Welcome to Steven's Page

Journal

Saturday, July 9, 2011 10:16 AM CDT

Hello all,

It has been awhile, Time flies when your having fun. Lexi is now 3 months, 8 days old and doing great. She is getting to be so much fun, smiling and cooing. Britney is back to pre-pregnancy weight with out trying and I'm working on getting back to pre-pregnancy weight. Wow it is a lot of fun being a dad. The Summer is flying by it seems like we just got finished planting. I know it has been a while because all the crops are growing big and tall and the sweet corn is tasseling, that means it wont be long. Right now I am planning on a Golf Tournament to benefit St. Judes that will take place on July 30th here in Clay Center. It looks like it is going to be pretty successful. We are also working on raising funds for the runs in December. If you are interested in donating to that please do so at www.mystjudeheroes.org/steven

Here is our personal fundraising letter for this year:

Greetings,
 
It has been another eventful year in our Family. Britney and I are healthy and doing great; Lexi is awesome as always. But this letter is not all about us. We are sending this letter to you to ask for your help in raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Back in July of 2002 I was told that after chemo-therapy treatments I would have less than a 10% chance of having children. After much discussion I decided to leave the possibility of having my own children in God’s hands. Then after another battle with cancer in 2008, we realized that we probably would not be able to have our own children. However, August 3rd three pregnancy tests told us that Britney was pregnant. After much unbelief by both Britney and our parents an ultrasound with a heartbeat made believers out of all of us. Britney was 6 ½ weeks pregnant. The miracle baby that Steven always thought would come was in the oven. April 1st Lexi Kay VonSpreckelsen was welcomed into the world. We love Lexi so much and could not imagine our world without her. She is truly our little miracle. I had a check-up at St Judes on April 28th. As we sat waiting for me to be called back for my MRI we noticed a lady with a stroller sitting across the room from us. Lexi made a noise and the lady looked over at us and asked, “how old is she?” We told her that Lexi was 4 weeks old and wondered how old her baby was. She replied saying that her baby girl was also 4 weeks old. “Really, where is she I replied.” She told us that here 4 week old daughter was in the MRI machine. In our short conversation we found out that her daughter had an ependymoma. (An ependymoma is a type of cancerous brain tumor) “Wow,” I thought, “how hard would that be?” My heart ached for her. I think in that moment God was telling me, “you are so blessed, you have a miracle in your arms, how lucky are you to have a healthy baby in your arms.” After looking up how to spell ependymoma on google I also found that the cure rate for it is 45 - 55%. How blessed are so many of us to have healthy children. I’m not trying to be a tear jerker, but wow, what an amazing encounter. Lucky for us there is a place called St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital where they are always working on new, state of the art, treatments to improve the cure rates for all childhood cancers. On Dec. 3rd Britney and I will be running the 5K in Memphis, TN. This is our way of saying “Thank You” to the hospital for all that they have done for us. Our goal this year is $5000. This goal year is much higher than last years, but I believe with we can make it with your help. No donation is too small, believe it or not $5 goes a long ways when 100 people donate $5. One time a person from St. Judes told me that most of their funding comes from small donations. Also going back to talking about being blessed with healthy children. Send us a donation to St. Judes in honor of your healthy children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or even your next door neighbors children. Children are a gift from God and St. Judes is helping to keep cancer from interruption their lives. Danny Thomas created St. Judes because he thought that,” no child should die in the dawn of life.”

Anyways, we return to Memphis for a check-up on the 6th & 7th of September. So please be in prayer for that, but more importantly don't forget to be in prayer for all those other families out there battling this awful disease. Just last month a very close cousin of mine named nick was diagnosed with a Chondrosarcoma, it is very slow growing thankfully, but he has a long road ahead. Please be in prayer for Nick and his family as he has a wife and son at home in Florida while he receives radiation in Boston.

Philippians 4:12-13
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I pray that you learn the secret of being content.
God Bless,
Steven

Hospital Information:

Patient Room: Home in Nebraska 31080 Hwy 14, Clay Center, NE 68933

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
332 N. Lauderdale
Memphis TN 38105-2794
901-495-3300

Links:

E-mail Author: stevenv04@yahoo.com

---

 

Your gift will help millions of people stay connected with friends and loved ones during challenging times.

---

 

This page has been viewed 153311 times.

Note: The foregoing information was authored by the patient, parent or guardian, or other parties who are solely responsible for the content. Such announcements or their content are not necessarily endorsed by CaringBridge, Inc. or any sponsoring agent. This information does not confirm that anyone is or was actually a patient at any facility.