daddy) he loves to wrestle, color, play outside. His best buddy is his sister Payton, who is five. He loves to go to church and learn about Jesus and play with his friends. A quick history is Luke was diagnosed with Bells Palsy in August. We noticed the left side of his face was not functioning properly. When he would smile only the right side would move, when he cried only the right side had tears, when he would sleep the left eye would not close completely. The peditrician suggested we watch his face and visit him monthly to check for changes. Finally, after no change he suggested we see a neurologist to make sure nothing else was going on. Last Friday (Jan 17) we saw the neurologist and he recommended an MRI, he did not feel it was a brain tumor becasue Luke's left eye moves and he has no other symptoms (his motor skills are perfect, it is only affecting his face) We had an MRI on Wednesday (Jan 22) Luke did GREAT, he had a slight sedative, went to sleep and woke up not knowing anything had happened. We received a phone call from the neurologist on Thursday (Jan 23) stating they had found a mass he did not know any details as he had not seen the actual films but said we needed to get to All Childrens Hospital as soon as possible to see a Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Dr. Tuite. Dr. Tuite informed us that Luke has a tumor on his brain stem, he could not tell from the films if it was on his brain or in his brain. (First of all we are praying for a miracle and that the tumor is gone but it would be better for the tumor to be on the brain and not in it) He sent us directly for a Cat Scan which again, our beautiful little boy did great, he pretended to be Buzz Light Year going up in a space ship. The Doctor scheduled another MRI with dye for Friday morning (Jan 24). This time Luke had a general anesthesia. God was so present!! As the nurse put the IV in his little hand he just sat there, never cried!! We will see Dr. Tuite on Monday at 9:00 a.m. for the results and to decide what will be done. Please join us in praying for a miracle and that our son will be healed!! Pray for peace and comfort for our family. Pray for direction and guidance for the physicians. Thank you all for your concern.

Friday, January 24, 2003 at 03:30 PM (CST)

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