Sunday, July 18, 2004 5:01 PM CDT

We're home and happy for that. We got home just in time yesterday to see everyone finishing up the AWESOME treehouse! Colin was still unsteady and a little off, but was still very excited, and is even moreso today. They did an absolute wonderful job, and I've never seen a cooler treehouse. We are so grateful and thankful to everyone that helped-there were so many of you! Some people helped build, some brought food for the cookout and some arranged to have things done-every little detail was taken care of. Rich is still working on the inside-mudding the walls and painting, and we are still going to put carpeting in it. Please be sure to check out the pictures(although they don't really do it justice!) We are so blessed to have so many people that care about our family. Thank you again to everyone who helped to make Colin and Sam happy!!!!!! We love you all!!!

Colin's feeling really good today. His memory is bad, but other than that he's great. We go in for counts tomorrow, and we expect that he'll need a platelet transfusion for sure by Wednesday. Also, around Tuesday his ANC counts should drop to 0 again, and there's a 50/50 chance that the fevers will return and we'll go back to the hospital.

Thank you again to everyone who has been sending cards and words of support, and to everyone who pitched in and helped with the treehouse, especially to John Schroeder and his partners for whipping up the treehouse so swiftly and doing such a great job at that!

Friday, July 16, 2004 5:49 PM CDT

I just wanted to quick update so that noone would worry-Colin suddenly snapped out of the weird state he was in, and is now acting completely normal. So, we now know that it was a reaction to the chemo. Thank God he's doing better! We'll hopefully be coming home tomorrow. I'll update from there if we do. :)
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Well, we've had quite the week here in Marshfield so far. This is the first day I've had computer access, so I haven't been able to update.

Colin received his chemo Tuesday through Thursday, but last night starting acting very weird. He got off the bed and his knees gave out and he fell and slammed his head on the floor quite hard. Before he fell, he was acting strange as well, and after he fell in continued. They took him to ct scan to rule out a concussion/fracture/bleed, and there was none. However, throughout the night, I couldn't get him to answer me or act normal whatsoever. It was one of the scariest times for me ever.

Today he had x-rays to rule out that his shunt was malfunctioning, a spinal tap to rule out meningitis and other viruses, and an eeg(which he HATED) to rule out seizures. All were negative, thankfully. The doctor is still not sure what's causing his state(he hasn't improved much), but thinks it may be that his body just has had enough chemo and isn't tolerating it any longer. He's waiting to see if he improves throughout the weekend, and if he does, then we know it's from the chemo. Personally, I think it is, because his falling episode and turn for the worse starting happening after the last dose of it.

Another possibility is that one of the tumors is causing problems. However, I and the doctor don't think that's the case since usually there is a decline in health and worsening symptoms to lead to the bad effects, and before we came here for the chemo, Colin has been doing great.

So, here we sit again. We were supposed to be going home today, and they are building Colin's treehouse tomorrow. It was all he talked about before he felt these symptoms. I'm so disappointed that he can't be there for yet another fun part of his life. I didn't anticipate him being in this gloomy hospital for so much of this treatment. It really bothers Rich and I and is something we'll be discussing with the doctors.

He also had a transfusion and a bad nose bleed this morning. He is not having a good day at all, so it's probably good that he's sleeping and hopefully won't even remember any of it.

As for me, my morale is quite low at the moment, because of Colin's condition and the effects of just being here and away from family and home. However, if it means my Colin getting better, I'd stay here as long as it takes!

I'll update asap. Please pray that he improves by tomorrow and that this is nothing more than a side effect from the chemo.

Monday, July 12, 2004 9:43 PM CDT

Colin's counts are high enough(WBC=5, Platelets=95,000, Hemoglobin=9.2 ANC=3100) for him to start chemotherapy again tomorrow. I'll update more tomorrow after we talk to his oncologist about when the scan will be done and if there are any changes with the chemo this time around.

We're really hoping that Colin can be out of the hospital by this Saturday, because some wonderful people are going to be here building his new treehouse! Some awesome people from Rich's work organized some people to help out. A man named John Schroeder, a professional carpenter, is going to be building it along with his partner. Other people are also stopping by to lend a hand where needed. We are so appreciative for the kindness these people are showing us, especially when we've never met them before. They are making it really awesome and it's like a dream come true for Colin and Sam. I'll be posting more about it and showing pictures when it's finished.

Colin sure felt good today. He's been joking around with us constantly. He also fought like crazy with Sam, which showed us more than ever that he's feeling good. We even got a chance to go fishing at a friend's home and Colin caught a crappie-one of his biggest fish yet!

I'll update again very soon. :)

Friday, July 9, 2004 1:34 PM CDT

Colin's counts are coming back up and he's generally feeling very good, although still a bit fatigued and tires easily. He's definitely moving around the house a lot more and fighting with Sam quite a bit as well :)

On Monday, he has to go in and have his counts taken. If the platelets are 100,000 or more, then on Tuesday he will start his next round of chemo. While I'm dreading the hospital stay and watching Colin go through it all again, I know it's necessary for them to quickly get it going again to shrink the cancer. I hate that he is just starting to feel good and will now have to go back in and get knocked back down. He doesn't seem to upset about it though. I think the last stay was somewhat of a blur for him because he slept so much of the time and was in and out of a feverish state.

We know that his counts will bottom out again after this next chemo, but we don't know if he'll get the fevers again. My guess is that he will, because I think that's how his body responds. Even if he doesn't get the fevers, we will be in Marshfield pretty consistently for transfusions. I'm just so sad that we aren't able to enjoy this summer weather together-it's as if we are slaves to the cancer and the treatments because we know there is no other choice. It's hard, but we do adapt to it. One of the hardest things has been the distance we have to travel and how far away from home we are when we are at the hospital. It would be so much easier if we lived closer to the hospital!

I'll update again on Monday. Please pray that he handles the next chemo well, that he doesn't get the fevers again, and that the tumors fade away when the chemo attacks them. Thank you so much!!

Tuesday, July 6, 2004 4:06 PM CDT

We're enjoying being home, despite the rainy weather. Colin hasn't had a fever since we came home. And although he is still very sluggish and tired, he has more energy than he did in the hospital. He needed another platelet transfusion yesterday, so back down to good old Marshfield we went. He has to go back in Thursday to have counts checked, and may need another platelet transfusion then. His anc and white count(which determines how his immune system is doing) is slowly going up, but is still much lower than the average persons, so we are being careful about taking him places and who comes over.

We also discovered that Sam has Fifth disease-it's not really a disease, but a very contagious virus that causes headaches, body aches and rash. He's been feeling off for a couple of weeks, so now we know why. It's nothing serious, and is very common(especially in schools and preschools) and he may have picked it up while we were in the hospital. It might even be something that Colin had but wasn't screened for. So, now we're a bit worried that Colin will get it too, unless he's already had it. The doctor said that Sam shouldn't be contagious anymore, which is good to know. He should be feeling better very soon.

Colin has been busy organizing-that's his favorite thing to do. He's a packrat for sure, and likes to organize all of his trading cards and little trinkets in different boxes and containers and it really keeps him content. He still isn't very interested in things that he normally is, like baking and playing games, but I'm sure his body is still beat from everything that's happened lately. His appetite is very slowly coming back, but I'm sure he'll still lose a few of those pounds he just gained in the hospital. He hasn't wanted to go outside at all. He does want Rich to build him a treehouse, and has been talking about it non-stop, so Rich is going to try and do it. We already have a little playhouse, but Colin wants one that's elevated. He doesn't like the sunlight(it really bothers his eyes) or the bugs, so this way he can still be outside but be indoors at the same time He's a very peculiar kid who knows what he likes and lets everyone know it! All of his nurses know his little "quirks" by now, and everyone is amused by his need for things his way. It's just how he is!

I just want to take this time to thank everyone that has been helping, and offering to help. Doing things like letting the dogs out, or watching Sam make things so much easier for us, and we truly appreciate everyone's cards and words of caring and encouragement. Somedays I wonder how we will ever get through this, but then I realize that the reason God gave us friends and family is to help us through the rough spots in life and to help each other.

I still haven't heard from the doc about when he wants to discuss doing the next round of chemo, but I'm sure it will be soon. He'll have the next mri sometime after the next chemo, and I'm both scared and anxious to see if it's doing anything.

~~~Updated Pics~~~~

Saturday, July 3, 2004 9:26 PM CDT

Whew, we're finally home. It has been a long 11 days, and felt more like a month! It feels so goooood to be home, and Colin's attitude was instantly changed when we walked through the door. It has been a really tough week in so many ways and we're all exhausted, but still so happy to be out of the hospital.

Colin continued to have fevers all week, and is still having low grade fevers. The conditions for going home today was an anc over 100(it was 300) and no fevers above 101. They did discover a virus that he has which probably caused the fevers, mouth sores, swollen lips, and eye infection that he has. So now he's on a medicine for that, and off the other antibiotics that were precautions. He hasn't eaten a thing in 11 days, mostly because of the mouth sores, but because he was fed the tpn nutrition, he gained almost 4 pounds! I'm nervous now that we're home that he'll lose it. Rich and I are both somewhat scared having him home, but we are both practical experts with everything by now, so we should be ok.

Amazingly, Colin's strength was still awesome throughout the days when he was so feverish and throwing up and feeling lousy-he never once complained-never. I did, but he didn't. His hair is falling out-it's almost all gone now, and he made it into a joke by pulling out some of it and saying he was like a dog shedding. He's also covered in a rash from head to toe-he had an allergic reaction to one of the platelet transfusions he had this week, and became covered in hives. The hives went away with benedryl, but now he has this rash instead-it doesn't bother him or itch, just looks bad.

Poor Rich had a rough week at home also. Sam came down with a fever and has some sort of virus, so Rich had to juggle work and Sam. He did such a good job keeping the house up and taking care of Sam.

I'm also sad to say that my Grandpa Lawver passed away early this morning. He was ill for 4 days, and we knew it was coming. He's smiling down on us now. It was hard to not be there with the family when it happened. What a week!

So now we're home. Colin's on all sorts of meds for different things, and we have to go in Monday morning for counts, and we already know we'll be going back down to Marshfield for platelets. Colin's doctor said that they are the last of the counts to come back up with these chemos. Annoying, but not a big deal. We won't be able to go many places or do much, but we would rather be home enjoying the nice weather anyhow.

We were pleasantly surprised when we drove up to our garage and a big welcome home sign and balloons were waiting for Colin from the cub scouts. It was so touching and really meant so much to Colin. He just loves being a scout, and the people involved have treated him so well. What a blessing. THANK YOU SCOUTS AND LEADERS!!!

So, as rough as it all has been, being home makes it all seem manageable. We don't know yet when the doctor wants to start the next round(we don't even want to think about it!), but this time we'll be more prepared.

Please continue to pray that this nasty chemo does it's job, that his counts recover well and he feels great, and also for my family as they grieve for my Grandpa.

Happy 4th of July!!

Tuesday, June 29, 2004 10:59 AM CDT

Well, we're still here unfortunately. The good news is that Colin is feeling better, although still tired. His fevers are much less frequent the last two days, and he's sitting up in bed and joking and talking like normal. The doctor requires 24 hours with no fevers as well as an anc count of at least 2-his is at 0 and doesn't seem to be moving up very quickly. Apparantly these fevers and low counts are very typical with this ICE treatment. It's just very hard to be here when it's so nice outside(and remember that here in northern Wi., we don't get days like this too often!) and when home is so far away. We have our dogs that need watching and Sam to take care of too, so it's just hard on our whole family. My grandfather is also very ill and in a different hospital, so it's hard to not be there for him as well.

I'm hoping that we're out for the 4th, although we wouldn't be able to do too much with the low counts, but to be home would be a treat enough. Colin is happiest when he's at home-he's a whole different kid here at the hospital.

Things could be much worse, so I'm grateful they're not and still trying to keep a positive attitude. I think that the hospital air just gets a person down, and that as soon as we're home, we'll all be smiling again :)

I'll update again soon!

Saturday, June 26th, 9:00 p.m.

Well, we're still here. The fever just doesn't want to let up. Everytime the tylenol wears off, the fever comes back. Colin had a pretty bad day yesterday. It started off with the worst bloody nose he ever had right away in the morning. I felt so bad for him-the reason it was bleeding so bad was because his platelets were so low. They gave him a platelet transfusion asap, and his nose stopped and that was better, however, then, because so much blood had run down the back of his throat, he started throwing up blood clots all evening. That on top of a fever and just feeling lousy made for a really crappy day for us all.

Today was much better, although he still isn't feeling 100When the tylenol kicks in, he starts to act silly and make jokes, but when it wears off, he gets really irritable and tired. He just isn't himself. So far, all of the cultures they've taken have shown no infection. So, I guess they aren't sure where the fevers are coming from. The doctor said it's common for that to happen, and they don't seem concerned that he has anything too serious going on. His regular oncologist is out of town, and I really wish he was here to talk to.

Because he's receiving the nutrition and fats through his hickman line, he looks so healthy! His face is all chubby and he just has a better color to his skin. Now, if he was only feeling as good as he looks. Please pray that these fevers go away and he can come home soon!!!!!

Hopefully, the next time I update it will be from home. These hospital rooms are starting to get claustrophobic! I think Colin will need transfusions within the next couple of days, so we don't mind having to stay until he gets them instead of driving back down again.

Thank you again for the support and prayers!

Friday, June 18th, 2004 8:00 A.M.

We're home! We left a day earlier than we thought which is always good. They said that as long as we felt comfortable taking him home we could. Since Colin was laying in bed chanting, "home, home, home, home" we figured it was what he wanted! The doctor came in the room before we left and Rich and I had a good discussion with him(he had been away at a brain tumor conference while we were there). We discussed the stem cell transplant and other things that we could try. There are not many options, although his doctor is looking into one for us. He told us that because pediatric brain tumors are such a low volume cancer, not enough research is done for a cure. It makes me so sad that because my son's cancer is not a "popular" cancer, it isn't funded like others. I hope this changes in the future, and that our family can help it out in some way.

He also said that he'll give this current chemo regimen(referred to as ICE) two rounds to see if it's going to work. He'll have more chemo in a couple of weeks if his counts have recovered, and then an mri will be done and compared to the last one. If he sees some shrinkage of the tumors, then we'll probably continue forward with this protocol. If they grow, or stay the same, we will stop this chemo and decide what to do from there.

Colin's spirits are great since he got home! He's still somewhat dizzy and unsteady and even tired, but seems to have way more energy than he did at the hospital. I'm going to concentrate on making these summer days that we get to spend at home as fun and as normal as they can be for both Sam and Colin.

I'll update again soon. Colin will have his counts checked on Monday and Thursday. We have to monitor him for fevers, and if he gets one, he'll have to go straight back to Marshfield. Please pray for NO FEVERS, good counts, and that this chemo will do it's job on the cancer!

~~~~Also~~~~ I want to take this time to thank a WONDERFUL wonderful group of ladies. I met them over the internet-yes, you heard me right! They are scrapbookers like me, and I met them at a scrapbooking site where we've gotten to know each other over the years. I even got to meet one of the ladies and she was so great! These ladies have rallied together for our family and set up Ebay auctions to help out with our travel/medical expenses. Most of them have never met me in person, yet they continue to send supporting emails, prayers and cards. I'm so grateful to them and want them to know how much our famlily appreciates what they've done for us-THANK YOU!!! What big hearts they all have.

Wednesday, June 9, 2004 7:48 PM CDT

I'm updating this page from the Ronald McDonald House in Madison. This morning they did some blood tests on Colin to see if he had enough stem cells to harvest through the aphoresis catheter way, but unfortunately he didn't have any in his blood. His white blood count did, however, go up to 32,000! That showed that his body did react to the neupogen shots which is good. So, because he'll have to have the bone marrow actually harvested through a surgery on Friday, they did have to go in today and do a bone marrow biopsy. He was under local anesthesia and did really well. He woke up feeling great and acting goofy. He told the nurse, when she was trying to draw blood, that she didn't deserve any of his blood-he made her laugh.

The bone marrow biopsy will tell them whether or not there are any cancer cells in his marrow as well as whether or not he has enough of the stem cells in the marrow to make the harvest worthwhile. We should know some results by tomorrow.

He'll have the surgery done on Friday, assuming there are no cancer cells in the marrow, and will have to stay the night in the hospital. Hopefully, they will also be able to place his central line during the same surgery to kill two birds with one stone. This way he can start the chemo right away on Monday as planned.

He's doing great, and although we were hoping against the bone marrow surgery, we did expect it. His incisions from today aren't bothering him much at all, and his spirits are still good.

If anyone wants to email me while we are in the hospital, please use tbee52@yahoo.com instead of my regular email. Thank you, and please continue praying!!!

I'll try to update very soon!

Saturday, June 5, 2004 8:31 AM CDT

We're back from Madison-we actually had to come back yesterday because a courier is delivering some gcsf medicine to our home this morning, and we need to be here to get it. We were all really beat from traveling when we got home! It was a beautiful day to travel.

We met the Dr. DeSantes in Madison, and we all liked him(he even did a coin trick for the boys). What he told us, we basically already knew about the stem cell harvest and transplant because Rich and I have to research everything, but he explained the whole procedure to us, and it was nice for Colin to see the place and maybe feel a bit more comfortable next time he goes(he was very uneasy-he doesn't like new places or new people).We now know what the treatment plan for Colin is going to be. It will be intense, and hard for us all, but we have faith that we'll get through it. I'll try to explain it the best I can!

Colin can't have a stem cell transplant unless he has some chemotherapy first that shrinks just about all of the tumors to nothing-if the tumors fail to respond to the chemo, then the transplant, which is risky and very grueling, isn't worth doing. However, it may be an option down the road, so we are having Colin's stem cells harvested. He'll do this by having gcsf shots for the next 4 days. (We have to administer the shots, which we've never done before-Rich was so awesome by volunteering to learn how to do it so I wouldn't have to. He had to practice on a nurse's arm-it was humorous!)

This next Tuesday night, we'll go back down to Madison and on Wednesday morning he'll have a blood test done to see if their are a large enough number of stem cells to harvest-if the blood test shows there are enough, he'll have a special catheter type of line put into his hip with local anesthesia and they'll attempt to pull the stem cells from his body with a special machine-it will filter his blood, and take the stem cells out, while replacing the rest of his blood back into his body. Because he's had such extensive treatments in the past, his body may not be able to produce the stem cells, even with the gcsf shots. If not, he'll have to go in the operating room, and they will gather the cells by poking his hip marrow hundreds of times-he'll be asleep, but it will be painful when he awakes, so he'd have to stay over another night and have pain medication as well. We really hope that he'll be able to do it the first way mentioned, but if not, we'll be prepared.

After the stem cells are harvested, they are frozen and kept in Madison in hopes that later down the road they can be used for a transplant. The next step, after the harvest, is to go right down to Marshfield and have a stomach feeding tube and permanent central line placed. After that, he'll be admitted for the first round of his new chemo treatments. He'll be receiving 3 intense chemos referred to as ICE. He'll stay in the hospital for 5 days while they are administered. The doctor warned me that his counts will go very low and he'll be at risk for infections as well as need transfusions. He'll repeat the round every 3 weeks, and they will monitor the tumors with mri's and lumbar punctures(spinal taps). The hope is that the chemo will shrink the heck out of those tumors, to nothing. If this happens, he'll be able to possibly have the stem cell transplant(I won't go into the details of the transplant unless it comes to that-it's quite the procedure, and Colin would be in the Madison hospital for at least 6 weeks). If the chemo does not work, the doctor said he'd probably give it two rounds to do so-then we will have to discuss if there are any other options out there for Colin.

So, we are asking for prayers that this chemo does it's job, and that Colin is able to tolerate it okay. Once again, please ask your church or anyone you know to pray for us all. These next few months are going to be so tough, and I admit that I am scared, and I know that Rich is also. Colin is feeling really good right now, and that is a blessing! He really loves visitors, so please don't be afraid to stop by and say "hi". It really boosts his spirits as well as Sam's.

I also wanted to thank the "Johnny Angel Foundation" for giving us gas cards for our last trip. What a blessing this foundation is to people in crisis! We really appreciate what you have done.

I'll be updating very soon again. Thanks so much for your prayers and well wishes.

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 5:21 PM CDT

I spoke to the nurse from the University of Wisconsin and here's the gameplan so far. We're going to Madison on Friday to talk to a doctor about the stem cell harvest and transplant. He'll explain the details of everything, and whether or not it's a good option for Colin. He'll examine Colin and his scans and we'll discuss everything. If we decide that it's a good option for Colin, we'll be sent home with a prescription for gsfc shots-these will boost his cell counts extremely high-they'll be monitored here(hopefully in Park Falls) and when they are high enough, we'll go back to Madison and have the stem cells harvested.

I don't know any details yet about how the transplant works or which chemo/s he'll be on. I'm assuming we'll find all of that out this Friday. I also know that he'll probably need a port or central line placed, and I'm also going to have them place a feeding tube in his stomach because he absolutely can't afford to lose anymore weight.

I'll be updating very often as I find things out. What we ask for now are prayers for a miracle to shrink those tumors, prayers for our family as we go through this, and prayers that the doctors have the wisdom and knowledge to make accurate choices for Colin.

Rich and I are still in shock at this news, and sometimes I feel like I'm going to crack and break down, but amazingly I find this inner strength that I know must only be coming from God because I know I'm not capable of it alone. Each morning when I wake up, the realization hits just as hard and I wonder how we're ever going to make it through, but I know we will.

The one thing that I do know is that cancer will NOT get the best of our family and take away our laughs and fun times together-we'll be living each day to it's fullest and while the cancer will always be in the back of our minds, it won't get in the way of our enjoyment of being together. Colin has not let this tear him down, and we are taking his lead.

I'll be updating very very soon. I want you all to know that we are reading each and every journal entry to Colin and Sam and really feeding from the strength of your words-the prayers mean the world to us. Thank you.

Thursday, May 27, 2004 9:33 PM CDT

~~~~~Updated-5-28, 6:50 p.m.~~~~~~~
First of all, I want to thank everyone for their support in phone calls and emails. We are really blessed to have family and friends like you all. Colin's day today was so GREAT because of the caring he felt from everyone. He spent the day making a cake, talking with me, and my Aunt Mattie who came to cheer him up. I have been completely candid and honest with him and let him know exactly what is going on. He was very upset at first, but has taken on that "glass half full" attitude that he always has. He isn't feel sicking yet-he is still full of energy and acting like a little boy should. We're concentrating on spending time together doing quality things that keep us thinking positive.

The latest update is from his oncologist in Marshfield. He called tonight and informed us that the first thing to do is go to the University of Wisconsin in Madison and have a stem cell harvest done. I don't know the details of it all yet, but apparantly, if the chemo that they put him on has any effect on the tumors, then a stem cell transplant can be done. From what I read, this is a really grueling process, and we don't know if Colin will even have it done, but his doctor thinks it's important that we have those stored stem cells just in case.

We will probably go to Madison sometime next week-we may be there for a week or so-we are waiting to hear from the doctors in Madison. He'll most likely have a surgery to have a central line placed there as well. Once the stem cell harvest is done, we will go back to Marshfield and find out what his chemo route will be. His oncologist is consulting with top pediatric brain cancer doctors from St. Judes and Mayo Clinic.

I will continue to update this site daily and as I hear from the doctors. Please have everyone you know pray for a miracle for Colin. We know that God CAN do ANYTHING, and we just have to have hope for that. I'm so grateful for all of the support from you all-we are so so blessed, and it really makes a difference in all of our outlooks and spirits throughout this.
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I never wanted to write something like this here, but our very very worst fears have come true and Colin has relapsed with multiple tumors on his head and spine. I apologize if you are just finding out about this, but we just got home from marshfield a few hours ago, and our whole family is physically and emotionally wiped out from the news.

I don't know the details of what the doctors are going to try, but I do know that they are going to attempt a new chemo. The statistics show that typically the chemo doesn't have much effect, but I'm sure there is always hope, or that special case that defies the odds.

I guess all we can ask for is prayers. I'll update this site more when we find out more.

Monday, May 17, 2004 11:35 AM CDT

Wow, it's been too long since I've updated. We've been sooo busy with the school year winding down and summer upon us.

A couple of weeks ago, we had to take Colin to the ER in Woodruff. It started off that Friday at school when I was called because he was having headpain(of course, I freaked!) and feeling nauseous. Later that day it turned into full out vomiting everything he ate with severe headpain. His oncologist, at that time, felt it was probably a virus and wasn't concerned. So we waited, but he didn't get better, so early that Sunday morning we took him into the ER where they did a CT scan of his head, and kept him there for the day to run fluids through him. The scan didn't show anything, to our surprise. His oncologist was concerned that it could be a relapse or that his shunt could be blocked, but so far it has turned out to be neither. A CT scan doesn't show as much as a MRI scan though either. HOwever, he hasn't had any pain since that Sunday. I felt so bad for him-he was really in a lot of pain and nothing was helping. They aren't sure what caused it, but I'm thinking that since he hasn't had any problems since, it may have been a virus afterall.

He has a mri of his head AND spine on the 27th. We would greatly appreciate your non-stop prayers that his scans will continue to be CLEAN and CLEAR of tumor. If they are, I will be pushing the doctors to test for his growth deficiencies since he hasn't grown a bit since diagnoses. I promise also to update everyone asap after that appointment.

He's very happy that school is almost over. He's been having some more socializing problems and is just anxious to enjoy his summer. I am happy to say that he has been going outside and playing a bit with the kids. It's a big step!

He's excited because tomorrow he gets to go on a field trip to a trout pond to catch trout. He even gets to bring them home and eat them. He loves fishing! He's upset because he couldn't join baseball or swimming lessons this summer, so we'll be doing a lot of fishing to make up for it!

He had his spring program last week, and I'll be adding those pictures to the album. Thanks for your prayers everyone! Happy Summer(almost)

Thursday, April 8, 2004 9:30 PM CDT

Well, it's been awhile since I updated, but no news is good news, I guess! We have been so busy lately with school, church, and a ton of other things. We are eagerly awaiting the warmer temps so we can get outside more! We can't wait for flowers and green grass!

Colin is doing really well. I think he may very very slowly be gaining some weight. I took his doctor's advice and am not worrying about him eating the calories, but instead making sure he drinks them. He is so good about drinking the shakes I make for him. It's so much easier for him, because chewing food takes him about 3 times longer than most people. So many people have told me that he looks healthier-his color isn't quite so pale(unless it's the end of a tiring day) and his walking is great! He is so fast now, although still very unsteady when he's on an uneven surface. He has a therapist through the school who is going to take him out on the playground on the 13th to see what he's able/unable to do. He has come a long way.

Academically he's still struggling, but also still trying very hard. I do have to "push" him to study, and reading is still a big struggle, but he still does pretty darn good. He is hard on himself, and we are letting him know that we do not expect him to ace every single test and worksheet. I myself am still learning how his brain works differently now, and I feel his frustration. To me, the social part of school is just more important for him right now. Apparently he is starting to come out of his shell somewhat. He has even gotten in a bit of trouble for "running" around the room and joking during class :) I love it!

As he feels stronger, and gains back his strength, he's also suddenly realizing just how much he can't do anymore. When he was on chemo, he didn't want to do anything that other kids did-he had no energy or desire for it. However, now he wants to play, swim, run, jump, and be in t-ball. It's breaking our hearts that we have to tell him no to some of those things. He is so self-concious now, and that has to be hard for him at school. A few boys have befriended him a little, but he still doesn't really socialize like a boy his age should be. I pray that this changes soon! He needs to feel normal!!!

He is really looking forward to summer-he can't wait to go fishing(something he can still do just like everyone else!) and have water balloon fights. I think we'll see a great improvement physically in him after this summer. :)

He has his next scans at the end of May-the spine and head. Also, my nephew Spencer just had clear scans today-WOO HOO! I'm so happy!

We still really enjoy your guestbook entries-they always make me smile. God bless :)

Sunday, March 14, 2004 7:59 AM CST

Can you believe that yesterday was the 2 year anniversary since his surgery to remove the tumor and diagnoses? That 2 years was long, but somehow went by so fast! It is so so nice to not have this cancer be the focus of our lives anymore. I finally feel like I can get through most of the day without it crossing my mind(until bedtime, when of course I can't stop thinking about everything!). The week before his scans will always be the hardest, but we're just not going to let the cancer scare run our lives or thoughts.

Last week was the annual Pinewood Derby for the Scouts here. Colin and Sam both entered it for the very first time. Rich worked for at least a week on their cars, with their help of course! I was so happy for all three of them when Sam came in first for his race and Colin came in third!! They both received big trophies and they both were so proud and excited. It was so awesome to see them win and feel good. I think that Rich was as excited as they were! He is such a WONDERFUL dad. I'll be posting the pictures from the Derby as well, so please check them out!

Colin's special education teacher, Mrs. Holm, who is with him for most of the day, told me last week that she's had to scold him a few times for goofing around! She said it with a smile and that it was a GOOD thing-imagine a teacher saying that. She said that he's acting like a boy his age should and really interacting with the other kids in there. He's also been talking much more about playing with different kids. As a result of that, he's starting to be more aware of his limitations and realize some of his problems. Not surprisingly though, he doesn't get too discouraged from it. Instead, he sort of chuckles about it and moves on. What a kid!

His grades are not the greatest, but I'm not going to let it be a big deal. As long as he's trying, and he really is, I am happy with his progress. After all, third grade isn't easy!!

I made a scrapbook page about Colin's smile that I wanted to share-it's in the photo album!

Thanks to everyone who continues to pray and sign the guestbook! We are blessed to know you all :)

Friday, February 27, 2004 8:26 PM CST

More answered prayers-his scan is once again stable. We had a wonderful day, even though it was sort of long. We heard good things at all of the appointments, and I have to say this was our best day spent there yet.

The first doctor we were to see, the doctor who handles the thyroid/growth hormone issues wasn't there today, so we were disappointed that we didn't get to discuss Colin's growth, or lack there of. We'll see him in 3 months.

Then we saw the ear/nose/throat surgeon who gave us the wonderful news that he doesn't feel that, at this time, Colin needs either surgery or hearing aids to help his hearing. He feels that the hearing loss Colin has isn't affecting his school or home performance, so it isn't necessary to put him through anything else for now. They'll still keep a close watch on his hearing in the next year.

From there, Colin had his mri. He was brave as always, and even maybe a bit more so. And for some reason, I was also more relaxed than usual during it. I think we have someone special watching over us :)

Then Colin saw his eye doctor, and he had more good news. He said that for now, he thinks Colin eye looks great. The vision has improved in the eye he had surgery on, and he's happy so far with the results of the surgery. The botox isn't completely worn off though, so he'll see him in 3 months to make sure.

The last appointment was with Colin's oncologist. He delivered the good news of the clean scan. He said that Colin's looking great, although his weight needs to go up, up, up. He's below the 3rd le for his age range in both weight and height. He did gain 3/4 of a pound, but did not grow height wise. He will be tested in a few months for growth hormones, and whether or not he needs medicine. We're also going to start him back on high calorie boost shakes to try and get that weight up.

His oncologist said that he has four goals for Colin(he's such a good doctor, that really cares).
1. That his body grows
2. That he is able to learn in school
3. That he has some friends
4. That he is happy

His reflexes are returning, his strength is greater, and his counts are a bit low, but still okay. His thryoid levels are also in the normal range, which means his thryoid medication is working. Yeah!

Overall, we are so pleased with everything that we heard. We also got to spend the day with my sister and her boyfriend and son, and we all had a great time. What a blessing this day was! I just hope and pray that everything continues to look wonderful!!!!

Thank you for your prayers :)

Thursday, February 19, 2004 9:14 AM CST

It's Colin's 9th birthday today!!! He's so happy he's finally 9. I felt so bad this morning when he woke up to a bad bloody nose on his birthday. We got it under control though, and he was really excited to help me decorate his cupcakes before school.

Next month, on March 9th, it'll be his 2 year anniversary from his diagnoses. 2 years! I want to celebrate it with him in a special way, because he's made it through so much.

I'm asking once again for MANY MANY prayers from everyone for his mri scan to be clean this next Friday, Feb. 27th. A boy we know through a medulloblastoma support group site just relapsed, and his family found out about it 2 days ago from his mri scan. He's only 3 months ahead of Colin, and had the exact same treatment protocol. This news knocked me right back into the reality that every single day there are kids relapsing. So, please, say a prayer and ask people you know to pray for him as well.

Also, we have been chemoangels to a little boy named Carter who has been fighting Ewing's sarcoma. He was just finished with chemo, when it was discovered that he has 3 new tumors. My heart is breaking for this family. If you'd like to visit his site, the address is http://www.caringbridge.org/ga/cartermartin/index.htm . Please say a prayer for him as well!

I'll be updating again next week after his appointments and scans, and hopefully with great news. I'll also try to get some new pictures on here soon.

Friday, February 6, 2004 10:49 AM CST

Well, the school year is half over already! I'm really stressed over Colin's progress with school though. His report card grades went down for the most part, and he struggles so hard with reading. To me, it almost seems to be getting worse. He cried really hard yesterday after school because he has such a hard time reading his 3rd grade reading book. I just feel so bad for him that he feels so different and far behind of everyone else. If anyone has any suggestions that might help with the reading, please feel free to email me!

He has another mri coming up on Feb. 27th! Please pray for a clean scan, and add him to your church prayer lists. He'll also see the eye doctor, and ear/nose/throat specialist(for his ears), a thyroid specialist and his oncologist. It'll be another busy day for him! I'm concerned because he still hasn't gained any weight. He's so tiny, and eats like a bird. His eating has improved since he's been done with chemo, but he hasn't gained weight from it yet.

I'm sorry if this journal sounds negative, because there are many things to be happy for too! He's improving in many small ways everyday, and I'm so thankful for that. I just didn't realize that the after effects would be such a struggle for him. He is getting goofier and goofier, like he used to be. He's always making jokes with Sam, and making Sam laugh-that's good to see!

Thank you for your prayers and support :)

Friday, January 16, 2004 9:36 PM CST

Well, a New Year has begun, and a new chapter in our lives. Colin continues to do well. Although he still hasn't gained any weight, he is very slowly starting to eat better. He actually came home from school the other day and asked for a snack-that is unusual for him. I usually have to suggest he have one. He is very aware of his size, and that his brother is starting to pass him up. He is also much much shorter than everyone else in his class, and that upsets him. I think this is starting to prompt the eating, in hopes that it'll help him grow.

As far as school goes, he is coping pretty good. Socially, he is suffering, and it's really starting to show. However, this week he's come home in a really good mood, unlike most other days, and I think he's been becoming better friends with a boy in his special education classroom. I'm so grateful that he is in the special education room for math, reading, and spelling. It takes so much pressure off of him, and he learns better because he's working more one on one. He has a really great teacher in that room who is a blessing for him. I watched him playing cards in there the other day, and he was acting silly and just having a good time-that is what I like to see!

In homeroom, with the rest of his class, I can tell he feels really insecure and unsure of himself, so he doesn't attempt to play or talk with the kids as much. However, there have been some really great kids who show him attention and make his whole day.

In February, he'll turn 9! I can't believe he'll be that old already. Almost daily, I read about kids with medulloblastoma either relapsing, or passing, and I feel so blessed that our little Colin is here with us.

He has another mri at the end of February as well. He'll also see an endocrinologist and some other doctors then for his thyroid, hearing, and eyes.

Please pray for a boy we know named Carter. We are signed on a program called ChemoAngels where we, together as a family, send a boy who is on chemo letters, small gifts, and pick-me-ups to cheer him up as he goes through treatments. He has had a bad fever/illness for the last week or so, and I can tell that his parents are very worried about him.

I'll continue to update on Colin about once a month, unless there's other news in-between. We still really enjoy reading the guestbook!

Monday, December 22, 2003 3:09 PM CST

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone :)

I just wanted to quick update that Colin's eye is looking pretty good. It's still quite red and the lid is still down. He saw the eye doctor this last Thursday and he said that some of the botox probably leaked into the lid muscle and that in a couple of weeks his lid should be back to normal. It has already opened quite a bit. His eye is almost to the middle now, but not quite "right" yet, in my opinion. However, it may still straighten out more. He looks great and is very happy to have it back in the middle! His port surgery incision is all healed already as well!

We are going to have a wonderful Christmas, and we hope you do too. I'll be putting new pictures in the album today :)

Friday, December 5, 2003 4:57 PM CST

Colin's surgeries went very well. His eye is now almost in the middle where it should be! However, it's extremely red and somewhat swollen(to be expected) and will be that way for several days, so I won't be posting a picture of him until it looks better. He is very sore tonight, and saying that it hurts. It does look really painful. The eye doctor said that there's a 50/50 chance he'll have to have another surgery to completely correct it because the muscle was so tight because his eye was so severly turned in.

He's now port free as well!!!!!!! YEAH! He hasn't complained once that that spot hurts, so I really hope it stays that way. Thanks again for the prayers! I will post those pictures asap!!

Tuesday, December 2, 2003 8:52 PM CST

I've just received my Christmas present-STABLE SCAN!!! I'm so happy, relieved, and thankful. We don't usually hear the results this soon, but this afternoon his oncologist walked into the room and said, "Well, the scan looks good". I could feel the relief pouring out of my body.

I went on many of the message boards that I frequent, and talked to many people, and asked everyone to pray for a clean scan. I received so much support, that it literally brought tears to my eyes. And to know that everyone was praying so hard for him, I just somehow had this peaceful feeling about it. I thank God, because he answered our prayers!

Today, his nurse referred to him as a "Cancer Survivor", instead of a "Cancer Patient". I feel like a new, much happier chapter in this whole ordeal has opened. I feel like Colin is protected by God and everyone's love, as weird as that sounds. Even Colin had a different attitude today-it was sort of surreal to me.

Some other good things from today-he has his reflexes back-they were nonexistent during chemo. His counts are up and normal(almost). His walking has greatly improved!!

Some not so great things-his thyroid is messed up from the radiation, and he has to go on a thyroid medication. Not a big deal right now though. He'll see an endocrologist(or something like that) in about 3 weeks. He'll also have to get fitted for that darn hearing aide in a few weeks. He is NOT happy about that at all. Also, he hasn't grown or gained one ounce since he's been off of chemo. The doctor said that he has to gain some weight. I don't know how to do that, because he just doesn't eat very much. I'm going to work on some really high fat ice cream shakes.

He has surgery this Friday morning at 7:30 a.m. to have his eye corrected, and his port-a-cath removed-yeah!!! We are excited, and he is too-this is all part of the new chapter as a Cancer Survivor-port free, cancer free. I'll be posting an update on Saturday, with hopefully some pictures. Thank you again for the prayers.

Monday, November 24, 2003 10:02 AM CST

Happy (early) Thanksgiving to everyone! We have so so much to be thankful for this year.

I just wanted to ask everyone to pray really hard for Colin's mri(Dec. 2nd) to be CLEAN and NO CHANGE. If you have a church prayer list, please add him to it! We're so nervous, as we always are when scan time is here. Also please pray that his Dec. 5th eye and port removal surgery is a breeze for him.

Thank you so so much! I will post new pictures after Colin has his eye surgery to show how it went. He's so excited to have his eye fixed.

Sunday, November 9, 2003 1:23 PM CST

I want to tell you how grateful we are to the people in this community, our church, Christ the Servant, and everyone who has been here for us throughout this whole thing. Last night the confirmation class from our church had a bingo fundraiser for Colin. Everyone from the community was invited, and many of the businesses here in Park Falls donated generously for the bingo prizes.

I was so touched at the generosity of the community/church members with both their time and money. The confirmation students, the confirmation leaders, Pastor Barker, and other members of our church worked very hard to make this night a great one! Many people showed up and raised $1200! This will help us tremendously. I certainly did not expect anyone to do anything else for our family, however, not only did they do more for us, they did it with happiness and out of the goodness of their hearts. Thank you thank you thank you.

I could see that the other people who attended this event had just as much fun as we did(Bingo is Colin and Sam's favorite game to play!). Thank you again to everyone who donated your time, money, and goodwill towards our family. We will never forget it.

Tuesday, November 4, 2003 9:25 AM CST

I haven't updated in awhile, because there isn't too much that's new. Colin and Sam had a wonderful halloween. Colin was so excited to dress up-he was the grim reaper(couldn't talk him out of it!). He didn't get to go trick or treating last year, so he couldn't wait to go. They got soooo much candy!!

He's still doing well at school. He has some learning difficulties, and reading continues to be a struggle for him, but all in all he's doing well. I can't believe that the first quarter of school is already over! We get report cards this week, so I can get a better idea of how well he is doing in the classroom. Socializing has improved a little, but I think that he still feels uncomfortable going up to kids on his own and asking them to play with him. I'm so grateful that he has such a nice class.

He will definitely be having surgery on either Dec. 2nd, or Dec. 5th on his eye and to have his port removed. He'll also have that dreaded mri on Dec. 2nd-again, please pray for him that it is CLEAR, and if you could ask everyone around you to pray as well. If the surgeries go well, and the mri is clean, what a wonderful Christmas we'll have!!

I still haven't heard from the doctor about the hearing aid situation. I'm getting frustrated because now that Colin is finished with the chemo treatments, it seems like the follow-ups are all up to me. I feel like if we want anything done, and done right, that we have to do it ourselves. It scares me that all of that responsibility is on our shoulders.

On a lighter note, my nephew Spencer's scans were all clean!! Yeah!!! What a blessing!

The winter weather is here! Sam is loving the snow(Colin doesn't!). I could handle another month w/out any, but it sure is pretty!

Thursday, October 9, 2003 11:37 AM CDT

Colin had 3 appointments in Marshfield yesterday. The first was for a hearing test. The test showed that he has some significant hearing loss in his left ear. Enough loss for him to need a hearing aid. This isn't the news I wanted to hear, but I did almost expect it. The night before the appointment I had fed a cricket to Colin's pet lizards. One of the crickets started chirping very loudly in the cage. Sam and I were laughing but Colin said that he couldn't hear it. So I had everyone be very queit and had Colin listen for it(even though it was a very loud chirp), and he got a little upset because he could not hear it at all-that is due to some high frequency hearing loss in both ears. It's something that isn't going to be a huge deal for him or us because we've dealt with worse. He may not need to wear it all day everyday either.

The second appointment was with his eye doctor. The doctor said that his surgery can be anytime now to correct his left eye from turning in-yeah! He said that it will be about one to one and a half hours long, and that he will be sore afterwards, but should'nt have to miss much school. He may need a second surgery after that as well to further correct it. His 3rd appointment was not surgery as I had once thought, but instead a pre-surgery consoltation with the surgeon that will remove his port-a-cath. I talked to both the surgeon and eye doctor and we determined that Colin will be able to have both surgeries at once. We also decided to wait until after Dec.2nd to do them since he has an MRI and labs on that day, and we'd rather have them use his port then his arm. So I have to call today and set up those surgeries. I'm a little nervous about it, but happy to get these things done for him since they're both such an annoyance to him.

Just so everyone knows, on Oct. 11th, this site, as well as all caring bridge sites will be down for a few hours due to a server change. I also wanted to mention a message board that my sister and I have set up for parents/caretakers of special needs kids-or anyone dealing with anything like it. We don't have many members yet, but hope to soon! The board is actually a lot of fun, and we hope to eventually be able to provide a wealth of info to anyone looking for it. The link is below in the links section.

Check out the ne picture in the album of Colin in his scout uniform-he looks so great! He is really doing well. Please keep him in his prayers that things stay so good! Thank you and Happy Fall.

UPDATE(Oct. 13)~Just wanted to let everyone know that Colin will be having surgery on Dec. 5th on his eye and to have his port removed-yeah!! He really hates having his eye like that, so this will be such a big deal for him. Now if the MRI is clean on Dec. 2nd, and the surgery will go well on the 5th, that is all I want for Christmas Santa!!!

Also-this weekend we had to take him to the emergency room in Rice Lake(we were staying at the cabin in Birchwood) because he woke up at 5:30 a.m with a bloody nose that went on for over 2 hours. It was scary, but the ER staff there did a really good job of stopping it and some tips to help us in the future with it. It started bleeding again last night and today at school, but we got it to stop almost right away. Not a big deal, but still scary!

And school is going so well-he's such a good student and an eager learner. It just puts a big :) on my face!

Friday, September 26, 2003 10:34 PM CDT

Hello everyone! It's been awhile since I updated. Things have been somewhat hectic with school starting. Homework is driving us all batty! This is always such a busy time of the year.

Colin is doing so well. I'm so proud of him. He tries so hard at school, and has overcome the obstacles with his wonderful attitude. Everything seems to be going fairly well for him there. Socially, he's not getting to spend any extra time with his friends because he stays in for recess by himself. That's the hard part. There is no other option, and I do feel bad for him. However, he seems to be okay with it. I've been feeding his Yu-gi-oh card habit to give him something to do. Sometimes the boys in his class will stay in for a recess to play these cards with him. It really makes his day!

His energy seems to increase a little everyday. His walking is still the same, but maybe a bit faster. It's hard to tell when you're with him everyday. His turned in eye is his biggest problem. His eyes water almost constantly, and I feel so badly for him. They are always irritated too. I can't wait for him to see the eye doctor on the 8th. His hearing seems okay, although sometimes he will completely not hear me when I'm standing right next to him. That always concerns us. He'll have a hearing test as well on the 8th. I'm fairly certain that he may also be having surgery on that day to have his port-a-cath removed! He LOVES that idea.

Boy, life back to normal is so sweet I could almost cry. Everyday the fear of relapse lurks though, and haunts us. PLease never give up praying for him. The treatment is over, the battle is far from won yet.

He was also so excited the other day when he got to attend his first Boy Scout meeting of the year! He looked so cute in his uniform. He sat away from me, and I watched him w/his friends. He sat and told knock-knock jokes with them and it was like the old times. I was so so happy to see it!

God has blessed him so much!

Friday, September 5, 2003 10:20 AM CDT

Well, the first week of school is almost over, and I'm so relieved! Colin is doing very well. The first day of school he came home with so much energy and confidence. It was like a new kid. Brother Sam was very tired and cranky, but Colin's second wind had kicked in and he wanted to do homework! It was very hard for me to leave him there. I felt like I did on their first day of Kindergarden. I just like to be there for every little problem so I can help him, and I knew that I could no longer do that. I came home and waited for the phone to ring-I thought for sure they'd be calling right away that something went wrong. But to my relief, everything went perfect. The recess hour is hard because his teacher said that he just stands there by himself because there's nothing for him to do out there. I've since sent little games and his gameboy for him to play. I can't fix all of the problems I guess.

He is in the Special Ed. room for Math and Reading. He is actually a very good math/reading student, but because of his slow pace, we all thought it better for him to be in that room working one on one in a much more relaxed atmosphere. I think he likes it. He's just doing exceptional-I don't know why that would surprise me though considering that he does exceptional at everything he does! Sam also LOVES first grade and adores his teacher. I think he's happy that his big brother is at school everyday with him. Sam is getting so big now! He's caught up to Colin, and I'm afraid for Colin to realize it-he absolutely doesn't want his little brother to be bigger then him!

He was upset the other day when his teacher and I were talking to him about his aides helping w/things throughout the school day. He wants to know why he needs these helpers so much. He so much just wants to be a "normal" kid and have a "normal" school day.

I can't tell you how good this feeling is-to be worried about school issues instead of chemotherapy, or the hospital, or his counts. I consider it a blessing from above every single minute of the day that this special boy is here on earth, doing well at school, and living a normal life.

Also, my nephew Spencer is in the hospital again, so please pray for him. He has a staph infection, and he's going to be okay-it's not serious, but he could still use everyone's prayers!

Do you like the new picture here on the homepage? This was taking on his first day of school. He decided to make himself smile to show how excited he was. I also am adding a couple of new pics to the album. Thanks for looking and for your uplifing journal entries! We all love to read them!

Monday, September 1, 2003 8:21 AM CDT

AAAAAHHHH Colin starts full time school tomorrow! I'm so nervous for him. It's a really big step for him actually. The school IEP meeting basically was all screwed up, so I won't know exactly what his schedule will be until thursday when they have scheduled another meeting. I don't think that they anticipated Colin being a special ed student. My recommendation is that he be in the special education room for Reading and Math. Colin is a good reader and a great Math student, but his pace is much too slow to keep up w/the other kids. His teacher's name is Mrs. Brunner and she'll also observe him those first couple of days when he'll be in the classroom full time. AAAAAAHHHHH-okay, I let it all out now. Am I panicking? Yes, but this is a big deal for us all. For the last year and half Colin has been at my side every waking(and sometimes sleeping) minute.

I'm sad also that summer is over :( Where did the time go? Rich surprised the boys and bought them a tramploline. For the first time all summer, Colin came outside to play-not to stand and watch everyone like he normally does-but to play. He(all on his own, and to my complete surprise) came over to the swings where I was sitting on one, and grabbed the ring bars and started swinging back and forth, supporting his body weight all on his own! I almost had a heart attack. I haven't seen him do this for a long long time, and when he suddenly does it out of the blue, I was shocked. Then he got on a swing and started pumping(very clumsily, further scaring the you know what out of me) and swinging on his own. Swinging is a balancing act, and Colin has huge issues with balance, so when I saw this, I was again amazed. Of course, I missed it on my camera, and I didn't want to embarass him like swinging was a big deal. But it gave me that little needed hope that he can do it at school. It was like God was saying, "See, Mom? He'll be fine at school, and he can do things you never thought he could do!" Thanks for the wake me up!

He also had his counts taken last Monday. I'm thrilled to say that they are coming up on their own. All of them are higher then they've been in a year. He'll go in again mid-Sept. to have them taken again. Hopefully he can get his port taken out sometime soon too.

So, please say a little prayer for Colin tonight that he'll have the courage at school to make an effort to play and have fun, and without mom their at his side to encourage it. I'm so proud of him. I'll update soon and let you all know how it goes.

Also, check out the trampoline pictures-they're so funny! There are none of Colin though-he's still leary of it, and I don't blame him!

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 11:32 AM CDT

Wow-this summer went so fast! Colin starts school in 2 weeks! I'm so so scared for him to go full day every day. He's relied on me for so long, and I know he will have some problems adjusting to being without me all day long, 5 days a week. We have his school meeting next week to discuss the different things that will have to be changed for him. We received the neurophsycologist full written report which includes recommendations for Colin's schooling. One of them is that he have little or no homework. He thinks that Colin will be exhausted from the long school day and won't be able to handle more work once school is out. Colin was so sad to hear that part :)

Colin will also need extra time to do many of the classroom work, so I imagine he'll be spending time in the Title 1 room where someone will work with him one on one. I think that will work out really nice for him. My biggest concern is the social issues. I'm afraid that noone will want to play with him because there's not much he can do. I just keep picturing him standing there by himself during the "social" aspects of the day. He has his best friend Joe who will be there, but I can't expect one kid to make all the difference. He will probably have physical therapy instead of Phy-Ed. He will also have an aide for recess, lunch, and walking from room to room.

He is doing great lately! He seems to have a bit more energy. He'll go in this next Monday for counts to see where he's at, especially his iron levels. His next MRI will be in December. Please pray that the cancer never ever returns!!!

His eating is concerning me also. He doesn't eat very much, and picks at his food. He is very thin. I can easily get him to drink, but when it comes to eating, it's always a struggle! Of course, when it comes to candy, it's a different story! It's not that he doesn't crave things, it's just that once he gets what he's hungry for, he basically takes a few small bites, and then picks at it. That's another school concern of mine. He's used to having small snacks throughout the day, mostly because he can't consume a large amount at meals. But at school it's basically lunch, and a small afternoon snack. He's also a very picky eater. I'm just afraid that he'll lose anymore weight, and need a feeding tube or something.

I will update again soon!

Friday, August 8, 2003 8:09 AM CDT

Colin had his first brain tumor clinic yesterday. It consisted of a neurology team including the neurophsycologist and the neurologist. The purpose of it is to evaluate Colin acedemically, mentally, and other areas that might affect everyday life/school performance.

He went in a room w/a lady, and had to stay in there for 4 hours of testing! These are all paper tests. Meanwhile Rich and I met w/the neurophsycologist to discuss Colin, and afterwards the results. I wasn't surprised to hear most of them. The neuropsyc. said that Colin's speed of doing things(physically and mentally), is so slow that he is in the 1le compared to other kids his age. He can think of the answer to a problem, but for him it takes much longer than the average 8 year old boy. Therefore he will need a longer time to do much of the schoolwork at school. His memory is average, which is good to hear. He did fine in many areas, but the slowness is a big issue. He'll need many altercations when it comes to his school day.

The neurologist recommended aides for different things at school as well, including lunch, recess, and walking in the hallways because Colin's balance is still so terrible. He won't be participating in phy ed. at all, but instead will have an alternative phy ed. where a therapist will work with him on his balance issues, etc.

Next week I meet w/Colin's school for an iep meeting to discuss and determine all of this. I'm really happy we did this clinic to see where he was at and to know that we can't expect him to keep up with everyone else at this point. I feel more at ease now about the school year, and I think that Colin will also.

Also, please check out the link below(in the links section) for Colin's "Quilt of Love" that some very sweet on-line ladies made for him! It's so neat! It takes awhile to load, but is worth it!

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 8:28 PM CDT

Hallelujah! The mri is stable/no change from May's!!! Thank you Lord and to everyone who prayed for Colin.

We actually had a fun day in Marshfield. We got to spend it with my sister Sheri, and my sweet nephew Spencer who came to visit us while we were there. We goofed around and laughed so loud they probably thought we were looney. Colin was in high spirits all day. He laid in the mri machine for 40 minutes again w/no sedation like a perfect angel. The mri technician complimented him again. They aren't used to kids cooperating like Colin does.

Colin's regular oncoligist was on vacation so he had another doctor that is also very good. Colin's hemoglobin count is still very low(8.3) so the doctor wants to put him on iron supplements(we can handle those over a transfusion anyday!) Colin also lost another pound, which is really disappointing. He doesn't really have an appetite for the "good" foods, and getting him to eat is always a struggle. I would've liked to have talked to his regular doctor about some school issues and things. Maybe next week.

I will update again next week after his brain tumor clinic. I'm actually looking forward to it to see what they have to say about Colin's progress. It will be a long day, but worth it.

This is what we look like tonight Ü Ü Ü Ü

Tuesday, July 29, 2003 7:17 AM CDT

Tomorrow Colin goes in for his MRI again. Please pray and ask those around you to pray for him. One of the symptoms he had before he was diagnosed was vomiting in the mornings, and lately he has been really gaggy in the mornings. That doesn't neccesarily mean he's had a relapse, but has got me stressed and worried beyond belief. He's also thrown up a few times here and there for no reason since he's been off treatment.

I'm also disappointed that he won't be able to see his eye doctor as scheduled tomorrow. He's had some sort of personal emergency, so Colin will have to wait a while longer to see him. His eye has been such an issue for him, and I wanted to get it taking care of asap and before school starts. It doesn't look like that will happen now.

Other than these things, he's doing so so well. I just have that huge fear in the back of my head every minute of the day. Your prayers are MORE than appreciated.

I'll update when I get the mri results-not sure when that will be. Thanks for the prayers everyone!

Monday, July 7, 2003 5:39 PM CDT

It has been a long time since I updated. Colin is doing very very well! He has had a few transfusions since I last wrote here, but that was to be expected. He went in today to get his counts done, and they looked okay. Everything is still quite low, but we knew it would take awhile for them to recover. He hasn't had chemo for 4 weeks now, and it is so so nice to know that he won't have to have it again. He will go in next Monday again for the counts, and if they are good, he won't have to have them done for quite awhile.

On the 30th, he goes to Marshfield for another mri and to see the eye doctor. I'm assuming the eye doctor will schedule the surgery to fix his left eye. I pray they schedule it well before school starts again so he will be able to read easier. Then, on August 7th, he goes back to Marshfield for what they call a brain tumor clinic. He'll see all of his neuro docs and they will assess him-they'll discuss his mri(please please pray for this to still be clean!!!!), then they will do hours of testing(like school tests) to see where he's at for his age, and whether or not he'll need tutoring/aides this coming school year, etc. It will be a really long day, but I think it's really important for Colin to have all of the help he needs. I'm concerned with both his hearing loss and reduced eyesight, so we'll see what they have to say about those.

He's really enjoying the summer, as we all are. We've sort of been laying low so far because of low counts, but now we are starting to get out more. We are going to see the Hulk movie tonight and he's bringing a friend. Believe it or not, life feels sort of back to normal again, and that is the best feeling. Stop bye and say hi because he loves visitors!!!

~Also~ believe it or not, I actually added new photos to the album! For real this time!

Thursday, June 12, 2003 1:29 PM CDT

Colin had his very last chemo injection this morning-WHEW! I had this overwhelming feeling as I watched the nurse push in the last of the chemo. It's funny how you wait so long for something, and then when the day actually comes, you almost don't believe it.

We had to go to Marshfield on Monday for a platelet transfusion. This week his counts were okay, but on the way down still, and since he received chemo again today, they will probably continue to go down into next week, so I'm foreseeing some more transfusions in the near future. He has to go in on Tuesday to get them checked. His white count is at 1.9 which is pretty low, so we're going to lay low all weekend.

Today Colin said another funny to his nurse-I don't know where he comes up w/these things?! The nurse said to Colin,"We've learned a lot from you, Colin, and really like having you as our patient." So Colin said to her,"Yeah, well, I don't mind being your patient, but I do mind being your guineau pig!" Like I said, don't ask me where it comes from!

The boys are really enjoying the days off of school although Sam has been sick w/fever, headache the last couple of days. I've been having some trouble getting Colin interested in reading lately, and that worries me because I know how tough next year is going to be for him. I'm praying that his body will get stronger and he'll have more energy once this chemo is totally out of his system!

I have some new pics I will post tonight(for real) of Colin and his nurse and some others.

Thursday, June 5, 2003 10:44 AM CDT

ONLY ONE MORE CHEMO LEFT!!!!!!!!! Can you tell that I'm a little excited! Next Thursday Colin gets his last shot of vincristine. He'll still go in weekly to get his blood counts checked, and he'll be going in for lots of other tests and things, but the chemo won't be knocking those counts down constantly anymore. His body will have a chance to heal and strengthen.

His counts today were okay. His platelets are already at 57(transfuse at 20), but that's to be expected. He is in the best mood ever lately! He has one more day of school tomorrow, and then summer break-YEAH! We plan on doing lots of fishing, grilling, and swimming. Sadly though, his best friend Joe leaves for the summer for 2 months to see his Dad in Washington-Colin will really miss him!

In 2 months, Colin is scheduled to go back to Marshfield for another MRI and a brain tumor clinic. This is where a team of different doctors/expert will get together and discuss the MRI and evaluate Colin acedemically, emotionally, and neurologically. They will also decide if Colin needs assistance in school next year.

Thank you for the continued prayers. We'd love for you to stop in this summer and say "hi". God Bless!

Thursday, May 29, 2003 8:02 PM CDT

I'm writing this from the hospital-Colin and I are here for his very last overnight stay-YEAH!!!! I'm so excited! Colin is watching a movie right now, and is in the best mood because he knows he most likely won't have to do this again. He has been upbeat all day, which is real unusual at an overnight stay.

Spoke w/his main oncologist today and heard the sweetest words in the world,"Colin is currently in remission".

He'll have 2 more chemos after this one, and will have to go in frequently for blood counts. He'll come back here to marshfield in 2 months for another mri scan and possibly the surgery to correct his eye. The doctor also said that Colin should be able to go to school full time next year. He said things should only improve for Colin now-I hope and pray he's right!

We got to see our little Spencer again today! He came in for a blood transfusion while we were here, so they hung out in our room. I even got to change one of his poopy diapers-ha ha.

Tomorrow morning Colin will get a red blood cell transfusion-the many chemo's he's received during the last year have taken their toll on his bone marrow so his counts have had a harder time recovering each round.

I'll update more when we get home, and i have some new pictures of Colin in the hospital to post then also.

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 2:17 PM CDT

Break open the wine, and get out your party hats-Colin's mri is stable!!! I'm so relieved!! I've only talked to the nurse so far, not the doctor, but she said that it shows no change. I've never been more nervous in my entire life!

He wasn't able to get the over-night chemo started though, because his platelet counts are too low. The doctor wants them at 75,000, and they are still at 67,000, so we have to wait until next Tuedsay to seee if they're up. If they are then he'll go down for the overnight. I'm so happy that words can't even express it! Now we can enjoy the summer chemo free and feel "normal" again!!!

He also had another hearing test yesterday and it showed that both ears have more hearing loss than the last test done 6 weeks ago. It's discouraging to hear, and the doctor may have to reduce the chemo dosage again for this last round.

Also, Colin grew 1/4 " in 6 weeks! Doesn't seem like much, but all of the radiation he received to his spine will significantly reduce his growing, so this is really great. He also gained one pound.

We also got to visit Spencer and he looks so great! We got to hold him and he laid there and stared at us happily the whole time. He's the cutest baby ever!

I'm waiting for the doctor or nurse to call to get more details about the next chemo, etc. I will update again after that. Thank you all for your prayers-God has gotten us through this, and will continue to do so!

Thursday, May 15, 2003 10:50 AM CDT

Colin's counts were okay again this week. The night before we went in, he got another bloody nose, so I assumed his platelets were low, but they had actually gone up to 68. He had another bloody nose today at school, so he had to come home-ugh.

I can't believe that the last round of chemo starts on Tuesday! I'm so happy, but sort of panicking too. The MRI has got me terrified, now more than ever! It's so comforting to know that so many are praying for a good scan. Please ask your church to add Colin(clean mri) to the prayer list this week. If it's clean, I'm going to celebrate like I never have before!! All of us are!

However, I'm also very sad to say that my nephew, Spencer, has had a reoccurence of cancer in his liver. I'm just heart broken over this because he's only a baby, and has to now endure chemotherapy. Please add him to your prayers. He's such a strong boy.

The weather is nice, and the sun's out-yeah! Can't wait for summer break! Looking forward to Colin's strength improving and all of our spirits.

Also-the pic at the top of the page is Sam, Joey, and Colin-Joey is Colin's very best friend, and only friend who has stuck by him throughout this whole ordeal. He has never once treated Colin different, or ignored Colin because he's slower and can't do as much. He has a huge heart for a little kid, and we think of him as a gift from God because he has really helped boost Colin's confidence. What a blessing!

I will update as soon as we get back from our overnight. Again, thank you for the prayers.

Thursday, May 8, 2003 7:33 AM CDT

Colin had his counts done yesterday. His platelets actually went up to 57,000-still low, but definitely improving. His hemoglobin went down a little at 8, but it's not low enough to need a transfusion, thankfully. His white count basically stayed the same at 2.2. I've been sending him to school everyday because I feel it's important for him to be there as much as he can. He's still really cranky about doing his homework and in ways very lazy about it, but I'm sure the chemo has something to do with that. I'm trying to prepare him for next year, because I hear that 3rd grade gives out a ton of homework and is overall a tough year. I'm really dreading it!!

Wow, in 2 weeks he starts his last round of chemo!!! I know I keep saying it, but we need all of the prayers we can get-tell everyone that you know to pray please!! We need a clear mri so we can go on w/some normalcy! I really really appreciate it!

Colin's had good energy lately. He has been very very moody though, which worries me. Somedays it's very hard to deal with. I'm going to talk to his doctor about it when we see him in a couple of weeks. I think some of it is definitely from the chemo wearing down on him, so maybe when he's finally off of it, things will change.

Wednesday, April 30, 2003 4:38 PM CDT

Yeah! Colin had his counts done again today and they are low, but not low enough to transfuse. Everytime we go in to have his port accessed now, he breaks down and cries really hard that he's so tired of it. I cannot wait until this is done! He justs wants to have a normal day like all of the other kids his age. Hopefully everything will go well and he can have a normal summer this year.

I'm getting more and more anxious and scared for the upcoming MRI. We need your prayers now more then ever. Please pray that this chemo has done it's job, and that the scan is completely clear. I can hardly believe that he only has one more round to go. This chemo has almost become a normal way of life, so it'll be so weird to not have to go into the clinic every week!

We are really enjoying the wonderful weather and sunshine. Our grass is turning green, and our moods are definitely lifted! Colin has had so much energy!! It's wonderful to see.

We still enjoy reading everyone's journal entries. You are all so supportive and wonderful-thank you.

I'm posting new pictures very soon!

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 9:50 PM CDT

Our Easter was very nice! The Easter bunny was very generous this year! The boys had a blast looking for their basket/eggs. Aunt Sheri and John came over for steaks and we all had a good time. You can see by the picture on this page how good Colin looks! He had so much energy, and was even "chasing" Sam around the house with a dart gun he'd gotten in his basket. They were giggling and having so much fun, and they never ever do that together anymore. It was so refreshing to see!

Colin had his last chemo for this round administered today, and his platelets were at 21,000(normal is much, much higher than that) so we went to Marshfield again for a platelet transufusion. He had an allergic reaction to the platelets again(it's happened many times before) and broke out into hives, shakes, and irritated throat. He'd already had Benedryl before the transfusion, so they gave him another antihistimane(spelling?) that finally did the trick. I felt really bad for him because he was so itchy, and was told by a doctor not to scratch. It's seems like nothing can ever go easy for the poor kid! However, it's done with, and we're home now. I'm going to send him to school tomorrow and see how he feels. If he seems too tired this week, I'll have his home tutor come instead. I can't wait until the school year is over so we can all just relax!

Sunday, April 19th, 2003 11:20 A.M

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!
I was thinking back to last year's Easter, which was right after we got out of the hospital. Colin was in a wheelchair, and was so weak. He's come so far since then, and I'm so grateful! I can't believe how fast time has gone by, and how much we've all been through with this.

We are going to dye eggs today, and the boys are excited for the Easter bunny to come!

I will update on Tuesday or Wednesday after he gets his chemo and has his counts done again. Have a wonderful Easter everyone and God bless!

Thursday, April 10, 2003 9:13 AM CDT

Finally, 7 overnights down, 1 to go!! Dr. McManus kept all of Colin's chemo dosages at the same levels as before. His hearing test showed a tiny improvement! His counts, however, are not recovering very well because they are just "tired" from all of this chemo knocking them down. Colin had to have a red blood cell transfusion while we were there because his hemoglobin had already gone down in the one day we were there. I'm pretty sure that by Monday, he'll probably need a platelet transfusion also. Not a big deal, just more traveling!

Colin met a new friend while in the hospital named Justina. She's Colin's age, and has leukemia. She's the neatest little girl, and came into our room to visit. She even gave Colin one of her favorite stuffed animals. He didn't say too much to her, but I could tell he really liked her. It was so nice to see!

Colin's back at school today. I also got his report card this morning, and I'm happy to see that his grades are still doing well. It has been a struggle to get him caught up with all of the missed time and with his pace being slower then he's used to(physically, not mentally). I'm so happy to see how well he's balanced it all!

On Colin's next overnight, he'll have an MRI of everything again. I'm scared to death just thinking about it. PLEASE PLEASE pray with all of your heart that it is clear. Nothing would make us happier then to be done with this dreaded chemo routine, and go on with a normal routine/life!! Everyone's prayers are appreciated so so much.

The weather is nice, and all of our spirits' have been lifted!!! Enjoy it everyone!

Monday, April 7, 2003 2:37 PM CDT

Colin's platelets have finally gone up to 76,000, so tomorrow we'll go do the overnight chemo. One day off is not bad at all! And the nice part is that we get to sit and spend a whole day and night with cousin Spencer and aunt Sheri, and we even can hold Spencer! We're really excited about that part. We're going to rent a movie, order out some food, and make it fun.

The forecast says nice weather for the weekend-yeah! Today the sun is out, and I could actually see that Colin is in a better mood then he's been for the last couple of days when the weather was gloomy. This summer is going to be so good for him!

Let's hope we've gotten rid of this strep bug. So far Colin shows no signs of getting it. Sam hasn't felt good for the last couple of days again, though. Let's hope it's nothing.

I'll update after the hospital stay. I think everything will stay the same as far as chemo dosages go, but who knows! After this we can say "7 down, 1 more to go!!!"

Friday, April 4, 2003 4:39 PM CST

Colin had his counts done again today, and his platelets are at 65,000 which is still a little too low yet. So his oncologist decided that he will not have him come in on Monday for the overnight, but instead have his counts done again here in Park Falls to see if they've improved at all. If so, then we'll schedule a different day next week to go and do the overnight. It's sort of a disappointment, but I really think that his platelet count will improve sometime soon so at least things won't be delayed too long!

Of course I've come down with strep throat now. I'm really praying that Colin doesn't get it. It can really knock you on your butt, especially if your immune system is compromised. Plus, Colin is with me so much that it's impossible to keep him away and not get exposed. Maybe if this stinking weather would ever go away, some of this sickness would too!

All in all, though, things are well, and we can't complain. Colin just had another haircut yesterday-pretty great considering he's not supposed to have hair!!! I still can't believe he didn't lose it during this long, hard chemo treatment!

His eye procedure can't be rescheduled right now because we don't know when the platelets will go up. He may have to go the summer without it. That would be a disappointment, but at least we know that someday it can be fixed!

I promise to get those photos up soon! Please keep Colin in your prayers!

Tuesday, April 1, 2003 8:24 AM CST

Colin won't be able to have the eye procedure done on Thursday because his platelets are too low. They are at 55, and they would need them to be at 75-100. Normally by now they are up where they are supposed to be, but Colin's nurse said that all of this chemo has had a cumulative effect on his counts and that his body will have a harder time recovering them each round. We're disappointed, but it will be rescheduled for a later date. His eye is sitting all the way back into the corner so it's really annoying for him, especially with school.

His nurse also said there's a possibility the next chemo round(April 7th) will be delayed due to his low platelets. We would be soooo disappointed if that happens because we have the chemo schedule all planned out and he would be done right when school's out, therefore he could possible have a "chemo-free" summer. She is going to call today and let us know whether or not they will delay it.

Otherwise he's doing well. His energy is still up. Schoolwork has been a struggle lately, but that is probably just normal kid stuff. Sam's strep throat is all better and Colin never did get it-yeah! I can't wait for summer when we don't have to worry so much about them both being exposed to all of the bugs that go around.

I'll update again soon-and add new pictures today sometime.

Monday, March 24, 2003 4:04 PM CST

I'm sorry I haven't updated for so long, but that's actually a good thing considering things haven't changed! Colin's counts have been fine, which is such a relief! He's been able to go to school and mostly stay caught up with his homework.

Of course, Sam came down with strep throat last week, and has a cold this week. The poor little guy. Thankfully(and knocking on wood while I type this!) Colin hasn't gotten sick. Strep is one of the things we don't want him exposed to because it can be really hard on people who have such weak immune systems.

On April 3rd, Colin goes to Marshfield to have his next botox injection on his eye. It'll be so nice for him to have his eye back to the middle again! Then on April 7th he goes for his 7th overnight chemo-getting close to the end-I don't know if I should be happy or scared!

I just wanted to also mention and ask that everyone say a prayer for my stepbrother, Brian, and his wife Jaime who've just lost their baby(in the womb) to heart complications due to trisomy 13.

Also, on a happier note, my sister's son, Spencer, is doing wonderful!!! It shouldn't be too much longer before he's released from the hospital-he's such a strong boy!

Thank you for the continued prayers and support. What a trying time this has been for our family, but with the help of our awesome friends, family, and prayers we can get through it all and somehow be stronger because of it. God bless!

Wednesday, March 19, 2003 3:32 PM CST

Colin's counts were okay, although his platelets were low, but not low enough to transfuse. Hopefully by this coming Monday they'll all be good and then he should be alright for this round of chemo. Of course, brother Sam is sick now with a fever, headache, and sore throat, so I'm praying that Colin doesn't get it because if he does, he may have to go in the hospital. We're having such a great week and I don't want it ruined!

Again, he has amazing energy this week. I really think it's due to the weather. If he could feel like this all of the time, it would be wonderful!

I'm adding more Disney pictures today also!

Sunday, March 16, 2003 8:34 PM CST

Not much to tell tonight-wanted to post that I finally put up some more Disney pictures! I can only post 3 at a time, so I'll probably add new ones every 2 days for awhile.

Colin goes into the clinic tomorrow for more counts, and I'm thinking his platelets will be low, but am really hoping they aren't so we don't have to drive all day again! He had so much energy this weekend-the nice weather was soooo good for him! He spent the whole day Saturday out in the front yard with Dad, and he usually has no interest in any of those types of things. I went grocery shopping, and he started putting all of the groceries away for me-seems like it's not a big deal, but for him it is. He usually has no desire to do any extra physical activity. He kept saying things like "I can do that myself, I don't need help!" I haven't seen him in this good of a mood, or have so much energy since Disney!

I'm really hoping also that he can go to school some this week. I feel like these last couple of months are really important for him to not get too far behind. I've seen how much his mood has perked up when he went to school everyday for the last couple of weeks. He still amazes me when I see how hard he tries, and how well he does w/his schoolwork.

Please continue the prayers! Thank you all!

Wednesday, March 12, 2003 10:52 AM CST

Well, Colin had to have another red blood cell transfusion yesterday. Not a big deal, except that it's another trip to Marshfield. I was hoping that with the reduced dosage of the one chemo, that his counts wouldn't drop so low, but I guess that isn't so. At least I know it's still doing it's job though. The great news is that Spencer is cancer free, and doing great! He's off the vent, and slowly they are taking off all of his other tubes and stuff. What a wonderful answer to prayer!

Also, it has been one year now since Colin's diagnoses! He's come such a long way, and we've been so blessed that he is doing so well. I can't wait for this chemo to be done-then we're going to have a big "The Chemo's Over" Party! Please please continue to pray that everything is just smooth sailing from here on out. I'm praying that with Spring comes some happier, healthier times!

I have all of our Disney pictures back, and will be posting them soon. We got some very "interesting" pictures back that Colin and Sam took on their cameras! Anyone want to see a picture of the hotel ceiling, or the trunks of the trees in the parks-ha ha!

Friday, March 7, 2003 10:20 AM CST

Colin saw the eye doctor a couple of days ago. He said that Colin cannot have the permanent surgery(where they actually move muscles to pull his lazy eye over) until the chemo is well out of his system because it's a longer surgery that requires deep anesthesia. So he had two choices: he could leave the eye as it is, or have another small surgery to inject the botox again which will temporarily(3 months) move that eye over. Colin chose the botox because he has a real hard time with his eye turned in. He has trouble reading and keeping his place, and sees double. So he'll have the botox injection in a couple of weeks.

Although his counts could very well be quite low right now, he seems to have a little more energy then usual. I'm assuming it's because they reduced the cisplastin dosage. Please pray that his counts don't dip too low this round, so he can continue to feel like a normal little boy.

I should be getting all the rest of the Disney photos back in a couple of days, so I'll have some great pictures to post. I also wanted to mention(because a few people have said it to me) that although Colin sometimes looks cranky or sad in the photos I post on here, he's not. Because his facial muscles are paralyzed completely, he cannot make any expressions, including being happy. His muscles around his eyes don't work either. It's hard because people always think he's sad and tell him to smile, and really most of the time he's a pretty happy fella! In Disney, all of the characters(mickey, minnie, etc.) kept trying to get him to smile, and he was wondering what the heck they were doing!

Monday, March 3, 2003 11:48 AM CST

Colin had his counts done again today, and for once, they were good! He actually gets to go to school this week-yeah! I've really worried about his social abilities lately. He's stuck at home so much that he's really become like a little adult more so then a young boy, which really saddens me. Today he's having his best friend Joey over to play bingo. Joey has been his friend through all of this, and always lets Colin know he's special to him. We are very grateful that Joe is in Colin's life!

He goes back to the eye doctor this week, since the botox injection has worn off, and his left eye has drifted back over to the corner. I imagine that next they'll want to do a surgery to permanently correct it. I noticed that Colin's reading really had improved when his eye was where it should be, and now that it's drifted back, he has more problems with keeping his place when reading.

According to Park Fall's clinic's scale, Colin's gained another pound! I'm so grateful for this because he's so small, and that's always worried me. He weighs 46 lbs. now, and he had weighed 39 lbs. 10 months ago. Can you believe that in 6 days it will be the 1 year anniversary since his diagnoses!? I can't believe it's been a year, yet it seems like a lifetime somedays. Thank God above that my sweet boy is here with me today, and doing well. We can't wait until his last chemo!! Pray, pray, pray that those MRI's stay clean!!!

I'll try and add some more Disney photos real soon! Thank you for the continued prayers. Ü

Thursday, February 27, 2003 12:51 AM CST

Well, another overnight chemo is finished. Colin's oncologist has reduced the dosage of one of the chemo drugs(cisplastin) to 50% due to progressive high frequency hearing loss Colin has been experiencing. It's especially affected his left ear. Reducing the dose doesn't promise that his hearing won't continue to get worse, but it helps the chances. He also raised the amount of another chemo drug(vincristine) because he felt that Colin's foot drop had diminished enough to raise the dosage again. We had a good stay at the hospital, and even got to visit with little Spencer.

Colin himself is still in high spirits since the trip! He actually got to go to school for 2 days this week. He hasn't been there for at least 3 weeks, and will probably miss most of the rest of the school year due to low counts. He does have a wonderful home tutor that comes everday he misses, so he's pretty much caught up. He can't wait to show everyone our fun Disney pictures!

Please pray that his body will tolerate the chemo well this round. The stress of blood transfusions, traveling, and being confined to home is wearing. Please continue to pray that this tumor is never allowed to invade his body again. AS the days get closer to his last chemo rounds, the greater my fear increases that he'll have a relapse. A relapse with this tumor is common, and there's not too much they can do for a relapse because of the high dosages of treatments he's already received. I find comfort in knowing that you all are praying, because I know God creates miracles every day!

Also, tomorrow is Spencer's big surgery for his tumor removal. Please pray that they get all of the tumor, that it isn't spread, and that he doesn't have to suffer anymore. Also, please pray for Sheri that she has the strength to get through all of this, and can hold her little man very soon. Thank you so much everyone! We love you all!

Sunday, February 23, 2003 10:25 AM CST

We are back from our big trip! Before I go into our trip's story, I want to inform everyone of a very serious issue. My sister's son(Sheri and Spencer) has been dx w/ a tumor on his kidney. He's 5 months old, and has been in the hospital for the last 2 weeks because of various symptoms caused by the tumor, although they just found the tumor last monday. They are almost positive it's a tumor called neuroblastoma, which is cancerous. I ask everyone to pray for him, and keep him and Sheri in your thoughts. The bad luck is raining down on us, it seems.

I feel bad talking about our trip after such a terrible thing, but feel I should because I want to praise the Make-a-Wish foundation and Give Kids the World, the resort we stayed at! They pulled out all of the stops, and treated us like royalty. It started w/a stretch limo picking us up here at Park Falls and bringing us to the Minn. airport. Once in Fl. we received every little detail(rental car, maps, etc.) to make the trip super easy. The gktw resort was magical-the villas we stayed in were like an apartment, with a new "surprise" waiting for the boys everyday after we returned from the parks. The resort had sooo much to do, and I will be posting some pics of the different things sometime soon. We did every park except Epcot and MGM, and although they were very very crowded, we did receive special treatment and got to go to the front of the lines many times. Colin's favorite ride was the Jurassic Park River adventure--it consisted of an 85 foot drop in the dark down a waterfall-WOW! We did so many things and loved it all. We were able to really relax and enjoy ourselves, and Colin and Sam didn't want to leave. The weather was gorgeous too. We did so many neat things at the gktw village, including meeting Mickey and Minnie and getting pics w/them. We also got to meet 2 Disney animators who did pen drawings for each of the boys and signed them-so neat. There's so much more to tell, and I don't have much time, so I'll have to save it for later. Thanks for your prayers for safe travels.

We leave tomorrow morning for another overnight stay in Marshfield. Please continue to pray for us and Spencer. Thanks so much!

Thursday, February 6, 2003 9:30 AM CST

We had more close calls this week. We went in Monday here at Park Falls for more blood counts, and the platelets were really low again-ugh! However, the weather was terrible(snow, icy roads, etc.), so the doctor did not make us go down to Marshfield that day. Instead he said to get the counts done again on Tuesday. So we did, and thankfully the platelets had gone up from 16 to 20 in one day on thier own, so he didn't have to get another transfusion. His white counts had also gone up somewhat which eased my mind.

Last week he had a full-blown cold with a nasty cough, but it's much much better this week. He still has a little cough though, and I'm praying that it doesn't develop again into something. Sometimes it seems like the poor kid never gets a break! If it's not one thing, it's another. But we deal with it, and move on to another day!

Meanwhile, Colin is busy packing his bags for Disney. Ten more days, and we're off to sunshine and warmth! I'm worried about him getting sick from the plane, though. I plan on having him wear a mask, but I know that will be annoying considering the flight is 3 hours long. Please pray that all goes well!

Colin will be getting his 2nd haircut since diagnosis this weekend! It's amazing to me that he hasn't lost any hair whatsoever from all of this chemo! It has grown back in darker, and thinner, and it sticks up like a roosters(we laugh about it). He'll take it anyway it comes though!

We'll have a lot of great Disney pictures to post soon! Thank you for your prayers everyone!

Friday, January 31, 2003 at 09:22 AM (CST)

We were back to the doctor yesterday with Colin's cough. He's been coughing pretty hard, and it take a lot out of him. They did a chest x-ray, and it didn't appear to show any pneumonia, so they put him on Zithromax, a 5 day antibiotic. His white counts are .8 which is very very low so I will not be taking him anywhere unless I have to until they are up again. Of course it doesn't help that it's cold and flu season. It's very frustrating, especially with the Disney trip coming up in 17 days! I'm praying the cough goes away because he just won't enjoy himself otherwise. These low blood counts have been one of the most frustrating things for us. It takes over our lives in a way, because we're limited on where we can go, and who we can see.

On a positive note, his weight has slowly being going up! He gained almost 3 lbs. in the last month or so, and for him that's a lot! He actually has a little love handle on his belly now. His face has really filled out too. He weighed 39 lbs. after surgery and during radiation treatments, and now he weighs almost 46-still not the normal weight for his age, but not bad!

Meanwhile, we're keeping spirits high by visiting Disney websites, and watching the Disney video over and over. All I have to do is mention the word Disney,and Colin and Sam immediately perk up! I think Rich and I are just as excited.

I really will get those new pictures loaded soon!

Tuesday, January 28, 2003 at 10:50 AM (CST)

Yesterday Colin had to go in for his routine blood counts, and to our surprise(because this usually happens further into the chemo rounds), the platelets and hemoglobin were dangerously low. So we had to rush down to Marshfield for 2 transfusions. His platelets were at 11,000 yesterday. That's really low. The day actually went very smoothly, although we didn't get home until 10:30 at night and that screwed up everyone's schedules for today. Colin is feeling better now, although he has a little cough. His white counts are still very low though, so we are keeping him home for at least the week. His tutor will come everyday though. Please pray that everything goes smoothly from now until Disney. Luck is not on our side lately.

We are counting down the days until we go on our big trip!! We have really prepared for it, and now we just have to wait for the day to arrive. I've never seen the boys so excited about anything-ever!

I'll be posting some new pictures sometime today. Thanks for the encouraging messages and the prayers!

Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at 01:40 PM (CST)

Well, five overnight stays down, 3 to go! Sadly, we're actually getting used to this by now. I think sometimes that I know more then the nurses/doctors! First, Colin's mri was good(I think). His spine is clear! There was a note on the mri report about a very small "enhanced" area on his brainstem or something that was questionable, but Colin's doctor reassured me that it was nothing to worry about. In his words, the mri looked "good". I just hope and pray he's right about that. I really trust him at this point because I think he's a great doctor. It still worries the heck out of me though. Of course, my little angel laid for 1/12 hours in the mri machine perfectly still with no sedation. He earned $10 from me this time-these trips are getting really expensive! :)

My cousin, Christine, went with us this time, and she had Colin and I laughing so hard, we almost forgot we were in a hospital! Colin's sense of humor is never lacking. He constantly tells his doctor that when he gets home he's going to celebrat being away from him. He always says when the doctor asks him how he is, "Fine, now get me the heck out of here!".

He gained 21/4 pounds since his last overnight stay! That made us very happy. Lately, he's really looked great. He has had a little of his color back, and his face/cheeks filled out so he doesn't look so thin. The doctor is keeping a close eye on his hearing though, because his last hearing test showed high frequency loss in both ears now, and if it continues to progress, then he may have to reduce some of the chemo dosages(the cisplastin causes the hearing loss). I know of children who need hearing aids because of this drug, so I really pray it doesn't affect him this badly. Of course, I don't want the chemo dosage reduced either because I want him to get the full treatment to insure it's doing it's job.

I'll continue to update as often as possible. Hopefully I'll have some new pictures to put up soon. Thank you so much for the prayers everyone, and please keep them coming!

Friday, January 10, 2003 at 07:12 PM (CST)

Well, Monday starts the 5th round of chemo-wow! I'm happy it's over half way over, but also a little scared for the treatment to end. However, I'm looking forward to Colin getting stronger, and having more energy for everything.

He's doing great this week! He's gone to school everday this week, and is doing exceptionally well. He really pushes himself to do a good job on everything, and gets very disappointed if he doesn't. He sets high standards for himself. His reading is improving, and he has gained more points in his accelerated reader program this week. He could use some help when it comes to socializing, however. It seems he has no real desire to really "play" with the other kids. I don't know if it's a lack of energy, or just his personality. It doesn't really seem to bother him, but sometimes it bothers me! Hopefully time will change that.

This week in treatment is always our fun week. We get to do things we can't do when his counts are low, like going to the movies, having friend's over, and rough-housing with the dog. He is so excited about going to DisneyWorld, that he can hardly talk about it! He's saving all of his change for the toy shops. Everytime he sees a Disney commercial on tv, he goes crazy with excitement! How awesome that Make-a-Wish has done this for him.

Please remember him in your prayers(especially with the upcoming mri on Monday). Thanks everyone!!!!

Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at 09:09 AM (CST)

We had a wonderful Christmas. Colin and Sam couldn't have been more excited opening their gifts. One thing that really made his day was when his best friend Joey surprised him with a short visit and some gifts. When his counts are low, he doesn't get to see many of his friends, especially "best" friends, like Joe. Colin was feeling pretty good too. He never really perked up too much from the transfusions, but he wasn't overly tired either.

We had his counts done yesterday again, and the platelets and hemoglobin(the two that were transfused) were back down a little since the transufusions had worn off. Apparently that's normal. His white counts were up though, which means he can go back to school Thursday. He hasn't been there in over 31/2 weeks, so I know he's looking forward to seeing his friends and feeling "normal" again.

He goes back in for his next overnight chemo in a couple of weeks. I wanted to ask everyone to pray really hard because he's getting a spinal and head MRI to make sure no tumor is coming back. These really make me nervous, and to know that you are all praying for him will ease our minds somewhat. I'm really dreading the next couple of weeks after that, also, because his counts have been going lower and lower everytime, and it's really wearing us all out, between the traveling, and Colin feeling badly. It seems like we're at the clinic more then we're at home.

However, with the new year, comes new hopes! We have Disney to look forward to, and the end of Colin's chemo treatments in June. With lots of praying, and good luck, he'll never have to go through this again.

I added one new picture(will add more soon). You can see how great Colin's eye looks! He has to patch the good eye to get the other one working again. He also has a hearing test on the 6th to see if the cisplastin chemo drug is affecting that.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, December 19, 2002 at 12:23 PM (CST)

~~UPDATE~~ I just wanted to add an update in here quickly. On Friday, Colin had 2 blood transfusions. One was red blood cells(hemoglobin) and the other was platelets(control the clotting). Things went fine, except for half way through the bag of platelets, Colin's whole body broke out into hives, turned bright red, and started swelling. It was an allergic reaction to something in the platelets. They quickly gave him a dose of benedryl,and about 1/2 hour later, the hives were almost gone. I had to continue to give the benedryl for 2 days, and he seems fine now. I haven't noticed a huge difference in him since the transfusion, however he does have more energy, and just looks a little healthier. We'll find out tomorrow what his counts are at. His white counts are probably very low. That's all for now-again MERRY CHRISTMAS! Ü

First off, we'd like to say HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone!! All of the snow melted here, so it sure doesn't feel like Christmas!

Colin has been out of school for the last 21/2 weeks. His counts have really gone low this time(especially the hemoglobin and platelets), and he will be getting transufusions for both tomorrow. Not exactly fun to spend another day at the hospital, but it will insure he'll have lots of energy and strength for the holidays! His white counts will still be low though, so we'll have to stay away from anyone sick for awhile yet. I always think of the counts going low as a positive, because that also means the chemo drugs are killing the nasty "bad" cancer cells!

Colin's eye has moved over considerably, and we couldn't be happier! He looks great, and can see better now also. I will post some pictures after the holidays. His hair is getting quite long now, and we're thinking of a style that will go with the bald spot his still has in the back.

During this holiday season, we'd like to thank everyone who's blessed us with their prayers and concern. We love you all, and may God bless your holidays with love, peace, and good health!

I will update again very soon!

Wednesday, December 04, 2002 at 11:39 AM (CST)

The fourth round of chemotherapy has started-yeah-that's 1/2 way now!! Thank goodness too, because we're REALLY REALLY tired of doctors, appointments, specialists, and anything and everything to do with the medical world.

Colin had his eye procedure done. He had to be put to sleep for it. They injected the maximum dosage of Botox allowed into his left eye muscle to get that eye to move over to the middle. This is only temporary, but lasts up to 3 months. The goal is that, hopefully, the other muscle on the right side that hasn't been working at all, will kick in somewhat while the left side muscle is weakened from the botox. Of course Colin did so well with the procedure, although his eye hurt and was very red the first day. I've already noticed that his eye has moved over a little today. He demanded "cash" from me for having to go through it, so now he's $15 richer, not to mention the $5 that Grandma threw in!

His chemo went fine. In 6 weeks, at his next overnight chemo treatment, he has to have a head and spine MRI-please pray again that this will be clear. This one really scares me, because I've read that many of the reoccuring tumors show up in the spine. He'll also have a hearing test to determine if the chemo is affecting that.

Happy Holidays to everyone!!! We had a great Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the week of Christmas is also the week that Colin's counts will dip very low, and I have a feeling he'll definitely need the blood transfusion this time. Not exactly our idea of a fun Christmas vacation, but we'll do what we have to!

Also, for some reason, the chemo hasn't made Colin's hair fall out, which he's thrilled with! You can't see his shunt on his head any longer, and his hair seems to get thicker everyday!

And now for the best news, which many of you already know: Colin's been granted his Make-a-Wish to go to Disneyworld!! Yeah-we're so excited. Of course Rich, Sam, and I will go to go along, and apparently we'll get a limo ride to the airport. Colin and Sam are so excited about it, and that's all they seem to talk about lately. It couldn't come at a better time for us, because this whole treatment process has really taken it's toll on the whole family.

Please continue to pray-I will update this more frequently then I have been-I promise!! Hopefully soon I will have some new pictures up of Colin and his new puppy, Charlie!

Thursday, November 07, 2002 at 10:57 AM (CST)

Well, we went in again today for counts, and they are really really low. But because he has no fever, lethargy, etc. they decided not to transfuse. However, his white counts are really low again, so please hold off on visiting if you have the sniffles, or have been around anyone sick. His platelet counts are really low, as well as his hemoglobin. He will have his counts redone on Monday, and hopefully they will have gone up some. This is the hardest part about the chemo-we're constantly on the edge wondering if those counts are going too low. But it's a tradeoff for what it does, so we can deal with it! Noone ever said it would be easy!

Colin's spirits have been pretty good though. He's really excited about the upcoming holidays. Unfortunately, I figured it out, and his counts will be really low again around Christmas. We'll just have to make the best of it!

School is going okay. He's had some setbacks because of all of the time he missed last year, and his reading has suffered because of it. He's working hard to do well, though, and to me, that's all that matters. He's always been a very smart kid, and that hasn't changed! It is hard for him socially though, because he can't do things the other kids do, and he has a hard time interacting w/all of them. We try to overcome that by doing things w/his friends outside of school, where we can show them that he's still the same boy, just he can't do everything he used to. He has the most wonderful teacher, and that makes all of the difference. She does everything she can to make him feel comfortable, and the other kids as well. She deserves "teacher of the year" for sure!

As I keep repeating, please keep praying for Colin. The power of prayer is AMAZING, and what has guided me through all of this. And to those of you that sign in the guest book that are going through the same battle, I'm praying for you as well! God Bless!

Tuesday, October 22, 2002 at 04:16 PM (CDT)

Well, another overnight stay completed and we're back home. Everything went well, and the MRI showed no change. Here's the deal with the MRI-after his initial surgery to remove the tumor, an MRI was done, and a very small sliver shows up "enhanced" in the tumor area-this could either be a small amount of tumor remaining, or it could be scar tissue. Colin's current doctor said one way to "sort of" tell is if it looks the same after all these MRI's, then it's probably scar tissue. So, it has not changed on yesterday's MRI, so I HOPE and PRAY it's only scar tissue. This is "most likely" what it is.

He also saw his eye doctor, and in 6 weeks(his next overnight chemo) he'll have this small surgery done on his turned in left eye that injects a drug into the muscle of that eye, causing it to "temporarily" move over towards the center a little more. Sometimes it's just enough to make it stay, but not for sure. There's another surgery that is more permanent, but it can't be done yet.

He saw a speech pathologist, and she and most of the other experts agree that if Colin's mouth muscle functions haven't yet returned, that they most likely will not. This was really hard for me to hear, since I can't imagine never seeing his smile again. There may be some options out there for some nerve surgeries, but that will take further research to see if he qualifies for that.

Overall, nothing much has changed, which is both good and bad-I'd like to see improvements of course, but no improvement is better then bad news! Please continue to pray that all will progress well for him. He has a long way to go yet!! But he has also come very far!!!

Monday, September 30, 2002 at 11:25 AM (CDT)

Well, the second round of chemotherapy is officially over, but that doesn't mean the worrying is. Colin went in for counts today, and they are way down. He'll be out of school for awhile, and cannot be around anyone sick. His hemoglobin counts are so low, I'm worried they may have to do a transfusion-but don't know that for sure yet. He's been feeling very tired for the last few days, and that is a result of these low counts. Other than the tiredness, though, he seems to be feeling fine. I thought maybe his counts wouldn't go down so low considering they lowered the dosage of the vincristine, but obviously not!

School is going well for him, although he doesn't actually attend class very often(about 2-21/2 hours a day). His teacher says he is a good math student. He tries so hard to do the best he can, and for that I'm very proud of him! He has a wonderful teacher and classmates, and that makes all of the difference. He and I sat down one day w/the class and discussed what was going on so they would understand better, and it really helped. He was so brave-answering any questions they have. He gets quite a few stares, but all of the children in the whole school are so supportive and kind to him-there's not a day that goes by that when we walk down the hall, we don't hear at least a few kids yell "hi Colin!"

He's also getting very excited for the upcoming holidays. He has made about 4 Christmas lists already! He is basically in a cheerful mood most of the time, and that makes all of the difference.

What we need now are prayers! At his next 6-week he has another MRI to see if any tumor has grown. PLEASE pray everyday that there is none, and that his body can handle this treatment. Thank you everyone!

Tuesday, September 10, 2002 at 10:12 PM (CDT)

Two down, 6 to go-chemotherapy rounds that is! Today we came home from another overnight stay in Marshfield, and everything went very well. Colin continues to amaze me with his patience, strengh, and sense of humor. We had 5 appointments to go to before he was admitted into the hospital, and he never complained once. His main oncologist did determine that Colin was experiencing "foot drop" from one of the chemos he is receiveing(vincristine). This drug can weaken his muscle/nerve groups in his feet making it almost impossible for him to lift his foot up towards his leg, therefore making it harder for him to walk(on top of the balance issue). So they are reducing his dosage of this one chemo to 50% less so that he can cope better with it. I'm very happy with that decision. He still has the outer ear infection, but it's nothing real serious, and a week or two more of drops should clear it up. However, because of the infection plugging up that ear, his hearing test could not determine if he's experiencing any hearing loss from the chemo drug cisplastin.

Since Rich had to travel for work, my sister, Sheri(who's very pregnant, and patient!) came with and helped with Sam(who's also a strong, understanding brother to Colin through all of this!). They stayed at the Ronald McDonald house. I can't say enough about how great that place is to have for families going through this sort of thing! What a Godsend for us!

So now Colin will get chemo once a week for the next couple of weeks, and then a close watch of his blood counts through weekly blood tests. He'll be getting another MRI in 6 weeks. PLEASE keep praying!!! Also, thanks so much to everyone who continues to sign the guestbook-it's so nice for us to see who's reading the updates, and the messages are always so upbeat and inspirational. Thank you!

Thursday, August 29, 2002 at 08:24 AM (CDT)

I apologize for no updates for so long, but the provider of this website has been moving their server, and I couldn't log on. Everything is going well for Colin. He has one more week before another overnight stay to receive the chemos again. During his last 3 weeks off, his counts did dip quite low, but so far no significant problems. He tolerated the first round of chemo wonderfully, and I ask everyone to pray that it stays that way with the next round. He has been going into the Park Falls clinic once a week to get his blood drawn to check his counts.

We sort of have his schooling schedule worked out now. As it sits right now, he'll be attending 2nd grade from 8:15 in the morning until 10:45 a.m. to be there for reading and math. Then I will pick him up and homeschool him the rest of the subjects. When his counts are low, he will not go to school, and then either myself or one of his teachers may come to tutor him. He will have a full-time aid in the classroom w/him, and I will go w/him to school when one's not available. He's excited to see all of his friends again! I'm a nervous wreck just thinking about him being gone w/out me watching his every move, but it's something that he needs! Little brother Sam will be starting Kindergarten, so between the two of them, they may have to call the police to get me to leave! This summer just went way too fast!!

He continues with his physical/occupational therapy, and works very hard at it. He's such a fighter, and rarely complains. He does have a Dr.'s appointment today because one of his ears is blocked w/ear wax, and I'm hoping it's not an infection. If so, he doesn't seem to be affected by it yet.

I will update the site more now, and let everyone know how he does w/his next round of chemo. Please also remember to not come visit if you have the sniffles or have been around anyone who has anything! Also, please keep including him in your prayers. Thanks!

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 at 07:25 PM (CDT)

Well, our vacation is over, but we definitely enjoyed our break and had some good, old-fashioned relaxation. That 6 weeks went by so fast though! We spent some time at the cabin doing the guys' favorite thing: fishing. I'm posting some new pictures of them having fun on the dock w/Dad.

Yesterday we took the now memorized trip to Marshfield to get blood counts, have an MRI, a hearing test, and then Colin was admitted to the hospital. Good news first-the MRI showed that no new tumor has grown since surgery-YEAH! This is definitely an answer to prayer-so many people were praying for us. What a huge relief! Of course he didn't need sedation for the MRI because he is such a good boy and lays still for the technicians.

His hearing test showed he actually had a mild, high-frequency hearing impairment in his left ear. His hearing will be tested regularly, since one of the new chemos he's getting can cause hearing loss.

His overnight stay went well. So far, he's tolerated the new chemos quite well, but that may change. They will knock his white blood count down low, which means if you're sick, even just the sniffles, please don't come visit! He's very susceptible to infections, and would have to be hospitalized if he gets any type of fever. He received 3 chemos-one intravenously throughout the night. He did a GREAT job, and didn't complain once. Brother Sam did great also-of course the Nintendos came in handy! He and Dad stayed at the Ronald McDonald house-what a great thing to have for people in our situation.

Next week he'll get one chemo drug called Vincristine, and his blood counts checked here in Park falls. The same goes for the following week. Then he gets 3 weeks of rest, and the overnight stay will follow that again. Throughout the treatments he'll continue to receive aquatic, speech, occupational, and physcial therapy-busy little guy!

I'll continue to update everything as I'm able. Please continue the prayers!

Wednesday, July 10, 2002 at 08:07 AM (CDT)

Hello everyone. Colin and the family are really enjoying the break! It's going by way too fast though. We've been doing all sorts of things like Jim Pecks Wildwoods petting zoo, bbq's with friends, and movies. Colin still gets tired very easily though. His favorite thing to do is to help me cook-maybe he'll be the next Emeril! He also got a new kitty. He got to pick her out as a reward of sorts for getting through radiation so well. He just loves her! I do have some pictures, but for some reason can't get them to upload yet-hopefully soon.

He had an appointment yesterday to get blood work done to see how his counts were, and they were on the rise which is what they're supposed to do. His weight, however, is not. Although he does eat all day long, I don't think he actually consumes enough to gain much. So now we're starting back on the Boost shakes, much to his despair(he's very tired of them).

So now we have a few weeks left until his first overnight chemo and MRI. Please pray that his MRI will be clear and that he will tolerate these new chemos okay.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Sunday, June 23, 2002 at 01:09 PM (CDT)

Well, we're officially on break-I guess we couldn't have had better timing! Nothing like having some days off in the summer(I can't imagine having to do all of this on nice, sunny days). Colin had his last vincristine shot last Tuesday-he did great, and for the first time, didn't have any anxiety about getting his port accessed. He was just so relieved to have this round done with. He even told me he was happy that he was getting the chemo because it was making him better. Also-great news-he had gained 1/2 lb. in one week-yeah!

Now we're trying to decide what to do for summer vacation. There's all sorts of possibilties, but we want to keep it low maintenance for Colin's sake. He isn't exactly full of energy yet, although he is doing wonderful!

We go in for his first over-night chemo treatment on July 29th-that just sounds way too close, but we'll take what we can get. He also has to have an MRI at that time, and a hearing test since one of the chemos they'll be giving him can cause hearing loss.

We also found out we can possibly do some of his other chemo treatments here in Park Falls(the vincristine, but definitely not the overnight stay treatment of cisplastin, ccnu, and vincristine combined). This will be such a huge difference for us not having to travel quite so much to Marshfield!

Stop in and visit sometime this summer-Colin loves company-it keeps his spirits up!

Wednesday, June 12, 2002 at 03:44 PM (CDT)

Hooray!!!!! Colin's finally done with radiation!!!! I can't believe how well my little sweety has dealt with this all so far. Sure, he gets angry and upset and mad, but considering the situation, he's coped wonderfully. He is truly one of the strongest people I know. I'm so proud of him that it's hard to express in words!
Also-I put up new radiation photos-check them out!

Today one of the radiation therapists named Kathy told me how impressed she was with him. She told Colin that he is the most special "little guy" she's ever dealt with in radiation. I could tell she truly meant it too. The other therapist that dealt w/him on a daily basis had the sadist looks on their faces when he was done today. I can't tell you how exceptionally wonderful they(there were 3 main ones) were with Colin and myself. I will actually miss them(but never miss going there!). They made the days as good as they could be under the circumstances.

What will we do w/our extra 5 or so hours a day? It seems like we've been doing this for so long, and we've gotten so used to it. We're going to work on fattening Colin up, and spending as much quality family time as we can.

We'll still need to go to Marshfield during the break to get check-ups. He also has one more chemo next Tuesday. My poor van could probably drive itself there and back.

Thanks for all of the support and prayers. Extra special thanks to the awesome ladies who drove w/me and made our days fun. Love you all!

Will continue to update throughout our break. Pray for weight gain before the chemo starts-it's very important!

Saturday, June 01, 2002 at 01:31 PM (CDT)

I can't believe it-only 8 radiation treatments left! I shouldn't say only, since it seems like we've been doing this for 10 years now, but it's still hard to believe we've already come this far! Colin also has 3 more vincristine(chemo) shots before his 6 week break-yes 6 weeks!!! We can't wait. After that break, he'll start his main chemotherapy treatments with no radiation. We're really going to need that break.

I mentioned before that we had gotten a prescription for megace(from the steroid family) to possible help increase Colin's appetite-and it's working! He is definitely more hungry and eating more then before. Just this weekend he's been really starting to actually "consume" more food. He's really only lost about 6 or 7 pounds so far, but on him it seems like 40. We really need to put the weight on. The megace is an answer to prayer, that's for sure!

We've tried as much as possible to go about our normal, everyday life as much as possible. This is very important to Colin. He handles everything better this way. We still do most of the fun things we always did, only now we make them even more fun. Last weekend we had some friends over for bingo(we had a big bag of treats for prizes), and water balloon fights. Since Colin cannot run very well, he got to use the squirt gun to squirt everyone. Also, noone was allowed to get him wet-he loved every minute of it! This weekend we took his best buddy and went to see Spiderman-he had the best time. Brother Sam is also dealing much better with all of this as time goes by. He still need that "extra" attention, but is learning to accept it all.

So far Colin's white counts have been good also. This means his bone marrow is tolerating the vincristine and radiation well. We've been able to keep the vincristine at the full dosage, which is wonderful. I always knew Colin could handle the tough stuff!

We're looking forward to our break! If I never had to see Marshfield again, I'd be more than happy! Take care everyone, and enjoy this sunny weather.

Tuesday, May 21, 2002 at 04:20 PM (CDT)

Well, Colin's had another weekly shot of chemo, and his 16th radiation treatment today. It's hard to believe it's half over already(well the radiation is at least!).

He's been very ill the last couple of weeks, mostly due to constipation. That has gotten better, and things improved a bit. He's very thin, so today I did get a new prescription for him called Megace to possible increase his appetite. It's not a miracle drug, but it may work for him. A few pounds would be awesome for him to regain some of his strength. Some days he feels great, and others he is very tired and sick to his stomach. Please pray that his little body will continue to fight this as well as it has been. We know God is with us through this whole ordeal, and it's because of Him that we are getting through it.

He's also lost all of his hair. So far, he isn't too bothered by it though. I sat him down the other day thinking he was going to get very upset over the fact that he'd once again have to be bald. So I said,"Colin, I have to tell you something that might upset you. The medicine that you're getting has made your hair fall out again." He then replied, "Oh, yeah, I know, I felt it before and could tell." Then he went on to talk about something completely different. The little things don't bother him anymore-he's too tough!

We are so happy that the warm weather is finally showing itself! We are looking forward to a summer of back-yard grilling with friends, the beach, and lots of fishing, since that's Colin's favorite thing to do! Cancer is certainly not going to stop us from enjoying these things.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Monday, May 13, 2002 at 12:44 PM (CDT)

First off, I want to say a huge THANK YOU from myself and my family to everyone who helped organize, donated, or attended Colin's benefit. It was a great success, and the amount of people that showed up was awesome. I know people worked really hard to make it happen, and for that we are truly grateful. I said it before, and I'll say it again-WHAT AN AWESOME COMMUNITY PARK FALLS/BUTTERNUT/GLIDDEN IS! The people around here are exceptional and rare-they extend their kindness and hard work like no other. There must be something in the air around here that gives people such BIG HEARTS! How will we ever thank you with words? We only hope someday we can repay your kindness.

Colin also enjoyed his time at the benefit, although he couldn't stay long since he had a bad tummy ache. It's hard to explain to him how much everyone is helping us out to help him out, but I know he is also grateful. He sees how everyone is helping, and will someday be able to understand it an thank you all too. He had his 10th treatment today, and is doing okay with them. I know he'll pull through this stronger then ever! In three days they will stop radiating the spine and head and just concentrate on the tumor site. After this week, we'll be half way there with the radiation treatments.

Once again, thank you all. What a gift from above to know you all. I'm also extremely grateful for the families bringing suppers and riding to Marshfield with me. You guys all keep me going.

I'll update again this week. Please pray that Colin will tolerate some of these harsh side effects. He doesn't have much appetite lately, and that is my main concern right now. He can't afford to lose any weight. Keep praying!

God Bless,
Tanya

Tuesday, May 07, 2002 at 09:21 PM (CDT)

Phew!-that would be the computer word for my big sigh of relief-Colin's spinal fluid is clear of medulloblastoma cells. If cancer cells would have been present, they would've had to up the dosage of both chemo and radiation. I don't think my little man would've handled that too well. Another prayer answered.

Colin also received his second dosage of the chemo drug Vincristine today. So far he has finished 6 radiation treatments. Towards the end of last week, he started to feel many of the side effects from both treatments. It started off w/jaw pain from the vincristine, and throat pain from the radiation. Of course, this made him totally lose any appetite he had left. Then he was feeling a little nauseated, but we have medicine for that now(Zofran). Overall, he is doing okay so far. These side effects are to be expected. Our biggest challenge is and will probably always be getting him to eat. He doesn't have any extra weight to lose, so this is very important. We have him drinking a high calorie shake/juice called Boost.

He has the greatest relationship w/his doctors and nurses. Especially the radiation therapists. There are two, named Kellie and Walt, and they are wonderful with him! They are always smiling, and so positive. They give Colin toys, and make it fun for him. He calls Kellie names like "hotdog", and she plays right along with him calling him a "wienerschnitzel". She asks him in the morning how he's doing, and he replies, "Good, now get me the heck out of here!". They make things so much easier.

This week so far has been much easier than last week. Mostly it's been in for radiation, then back home. I still have wonderful friends who've been so kind to ride along with us everyday and help out with Colin and sometimes Sam when he goes with. What would I do without the awesome people in this community? What a Godsend you all are!

Thursday, May 02, 2002 at 03:19 PM (CDT)

Three down, 28 to go-radiation treatments that is. He's doing so well with them. Since he's only had three treatments so far, he hasn't experienced any of the side effects yet. He did say today that some cold juice he was drinking hurt his throat, and that may be from the radiation. But other then that, nothing has showed up yet that seems troublesome. He also had his first shot of vincristine(chemo) on Tuesday and so far seems to be tolerating that well.

His incision where they put in the port has been very sore for the last few days, especially since he has to lay on it for radiation. It feels a little better everyday though. They administered the vincristine through it Tuesday, and it didn't hurt at all, thanks to a "magic cream" called Emla. I put it on the port spot an hour or two beforehand, and it numbs the area so he feels nothing.

He also had a CT scan yesterday to see if the ventricles in his brain still had fluid in them, because if they did, they wouldn't be able to perform the spinal tap on him. I called the doctor today, and he said that the scan looked good and he will have the spinal tap tomorrow afternoon. This is to see if there are any medulloblastoma cells in his spine. If there are, I do believe they use a higher dosage of radiation to it.

The radiation therapists are awesome-so friendly and quick-the key word here is quick. The worst part of all of this is the waiting around for hours doing nothing. It's dreadful sometimes. They usually give him a toy afterwards too because he's always so good. Great people make a big difference when you've had a long day or week.

We've had some good friends driving down w/us everyday, and for that we are so grateful. I don't know what I'd do without their support. They always cheer us up and make it more fun. I love each and every one of you guys!

Tomorrow is another long day, but then yeah-Saturday! I've never ever appreciated a weekend like I will this one!

Monday, April 29, 2002 at 06:41 PM (CDT)

We had such a long day. We left at 5:30 in the morning, and got back at 5:40 at night. It was a long drawn out day, and definitely tested my "sweet-natured" temper!

First off, Colin is truly the bravest person, child or adult I've ever seen. I'm not just saying this because he's mine, but he astounds me more everyday. This morning he had to go for x-rays for the radiation, and he had to lay face down on the table again. They made this mask that fits over the back of his head, and it fits tightly-somewhat uncomfortably so. He laid there for 30 minutes and didn't move once. I couldn't have done that-really.

Next we had to rush over to surgery for his port. They asked him if they could put the I.V. in before the surgery, or if they should wait until after he was asleep. He said "No, do it now" and they did-he didn't even say 'ow'. They couldn't believe it. He didn't even seem nervous about the surgery. He just said "I just want to get out of here" meaning "get it done with people". When they wheeled him away for surgery, he was so brave once again. The surgery took about 45 minutes and went fine. He came out of it like a charm, only complaining a little about the incision burning. We had to wait around for about another 11/2 hours to then go talk to a nurse about the port care, and his main doctor. While we were waiting to go out of the recovery room, he was being so funny, he had myself and my sister(who thankfully rode along)laughing so hard we were in tears, and I think the nurses thought we were all nuts because we were being so loud. He's such a good sport. Then he said to me, "Mom, I knew you hadn't laughed for awhile, and that's why I was making jokes". Poor little guy just had surgery, and he's worried about me being happy!

Tomorrow, he'll have some lab work done, then his first dose of radiation, and then his first dose of Vincristine, the chemo drug. He should feel fine after this tomorrow. Everything is very trying right now because there are so many tests to be done, and doctors to see-it's so overwhelming and tiring. I can't wait until we finally get into a routine.

Colin didn't have the spinal tap today-his doctor wanted to wait until he had another ct scan done to make sure the shunt was working right, then he'll have the spinal tap.

Please keep us in your prayers-pray especially that Colin will keep this positive, humorous spirit-it's so uplifting. It's also important now if you have the sniffles, not to come visit! Thanks everyone for your continued support and prayers.

Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 04:13 PM (CDT)

Well, we've finally got the ball rolling, after what seems like a couple of weeks of just wondering when things would start. We had an appointment today in Marshfield, and got quite a bit set up. First, we met with his radiologist, and discussed the radiation/side effects, etc. Here are some of the side affects that can occur, but not neccesarily:nausea/vomiting, sore throat, fatigue, sunburn in the areas receiving radiation, loss of hair(this will occur), growth problems down the road, and possible learning problems, although he seemed very optimistic this wouldn't be a huge problem in Colin's case since he would be receiving reduced dosage of radiation on the part of the brain that controls that. He also didn't think Colin would experience too harsh of side affects because younger people actually tolerate some of it better. We soon shall see....

After meeting with that doctor, Colin had to have a mold made for his body, and a mask for his head that will pinpoint the areas where he'll receive the radiation. He had to lay face first on this catscan table with his arms to his side. He had to stay perfectly still for about 15 minutes while they took pictures and made the molds. My little guy didn't move a finger-he did so great! The nurses kept going on and on about it. One said that he puts most of their adult patients to shame.

Before this, one nurse was explaining that they had a Barney video he could watch that would explain everything to him. She said "You know who Barney the dinosaur is, don't you Colin?" and he replied, "Yeah, I know him, he's an idiot!" I almost died, but everyone laughed, and agreed that, yes, Barney was indeed an idiot, and Colin wouldn't have to watch the video. That was the joke of the day.

After that we met w/some nurses and the surgeon who will be putting in the port-a-cath or central line. He will have it done next Monday. It's an outpatient surgery, and fairly simple. His radiation and first shot of chemotherapy will probably be on Tuesday if everything goes just right w/ the central line operation. He'll receive 31 radiation treatments in all. He'll be a pro after this.

It's nice to know it'll be starting soon, because the sooner we start the sooner it's over with. I have great confidence we'll all come out of this stronger, and still with positive outlooks. Please keep praying!
Tanya

Wednesday, April 17, 2002 at 09:32 PM (CDT)

Today we had an appointment at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield to meet Colin's new oncologist(whom will also be his primary doctor), and set up all of the appointments, etc. We were very happy with his doctor(Dr. McManos). We will be dealing strictly with Marshfield now, so we won't have to do all of the running around to Duluth or anywhere else.

Next Tuesday Colin, myself, and Grandma Nolan will be going back to Marshfield to meet his radiologist(the doctor who administers the radiation). This will be a long appointment since they will need to set everything up to start the radiation next week. Colin will also have to have an outpatient surgery next week to have the port(central line)put in. This is an I.V. of sort that will be under his skin on his chest. The doctors will then be able to administrator the chemotherapy through this and draw blood. He will also have a spinal tap during that same procedure to make sure there are no cancerous cells in his lower spine. Please pray the fluid will be cancer free.

He will begin his radiation every day, 5 days a week for 6-8 weeks. He will also have a dose of Vincristine, which is a chemotherapy drug once a week while he's receiving the radiation.

We will also do his physical, occupational, and speech therapy in Marshfield for the time being considering there will be no time to do it here in Park Falls. Marshfield will be our home away from home for the time being. The doctor explained these therapies are just as vital to his recovery as the chemo and radiation because it affects the long-term outcome.

His walking is getting much better! All day today and yesterday he has been getting up on his own and walking a short distance on his own. He was upset at the doctor's office today because he hated his gown he had to wear. Of all things, the gown bothered him! He is so funny that way. The doctor was nice and let him put his regular clothes back on. He said Colin's strength was great too.

Aunt Sheri is moving back to town on Saturday, which will be a great help to us. She will be helping to watch Sam, and ride to Marshfield once in awhile to keep me sane. If anyone needs a ride to Marshfield, don't hesitate!

Well, that's all for now, but I will update after Tuesday's appointment when we will know all of the nitty, gritty details. Until then, please keep Colin in your prayers. Please stop by to say hi-he loves visitors.

Saturday, April 13, 2002 at 09:53 PM (CDT)

Well, we're back from our trip to Minneapolis. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend! The sunny weather cheered us all up, and we had a good time.

We won't be doing treatments in Minneapolis for a couple of reasons, one being insurance issues. However, the doctor we met with(Dr. Joe Neglia) was wonderful and very helpful. He basically set up Colin's treatment plan and explained everything to us. He also set it all up with Marshfield, which is where we'll be doing his chemo and radiation treatments. Yes, I'll be driving there everyday for his ten minute treatment and then back home. Thank goodness it's Spring!

I'll explain his treatment to the best of my ability. He will start off(either this week or next week) with 6-8 weeks of radiation therapy, 5 days a week. He will receive intense radiation to the tumor area, and reduced radiation to his spine and rest of his head. He will get a smaller dose of chemo once a week during the radiation. He will then get a 4-6 week rest period. Then he will start his chemotherapy. He'll receive different combinations of the chemo once a week for 3 weeks, then none for three weeks. He will do this in eight cycles. After all is said and done, he will have treatments for one year. His first chemo treatment, he will stay overnight in the hospital because it is more intense, and he must be monitered. But the other two weeks of treatment are a lesser dose of just one drug called Vincristine. He will have to have another surgery to put in what's called a central-line. This is like an IV inside his chest which enables them to administer the meds w/out all of the fuss.

My outlook with all of this is very positive. The cure rate w/this treatment plan is 80%, and I believe God is on our side! It will be a rough road, but we will endure whatever is put in front of us. I think the important thing right now is to keep Colin's spirit up. He has been laughing so much lately, and if we can keep him this happy, he'll get through it much easier. He was joking with the doctor yesterday-the doctor asked him what his brother's name was, and Colin replied "His name is stinky". He's so funny.

We went to the zoo after the treatments, and the boys had a great time. I have some pictures, and if I can ever figure out how to upload them onto this website, you can see them. They fought in the back of the van all the way home, and it was just like the "old" days!

We are setting up an appointment w/Marshfield for either Mon/Tues. to get the ball rolling. I'm thinking they will start the treatments either this week or next week. Please pray he will do well with them, and not get too sick. Feel free to stop by anytime to cheer him up during treatments-staying away would be the worst thing(unless you're sick, then please STAY AWAY!). Colin loves being around people-and Sam too!

I will continue to keep you updated frequently. Soon I hope to have some pictures in the photo album also. We are enjoying the entries in the guestbook!

UPDATE:I figured it out and finally got some photos in the album-check them out!

Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 10:03 PM (CDT)

Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 09:40 PM (CDT)

Colin seems to be doing a bit better everyday. Yesterday he started his homeschooling. His first grade teacher, Mrs. Bosse, is his home-tutor, and he couldn't be happier! I can't believe how well he's doing(well, I guess I can considering what a trooper he is). His teacher gave him two spelling tests, and he aced them. His surgery definitely hasn't effected his academics. He has always been a perfectionist, and has to make sure every little thing is just right. We couldn't be happier that we got his original teacher to do the tutoring.

He also had a check-up with a doctor here in Park Falls today-Dr. Lindgren. Everything looked great. His weight has stayed the same. He was in a really silly mood today, and was joking with the doctor, and the therapists at physical therapy. His walking is getting more steady and he wants to do more and more on his own. Today he told me that I worry too much, and he'd like to try more on his own. I thought that was so cute and showed his strong, independent attitude. Thank God for that!

Tomorrow we leave for Minneapolis for his doctor appointment on Friday at the U of Minn. We will update everyone on what they set up for his treatments. For everyone praying for Colin, please pray that he tolerates the treatments well. That is my biggest worry right now, because they say every child reacts differently to them. Some get very very sick, and some not much at all. Thankfully they now have a drug called Zofran that helps with the vomiting associated w/both treatments.

His Uncle Eric took him to the movie "Ice Age" tonight-he loved it. We're going to try and take him to the zoo on Saturday, and maybe Chuck E. Cheese-we don't get to do any of those things living in little Park Falls, so it's a real treat. I want him to have fun before all of the treatments start. He's been through so much already, and to think he still has such a long road is hard.

Tonight we were saying a prayer before bed, and his brother Sam said "Jesus can't make you feel better" and Colin replied "I know he can because he sacrificed himself for us" He's such a smart little guy with a strong spirit.

Sam is being a great helper. He does feel jealous with all of the attention Colin gets from everyone, but he's started to realize his brother needs it. He helps me out all of the time, as long as he can play Playstation in return-that's my boy-always negotiating! He and Colin are closer now then ever.

Wish us luck on our trip-I'm nervous, mostly because I have no idea what Colin needs to have done. We will update as soon as we get back. Thanks for all of your kind words-we appreciate each and every one.

Sunday, April 07, 2002 at 04:24 PM (CDT)

As most of you know, Colin has been experiencing bouts of vomiting for the last 8 months or so. The doctors assumed it was GI problems. On March 8, 2002, I knew something was very wrong with him. He was barely concious, and could not walk or even stand. We took him into the Park Falls clinic where he was hospitalized. We were told he was dehydrated, and that some IV fluids would have him coming around in no time. The next day there was no change. Colin kept complaining that his head was hurting him. Dr. Funk ordered a CT scan which showed major hydrocephalus which is water on the brain

During a horrible ice storm, Colin was transported to St. Mary's hospital in Duluth Minnesota by ambulance. Once their they immediately placed a shunt into his brain to release the pressure of the fluid. He showed great response from this. MRI's were performed, and a 5cm tumor was found at the brainstem. We were horrified. On the 13th of March, Colin underwent a 5 hour surgery and they removed over 95% of the tumor. Colin did well in the surgery. The next day it was confirmed the tumor was a highly malignant tumor called "MedulloBlastoma". He stayed in the hospital and rehabilitation center for another week and half. Now we are home and enjoying every minute of it. Colin will need chemotherapy and radiation therapy to remove any residual tumor.
Colin is doing well. He seems to be getting stronger with his walking and just in general. He is back to playing videogames, and eating candy. He's also back to fighting with his brother(for once I'm happy for this-it's so normal!)

Colin still is having trouble with his mouth muscles, and cannot smile, although he giggles constantly! His eyes are looking okay, although his left eye still has some trouble. His walking is wobbly(similar to a drunk person), but is definitely improving! He has great spirit, and only has a few "sad" moments during the week.

He has therapy 3 times a week for an hour, and is doing great with that. The therapists actually had to make it harder for him because he was doing the projects too quickly. He's always been a smarty! I'm so proud of him. We all are.

He's starting to get used to the tube from his shunt, but it still upsets him. His hair is really growing back fast.

Next week(April 12th) we'll travel to Minneapolis to the University of Minnesota to set up his treatments. We have no idea what to expect. I'm assuming he'll receive radiation first. We don't know where we'll do his treatments, and some may need to be done in Minnesota, which means myself and the boys will be staying there for awhile. This all really scares me, but for Colin's sake, we'll all remain strong.

I hope everyone is keeping Colin in their prayers. I pray God will bless him with healing and no reoccurence. The support we've been receiving is phenonemol! It means the world to us.

Sunday, April 07, 2002 at 04:14 PM (CDT)

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