Journal History
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Wednesday, February 8, 2006 9:01 AM CST
It's been two years since the Lord took Dakoda. And, it really hasn't gotten any easier. We still feel an enormous gap in our lives and hearts without him.
I won't rattle on here, as I have limited time on the computer where I am stationed. Unfortunately, I won't be home for a while longer, so, Tracee doesn't have me there to help her through this day. However, she does have some good friends that are spending time with her today, to help ease some pain. Please keep her and the family, along with all the other children and families dealing with such adversity in your prayers.
God bless.
Friday, December 16, 2005
We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and thank you all for the continued prayers and support you have given us. And, we ask that you will continue to pray for all the other children and their families battling cancer.
I look to the clouds when the skies are blue,
always hoping to catch a glimpse of you,
perhaps sneeking a peek over the side,
Kode come home and play,
there's no need to hide.
For just a while,
or for just the day,
to let us know that you're okay.
Since you've left we can't explain,
how hard it's been with all the pain.
You brought us joy and laughter,
and so much love,
no wonder the Lord wants you above.
To teach the angels how to live,
and to teach them all how to give.
Your smile, your laugh, your hugs we miss,
what I'd give for just one more kiss,
from our son that showed us so much love,
you were our blessing from the Lord above.
We love you and miss you so much Dakoda!
Thank you for the continued prayers and support!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005 11:14 PM CDT
Hello to all, and thank you for the continued prayers and support for our family. It has been a year and five months since Dakoda's passing, and to be honest, it hasn't gotten any better. We still miss him greatly and look for him everytime we hear a boy's voice, or someone calls out - hey mom or hey dad. We look for him in the school yard or around the house when we hear kids playing...hoping and wishing that he may just somehow appear and our lives could get back to normal. We must somehow work through this everyday, and continue in our faith in knowing that we will see him again.
Thank you for the support of the Dakoda Bell Foundation! We had a nice turnout for the bowl-a-thon, for having such a short notice. Our future fundraisers will be advertised more once I return from my deployment.
Please keep Tracee and the kids in your thoughts and prayers while I'm gone, and as always, please keep all the brave kids fighting cancer in your thoughts and prayers as well.
God bless!
Thursday, June 9, 2005
We are having the second annual bowl-a-thon for the Dakoda Bell Foundation this Saturday, June 11th, at the Holiday Bowling Center on West Colfax, in Lakewood. It is from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and we are looking forward to having another great time. If you can't attend, we hope you can still help by sending a donation.
We are happy to say that the foundation has already provided four scholarships, has made sizeable contributions to the Denver Children's Hospital Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Unit, and the Most Precious Blood Early Learning Center.
If you have any questions, please send me an e-mail, at vrn3bell@aol.com
We continue to thank you for your prayers and support.
God bless!
Tuesday, May 24, 2005 0:21 AM CDT
I don't know how many of you also visit Gage's website when checking in on Dakoda's, but, I must tell you that he and his family need all the prayers and support they can get from us right now. They are in dire straights for another miracle in their lives. Gage is one fantastic boy and continues to battle so bravely against this terrible desease. He and all the other kids fighting cancer deserve much better than what has happened to them. I wish there was an answer for why these precious, innocent children have to ever deal with such illnesses. There's no reason to it. It just infuriates me to no end! They've never abused their bodies by doing things or taking things that they know could hurt them. They're just innocent children!
As you can tell from the above paragraph that we're still angry about losing Dakoda. He too, didn't deserve what happened to him nor what he had to endure either. We have found no comfort from the pain, and I believe we never will for that matter. We only find distractions from thinking about the pain and related disablitating things he had to endure with the illness. And on top of that, for lack of better terms, the torture that he had to endure with the drugs and chemotherapy. You need only to read Gage's latest journal entries, or look at the Dakoda's journal history to see what these couragous children have to endure. He was innocent...they are all innocent, loving children deserving of only goodness and kindness. All I can say is that we're fortunate to have our other children to keep us occupied, and to show and give love to.
On to what keeps us occupied and able to deal with the absence of Dakoda (and I pray only a temporary absence). Jordan had his highschool gradutaion ceremony yesterday, and by Sloan's current projections, he too will graduate highschool in July, a little late, but, he'll have it done. Madi is doing well and will be going on to 1st grade in the fall. She just finished a great soccer season and will have her dance recital in June.
Jordan and his teammates won the 3A division championship title in baseball on Saturday. That is the first time in his school's history that they've won the title. Jordan was the winning pitcher for the game and also was named the MVP for the 3A tournament. What a great way for him and his teammates to finish their highschool careers. Jordan's had the fortune of playing with three of his teammates from the time they were about five or six, they've won several little league titles together in the past as well. I think that added to the quality of their team also.
Both Jordan and Sloan will be going to college in the fall. As of now, Jordan will be attending a junior college in Kansas on a baseball scholarship, and Sloan will start here in the Denver-metro area at one of the community colleges.
They are what keep us going...I thank God for them, and I thank God for the support of our friends.
Again, please pray for Gage and his family, and all the other children and families that have to endure such hardships.
God bless!
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Thanks so much for the continued prayers, kind words, cards and support that all of you have shown our family. I know it's been far too long since I updated Kode's page. To tell you the truth, it's not that I don't want to, it's that emotionally I/we are still a mess. Yes, we are able to handle the regular duties of everyday life fine, but, it's that large part that has been missing for almost a year that continues to hurt.
Today is the one year anniversary of Dakoda's last day at home. We took him to the emergency room that evening, and he would spend the next week in the hospital. As you all know, we still held out hope for another miracle, more time with our braveheart. But, I guess it wasn't in God's plan.
However, we can say that we were so blessed to have had Dakoda the additional time that we did, and that he regained all his strength and coordination once again and was able to play basketball, soccer, ride his bike and ride his scooter again, at least until his last four months. That was a miracle in itself! I recently spoke to one of Kode's doctor's and she also said that it was amazing how well he did, and that he survived much longer than anyone that she has seen with his type of tumor. For that, but truly...truly for just having had Dakoda in our lives was the greatest blessing of all! We miss him greatly.
Thank you again. We feel the warmth of your prayers.
On Tuesday, February 8th, we are having a dinner at the Parish Center at Most Precious Blood in rememberance and honor of Dakoda. It begins at 6:30pm, and will be catered by Piccolo's. Unfortunately we can't afford to pick up the tab for this one, so, there is a charge of $7 for adults and $4.50 for kids. However, Piccolo's will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Dakoda Bell Foundation!
We hope you can make it!
God bless!
Thursday, October 7, 2004 11:40 PM CDT
It's been way too long since I updated Kode's page. I check it out, along with all the other sites we have attached, almost everyday. I read through their journal entries and I like to read the guestbook entries as well. So why haven't I been able to update Kode's journal lately? I don't know exactly why. Maybe it's because as we try to get back into a normal life routine, Tracee and I realize that there will never be a normal routine for us again. No matter how we try to make it normal, it will never be normal without Dakoda.
The journal entries were "normal" for us from the time we started Kode's caringbridge page. It was great therapy for me to share my thoughts and keep everyone informed on his progress. In fact, I couldn't wait to update his page when he was doing great. It was a great way to release some of the stress, especially the day of the MRI's. The parents of kids with cancer know exactly what I'm talking about here.
So, now that we don't have our Kode with us any longer, "normal" will never be here again. I guess our "normal" will have to change to something we never expected or wanted.
Thanks for letting me ramble a bit here tonight. We are continuing on with other parts of our lives. Jordan and Sloan are both seniors this year and Madi started Kindergarten as well. Jordan is playing football and baseball this fall, and Madi is playing soccer and participating in dance as well. I was gone for a couple of weeks for Navy Reserve training, and both Tracee and Madi went to New Mexico last weekend with a group of our friends and Dakoda's friends for the balloon fest. So, we are trying to get back to a "normal", no matter what the new "normal" will be.
Thank you so much for the continued good thoughts and prayers. You have been so supportive of us!
By the way, before I finish with this entry tonight...towards the end of the month we will be presenting scholarships from the Dakoda Bell Fund! That's exciting for us. We are so happy to be able to do things like this in Dakoda's name. He would be excited too!
Thanks again! God bless you!
Saturday, July 31, 2004 11:38 PM CDT
Sorry about the delay in updating, but, we finally got the computer back from the shop.
Unfortunately since our last update, we lost Erin's Uncle Steve to esophacal cancer. He was just 42 years old, and is survived by his wife and two young children. Like Dakoda, and too many others, his cancer was very agressive and many different treatments were tried to defeat his cancer. He fought hard and leaves a wonderful legacy of love, strength and courage to be admired by all.
Today we participated in the annual fun run/race fund raiser for Brent's Place, which provides housing for children and their families fighting cancer which have to leave their homes and live in Denver for extended periods of time. There was a great turn out for the event, and the team we participated with had over two hundred participants! This would have been Kode's third time participating in this event. Even during high dose chemo treatment two years ago, Dakoda ran for a good portion of the race! He was such a tough little man!
I ran the race this year, and it was the first race I've run in of any distance over 440 yards (and that race was even 35 years ago when I was a kid). My body is feeling the pain now, but, I know that what ever I physically endure in life will never compare to what Dakoda had to endure during his treatments. He is my motivation through my difficult times and trials, and workouts. He, along with all the other brave warriors. I know for a fact that when our friend Theresa ran in the Rock & roll marathon last month, Dakoda was her motivation as well. So, in a way, though Kode is no longer with us physically, he is still with us, pushing us to be better than what we would normally strive to be!
The above picture of Dakoda was at last years fund raiser. His cancer was in remission at that time, and he was in great health as you can see. It's so hard to believe and understand how quickly things had changed. I know we will never understand why such a life full of goodness and wonderful potential had to be taken from our midst. So much unrealized potential.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support! Please stay tuned for our next fund raising event in behalf of the Dakoda Bell Fund. The board members met just last weekend, and some great things will be done with the funds raised. Once we get the details finalized, I will let you know what things have been done with proceeds from the fund.
God bless!
Saturday, July 17, 2004 6:06 PM CDT
Sorry there has been no update for a while, but, our home computer is in the shop being fixed, and we should be up and running soon.
Thank you for the continued prayers and good words for Dakoda and the rest of our family.
God bless!
Tuesday, June 8th, 2004 1:23 AM CDT
It's been a very emotional day today, as it's been 4 months to the day since Dakoda's passing. I'm still waiting for it to get better.
Thanks for all the support for the kick off event for the Dakoda Bell Fund! We had a great turn out for the bowl-a-thon! And, our friend Theresa ran in the Rock & Roll Marathon in San Diego on Sunday! How tough is that? That was her first marathon! Theresa and her sister Jeannie, both, ran the marathon in Dakoda's honor. So, as you can tell, we've had a wonderful start for the foundation! We hope to grow this into something much larger. We MUST find a cure for this terrible desease! I will post photos of the event, plus photo's of a balloon release for Dakoda from the last day of school last week.
We hope you will continue to join us in our fight! Thanks again!
God bless!
Monday, May 24, 2004 9:00 AM CDT
We are looking forward to kicking off the first fund raising activity for the Dakoda Bell Fund this coming weekend. As mentioned on the last journal entry, we are having a six hour bowl-a-thon at the Holiday Lanes Bowling Center, located at 10350 w. Colfax Ave in Lakewood. It will be from 11am to 5pm on Sunday, May 30th (west of Kipling on the south side of Colfax - west of the Kentuky Fried Chicken - their phone number is 303-238-0407).
3 games of bowling plus shoe rental for only $10, and the majority of the proceeds will go to the Dakoda Bell Fund. Pizza, hot dogs, and soda will be available for purchase at $1 each - again, a portion of those proceeds go to Dakoda's fund.
Bowlers and non-bowlers are welcome, and we encourage your friends and neighbors to join us as well. For those unable to attend this event, pledging provides an opportunity to participate. Please make your tax deductible checks to: the Dakoda Bell Fund.
The Dakoda Bell Fund will be used for a number of different worthy causes, and we hope to continually grow the fund each year. The funds raised will go to a scholarship in Dakoda's name where he attended school at Most Precious Blood School, and also to the Children's Hospital Neuro-Oncolgy Unit.
As you can tell, we hope to have fun while raising funds, and the bowling is a very affordable way to participate. If you cannot attend, please send your donations to: The Dakoda Bell Fund,c/o MPB Early Learing Center, 2227 s. Colorado Blvd, Denver, Co. 80222.
Thank you so much for your support!
Wednesday, May 5, 2004 1:27 AM CDT
The ceremony went great on April 17th. We had a wonderful turnout, and stories were written up about Dakoda and the dedication in the Denver post and the Catholic Digest. I will add some pictures to the site from that day, later this week.
We have also started a charitable fund in Dakoda's name which will go to starting a scholarship in his name, for a student at his school each year. We hope to grow the fund into something much larger and really do some other great things in Dakoda's memory. We are having a bowl-a-thon on May 30th, and a friend of ours is running in the Rock & roll marathon in San Diego on June 6th in Dakoda's name. We have already gotten a great response to both events. I will also update later this week on both events, and how you can get involved.
On Sunday, April 25th, there was a memorial service at Children's Hospital for Dakoda and all the other brave children that have passed away from there illnesses during the past few months. It was extremely emotional, but, it was good to meet and share with people who are going through the same thing as we are.
Please pray for Erin's Uncle Steve, who is battling so fiercely right now. Please visit his website and send him an encouraging word. His website is connected below this entry.
Coping with Kode's loss still hasn't gotten any better. And, I think Tracee is having an even harder time of it now. Thank you for the continued prayers and support.
God bless!
Friday, April 16, 2004 0:26 AM CDT
We're very much looking forward to the ceremony honoring Dakoda on Saturday. We are should have a great turn out, and we hope as many of you as possible can make it.
Here are the directions to the field:
Take Quebec Ave to Lowry, which is between 6th Ave and Alameda. Go east through two round-abouts (make the second right in both round-abouts. Make a right at the first street you approach after going through the two round-abouts, which will be on the east side of the Big Bear Ice Arena. (Note: don't go to the Jackie Robinson field, which is on the west side of the Ice Arena, as that is a little league field.)
Since the field is new, there are no bleachers, so be sure to brings your chairs.
The ceremony should start around 10:30am. We hope to see you there.
God bless!
Friday, April 9, 2004 11:03 PM CDT
I'll be brief tonight, as I'm still not much in the mood for too much writing. Sorry.
Well, Dakoda has been gone for two months as of yesterday, and again, it hasn't gotten any easier. Although we know his is in a far better place and running and playing with Danielle, Sean and other kids who battled fiercely and with all the other angels, we still miss him so incredibly much.
Last update I told you that Jordan's baseball team is dedicating their season to Koda. Next Saturday, April 17th, the Machebeuf baseball field will be dedicated, and there will also be a ceremony for Dakoda as well. So please, consider this an official invitation to the games. The first game is at 11:00am and the second will be at 1:00pm. The ceremony should be before the first game but, if it's scheduled for a different time I will let you know.
We also want to let you know about a fundraiser we are having in Dakoda's name on May 30th. Tracee and I, along with some other parents from the Most Precious Blood parish
would like to start a scholarship, in Dakoda's name, for a child going into the fourth grade at MPB school each year. So on May 30th, we are having a bowl-a-thon at the Holiday Lanes Bowling Center in Lakewood. Please keep that date open, as there will be lots of fun for everyone. If you have any questions for me at this time, please feel free to e-mail me directly, at Vrn3Bell@aol.com. We will keep you posted about the fundraiser.
Hope to see you at the Machebeuf baseball field on Saturday!
Thank you for all the continued prayers and support. God bless!
Tuesday, March 16, 2004 1:32 AM CST
Well, it hasn't gotten any easier since I last updated Kode's journal. In fact this evening has been very tough, and Madi hasn't done any better either. Sloan and Jordan seem to be doing pretty well, as they are keeping themselves busy with school, work and their girlfriends, and Jordan has his baseball as well.
Jordan's school baseball team, the Machebeuf Buffalos, are dedicating their season to Dakoda! What a great tribute to him. If you read the rememberance, you know that Kode loved all the guys on Jord's team, and he would be excited for this tribute. Right now Jord tapes a couple of large pictures of Kode in the dugout at each game. The team has also gotten a jersey with Dakoda's name on it and are having it placed in a shadow box and it will be permanently placed in the teams dugout! There will be a ceremony on April 17th at the field before the game that day. Archbishop Chaput is dedicating the field that day since it's brand new, and the ceremony will also include the tribute to Dakoda! Kode's third grade class has also been invited to throw out the first pitch! So far the team is 2 and 0!
There is so much to say about Dakoda, but, the pain of losing him is overwhelming, and it has taken alot to just make this entry tonight. But, I do want to share a short story about Kode that happened a few weeks before he left us. It just shows you how special he truly was.
Dakoda and I were walking through King Soopers to the pharmacy to pick up one of his prescriptions. And, while we were walking down the isle a girl about his age came up right behind him and, cruely, started to imitate the way he was walking and holding his head. (As you may remember, the right side of his body was becoming more paralyzed each passing day, so, at that time, he was limping, his right arm hung losely by his side, his head tilted slightly to the right and his right eye wouldn't align correctly, so it looked as though his right eye wandered.) The girl's older brother was telling her to stop and to go back to where he was, but, she just continued. At that point I was so pissed, I turned around and gave hear a piercing look and told her to go away. Her brother was obviously embarassed by her cruel behavior, and I could tell that he was ashamed for her. But, Dakoda was so cool, that he just said, "I wonder what her problem was? I guess she just wanted to kiss me or something." Wow! My legs buckled and a tear came to my eye with that response. It was like, no big deal dad, I can handle it. He was so strong that way, and in so many other ways.
I can't tell you how much we miss him. The pain in indescribable.
Thursday, February 26th, 2004
We made it back from Disney World late Saturday night. I can't say we had a great time, but, we had a good time considering all that we are going through now. Madi had a great time, and I think the boys had a pretty good time as well. There were things that brought back great memories and other things that we couldn't push ourselves into doing. We didn't do the Jungle Cruise ride because the emotions that swelled up in Tracee, since Kode got to "pilot" the boat last time. And, we were planning on visiting Give Kids the World, but again, too many emotions to go there at this time.
We are trying to get caught up on things around here since the last few months have been so chaotic. We are starting to make some head way. But, to tell you the truth, it's been so difficult to focus. Emotionally we are a mess. If Tracee's not crying, I'm crying, if we're not crying someone else is crying. We miss him so much. Tracee's planning on going back to work next Wednesday, and I was hoping to start again tomorrow or Saturday. But, the way I'm feeling, I don't think it'll be until next week either.
For some of you that have called, I'm sorry I haven't returned your calls. I'm not ignoring you, I just haven't been in the mood to talk much yet. The same has gone for this update as well. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your understanding on this.
Again, with thank you all so much for the prayers and support. You have been phenomenal.
God bless you all!
Friday, February 13th, 2004
Mass and services for Dakoda, yesterday, were beautful. What a fantastic turnout for a phenomenal young man! It was standing room only. There were from 750 to 800 people packed into Most Precious Blood Church. Members of the Denver Fire department stood and saluted Dakoda as we left the church, and the Chief of the Denver Police department was in attendance at the interment for the folding of the flag that was presented to Dakoda two years ago. It is a wonderful tribute to such a brave and courageous warrior! Our son that wanted to become a saint, truly became one in our eyes!
Since we've had a lot of requests for us to place Dakoda's rememberance on his website, we've decided to go ahead and do so. Unforunately, we were pressed for time, and there were so many wonderful things about Dakoda, that it was impossible to write them all down. There are no words that could ever possibly descibe how wonderful and loving Dakoda was.
Tracee and I would like to thank all of you for coming today to help lay our beautiful son, Dakoda's body, down to his final resting place. I say his body, because, we all know that his spirit has left us to live in eternal peace with our Heavenly Father. Praise the Lord! for making good on his promise of life everlasting for Dakoda! Praise the Lord! that Dakoda no longer has to battle such a wicked desease! And, praise the Lord that Dakoda will be there to greet us when our time, too, has come to depart this earth! We wait anxiously for that glorious day to come!
We have been blessed over the past two years to have the love and support of so many people throughout, not just Colorado, but, thorughout the world. Many people have followed Dakoda's journey through his Caringbridge website and we've read entries from all over the world. We know that there are many caring people that have held Dakoda and our family up in prayer to the Lord. We have received phenomenal support from our friends, family, co-workers, strangers, and, especially from our Most Precious Blood community. thank you all for helping to ease the burden of this long, painful and arduous journey. Praise the Lord again!...For Dakoda, our weary warrior has battled fiercely and courageously and has overcome, and now rests in the loving arms of the Lord and in the care of His angels! Immersed in the glory of God, and bathed in His golden healing, loving light. The Lord can only be gratly pleased to see the fortitude and strength of our braveheart Dakoda Bell!
If you knew Dakoda, you'd know that he was a special boy. From early on we knew there was something a little extra special about Dakoda. Tracee and I would talk about that many times, long before he became ill. He had an qura about him...an intangible quality that would light up the darkest of days. A smile so wonderfully huge and brilliant, that you couldn't help but noticing him, even from a block or ballfield away. And when he smiled, his eyes shined like the sunrise on the clearest of mornings. Radiating the warmth and glow of a million suns, and stirring your inner soul like the winds upon the highest of seas, proding you to...come run, come play...come dance with me. He was love...pure love. Every fiber of his being emitting a sheen of love selflessly given to all that knew him. And, that fact was made apparent to me early on, as I vividly remember Dakoda as a baby having an immediate bond, not just with Tracee, but, with his grandmother and even great grandmother as well.
Through out his life he had a wonderful relationship with his grandmother, affectionally known as Hubbard. Dakoda was blessed to have shared so much time with her. Not many grandparents can say that they've been able to share so much time or do so many things with their grandchildren, but Hubbard can. Thank you Hubbard, he loved you tremendously!
He was a faithful and true friend to his brothers Sloan and Jordan, and sister Madison, and he loved them greatly. He always looked up to Sloan and Jord. He looked up to Sloan in more ways than one, since he stands about 6'4", and Kode always said he wanted to be as big as him, if not bigger. And, how he loved to play video games with his big brother and listen to him play his guitar.
Now, faithful is probably a huge understatement when it comes to his brother Jordan. Because, I can't tell you how many baseball games and basketball games Dakoda watched Jordan play. Mind you, it wasn't that bad. You know how little brothers and sisters get after about five minutes at a game...they lose interest. They're not going to stick around all day and watch ther siblings have all the fun. And, that was definetly Dakoda. Off to the races or the snack shack after just a few minutes in the bleachers. We quickly learned to take plenty of toys, books, Gatorade and sunflower seeds to the games. Later, when he turned three or four, the toys were replaced by balls and bats of his own, a scooter, then at times depending on the area, it was his bike. He found out early where old chewing gum goes when your done, because there wasn't a bleacher in any gym that Dakoda didn't get to know the underside. But, it truly wasn't like pulling teeth for Kode to go to the games because, he made a lot of friends that way. That's the way he was...he made friends where ever he went. Making friends with other little brothers and sisters, and keeping himself busy by causing some type of mischief in the dugouts. Eventually, he worked his way into becoming a quote, unquote, batboy for the Machebeuf baseball team. A position, for years, he bugged the heck out of Jordan for....Mike, Tyler, Greg, Danny, Dave, Logan, and the rest of you guys...he loved you too! Save him a spot on the bench, 'cause you know he'll be right there cheering you on.
As you can tell by the pictures, Dakoda loved his little sister Madison enormously. Yes, they had there arguments at times, but, he was never short on showing her some wonderful loving affection, especially when he regained his strength. And, if he wasn't strong, it was his will that was strong, so hugs and kissed for Madi were always well in supply.
As for his friends...he had many. Younger, older, it didn't matter. Like I said, he had the ability to make friends where ever he was. And, playing with them was his number one priority. At, school, whether one day it was Josh, Michael, Lizzy or Emma, or the next it was Reid, Gasper, Quinn, Jake or Justin. He had so many. And many he had for as long as he could remember, Josh, Emma, Lizzy, they've been going to school together since they were two or three. At home he had Michael, Matthew and Johnathan, all neighbor boys that would play every opportunity they'd get. You can bet that first thing, early, Saturday mornings, it was either Michael calling for Kode on the phone or Kode calling for Michael, or it was Johnathan coming over first thing after school, or Kode going to find him, and they'd both go find Michael and Matthew. That is, if he didn't have baseball, soccer or basketball practice or games to go to. They were in and out, out and in, it was bikes, video games, legos, baseball, there was no keeping up with them or the messes they left behind. You name it, they did it. He was all boy!
As you can tell when it came to friends, gender didn't matter to Dakoda. As a matter of fact, while it is the case that most kids say that the opposite sex is gross at his age, that was not the case for him. Oh no, not at all. He loved the ladies, and wasn't ashamed to say it either. He had his favorite Bronco's cheerleader calander that he and his buddies would study for long periods of time. He had special love interests as well. Early on he was very tight with Lizzy. And there's his special girl, Erin, he met during his Make-A-Wish trip, and then there is Summer, for those of you who knew him...need I say more? He said a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to marry her when he turned thirteen.
He had a great time here at school, from the ELC to his third grade class. It was a huge deal when he finally made it to the third floor ' cause, THAT is where you go when you're considered a big kid. He loved all the teachers at the ELC as well as the teachers he's had at the big school. Miss Kelly, Miss Monique, Miss Jan, Miss Kathy, Miss Barb, Ms. H, Mrs. Eyerman, Mrs. Harper. And, teachers that have left, like Miss Dora, Miss Julie and Miss Pauline. If he was in your class or not, you had such a big part in his life, and you did a wonderful job of teaching him and sharing your love with him.
There have been others that have had a special hand in Dakoda's life. Aunts Nickie and Lori, grandpa, and uncles Bob and Steve. It was Nickie to the rescue for her babysitting of Kode when he was too young to go to school, she's shared a lot of good times with him throughout his life. Uncles Bob and Steve with their goofy stories and days of fun on Steve's boat. And, Aunt Lori's been able to share tons of good times and crazy gifts with Kode, and has been there for support as well. There have been so many people that Dakoda has touched and have touched him as well. I wish there was more time to share them with you.
Of all the people that have been blessed by Dakoda in their lives, the ones that have been blessed the most have been Tracee and myself. We shared so much with him in his short time here on earth. We shared so much love, so many wonderful times, and of course, the past two years we've had our share of tough times too. But, we'd do it all again in a heartbeat!
When Dakoda was young, Tracee would carress him and rock him to sleep to the tune of Angels Lullaby, and I would stand and rock him in my arms to Stardust by Nat King Cole. How we loved those special moments with him, in peaceful and tender tranquillity. It reminds us of the miracle of his life. There are so many wonderful memories of Dakoda I'd love to share, but, there is far too little time for me to write down at this time.
Dakoda was courageous and brave, strong yet loving and kind. And, everything that a parent would be proud of in their son. He had a zest for life, and, it truly was a wonderful adventure that he wanted to live. He had a hundred years of life packed into eight and a half short years. He was loved, and will forever be loved by many, and in turn he also loved many, and will forever be loved by him.
Tracee, he loved you more than you will know or could ever possibly imagine. You were the center of his universe and you held it together with your tender strands of love. You were a wonderful mother to him and you have been so strong, especially these past two years. And, he was strong for you, never complaining and always smiling. There are so many fantastic stories to be shared about his remakable warrior.
To all his friends here today, remember him for how he lived his life and what he was. Because, we will all see him again in the future, some sooner, some later. As for me, the sooner the better, for he has blessed me enormously, and I miss him so.
Now listen closely to the last words he spoke to Tracee, for if you were to tell him that you loved him, he would tell you these words too!
I love you too! (Tracee captured his last words on a tiny recorder, which we played at this point.)
Yes, Dakoda, we will all love you for eternity.
**Note** We have decided to still go on our trip to Disney World next week. Originally it was going to be just Dakoda, Tracee, Madi and myself, but, we feel that it may help Sloan and Jord to go and help with their greiving as well.
We will continue this website for awhile, as this too, may help with our greiving. And, we may be able to share some of the stories of Dakoda that we haven't been able to share.
Thank you again, for your prayers and understanding.
God Bless!
Tuesday, February 10, 2004 3:36 AM CST
Thank you so much for the continued prayers, cards and notes. It's comforting to know that Dakoda and his journey over the past two years has been able to touch so many people in one way or another. Your guestbook entries have been wonderful, and many bring tears to our eyes. Tears of comfort, hope and love. And, thank you for spreading the word of his battle to friends and family along the way. We feel the kindness and love, and our hearts are lighter knowing that many of you have walked along side of us throughout these past two years.
We will have Dakoda's visitation at Horan & McConaty, 1091 s. Colorado Blvd on Wednesday, February 11th, from 5-8pm. His funeral mass will be at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, s. Colorado Blvd & e. Iliff Ave, at 2:00pm on Thursday, February 12th. There will also be a reception at the Most Precious Blood parish center following his burial at Mt. Olivet cemetary.
We would be honored if you would attend. And, don't forget to bring your favorite Dakoda story or anecdote to the reception...there should be plenty! Dinner will also be served at the reception.
Also, in lieu of flowers, we would love to see donations made in Dakoda's name to the following organization:
The Neuro-Oncology Research Fund
Children's Hospital
Box 115 Attn: Mary Henderson
1056 e. 19th Ave.
Denver, Co 80218
Thank you for your understanding and support.
I will update again soon.
Online obituary is at - horanandmcconaty.com
Sunday, February 8th, 11:53pm
I will be brief on this entry tonight, as we are tired and worn, and unable to adequetly describe all that we are feeling, and there are far too few words to ever come close to describing our son Dakoda. I know, if you knew him, you'd know what I mean.
Yes, Dakoda did indeed leave us this morning at 11:30am. He defied the odds, and battled gracefully until his last breath! We are so proud of him and not just because he battled so fiercly. But, because of the things that he has taught along this journey. He was an amazing boy, full of love, humor, courage, strength, and everything else that a father would want to see in his son.
Thank you, our friends, both personal and those whom we've not met personally, for unselfishly taking the time to pray for Dakoda and our family. Words cannot express our gratitude for your support.
I should be able to update with funeral service information by tomorrow evening.
Saturday, February 7, 2004 2:51 AM CST
When I pull up Dakoda's website it's hard to go into the author update page because, all I want to do is touch and stare at his beautiful face and talk to him and tell him of all the things we're going to do when he gets better again. However, sadly, I don't think that's going to be. At least not here on this earth...it will have to wait awhile longer.
I will be brief now, and may not make another entry for a while. We may be foolish and dreamers beyond logic but, we still hold onto the small thread for a last minute miracle.
Dakoda is resting safely next to Tracee at this time, and I will go back shortly to the chair by his side. He lays in his bed, tired and weak from this long battle. He rests comfortably with his faithful companion Bart, cards and notes from his dear friends taped to the walls, and pictures of his favorite girl, Summer, taped to his bed rail. We fear our brave little warrior is preparing to leave us and go onto his final journey.
If he goes, please pray that the Lord and his angels take care and watch over him til we see him again.
God bless all of you who have sent, and continue to send him comforting thoughts and words.
Friday, February 6, 2004 12:51 AM CST (afternoon update)
Dr. Foreman came by after looking at the scans and talking with the Radialogy deptartment, and said that it looks as though things are stable at this time. We are staying positive and hopeful for good results on monday's MRI.
I will update later tonight.
A special thanks to Kode's pals at school for the great cards you made for him. We read them all to him, and he knows you are praying for him.
Thank you all for the great love and support you are showing Dakoda and the rest of our family!
Friday, February 6, 2004 10:08 AM CST
Just a quick update....Dakoda had his CT scan but, the Radialogy department needs to take a look and do the comparisons and measurements to see if there have been any changes. So, I will update after we hear from them.
Thank you for the prayers!
Thursday, February 5, 2004 11:43 PM CST (evening update)
Thank you all for the wonderful entries in Dakoda's guestbook! They mean so much. To know that there are so many people praying for Dakoda is so comforting.
He woke up at 5:00 this morning and remained awake for a couple of hours or so. He had a small can of Shasta lemon & lime soda, and watched a bit of Sponge Bob Squarepants. I really don't think that he sees too much for a couple of reasons. Although he is awake, it's not like he's fully awake. The combination of the drugs and tumor keep him in a very tired state, much like when someone is sedated for surgery. And, at this point he can't really focus or follow things with his eyes very well. I think that he mainly listens, plus he usually drifts in and out of sleep quickly. But, I do know that he is listening to everything everyone is saying to him, as he will wave, raise an eyebrow or say hi when spoken to much of the time. He even said "thank you" to one of our friends that is a nurse here at Children's, and came to visit him today. He thanked her for all the prayers that she and her family continue to say and for the prayer service they had for him last night at our church, Most Precious Blood. He is sleep is much deeper these pasts couple of days, and seems to be more comfortable.
He will have a CT scan at 7:30 tomorrow morning, and I will update as quickly as I can. The CT scan can only tell us wether or not the mass is larger or smaller. It really can't tell us much more than that. The main thing that they are looking at on the scan will be how his ventricles are being affected. We continue to pray for positive results.
Again, thank for the wonderful support and prayers.
God bless!
Thursday, February 5, 2004 2:36 AM CST
Dakoda has been sleeping almost the entire day. At times he is able to wake enough for a few bites of ice cream or sips of water or milk. We hope that it's only the drugs that are keeping him that way.
This is so difficult to watch these things happen to Dakoda. He continues to fight this thing with such courage. Sloan and Jordan are having such a hard time as well watching Dakoda struggle so. We only wish there was a way that we could change places with him and make him whole again. If anyone deserves to beat this thing, it's Dakoda...true in heart, long in love, and courageous for eternity.
Wednesday, February 4, 2004 1:35 PM CST
After sleeping all day yesterday, Dakoda woke up around 4:45am and had a few bites of pudding and some water. He woke up a few more times since then but, has not been as coherent as he was this morning. He was also able to squeeze the attending physicians hand with his affected hand with more strength than he has shown since Monday. Tracee and I are taking that as a positive sign, however, Dr. Foreman was a bit dissapointed when he checked Kode later this morning. He was hoping to see more response than what he had seen.
Dr. Foreman is having a hard time getting Fitzsimmons to do a PET scan on Dakoda since he is an "in-patient". He explained that although Fitzsimmons is the future home of Children's Hospital and the CU health Medical Center, they are not set up for any real medical ermergencies and the like. They are only set up for "out-patient" procedures, and if anything were to go wrong with Dakoda while there, they wouldn't be able to do anything. But, he is still continuing his pursuit of the PET scan. Meanwhile he told us this morning that the CT scan is set for Friday morning and he has also set up another MRI for Monday.
I will try to post later this evening with any more news. Thank you so much for the continued prayers and support.
Tuesday, February 3, 2004 7:37 PM CST
Yesterday's MRI revealed that the mass is larger than it was last week. However, Dr. Foreman said that he was unable to tell if the mass is larger because of tumor growth or the chemo attacking the tumor. The scan was unlike any he has seen before, and from looking at all of Kode's scans ourselves, I can say it does look a lot different than the others. Usually the contrast will be very apparent around much of the tumor, or none if the tumor is no longer present. Since no conclusion, other than that the mass is larger, Dr. Foreman is trying to get Kode set up with a PET scan, which is a different form of picture, to help figure out what is going on. So, with not knowing exactly what is going on we had to make the choice again between terminal care or to continue on with the experimental treatment. We decided that we've come this far, and that we are still holding on to hope that there may, somehow, be a chance to see an improvement if the swelling goes down, coupled again with the fact that a conclusive answer can not be given from the scan. Hopefully we can get the PET scan, however, the problem is that the PET scans are done at Fitzsimmons, and they don't do them on kids. At least that's how we understand it at this point.
Dakoda started on a steriod, Manitol, yesterday to help reduce the swelling. He also started on Versed and another drug which helps with pain and anxiety. He is extremely weak and tired, and has been sleeping the past two days. Though most of the time he has been sleeping, he did acknowledge some of his visitors yesterday with a raising of his eyebrow and managed a couple of slight waves goodbye. And, for about and hour yesterday he was more coheirent than even what he was earlier in the day. He has been out of it all of today, and has only been able to manage a few sips from a straw at different times.
One thing going into these past few weeks, is that Tracee and I said that we don't want to see Dakoda suffer in great pain. Although, hopefully not in pain, that is what he is doing...unable to walk, situp, hold his head upright amongst other things. It kills us to watch this happen to our child....I can't describe the pain it is causing us as well. We still hold hope and faith that the Lord will provide us with a miracle, and restore Dakoda back to his normal self. We did have a beautiful miracle of great health for fourteen months...He can do it again.
I will update tomorrow.
Monday, February 2, 2004 8:46 AM CST
We brought Dakoda to the emergency room last night. he is very, very weak. He needs your prayers, as he will have another MRI in less than an hour. Thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers.
God bless
Monday, January 26, 2004 10:47 AM CST
Dakoda handled this weekends new drugs extremely well. Especially the first drug called Oxaliplatin. The nurses administering the drug warned us right before he got it that it may cause him to feel extemely cold, and that he shouldn't be touched with anything cold or drink anything cold because it could cause him a great deal of pain. But, Dakoda holding true to form, didn't experience any of those things! He did throw up a couple of hours after he finished the drugs the first day, and also when he went for his CT scan this morning. He had the Oxaliplatin only on Friday, and had a drug called Thiotepa, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Dr. Foreman talked to us after he looked at the scans this morning and said that it looks as there is some swelling in the tumor area. They will give him a steroid drug in just a bit, and we will get to go home awhile later. The swelling is a good thing because, that means the drug is doing some damage to the tumor. We just don't want too much swelling, as that would be disasterous.
Tracee and I were very worried about what reactions he may have with the drugs going into this on Friday, but, we were so suprised to to see how well he did, especially after the horrible reactions he had with the round he had back in July of 2002. I think that his body is been through so much, that he has almost become acclamated to the poisons that they administer him. We as parents, of course, don't want to see him suffer needlessly. Although, we know that with what ever decision that was made on Friday morning, unfortunately, suffering is part of this fight that Kode is in. He is so amazing! Taking on this challenge, and in his words on Friday..."this is going to be the worst day of my life for this tumor!!!", and that he is also doing this for his country. He truly wants this procedure to help benefit future brain cancer patients! What a brave young man!!!
Since he handled the drugs so well on Friday, he had a lot of visitors on Saturday and Sunday, which helped him stay busy and keep his mind off the chemo. He even had a visit from some of the Denver Nugget dance team on Friday morning. Needless to say that, that helped him get ready for the first day of chemo. We will be back here on Wednesday to see Dr. Foreman and to see if Kode will start the third drug, Iressa, on Wednesday or next week. It all depends on the swelling and reactions he may have over the next 48 hours.
Thank you so much for the continued prayers!
God bless!
Friday, January 23, 2004 4:48 PM CST
I am making this entry from the playroom of the fifth floor at Children's Hospital, while Dakoda has started more chemotherapy treatment for his tumor. Unfortunately the MRI yesterday was much worse than what we expected. The tumor has grown to be larger than it has been at any time so far. How ironic that today is the two year anniversary of his original diagnosis date. He is in the room directly across the hall from his original visit room, and we are seeing a lot of faces of nurses and doctors that we hoped we would not have to see again.
We were given two choices yesterday....terminal care or total experimental/phase one study treatment. What would you do? The choices are not good. There is so very little hope. As for the doctors, other than a miracle cure, the only reason why they would want to persue the treatment is for future study for the benefit of future patients. As we were told, in all the years of cancer research there has never been a miracle drug to eliminate a cancer, it comes from years and years of trails of new drugs. Drugs that if they show an extension of life of maybe twelve weeks, they are taken to the FDA for approval to use in the treatments. That's how the cures are found. So, unless there is truly divine intervention, we are not given much hope by the doctors. I want so bad for them to be wrong!
Now, Dakoda has decided he wants to pursue the treatment...gutsy, tough, brave...say it all, and you will describe the man that this boy has become! Courageous far beyond his years!
Please continue the prayers...for as long as Dakoda breathes, we hold hope in miracles!
God bless!
Tuesday, January 20th, 2004
Dakoda continues to have a great attitude and a good amount of energy. Although, when he gets tired...it hits him hard and fast. He hasn't had any headaches, which, he had in July and August of 2002, when things weren't looking good. However, he is showing other signs of intercranial pressure. His right eye is wandering and his head is tilting to the right most of the time. And, his balance and coordination have deteriorated.
We are looking forward to the MRI on Thursday morning. We pray that the pressure is from the results of the chemo beating the cancer, which causes swelling. I spoke to Dr. Foreman today about the neurological side affects Kode is experiencing at this time. And, I think he remains hopeful that it may just be from swelling from the chemo, due to the fact, that usually if it were from spreading of the tumor, we feel that Dakoda would be in much worse condition than what he is know. I tend to agree with him, but, truly pray that he is correct. Hopefully we will be able to tell by the MRI. Please say some added prayers for Dakoda's success on Thursday. He will have the MRI at 7:00am.
When we were in for Koda's appointment on Monday we saw Phillip in the infusion room. We spoke with his mom and dad, and he is doing very well. He had surgery about a month ago because his tumor was hemmagoring after his first round of chemo. (You may recall that I said that Phillip's tumor was in the same location as Kode's, but, I was wrong. Phillip's is actually not in the Thalamus, but, in the outer portion of his brain, so they were able to get in and do some work.) He was supposed to have some surgery, however, it looks as though his tumor has almost disappeared and he won't require any more surgery! Thank the Lord! We will continue to pray for his great success. I spoke with Erin's mom, Joann, last week, and she is out of the hospital and has put some good weight back on! Please, continue to pray for her and the rest of the warriors. It's been awhile since I've posted our list, so I'll post it right now for your continued prayers. So, along with Dakoda we have, Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, Steve, Jim, Dane, Yola, Jim, Ursula, Christy, Isabella, Sarah, Lynn, Anthony, Amanda, Kyle, Libby, Sean, Max, Sonya, Ann, Carol, Gabriella, Kim, Tyler, Natalie, Nicholas and Phillip. Plus all others battling for their lives against this terrible desease. And, what's so terrible about this desease is that none of these fantastic kids and adults got their cancer from anything they have done. ie. lifestyles or habits, such as smoking, drinking, drugs etc. That's what's so hard to understand and accept. If we didn't take care of ourselves and lead a clean life free of things that others abuse their bodies with, I'd understand, but, that's not the case here, and I can tell you that from meeting many of these other kids, that the same holds true for them.
So we pray...and we continue to pray unceasingly for miracles!
God bless!
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Thanks for stopping by and checking on Dakoda. He continues to fight hard, and is trying to just be a regular boy. I don't think there's much change in him since the last entry. His blood tests continue to come back fairly good, especially for how much chemo he's been taking. His MRI has been set for Thursday, January 22nd. We are looking forward to see if he has improved.
Kode hasn't been to school much lately, he's been spending time with Tracee at the Early Learning Center. I think that it's better for him at this time with Tracee being able to keep a close watch on him.
I've got to tell you about a wonderful thing that happened to us yesterday. It just was such a fantastic, generous suprpise! One of Tracee's best friends, Cyndi, has another friend, whom we've never met, in which she has shared Dakoda's story with on a continuous basis. Now, Tracee had taken Kode and Madi over to Cyndi's house last weekend for her son Jude's birthday party. And while they were there Cindy watched Dakoda struggle to climb the stairs in her house. She said it took Kode about 5 minutes to get up the stairs, and that it was then that she realized how much he has physically degraded these past couple of months. Now, keep in mind that she sees him most everday. That's how agressive this cancer is. It's horrible. He went from being perfectly healthy about three and a half months ago, to now being almost fully paralyzed on his right arm and hand, and partially paralyzed on the right leg and foot, amongst other noticable paralasys on the right side of his face. Well, Cyndi told her friend of Kode's current condition the other day, and that we were trying to get back to Disney World for another visit, and of course financially we weren't going to be able to do it due to all the medical bills. Now, on Tracee's way home last night she called me and said that she had a suprise for me and to order a little more pizza for dinner. Well of course ordering more pizza means that the suprise is that we're having some other kids over to dinner! But, she said she had another suprise when she got home! When she got home she handed me a note from Cyndi's friend, and it reads:
Tracee and Vern,
I've heard about Dakoda's health situation through my friends Andy and Cyndi and you have been in my prayers for several months now. I've been blessed by many things in my life and am very grateful. I've heard that Dakoda wishes to go back to Disney World. Please accept this blessing so his and your wishes may come true.
Can you believe that! What a wonderful and generous gift from a gentleman we've never met before. He actually saw Koda at the YMCA last night and told Cyndi that after seeing him, that he did the right thing.
We just cried when we read the note. There are truly some loving and caring people still out there. Amazing!
We remain hopeful and keep our attitudes positive that the Lord will cure Dakoda fully. Although this battle is difficult, the Lord does continue to bless us in other ways.
God bless!
Tuesday, January 6, 2004 2:31 AM CST
Dakoda had his weekly blood tests and checkup today. His counts are a little on the low side, but, Dr. Foreman, like us, have definitely noticed some more weakness on the right side of his body. His speech is now somewhat slurred and he's forgetting things and losing his train of thought. Thankfully he hasn't had any headaches so far, so that's one thing on the bright side. Please, add some extra prayers for Kode...we need another miracle.
God bless!
Monday, December 22, 2003 2:49 AM CST
There has been little time for me to update due to the holiday hours at work the past month, but, I've got a few extra minutes tonight to get you up to date.
We think that the tumor may have stablized since beginning the new treatment. However, Kode has only 10 to 15% use of his right hand and arm, and he has also been limping again. The good thing is that he hasn't had any headaches, hiccups or cramping of his right foot. Those are all symptoms he's had in the past when things were very bad. We are trying to look to the bright side, that he has been worse before, and that the tumor did disappear for at least 9 months. We pray the Lord will bless us again.
In addition to the continued prayers for Koda, please, say some extra prayers for Erin, as she has been in the hospital for the past few weeks battling Anorexia. How tough is that for her and her family? And she just completed her cancer treatment last month. Also, we just met a boy named Phillip two weeks ago, that has been diagnosed with the same type of cancer, in the same location as Kode. He is a couple of years older than Kode, and I think is very scared about the whole situation. Who wouldn't be? We had the opportunity to meet with his parents following Koda's MRI, and shared with them about what Kode has been through these past 22 months. Please add Phillip to your prayer list as well.
The first time we noticed anything that may have been a symptom for Dakoda was Christmas morning two years ago. We are so blessed to still be celebrating life with him at this time, since normally, without surgery, the life expectantcey of a person diagnosed with this type of cancer is only around 6 months. How about another miracle...perhaps an even longer mircle than this past one we had....how about a miracle for all the kids and adults having to battle this terrible desease! I'm all for that!
God bless and have a wonderful Christmas!
Monday, December 1, 2003 2:57 AM CST
****Updated photo album on 12/5/03***
I'm sorry I haven't updated for such a long time. Since Koda's reoccurence, I don't think I'm handling things as well as I did in the past. I have kept things more bottled up because, I don't see the improvements as we saw in August and September of last year. Maybe I need to be a little more patient, but, this is a type of illness that can turn things into a mess so quickly. Sorry.
As for Kode's progress, it seems as though he has stablized since starting the new chemo drugs...yes, that's a great thing, but, we hope and pray to see more improvements. We took him off the chemo drugs for the past 5 or 6 days so he could take some tamiflu because he may have been showing signs of catching the flu. As of tonight, he has started back on the chemo.
He is keeping busy with school and other activities, although he has gone back to half days for about the past month or so. Tracee did say that she felt Koda showed some improvement in his swimming during his swim class a couple of weeks ago. We pray that the improvements will continue. Since the return of the tumor, he has gone back to writing with his left hand, however, we're doing a lot of the writing for his homework. We saw the movie "Elf" a couple days ago and put up most of the Christmas decorations today. He loved the movie, and as always...he loves the holidays, and loves putting up the decorations.
We will continue to fight this thing tooth and nail, and remain hopeful and pray the Lord heals Dakoda fully of this illness.
If you haven't been to Erin's site lately, you will be happy to know that she has completed her treatment! Alleluhia! What fantastic news!
God bless, and please keep the prayers coming!
Wednesday, November 5, 2003 1:22 AM CST
Thanks so much for all the support and notes in Koda's guest book! It sure helps to know that we have so many people praying for him. We are confident in the Lord and know that He has blessed us greatly throughout this ordeal thus far!
It looks as though the new chemo drugs have stablized the tumor...at least from watching him physically. Dr. Foreman felt that he has seen some improvement in his strength since last weeks visit. You may recall that it took about a month last time we were in this situation for us to notice any signs of improvement at all. He had started the experimental protocol on July 24th of last year and it wasn't until the end of August that we noticed the positive changes.
The first week after this past MRI was tough. It's hard to explain...to have to live through the thoughts again of this horrific desease continually trying to take Kode from us...the agony and pain is overwhelming. However, through all this turmoil and heartache, we still remain confident of miracles. Hey, we've just had 14 months of phenomenal success...especially when we were told that he had just "anywhere from 2 weeks to 22 weeks" to be with us. We rejoice in the miracle we've had thus far, and are confident of another!
Sorry I didn't update any quicker. I will try do update more often...we know that you are there and want to stay informed of Koda's progress.
Keep the prayers coming...for Kode and the rest of the warriors. God bless!
Tuesday, October 21st, 2003
This morning's MRI did not go well. As suspected, Dakoda has got tumor regrowth in the original tumor location. We are devastated by this news, especially since he has done so well the past fourteen months. We were just beginning to breath sighs of relief, we were thinking we had this thing beat. His last MRI in August was clean just like the previous ones since last December.
Dakoda has already added two more chemo drugs to his treatment. VP16, which he was able to drop back in January, and Cytoxin. We pray this will hit the tumor hard once again.
Where was the cancer the past ten months, and why didn't we see it on the scans? The best explanation we've heard is that this paticular type of cancer may lay dormant for a while. Unfortunately, this type of cancer will mutate, so, if you are able to kill off some of the cancer with one type of drug, it will mutate so that the original drug won't work any more and you need to try a different drug to attack the cancer.
We will continue to be hopeful and believe that the Lord will continue to bless Dakoda. He has blessed us the past fourteen months as Dakoda has done wonderful. He has been able to be a normal boy, playing soccer, riding his bike, and even taking swimming lessons (which he even participated in his swimming lesson last night and went to soccer practice tonight, although they canceled it yesterday and we didn't get the message.) He remains my hero....my Kodeman... and the savior of my universe!
God bless!
Tuesday, October 21, 2003 7:58 AM CDT
Dakoda is going in for an unscheduled MRI this morning. He has been showing weakness in his right hand, arm and the right side of his face. Please pray for good results, and that it is nothing to do with cancer. We are very worried. We will update as soon as we can.
God bless!
Sunday, October 10th, 2003
Thank you all for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda! He continues to do fantastic and has been handling his rounds of chemo very well! He will have a hearing test and another oncology appointment on Wednesday. And, will start his next five day round of chemo on Friday. The hearing test is to see if his hearing is being affected by the chemo drugs, since their are so many other things that happen to a person's body after taking such drugs. We have been blessed in that, thus far, Dakoda has done so well and he hasn't had any adverse affects. Praise the Lord!
Sorry about the long span of not updating the journal. Jordan started driving and we had to find him a car. He now has to find a job to pay for insurance, gas and all the other stuff that goes on with the added responsibilities. Although it's scarry to have him drive, it's definitely a plus to not have to drive him everywhere. I know the rest of you parents with teenagers know what I'm talking about! We recently got pictures developed from Erin's visit, and will update the photo album later this week. It's wonderful to see her doing so well also. Plus, she's got just one month left on her treatment! Please keep all the kids in your prayers. Thank you.
God bless!
Sunday, September 14, 2003 11:47 PM CDT
Thanks for checking in on Dakoda's progress - he continues to do fantastic! He hasn't quite got back into the groove of school, but he's handling it pretty well, like most boys his age, he would prefer to play all day.
We had a great visit from Erin and her mom, Joann, over Labor day weekend, it was great to see them again! Erin is looking great! It's hard to believe that it had been a year since we saw them last, and thank the Lord, that Dakoda is in far better shape than he was last year at this same time, and Erin continues to do great! The Lord has truly blessed our families with miracles! We will post pictures as soon as we get them developed.
Though, Dakoda and Erin are doing fantastic, they're both still in treatment...sometimes it's easy to forget that when you see them. So with this in mind, please, continue the prayers for them and the rest of the brave warriors on our prayer list. Thank you.
God bless!
Friday, August 29, 2003 4:31 PM CDT
Our computer is still down at home, so, once again I have to make a quick entry from work. Hopefully we will get our computer up and running in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for your patience.
Dakoda continues to do fantastic! We thank the Lord continually for this miracle!!!
We have some extra special guests coming to visit us this weekend - Erin and her mom are probably in the air right at this very moment coming out from Maryland!!! We are so excited about this visit, we have been looking forward to this for a long time!
Time to get back to work.
I will update as soon as I get a chance. God bless, and thanks for the continued prayers!
Wednesday, August 13, 2003 12:01 AM CDT
Alleluiah!!! The MRI remains clean!!! What a Miracle!!!
I will try to get our computer up and running today and tomorrow. I'm afraid we got some type of computer worm. I will update from home as soon as can.
Thank you so much for the continued prayers!
God bless!
Tuesday, August 12, 2003 5:50 PM CDT
Ok gang, the home computer is still messed up, so I'm making this quick entry from work. I really don't like cars and computers, they seem to be things to throw money at most of the time. But, I won't vent any more on this entry.
The big thing is that Dakoda has an MRI in the morning around 7:00am, please keep him in your prayers for continued success. Again, he is doing fantastic, but, it's still an anxious time for us. Also, Gage will be in this week for an MRI as well, please keep him in your prayers along with the rest of the warriors.
God bless!
Wednesday, August 6, 2003 3:50 AM CDT
We're still having troubles with our computer or internet connections, so the entries in Dakoda's journal and other guestbooks have been sparse. The attempts have been many, but, the results have not shown. We have had a total crash of our computer and had to call the manufacturer for help. We had to restore the computer back to the original status, so, we lost a lot of information, e-mail addresses and pictures. Sorry gang.
Dakoda finished his recent round of chemo with little trouble once again. He tends to be a bit sick the first day or so, but, rebounds quickly. He continues to amaze us all! Praise the Lord for this miracle!!!
Unfortunately, we have some sad news to report about Danielle, one of the brave warriors on our prayer list...she lost her battle with cancer last week. She was such an inspiration to so many other kids at the oncology clinic. For us, she was one of the first kids we noticed, and watched her positive energy and have tried to emmulate her positive attitude. We didn't know her well, but, she left an everlasting impression. She had just graduated high school this summer...such a terrrible loss...
Please say some extra prayers for Steve, who happens to be Erin's Uncle, as he has developed a new spot of cancer growth. Please visit his website by clicking his name above this entry, and leave him an encouraging note to help him through this new developement. He is loving husband and father of two children, who has done a tremendous job handling his illness this past year.
Also, Quinton...who is on our prayer list as well. He has also been battling a brain tumor, and, unfortunately they are not able to do any type of surgery. Please join us in extra prayers for these brave warriors and the rest of those who battle this terrible desease. Thank you.
God bless!
Friday, July 25th, 2003
I've been having a hard time getting logged onto update Dakoda's journal and sign other guestbooks the past few days, so I do apologize. We just had a major milestone on Wednesday, as it was 18 months since Dakoda was diagnosed with cancer. Now, that is not a reason to celebrate, but, we celebrate it due to the fact that he is still here in our lives! Praise the Lord! A year ago this time Kode wasn't doing well at all, and we were told that he only had two to twentytwo weeks to be with us. No words could ever explain the pain and desperation that we felt. I pray we will never have to again. To look at Dakoda now, you would never tell that he has been battling cancer! (Check out some new pictures I was able to add in his photo album last night). He is able to do everything that he was able to do before this all happened! He has been so strong throughout this journey...he truly is my hero!
Dakoda starts another round of chemotherapy tonight, and is also participating in a run/walk for Brent's Place, which provides housing for children and their families while going through bone marrow transplant treatment. How tough is that? He continues to amaze us! When we went in for Kode's appointment on Wednesday we remined Dr. Foreman that it had indeed been 18 months since Kode was diagnosed, and the look and answer from Dr. Foreman was of great excitement, due to Dakoda's continued success. We truly have been blessed by the Lord!
Ok, I've got to update Kode's photo page and hit the hay for some sleep for the event in the morning. Thank you for the continued prayers and support! Please say some extra prayers for Danielle and Quinton, as they are both in desperate battles at this time.
God Bless!
Tuesday, July 15th, 2003
Let me start by saying how thankful to the Lord we are for being able to celebrate Dakoda's 8th dirthday! He is so much better this year than he was last year at this same time! We truly have been blessed!
As mentioned earlier today, Dakoda spent some time up in the mountains of Colorado. Jordan had a baseball tournament in Grand Junction which started last Thursday and went through Saturday. Dakoda really wanted to spend his birthday in Glenwood Springs, so, since that's on the way home from Grand Junction, that's what we did. I drove up and met them after work on Saturday. Kode did a lot of swimming while he was in both Grand Junction and Glenwood, and on Sunday he got to go white water rafting! He had a great time during his mini vacation. He did get a lot of sun while he was there, as the temperature got to 105 degrees. Tonight his feet have swelled up and he is having a hard time walking. I think he just got too much sun, as he was back out in the sun again today being the bat boy for Jord's team. The weather has been in the upper 90's and even breaking 100 the past couple of weeks. We are definetly looking forward to a break. So, to be on the safe side, we called the Oncology unit this evening, but, the doctor on call said that it doesn't sound like anything relating to his treatment. So, that helps to ease some anxiety. Unfortunately, since his diagnosis, the anxiety is always there, although, it has eased since he has been doing so well. I think all the parents of children that are battling cancer know the same or very similar feelings. But, yes, he does continue to do well....far beyond expectations! And again...Praise the Lord for this miracle!!!
Thanks for checking in of Dakoda, and thank you for the continued prayers!
Peace!
Tuesday, July 15, 2003 8:50 AM CDT
Hello to all! Thanks for all the great birthday messages for Dakoda! He just got back into town yesterday, as he was in the mountains of Colorado the past 5 days. He had a great time and got to do a lot of fun things. Unfortunately, I have to head to work, so, I will update you tonight with his trip.
Thanks again for the wonderful birthday wishes and prayers!
God bless!
Monday, June 30th, 2003
All right....we're finally back on line. Sorry for the break in action. Not only did we change internet provider, but, our computer crashed as well. So, we had to restore the computer back to the original factory state. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of information and all the e-mail addresses, so, please drop us an e-mail when you get a chance.
Dakoda is enjoying his summer vacation and is looking forward to spending a fews days in Glenwood Springs in a couple of weeks. He loves the huge hot springs pool that is the towns claim to fame. He went swimming (really wading since he doesn't know how to swim yet) at the Apex center last week and had a great time. Hopefully he can learn how to swim this year since he had to take a break from the pool the past year and a half due to his port.
Kode is also scheduled to begin his next round of chemotherapy this Friday. He seems to have handled the chemo easier the past couple of cycles. All the prayers are being answered for healing and strength! Thank you all so very much!
God bless!
Tuesday, June 24, 2003 11:37 AM CDT
Just a note today since I'm doing this entry from work. We are currently without an internet provider at home, but, should be back online in a couple of days. So, sorry about the lack of updates.
Dakoda continues to do fantastic! He completed his last round of chemotherapy last week with no problems! We have truly been blessed by the Lord!
I will update further once we're back online at home. Thank you for the continued prayers and support!
Thursday, June 12, 2003 2:52 AM CDT
Ok, I deserve the ribbing. Sorry, I haven't updated Kode's journal lately. I'm trying to get everything balanced, but, I don't think I'm being very successful. Unfortunately, the journal isn't the only thing I haven't been able to stay on top of. I think that some of you can relate!
As for Dakoda...he continues to do fantastic! Praise the Lord for this miracle! He had an Oncology appointment today, and everything looks great! He continues to amaze the doctors with his progress! His blood counts are solid as well, and he will begin another five day round of chemotherapy on Friday. Please continue to pray for continued success.
Dakoda has chosen to participate in Tae Kwon Do this summer instead of baseball. If he enjoys it, we will probably have him continue it along with his others sports activities. Some of his buddies in the neighborhood have also joined together with him, so, it will give them a good activity to participate in together.
Unfortunately we have some bad news concerning Chris, one of the boys on our prayer list, as he passed away a couple of weeks ago. He was on the same protocol as Dakoda, and was battling a radiation induced Glio Blastoma. He had been stable for about 4 or 5 months, then in a matter of three days he lost his battle. It's so tragic for families to have to deal with this type of pain...please pray for his family.
Also, please say extra prayers of healing for Danielle and Jamie. Danielle is back in the hospital and is having a hard time bringing her blood counts back up. And, Jamie has had a relapse and is undergoing another 27 or so rounds of radiation. We KNOW the prayers work, and we thank you for your continued prayers.
God bless!
Monday, May 26, 2003 0:57 AM CDT
Just a quick update tonight as I'm scanning a bunch of new pictures we finally got developed. (It took awhile, but, there are some new ones on his photo page!)
Dakoda continues to do fantastic! He started his current round of chemotherapy right on time on Friday, and will finish it on Tuesday night.
Our friend Jake had clean scans again! Thank you Lord! We went to his birthday party last week, but unfortunately, he was asleep during our visit. We did get to see another one of our friends at his party, Gage, who continues to do fantastic as well! Please check their sites by clicking their names above. They are truly brave and courageous boys as well!
God bless!
Tuesday, May 20th, 2003
Yes! Once again the Lord has, and continues to bless us with a miracle! Words cannot not explain how we feel...the past sixteen months have been surreal to say the least. With how much Dakoda has improved neurologically since the end of August, and overall with how well he is doing, we have been confident of great results. However, we still get anxious at times, and for good reason we watch him closely all the time to make sure we don't see any type of regression. As parents, we know we will never be able to watch him without concern or ever be able to take his good health for granted again, even after the doctors say he is cured. But, I'm sure as time goes by, the uneasyness subsides to a more tolerable level - we hope.
Dakoda will begin another five day round of chemotherapy on Friday. Fortunately, only the first day or two affect him the most. He normally vomits a couple of times or so, but, he doesn't let that slow him down. He has been such a courageous fighter throughout this ordeal! We have been blessed to also have his appetite return to normal, have his energy level return to almost normal levels, and for him to stay on top of his school work. A lot of the credit for his grades go to his teachers at school (and of course Tracee), as they have been so helpful in making sure he stays up on his school work when he has been out of school for any length of time. As you may recall, Kode missed almost the entire second semester of school last year and missed a lot of days the first semester of this year. He has usually missed only one day of school each week this current semester! Wow! What a dramatic change from last year!
We went to Catholic school night at Six Flags Elitch Gardens on Friday night, and Dakoda had a great time. Just like his pal Erin and her Uncle Steve, he went on a bunch of rides that would make a billy goat pewk! What are these people thinking? Doesn't the chemo make them sick enough? Crazy!
Again, the Lord has provided us with a miracle! Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda. In addition to Dakoda, please keep all these warriors in your prayers; Erin, Ms. Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Debbie, Jacob, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, Quinton, Jim, Dane, Yola, Jim, Ursula, Christi, Isabella, Chris, Sarah, Lynn, Anthony, Amanda, Kyle, Libby, Sean, Max, Ann, Steven, Sonya and all others battling cancer each and everyday.
God bless!
Tuesday, May 20, 2003 3:22 PM CDT
Alleluia! Fantastic results again!
I will update further tonight!
Monday, May 19, 2003 1:20 AM CDT
Dakoda will have an MRI later this morning....please say some extra prayers for continued great results. We are confident that everything will be as phenomenal as the past two MRI's, but, this is always a anxious time for us. We will update as soon as we can.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support!
Saturday, May 10, 2003 2:29 AM CDT
Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms! Especially to all of the incredibly mothers that are fighting cancer themselves or are helping their children or other family members battle cancer everyday. You are a true blessing to all of us who know you!
Dakoda finished his latest round of chemotherapy earlier in the week, and continues to do fantastic! Praise the Lord! Dakoda is close to sixty pounds now! He is so excited about his gains, that he measures his height, it seems, every other day! Although the chemo drugs also stunts growth, he still has grown close to three inches taller this year. He is confident that he will be as tall as his big brother Sloan in a few years! If you've seen some of the others pictures we've posted in the past, you know that may be a tough challenge, but, if any body can do it...I know that Dakoda can! He never ceases to amaze us!
Something else that never ceases to amaze us is the weather here in Denver. It's currently snowing, and we're supposed to get five to six inches here in the metro area tonight! Crazy! Jordan's baseball team is in the playoffs and are scheduled to play two games later today. Fortunately, the games are in Grand Junction, which is about four or five hours drive west of Denver.
Sorry about the lack of updates lately, but, my access to computers with internet service was very limited the last couple of weeks, updates should be more frequent now. Thanks for your patience.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of the brave warriors!
Peace!
Tuesday, April 29, 2003 0:48 AM CDT
This will be a quick update since this a pay by the minute computer, and is normally very busy with people trying to keep updated on their own e-mail and etc.
Dakoda continues to do great! We KNOW the Lord has provided us with a miracle! He has his oncology appointment on Wednesday and will also begin another round of chemotherapy on Friday; again this will last for five days. Since he has dropped to just one drug, his appetite has not diminished in any way! He has a bottomless pit just like his brothers now!
We have some very sad news to report today concerning a girl we've been praying for by the name of Grace. I found out today that she passed away this weekend after just being diagnosed a couple of weeks ago with a brain tumor. Please pray for her family, as they must be hurting terribly. It hurts so much to even have to type this information. Please continue the prayers for all these brave kids and adults battling for their lives everyday.
God bless!
Sunday, April 20, 2003 0:06 AM CDT
A very happy and blessed Easter to all!
Thank you for the cards for the Rippetoe family, I have already sent a bundle and will also make sure they get the ones that have arrived the past couple of days. It shows a great deal of support and respect for the sacrifice their family has made for our country.
This past week has been very hectic with all the activities at church for this Holy week and also for Tracee completing her RCIA requirements for our church. It has been a major commitment for her on top of taking such spectacular care of Dakoda and the rest of the family this year. She continues to do such an outstanding job, as do the rest of the wonderful moms that care for their kids battling cancer.
Dakoda completed his current round of chemo on Thursday, and continues to do fantastic! He will have another oncology appointment of Monday morning. His next MRI should be in a couple of weeks, and as always, we pray for great results. We are confident they will be just as great as the last two! The Lord has truly blessed us with a miracle!
I will be gone for a couple of weeks for my annual Reserve training, but, hope there will be a computer availabe with access to the internet so I can update Kode's journal and check in on our other brave warriors.
Thank you for the continues support and prayers for Dakoda and the rest of the warriors.
God bless!
Sunday, April 6th, 2003 - slight update Friday, April 11th, 2003
Madi is spending the night at Childrens Hospital after getting her tonsils and adnoids removed and also having tubes placed in her ears. She's a bit grumpy to say the least, but, she seems to be doing quite well. Of course Tracee's spending the night with her. I had forgotten Dakoda's chemo drugs and other prescriptions in Tracee's car, so I had to run back to the hospital to pick them up as he starts another round tonight, and low and behold, when I went in to check on the girls, Madi was still awake and watching a movie!
*****PLEASE SHARE THIS STORY OF CAPTAIN RIPPETOE WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
Thanks for checking in on Dakoda. He continues to do well and will have his oncology appointment in the morning.
I am keeping this entry short tonight because of Captain Russell Rippitoe. Unfortunately Captain Rippitoe paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country this past week in Iraq. Russell was the brother of one of Dakoda's biggest supporters since he was diagnosed last year. I never had the honor to meet him, however, his sister Rebecca spoke very highly of him and was very proud of his service to our country. Rebecca and her husband Tom have been extremely kind to us this year, in fact, some of you may recall meeting them at Dakoda's party for Make-A-Wish and Give Kids the World this past September at Boondocks. I also had the pleasure of meeting her parents, Joe and Rita, just a week and a half ago. Joe is a retired military officer and served in the Viet Nam war as well. They too, are very proud of their son and of his service to our country. We know that they are all hurting deeply right now.
To show our support for the Rippitoe family, we would like to have your help. We would like to have as many people as possible send a card or note of support and gratitude for the Rippitoe family to our home address this week, and we will be sure to get all of them to their family. Again, parents are Joe and Rita Rippitoe, and sister is Rebecca and her husband Tom Kim.
Please send them in care of Vern and Tracee Bell - 2783 s. Irving st. - Denver, Co 80236. Your support is much appreciated, as they are a wonderful family. Thank you so very much.
God bless!
Sunday, March 30th, 2003
Back to school this week...it's been great for the kids to have an extended Spring break. Tracee, Dakoda and Madi went to Estes Park Thursday evening to attend a four day get away activity weekend for kids who are battling cancer and their families. They had a great time meeting other kids and making new friends. Chris, one of the other boys that is going through the same experimental treatment as Dakoda, was there along with another boy we have seen at clinic. So they got to see some familiar faces as well. They have an oncology nurse or doctor attending these functions as well, so in case there are are problems with any of the kids, they can be treated on the spot. The get away was put together by an organization called Robby's Friends. It was started over a decade ago in memory of a boy named Robby Ferrufino who lost his battle with cancer. Unfortunately, Madi got sick, and they had to come home a day early. Madi was prescribed some Augmentin while at the camp and was feeling better today. Since Dakoda was so bumbed for having to leave early, Tracee kind of promised that we would go to an indoor kids pool today if Madi was feeling better. So, after a good nights sleep, Madi was feeling better and we went this afternoon. Ironically, a boy named Luke, who was at the camp in Estes Park was also at the pool today. Luke's mother was a volunteer for Robby's Friends during the weekend camp.
We have added two more names to our prayer list. Libby, who is battling a brain tumor called a Medulla Blastoma, and Max who was first diagnosed with a Whelms Tumor, which is found in the kidneys. It was removed, but, now he's been battling cancer in his lungs. Cancer is such a monster of a disease, as in so many cases the cancer can spread to different parts of the body even after beating it in the original area of diagnosis. Please pray for these children and the rest of the brave children and adults fighting cancer every day.
Thanks for checking in on Dakoda...he continues to amaze us along with the doctors. We thank the Lord for this miracle!
Pray for our troops and for their quick return.
God bless!
Sunday, March 23rd, 2003
Dakoda has spring break this week. How lucky, that he got Tuesday through Friday off last week because of the snow! What a nice extended spring break!
He started with his first round of chemotherapy with just the Temozolomide on Friday. He still needs the Zofran, but, his appetite has been huge! Normally his appetite dwindles down when he starts the chemo and then after he has been off the chemo for about a week his appetite just explodes. Right now it appears that the one drug will be easier on him!
He has his usual oncology appointment at Children's Hospital in the morning. If all continues to go well he should start going every other week or so very soon!
Just a brief update tonight.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Dakdoa and the rest of the brave kids.
God bless!
Wednesday, March 19th, 2003
Wow! We finally got a good snow storm the past two days. In fact it was one of the biggest storms in Denver's history! Downtown Denver got about 30 inches while other parts of the metro area got up to 48 inches. The nearby foothill towns of Gennessee and Evergreen got about 5 feet and a the ski resort town of Winter Park got their record snowfall of almost 6 feet! We got close to 3 and half feet of snow at our house! Our tool shed is history! It collapsed this afternoon under all the weight of the snow. In Denver and in the surrounding metro area a number of building roofs collapsed along with numerous apartment carports. A couple blocks from our house, a carport collapsed and crushed a couple of cars beneath it. To say the least, the kids love it! Dakoda, Madi and Jordan were out playing for hours in the snow. My work was closed as well today, so Tracee and I both got outside with the kids. The snow shoveling has been an ongoing project since late yesterday afternoon. I shoveled the driveway and sidewalks three times in 24 hours. The snow has pretty much stopped now, and the temperature is predicted to be close to 50 degrees tomorrow afternoon. But, that's Denver weather for you...last week the temperature was in the 60's and 70's, and bingo, a couple days later it's a blizzard! School was canceled yesterday and today, and has already been canceled for tomorrow and Friday. Spring break is next week for the kids, and Sloan is already basking in the sun in Mexico right now!
Dakoda had his oncology appointment on Monday. The office was packed so in took about an hour or so longer than it usually does. He is looking great although his blood counts are low. His ANC was about 445, but for it being so low, he looks amazing and has tons of energy. He is scheduled to begin his first round of Temozolomide by itself this Friday. We will get the ok from Dr. Foreman if he doesn't have a problem with Kode's counts being so low.
Thanks for checking in on Dakoda. Please keep all the brave kids in your prayers along with our troops overseas.
God bless!
Friday, March 14th, 2003
Dakoda continues to do very well, and had another very good week. Once again he was in school Tuesday through Friday, with his oncology appointment on Monday. It looks as though that will continue to be his schedule until his appointments are changed to every two or three weeks. Since the chemotherapy drains his energy, he has been going in to school a little later on a couple of days. Fortunately he has stayed up on most of his school work this year. But, compared to last year, this year has been incredible! Thank the Lord!
My co-workers at Trice have been so understanding these past 14 months with everything we've been through. And, today they gave Dakoda a trophy for being such an inspiration to so many people and for all that he has been through. How thoughtful is that? Things like that have also helped to keep Dakoda motivated throughout his battle thus far. I can tell you a positive attitude truly helps out in this type of ordeal, and that is definetly what Dakoda has had this entire time.
Due to the late hour, I've got to cut this entry short. Please continue the prayers for all of the brave ones.
God bless!
Monday, March 10th, 2003
Dakoda just took his last VP16 for this round! In fact, if everything continues to go well, he will never have to take it again! Thank you Lord!!! Dakoda will take just the Temozolomide by itself beginning March 21st. We'll let you know for how long next week. He had an appointment at the oncology clinic again this morning, and all continues to look good. Dr. Foreman pulled Tracee and I aside during the visit and informed us that Dustin had passed away this weekend. The news hit us hard, as he was such a sweet child, and we were praying for such positive results from his treatment. Please keep him in your prayers along with his family. Our heart aches so much for his parents...no parents should have to endure such things as they have...it's Hell watching your child's health deteriorate like that and having to watch them go through all the pain of the treatments on top of that. Please continue to pray for the cure for all of these brave warriors: Dakoda, Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Debbie, Jake, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, Quinton, Steve, Jim, Dane, Yola, Jim, Ursula, Christi, Jim (all these Jims are different), Isabella, Chris, Sara, Tara, Lynn, Anthony, Amanda, Kyle, and all others that are battling each and every day. They are all so brave and such inspirations to us all!
Some other good news today from Dr. Foreman...he did say that Chris (one of the other boys that is on the same experimental treatment as Dakoda) has responded well and continues to do well!
Jake is making a phenomenal recovery from his stroke! Check out his website by clicking his name above this entry.
Please say extra prayers for Jamie, Colleen and Quinton, as they are battling so fiercely right now. Thank you so very much. We KNOW the power of prayer and that the Lord DOES hear and answer us!
God bless!
Thursday, March 6, 2003 3:21 AM CST
Dakoda finished his Temozolomide for this round last night and will have the VP16 for six more. He is handling it well, with just a couple of bouts with the vomitting. Dakoda and the rest of these kids dealing with this stuff are incredible...as on Monday morning as he was leaving for school he needed a Zofran, and just as soon as he swallowed it he upchucked, but, what is so amazing about his attitude is that he just cleaned himself up and went right on heading out the door to go to school! How tough is that?!
We got some bad news about Jamie's scans from Monday. It looks as though the scans revealed a new growth on one of her lungs, if I got the news corrrectly, and she will also have to get the two vertebrae removed as well...Please, pray as much as possible for her. She is such a fine young lady, and has always got a smile on her face. We'll keep you posted on her progress.
Tracee's grandmother goes in for surgery later this morning for a pace maker...please pray for her quick healing as well.
Thanks for checking in on Dakoda, and thank you for the continued prayers and support.
Peace!
Monday, March 3rd, 2003
Just a real quick note tonight. Sorry it's been so long since I last updated Dakoda's page. We've been extremely busy and I had drill weekend this past Saturday and Sunday. But, Dakoda continues to do well. He began another round of chemotherapy on Friday night, and as usual, the first morning seems to be his toughest with the nausea. Then, after the first day or so his stomach seems to handle things better. Thank God for Zofran! The Zofran is king when it comes to helping with the nausea.
We saw Jamie today as she was waiting to have two MRI's and a bone scan today. She is looking great since her surgery a few weeks ago. But, please continue the prayers for her, as the doc's may have to remove a couple of vertebrae that may have cancer in them...we pray the scans come back clean today. We also saw Jacob at clinic today...he is improving, but, he and his family could use the extra prayers for a quick recovery. Thank you.
I will update again tomorrow. Once again, thank you for your understanding and prayers.
God bless!
Sunday, February 23rd, 2003
Dakoda successfully had his broviac lines removed on Friday! He was a bit scared before the procedure, and just as they put the anastesia mask on him, he got really scared, but, other than that everything went well. He said that he now feels like a regular kid again! That feels so good to hear! We know he still has a lot of work ahead, but, what a major step! He will begin his next round of chemotherapy this coming Friday. This is his last scheduled round with both the VP16 and Temazolomide. He will then continue with the Temazolomide after that for approximately a year, but, since this current treatment is still experimental, we don't know for sure as of yet. We will let you know when we find out for sure.
More good news concerning one of the kids on our prayer list as well. Hannah also had her broviac lines removed on Friday, just a couple of hours before Kode! I don't think we've seen her since last summer since she and her family live in Wyoming and her clinic visits had been reduced as well. But, she looks great! She has been doing fantastic and has also got a full head of hair once again! That's so great to see, as we met her and her parents at Fitzsimmons last year when both Hannah and Dakoda were going through radiation at the same time.
We also got a nice call from Erin's mom, Joann, tonight! Erin continues to do very well also! She began another round chemotherapy and steroids this past week as well. Please check out both Erin's and Hannah's sites by clicking their names just above todays entry date. A big, thank you, to those that have left them encouraging notes in their guestbooks as well. It means so much to them to read the encouraging words while going through such difficult times. And, thank you for keeping them, along with Dakoda in your prayers. We KNOW the power of prayer can work miracles! As the Lord continues to bless Dakoda!
God bless!
Wednesday, February 19th, 2003
***Check out Dakoda's picture on the Alice 106 website. Go to www.alice106.com and click on the photo album, which is on the left side of the page. Then click on Greg & Bo's 36 Hours for Kids. Dakoda's picture is on page 3, the first picture on the second line. He also is in the background of a couple pictures of the Govenor's wife, Mrs. Owens.
***New pictures 2/20/03***
This week is has been a very good week for Dakoda and several other people on our prayer list. Dakoda just finished a round a chemo yesterday, and he also gets his lines removed on Friday! It'll be so nice to see him able to go swimming and really wrestle his big brothers again! He has just one more round of the two chemo drugs together and will drop the VP16 after this next round! Our friend Hannah, is also doing great and gets her lines out on Friday as well! Erin's Uncle Steve had successful surgery last week, and continues to do well! Our little buddy Jacob is making great progress after a couple of really tough weeks! Jim, who we feared may have had a brain tumor, had surgery last week, and the mass was not a tumor, but a cyst, which was successfully drained. He is shaky on his feet and will undergo a month of intense physical therapy. Gage's MRI turned out clean! And, Jamie's surgery was also a success! Thank you for all the prayers and support! Also, thank you, Taryn, Dave & Jodi, Lori, Chris, AJ, and all the others that made donations in Dakoda's name for Greg & Bo's - 36 Hours for the Kids - radiothon for the Denver Children's Hospital. We are so blessed to have had your continued support throughout these past 13 months. We also appreciate the support you have shown our Caringbridge friends in there battles as well...the notes of encouragement truly help to keep the spirits up. One sad note, as Alexandria lost her battle on Sunday...please keep her family in your prayers. It's so difficult to see the kids have to go through such pain.
Dakoda had his oncology appointment this afternoon, and all look good! Since he will have his lines removed on Friday, he also gets a short break in action from taking all the additional daily supplements he's been taking since August. He will resume that treatment on Sunday.
I'll cut it short right now, since I've got to take Jord to get his drivers permit early in the morning. I can't believe it! Sloan's been driving since October as well! Although I can hardly believe the boys are that old already, and we worry about them out there driving, it sure helps to make things easier without having to drive fifty different places a day! And, for them, not having to be embarrased to be chouffoured around by their parents is a big plus to them. I remember those days...and it doesn't seem to be that long ago! Ah, how age plays tricks on the mind!
Please keep the prayers coming for all the brave ones battling each day. Thank you.
Peace be to all!
Thursday, February 13th, 2003
I'm going to keep this one short since it's so late.
Jamie had her surgery today, and her mom, Julie, said it went even better than they had expected! I was able to drop in a see her after surgery and she looked very good! She was still groggy and tired, but, she was still able to converse and smile.
To visit Jacob, all I had to do was go across the hall, as Jamie is is room 542 and Jake is in 541, or visa versa. Jake is looking much better this week than he was last week! His color looks better and he is able to understand what people are saying. He also looks as though he is trying to use his right arm. As you may recall, he suffered a stroke last week which affected the right side of his body. He was even laughing a bit tonight. So, it looks as though he is reponding positively to his treatment!
Dakoda and I saw Gage right after his MRI, and he looks great! Praise God that his MRI turned out clean today! He continues to be such delightful young man!
Dakoda had a cool experience today, as he was interviewed for the 36 Hour fund raiser event for the Denver Childrens Hospital which is put on by Greg and Bo of Alice 106! More about that next time.
Please keep all these children in your prayers, as they are battling for their lives each and every single day! A big thing to remember about them is that, they are not just suffering from a broken bone, manageable ailment or injury that is repaired by a single surgery, cast or medication! Not to discount those problems, but, as you may be able to tell, these children are under constant threat of a life threatening relapse, as what has happened to Jamie. She is tough, as are the rest of these brave kids, and she and her family will do battle once again with this ugly relentless foe. Please, pray for cures!
God bless!
Monday, February 10th, 2003
Fantastic!!! Halleluiah!!! The Lord continues to hear everyone's prayers!!! Dakoda's MRI was clean!!! It truly is amazing. Dakoda has continued to do well, so we were very confident of the results. However, the nerves still get twisted a bit with the anxiousness until Dr. Foreman gives us the official word.
Due to the late hour I'm keeping this entry short. But, please continue the extra prayers for Jamie and Jim, as they have surgery this week. Little Jacob, who is fighting hard after suffering a stroke from complications from a virus last week. And, for Gage, as he's been having some headaches, which always concern parents of kids that have battled brain tumors. Also, Steve (Erin's Uncle), who is recovering from his surgery last week.
Thank you so much for the continued prayers and support!
God bless!
Saturday, February 8th, 2003
For those of you that had difficulty getting Dakoda's website the last few days....sorry. As you can see, Caringbrige has made some updates to Dakoda's page and things were a bit messed up. As of tonight, it looks like they've got things straightened out.
Dakoda stayed home from school on Thursday and Friday, as he had the stomach flu. As soon as he was feeling better yesterday, Tracee and Madi got home and the both of them started chucking up. The girls starting to feel better today, and Dakoda is all ready back to normal. He had another basketball game today and did well once again! He loves being back out there with his buddies.
Since Kode is feeling better today, he gets to start another round of chemotherapy...wahoo...what a rotten thing to have to go through. He continues to be amazing through this whole thing. He is so tough, and his attitude continues to be excellent! Just amazing! His next MRI is this Monday, February the 10th. Please keep him in your prayers for another positive MRI.
Please say some extra prayers for Jamie, as she has surgery on the 15th, to remove a regrowth of her cancer. Also, Jacob, suffered a stroke when he had a virus last week, so he and his family need our continued prayers. Erin's Uncle Steve had successful surgery this week, but, has got a lot of work left to do.
Once again, thank you all for the continued prayers and support for Kode and the rest of the brave warriors.
Peace!
Monday, February 3rd, 2003
Dakoda had his oncology appointment today, and all continues to look good. We moved the appoinment to the afternoon because our friend Sharon's funeral was this morning. It was a beautiful service at St. Vincent's. The turnout was incredible, as the entire church was packed wall to wall. Jordan said that he even thought that Regis Highschool had cancled school today so the kids could attend. Sharon touched so many people's lives. As I mentioned recently, Sharon had survived breast cancer a few years ago, but, unfortunately she recently had a reocurrance of cancer that showed up in her lungs. She was already to start chemotherapy again, but, this bout took her quickly. She will be greatly missed, but, we know she is safe with the Lord.
Dakoda's next MRI is scheduled for next Monday, please keep him in your prayers for continued healing and outstanding results. Also, it looks like our friends Jake and Gage need some extra prayers, as Jake is in the hospital with some type of infection and the docs haven't figured out what the problem is yet. And, Gage has been experiencing headaches the past week or so. His parents have had to move his regular followup appointment up a couple of months. Please pray that there is nothing seriously wrong for these brave children.
One thing I would like to add tonight is that, as I've mentioned, there are many children and adults that are in need of prayers and support while they are battling cancer. One of the ways we have gotten great support from you is through your thoughtful and incouraging guestbook entries. An easy way to help support others, is by going to the Adopt A Kid site and choose a child to send periodic incouraging messages to from their long list of cancer kids. It's a quick and easy way to help brighten someone's day. Just go to www.chubbychica.com and click on caringbrige in the left hand column and select someone from the list of 300 plus names. Just a quick note to these kids means so much to them and their families.
Thank you again for your continued support and prayers for Dakoda and the rest of our family.
God bless!
Quick update for February 4th:
Jacob is doing better today. The docs found that he has a virus and he is responding nicely to the medications.
Please say lots of extra prayers for our friend Jamie. I just found out today that her cancer has returned and will be going in for surgery within the week or so. We have known her for a number of years, and she is one of the sweetest young ladies you'd want to meet. Thank you for the extra prayers!
Sunday, February 2nd, 2003
February 1st marked the one year anniversary of the first day of Dakoda's chemotherapy treatment. We've had several anniversary dates like that this past week and a half. As parents, they're not the type of special dates we really wanted to have, or even thought we would have. However, we thank the Lord that Dakoda has done so well with his battle! He continues to do amazingly well! If you had seen how the tumor had affected his physical abilities at times throughout this past year, you'd never think he'd be back doing what he's doing right now. He had another basketball game yesterday, and, although he is still fatigued from all the chemotherapy drugs, he still played three quarters of the game and scored a couple of baskets! Praise God, because it truly is a miracle! Thank you all for the continued prayers for Dakoda's health. We truly believe your prayers have played such a huge part in his battle! Unfortunately there are too many children and adults out there that need miracles too. Along with Dakoda, please continue the prayers for Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Debbie, Jacob, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, Quinton, Steve, Jim, Stacy, Sharon, Dustin, Dane, Yola, Jim, Ursula, Christy, Jim, Chris, Isabella, Sarah, and all others battling for their lives each and every day.
Great news concerning a couple of children on our prayer list. Chase had his MRI earlier this week, and it was clean, with no signs of tumor! And, Dustin had his MRI earlier this week, and his tumor has stablized and perhaps shrunk some as well! Dustin is battling the same type of tumor, in the same location, as Dakoda. Last month, Dustin started the same type of experimental treatment that Dakoda is on. I had the pleasure of meeting him this week, and he is a beautiful young man. He is six years old and was diagnosed the day after Dakoda. However, his tumor first started out as a Medullablastoma and turned to a GBM not too long ago. Please keep all the families of these brave warriors in your prayers as well. Thank you so very much!
God bless!
Wednesday, January 29th, 2002
Dakoda continues to do well! He missed school on Monday, like every Monday this year, due to his appointments. However, he did miss Tuesday as well, because Madi was up much of the night being sick. Never a dull moment around our house! Jordan and Sloan have also come down with nasty cold bugs that Tracee and I are just getting over. Jordan stayed home from school today since he's been feeling pretty bad the last couple of days.
Unfortunately, we got some very bad news concerning a friend of ours tonight. Sharon Borella passed away suddenly earlier this evening. The news hits us hard, as we have known her for many years now, and her son Nick is a good friend of Jord's and has played many years with him on the same baseball and basketball teams. This comes as a shock, since we just saw her at one of Jord's and Danny's basketball games, and she looked great. Sharon has been a huge inspiration and source of emotional support to us this year, as she battled and survived breast cancer a few years ago. She also had gotten us into see Father Walsh for a private healing service at St. Vincent's when Dakoda was in dire need earlier on in his battle. She will be missed greatly as she touched so many peoples lives. Please pray for her family...husband, Matt and children, Matt, Nick and Lisa. Sharon had just become a grandmother recently and was loving her new role in life.
Our new friend Dustin, from our prayer list, just had another MRI today and we will keep you posted on how it went. Please pray for good results. He is a brave warrior.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of the warriors and their families!
God bless!
Monday, January 27th, 2002
Dakoda had another good visit at the Oncology office today. Everything continues to look very good! Since Dakoda has done so well on this experimental protocol, we were asked to talk to a couple of families who are in similar situations as us. Dustin's family, who happens to already be on our prayer list and unfortunately, a new name, eleven year old Chris. Both boys have developed GBM's like Dakoda. I wish there was a way we could explain the hurt that we feel for these families. We just look at these beautiful children and their families, and wonder why these things happen. Unfortunately the prognosis is not very good for Chris, so please add him to your prayer lists....Thank you!
We just got Dakoda's report card and it was even better than the last one! He got almost all excellents! He did miss 22 days of school this period, however, I think he missed most of those days the three weeks before Christmas. He also had his second basketball game this weekend! Dakoda and the other brave warriors are so amazing, as even when they are on chemotherapy they still participate in the sports activities and try to lead as normal a life as possible!
Thank you so much for the continued prayers and support!
God bless!!!
Tuesday, January 21st, 2003
Dakoda just took the last Temazolomide for this round, he has six more days of the VP16 left. If things go as planned he will have just one more round of the two chemo drugs together. After the next round he is scheduled to take only the Temazolomide. He'll take that for 12 to 16 months. As you may recall, he was off the chemo for an extra week this time, so his appetite really increased as the side effects like, lack of appetite and nausea were wearing off.
We kept him home from school today, however, he did get to go to basketball practice tonight. I don't think that bothered him too much! He'll return to school again tomorrow. He really loves being able to participate again in basketball. He has alot of heart, as he still plays as hard as he can, even though he is still on chemo and hasn't been able to play much of anything since December of 2001.
Just a quick update tonight. Thanks for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of the warriors.
God bless!
Saturday, January 18th, 2002
We can hardly believe that it was a year ago this week that Dakoda's current journey began. Well, actually, we don't really know when his tumor started to develop, but, it was the first that we noticed he was showing signs of having any type of problem. The 23rd will be the one year anniversary that we rushed him to the emergency room at Children's Hospital and learned that he had a "mass" in his brain.
The past two days have been remarkable. Today Dakoda played his first game of basketball in over a year! The tears welled up in my eyes just watching him out there just being a kid and playing with his friends again. He was so excited to be out there playing again! Just to see him out there on the court, while even starting his current round of chemo last night, is a miracle in itself. The Lord truly continues to bless him.
Yesterday we met with Dr. Wallace, who we have only spoken to on the phone. Her office is in Utah, and she came out to Denver to visit some of her patients. She is a Naturaopathic doctor who specializes in brain tumors, and has given us dietary instruction for proper nutrition, vitamins and supplements for Dakoda. When Dakoda first started his cancer treatment, Dr. Foreman recommended that we not add any thing to Dakoda's diet, because, he feels that vitamins and supplements may interfere with the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drugs. Don't get me wrong, we feel Dr. Foreman has done a fantastic job, however, after Dakoda had the bad MRI in July, we decided to do anything and everything possible to help Dakoda, even if it meant going against Dr. Foreman's recommendations. We are very glad we made that choice. We spent a couple of hours with Dr. Wallace, and we wish we could have had twice as much time as we did. She was so informative on how certain preservatives and foods in our everyday diets affect our bodies. Not only did we enjoy our meeting with her, but, we also met three other brave warriors battling brain tumors. All three were adults and have the same type of tumor as one another, however, not the same as Dakoda's. Like Dakoda, they were amazing, battling as many as six years with their tumors. Their stories of courage are fantastic! For me, it was a very emotional and informative meeting. Please add, Jim, Ursula and Chisty to your daily prayer lists.
Ok, it's late and I'm starting to nod off at the wheel here. I will add some more to this entry tomorrow. Agian, thank you for your continued prayers and support!
God bless!
Sunday, January 12th, 2003
Dakoda has his usual Oncology appointment in the morning at Childrens Hospital. He had to go to the emergency room for a visit yesterday due to an ear infection and fever. He has already bounced back nicely today after a good nights sleep some medication. The emergency room at Childrens has been fantastic to work with when we've needed to go there. Since Dakoda is going through chemotherapy treatment and his counts are normally low, they take him in immediately and put him into a room with no other patients. They try to keep the oncology kids isolated from the germs and viruses, since they are so vunerable to infections.
Dakoda went to another full week of school last week, with the exception of his normal Monday off due to his appointments. After missing almost the entire second half of school last year, that's amazing to us. It's almost been a year since he was diagnosed with the tumor. As you may recall, we first learned of the tumor on January 23rd. The emotions running through us now are hard to explain. The year has gone by so fast, yet it seems that we've been battling this thing for years. And, with knowing how difficult this form of cancer is to fight, Dakoda is doing remarkably well! Praise the Lord!!! He has heard all of our prayers, and continues to bless Dakoda with such great strength and fortitude! Thank you all for your continued prayers!!!
Great news for Chase, one of the boys on our prayer list! He has been battling a similar cancer to Dakoda's, and will be finishing his regular therapy this month! Please continue to pray for a full recovery for him. The treatment has made him very weak and he has had to have a feeding tube to help with eating. He has battled bravely, and continues to be such an inspiration!
Jordan's aunt Vonnie passed away a few days ago after undergoing quadruple by-pass surgery a few weeks ago. Please keep Jord's Oma (grandmother) and family in your prayers. We also need to pray for one of my co-workers' husband. Sally's husband Jim, had an MRI a couple of days ago and was told that he has a mass in the cerabelum portion of his brain. He should find out on Tuesday what the mass is and how they will proceed from there. Also, Jacob, another brave boy on our prayer list will be having scans this week...please pray for clean scans and continued good health for him.
Unfortunately, we have lost a few brave warriors from our prayer list this year, and regretfully our prayer list continues to grow. Along with Dakoda, please continue to pray for Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Debbie, Jacob, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, Quinton, Steve ,Jim, Stacie, Sharon, Dane, Dale, Summer, Jim and all others battling so bravely against cancer.
Peace!
Monday, January 6th, 2003
Alright...things are starting to settle down a bit since the holidays are over. I should be able to get back to updating Dakoda's journal on a regular basis.
Thank you for all the great Christmas cards and pictures that we received this season! We have been blessed throughout this ordeal with great support from so many people! Your continued prayers for Dakoda and the rest of the family are greatly appreciated!
Dakoda had an appointment at Oncology this morning, and everything continues to go well. Although he was scheduled to start his next round of chemotherapy this Friday, Dr. Foreman has postponed it for one week since Kode has gotten some mouth sores from the VP16. If all continues to go well, he will drop the VP16 sometime in February, and will also get his Broviac lines removed!
Big news for tomorrow, as Kode starts back to school, and will also start his basketball season!! That's so incredible with all that he has been through this past year! We're a bit concerned with how his body will handle the demands of playing while still on chemo, but, he has continued to show us amazing things this year, so, I'll bet on him handling it well!
God bless!
Tuesday, December 31, 2002 at 02:30 AM (CST)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
We want to wish everyone a great new year filled with love, joy, prosperity and many blessings! I can't say that I'll be too sad to see this year go with how horrifyingly bad it started, however, we are very excited with how well it is ending for us.
It truly has been a roller coster ride of trials and emotions. Thanks to our faith and support from all of you, we have managed to keep our sanity, and keep our spirits high! Actually this year has gone by extremely fast with all the running around that we've done. The first half or more of the year was mainly spent at Denver Childrens Hospital and Fitzsimmons/University of Colorado-Anschutz Cancer Center. Thankfully, things got a bit less chaotic with fewer visits to the hospital from the end of August on. We've learned a lot about things we thought we'd never need to know, about ourselves as people and family, about compassion from others and for others, about hope, faith, and love. And most of all...how a little boy has shown us what it means to truly be courageous and brave! I have never seen any thing like it. Not only has Dakoda's journey led us to see his bravery, strength and miracles, but, it has also led us to see many other courageous children and families fighting the battles of their lives. As I've mentioned a long time ago when we started this site, we never thought that we would ever have to face such an illness in our family. There is no history of cancer in my family and very little in Tracee's family. So, with how unfair and hideous this illness is for Dakoda or anyone to have to go through, it has opened our eyes to the needs of children and families that are battling cancer every day. Has God called us to this place in life? I don't know. Perhaps He has. Will we be forever changed? Without a doubt we will. In dealing with this battle we have been blessed to have met other children battling cancer, like Erin, Jacob, Gage and Danielle, along with their families. We have been blessed to have received such great support from our Parish and Parish family, co-workers and employers, MPB school along with Machebeuf and Regis Highschools, and from people we don't even know. We know we haven't been traveling this journey alone. Thank you so very much.
Please pray for the family of Alex who has been on our prayer list. I am deeply saddened to have to say, that, on Christmas day Alex lost his battle with the same type of cancer Dakoda has been battling. Please keep all of the children, adults and their families battling cancer in your prayers each day.
We have added some new pictures to Dakoda's photo album. And, Dakoda has just completed another round of chemotherapy tonight!
Peace and God bless!
Wednesday, December 25th, 2002
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Things are still chaotic at work due to the season, therefore, the updates have been few this month...sorry. Things should slow down a bit since Christmas is over, however, it usually doesn't get back to normal levels until mid January. I should be able to update the journal on a more timely manner soon. Thanks for your continued prayers and understanding. Dakoda continues to do great!!!
God bless! We hope you've had a great Christmas!
Tuesday, December 17th, 2002
***new pictures in the photo album***
Wow!!! Even better news than what we thought yesterday!!! I met with Dr. Foreman this morning and we went over Dakoda's MRI from yesterday and also compared it to his last one. And, Dr. Foreman feels that Dakoda's tumor is gone!!! Even Dr. Foreman called it amazing today! I really can't explain everything we are feeling at this time. We want to jump and yell for joy, and at the same time we still need to be cautious, as Kode still has a lot of work to do. Also, as Dr. Froeman explained today, that since Kode is on an experimental protocol, there is no track record of results of cure rate. He cautioned that the tumor could return in a few months or a year, or, perhaps never. He just doesn't know and can't make any type of guess. That's understandable, and since we know of how incideous cancer can be, we will remain cautious, yet joyful of this miracle God has provided us with. It truly is a miracle, and all thanks and praises go to Him! Wow!!!
Kode will continue with his treatment as usual, and will begin his next round of chemotherapy on Friday. Again, this round should last another eleven days like the last several rounds. Dr. Foreman plans to take him off the oral VP16 sometime in February and continue with the Temazolomide for an undetermined amount of time as of yet. He won't have another MRI until February as well, and if all continues to go well, his MRI's will be spaced to every three months.
I also need to tell you about Dakoda's day on Sunday. His friend Joel, the Broncos mascot coordinator, did in fact have Kode dressed as Mini Miles at the game! Tracee got to go and said it was a riot! Kode had his own pants with a tail, one of Miles' jerseys, Bronco socks, and special Miles hat! He followed Miles around and did everything that he did. Joel said the crowd loved it! Tracee cracked up watching him! My brother Steve also went and video taped part of the day, along with Miles' own video crew. Joel said that we'll get a copy of the tape along with a bunch of photos that were taken at the game. Joel and his coworkers felt it was so successful, that he wants to carry on with the idea for other kids, and especially for kids who are battling like Dakoda! A huge thank you goes out to Joel and the rest of the Broncos staff involved in making such a memorable day for Dakoda! He will never forget it!!!
Again, thank you to all praying for Dakoda and the rest of the kids battling cancer. The battles are long and fierce, and the foes are relentless. We continue to pray for the cures for all of our warriors doing battle, small and large!
Peace and happy holidays! We have already received the gift we've prayed for!
Monday, December 16, 2002 at 10:23 PM (CST)
Just got home and you know we've got to share the great news!!! The MRI revealed that the tumor has shrunk even more!!! Halleluiah!!! Thank you so much for the continued prayers...we can see the power of prayer working!!!
I will try to update later tonight with more.
God bless!
Monday, December 16, 2002 at 04:28 AM (CST)
Dakoda has his MRI this afternoon around 2:15. Please keep him in your prayers at that time. We are confident that it will be positive. We will update as quick as possible with results.
God bless!
Thursday, December 12th, 2002
Dakoda made it back to school on Tuesday and Wednesday, and took today off. However, he did make it in tonight to participate in his Christmas program. He did quite well considering he has missed so much school the last three weeks.
Remember about a month ago I mentioned that Kode had gotten his hair cut? It wasn't a major hair cut....it was more of a trim. But, today he got his first serious haircut since about this same time last year!
Dakoda's friend Joel, who is the Mascot coordinator for the Broncos, called today to see if he would like to join Miles the Mascot on the field during Sunday's game! He's seeing if he can get him a small Miles costume so Kode can be Mini Miles! How cool is that? You should have seen Kode's face today when I told him about the idea! I know he would love it! We'll let you know how it goes.
Dakoda continues to do well, however, he still hasn't been quite able to knock the cough that he's had. I guess it's understandable since the chemo really runs the blood counts down. We continue to try to help his immune system by supplementing his diet with a lot of different vitamins and supplements. We have a couple of different Naturopaths that have been consulting with us since July, after things weren't going so well for Dakoda. Actually, at first Dr. Foreman didn't want us to try using any type of supplements because he felt that they might interfere with the chemotherapy. However, back in July when things were really tough, we decided to add them anyways, and Dr. Foreman hasn't said anything in opposition to our usage of any supplement. The Naturapaths developed a plan of treatment using vitamins and supplements that don't interfere with the chemotherapy.
Please keep up the prayers for Kode's upcoming MRI on the 16th. Thank you so much. The Lord continues to bless him!
Sunday, December 8th, 2002
Sorry it's been a while since I've updated the journal. It's been a very busy week with Dakoda and Madi being sick, the holiday season upon us and I also had reserve drill this weekend.
As I just mentioned, Kode has been a bit sick the past few days with an ear infection and a fever. Since the fever hasn't gone over 101 degrees he hasn't had to be hospitalized. Tracee took him to Oncology on Friday and his blood counts were much better than expected, as they jumped considerably higher since Monday.
After his appointment on Friday the Make-A-Wish Foundation had a special gift shop for the kids and they were able to pick out gifts for themselves and also gifts they can give their family members. Tracee said that when Dakoda went in the Make-A-Wish shop he got a great reception from the Make-A-Wish people, as they all were glad to meet him in person because of the donated backpacks, cameras and gifts he collected at his party in September! So, thanks again to everyone that donated items at Kode's party! They were very, very appreciative of all of your gifts! And, thanks again to Betty Hepp for coordinating everything so well!
Dakoda slept well last night, and as the day progressed he started feeling better. So, it looks as though after taking the past few weeks off of school he'll head back again tomorrow. Although he's gotten to watch a ton of the Cartoon Network, I know he always looks forward to getting back to school and seeing his friends.
Thank you for the continued support and prayers for Dakoda and the rest of the kids in need. God bless!
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2002
Kode just took his last Temazolomide for this round of chemo, and has six days left of the VP16. Again he's handling it quite well overall. His blood counts have dropped very quickly this time, so he's just been laying low and has stayed home from school this week. Actually, he hasn't been in school much at all these past few weeks due to all the stuff that's been going around. It looks as though he's making progress against the cold that he's had lately. Although he hasn't been in school much, he's been doing well staying on top of most of his school work. His attitude, as always, continues to be great!
Since Kode is doing so well, he's going to sign up for winter league basketball at the YMCA! He's played the past two years, so he's really excited to play again. We know since he hasn't been able to participate in any other sport this year, that physically, he may be a bit behind the other kids. But, we know he'll have a great time getting back out there with his friends!
Please keep Chase in your prayers for a positive MRI on Thursday. He is another very brave boy on our prayer list battling a brain tumor. As with Dakoda's friend Erin, we would like to encourage you to visit his website at www.caringbridge.com/ga/chasesmiracle. One of these days, when I find some more time, I hope to add links for other brave warriors battling cancer to Dakoda's website.
This is such a great time of the year, with all the hope and joy of Christmas! It's a time of wonder and miracles, and as always, we hold strong to the faith that the Lord is providing us with a miracle in Dakoda's healing! Thank you for the continued prayers and support!
Blessings to you and your loved ones for this wonderful holiday season!
Friday, November 29th, 2002
We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. We are so thankful for our blessings this year. Yes, it's been a long and difficult year, but, Dakoda continues to do well, although, he has come down with a rash like he had a few weeks ago and is also being bothered by some earaches. He hasn't quite been able to shake a cold he has had for the past month, so, we think it may have turned into a sinus infection which may also be the cause of his earaches. We called the clinic today, as Kode is scheduled to begin his next round of chemotherapy tonight. They told us that it was ok for him to start this round because he hasn't been running a fever.
Tracee took Dakoda and Madi out to Hubbard's house in Byers today, to relax for a couple of days before the big holiday rush. I'll be working extra days this month, so I hope to stay on top of Kode's journal entries all right.
As I mentioned, Kode starts his new round of chemo tonight. Once again, this one will last eleven days. He will have his next MRI on December 16th, so please keep up the great prayers for healing. We KNOW that the Lord hears all of our prayers, and continues to bless Dakoda with extra strength and healing! Thank you all so very much!
God bless!
Wednesday, November 25th, 2002
Dakoda had his appointment with Dr. Foreman at Oncology today. Everything is looking good. His blood counts are looking good, so he'll start his next round of chemo this week. Dr. Foreman moved the start date to the 29th due to Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving will be so much more meaningful to us this year, with how well Dakoda is doing! Dr. Foreman said today, that Dakoda is looking even better! We give thanks to the Lord everyday for Kode's healing and strength!
Kode and I got to go to the Broncos game Sunday night, courtesy of my employer, Trice Jewelers. However, thanks to Miles the mascot, our seats were upgraded to a suite because of the snowy cold weather! Dakoda was so excited since we got to meet some of the former Bronco players! We had a great time, and Miles even came up to visit Dakoda in the third quarter! Miles and his coordinator Joel, along with a lot of other Broncos staff and players have been so thoughtful and supportive of Dakoda as he's battled this year.
Dakoda and Madi have been busy tonight making boxed lunches that will be given to a homeless shelter this week. It's part of one of the annual projects that MPB does every holiday season for the less fortunate. I think it's great for the kids, as it helps to teach them about caring and generousity towards others.
Thanks for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of the kids and adults on our prayer list. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 20th, 2002
Dakoda was back in school for the past two days, but, for only half days. We continue to be a bit cautious due to all the stuff that goes around this time of year. But, it's ok, he's staying on top of his school work with little trouble.
He finally lost his other top front tooth yesterday. I swear that one was loose for six months! He didn't even have to pull it out...he was eating his lunch and swallowed it! Fortunately, the tooth fairy paid him a visit anyway! Ka-ching!
Just to keep you up to date with Dakoda's treatment, he is scheduled to begin his next round of chemotherapy on November 28th and have his next MRI on December 16th. How long will he continue with the chemo? Unfortunately, we don't really know since there is no set protocol for his treatment yet. We pray that he continues to do well on this treatment and that it will eventually be the cure for his cancer, and other forms of brain cancer.
Please keep Dakoda in your prayers along with Erin, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Debbie, Jacob, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, Quinton, Steve and Jim. They are all so brave and courageous! We ran into Colleen at church couple of weekends ago, and she is doing very well and is handling her chemotherapy extremely well also! We know the Lord is listening to all of our prayers, and we thank you all for your continued efforts in prayer and in your words of encouragement via Dakoda's guestbook and our e-mail.
May the Lord bless you and your families with special moments this holiday season! We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday!
Sunday, November 17th, 2002
Dakoda has had a good week, although he stayed home from school the entire week. We were being cautious, due to his counts being low. He has an Oncology appointment tomorrow and will likely miss school once again, however, he will probably head back on Tuesday.
Tonight is his last night of chemo for this round! Once again he has handled the drugs very well. The Lord continues to bless him with extra strength to battle each day! We are continually amazed!
In anticipation of a very special Christmas this year we got an early start on putting up our Christmas decorations! As usual, I will be working a ton of hours in December, and decided to get things going today, in hopes of relieving some extra stress during the holidays. Dakoda is so excited for Christmas this year, but, what's new? He loves this season!
Please continue extra prayers for Erin's Uncle Steve, as his latest tests were not as good as they had hoped. He has a wife and two small children, and needs our prayers. You can get to his website by cliking onto Erin's and then clicking onto his site.
God bless!
Monday, November 11th, 2002
Just a quick update tonight due to the late hour.
Dakoda is doing well, but, has been fighting off the same cold he's had for the past couple of weeks. We've kept him home from school the past couple of days due to his blood counts dropping and because a few of his classmates have come down with strep. Tonight he finished taking his Temazolomide for this current round of chemo and has six days left of the VP16.
We've been taking it pretty easy this past week since we want Dakoda to keep rested. However, we did go to lunch at Red Robin yesterday and went to see Spy Kids II afterwards. Dakoda was so excited to go to Red Robin since we haven't been there in a few months.
I can't remember if I mentioned that Kode got his report card last week, but, just in case I didn't, he has done very well so far this year. He got almost all excellents with a few S+'s! He's even done that with missing sixteen days of school. It's been great seeing him back in school this year with his friends as he missed being with them last semester.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and our family. One last thing...Please keep Erin's Uncle Steve in your prayers this week, as he has some important testing to how effective his treatment has been in his battle with esophageal cancer.
Peace!
Wednesday, November 6th,2002
***New pictures in photo album***Wow! What a difference from July to now. You can tell how hard the high-dose chemotherapy was on him. He got even thinner after that picture was taken! Thank God he is looking and feeling so much better now!
Dakoda made it back to school today! He missed yesterday, Monday and last Friday with a cold and rash. The rash has gone away, but he's still working on getting rid of the cold. It looks like he will start his next round of chemotherapy tomorrow. Like last round, this one will be for eleven days. His blood counts were good on Monday, but, we're still worried with him having this cold, as he is very suseptable to pnemonia throughout chemotherapy treatment.
He lost a top front tooth today. That one has been loose since the bottom two fell out early this summer! I forgot to mention in my last entry that Dakoda had his first hair cut in close to a year on Friday! I will be posting new pictures tomorrow, so you'll be able to see how well his hair has grown back. Like his friend Erin, it's not really a big deal at all to Dakoda and most of the kids that they lose their hair. In fact, I don't think he's hardly ever mentioned it! They are so beautiful either way!
Please pray for more great success with this upcoming round of chemotherapy tomorrow.
God bless!
Monday, November 4th, 2002
Sorry for the lack of updates this past week. Unfortunately this will be a short one, but, I'm glad to have at least a minute to update anyway.
It was a busy week with several Halloween celebrations, a bon voyage dinner out with the Madkins family as they are moving to Texas, and with my Naval Reserve drill weekend.
Dakoda's been a bit sick with a cold the past five or six days and has also been battling a rash or hives of some type the past couple of days. Dr. Foreman checked him out this morning at his Oncology appointment and said he saw another child last week with the same type of symptoms. He feels that it may be a virus or perhaps reaction from a cough medicine we've given Kode the past couple of days. Unfortunately due to Kode being sick he has missed a few days of school and a couple of his friends birthday parties.
Dakoda was scheduled to begin another round of chemo today, but, since he's got that rash we'll have to wait until at least Wednesday. His blood counts were good today so hopefully he'll be good to go by then.
Have to cut the update short tonight, but, should be back up to speed for updates within a couple of days. Thanks so much for checking in on Dakoda, and for the continued prayers and support.
God bless!
Tuesday, October 29th, 2002
It's snowing here in Denver today, and after this past summer I'm not going to complain about any cold weather or snow. We need a lot of moisture this coming winter and spring to help with the drought. Ok, that's it for the weather update. Now for Dakoda....
Dakoda missed school yesterday as he has every Monday it seems due to his appointments being scheduled Monday mornings. He also missed today due to soreness in his right ankle and/or achilles tendon. It's been bothering him for the past four or five days, so, he had it x-rayed yesterday for possible infection, fortunately, that turned up negative. We think he probably twisted or injured it somehow playing soccer or kickball at school. He's been very active during recess! It's so wonderful to see him playing with his friends again! Although his physical abilities have been affected, he still gets out there and has a good time running around and being a kid! We continue to pray for a full recovery, and that his body and physical abilites will once again return to the levels they were prior to last year. We remain confident in the Lord!
Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
Saturday, October 26th, 2002
Dakoda has had a very good week with the great MRI and a full week of school. He also completed this round of chemo a couple of nights ago! He'll have a short break for about a week and a half from the chemo and will begin his next round on November 4th. He finished the week off with Trick or Treat Street at his school tonight. Kode was dressed as Woody, and Madi was dressed as Jessie from Toy Story. They looked great as did all the other kids. You can tell the parents put a lot of effort into the costumes as this night is Halloween for many of the kids!
As I type this entry tonight I'm watching one of my favorite movies, Gladiator. As I watch it I can't help but think that Dakoda, Erin, Miss Julie, Jacob, Gage and all the other kids and adults on our prayer list, along with many others battling cancer are much like the Gladiator, in that, they are all battling so fiercely for their lives, but, they're doing it everyday! They are all brave and courageous, and giving it everything they have each and every day. Their treatments are more times than not, years in length, if they even have the good fortune to have a set protocol of treatment. Their bodies not only endure the pain from their illnesses, but, also the poisons of chemotherapy and radiation. My admiration goes to all of these courageous souls for their bravery everday!
Please keep them all in your prayers!
God bless!
Tuesday, October 22nd, 2002
Great news! Dr. Foreman confirmed that Dakoda's MRI showed significant improvement since his last one! We are so excited today as our hopes once again increase! As you know, we were even more confident going into this MRI, due to how well Dakoda has been doing since the end of August. Although his MRI is looking better, he still has a lot of of work to do, as he will continue with his treatment. He has two more days left on this round of chemo and is scheduled to start his next round on November 4th. His next MRI will be scheduled sometime in December.
After looking at the scans from this MRI, Dr. Foreman isn't sure wether the bad MRI in July was due to tumor regrowth or swelling from the radiation Kode had back in March, April and May. As I mentioned back then, the only way they could be reasonably sure was to perform another biopsy, which was too risky, as he's had two already. We were hoping at that time the increase in size was really due to swelling, but, either way right now doesn't matter so much since it's decreased in size! We will talk with Dr. Foreman in more detail later this week after he has more time to review all the scans. We will keep you posted.
The Oncology unit was way busy today, but, while we were waiting we ran into Jacob and his parents! As you may already know, Jacob is one of the brave kids on our prayer list. He's looking great, even after being in the hospital a couple of days last week for pheumonia! Please continue to pray for him along with Dakoda, Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Colleen, Danielle, Gage, Debbie, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, Quinton, Steve and Jim.
God bless!
Monday, October 21, 2002 at 10:56 PM (CDT)
Since Dakoda's MRI was in the evening we have gotten no official word on his MRI from Dr. Foreman. However, I did get a glimpse of it and it definitely looks like it has shrunk even more than the last MRI!!! Praise the Lord! We look forward to reviewing the MRI with Dr. foreman in the morning! I will update again tomorrow night with more and better information of Kode's MRI!
Thank you so much for the prayers for Dakoda, we KNOW they truly play a huge part in helping him in this battle!
God bless!
Monday, October 21, 2002 at 02:42 AM (CDT)
For those of you that wondered what happened to Kode's website the past couple of days, the problem was that Caringbridge had temporarily archived the site for some updating purposes. It had me baffled as well, as I was starting to think that the site was somehow erased. Thanks for the e-mails concerning the site!
Dakoda had a good week last week, although he missed a couple days of school due to some early morning vomitting. And, although he has missed some school, he is doing very well in all facets of school! His new friends, Miles and Tamara, of the Denver Broncos came to visit his class at school this week! For those of you that don't know who they are, Miles is the Mascot and Tamara is one of the Bronco cheerleaders!
Tomorrow, Monday evening, Dakoda will have another MRI at 5:00pm. As with past MRI's we are anxious, however, since he is doing so well right now we are very confident of good results! Please keep him in your prayers tomorrow for positive results.
We have been very blessed throughout this ordeal to have received such great support for Dakoda from so many people throughout the country. As you can see by the recent entries in Kode's guestbook, the number of people praying for Dakoda continues to grow! But, not just for Kode, as most everyone that checks out Kode's website also learns of Erin's, Miss Julie's and many other brave warriors batting cancer. Thank you for sharing his website with others. All these courageous warriors and their families need support and prayers to aid in their battles. We know the prayer helps greatly!
We will let you know the results of Kode's MRI as quickly as possible! Thanks again for the support and prayers! God bless!
Tuesday, October 15, 2002 at 03:10 AM (CDT)
Dakoda's blood counts are down as we expected, however, they were high enough to start his new round of chemotherapy tonight. This round will last eleven days this time as opposed to eight days the last couple of rounds. It's seems as though the first day is his hardest, so if all goes well he will still be in school tomorrow, but, I will take him in later in the morning. Dakoda came by work this afternoon and visited for a few minutes while waiting for me. Since they don't see him everyday, they were impressed to see how well he is doing and how much his hair has grown back. We were able to spike his hair up in front a bit this morning! He hasn't been able to do that since February! That was the first thing that Bridgette mentioned at the Oncology clinic this morning! Bridgette is apart of the administrative staff at the Oncology unit and sees Dakoda every time we're there for appointments. All the staff, administrative and medical, get to know the kids real well, as they spend so much time there. It's comforting to see familiar faces when we go in, and they treat the kids great.
As you know we periodically post the names of children and adults that need our prayers for strength and healing. Good news to report about a couple of the kids! Our friend Jacob Cohen had clean scans today! He has some more later this week, so please continue to pray for him and his family. Jeffery, who was hit by a car in August, is doing very well from what we've heard! Dot, although having had surgery for her breast cancer, is doing very well also! She came by work last week to visit for a bit, and shared with me about what has transpired in her treatment since we last spoke. She has gone through a lot of life changing things these past few months since being diagnosed, but, her attitude remains fantastic! She, along with all the other brave people fighting cancer, are so amazing! Please continue to pray for great results from this new round of chemo for Dakoda, and please, continue to pray for Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Debbie, Jacob, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, Quinton, Steve and Jim. It also looks like Gage's scans came back clean last week also! He is such a sweet boy. We had finally gotten a chance to meet him and Jacob, along with some other of these brave kids a couple of months ago at a fund raiser Jacob's dad puts on for Children's Hospital. Steve, on our prayer list happens to be Erin's Uncle. He, along with his family, need our prayers as he was recently diagnosed with Esophical cancer and is currently in high-dose therapy, both chemo and radiation!
Thank you for your continued support and prayers. The Lord has blessed us with you!
Friday, October 11th, 2002
Dakoda starts his next round of chemotherapy on Monday. The oral chemo has been easier on him since it's spread out over a longer period of time. What's really nice about this treatment is that Dakoda can lead a lot more normal life style compared to the first six months. He's been able to go to school three to four days per week! After being diagnosed in January, he went to school for one full day and only a handful of half days. He's so happy to be with his friends again! Although he still feels the affects of the chemo drugs and gets tired around 7:30 every night, he continues to stay busy with trying to attend his normal activities, as he had a cubscout meeting tonight and will have a couple more next week. I know he really wants to get signed back up for basketball this season! It's fantastic to see his desire to get out and do everything like normal! He's amazing, even when he's feeling poorly, he still stays focused on positive things!
Again, I apologize for not updating his journal as regularly as I'd like to. However, I'm beginning to make some head way on all the bills, and I should be able to be a bit more regular on the updates soon.
God bless!
Monday, October 7th, 2002
Sorry about the lack of updates lately. It seems as though the lack of sleep over the past nine months has been catching up to me these past few weeks.
Dakoda had his weekly Oncology and Occupational therapy appointments this morning. Everything continues to look good right now. This past week he has been able to extend his right hand almost fully over his head! That's a big improvement, as he hasn't been able to do that in a long time! He will start another round of chemotherapy next Monday. This next round is scheduled to be for a period of eleven days instead of eight as he has had the past two rounds. He should have his next MRI about a week or so after this next round is completed.
For all of our friends in Maryland...please be carefull in light of what's going on right now. We are concerned for your safety. It really hits home for me, as I grew up in Bowie. Our thoughts and prayers are with you...
Peace
Thursday, October 3rd, 2002
Dakoda's hair is growing back in nicely right now. Apparently the oral chemo drugs haven't affected his hair very much. The puffiness in his face, caused by the steroids, is almost all gone as well. He's so amazing, in that, the only thing that has bothered him about any of the treatment is that his face got all puffy, his loss of hair really didn't affect him at all! It's so wonderful to see how well he is doing at this time! However, since he is doing well right now, it's a bit deceiving....as I've had some people ask me if Dakoda was all better now. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Yes... he is doing better, however, as of the last MRI the tumor, is still there. He still has a lot work to do, and definitly still needs lot's of prayers and support.
Since I'm falling asleep at the wheel as I type, I need to cut this entry short. Thank you for all the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of our family!
God bless!
Monday, September 30th, 2002
Dakoda just took his last VP16 for this round! Once again he has handled the oral chemo nicely, and continues to do well!
Kode had his Oncology and Occupational therapy appointments today, and everything is looking good! His Occupational therapist told Tracee that it looks as though Kode has made some improvements since his last visit a couple of weeks ago! His blood counts have fallen as usual due to the chemo drugs. Again, as in the past rounds, we will have to monitor his counts closely and be careful he doesn't catch an infection of some type. He continues to amaze us with his great attitude and strength!
Just a short entry tonight. Thanks for checking in on Kode, and thanks for the continued support and prayers!
God bless!
Friday, September 27th, 2002
***New Pictures in the Caringbridge Photo Album!***
Dakoda has had a good week. He just finished the Temazolomide for this round and has 3 more days of the VP16 remaining. For the most part he has handled the chemo drugs very well again. He threw up on the first day and some this morning, however, it normally doesn't last long because of the addition of Zofran. The Zofran is an anti-nausea medicine, and works well for Dakoda. His attitude continues to be amazingly good, and he is very happy to be back in school and being able to spend time with his friends!
The Radiologist Oncologist, Dr. Gasper, talked to Tracee and told her that she had consulted with both, Dr. Foreman and Dr. Winston (Dr. Winston is Kode's Neurosurgeon). They feel it would be a good idea to move the next MRI from two months out to a closer date of about five weeks from this last one on Monday. We are happy to hear that news. Dr. Gasper also said that they felt that doing one single high-dose Gamma Knife procedure may be a bit too risky and not as effective as another procedure they are experimenting with. If it comes to it, they would prefer to do three days of lower dosage which will cover more area than a Gamma Knife type of procedure. It sounds like a reasonable plan of action if we need to go to it. Right now they want to put that on hold until we see how effective this chemotherapy combination works with Kode. So far, so good! Please continue to pray for positive results, as he is doing very well right now, however, he's got a long way to go.
Thank you for your continued prayers!
Peace and many blessings!
Wednesday, September 25th, 2002
Today we had a couple of meetings at Fitzsimmons with the Radiologist Oncologist. We looked at all of Dakoda's MRI's and are trying to determine wether or not to add some more radiation therapy. It looks as though we're leaning toward trying to get another MRI in a couple of weeks instead of waiting until his scheduled MRI in November, as to help stay on top of any possible changes. We're trying to be more proactive and aggressive concerning Dakoda's treatment, but, still trying to be as safe as possible.
Sorry, just a quick note tonight. Please continue to pray for Dakoda and the rest of the kids fighting cancer.
God bless!
Monday, September 23, 2002 at 09:20 PM (CDT)
Today Dakoda is updating the first paragraph of the journal entry with the help of his dad!
Today was great! I had an MRI and my tumor is shrinking! And upstairs in his office, my doctor showed me the MRI pictures, and he showed me where it looks like it is breaking apart! So I might be able to play football next year! So, that was great! Thank you for your prayers, but, please continue to pray, because, we still have work to do.
Wow!!! Alleluhia!!! We are so thrilled!!! The MRI was so much better than the last two! We were confident that this one would be better due to how well he has improved over the past three and half weeks. The Lord continues to bless him with extra strength and a fantastic attitude for this battle! The tumor has shrunk significantly in size, almost as much as in May! As Dakoda said, we still have work to do, as he starts another round of oral chemotherapy tonight. We also have an appointment with the Radiologist Oncologist on Wednesday morning at Fitzsimmons. This will help us further decide how to continue his treatment. We will let you know what they have to say about the possibility of additional radiation on Wednesday.
Thank you so much for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of our family! It all means so much to us!
God bless!
Saturday, September 21st, 2002
Dakoda had a great time on his tour of INVESCO Field on Thursday! Thanks to Joel, Tamara, Shawna, Andre and of course Miles the mascot for showing him such a nice time! Joel is the coordinator for Miles, and he took the new pictures with a his digital camera and e-mailed them to me to post the same day! It's hard to tell what part Kode liked best about the tour. I think it's a toss up between getting to meet Tamara (Broncos cheerleader in photo #1), getting to ride on a 4-wheeler with Miles, or playing some catch on the field. (I think getting to meet Tamara was his favorite, but, he's not admitting it!). Check out the new pictures in his Caringbridge album!
Tracee, Dakoda and Madi went to spend the weekend with Hubbard in Byers so Hubbard could watch Kode and Madi while I worked and Tracee was to have training, but, Kode ended up having a fever and Tracee had to take Kode to Childrens Hospital to be checked, and for some IV antibiotics. He's doing fine now, but, we have to be very careful so he doesn't get real sick with his blood counts being down.
Please remember Kode has his MRI on Monday. We need to be there at 6:45am, so please add some extra prayers for good results starting Sunday! We are confident that the Lord is blessing him, and this MRI will be much better than the last one!
Thank you for your continued prayers!
Wednesday, September 18th, 2002
***Check out the new pictures from our visit to INVESCO Field!***
Just a quick update tonight, since Madi's been sick the last few days and has been up every couple of hours, and I'm working every day this week.
Before going to school tomorrow, Dakoda will be taking a tour of Invesco Field at Mile High! Some people in the front office for the Bronco's heard about Dakoda and offered to give him an upclose tour of the facility! How cool is that? We continue to be blessed by the kindness and support of many people! Everything is so greatly appreciated! Even the things that people think are small all add up to a great amount of support. The words of encouragement, prayers, hugs, rides to and from games for Jord, baby sitting etc...! The time commitment required for Dakoda's appointments has been overwhelming, fortunately, he currently has fewer appointments, so that has eased some stress! The oral chemo has been huge as far as cutting down on time at the hospital and it's also been easier on him physically so far, since it's spread out over a longer period of time! We are also fortunate to have Tracee's mom to help out with Madi, and especially in pinches like today. Both Tracee and I had to work, so Hubbard (Tracee's mom) was able to take Madi to the doctors for us. We are also very fortunate to have the support of our co-workers at MPB and Trice. I feel terrible for the people that are in the same situation as we are, but, don't have good support of their co-workers or employers. Unfortunately, I've met a few families that are experiencing some difficulty at work. It's a shame! I hope these people never have to experience the hardships of caring for a child with cancer or any other type of life-threatening illness!
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of our family!
Peace!
Monday, September 16th, 2002
Dakoda had an oncology appointment this morning, and after that he had his occupational therapy appointment. I left after the oncology appointment to head to work, and on the way I stopped by to pick up portraits we had taken through the Children's Legacy. The've been taking portraits of children with life threatening illnesses and publishing their pictures and their stories for a number of years now. We are fortunate to have had ours done, because it looks as though the owner of the studio will be closing that portion of her business due to lack of funding at the end of this year. The pictures turned out great, and we'll put some on the Caringbridge photo album soon!
Dakoda continues to do well right now, and we are looking forward to his upcoming MRI next Monday. With how well he has been doing the past few weeks were are confident that this MRI will be better than the last. Please continue to pray for good results for him and the rest of the brave children and adults we have on our prayer list.
Thank you for checking in on Kode, and following his progress. As you can tell it's truly been an up and down ride these past 8 months.
Dakoda's friend Erin has just completed her first year of treatment for her Leukemia. She has fourteen more months to go until completion if all continues to go well. I was talking to her mom the other night, and we thought, how strange it is to be at the anniversary of Erin's diagnosis...what does someone say? Normally it's congratulations, you've been married for so many years, or you've worked for a company for so long, etc...Normally you think of an anniversary as something nice! However, this type of anniversary isn't even anything I'd wish on my worst enemy. Howver, we have to stay positive that one day our children will be cured of their illnesses!
Bod bless!
Friday, September 13th, 2002
What an emotional week. I can hardly believe that it's already the anniversary of 9-11. What a tragic day in our history. I know I will never forget that day and how I felt watching everything going on that day, and the months following, until Dakoda was diagnosed. Then BAM! Again! For us, we had no idea that things could be even worse! As horrifically tragic as 9/11/01 was for us and our country, the shock and horror of 1/23/02 for our family was beyond that of 9-11. That's the best way that I can describe our emotions and feelings of Kode's diagnosis. People, and especially parents can sympathize with our situation, and we appreciate that. People say that they just can't imagine the pain and anguish that we as parents feel because of this ordeal. I pray that no other parents will ever have to go through this, or will ever be able to empathize with our plight. Unfortunately, I have met and know of other parents that can truly empathize with us. Some have already lost their children....and that is the biggest tragedy of all....losing an innocent child to something beyond our control. We as parents strive everday to protect our children and raise them in safe environments and to show them our love, and to have something like this happen is truly incomprehensible. So, with that said, on behalf of Tracee, we thank all of you for your understanding, support and prayers for Dakoda and the rest of our family. You have been such a great source of comfort throughout this ordeal.
Except for Monday, Dakoda was at school all this week with his friends. Since I work just a couple of blocks away from Kode's school I have the good fortune of being able to visit him on occasion during recess. And to watch him playing with his friends and classmates again brings such a fantastic inexplicable feeling of joy to me and Tracee. He is so courageous and is working so hard battling this illness, yet trying to keep his life as normal as possible. I have learned so much from him these past 8 months. The Lord has certainly blessed us with Dakoda in our lives!
Thank you again for the prayers and support for Dakoda. Please keep Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Jacob, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, Quinton, Jeffery, Steve and Jim high on your prayer lists. They are all so brave and courageous, and need our help, along with their families.
God bless!
Monday, September 9th, 2002
Sorry we didn't update the journal this past weekend. It was a busy one, and I don't think we've fully recovered from the previous weekend with all of Kode's pals spending the night!
Dakoda had his oncology appointment this morning. His blood counts are looking fairly good right now, however, his white blood cell counts continue to drop due to the chemo drugs. We have to keep a close eye on him, in case he develops a fever. If that happens he will probably have to be admitted to the hospital. He has just one more day of VP16 for this round! He has handled this round of chemo very well, and continues to look great! We thank and praise the Lord everyday for blessing Dakoda with such a great attitude and strength! It's fantastic to watch his strength and physical abilities return closer to his normal levels! I would say that his physical abilities have returned to about 85% of his normal level, if not more! He looks much better than he did even two weeks ago! The puffyness in his cheeks, caused by the steroids, has gone down considerably as well. He has been running around at the hospital like his normal self this past week! We pray that these combinations of chemo drugs and treatments is the cure for Kode.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Kode and our family!
Peace!
Friday, September 6th, 2002
Ok. We finally got some new pictures on Kode's caringbridge photo album! We took a ton of pictures on vacation, and hope to update his other photo album soon.
Just a quick update tonight as we have company for the weekend. Kode's big sister Brittany is visiting from Nebraska! He's been looking forward to her visit all week long!
Dakoda has shown some excellent progress these past two weeks! He is using his right arm and hand much more, and his arm is going back to it's natural position and movement! We thank the Lord for blessing him with such strength to fight this battle! He is also handling this round of chemo very well! He has only missed one day of school! He finishes the Temazolomide tomorrow, but will still have the VP16 for 4 more days. We pray that this combination of chemo drugs and the additional natural supplements and vitamins will cure him of his tumor.
Thank you so much for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of our family!
God bless!
Wednesday, September 4th, 2002
Dakoda started his oral chemo last night. He will take it for 8 days this time, and will probably have to wait another 4 weeks until he can do another round. His white blood cell counts were on the border of being too low to begin this round, however, Dr. Foreman gave the go ahead to begin. Dr. Foreman explained that his counts are down due to the chemo, and that the more chemo drugs a person takes, the longer and harder it is for their body to recuperate.
Kode stayed home from school today because he vomited this morning, and we want to make sure that he is handling the chemo well. He has improved this afternon and evening, and will most likely be going to school in the morning.
As I mentioned in a couple of other recent entries, Dakoda has shown good amounts of improvements in the use of his hand and arm. So, we remain confident that he will continue to improve from this round as well! The puffyness in his cheeks is going away, and his appetite is starting to return to normal! His hair is also coming back in, however, there is still a chance that he may lose it again since this round of chemo is longer than the last one. It seems as though his hair is coming back in much darker than what it was originally before we started this ordeal.
Again, we remain confident of his healing and that the Lord is blessing him everyday with extra strength and courage to fight this battle so fiercely! Kode continues to amaze us!
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of our family. We KNOW that it's helping him and us!
God bless!
Monday, September 2nd, 2002
A very busy weekend for Dakoda and the rest of the family. Along with yesterday's event and the sleep over last night, we also had a small birthday party for Madi today, since she turned 3 on August 27th.
Dakoda has an appointment at Oncology in the morning. He will begin another round of oral chemotherapy this week (Temazolomide and VP16). He has responded well to the last round and we pray he continues to do as well with this round. He is scheduled to have his next MRI on September 23rd, and if he continues to progress the way he has this past week and a half, he should have a much better MRI this time! Please pray for his continued improvement.
We added two more names to our prayer
this week, and we hope you will add them as well. Jeffrey Klamut was hit by a car the week we were on vacation. He is a great young man, and he used to attend school at MPB. Ms. Monique's cousin Quinton was just diagnosed with a brain tumor located at the base of his brain and into the brainstem. It looks as though this may be inoperable as well. Please keep them in your prayers along with Dakoda, Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Debbie, Jacob, Gooch, Dot, Kirk, and all others fighting similar battles.
God bless.
Sunday, September 1st, 2002
Wow! What a great turnout for Dakoda's celebration today! We collected a lot of great gifts for other kids going to Give Kids the World and for the Make-A-Wish Foundation! Dakoda's Make-A-Wish Foundation wish grantor, Scott Hamling, attended today as well, so it was so nice to be able to give him so many great gifts for other brave children! We will be sending the rest of the gifts to GKTW this week. Thanks to everyone that was able to attend or donate to the event! We were so happy to see Jacob Cohen and Jamie attend the event today as well! That was a great surprise! They are two other brave kids battling cancer. Both of them are in remission and we pray everyday that they will continue to be in remission and eventually they will be considered cured!
I'm keeping this update brief tonight as we have 12 other 2nd grade boys spending the night tonight! This is another birthday event for Dakoda, since his birthday was so chaotic this year!
Thank you all for the fantastic support for Dakoda, the rest of our family, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and GKTW!
By the way, Dakoda attended the entire week of school this past week! That is great, due to the fact that, Dakoda had only one full day of school after being diagnosed last semester!
Thank you all so very much!
Wednesday, August 28th, 2002
Here's the information on Dakoda's celebration this coming Sunday, September 1st:
Location: Boondocks Fun Center
11425 Community Center Dr.
Northglenn, Co 80233
It's right off 120th ave & I-25. You can see it from the highway if you're going north on I-25 from Denver.
Cost: $5.00 (Boondocks has given us a big break on the price!)
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
RSVP & Questions: Betty Hepp - bhepp@imca.org
Remember this is Kode's birthday wish. To help other kids with life-threatening illnesses. Please bring no gifts for Dakoda. Please donate items to the following organizations:
Make-A-Wish Foundation:
- a backpack with a disposable camera and small photo album inside. These are provided for children before they go on their wish trips.
Give Kids the World:
- childrens movies, toys, rain ponchos or pool toys.
All cash donations will go directly to these organizations.
Thank you for providing only new or unused items.
We hope to see you there! I know the kids will have a great time!
The past 4 or 5 days Dakoda has shown continued improvement each day in the use of his right hand and arm! That is wonderful news! We praise God for these improvements. He continues to bless Dakoda with extra strength for this battle!
Peace.
Monday, August 26th, 2002
I forgot to add something to our story last night that made our rental car/cab ride fiasco quite humorous after the fact. Because of the late hour and long drive from Baltimore to Ocean City, our cab driver was starting to doze off while driving, so I had to drive the cab the last 50 miles or so! Crazy huh?
Dakoda started his first day of 2nd grade today! He was so excited to get back to school and see his friends again! Tracee and I took a few minutes this morning to talk to the kids in the 2nd grade classes and explain a few things about Dakoda's progress and treatment. We wanted to assure the kids that, although Kode hasn't regained the full use out of his arm and leg, he is still the same friend they have known for years. And that he is happy to be able to come back to school, and will continue to participate in as much as he can. He continues to amaze us with his great attitude!
Thanks to our friend Tom Young, Dakoda got to meet John Elway this afternoon! Wow! Kode was so excited to meet one of his heros. He autographed a football for Kode, and it also looks like he may be giving us his luxury box tickets for Thursday's game! How cool it that? We have been so blessed by the phenomenal support we have received from our friends and community! We truly thank you all!
Don't forget the life celebration on September 1st at Boondocks!
Peace!
Sunday, August 25th, 2002
We are back from Ocean City, Md and are getting ready for Dakoda's first day of 2nd grade tomorrow!
The vacation started out rough. We got into Baltimore close to midnight last Sunday night, but, that wasn't the rough part. The rough part was when we went to get our rental car from Avis! I had reserved a car earlier in the week from the Avis office in Lakewood. When I booked the car I told them I'd be glad to pay them in advance, but, they said to just pay for it when we get there. After waiting in line for an hour they said they don't take cash!!! You've got to be kidding me! Last time I rented a car, 13 years ago, they took cash! They only accept credit cards! Unfortunately for us, we left our credit cards at home. They wouldn't even accept us telling them our card number, they had to have a physical swipe of the card! Well to keep it short, the supervisor at Avis said that Budget took cash and told us to go there. Well, you guessed it...they don't take cash either! So after waiting in line and arguing with Avis and Budget for 2 and a half hours we just took a cab to Ocean City! The thing that really got me angry was that they saw Dakoda and Madi lying around on the luggage, plus I told them of Dakoda's illness, and not one of them had the b.... to bend their rules!
Well we finally got to Ocean City at 5:00 am Monday morning and slept for a while. Fortunately we told the manager of the Children's House by the Sea that we would be in late that night, and they left us a key to the apartment. When I got up, I went straight to the managers office to check in, and what a suprise...Erin and her family were in the office! That was totally unexpected! They were there, along with some other families for a breifing of activities and rules. Since they hadn't seen a car in the parking lot, they thought we hadn't arrived, so I think they were just as surprised to see me when I walked through the door!
Well, we had a great week playing in the ocean and spending time with the Phillips family! We played some putt putt golf, rode go karts, parasailed, and went to the boardwalks at Ocean City and Rehoboth Beach. The Grant-A-Wish Foundation treated us wonderfully, they even had a BBQ one day for all the kids and families! Thank God for the Phillips family, they chauffeured us around for the first couple of days and were able to rent us a car! We are so glad to have met them, and to have their company for the entire week!
Dakoda felt good for most of the week, except for Tuesday. He came off the steroids on Monday, and had a headache while we were at dinner Tuesday night. We think that was mainly due to him being tired and not having a nap that day. We gave him one dose of the steroids to ease the pain,and then he feel asleep at the table. that was the only time he had a headache, and we didn't have to give him any more steroids for the rest of the week! He has shown a bit more improvement in the use of his right arm the past couple of days!
Dakoda is excited to start school again tomorrow, and to get to hang with his friends again. He has a couple more appointments tomorrow, and perhaps a surprise visit to see a major celebrity here in Denver! I will let you know tomorrow!
Thank you for the continued prayers while we were gone!
God bless!
Sunday, August 18, 2002
We are off to Ocean City, Md thanks to the Grant-A-Wish Foundation. We are very fortunate and blessed that we have this opportunity. We are looking forward to some great fun with Erin and her family! Please continue to pray for healing for Kode and Erin, and the rest of the children and adults who battle cancer.
Don't forget the big celebration at Boondocks on September 1st. We would love to have you attend and help us celebrate life and help us help other kids through donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Give Kids the World.
We will try to update this page this week if we have access to a computer. For our MPB family, Betty Hepp has placed it in the bulletin at church today and for the kids at the MPB School, there should be a flyer at school next week.
God bless!
Thursday, August 15th, 2002
Just a brief update tonight.
Dakoda will finish his current round of chemo tomorrow. He's had this entire round at home and it has been in oral form. He has handled it very well so far, but, we do expect to see his blood counts and energy levels go down by next week sometime. While we are visiting Erin we will still need to go to a hospital there to get his blood levels checked. He is so excited to be going on this trip. The Grant-A-Wish Foundation, which is different than the Make-A-Wish Foundation, is providing us with free lodging for the week in Ocean City, Md! The Foundation owns some properties, and provides these properties at no charge for children fighting life threatening illnesses. We are all looking forward to some well deserved relaxation and fun in the sun!
Tomorrow is the big Golf Tournament and Dinner, benefiting the Denver Children's Hospital, which is being put on by the parents of one of the other brave kids we pray for every day. Jacob Cohen is his name. From what I understand, Jake's dad has actually been doing this for sometime now, and I think even before Jake was diagnosed with his cancer. We will not be attending the golf tournament since that was booked up months ago. But, we will be attending the dinner in Boulder tomorrow evening!
Kode has an Oncology appointment in the morning to check his blood counts and to see how he's handling this phase of treatment. Please pray for good results for tomorrows appointment and that he handles the travel well this weekend.
Peace be to you!
Wednesday, August 14th, 2002
Ok, we're feeling better today since I spoke with Dr. Foreman this morning! He said that the spasms are most likely being caused by some edema around the tumor, due to the Temazolomide working on the tumor. Thank God! That definitely is some relief, although, having to watch Kode go through such discomfort is extremely difficult and worrisome. I can't even explain how difficult it is to watch Dakoda go from being so perfectly healthy in every way, to watching him have to fight his own body to open his right hand or keep his arm down in a natural position. Dakoda was blessed with very good coordination and balance, and has always picked up new physical skills quickly. I know that this is very frustrating for him, but, he truly has handled this ordeal with great spirit and attitude, and continues to fight like a warrior! We are in awe of him everyday! We remain confident that the Lord is healing him, and continue to pray for his full recovery.
Thank you so much for the continued prayers!
Tuesday, August 13th, 2002
Tonight I'm concerned with what is happening to Kode's right leg and foot. He is having cramps in both. I've noticed the past couple of days some slight cramping or spasms in his right foot, but, not to the severity as tonight. They don't seem to hurt him, however, it still worries me. He has been riding his bike a lot the past 4 days, and maybe it's due to the fact that his muscles had atrophied from his last round of high-dose chemo. We called the on call doctor tonight at Children's, and I explained what was going on, and he thought it wasn't due to the tumor, but, he said to make sure we talk to Dr. Foreman about it tomorrow. He also consulted with another doctor that is a little more familiar to Dakoda's history. That has eased our minds a bit, but, it's still an on going battle with our thoughts and emotions. Other than that, Dakoda is doing well! His attitude is fantastic, he's had no headaches, he's handling the new chemo drugs well, and he still tries to do everything as normal! We continue to be in awe of his spirit and determination! The Lord has truly blessed him with extra strength for this battle!
Dakoda is so excited for our trip this next week, and for his upcoming party on September 1st!
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of the children and adults in need of healing!
God bless!
Saturday, August 10th, 2002
Just a quick update tonight!
Kode continues to amaze us! Although he hasn't regained full function of his right hand and arm, he still continues to push himself hard in his physical activities! Take a look at one of the new pictures of him climbing the wall a couple of weeks ago at the Kids Cure Race! As a matter of fact, the past couple of days he has really turned up his activity level! Just today he was at the pool with his buddies Michael and Matthew, and when he wasn't there he was riding his bike the rest of the day! Just incredible! The Lord has truly blessed him with additional strength for his battle!
Sorry it's taken so long to place some new pictures in his caringbridge photo album, but, as you can imagine,things have been hectic around here. As soon as Sloan gets back home from vacation we'll get him updating Kode's other photo album as well. I've already mentioned the picture of Kodeman climbing the wall at the race last month, but, you'll also notice the picture of Kode and Madi along with an antique crucifix and life size statue of Mary we had in our house a couple of weeks ago. That was quiet an intense and moving week! The top picture is Kode on his birthday opening his remote control Hummer. Notice how thin he was. No worries right now....due to the steroids, he's packed on close to 15 pounds in a couple of weeks!
Ok, I THOUGHT it was going to be quick!
Please continue to pray for Dakoda, Erin, Miss Julie, Jamie, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Debbie, Jake, Gooch, Dot, Kirk...and for all others in need of healing from this horrible desease.
Peace!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR SEPTEMBER 1st TO SHARE IN DAKODA'S CELEBRATION OF LIFE. IT WILL BE AT BOONDOCKS IN WESTMINSTER. WE WILL POST DETAILS SOON!
Friday, August 9th, 2002
Dakoda's continues to have a busy entertainment schedule right now! I think we're making up for the past 6 months with so much time spent at Denver Children's hospital and Fitzsimmons.
Kode has been wanting to go to a Rockies game this week since the Reds were in town and Ken Griffey Jr. is one of his favorite players. We ended up sitting right behind the Reds dugout, courtesy of Jord's pal, Tyler and his dad! We had a great time, and Kode was so excited, because he got another game ball! We had tickets to tonights game, however, Jord's birthday party at his dad's house took precedence tonight. Kode had a great time playing at the pool, playing some video games and watching a bit of Scooby Doo on AJ's big screen tv! Unfortunately, Kode can't go too far into the water due to his broviac lines. We could tell he really wanted to jump in the water!
Dakoda's attitude is so phenomenal! Even though he is unable to do everything he normally does enjoy doing, he still continues to have fun doing what he can do! He was even out riding his bike with his buddies the past couple of days! He is really looking forward to heading back east to visit Erin and go to the beach!
Unforunately, we are saddened that another of our brave cancer kids, Harry, lost his battle with brain cancer on the 5th. He battled fiercely! Please keep his family in your prayers.
God bless, and keep praying for all the beautiful kids and adults battling cancer everyday!
Wednesday, August 7th, 2002
Ok, we're happy the steroids are making Kode hungry, but, it's getting out of hand now. He's eating almost non-stop now! His body weight was up to 54.5 pounds on monday. I think we're going to have to talk to Dr. Foreman to see if we can cut back on his doseage, although he doesn't get that much right now as it is. Another side affect he is experiencing right now is the facial swelling from the steroids.
We've been trying to do some extra activities lately since Dakoda's not spending much time at the hospital. Tonight we went to Red Rocks with a group of Kode's friends and their mom's and watched a 50's concert then watched Grease on a huge screen they put on the stage. It was way cool! I had to work so I missed the concert, but, made it just in time for the movie. The place was packed! They hold a number of those concert/movie events throughout the summer. It was fun to listen to all these people sing along with the movie! It was a great atmosphere, everyone seemed so polite and friendly. Two thumbs up!
Unfortunately we need to add another name to our prayer list. I just found out that Kirk, who happens to be Kode's pal Jake's grandfather (I hope you got that), has been going through chemotherapy treatment for a while now. He will start Radiation therapy soon.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support!
God bless!
Monday, August 5th, 2002
!!!Hallelujah!!! Dakoda's MRI showed a decrease in the size of the tumor!!! It wasn't a huge difference, but, it was still smaller than what it was on July 18th! We'll take any type of improvement, and continue to pray for the miracles, no matter what size they come! Thank you for the prayers, we know the Lord is listening!!!
Since we have a positive MRI, the next step for Kode will be another round of Temazolomide in addition to adding VP16 next week. Hopefully he will be feeling good for the trip to Fenwick Island for the following week. Actually, I haven't quite cleared the trip with work yet, but, I don't think there should be a problem, as they have been nothing but supportive throughout this ordeal.
After his MRI he had Occupational therapy and then his Oncology appointment. He continues to eat like a big dog, and we can tell by how much weight he has put on in the past 2 weeks! He weighed in today at 54.5 pounds, which is his heaviest weight ever! He was down to about 42 pounds! Although his weight is a little above his normal fightin' weight, he's still quick on his feet! Especially to the fridge!
Please say some extra prayers for Erin, as she starts her maintenance phase tomorrow. For her Uncle Steve who was just diagnosed with stomach cancer. Also, prayers for Christine Thomas, as she was just diagnosed with cancer as well. And, please continue prayers for the families of Darla and Nathan.
Thank you!
God bless!
Sunday, August 4th, 2002
Big day tomorrow! Please, please, be sure to say some extra prayers for a great MRI in the morning! Due to problems with the MRI machine, the Radiology department had to schedule Kode's MRI a couple of days earlier than originally planned. We remain confident of the Lord's healing power, and if it His will, he will bless Dakoda with a full recovery!
Great news concerning a trip back east to visit Erin! We got a call this afternoon from the Grant-A-Wish Foundation, and they told us that there is an opening at one of their beach properties during the same week Erin and her family are scheduled to be there!!! Man, were we excited to hear that!!! Of course we had to say yes, and if all goes well, we will be going the week of August 18th! You should have seen Dakoda's face when we told him of the news!
Please pray for the family of Darla, as she just lost her long battle with cancer on Friday. If I recall correctly, she battled for somewhere close to 10 years. Although we didn't know her personally, her sister-in-law and friend Susie, has told me of what she and her family have been through for these many years....what a courageous woman!
What an ugly desease! All of these brave children and adults who face this desease are so incredible! They truly deserve our prayers and support, as the battles are long and difficult.
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and our family. Please continue to pray for the healing of Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Nathan, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Coleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Harry, Debbie, Jake, Gooch, Dot, and all other people fighting cancer.
Please remember extra prayers for Kode from 10:00 to about 11:30am, Monday morning for a positive MRI!
Thank you and God bless!
After putting in this entry, I checked on some of the other kids who have been battling cancer, and unfortunately, Nathan just lost his courageous battle today. Please keep his family in your prayers at this time, along with Darla's. Far too many people battling this ugly desease!
Thursday, August 1st, 2002
Wow! The most beautiful day of the summer today! We had a cool breeze most of the day along with a good amount of cloud cover throughout the day! And the temp got to only 85 degrees! It made for just a fantastic day!
Dakoda had a full, yet very good day. It began with some holistic healing this morning, then to lunch at Subway. As we were going into Subway we ran into to Mrs. Harper (Kode's hopeful selection as 2nd grade teacher this year) as she was going to exercise at the gym next door. Then a short time later Father Ken walked in, as he was picking up lunch for the folks at the MPB office. (Hey guys, what's up with that? Isn't it Father Ken's birthday today!) We got to see the Crocadile Hunter movie, with Kode's Uncle Steve, and cousins, Ashley, Rachel and Megan! The movie was a very good family movie...two thumbs up! We went to one of Kode's favorite places for dinner....you got it, Red Robin! Then after dinner we went to a great healing service at St. Thomas Moore! They had some great contemporary Gospel music, and the service was very emotional and moving! Deacon Stemper lead the service, which was very fitting as he has experienced a great miracle in his life, as his father, after going through chemotherapy, radiation and a bone marrow transplant with no positive affect, was given little or no chances for survival. After his father attended a healing service at Most Precious Blood about 10 years ago, he was cured of his cancer!
The most incredible thing that happened tonight was the testimony that Dakoda gave tonight at the end of the service. Dakoda asked Deacon Stemper if he could say a few words at the conclusion of the service, and he agreed. Dakoda just had the urge to share something with everyone there, but, we had no idea what he wanted to say. Kode got up there in front of all those people and spoke at the podium, and wasn't a bit nervous! He shared the story of his battle with cancer and how God is curing him of that cancer! What incredible strength and faith! Tracee and I were standing there in amazement, tears running down our faces, watching him share with such ease and confidence, his story! Dakoda continues to amaze us everyday with his strength and courage! The Lord has truly blessed him with an abundance of both, and more!
One more thing I wanted to add to tonight's entry, which we feel gives us confidence that the Lord is hearing and answering our prayers! The following prayer is one that we say everynight during our prayer time, and was requested of the Congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart. We modified it slightly, as we do on a number of prayers, to add more even personalization and meaning:
Lord,
You invite all who are burdened to come to You.
Allow your healing hand to heal Dakoda and Erin.
Touch their souls with Your compassion for others.
Touch their hearts with Your courage and
infinite love for all.
Touch their minds with Your wisdom,
that their mouths may always proclaim Your praise.
Teach them to reach out to You in their need.
Help them to lead others to You by their example.
Most loving Heart of Jesus,
bring them health in body and spirit so that they
may serve You with all their strength.
touch gently these lives which You have created.
Amen.
Tracee looked at me tonight after prayer and said that He has already answered many of our prayers! She's right! Just look at what Kode did tonight, and continues to do everyday!!!
Another young lady we have on our prayer list is Danielle (another great kid we know of through Children's Hospital). Tonight we met a friend of Danielle's at the healing service, and she told us that Danielle needs some extra prayers for healing, both physically and emotionally. Please say some extra prayers for her and her family and friends during this difficult time.
God bless!
Wednesday, July 31st, 2002
I can hardly believe that summer is ending soon! But, I have to tell you, that this is the only summer in my life I've said that I can't wait until it's over! It has been so hot and dry in Denver, and for most of the country for that matter!
Kode had his visit to the Oncology office today. It went well and his blood counts are looking real good! As I mentioned yesterday, if all stays good for this next week he will most likely have the VP16. Unfortunately the MRI machine at Children's Hospital is having some mechanical problems, so we're not sure of the day Kode will have his next MRI. We will let you know as soon as we find out.
Thank you for the continued positive and encouraging guestbook entrys. God bless!
Tuesday, July 30th, 2002
I think Dakoda has put all the weight back on which he lost after that last round of high-dose chemo!!! He continues to eat almost non-stop since he started the steroids. Although he has put on the weight, he still needs to gain back more of the muscle tone which he has lost. His attitude continues to be fantastic, and he continues to be brave with all that he's going through! He truly is incredible!
Tomorrow afternoon we go in for another visit to the Oncology department for a check up and blood counts. I forgot to mention last week that Kode has another MRI scheduled for August 7th. Please pray extra for positive results on that day!
Kode has finished his latest round of Temozolamide, which he handled quite well after a rough first day. If all goes well with his MRI next week, he will do a round of oral VP16, which he will take at home. Unfortunately, with this type of cancer there is no certain protocol he can follow, so we're basically flying by the seat of our pants. The uncertainty of this situation is so difficult, and to be able to focus on anything else is almost impossible. The Lord tells us not to be anxious...it's tough not to be. However, He is right. When we are anxious or worry, it does no good. We still need to be strong and alert to handle the other things that go on everday in our lives. We must remain confident of His power and continue to pray for His blessings and guidance!
Again, we thank you for all the support and prayers for Dakoda and the other children and adults that are battling similar foes! Please add our friend Dot to your prayer list, as she has just found out that she has breast cancer. She begins her long journey of medications and treatment very soon.
Many blessing to you and your loved ones!
Saturday, July 27th, 2002
Dakoda still continues to amaze us no matter what he's going through! As I mentioned in last nights entry, Tracee and Kode participated in the Kid's Cure 5k this morning. But, what amazes me so much, is that Kode actually ran at least half the course!!! Tracee said she had a heck of a time keeping up with him! There were other activities for people to do there as well, and Kode even climbed on the rock wall! Who's tougher? Nobody I know! He said he had a great time out there today!
Tonight he's with Tracee and Madi out at Hubbard's house in Byers. The house is way too quiet! I can't remember the last time they spent the night out there. They also took Zorro (the dog) out there too. Apparently Zorro gets motion sick in the car!!!
God bless!
Saturday, July 27, 2002 at 01:21 AM (CDT)
Whew! It's been such an intense week this week, and it's not even over with! We've had group prayer and Rosary's this week, along with doctors appointments and determining our next step as far as Dakoda's therapy goes. As I said yesterday, we decided what to do with his regular treatment and today we got him started on some alternative therapy as well. It's been so difficult to figure out which way to go with his therapy. We've been going around and around trying to make the best decisions for him.
He has been on steriods since last week, and has been eating like a wild man! 30 minutes after he's done eating a meal he's ready for more! I think he's almost back up to his fighting weight!
He started the Temodar/Temozolmide yesterday. He didn't feel all that well in the afternoon and did vomit once. However, he started feeling better and played with the other kids that came over last evening. We pray he handles this chemo well, and that it also aggressively attacks his tumor and destroys it!
Dakoda still continues to be amazing with his great attitude and with how brave he is! He truly is a superhero!
He got a early morning visit by Chief Whittman of the Denver Police this morning! What a cool way to start the day! He brought by a great photo album of Kode's big day in May!
This morning Dakoda, Tracee and Miss Cathy will be participating in the Kid's Cure run at Inverness Park! Our friend Theresa and her dad got them involved and kindly paid for Kode's and Trecee's entrance fees!
Thank you for all the positive guestbook entries! They have been great!
Peace!
Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 02:35 AM (CDT)
Sorry for the lack of updates this week. It has been so crazy around here, and we've been so tired that we haven't updated the journal like we want to. Tonight will just be another brief entry.
With much thought, we finally have some idea of what our next step will be as far as Kode's therapy. It is interesting how we were going back over Kode's treatment thus far, and looking at what parts looked the most effective and coming up with a long list of questions for Dr. Foreman. It seems as though, what we were sorting out in our thoughts and determing a possible way to go for his therapy, ended up being a type of adult Phase study which Dr. Foreman just learned of, and, ended up telling us about today! As a matter of fact, they were just talking about it as we arrived at the office today. Dakoda will start on the Temodar, which he took during his radiation treatment, and will also take oral VP16 in a week or so. We will probably add some holistic therapy as well, which, we will be looking at more closely over the next few days. When I have more time, I would like to share a more indepth description of the reasons why Dakoda's tumor is so difficult to treat, although, not being able to resect the tumor has definetly been a big draw back in itself.
Tonight we want to thank all of the women that have been to our house the past three evenings for the group Rosary's and prayer sessions. It looks as though there will be one more later this evening (Thursday) at 7:30. It has been amazing how all this has come about and the response has been incredible as well! The ladies of our MPB Parish have been and continue to be so incredibly supportive of Dakoda and our family! Please feel free to come! Although our house is small, we've been able to fit everyone in so far!
Ok, got to get some sleep. Our hope and faith are still strong! They have to be....Kode is depending on our strength, and he continues to be so strong and brave!
God bless!
Monday, July 22nd, 2002
For sure just a quick update tonight!
We had a group Rosary tonight at our house, which was on short notice, but, there was a fantastic turnout, as we had around 25 women show. Our house was packed! As Tracee and some of the other women told me, it was very emotional and they truly felt the presence of Our Blessed Mother! Unfortunately, the hour is late, so Tracee will write about everything in the entry tomorrow.
Peace!
Sunday, July 21st, 2002
Maybe just a quick update tonight, we'll see.
Dakoda and I got to spend some time together yesterday and today. We went to his first scout camp out at the Peaceful Valley Scout camp near Elizabeth. This was something Kode has been looking forward to for half a year. Although it was short, he still had a good time, and I think that it was the perfect length of time for him to go on his first camping excursion without the comfort of his mom going. It is only about an hour or so drive south of Denver, so it wasn't too hard on Dakoda as far as his anxiousness to get there goes. We got there a about 7:15pm, just a few minutes late, but, just in time for dinner! We had the flag ceremony after that and hiked to the HQ where they had a bon fire and skits. However, we left and went back to our tent after just one song, as Kode was tired and he really missed his mom, and the rest of the family! It was so cute, yet it really tugged at my heart as he rode on my shoulders in the dark, and he was saying how, maybe it wasn't such a good idea for us to have gone camping without everyone else. The truth is, I was concerned that it may have not been such a good idea to go after all, since he has still been a bit weak since his last round of chemo. However, we got back to camp, brushed our teeth, hopped into bed and said prayer. Kode slept pretty good last night, and even slept through a couple of really loud sessions of nearby coyotes screaming and yelping! Today was better, as it seems with the daylight comes the easing of anxious feelings and emotions, and the attention goes towards the activities and things at hand. Today, after breakfast, we had crafts then canoeing and then a short nature hike. After that it was lunch then chapel. After chapel we did Kode's favorite activities, as we had archery, BB guns and the obstacle course. He did extremely well, especially, considering the weakness in his right arm and it was his first time shooting with both the bow and arrow and BB gun! I was so proud of him for trying so hard at everything we did at the camp. He was so happy to have spent time at the camp with some of his buddies, and do some challenging activies that are geared toward kids of his age! After camp we met up with the rest of the family and Grandpa at where else....? Red Robin!!! Of course!!! He loves going there, but, he likes the ones over toward our part of town, because, they have better video games!
I hope tomorrow Tracee will share with you about something that has brought her some comfort since Kode's last MRI. Hopefully she will tell you how and why we have a life size statue of The Blessed Mother in our house!
Thank you so much for the awesome notes in Kode's guestbook!!! That's exactly how they need to be!!!
God bless!
Thursday, July 18th, 2002
Unfortunately we have bad news concerning Kode's MRI. After such a positive MRI in May, we are devastated by the results today. The MRI revealed the mass had grown back. Dr. Foreman and Dr. Winston are quite sure that it is tumor growth. There is a very slight chance that it can be nechrosis caused by the radiation. However, Dr. Foreman doubted that would be the case. That is the reason Kode is having the headaches again.
I don't know what to say, except this hurts so very much. We will continue to look at different options, and will discuss in more detail tomorrow with Dr. Foreman.
Please keep Dakoda and the rest of the family in your prayers. We haven't given up hope that the Lord may still provide us with a miracle.
Please, please keep the messages positive as Dakoda continues to read them. We haven't let him know the results of the MRI, because we need for him to stay positive!
God bless!
Thursday, July 18, 2002 at 12:20 AM (CDT)
It is now late Wednesday, or as you can tell by the time line above, very early Thursday morning. Later this morning Dakoda goes in for his MRI, and as I stated last night, the anxiety is running high. Dakoda had a headache on Tuesday, and yesterday (Wednesday) he had a number of brief headaches. Unfortunately, that causes us to worry about things even more. I think that this time it's got us on edge more, because he is still weak from the last round of chemotherapy, and the last MRI was after his radiation therapy, which he handled so well. Plus the original rounds of chemotherapy he bounced back very quickly, and we saw him improve so dramatically from when he was originally diagnosed. Although we are more anxious this time, we still remain confident, and must stay positive for good results. The Lord has blessed Dakoda with amazing results throughout this ordeal!
Dakoda's MRI will be between 10:00 and 11:00am. Please add some extra prayers for him at that time. The Lord has answered our prayers consistantly during this difficult time. Again, we remain confident that He will continue to work His healing miracles on Dakoda!
We will post results of the MRI as quickly as possible.
Peace be to you!
Tuesday, July 16th, 2002
Dakoda's progess has remained the same the past few days. His appetite is getting back close to normal. His energy and strength levels have stayed about the same. Although he was pretty tired tonight. He is so brave and continues to keep a great attitude!
Thursday morning Kode gets his next MRI. I wish I could accurately describe the feelings we have at this moment. Though we are very confident of outstanding results, we are overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions and thoughts. On one hand he has done incredibly well, and on the other, this illness isn't cured by just a quick fix. We know he is battling everyday for his life!!! Can you even imagine it...at such a young age, having to deal with all this crap! People ask how we are doing, and to tell you the truth, it all depends on the day and the minute. If Kode's doing well, we are exstatic. If you were to ask us a couple of weeks ago when he was feeling so bad, we'd almost break down. This has been such an emotional rollercoaster. The torment of having to watch your child go through all this pain is indescribable! Sorry to be sounding off a bit tonight. I've tried to keep our journal entries positive, but, tonight there seems to be some extra tension that needs to be released.
Fortunately we have been blessed to have such phenomenal support from our MPB Parish, Machebeuf and Regis Highschools, co-workers, family members, friends and many caring people we don't even know!
Along with the continued prayers for Dakoda's healing and upcoming MRI, please continue to pray for Erin, Ms. Julie, Hannah, Jaime, Nathan, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Colleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Harry, Debbie, Jacob, Gooch and their families. Especially Nathan and Harry, as things are not looking well for them right now. They are battling fiercely for their lives.
Thank you for your prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of our family!
God bless!
Saturday, July 13th, 2002
Wow! Thanks for all the great birthday wishes for Dakoda! He's had a great day! As I'm typing this entry, Kode, his pal Jake and Madi are still up! Kode got some great gifts today, along with the great birthday wishes! He got to eat his birthday dinner at Red Robin, which he loves! His appetite is really starting to come back strong, as he did some major eating today! We also notice a continued improvement in his energy level as well! From what we were told, it could take as long as 3 months for him to regain his strength and energy. However, watching him today, I would say he should be back to normal in far less time! Once again, the Lord has truly blessed him with such strength during this entire ordeal!
Again, thank you for the incredible support for Dakoda! All the notes and prayers go along way in helping him to fight this battle! He is strong and his attitude is remarkable!
God bless!
Saturday, July 13, 2002 at 04:15 AM (CDT)
Kode's big day is here! And...he's already been up opening a couple of gifts! What a punk!:) We just got him back into bed a bit ago. Actually he has been napping during the day to help heal his body, but, today he didn't get one, so he feel asleep early tonight, and of course...was excited enough to wake up and open gifts! We know he's going to have a great day today, although his BIG celebration won't be coming for perhaps a couple more weeks. Once we finalize plans we will let you know.
Thank you for all the additional prayers for the other children fighting similar battles as Kode. We know the prayers work, and are happy to report that Gage and Jacob had great results from their scans/MRI. And, Erin has just completed her last round of intense chemo! We are so excited for these kids! They are all so brave and courageous!
Today we especially thank the Lord for blessing us with Dakoda in our lives! He, along with our other children, are everything to us! We have been so blessed to have Dakoda do so well the past 6 months! The Lord has truly blessed him with great strength and courage to face and endure what he has gone through this year! He is our hero!
Peace!
Wednesday, July 10th, 2002
Tostitos and salsa....salsa and Tostitos!
Hey Kode, what do you want for breakfast?
How 'bout some Tostitos and salsa!
Hey Kode, would you like a sandwich or maybe some pizza for lunch?
No thanks. How 'bout...hmmmmmm, how 'bout some Tostitos and salsa!
A new favorite food group! Oh well, it's ok with me. Whatever it takes to put the 10lbs he lost back on!
He continues to get more energy back each day, and as you can tell, his appetite is definitely increasing. His body is still weak from this last round of chemo, but like everything else, that is recovering as well!
Please add some extra prayers for Nathan and his family, as he is bravely battling his tumor, however, is in dire need of Divine intervention.
Thank you! God bless!
Monday, July 8th, 2002
Once again Dakoda has amazed us! As you know this last round of high-dose chemo knocked Kode hard, and he was making only slow progress getting his strength, energy and appetite back. Then !!!KABOOM!!! yesterday! His energy level must have risen ten times, and his appetite was huge! Wow! That came from way out in left field! I can't explain how wonderful it is to see his face light up again and seeing his beautiful smile! Today he was even more energetic and was once again flying all over the Oncology office, back to his usual self! Praise God for Kode's continued healing and strength!
Now Kode gets a well deserved break in action for about a week and a half! He doesn't have another scheduled appointment until his MRI, which Dr. Foreman is trying to schedule for July 18th.
Dakoda is way excited for his birthday on Saturday! We are hoping to have a big party in the next couple of weeks once he is fully recovered from this last round. We will do something similar to what Kode's pal Erin and her family did for her birthday. We will let you know when and where it will be once we finalize plans.
Once again, thank you for your prayers and support. The results of your prayers continue to be seen throughout Kode's journey!
Please pray for Harry and his family, as he is battling so fiercely for his life right now. Please continue to pray for Erin and her family, as she begins her 2nd week of delayed intensity treatment. She will really be feeling the affects of her treatment next week. And please pray for positive results for Gage's MRI on Wednesday. I will be adding links to these and other children's sites soon.
God bless!
Saturday, July 6th, 2002
Looks like Dakoda is on the mend! Each day he seems to get just a bit more energy and eats a bit more than the day before! He is such a fighter! Almost everyday this week he was asking to go on a bike ride. We finally felt that he may have enough energy to make it around the block on the 4th. He decided he wanted to ride up the hill and around our neighborhood park instead of taking the other direction which is much easier. Although he (and Tracee)ended up pushing the bike for half the trip, he still showed a lot of guts to get out there, even with the low energy level he has had! Overall his week was pretty good considering his low energy level! He got to go see Lilo & Stitch with his buddies Michael and Matthew yesterday, and tonight we just got home from the drive-in. His attitude still remains great, especially for what he is going through! He is incredible!
Kode is scheduled for just one appointment this week, which is on Monday. If all continues to go well, he won't have to get hydration or platelets!
Thank you for all the encouraging notes for Dakoda! We try to reply to many of them, however we don't always have the time to do so. Please know that Dakoda and the rest of us read each and every one of them, and feel that each one of these truly helps him to heal up!
Peace to all!
Wednesday, July 3rd, 2002
Good news concerning Kode's blood counts today! All his counts are on the rise and should be back to normal in a week! Dr. Foreman has prescribed two more days of GCSF for today and tomorrow, just to help keep the counts from falling back. Another positive note which was shared with us by Kristen, who is the Nurse Practitioner of Dr. Foreman's team, she told us that Dr. Foreman said, that the resolvement of Dakoda's physical abilities is the best he has ever seen! That was so great to hear such encouraging news! Dr. Foreman seems to down play things as not to get our hopes up too high. We can appreciate that, but it's hard for us not to be encouraged when we've seen overall how well Kode is doing. We've been, and remain confident that the Lord is providing us with a miracle!
More good news concerning doctors visits! Other than Kode's appointment coming up on Monday, he doesn't have another scheduled visit until his next MRI on July 18th! Like last time, we are looking forward to this next MRI. Again, we are confident of the Lord's healing power, and that Kode's MRI will be great!
Dakoda is still weak and his appetite is still poor, however, we noticed another slight improvement today! He should be back to normal in another week or so!
We continue to be humbled by the love and support we have received from all of you! Not only do we have fantastic support from our Parish, fellow employees and family, but, today we received a great meal from one of my clients from work! How thoughtful is that?! We truly continue to be blessed by all of you. Thank you!
Have a great 4th of July!
Peace!
Tuesday, July 2nd, 2002
Just a short update tonight due to the late hour...actually early morning hour.
It seems as though Dakoda may be feeling a bit better each day. Nothing at all dramatic like the previous phases, however there does seem to be some positive signs starting up....he ate a tad bit more today, and he didn't vomit or have the other! That's the first day that Kode hasn't had one or the other for much of the day!
He has another visit to Oncology tomorrow afternoon, and judging by the glimmer of positive signs today, his counts should be climbing at a better clip now! We'll keep you posted.
Kode's friend Erin started her last intense round of chemotherapy today. Please keep the extra prayers coming for her, as she had a real rough first day today, with vomitting and having to have the home care nurse come over to their house tonight to give Erin hydration. And also please keep the extra prayers coming for Chase as well. He is weak at this time and not eating very well.
Thank you for the continued support and prayers for Dakoda and other people in his situation. We KNOW the Lord is listening!
God Bless!
Sunday, June 30th, 2002
I think Kode felt slightly better today than yesterday. He tried to watch one of Jord's games today, unfortunately he was only able to stay for a short time. The temperature was in the mid 90's again today, and the high heat definitely drains any energy he may have. He is such a tough guy....with how weak he is feeling right now, and trying to watch Jord's game is so impressive. We're watching Superman while I'm typing tonight, and just like Superman is weaken'd by Kryptonite...our superhero has been made weak by the chemo, but, he is fighting it all the way! We remain confident that he will be bouncing back to normal this week! He begins taking the GCFS tomorrow to boost his white blood cells back to normal levels. His body has responded quickly when he's received it before.
Please add extra prayers for healing for Dakoda this week. And please add some extra prayers for Erin and Chase, as Erin starts her last phase of high-dose chemo this week, and Chase, like Dakoda, continues to be weak and is being tube fed.
Thank you all for the support and prayers!
God bless!
Friday, June 28th, 2002
Kode had an early start this morning at Oncology. He received blood, platelets and hydration. The reason he received blood is due to his body's inability at this time to produce blood cells, because his white blood cells counts are so low. When I got to the hospital he was starting to feel better and was flashing his beautiful smile around a lot more! We anticipate that his appetite will improve over the next few days, and when it does, we expect him to be back up to fighting weight soon!
Unfortunately his platelets are still very low, so he will have to get another infusion of platelets in the morning. Dr. Foreman said that it's not unusual for kids to get platelets everyday until their bodies can start producing them again. We were concerned about him having to have another infusion so soon, however, hearing that eased our minds a bit.
Thanks for all the encouraging guestbook entries, they truly help keep Kode's confidence up during this difficult phase!
Blessing to all!
Thursday, June 27th, 2002
Dakoda had a long day Wednesday at Childrens Hospital, has he received platelets and hydration. Late this afternoon we had to make an unscheduled visit to the Oncology department for more hydration. Unfortunately, Kode hasn't regained his appetite and continues to feel nauseous. Dr. Foreman said he should be feeling better by about the middle of next week.
Kode's attitude remains strong, along with his great sense of humor. Even though he has felt poorly and hasn't keep too much food and liquid in his body, he still wanted to go for a bike ride today! And he keeps talking about his scout camping trip which is coming up in about 3 weeks. How tough is that? He is amazing! The Lord has truly blessed us with Dakoda!
Please add some extra prayers for a young man by the name of Chase, as he had to receive a feeding tube this week. He is just a few months older than Dakoda, and was diagnosed last year with an anaplastic astrocytoma.
God bless!
Tuesday , June 25th, 2002
Sorry about not having an update last night, we had some technical difficulties with our computer.
Dakoda has been feeling about the same for the past 5 or 6 days. We are looking forward to when his counts go up, and he gets back to his normal self. It's difficult to see him this way and not being able to take away his pain. As most of you know Dakoda is always full of energy and smiling, and that's another reason it's difficult to see him this way. Tomorrow he gets platelets, and with that along with his body getting rid of the drugs, he should be bouncing back soon! He has amazed us throughout this ordeal, and we don't expect anything different from him. Actually, most children have to stay in the hospital after receiving the chemo drugs he received last week, and many also end up in the hospital with some type of infection. So, we can see that the Lord has blessed him with extra strength and we KNOW that He continues to do so!
As many of you have followed Kode's progress, you have come to know Erin and some other brave children and adults battling different forms of cancer. You can tell how it ravages the body, but, you can also tell how the treatments ravage the body as well. All these kids and adults going through these battles are extremely brave and courageous. I am truly impressed by their strength, and the strength of their families. The battles are, in many cases, long and difficult. Please continue to pray for the good health, strength and cures for Dakoda, Erin, Miss Julie, Hanna, Nathan, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Coleen, Matthew, Danielle and Gage.
Thank you so much for your continued understanding, support and prayers! And thanks to the everyone where we work, for their understanding and pulling the slack while our schedules are so crazy on this journey!
Peace!
Sunday, June 23rd, 2002
Just a quick update tonight. Dakoda continues to be tired and lethargic. However, he was more talkative today, so we take that as a good sign , that he is slowly recovering from this round of chemo. Since he has handled the other rounds of chemo so remarkably well, we weren't expecting such a severe reaction this time. However, we remain confident that Dakoda will rebound quickly! The Lord has blessed him with such strength!
God bless!
Friday, June 21st, 2002
The affects of the chemo have really hit Dakoda hard these past two days. Monday he had no troubles handling the chemo and Tuesday we could tell that it started to affect him, but yesterday it really started kicking in, and this morning he was so weak and lethargic, it scared us terribly. After seeing him this morning, I was a mess, so I took the day off to spend with Kode and Tracee at the hospital. When I carried Kode out to the van I had to fight back the tears and try to fight the overwhelming fear which we've felt since January 23rd...he felt so light and fragile in my arms. He's lost about 7 pounds these past couple of weeks. He had just started getting his appetite back last weekend, and had lost only a couple of pounds, but this week he hasn't eaten much at all and has dropped 5 pounds.
He received some more of his white blood cells back today. Dr. Foreman told us that he was given double the amount of what he received a couple of week ago, since the affects of this drug last longer and tend to drain the energy more than the last. On the way home from Jord's game tonight I called Tracee and she said that Dakoda had finally eaten some dinner! A slice of pizza and some strawberries! Thank God! We pray he continues to rebound from this phase of treatment the way he has from the previous treatments thus far! Again, we ask for some extra prayers of healing for Dakoda these next couple of weeks.
Thank you again for the incredible support and prayers for Dakoda and the rest of the family!
God bless!
Wednesday, June 19th, 2002
What an emotion filled day as Dakoda finished with his high-dose chemotherapy today! Not to say that the past 5 months have been any easier than today, but this is another huge step for Dakoda to complete. This entire ordeal has been such a rollercoaster ride with our emotions...it's seems as though we get off one ride, then it's right back on another.
One of the reasons it's been tough emotionally is due to the fact that there isn't a set protocol for Kode's illness, so he is involved in, more or less, an experimental protocol. The amount of chemo drug which Dakoda was given the past 3 days was higher than any child has ever received before. Praise the Lord for blessing him strength and courage to endure the treatment thus far! (As I've mentioned before, since we want to keep focused on the positive, I've chosen not to share all negatives and possible negatives of Kode's illness and treatment as of yet). Dr. Foreman tells us that his blood counts should still continue to fall, and that he may feel worse in a couple of days, however, Dakoda still continues to astound the doctors with how well he has handled most everything, and especially with his dramatic improvements! We remain confident that the Lord has and continues to work a miracle on Dakoda!
Kode goes back in tomorrow morning for more follow-up and probably more hydration. On Friday he will complete another stem cell transplant using the white blood cells which were harvested in March. We should soon be able to tell you when his next MRI will be performed. Again, we look forward to seeing the results of the MRI, as we remain confident of great results!
In addition to Dakoda, please continue to pray for Erin, Miss Julie, Hannah, Jamie, Nathan, Chase, Ed, Greg, Sue, Alex, Coleen, Matthew, Danielle, Gage, Darla and Derek. Please pray for additional strength for their families to cope with their loved ones' journey as well. They are all so extremely courageous and brave!
Peace to you!
Check out new pictures in photo album!
Wednesday, June 19, 2002 at 03:07 AM (CDT)
Just a quick update tonight, due to late night and early start in the morning.
Kode's handling this round of chemo better than the last one two weeks ago! So far...Thank God he's had no severe reactions like last time! He vomitted a couple of times this morning, and as expected, hasn't had much of an appetite. But, overall he continues to amaze us with his strength and great attitude! The Lord continues to bless him everyday with extra strength and healing!
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for Dakoda and the rest of our family!
God bless!
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 12:47 AM (CDT)
We hope all of you fathers had a great Fathers Day! Although we had a quiet day with no big to-do, my Fathers Day was the best that I could ever have, for I have my son Dakoda with me! I have been so blessed to be able to still hold him in my arms, caress his face, look into his beautiful eyes and tell him that I love him....and that I will always love him. I have been blessed to watch him share his love with Tracee, and see her experience all the happiness and joy of having him in her life. I've been blessed to see him share his love with Madi, Jordan and Sloan, and watch how they're aware that they're time together is much more special. I've been blessed to see him share his love with Hubbard and Great Grandma, and watch him eat the donuts, cookies and other "treats" they bring. (And for once I'm happy to see him eat those treats, because there are days when he's not feeling well, and a donut may be the only thing he'll want). I've been blessed to see him regain his strength and watch him play with his friends and classmates! What an incredible gift I've received this year! I couldn't ask for more for Fathers Day or any other day, than to to his beautiful smile and the beautiful smiles of the rest of my children!
Although Kode is doing wonderfully right now, his work is not over. This morning he begins his 2nd round of high-dose chemotherapy. Again, he'll need extra prayers for healing and strength to help weather this phase of treatment. He will receive 2 1/2 times the amount of chemo drug that he had in his first round in February.
Please continue to pray for Erin, as she begins her intense chemo this week too. We remain confident that the Lord continues to work his healing powers on Kode and Erin, and by late July or August, these two will have a fantastic reunion together!
Please pray for the families of Megan and Morgan, as they have recently lost their battles with cancer. Too many families in too much pain.
God's peace and love to you!
Friday, June 14th, 2002
Kode passed all his tests this week with flying colors. Thursday they were planning on giving him a blood transfusion, however, once again he has amazed everyone....with how good the results of his CBC were, he didn't need to have one! His counts far surpassed what they had expected his counts to be! We continue to see the healing works of the Lord everyday!
One of Kode's pals, Jake, came over and spent the night last night. As usual, when they get together, they laugh a lot and have a great time!
We saw Hannah at the Oncology office on Thursday and she looks good, but she is still having some troubles with her kidneys. Please pray for extra strength and healing for her, as she continues her treatment.
Once again we are greatly humbled by the students and faculty at Machebeuf Highschool. The El Pomar Youth in Community Service club at Machebeuf, which is sponsored by the El Pomar Foundation of Colorado Springs, has generously donated a good portion of their funds raised this year to aid our family during this ordeal! We have been so blessed to have such support from so many people! To see such support from these young people is incredible! We are extremely touched with the outpouring of love and affection that the students and faculty have shown us. It seems as though, in the words of Ms. Wickwire of Machebeuf Highschool, that they have all 'adopted' Kode as their little brother!
We just can't say enough about the wonderful support which we have received throughout this ordeal. We sincerely thank you for everything!
God bless!
Wednesday, June 12th, 2002
Just a quick update tonight, as Kode has a full day again tomorrow. It's been a full week of testing appointments for next week's 2nd round of high-dose chemotherapy, along with other regular appointments.
Big day for Kode yesterday...he lost his first tooth! Since he hadn't lost a tooth before he was concerned that it would hurt when it finally came out. It was so cute to watch him mess with his tooth on the way home from Fitzsimmons, as he kept asking if it would hurt, and how to pull it out. Finally, after 30 mintues of worrying, he turned to me and said in a strong deep and determined voice, "I'VE GOT TO BE BRAVE!" And, he immediately grabbed a napkin, pinched his tooth and yanked it out! It was so cute and inspiring at the same time to watch his determination, and his bravery kick in!
Check out some new pictures on Kode's Caringbridge photo album! They were taken on Armed Forces Day.
Blessing to all!
Monday, June 10th, 2002
Dakoda had a good weekend, but was a bit tired yesterday. He may have been worn out from all the work he did on the yard. He was more energetic today, and it was very apparent during his oncologists appointment today, because from what Tracee told me, Kode and several of the Oncology department people had a rowdy game of dodge ball or something like it in the lobby! He seems to always be able to have fun wherever he goes!
Tomorrow (Tuesday) he has his first follow-up appointment at Fitzsimmons with Dr. Weng. We hope she will be encouraged by his improvements, but she seems to be very cautious about what she says.
Your continued words of encouragement in Kode's guestbook is fantastic! Thank you so much for your lifting words and continued support for him and the rest of our family! We give thanks to God everday for your wonderful support!
Peace!
Saturday, June 8th, 2002
Yesterday (Friday), as scheduled, Dakoda had an infusion of platelets to help get his blood counts back to normal. We should see some good improvements by midweek. Even with his counts low, Dakoda continues to show amazing strength, as he worked hard in the yard the past few days digging trenches for the sprinkler system!
Good news concerning school for Kode....he will be going to 2nd grade next year! His teacher, Ms. Eyerman said he will just need to do some extra work on his math this summer. That's such good news because he's missed so much school this past semester. It looks as though Kode's friend Erin will get to go to 4th grade next year too! She was out for much of the year as she was diagnosed with Leukemia in September. These kids, along with so many others should be commended for their efforts to get through school and get well at the same time. It's certainly a tough accomplishment with all the time required for appointments and time needed for healing.
Next week Kode will be preparing for his second round of high dose chemotherapy which is scheduled to begin on June 17th. He will have appointments everyday, and will be doing the same type of testing he did for the first round of high-dose chemo last week. We pray for continued strength for Dakoda as he prepares for this next round. The Lord has truly blessed him with extra strength thus far for his journey!
May the Lord richly bless all of you!
Thursday, June 6th, 2002
Wow! Is all I can say...Dakoda is so tough! He truly continues to amaze us everyday! Today we started digging trenches for our much needed sprinkler system, and Dakoda by his own choice, helped out all day long...and I'm not talking helped out here and there, just when he felt like it. He was out there shoveling and digging right along side his brothers and old man, and as a matter of fact he even was out there longer than his brothers! Although, not to sound like Sloan and Jord slacked, they did have others places to be this afternoon. But, for Dakoda to even want to do anything like that at this time, to me is incredible! When it was just Kode and myself outside working this evening, out of nowhere he said something while we were working, which seemed to me that he was actually talking about his battle with his illness...he said "I WILL NEVER QUIT... NEVER EVER QUIT, AND I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!". Man, to hear that come from no where...that almost floored me, and because he said it with such conviction! As our friend Barb referred to Kode as Braveheart in her note today....Dakoda's words were said with that same strength, sincerity and courage! Truly amazing! The Lord has blessed him, and us! He is such an inspiration!
As for tomorrow, Dakoda will have an infusion of platelettes since his blood counts are low. By mid next week his counts should be rebounding back to normal.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Kode and the rest of our family.
Unfortunately Coleen Cole has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Please ad her and the rest of the Cole family to your prayers.
God bless!
Wednesday, June 5th, 2002
Today was one of those fly by the seat of your pants days...or at least the first half was. Kode wasn't scheduled to go to the Oncology unit today, but that's where we went for a visit anyway! Kode started the day with a bout of nausea, and after vomiting a bit he soon was feeling better. Dr. Foreman said that it's not unusual to have that type of side affect for a while after receiving his most recent chemo drug. We had to pay a visit to the hospital because one of Kode's lines was clogged, and after a number of attempts last night and this morning to unclog it, we were unable to do so. So, Kode had to go in to get it cleared. What made today a bit more challenging was that, Jord's last day of school was today, and it was a half day as well. So I had to leave work and pick him up from school then head over to the hospital. We spent several hours there getting things taken care of, and since they did a CBC (complete blood count)today, along with some other tests, he doesn't have to go tomorrow. As expected, Kode's white blood cell counts had bottomed out today (0.10), but they should pretty much be back to normal levels by next Tuesday or Wednesday. On Friday he is scheduled to have an infusion of platelets during his visit.
Other than feeling a bit pewky this morning Kode felt pretty good all day! He didn't have much of an appetite today, but he ate great yesterday and his weight level continues to be decent!
Check out a few new pictures on Kode's caringbridge photo album. As you can see Dakoda has improved dramatically since he was first diagnosed! Praise God!
Tuesday, June 4th, 2002
Just a quick update tonight.
Dakoda continues to amaze us! Although some of his blood counts are way down, his energy level still continues to increase everyday! You'd think that he'd be sleeping in to 10:00am every morning, but he still gets up by 7:00! His appetite also continues to improve everyday. He is amazing! We know it has so much to do with your constant prayers. Thank you!
Too bad the Colorado Avalanche don't have Kode and Erin's "super recuperative powers" and energy, or they'd be playing for the cup instead of the Redwings!
God bless!
Monday, June 3rd, 2002
To start with tonight, I just want to finish my thoughts on the Ronald McDonald House. As I was saying yesterday, it's a wonderful place for ill children and their families. We consider ourselves very fortunate that we don't have to make use of it, but there are many families that truly need a place to stay during their child's treatment. There are many kids that live in other states and they don't have the facilities like Denver's Childrens Hospital to go for care. So, many come to Denver for their care, and as you know from following Dakoda's journey, the protocols and time requirements to help the children are huge! So, many of the families are here long term. Many are here for months and months at a time...so as you can see the Ronald McDonald House is a God send for many families!
Dakoda is feeling a bit better today, however his white blood cell counts are extremely low. He may have already caught a slight infection. If so, we have to watch him closely, because if he gets a fever he may have to spend some extra time in the hospital.
Kode got another sweet souvenir today....he got an autographed baseball bat from the Seattle Mariners third baseman, Jeff Cirillo! You can tell it's one that he's used, because it still has the pine tar on the handle! Way cool!
Thank you for the extra prayers for Kode during this phase of treatment. He steadily continues to get better everyday! We know the Lord is listening to all of our prayers, and continues to bless Kode with extra strength for his battle!
Sunday, June 2nd, 2002
Dakoda has had a pretty uneventful weekend. He hasn't felt all that good, so he pretty much laid on the couch all weekend watching his favorite cartoons. His appetite is starting to come back a little at a time.
One of my co-workers went to see the Lion King show on Friday night, and he mentioned Saturday morning that on his way into work that the Ronald McDonald House in Denver was selling tickets for the show that night. He also mentioned that proceeds of the Saturday night show would go to the Ronald McDonald House (The Ronald McDonald House is for children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses who don't live in town and have to have a place to live while here). I was excited to hear about the event, and I rushed out to get 3 tickets for the performance, thinking Kode would love to see it! The Ronald McDonald House gave us the tickets at no charge since they were giving them away to some of the patients of Childrens Hospital! That was so nice of them, but we donated our money anyway since it's such a great cause. Unfortunately Kode didn't feel good enough to go, so he stayed home with Tracee, and I ended up taking my brother Bob and a friend of his. The show was outstanding, but, not near as good as if Dakoda were able to go! Hopefully we can go in a couple of months when he's feeling better.
Since it's so late I'll tell you more about the Ronald McDonald House tomorrow.
Peace be to you!
Friday, May 31st, 2002
Whew! Glad that this weeks worth of treatments is over! Thank you for the extra prayers for Dakoda! He is resting well tonight! Today he was given a portion of the white blood cells that were harvested back in March. He was out of the hospital and back home by early afternoon! He will definitely need the cells to work quickly, as by Monday his blood counts will bottom out. We will have to work even harder over the next 6 weeks to keep him from picking up any type of infection, due to his immune system being depleted.
Although Dakoda's feeling poorly, his attitude has remained positive, and he continues to focus on healing! The Lord continues to bless him with such great strength!
Thursday, May 30th, 2002
Sorry we had no update yesterday, it was a rough one and we were emotionally drained. Dakoda had a rougher time with the chemo yesterday. Again, almost immediately his body started reacting to the drug. His face chest and ears turned bright red, his lips swelled up, he vomited and he had an excruciating headache for about 5 hours. It's so hard to watch your child rile in pain, and not be able to really help him. We did what we could, but we felt so helpless, it's such a horrible feeling. But, today...once again, he rebounded nicely!! Although he didn't feel all that great and still vomited a couple of times, he still was much better than yesterday. He also surprised us by not having to stay at the hospital all day! His blood counts were good and his body was hydrated enough from his home hydration that he didn't have to stay, and he didn't have to be attached to his "brief case"!
He still continues to amaze us with his strength and positive attitude! The Lord has truly blessed him with extra strength and courage throughout this journey!
Just a short update tonight, as he has his stem cell replacement tomorrow morning. Dr. Foreman said that it takes 10 to 14 days to see noticable results from the transplant. We pray for positive and quick results from this procedure!
God bless!
Tuesday, May 28, 2002 at 11:21 PM (CDT)
Back to the grind of the many long days at the Oncology unit at Childrens Hospital. Today was just shy of an 11 hour visit. The toughest thing really isn't the long visits, it's watching Dakoda go from feeling so well to feeling sick in just a matter of a few minutes. After such a great MRI last week, and with how well he has improved over the past 8 weeks, it almost doesn't seem possible that he has to go through all this stuff again. We just have to keep telling ourselves that these next 6 weeks will help destroy the cancer for good. Within a matter of a few minutes of receiving his chemo drug, Dakoda's eyes told how poorly he was feeling. He developed dark circles around his eyes and his face lost a lot of color. Soon after that he began vomiting off and on throughout the day, and was unable to rest very well until much later in the afternoon. Since we got home tonight he has slept well, and we pray he sleeps well through the rest of the night. He will definitely need as much rest as he can get for the next 6 weeks.
Dakoda is such an incredible young man! He is so brave and courageous, as even though he knows that he will be feeling so poorly, he still accepts the challenges that he faces with a positive attitude! What an inspiration! God love him, and God bless him with continued strength and healing!
Thank you for your constant vigil of prayers for Dakoda and his healing!
Christ has taught us the necessity of praying at all times without losing heart. - Luke 18:1
Monday, May 27th, 2002
Just a quick update since we've got a long day tomorrow.
Kode started receiving extra fluid through his port this afternoon since he begins his high-dose chemotherapy in the morning. To watch him is actually really cute with this extra fluid, because he has to carry the fluid and pump around in a nylon breif case. He looks like a salesman coming by to sell his goods. Kode's pretty strong, but that bag must way about 10 to 15 lbs, that's alot for a little guy! (It would be much cuter if he were just lugging the bag around for the fun of it, but the thought of why he has it always sticks in my mind.)
As we go into this next phase, Dakoda continues to be so unbelievably brave! His attitude remains extremely positive, and he faces each step with courage and dignity! He truly is amazing!
Peace be to you!
Saturday, May 25th, 2002
As you would expect we are still marveling at Dakoda's latest MRI! We can't put into words the feelings we have of joy and amazement! As many of you have followed Dakoda's progress you know the huge improvements he has experienced over the past 8 weeks, and you too share in our joy! The Lord has truly blessed us! Unfortunately Kode's work is not done, as he will still begin his first round of high-dose chemotherapy on Tuesday, then he will have his second round towards the end of June. This phase is more intense than the first two rounds, and he will indeed need the continued prayers of healing! Tracee and I thank all of you for all the amazing prayers and support you have shown Dakoda and our family throughout this ordeal thus far, and we know that if it weren't for your efforts we would not be where we are now!
As we continue this journey, please continue your prayers for Dakoda's friend Erin, as she has already begun her intense chemotherapy this week, and has not felt too good. As many of you are following her progress as well, you already know she is a remarkable young lady with so much potential, and so much to offer!
Unfortunately, as we go along, we continue to hear of more people that need our prayers...we now add a fellow by the name of Ed to our prayer list who's cancer has returned. The list is far too long, and we pray for a cure for all these different forms of cancer!
Thank you again for all your prayers and support! We hope you have a great holiday weekend!
God bless!
Thursday, May 23, 2002 at 03:02 PM (CDT)
!!!!PRAISE GOD!!!!
Huge, Huge results from Dakoda's MRI!!!
As his doctor said...there has been a dramatic reduction in size of Kode's tumor! In fact the area that shows up on the MRI may not even be the tumor, it may be scar tissue, water or swelling!!! The doctor is unable to tell from just the MRI, and doing an unnecessary biopsy is too dangerous. However, Kode's journey is not over, he will still have his high-dose chemotherapy starting next Tuesday. So please continue your prayers as we all can see that the Lord is listening to our prayers!!!
We will be celebrating tonight, and every day that the Lord blesses us with!!!
THANK YOU ALL for the continued prayers and support!!
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 at 06:40 PM (CDT)
I'm making this entry from work, so I will keep it short.
Dakoda has done great on all his tests this week, but the big one is tomorrow. So this is where we ask for even more prayers for a positive MRI tomorrow morning. We are confident of a positive outcome and we remain confident that the Lord is working a miracle at this very moment! He is scheduled for his MRI at 7:30am tomorrow - Thursday!
God bless, and thank you for the prayers!
Monday, May 20th, 2002
Just a quick update tonight since we've got a very early start in the morning. Kode has his first test of the week tomorrow morning at 7:30am. He will have his kidney function test to make sure everything is ok for the high-dose chemo.
I must tell you that he is looking fantastic, and his energy level is almost back to normal! In fact his occupational therapist told Tracee today, that he looks like he IS back to normal! With how well he is doing, it almost seems crazy that he has to start another round of chemo. We look forward to seeing the MRI on thursday! We are so confident that the Lord is working a miracle on him!!
God bless!
Sunday, May 19th, 2002
OK everybody, it's time we now ask for extra prayers for Dakoda and his friend Erin. Dakoda gets his testing and MRI this week, and then next week he will begin his high-dose chemotherapy. Erin gets her spinal tap and begins her intense chemotherapy tomorrow. Their protocols and medications are different, but the affects can be similar in nature. They may not be feeling all that well over the next couple of months. We pray that their reactions will not be too severe, and that Dakoda's MRI shows a significant reduction in tumor size. We remain confident that the Lord has, and continues to heal them both!
Please continue to keep Miss Julie, Hanna, Jamie, Derek, Nathan, Chase, along with all other people that are battling cancer, in your prayers.
We sincerely thank you for your continued wonderful support and prayers for Dakoda and our family. Everything is greatly appreciated!
Peace!!
Saturday, May 18th, 2002
Wow! What a huge day for Kode! It was Armed Forces Day, and Denver's finest were honored. It was dedicated to the 59 Denver Police Officers that have fallen in the line of duty, and also dedicated to the 73 New York City Police Officers that died in the line of duty on September 11th. The city of Denver's Mayor Wellington Webb proclaimed today, May 18th, 2002, to be "Dakoda Bell Day" in the city and county of Denver!! By the wording of the proclamation, the Chief and our MPB community must have had a lot to do with the creation of this honor!Dakoda was also awarded the first ever honorary position of Chief of Police for the Denver Police Department for "displaying extraordinary courage in the face of the unknown" by Chief Gerald Whitman!! And, Mayor Webb also presented Dakoda a flag of the United States which Governor Bill Owens of Colorado awarded Dakoda. The flag was flown at the Colorado Capitol Building on February 20th, 2002 in honor of Dakoda!! Kode was given the VIP treatment from the Denver PD. First off he got a ride to the ceremony in a Denver uncercover police car, which was escorted by two motorcyle officers. After the ceremony Kode and his pals, Jake, Josh, Jake R., Emma and Lizzy, looked at all the cool Denver PD equipment which was on display. Then after that Kode was treated to a fantastic ride in a Denver PD helicopter!! What an incredible day, and what a remarkable display of support for Dakoda! An extra big thanks goes out to Chief Whitman, Mayor Webb and our MPB community!
God bless!
Friday, May 17th, 2002
Sorry we had no update yesterday due to being bumbed off the site because of some technical difficulty.
Unfortunately, just a quick update tonight since Dakoda will be going to the Armed Services Day celebration in Denver tomorrow morning. It's looks as though Kode will be made an Honorary Denver Police Officer during the celebration! How cool is that?! He will have a squad car here to pick him up in the morning to take him to the event! I'll let you know more about the event tomorrow night.
Dakoda continues to amaze us with the improvements in his physical abilities! Yesterday when he was running, he was able to pump his right arm in almost normal function! That's such a huge improvement, as just a few days ago when he would run his arm would stay straight, so he had no pumping movement while running. We thank and praise God for the healing which Dakoda has had, and continues to receive!
Again, we want to thank everyone for the continued support and prayers for Dakoda and our family. We've had so many people helping in so many different ways! We continue to receive meals 2 to 3 days a week, which are especially helpful when Dakoda has to spend the days, either running to all the different appointments or when he has had to spend a large portion of his days in the hospital for whatever reason! Jodi, along with her mother and sister, came over and did some much needed heavy duty cleaning and organizing yesterday! Unfortunately, Emma's grandmother Cora, who has helped out a few times in the past, is moving to Las Vegas soon. Her help and wonderful smile will surely be missed!
Have a great day! Blessing to you!
Wednesday, May 15th, 2002
Sorry we had no update the last couple of days. We were trying to put together a trip to go see Erin and her family back east in Maryland. Unfortunately, we're going to have to postpone for a couple of months until after Kode and Erin are through with their next phases of treatment. They will both start their intense therapy very soon, so we'll have to wait until they're feeling better to get together. We're so disappointed, as we were looking forward to the trip.
Yesterday we were also treated to a Rockies game by Jord's and Kode's friends, Tyler and Michael, and their parents. We had a great time even though the Rocks lost. The seats are right behind the visiting team's dugout, so Kode was able to get a ball from the Marlin's thirdbaseman! The Rockies mascot, Dinger, paid Kode and Madi a visit during the game! That was a huge treat! What a fantastic way to cap off a great evening at the ballpark!
By the way, check out some new pictures of Kode on the caring bridge photo album! His smile brightens my everyday.
God bless!
Monday, May 13th, 2002
Just a quick update tonight, as we're trying to get the house extra clean before the start of Kode's next phase.
Here's the plan for next week so far...Tuesday - GFR kidney test. Wednesday - Pulmonary function test, EKG/Echo, and Audiogram. Then the big one on Thursday...MRI. We pray for a significant reduction in size of Kode's tumor. Please put your prayers and thoughts into overdrive for that one. We're actually looking forward to seeing the results of the MRI, due to our confidence of his improvement!
Got to get back to cleaning! May the Lord bless you!
Saturday, May 11th, 2002
Dakoda continues to do great! He spent the entire day at school with Jordan on friday! He had a great time, and got to meet a lot of Jord's friends and other students and teachers that continually pray for his healing! We're so glad he was able to spend the day with so many people that have shown him love and support throughout his ordeal.
This week has been a bit less chaotic since Dakoda has only had a few appointments. It's given us a chance to try to catch up on things that need to get done around the house, unfortunately, we need to get caught up on almost 4 months worth of things that have been put on the back burner. Our yard looks terrible! We've had very little moisture this year and most of the front yard grass is history! But, it gives us a good reason to add the sprinkler system and sod we've put off over that past few years!
We would like to wish all you mom's a very Happy Mothers day. This Mothers day will be especially sweet and meaningful for Tracee! I don't think anything else needs to be said, except, Tracee has done a phenomenal job handling this entire ordeal, while still trying to be a great mother to the rest of the kids! She has been fantastic!
Thank you for the continued support and prayers, and the words of encouragement!
Peace!
Thursday, May 9th, 2002
Wow! A full day of school on wednesday for Dakoda! His first full day since January. It almost felt normal, but, being cautious, of course we had to check in on him during recess. He looked great! He was out playing soccer like usual! He continues to amaze us with how well he is regaining the use of his arm, hand and leg! Again, we praise God for providing him with the healing, and strength to battle this illness!
I will add nothing more tonight, except, to please keep Nathan Schewe and his family in your prayers, along with the family of Eion Riley. Nathan is going through some rough times right now, and Eion lost his battle a few days ago. They need our prayers!
Tuesday, May 7th,2002
Dakoda ended up staying home from school today because he had a hard time falling asleep last night. Aunt Lori came over to visit last night and I think he was bit wound up. But, he had no trouble tonight and will be in school tomorrow (Wednesday).
Wow! Dakoda didn't have to go anywhere today! That's almost a vacation in our book! He spent the entire day with Madi and Hubbard (Grandma) at home! Later this evening he helped me finish a new gate for our fence to help keep Zorro in the yard. He always enjoys helping with the home construction projects. Actually, construction worker, is another job Kode plans on having when he gets older! With all these different jobs, he's going to be one well rounded individual! He'll have a lot of knowledge to help him in any situation...you know....like McGiver! Or perhaps like Dexter! If you don't know who Dexter is just check with your kids, they probably know. I know Kode would love to have a laboratory like Dexter!
Thank you for sharing Dakoda's website with your friends, as you can tell new people are signing his guestbook and adding him to their prayers! We KNOW the prayers are working to keep him strong!
God bless!
Monday, May 6th, 2002
OK, Kode's done with radiation! He gets a break for a couple of weeks, and then he'll start the high-dose chemotherapy. Though we're glad he's through with the radiation, we're still concerned with what the high-dose chemo may bring. He did phenomenal with the radiation and did fairly well with the first 2 rounds of chemotherapy, but this next phase is even more difficult. We will be asking for extra prayers when the next phase begins! For right now though, we will try to live a bit more normally as Kode will return to school tomorrow and he will only have a handful of appointments over the next couple of weeks. He's had great energy lately, and we know he'll enjoy getting a break from all the running around!
As many of you know, Erin and her family are planning on a special celebration for her birthday party. We plan on helping out in any way we can, and we hope that many of you will participate as well.
Thank you again for all the great guestbook entries. Dakoda enjoys reading them all!
Sunday, May 5th, 2002
Dakoda had a real good weekend! He felt good and had lots of energy. His buddy Jake spent the night last night, and as usual they had a great time and laughed the entire time. Kode thinks that Jake is just the funniest, and it does our hearts good to hear him laugh so much. After church Kode played with some friends on the MPB playground, and then on the way home from church we stopped by Observatory park and met up with the Madkins family. Kode and Madi had a great time playing on the playground with Carrie and Jordan for a while. We went to a special healing service this afternoon at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel which was very moving. Later this afternoon Dakoda spent a few hours with his pal Michael over at his house! So, as you can tell he was busy catching up with some of his friends he hasn't been able to spend much time with lately.
Dakoda has another full day of appointments scheduled for Monday, of which the radiation appointment will be his last! He has handled the radiation therapy like a champ! We praise God every day for blessing him with the amazing strength to handle everything that he has had to deal with thus far!
Your support and prayers truly play a huge part in the healing of Dakoda, and we appreciate everything so very much!
By the way, please check out the new pictures of Dakoda that we added to the 5th page of his brinkster website photo album!
Blessing to you!
Friday, May 3rd, 2002
Just one more day of radiation left! Monday is going to do it, and then Kode will have a break for a couple of weeks! The next big day is scheduled for May 23rd, that's the day of Kode's next MRI. We are actually looking forward to it being done. We believe that we will see that the tumor has shrunk! That's the only way we can be...he has done so well over the past 6 weeks, and as mentioned before, we truly believe the Lord is working a miracle on Dakoda! During the same week Kode will also have a test done on his kidneys to make sure everything is functioning well enough to proceed with the high-dose chemotherapy. That test will take about 5 hours to perform. We will keep you posted as we get closer to the scheduled dates.
Dakoda has done a great job, once again, handling the Temozolomide in conjunction with the radiation. We pray he continues the same strong response to the upcoming therapy!
That's it for tonight since I'm falling asleep at the wheel.
Peace!
Thursday, May 2nd, 2002
We want to thank everyone that was able to attend the prayer service for Dakoda last night! Once again it was great, and we could really fell the power of the Lord in our midst! We are so humbled by all the support and love everyone has shown us throughout this ordeal, you have been so amazing! Father Ken has been fantastic along with the rest of the Most Precious Blood staff, and our loving parish families. We feel so blessed to be a part of the MPB community! While I'm at it, I must say how impressed we are with the youth of the parish as well. We have gotten so much support, and so many prayers from them, their families and their fellow classmates! We also want to thank all of you for the fantastic support you have shown Erin and her family, along with the other children and adults we keep in our prayers daily! Unfortunately, since Dakoda was diagnosed with his illness we have come to know too many people that have been struck with various different forms of cancer as well. They all need our continued prayers and support!
Kode stayed home from school the past two days, and last night he was up a couple of times vomitting. He has been complaining of a belly ache today as well. Though he has been feeling a bit down today, he has managed to run around and still keep his sense of humor! He is so strong, and it was funny to hear him complain of his belly ache, because, he says it with the scottish accent like the character in the second Austin Powers movie! If you can imagine, Kode rubs his stomach and says "Oh, my poooor precious beeelllah". He amazes me every day by how positive he remains throughout this ordeal!
Again, thank you for all the support and prayers for Dakoda and our family! We also would like to add Chase to our list of children to pray for now. Chase, unfortunately, was also diagnosed with a brain tumor last year. He and his family need our prayers as well.
Peace to you today and everyday!
Tuesday, April 30th, 2002
Just a quick update today due to lack of time! Check out some new pictures of Kode on his Caringbridge photo album!
We have been so busy I haven't had time to update the journal, except on saturday night, but after almost completing the entry on saturday, we had technical problems with the site and were booted off, and we lost the entire update. Then it was too late to update it again.
Sunday we went to the Colorado Rockies game courtesy of Jeff Kingery, who happens to be one of the voices of the Rockies on radio KOA 850 in Denver. Kode got to visit the broadcast booth during the 2nd inning! He was way excited and wanted to talk on the radio. He got to sit in Jeff's chair, right next to Wayne Hagin, who happens to be Jeff's co-anchor! Jeff also presented Kode with an autographed ball from Larry Walker!
Yesterday was busy again with all the monday appointments for Kode. Great news from Kode's occupational therapist! She said Dakoda is doing so well that she doesn't have to see him for 3 months! That's phenominal, the Lord continues to work His healing on Dakoda!
Kode got to go to school for another half day today, and then back to Fitzsimmons this afternoon for more radiation. The plan is the same for tomorrow. Kode started on the Temozolomide again tonight, in conjunction with the radiation. We pray he will continue to handle both as well as his last 5 days on the Temozolomide.
MPB is having another prayer service for Dakoda tomorrow at 7:00pm. We hope that you will have the opportunity to attend! The last one was great! We hope you will continue your efforts in praying for Erin as well, as last week was a rough one for her. She and her family truly appreciate your support as well!
God bless!
Monday, April 29th, 2002
Sorry about not having updates the last couple of days. We've had some technical difficulties with our site. There will be an update on Kode tonight.
Saturday, April 27th, 2002
Dakoda had a busy day today, although it wasn't running to all of his doctors appointments. He felt good all day long and even stayed up late tonight, because, mom and dad took a couple of hours off and went to dinner. Uncle Steve and Aunt Tracy came over in relief tonight and played legos and Barbi's with Kode and Madi.
As mentioned at the top, Kode was busy, but it was Jord's day today. Jord had confirmation this morning. Kode and Madi kept everyone entertained with their running around after the service. As you can tell, Dakoda's energy level is almost back to normal. Later, Jord had a baseball game and was healed enough to play. He was definitely ready to play, 'cause he hit his first career grand slam!!! Unfortunately, Kode won't be playing baseball this year. I know he's disappointed, as he was really starting to get into playing sports this year. However, we remain confident that he will be playing again next year!
Although Dakoda is doing extremely well right now, his battle is long from being over. He has much more work to do, as he will soon start his high-dose chemotherapy, which means stronger drugs than the first two rounds. We ask that you will continue to pray for his healing and ask that the Lord bless him with extra strength to handle the next phase as well as he did the first! Please continue, as sometimes it's easy to forget when things are going well. We also pray for the continued healing of Erin, Miss Julie, Hanna, Derek and Jaime. They, along with their families, need our continued support and prayers.
We thank you for ALL you have done for Dakoda and our family. Your support and prayers have been phenomenal! We truly believe in the power of prayer, and we KNOW the Lord is listening and answering all of our prayers!
Blessings to you.
Thursday, April 25th, 2002
Another full day for Dakoda today! He went to school this morning, then went to physical therapy and radiation. After his appointments he hung out and played with the other kids at the MPB Early Learning Center until Tracee got done working. I also got to play with the kids for a while, and I'm glad I had to go pick up Jord when I did, because they were wearing me out! They are rough..they show no mercy! They chased me around the playground, over and through the equipment and even up a tree! Dakoda was right there leading them the entire wasy! As you can tell, he had another great day...full of energy!
He will be back to school in the morning and will go to Fitzsimmons for another radiation treatment in the afternoon. Next week is the final week of radiation therapy! He has handled the radiation treatment with no problems thus far! Again, we credit the Lord for blessing him with the additional strength for handling all the treatment!!!
Wednesday, April 24th, 2002
To start off tonight, we got great news about Jaime. Her MRI showed that the lump was just scar tissue! That's fantastic news! We were very concerned, as many of you were as well. The Lord IS answering prayers!
Kode had another great day today! He went to school this morning for half the day, and of course for radiation this afternoon. He's so excited that he's got only 6 treatments left. However, I'm not as excited because he's handled radiation so well and I'm concerned with what the next treatment may bring...yet, we still remain confident that, with help from the Lord, he will handle the next phase as well as the first! He has been so incredibly strong! When the next phase begins, we will make sure we get help from you "prayer warriors" that have done a phenominal job so far!
Tonight we want to give an extra thanks to all the kids, families, faculty and staff of both Machebeuf and Regis Highschools for their phenominal support for Dakoda and our family! The schools recently had fund raisers, and generously donated much of the money raised to our family to help cover some of the medical expenses in Dakoda's treatment. We have been so blessed by everyone's generousity and willingness to help us out when needed. From the financial support, to the meals, the baby sitting, the transportation and the time off from work when needed. EVERYTHING is greatly appreciated!!! We thank you all for your support and understanding! We are truly humbled by your outpouring of love and generousity!!!
In Jesus,
The Bell family
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2002
Dakoda has had a cold the past 4 or 5 days, so he didn't go to school today. However, as of tonight he is doing much better and will be in school tomorrow for half a day! Then it's back to Fitzsimmons for radiation and doctor evaluation in the early afternoon. He likes wednesday because while we wait for the doctor, he gets to pretend we are on a space shuttle and working on highly secretive missions, and if the doctor is running late he gets to sneak on the computers in the rooms and e-mails Erin.
Yesterday we got an outline of Kode's treatment for the next 3 months. He will get the much antisipated MRI and workup for high-dose therapy during the week of May 20th, and will begin his first round of high-dose therapy shortly thereafter. A few days after receiving his first round of high-dose chemo drugs he will be given his white blood cells back which were harvested in March. Dr. Foreman said he will probably be feeling real bad for a couple of weeks, and that most children end up in the hospital with some type of infection. He will repeat the high-dose therapy and white blood cell infusion again towards the end of June, and soon after his birthday he should be rebounding from the therapy. However, there are severe risks involved in this type of therapy, which I won't elaborate on due to wanting to remain positive throughout his treatment. However, with how well he has handled most of the protocol thus far, we remain confident that he will do well again! We are thankful and praise God for blessing Dakoda with such strength! It has been amazing! I know that He hears all the prayers that you and our family have said, and has answered them with His loving compassion!
I didn't receive word today on how Jaime's MRI went, but, please continue to pray for good results for her. And, please continue the prayers for Erin, Miss Julie, Hanna, Derek, Darla and all other people battling cancer everyday. They need our support and prayers as well!
God bless!
Monday, April 22nd, 2002
Just a quick entry tonight, as I just got back from taking Jordan to the emergency room at Swedish Medical Center tonight. As you can see, we just can't spend enough time checking out the different hospitals around the Denver area! Not to worry, Jord is fine. He sprained his hand in a baseball game this evening, and we thought he may have broken it by how much pain he was in. So, to be on the safe side we thought it would be best to have it x-rayed and checked by a doctor.
Dakoda felt great today, and Dr. Foreman thinks he is doing great as well! Just after Kode's Oncology appointment we headed down to the cafeteria for a snack and we ran into Jaime's mom in one of the waiting areas. Unfortunately, Jaime felt a lump on her neck the other day, and was in having an MRI to find out what it is. She's been doing so well, but, let's pray that this is nothing serious, and that she continues to heal nicely! Fortunately, we were able to see her before they went to the Oncology unit and we went to Occupational therapy, and as always, it was great to see her beautiful smile! She's a beauty! I know that her mom must get tired of all the guys calling her house all the time! You know how those teenage girls are, always got some guy callin' at some strange hour for some strange reason!
If you haven't noticed yet, Erin has also got an additional photo album up, and will be adding more photos in the near future! As for me, when I see the wonderful smiles of Dakoda and Erin, and how they continue to battle their illnesses, I can't help but be truly inspired by their courage and strength!!
Blessing to you!
Sunday, April 21st, 2002
What a great day for Dakoda! He started off the day at church, and got to see some of his friends from school, then he got a new play table for his trains and cars, and to top that all off he had pizza for dinner! You just can't get a much better day than that!
I've got to tell you what he did today, it's fantastic! He was out in the garage working out a bit with his big brother Sloan, and when I walked out to check on them, he flexed his right arm and showed me how big his right bicep is! Wow!!! That's Amazing!!! He hasn't been able to do that since before January 23rd!!! He also helped me alot with his new play table, by screwing in the ALL the screws, and using both hands while doing so!!! We continue to be amazed and encouraged by his improvements over the past 4 weeks! Again, we remain confident that the Lord is working a miracle on him!!!
Dakoda has another long one tomorrow. He starts with an early appointment at the Oncology department, then to occupational therapy and then radiation at Fitzsimmons! He continues to be patient with all his appointments and treatments, I know if it were me, I'd be going crazy! He is my hero, he has been so strong throughout this ordeal!
Thank you for the continued prayers and support for him and our family.
Peace be to you!
Saturday, April 20th, 2002
Sorry about not having an update yesterday. I was feeling poorly and went to bed early. But, on the good side, Dakoda felt real good and continues to feel great today! He stayed home from school yesterday, as we didn't want to push him too hard to start with on his return to school. Overall he had a great week, and it was wonderful to see him back at school with his friends! I know that he has missed them greatly! He's got some great friends that continue to support him with prayers and encouragement. It's great to see that even at their young ages they can be so understanding and compassionate!
We went to one of Kode's favorite places tonight for dinner, Bennigan's. He was so full of energy. By how well he has felt, we know the Lord continues to work his healing power on Dakoda! It truly has been amazing! All praises go to Him!
Kode got a special treat last night...he got to talk to his friend Erin on the phone! I know that you'll be happy to know that she sounded as well as Kode!
We invite you, as always, to continue the prayers and support for Erin, Ms. Julie, Hanna, Derek and also Jaime(our nieces best friend), along with all others who battle cancer. It's a long, difficult battle that these people wage, and we KNOW that the prayer helps!
God bless!
Thursday, April 18th, 2002
Just a brief update tonight since it's even later than my usual update time.
Dakoda had another good day today! As mentioned yesterday, he got to go to Denver's Museum of Natural History. He had a great time learning some new things, and of course had a great time with his friends!
After radiation therapy we went home and he played with his buddy, Jonathan. And a bit later he got to go to his first tiger scout meeting in at least three months. He earned a badge and some beads for his belt. On January 23rd he was scheduled to race his derby race car, unfortunately that was the first day we had to take him to Children's Hospital, and the Ct Scan revealed the tumor. That was the worst day of our lives. However, with the progress he has made the past few weeks, we are confident that the Lord is healing him, and next year when it's derby time again, he'll be ble to race his car!
Dakoda is going to stay home from school tomorrow, as we feel he may need a little extra rest after starting back to school. He'll go back again next tuesday, because, as usual monday's are always so full with appointments.
As I said.....just a quick update tonight.
Peace!
Wednesday, April 17th, 2002
Two days back at school for Koda! I wish I could say that it was back to school as usual, but at least it's a little closer to normal than what it has been lately. When I was talking to one of my friends at work today, I realized that it hasn't even been three months since Dakoda was diagnosed with his illness. With everything happening at such a fast pace, it seems almost like years. He is a remarkable young man, going through all this with very few complaints. I can't tell you how proud we are of him for fighting this thing so hard. He has made such great progress the past 3 to 4 weeks. We praise God for giving him such strength and courage!
Kode is so excited to be back at school and to be with his friends! He's got a big field trip planned for tomorrow. His class will be going to the Natural History Museum in the morning. Unfortunately he'll have to leave a bit early for his radiation therapy, but, he wont miss much. Tracee is very lucky, in that, since she works on the same campus where Kode goes to school, she gets to see Dakoda when he's outside for recess! She said he was outside playing soccer today, and was playing as hard as he used to! Amazing! Who's tougher than that?!
Lucky Dakoda...he received a teddy bear and some beautiful artwork from Erin today!!! She drew a portrait of herself and one of Dakoda. I think we may have to get those framed, and put them on the wall to share with everyone! She is so sweet, but, I don't need to tell you that, you can just tell by looking at her pictures. However, under that sweet smile you know there's another tough fighter! As most of you know she has also been able to go back to school!
Again we thank you for the phenominal support you have shown Dakoda and our family, and for sharing your love and support with Erin and her family as well. Your support gives us strength to help Dakoda battle his illness.
God bless!
Tuesday, April 16th, 2002
Wow! Kode got to go back to school this morning! He was so excited last night when he learned he was heading back to school. He even gave up Dexter's Laboratory and Ed, Edd and Eddy and started doing his homework immediately! I think he was inspired to go back and see his friends, and also by the fact that Erin went back to school last week as well, and I think those things motivated him to get going. If all goes well, he will continue to go to school in the mornings until his radiation therapy is complete. After he completes the radiation in May, he may get a couple of weeks break from therapy until he starts his high dose chemotherapy. This will allow his blood counts to rise again, and if that's the case, then he may be able to finish the school year strong!
Great job on the guestbook entries! They are fantastic! The entries are such a big part in keeping his attitude good, as he loves to read them all! Unfortunately we are unable to answer them all, however, we do try to reply to as many as our time permits. Please, know that they are all greatly appreciated!
Kode goes back to school in the morning, and again, back to Fitzsimmons for another radiation session. He is amazing! He has handled the radiation and Temozolomide with no problems what so ever! The Lord has truly blessed him and us with the strength and means to indure everything thus far!
Thank you again for the phenominal support and prayers for Dakoda and the rest of the family. There's no way we can express our gratitude for your loving kindness and generousity!
Peace!
Monday, April 15th, 2002
Hope everybody got their taxes turned in today, if you haven't done so already! We got ours turned in today, which is a major accomplishment with all the crazyness that we've been going through since January 23rd.
Sorry about not having a journal entry yesterday. I was putting in a new sink, and also spent time looking at other caringbridge websites.
Hubbard (grandma) took Dakoda, Tracee and Madi to the Shrine Circus yesterday. Kode had a good time, and got to hold and pet a baby lion! I'm glad he's not scared of lions like he's scared of clowns!!!
Kode had another full day today. His first appointment today was a visit to the Oncology unit at Children's, then upstairs to occupational therapy, and then to Fitzsimmons for radiation! He does a great job shuffling around town, and showing such great patience.
Kode's lead Oncologist, Dr. Foreman, was very pleased with how much improvement Kode has made over the past few weeks! And again, Kode has handled the radiation and Temolozide so well, that he thinks that Kode should do another round of Temolozide before he starts high dose chemotherapy.
Kode has been doing great lately, and we praise God for his enduring strength throughout this ordeal.
Don't forget to check out both photo albums, as Sloan added some additional pictures this weekend.
Saturday, April 13th, 2002
It was work day for Dakoda today! He spent a couple of hours at work with me today. Of course he did a great job and was a big help to my customers. He also pitched in cleaning glass and merchandise. He always enjoys going to work and talking with customers. He already has a great work ethic and is very personable and polite with the customers.
Later this evening Tracee, Dakoda, Madi and of course Zorro went to a puppy shower at Miss Cathy's and Crumpet's house (Crumpet is Miss Cathy's puppy). I've never heard of such a thing before. Those dog's, they're crazy! They'll do just about anything for a party! Don't believe me? Just ask Kode, he'll tell you to read Go Dog Go!
Dakoda continues to amaze me with how well he is doing right now. Even with radiation and the Temozolomide combined! We know the Lord is blessing Dakoda with extra strength to handle his treatments so well!
As you know, we attribute so much of Dakoda's positive progress to the Lord answering our prayers. We greatly appreciate how many of you have devoutly prayed for Dakoda and our family! Your support and prayers have been phenominal! Along with the support for Dakoda, you have done a fantastic job supporting Erin as well! I commend you for the sharing of your love, it is very heartwarming to see! I would also like to ask that you keep several other people in your prayers daily, as they struggle with different forms of cancer. I have mentioned some before: Derek Ross, age 13. Darla, sister-in-law of my boss and co-worker Susie. I would like to add our friend Miss Julie who recently left the Early Learning Center at MPB to concetrate on getting better, and also a 3 1/2 year old girl named Hanna I met at Fitzsimmons on thursday. Thank you again for sharing your love with us and others that have to battle every day with these ugly illnesses.
You are in our prayers as well!
Friday, April 12th, 2002
Take a look at the new pictures that Sloan added to Kode's photo album website! We hope to add more every few days if time permits. As you can tell by the journal entries, we are extremely busy all the time, and don't always have time to do everything we need or would like to get done.
Dakoda had another good day today! So far, he has handled the radiation and the new chemo drug with no ill affects at all. We praise and thank God for the tremendous progress he has made over the past 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. He has had a lot of energy and other than yesterday he has had good appetite as well.
Kode had a bit of a treat today after we dropped Jordan off for his Confirmation retreat weekend. We went to Soup'er Salad for dinner and Dakoda got to see is pals Mary and Alley! They were all happy to see each other. I know Kode misses all his friends, and is looking forward to returning to school soon. If all goes well he will return on tuesday of next week!
Just a short entry tonight due to keyboard operator fatigue syndrome. We hope that you will continue to show support for Dakoda and Erin by following there progress and spreading the news of their battles to other people you may know. Again, we invite you to follow their progress and encourage the notes, because they mean so much to them.
Peace be to you.
Thursday, April 11th, 2002
Just a short entry tonight due to the late start. I attended another healing mass at St. Vincent de Paul and it ran long tonight.
Another great day for Dakoda! We stopped by my place of work on the way to Fitzsimmons, and I think he amazed a lot of my coworkers on how much he has improved over the last two weeks or so! He wore his NASA jumpsuit today along with his NASA badges, he looked like he was ready for his shuttle mission.
Dakoda has gotten some great invitations to do some fun things, like tour Invesco Field and visit with Miles the Bronco's new mascot, tour a police station and go to a Rockies game courtesy of Jeff Kingery, one of the gentleman that calls the games on the radio. Unfortunately, due to his hectic schedule, we haven't been able to take advantage of these great offers. Hopefully he'll be able to do some of these things in the next few weeks, I know he would love to!
Thank you for all the support.
Wednesday, April 10th, 2002
One day into combined radiation and chemotherapy, and Dakoda is doing well! The only thing different from yesterday was that Kode didn't have much of an appetite today.
When Kode goes to radiation he has to wear a mesh like mask that has been formed to his face. With the exception of an area below his chin, the mask leaves imprints on his face which last for about ten minutes. He thinks the marks make him look like Spiderman, and since he thinks looks like Spiderman, he wore his Spiderman costume to radiation today. He looked so cute! He got a lot of doubletakes while we were driving to Fitzsimmons. He also got a lot of nice comments from people at the hospital and from my friends at work. He thinks Spiderman is way cool! He has now added another job to the list of jobs he would like to do when he gets older. Let's see.... just a few are firefighter, astronaut and Spiderman! You know, with how strong and brave he's been throughout his journey, he definetly qualifies as a superhero in my book!!!
I was able to upload 2 photos on Kode's caringbridge web photo album. One is of Erin and her family, and the other is of Jordan and Minnie Mouse. If all goes well we'll have many more up this weekend!
Great job on the entries into Kode's and Erin's guestbooks! It's wonderful to see the love and support being shown to them and to our families as well! They are all so uplifting, and help in the healing process! Thank you!
May the Lord bless you each and every day!
Tuesday, April 9th, 2002
Dakoda had another good day! We thank the Lord for all the good days Dakoda has had these past few weeks! Tonight Dakoda started his new chemo drug, Temozolomide. When taken by it's self, it has very few side affects, however, taken along with radiation there may be some side affects that we haven't had to deal with for a while. The main one that we're concerned about that could appear would be the swelling, which could affect him neurologically again. It may affect the use of the right side of his body again. We pray that it doesn't, and also pray that he will handle it as well as he did in the first two rounds of chemo. This drug is different, in that this one is taken orally by pills instead of taking it through his port lines for hours. He continues to amaze me by his strength, not only physically, but emotionally. He is so unbelievably brave. Although he knows that he may get sick from this new drug, he took it with no hesitation. In fact, he had a smile when he took it. How I love his beautiful smile! It brightens my everyday. He is my hero!
Thank God we got back on Tracee's insurance at work back in November, because, we didn't have a prescription card with our old insurance. The cost of the Temozolomide is almost $300 a pill and the Zofran for nausea is over $200 for 12 pills. That alone is enough to make me sick!
Tomorrow Kode has his daily visit to Fitzsimmons for radiation. Hubbard (Grandma) will come in and spend the day with Kode and Madi, and when it's time for radiation she'll bring Kode to my work so I can take him to Fitzsimmons. The kid's are always excited when she comes over to spend the day. She has been a huge help during this ordeal, as not only does she watch the kids, but since our schedule is so hectic, she also pitches in on the chores around the house and brings in groceries when needed. We are so fortunate and grateful for the support that we have received from so many people in our family, our Parish, our work and even people we don't even know.
Great news for Kode and the rest of our family....There is a chance that Erin and her family, or part of her family, may come to Colorado to visit! That would be fantastic! They, have made such a huge impact on our lives, and I know they have touched your hearts as well. We want to thank you for supporting Erin and her family as well as ours. You have been phenominal with all your support. Thank you so much! It is greatly needed and appreciated!
God bless!
Monday, April 8th, 2002
As predicted....a busy day for Kode today. However he did have some fun too!
The day started with a visit to the Oncology department at Children's, which ran long, so he missed his occupational therapy appointment. He then went to radiation at Fitzsimmons. From there he went to the home opener for the Colorado Rockies! They got there a bit late, but no worries, he had a good time any way. After that game he went to watch his brother Jord's baseball game which they won! Unfortunately, he arrived late for that game as well, because he missed seeing Jord hit his first career homerun over the fence!!! Wow! I wish I had been there for that one! Dakoda and Madi did a great job handling the busy day today. But, you know who else did? Tracee - she does a phenominal job with handling her regular duties as a mother, as well as working at the ELC three days a week, and being chief taxi driver!
Doctor Foreman, Kode's lead Oncologist, is pleased with how Dakoda has progressed in gaining better use out of the right side of his body again! As mentioned yesterday, since Dakoda's doing so well with handling the radiation, he will start taking Temolozide tomorrow. He will be taking that on top of his radiation therapy. Temolozide is a different drug than what he received on his first two rounds of chemo. You may recall the first drugs used were VP16 and Carboplatin. We, along with some of you, watched part of a story yesterday on 60 Minutes about Doctor Henry Freidman who heads the Duke University Hospital program on brain tumors. The story followed him and told of the success he has he with treating brain tumors. I was curious to see that one of his patients they followed was given, what they called an experimental drug, VP16. I spoke with Dr. Foreman about why they had called it experimental when Dakoda has already received it, and he said that, for children that in fact it's not experimental, it may be for adults. The drugs doctors can use on children are normally stronger and in a lot of cases different, than what an adult can handle. He also said that VP16 has been used quite a bit on children the past several years. The more I look around, and believe me, I've done a lot and continue to do so, at other hospitals the more confident I am that Dakoda is getting some of the best treatment available in the U.S. I ask Dr. Foreman questions about the different things I see out there, and he's very understanding and patient with my constant inquires of different protocols and drugs. He understands that all we want is what's best for Dakoda.
OK. I'm starting to fall asleep at the wheel here. Time to hit the hay. Don't forget to check out Erin's web page, as she's gotten some new pictures added to her photo album. Dakoda and Erin have beautiful smiles, and it's great to be able to pull them up on the computers at work to help brighten my days.
May the Lord bless you today!
Sunday, April 7th, 2002
Dakoda had a pretty laid back day today. For the most part he hung around the house and took it easy with the exception of going to the movies this afternoon. We went to see Ice Age, along with Uncle Steve, Ashley and Alyssa. He loved the movie and had a real good time with his cousins this weekend. Kode was especially excited today, because Steve got a new 4x4 truck and he got to ride in it to the movies. Dakoda has always loved big trucks and construction equipment. When he was just a little guy we would have to drive by construction sites just to see the equipment. Even then he knew the types of equipment and what the were used for.
Steve and Tracy have been such a great help to us throughout this ordeal, especially when it has come to the last second baby sitting for Madi when we've had to take Kode to the hospital. Steve always makes Dakoda laugh by telling him wild stories and pretending that they're real.
We have been very fortunate and blessed, in that, not only do we have Steve and Tracy pitching in when needed, but, we have so many other people that have stepped up to help us out. People that are truly showing their love and support, and asking "how can we help". These people have truly opened my eyes to what it means to go the extra mile when someone needs you to. I must tell you about my friend Sharon at work. She has both her elderly parents living with her at home, and they are not in the best of health, in fact her father just suffered a stroke last week. But, even with her plate as full as it is, she has still been able to help our family in our time of need. Now how tough is that? What an inspiration she has been to me.
Dakoda has a full day scheduled for tomorrow. He's got an appointment at oncology first thing, then after that he goes to physical therapy and then later for radiation treatment. Too bad Tracee doesn't get paid by the mile! Since Dakoda has handled radiation therapy so well, he is scheduled to begin taking another drug on top of radiation therapy tomorrow.
Thank you for all the love and support you have shown our family. We are extremely grateful. And, thank you for the e-mails, they're fantastic and they help to keep Dakoda's spirits up. We try to answer as many as we can, unfortunately, with our time constraints we're unable to do so. But please continue as we know how much Kode loves them.
Saturday, April 6th, 2002
Today was a great day for Dakoda to be outside. The weather was nice, so he got to watch Jordan and his team win a couple of baseball games. After the games he went to his cousin Meagan's birthday party at Red Robin, and then back to her house for cake and ice cream. He was having such a good time with his cousins, that Meagan and Rachel decided to come over to our house to spend the night.
Dakoda continues to amaze us with his strength and courage. Today he was able to open his hand even better and without the aid of his left hand!
Sloan added more pictures to Kode's photo website tonight, we hope you enjoy them.We hope to add some more to his site again tomorrow.
Tracee continues to be amazingly strong throughout this ordeal. For someone who used to pass out at the sight of blood, she has done a fantastic job! Her strength is inspiring for me and the rest of the family, including Dakoda.
Thank you for the continued support and prayers for Dakoda and the rest of our family. Your support has been a blessing to us and we truly appreciate everything!
Friday, April 5th,2002
Dakoda's had a couple of real good days. He's felt good and he is still showing more improvement in the use of his right hand. We're so excited about his improvement. We are confident that the Lord is continueing to work His healing powers on Dakoda!
Yesterday, we got to the physical therapists office at 7:30am, but, there was some miss communication and we weren't supposed to be there, they had canceled our appointment for some reason. Kode had radiation therapy again in the afternoon. Most of those appointments are short expect for the days when Dr. Weng consults with us.
Dakoda got to talk with Erin on the phone yesterday. He was so excited! She and her family have become such an important part of our lives. It's great to know and talk with another family that's going through many of the same things that we are.
Today, Dakoda had radiation therapy in the afternoon and had healing this evening. We are using homeopathic healing in conjunction with standard medicine and spriritual prayer. As you can tell, we are attempting to hit Kode's illness from all angles. Like all parents in the same situation as us, we're intent on finding a cure no matter what.
Thank you again for all the support and prayers. You have made this ordeal so much more managable by your love and generousity.
I spoke with Derek Ross' father today, and unfortunately Derek has had a set back. If I recall correctly, his liver has shut down and the doctors have discontinued his chemotherapy for the time being. We pray that he will respond positively, and will be able to resume chemotherapy soon.
Don't you feel good? Spring is on it's way. I always feel refreshed, especially when the trees start budding and the flowers start blooming. We can get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine and smell the wonderful fragrances that spring brings. This spring will be especially sweet as we discard some of the darkness that we have felt these past couple of months.
Peace to you!
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2002
Just a quick update tonight since we've got an extra early physical therapy appointment in the morning.
Dakoda had another good day today! We're amazed at how well he has handled the radiation therapy, and how much his physical strength has improved the past week or so. We thank God for giving Dakoda such strength in this battle.
He had radiation therapy again today. The appointment ran long today because wednesdays are the days Dr. Weng makes her visits to the patients and talks to them or their parents. She was running behind schedule so we spent an extra hour and a half at the hospital, however, it didn't bother Kode too much as we sneak on the computer in the offices when she's running late! We sent Erin an e-mail and checked in on the space shuttle Atlantis for tomorrows mission.
Since Dakoda was diagnosed with this illness, I've met a number of people who have similar situations in their lives, so knowing how great you have been in praying for Dakoda and Erin, I would ask that you also pray for a few other people as well. Summer Wilson - she was born with a very rare cancer on her arm which was removed shortly after birth. She is now 5 years old and we pray she continues to do well. Another is Derek Ross - I didn't get his age from his father, but, like Erin he too has Luekemia. Suzy at Trice, where I work has a sister-in-law named Darla that is in serious need of prayer. We are confident the power of prayer works, as Dakoda is making great progress and handling the radiation so well!
Thank you for all the support and prayers!
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2002
Dakoda has had very good days both today and yesterday. Yesterday he started off with an early appointment at the oncology unit at Children's Hospital. The appointment went a couple of hours longer because his broviac port lines were not working properly when the nurse went to draw blood for his counts. He had to have some enzymes placed into the lines for a while to clear up any type of blockage. After the lines are cleared they can draw blood for the tests. It was one of those days when we anticipate a quick visit and then it turns into a long ordeal. Fortunately it didn't turn into an all day visit. We are very fortunate to have employers and co-workers that are understanding of our circumstances, and are supporting us in this battle with Dakoda's illness. We were fortunate that Jordan started spring break yesterday and was able to stay home with Madi. After Kode's oncology visit he went for his radiation session at Fitzsimmons. Dakoda, thus far, has handled the radiation therapy extremely well. Dr. Foreman, Dakoda's chief oncology doctor, feels Dakoda is doing very good and if all continues to go well this week, he would like for Dakoda to start an additional drug in conjunction with the radiation treatment. That's good and bad. It's good in that it will be that much more to help fight his tumor, but, it again can make him feel bad physically for a while. We pray that the Lord continues to bless Dakoda with the great strength to handle any type of side affect.
Dakoda's buddy Jake came over to spend the day yesterday, unfortunately it ended up being only half the day, but, none the less they had a good time. They don't get to see much of each other any more because Jake moved to Parker and switched schools, along with the fact that Jake's big brother Ryan no longer goes to school with Jordan or plays on the same baseball and basketball teams since they are both in highschool now. As many of you parents know, you get to see a lot of your kids' teammates and classmates over the years if they attend the same schools and play on the same teams.
Today was not as hectic since Dakoda had only his radiation session, however, the shuttling around town continues as usual as we attempt to try and keep life as normal as possible during this journey. Jordan continues to participate in his sports and Tracee continues to share in the kids taxi service, driving Jord and a couple of other kids to where they need to be. Fortunately the taxiing service is shared by some other parents and when we run into some tight squeezes, and we have a lot in the past two months, Jordan's buddy Danny's taxi and boarding service takes over. Actually that would be Danny's parents Tom and Joanne. They have been great in helping us try to maintain some normalcy in our lives.
We have been blessed to have the type of support we have received from so many people. We are so grateful to EVERYONE that has stepped up to help us out in this difficult time. We sincerely thank you!
God bless!
Tuesday, April 02, 2002 at 04:59 PM (CST)
Sorry about not having an update from yesterday. After about an hour or so of typing last night for the journal update, we lost our connection and everything was deleted. We will have an update later tonight. Thanks for the patience.
Sunday, March 31, 2002 at 11:56 PM (CST)
We hope you had a great Easter celebration today! We started off with mass at MPB. Dakoda got to see some friends at church, and hung around with one of his best pals - Jake. Dakoda is always excited to see him because he doesn't get to see him much anymore due to his family moving to Parker, and he had to change schools because of the move. Dakoda's had a great week because he's seen a lot of his friends at church and at the MPB Early Learning Center where Tracee works. He seems to up his level of energy when he gets to spend time with them. If he continues to do as well as he has the past couple of weeks, he will probably return to school for half days after this next week of spring break. If all goes well he will go in the mornings then take off when he has to go to his radiation appointments at 1:00.
Tomorrow he starts the day with an early appointment at the oncology unit at Children's Hospital and then back to Fitzsimmons for his radiation in the afternoon. We are thrilled with how well he has handled the radiation therapy thus far. We praise God for the healing work He is doing on Dakoda!
We thank all of you for the phenominal support you have blessed us with. We are truly humbled by the out-pouring of love you have shown Dakoda and the rest of our family. Even people we've never met before continue to support us during this difficult ordeal. We are amazed! Again, thank you so much!
Saturday, March 30th, 2002
Happy Easter to all! We hope that your Holy week has gone well! Due to how well Dakoda has done this week, our week has been outstanding! He has made some great progress in the use of his right arm and hand. He is able to raise his arm above his head again, and he is able to open his hand enough to clap! We truly feel that the Lord is answering our prayers and is healing him!
Dakoda felt great again today. I am amazed at how well he is handling his radiation therapy. He has shown very few affects from the therapy thus far! We continue to pray he is able to handle all the needed treatments, and continues to make positive gains in his progress!
We will be attending Mass in the morning at MPB, and have brunch at Tracee's Uncle Steve's house. We hope that you will be spending this special day with your loved ones as well!
I'm sure our friends in Maryland are happy tonight as the University of Maryland won. Go Maryland! They played a great game tonight. The Hawks made it interesting in the last 5 minutes, but, no go! It was Maryland's night!
Again, we hope you have a great Easter!
Friday, March 29th, 2002
Just a brief update tonight due to how late is right now.
Dakoda had another good day! After his radiation treatment he, along with Tracee, Jordan, Madi, Hubbard and buddy Michael caught the second half of Disney on Ice at the Pepsi Center! Complements of some friends of Tracee's. Just can't get enough of Disney. Tonight we went to mass at MPB. It was great! We had the honor of participating in the carrying of the cross. It was very moving. We could really feel the presence of the Lord!
Great news about the photo album. I consulted with our top computer whiz - (Sloan). He informed me that we are having a problem with our server, so the pictures aren't being transfered from our pictures folder to the website. So, he got busy in a hurry and finished work on a website he had already begun creating for Dakoda before we were set up on the caringbridge page! He did a great job. I was amazed how fast he got it done, and how much he knows about computers. He's had a lot of experience over the past couple of years because he has a website for his band. Man! do I feel dumb, he's only a freshman in highschool and knows all that stuff. If only he would work on his schoolwork like that, he'd be in college next year!
If you go to the bottom of this page you'll notice Dakoda's new photo album website and Erin's website as well. All you have to do is click there and your taken to those sites immediately. I'm excited we can share a lot more pictures of Dakoda by using his new photo album website, and because I can get a bit more sleep! We will be adding more pictures soon!
God bless!
Thursday, March 28th, 2002
Today was a busy one! Physical therapy at Children's first thing this morning, Fitzsimmons for radiation in the early afternoon, Steve and Tracy's house in Parker after that and then to church tonight. Kode was definitely tired of sitting in the car by the end of the day! He's been doing a great job being patient most of the time with the running around.
Kode's buddy Michael went to church with us tonight, we thought it would be nice since they haven't hung out with each other for a while. Not a good idea after all! It started off great with Dakoda participating in the presentation of the oils. However, you know what happens to kids when they have to sit for more than 15 minutes, they start to get all fidgety and their arms and legs start flailing around uncontrollably. Oh well, it was good to see him acting like a normal kid, and he was also able to spend time with his friends Summer and Katie, along with some other friends from school. I know he misses his friends a lot. I also forgot to mention yesterday that he had spent a couple of hours on tuesday and wednesday with some friends at the after school - School Age Program where he goes to school.
He felt great again today! With how well he's felt the past couple of weeks, and especially the past 5 or 6 days, we truly feel that the Lord is healing him! Thank you for all the prayers you've said and continue to say for Dakoda's healing. We can't help but believe that they're being answered!
As you can see I'm having even more trouble updating Kode's photo album. Please be patient, I know we'll get it worked out.
We also want to thank all of Erin's friends that have visited Dakoda's website and added him to their prayers. We hope that you, along with everyone else will continue to follow both Dakoda's and Erin's progress.
Just a side note - for all of you from Maryland, we're pulling for Maryland in the final four. Since I spent the first decade or so of my life in D.C., Baltimore and Bowie, I will always be a fan of Maryland.
Have a great Holy week and Easter!
Wednesday, March 27th, 2002
Dakoda did another fine job today with his radiation therapy. So far, it's better than the chemotherapy since he doesn't have to spend the entire day at the hospital. Doctor Weng said the side affects of the radiation treatment don't normally show up for a week to ten days. The main concern I have is with the swelling, I pray Dakoda doesn't get headaches like he had in February. As you may recall we had a couple of very scary nights with severe headaches.
Tomorrow we start the day with an early physical therapy appointment at Children's Hospital and then again in the afternoon we head to Fitzsimmons. Tomorrow evening we will attend the 7:00 service at MPB.
I have been humbled by this experience with Dakoda's illness. Before he became ill I never gave much thought to what people and their families go through in instances like this. I've never had to. I've had very little personal experience with friends or family having life-threatening illnesses (one exception was my mother who fought a long battle with COPD). I never thought I would have to deal with something like this, never really gave it much thought, we're active, we live a healthy life, try to stay in shape, don't smoke, try to eat healthy and try to live a clean life. You know how it is, it's much like when your younger and you don't think anything can hurt you. What a rude awakening, this is an illness, I've discovered that can hit anyone, it doesn't matter who you are. I have new found respect for the people that have dealt and continue to deal with similar situations. Since Dakoda's diagnosis, I've met a number of amazing families that have to deal with similar situations, and I tell you that they truly are amazing, courageous and strong. And not all have had the phenominal support which we've been blessed with. Our lives have been forever changed by this experience, and our ideals and priorities have been redefined from what we originally thought.
I know that some of you have had the chance to look at our friend Erin's website and hope you will continue follow her progress as well. You'll notice when you look at her website you'll see what a beautiful young lady she is, and what a beautiful family she has. You will also notice she has pictures in her album, and for some crazy reason, which I haven't figured out yet, we are having a hard time getting our pictures uploaded. I may have to turn to computer junkies for help....Jordan and Sloan, say it ain't so. Have you seen the skit on Saturday Night Live about the computer guy? OK, I admit it, I'm computer illiterate.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers! God bless.
Tuesday March 26th, 2002
Dakoda had his 2nd session of radiation today. All went well, and he felt great all day! We meet with Dr. Weng after Dakoda's session about how his progress is coming along with some issues and concerns we've had. The main concern was the possible side affects of the radiation and other types of radiation therapies that are used. These are some questions we've asked in the past, however, we are trying to be as educated as possible when it comes to making decisions in his treatment, and it's reassuring to get the thoughts and opinions of different doctors, as there is no exact protocol for treating Kode's illness. However, we are excited about how Dakoda has been doing the last two weeks, and we remain confident that he will beat this thing!
I spent 2 1/2 hours trying to update his photo album tonight with pictures from Disney World, however, for some reason I'm having a tough time doing so. For that reason this entry is very brief tonight. Sorry....especially to those of you who have got to get your daily updates, or you just don't sleep well. I do the same thing with Erin's website! Hey!...I even check out their guestbooks several times a day to check out their e-mails. I need my fix too! Like I've said before, we really enjoy the e-mails, they're fantastic and truly uplifting. I believe they are also a great source for healing.
Thank you again for all your support and prayers! God bless.
Monday, March 25th, 2002
Dakoda started the day with a visit to the oncology unit at Children's Hospital this morning. His blood counts looked good, so he doesn't have another scheduled appointment there until next monday! He started his radiation therapy at Fitzsimmons this afternoon as planned. He was very brave and had no problem mustering up his courage for this phase of treatment! He was, and will probably for the duration of the radiation, dressed in his NASA jumpsuit he got while down at the Kennedy Space Center. Since he liked NASA so much he's imagining that he is preparing for his space shuttle missions, and the mask he has to wear is his helmet. He looks so cute in the suit, you can't help but smile when you see him. He also took his stuffed Pluto he got from Disney World and some CD's to keep him comfortable since we can't be in the room during his sessions. Fortunately the sessions aren't long like the chemotherapy treatments, however, they are monday through friday for 6 weeks. It seems as though Dakoda has handled his first day of radiation with little trouble, except for perhaps a slight temprature earlier this evening. As usual we'll have to monitor how he feels closely, and watch for any signs of trouble.
Your prayers have been phenominal, and we KNOW that due to your consistent prayers and positive thoughts, Dakoda has done very well the past couple of weeks. Again we thank you for your support and prayers! You've done a great job!!
Sunday, March 24th, 2002
Dakoda had another good day today! He felt good and ate well. As a matter of fact, I forgot to tell you that this past friday Tracee took Madi to the doctors and Kode went along, while they were there Kode got weighed and he weighed 50lbs. That's great news, because that's even more than when he first started treatment! Now, since he starts radiation therapy tomorrow we pray that he will handle this phase of treatment even better than the first two rounds of chemotherapy.
Again, we ask for extra prayers for Dakoda as he begins this new phase of treatment. Everyone has done a fantastic job praying thus far, and we know that his great response has been due to the prayers and God's grace and healing power!
I also wanted to mention how touched we were to see that Dakoda's friend Erin has already received some great notes from his friends! That's beautiful! We thank you for supporting her as well as Dakoda. The guestbook notes mean so much to the kids and us, and again, they play a huge part in their healing.
God bless!
Saturday, March 23rd, 2002
Dakoda has had a great couple of weeks! He's felt great and his energy level has risen tremendously! Especially the past few days. He has shown noticable improvement in the use of his right arm. We praise the Lord for these improvements! It's so encouraging to us to see the visible improvements in his dexterity! We are cautiously optomistic to see his next MRI. We are confident that we'll see great improvements in the reduction in size of his tumor!
Monday he will begin radiation therapy which will last approximately 5 to 6 weeks. This phase will consist of treatments monday through friday each week at Fitzsimmons in Aurora. We are so grateful to have such great support from our employers, family and friends. We can't imagine the difficulty we would experience if we didn't have the type of support we've gotten. You have been amazing!
As many of you know, Dakoda meet a new friend named Erin, while at Give Kids the World during his trip to Disney World this past week. She was diagnosed with leukemia on September 14th. Erin just got her website up, and we thought that many of you would also like to pray for her, and also visit her website to show her support as well. We know that your continuous support and prayers have done wonders for Dakoda and for us as well! We know that there are many other children in need of such support, and just from our short experience with Dakoda's illness, we feel that this may be just one way to help other children and their families in time of such need. If you would like to send her words of encouragement just go to - www.caringbridge.com/page/erinphillips - we enjoy reading all of Dakoda's e-mails, as they bring great comfort to us all as well.
Peace be to you!
Friday, March 23rd, 2002
We arrived back home late friday night, after a fast paced week in Florida. Dakoda had a great time! He got to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse along with a bunch of other Disney characters. He got a ton of autographs and pictures. We will share the pictures with you as soon as possible.
On our way to Florida, DIA was shut down for about 3 1/2 hours due to a security problem, that made for a long day. We didn't get into the Give Kids the World village until after midnight on friday. Saturday we went to Sea World and had a good time. We saw Shamu perform, along with some other shows as well. Dakoda's favorite attraction was probably the Artic Adventure ride.
Sunday and Monday we went to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, along with a late visit to the Epcot Center later monday night. Dakoda had a great time and went on lots of rides. His favorite was the Jungle Cruise because he got to steer the boat during the ride. The fireworks display at the Epcot Center is phenominal. Ever since my first visit to the Epcot Center that has been my favorite attraction at Disney World, and it meant so much to me to have Dakoda by my side watching the show, as the last time we went Tracee was still pregnant with Dakoda. Ironically, we ran into Denver Bronco player Kevin Kasper while at MGM on monday. He was treated to a day at Disney World due to his appearance a show for ESPN, which was being taped at the ESPN restaurant on the boardwalk.
Tuesday we went to Universal Studios with Dakoda's friend Erin and her family. His favorite ride there was MIB. Give Kids the World was fantastic! Not only was the village great with lots of things for the kids, but they also have a great relationship with Disney World and Universal Studios. At both of those parks the kids from GKTW get a little extra special treatment. They are allowed to go directly to the head of the line on many rides, and what I really thought was great, was the little extra things the cast members and characters did....like at the Jungle Cruise when Dakoda got to steer the ship and the captain announced that we had a special guest captain piloting the boat. And when the characters at both parks spend just a little more time with the kids from the village and give them some extra hugs(especially the Disney characters). I know that those don't sound like to big of a deal, but those little extras really made Dakoda feel especially good. It was also cool when the characters would tell or write in his autograph book to say hello to Mayor Clayton, who happens to be a six foot bunny that is the Mayor of the GKTW village. We could really tell that GKTW have truly built a wonderful relationship with those parks, and want to make the kids feel great.
Wednesday we got a great VIP tour of the NASA Space Center. It was a first class tour. We had a great chef prepared meal for lunch. We had a guest speaker that was an astronaut and spent 84 days in space aboard Skylab back in the seventies. NASA also provided a personal tour guide and private van, instead of the tour bus. That was cool!
On thursday we went back to Disney World and rode some more rides before returning to the airport.
We are grateful to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the opportunity to go to Disney World. And we praise the Lord for blessing Dakoda with the strength to go and his continued positive progress!
Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 11:04 PM (CST)
Another brief update for today, as we are off to NASA first thing in the morning.
Today we went to Universal Studios with a young lady by the name of Erin, along with her family. Erin is also a guest of Give Kids the World and she too received her wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Erin was diagnosed with Leukemia on September 14th, 2001. Like Dakoda, she has a gap in her treatment to where she is feeling good, and her white blood cell counts are high enough to prevent her from easily catching infections. She immediately caught Dakoda's attention yesterday when we were in line getting pictures taken with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. However, she is an older woman....she happens to be in the 3rd grade. I think the kids like meeting other children with simular illnesses, and we enjoyed sharing with her parents about their experiences along with ours. They belong to Sacred Heart Parish in their hometown in Maryland and have experienced a lot of the same type of love and support as we have. And just like Dakoda, she attends school at Sacred Heart as well.
We will keep Erin in our prayers, along with the many other children that come here to GKTW. We are grateful to Make-A-Wish for this trip and thank The Lord to be blessed with the support we have received from all of you!
Monday, March 18, 2002 at 10:27 PM (CST)
Hello from Disney World! Sorry about not being able to update the webpage the past four days. However, the computer wasn't working properly here at Give Kids the World in Kissimmee, Florida and we were in such a rush to get things ready for the trip, since it was such a short notice for us to go. Dakoda's having a great time and has gotten to meet a lot of the Disney characters, and he even got to captain the boat on the Jungle Cruise ride! He's felt very good the entire trip.
Sorry, this entry is short, because, we've got to get up early. The days have been hot and long, but we are still having a great time! Since the computer is back up I will try to update the site again tomorrow night. On Wednesday we will be heading to NASA for our final day.
Again, thank you for all the prayers. Dakoda's doing great because of the loving prayers! The Lord is listening, and we remain confident in His power!
Wednesday, March 13th, 2002
Dakoda had another long day today, but fortunetly not as long as yesterday. We will be back at Childrens Hospital again in the morning for one more day of "harvesting". He has been very patient and strong during this stage of therapy. He continues to impress me with his courage and strength.
Excellent news from the Make-A-Wish Foundation! I called Dakoda's wish grantor today to let him know that he may be able to go on his wish trip soon, and to my surprise he said that Dr. Foreman's office had already contacted them and that plans were already under way! Wow! what a shocker. If all goes well we'll be leaving for Disney World on friday morning! The Make-A-Wish Foundation has condominiums off of Disney property which is set up just for kids who have made Disney World their wish. They have medical facilities there in case of emergencies. Since Dakoda's been feeling well the past few days we don't anticipate any problems, however we'll still keep a close eye on him during the trip. How cool is that? Dakoda is so excited! The only bad thing is that he was hoping all his friends could go with him too. Unfortunately they can't quite pull that one off.
Dakoda really misses his friends at school, and appreciates all the e-mails he gets from them. It helps him to stay close to them and also get an idea of what's been going on in school without him. We would love to see him be able to return to school soon, however until that time we'll have to be satisfied with periodic visits.
We praise God for continued healing of Dakoda, and for blessing us with you in our lives.
Tuesday, March 12th, 2002
Today was a long one. Dakoda had an appointment at 8:30am at the oncology unit at Childrens Hospital. After getting his CBC (complete blood count), we went to the blood donor unit where Dakoda started his white blood cell harvest. Again, that was a change in plans from yesterday. After Dr. Foreman reviewed Dakoda's CBC report and determined that Dakoda was ready for the harvest. The harvesting procedure is long. We didn't leave the hospital until after 6:00pm. Although the procedure was long, Dakoda was tough and had a good attitude most of the day. He'll return first thing in the morning for continued harvesting. The total process may take as long as three or four days. The harvesting of white blood cells is for when Dakoda does the high dose chemotherapy. The chemicals he will be given are even more potent than the ones he received in the first two rounds. Since the chemicals are more potent, he will be weaker and far more susceptable to infections. However, the high dose therapy may be postponed until after radiation therapy due to the insurance company's possible denial of the stem cell transplant being performed at Childrens Hospital. The explaination is that Children's Hospital is out of network for any transplant procedures. Dr. Foreman told me that he hasn't had any insurance company deny a request for this type of procedure as of yet. However, if the insurance company denies this request we'll have to take Dakoda to St. Judes in Memphis, TN for the transplant. From what I've been told, I don't think it will come to that.
Dakoda felt very good all day today! He was full of energy, ate well, and definetly had a good attitude most of the day. The only time his attitude wasn't all that good was when he would at times get bored with how much time he was having to spend attached to the machine. Again, we thank the Lord for His healing work on Dakoda.
Again, we thank you for your continued prayers and support. Days like today the prepared meals have been phenominally helpful, for instance, the crazy schedule today...all the changes in the scheduled treatment doesn't allow much time to prepare meals, and although Dakoda may be through at the hospital for the day, we still have to administer medications to him at home, which requires a lot of extra time.
We are humbled and grateful for your generousity.
Monday, March 11th, 2002
Dakoda had a physical therapy appointment for his hand this morning, and after that he had an appointment at the oncology unit for a checkup. Dr. Foreman was pleased with the marked improvement of Dakoda's facial muscles on the right side (the right side of his body is the affected side). We have noticed the improvement in his facial muscles for the past few days, along with some additional improvement in his right arm. His appetite has been better the past couple of days and he has also put a few pounds back on!
His white blood cell counts have dropped enough to start the higher dosage of GCFS in preparation for the white cell "harvest". It's strange how the cell counts have to drop very low, then they hyper-boost them for the harvest. But, if I understand correctly, what they're really trying to do is to harvest large amounts of immature cells due to the fact that they are stronger when they are young. I will try to let you know more about that in the future. Tomorrow Dakoda goes back to the oncology unit for a transfusion of hemaglobin cells. I don't know how long that will take, but I don't think it should take any longer than when he had a platelet transfusion a few weeks ago.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation which grants wishes for seriously ill children, is hoping to grant Dakoda's wish - a trip to Disney World! However, Dakoda's condition hasn't been stable enough to send him until perhaps next week. The decision also has got a lot to do with his scheduled treatments as well as how he feels. As you know, if you've been following Dakoda's progress from the start, things can change drastically from one minute to the next.
We praise and thank God for the improvements we are now seeing in Dakoda. We want to thank you for your prayers and we encourage you to continue, as we know that the Lord is listening! Again, you have been phenominal in your prayers and support!
Sunday, March 10th, 2002
Dakoda had a good day today. He felt good all day and his appetite was much better as well. He ate a whole personal pan pizza along with a slice of my pizza for dinner tonight. Pizza is another of Dakoda's favorite food groups, you know - pizza, pizza bagels, lunchable pizza lunches etc...
Dakoda wanted to try riding his bike since it was such a nice day today. He loves being outside when it's nice, and he's always been very active. He showed a lot of guts by trying to ride his bike considering how his right arm and leg are at this time. He had some near falls and got very frustrated a couple of times, however after a few minutes he got back up and finished well. I know it's frustating for him not being able to do all the things he is normally able to do quite easily. I was impressed that he wanted to attempt it with the lack of control in his arm, but I wasn't surprised, knowing how he loves to ride.
Dakoda and his buddy Mike, along with Mom,Dad and Madi got a tour of Firestation #23 this afternoon. Captain Rogers, Adam and Steve did a great job showing us around and giving us some good safety training as well. Again, the number of people that have come forward to help Dakoda maintain a positive attitude and keep his spirits up has been impressive.
Thank you, again, for yesterdays phenominal turnout, and additionally, to all of you that generously donated, yet didn't participate in bowling. Your kindness and support will never be forgotten.
God bless!
Saturday, March 9th, 2002
Wow! What a great day today. We had a huge turnout to Dakoda's bowl-athon this afternoon! All thirty lanes were filled at least twice with bowlers. There were 196 bowlers total, and that doesn't include the people that just watched and spent time with friends. Due to your phenominal response, today's event doubled Holiday Lanes' previous best charity event! You have been incredible! We are truly humbled and blessed by your continued outpouring of love and support! We praise God every day for blessing us with such loving and supportive friends.
The day started with a luxurious limo ride for Dakoda and some of his buddies along with his family. The ride was great! It was generously donated by -A Fisher 1 Limousine- service. It was a dream come true for Dakoda, and something he will remember fondly for a longtime to come.
It was great to see so many people enjoying themselves while helping Dakoda and our family. We also had a great time seeing friends we haven't seen in a long time, and getting to see some new faces in their families.
There was a lot of very creative art work walking around as well. The face painting was a big hit with the younger kids, and was provided and donated by "Doofus" the clown. She, along with Mr. Fisher, demonstrated great generosity by devoting their time and talents to the event.
We want to give Dakoda's Aunt Lori an extra big thank you for setting up the entire event today, along with great help from Hubbard, Aunt Nickie and Aunt Debbie. We have been blessed to have such great support from them and so many other people in this difficult time for our family. Aunt Lori, Hubbard and Aunt Tracy have spent so much time at our house that we may need to add extra rooms just for them!
Again we gratefully thank everyone that participated and supported todays event along with businesses and employers that contributed in fund raising as well. So many people have contributed to the success of today's event that we can only thank you as a whole. We had contributions from as far away as Texas, Florida and even Australia.
Again we thank you for support and prayers! The Lord is working miracles!
Friday, March 08, 2002 at 11:39 PM (CST)
Today was stay at home and lounge in your pajama day. Kode took it easy today after an exciting one yesterday. Not a bad idea after all, considering the flash snow storm we got today.
Dakoda is looking forward to bowling tomorrow and getting to see a lot of his friends. It looks as though there should be a very good turn out for the event. We are also looking forward to meeting some new
friends as well. Dakoda will be traveling in style tomorrow as a friend will be taking him to the event in a limo! He is so excited. He has always wanted to ride in a limo.
We want to thank everyone in advance that will be participating in some way tomorrow. We consider ourselves fortunate and blessed to have the type of support we have received from all of you. We greatly appreciate everything you've done and continue to do! It's been amazing to see how many people have rallied to help Dakoda and our family in this difficult time.
To my coworkers at Trice and Tracee's at MPB, I just want to give you an extra thanks for your support of the time we've needed to spend with Dakoda and the rest of our family. I know that sometimes it places a bit more of a burden on you especially when it's busy. It definitley shows what caring and loving people you truly are. We will miss the Trice gang at the event tomorrow, unfortunatley we couldn't hold this on a sunday when the store is closed. We know that you'd be with us if possible!
In grateful appreciation to all of the loving friends who have supported us and continue to do so!
The Bell family
Thursday, March 7th, 2002
Dakoda had a very full day today. He had his first physical therapy appointment this morning and his regular checkup at the oncology unit afterwords. Since he hasn't been eating or drinking very much the past few days they gave him some fluids to prevent any type of dehydration(Just a precautionary measure).
There's been a change for next weeks scheduled plan of treatment for Dakoda. His white cell harvest has been postponed until the the following week, due to the cell count which he had taken today. As you can tell we have to be ready for any type of change to his scheduled treatments. We're thankful that we have so much understanding and support from our employers.
Since Dakoda was feeling good today, after his appointments we decided to pay some visits to some friends. First we stopped by to visit our friends/coworkers at Trice Jewelers. There were a lot of big smiles and encouraging words for him there. Then we went to visit mom at work, and where do you think she was?....Wow! she was with Miss Monique and Miss Cathy at church praying. There's some serious praying being done by those three. And I'm sure that there are a lot of other people praying with that same type of intensity! After we saw mom, we all went over to pay a surprise visit to Dakoda's class at school. We found them in the music class and joined in on some of the activities. Dakoda had a great time! After visiting his class, we went and visited Ms. Nickoloff's class and Dakoda answered questions that his friends had for him there. We also went back to his classroom and talked with his classmates there. His schoolmates had some great questions for him, and he did an excellent job answering them and explaining some of the things that he's been going through. That was a great visit. Great job Ms. Eyerman & Ms. Nickoloff and everyone in 1E and 1N! He misses all his friends at school, and was happy to see them.
Later this evening we had some healing prayer for Dakoda at home. We feel that in addition to science and medicine, that the power of prayer must also be incorporated into his healing treatment. We remain confident that the Lord is working miracles on Dakoda!
Peace be to you!
Wednesday, March 06, 2002 at 10:40 PM (MST)
Dakoda had a pretty good day today. However, I can tell that his white cell counts are down due to how fatigued he has become and also by his lack of appetite. The GCSF which he started again yesterday should kick in soon, and he should regain his appetite. Up until a day or two ago that wasn't much of a concern because he's been eating so well, and he hadn't lost any weight, but this is another one of the side affects from the treatment that we'll now have to keep an eye on.
Dakoda's class is making an item to be bid on at the annual MPB School auction. Thanks to Lynn, the person heading up creation of the class auction item, came by the house today so Dakoda could also be involved along with the rest of his classmates. From what I hear, the project is great! Thumbs up to Ms. Eyerman's class, you've done a great job!
Tomorrow morning Dakoda has his first physical therapy appointment and right after that he'll have another appointment at the oncology unit. Dakoda is unable to use his right arm very much due to some paralysis he is currently experiencing in that arm and shoulder. The physical therapy will help keep strength in his arm and shoulder, and also in his lower right leg and ankle since he is experiencing some trouble with those areas as well. We remain confident that the Lord is healing him and that he will regain full use of the right side of his body when all is done!
Wednesday, March 06, 2002 at 12:57 AM (MST)
Dakoda's appointment at Fitzsimmons went well today. Although he was scared, he was still very brave none the less. A mask made out of a plastic mesh material was made to form to his face for any future radiation therapy. The mask will be marked with spots where the radiation will be administered, and it's also designed to keep his head still during the treatment to preclude the radiation from hitting any areas that it shouldn't. Those markings will be determined from the CT scan he had taken today.
I forgot to mention that yesterday Dakoda also received some great autographed pictures and cards from Denver Bronco - Kevin Kasper. Mom added those to his special get well book. I think we may have to get a special trophy case for the great gifts he's received from so many people. He appreciates all the gifts, e-mails, cards and prayers.
Dakoda has just one more scheduled appointment this week. Thursday he has an appointment at the oncology unit at Children's. Next week is going to be a long one, with a lot of visits to the oncology unit. He will have to be extra patient because the harvesting may take as many as 8 hours per visit. I will pray that the Lord will sooth his spirit and grant him even more patience for the upcoming week. I foresee a lot of cartoons for Mom and Dad next week while at the hospital.
Thank you for your continued support for Dakoda during this difficult time. We truly appreciate everything.
God's peace be with you.
Monday, March 4th, 2002
Thanks for all the great entries into Kode's guestbook. They truly help to keep his spirits up. He enjoys reading them every day and he trys to answer as many as he can.
Dakoda had another good day today, and again, by the way he has handled this second round of chemotherapy we truly believe the Lord is showing us His miraculous healing powers!
Tomorrow morning(tuesday) we have the radiation set-up appoinment at Fitzsimmons. Since Dakoda is feeling better I feel that he will have a much easier time this week than he did last week. Mom and Dad will both go to help keep his courage up. He will also restart the GCSF medication to boost his white blood cell count.
Dakoda is getting some great notes and cards from his friends at school. The notes are so cute. His friend Mary has been like a reporter for the past week. She has written a note each day telling Dakoda what has been covered, who's absent and what they've had to eat at hot lunch. His friend Emma has sent over some great artwork, and his friends Sam, Sean and Rory must be chefs as well as artists, because they made some great chocolate cookies. (Oh yeah! I think those were meant for me!)
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Sunday, March 4th, 2002
Dakoda is a bit more fatigued right now, due to his lowering white blood cell count. He is scheduled to restart the GCSF medication on tuesday to boost the counts back up and prepare for his whiteblood cell "harvest" that he will begin next week. Other than being tired today, Dakoda felt well all day! Again, we are amazed by how well he has responded to the treatment thus far. We continually thank the Lord and praise Him for these blessings of strength and courage.
Dakoda's teacher, Mrs. Eyerman, came by to visit him this afternoon, along with Mr. Eyerman. Dakoda was very tired when they came over, but I know that he really enjoyed seeing her, as he loves having her as his teacher and friend. Like so many others, she has been incredibly supportive throughtout this entire ordeal.
Jordan's Oma (Grandma) dropped by some soup and food today, which shows us how loving and giving they truly are, because Opa (Grandpa) spent some time in the hospital this week himself. How tough is that?
Hubbard and Aunt Nickie also came by today for a suprise visit. And what a suprise it was! They brought by waffles! One of Kode's favorite food groups!
You may have noticed that the photo album has got some new pictures. They didn't scan quite properly, so Aunt Lori will be working on that tomorrow. Lori, Aunt Tracy and Hubbard have been working overtime helping out during this situation.
The pictures are of the visits by Denver Bronco - Paul Toviessi and the Southwest Metro Firefighters. As you can see Paul is huge, but I can tell you by talking with him, his heart is even bigger! And look at all those courageous firefighters, although their jobs are tough and they sacrifice their own safety to help us, they have also found time and energy to brighten some childrens' days.
Wow! So much love and concern all of you have shown us, with the support, prayers - EVERYTHING you have done and said.
We continually thank you for the sacrifices you have made to help us during this crisis. May the Lord bless you, each and every day!
Saturday, March 2nd, 2002
Dakoda had a great day today! Other than fatigue, Dakoda has really handled this round of chemotherapy even better than the first. Again, we praise God for giving Dakoda such strength and courage! We know He is listening to all of our prayers!
Another reason Dakoda had such a good day was because he got to spend a lot of time with his family and friends today. As mentioned yesterday his big sister Brittany came to visit along with her boyfriend Tyler. He had a great time with them, along with Uncle Steve, Aunt Tracy, Grandpa & Karen. Since Dakoda felt so good, we went to Chili's for dinner and meet up with his buddy Jake Ramsey and his family. Wow! there was a total of 18 of us there, it was a nice - get out of the house celebration! We ended up the night with a great game of Catch Phrase then prayers of healing for Dakoda. Again, we remain confident that the Lord has,is and will continue to work his miraculous healing power on Dakoda! What an amazing testament to His love and compassion.
We hope to see you all next saturday at Holiday Lanes in Lakewood. Again, we appreciate all of your support and prayers. Your unselfish love has been a great comfort to us.
In God and with love!
Saturday, March 02, 2002 at 01:46 AM (CST)
Dakoda has amazed me once again! After going through three more days of chemotherapy he felt quite good today. He only took one dose of Zofran, which is an antinausea medicine, early this morning. He told mom that he didn't need it. How tough is that? He is one brave little man!
Dakoda had a nice treat today - his big sister Brittany arrived from Nebraska, she will be here for just the weekend. He adores her and cherishes the time they can share together.
Dakoda read a bunch of his guestbook entries last night and answered a good amount of them. I just wish we had more time to answer the notes from everybody. So if you haven't received an E-mail as of yet, we apologize for any type of delay with his replies. We know he appreciates them all.
I know your prayers had a lot to do with how well Dakoda has handled his chemotherapy treatments as of yet.
We feel the comfort through the prayers you have sent us. Praise to the Lord our God for the healing of Dakoda!
Thursday, February 28th
It was a long day for Kode at the oncology unit at Childrens Hospital. We started at 9:00am and got through with the chemotherapy around 4:45pm. He did well today with very little complaining about spending so much time there. He felt fairly good today, not much of an appetite, but that tends to happen during each round of chemo treatment. Tomorrow he should feel pretty poorly and will probably be nauseaus for the next day or two. I admire how strong and brave he has been throughout this entire ordeal so far.
If everything goes as planned, Dakoda's next visit to Childrens will not be until next thursday, although he still has to go back to Fitzsimmons for the radiation set-up appointment. However, the following week he may be visiting Childrens everyday. They will be "harvesting" white blood cells for replacement for when Dakoda's count starts running extremely low. Those will be long visits as well, they will be approximately 8 hours per visit.
Uncle Steve put some new pictures into Dakoda's web site photo album recently. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. The first one is of Dakoda and Madi during Christmas break. The second one was taken around his sixth birthday while at Chevy's restaurant. The third is of Dakoda and Madi once again around Halloween.
Peace and blessing to you!
Thursday, February 27, 2002 at 11:08 AM (MST)
After such a great day yesterday the chemotherapy side affects kicked in around 3:00am this morning. Dakoda was sick and felt poorly all day long.
We had an exciting start today! The South Metro Fire and Rescue paid Koda a visit this morning before we went to his appointments. They were great! We had around 10 firefighters from different stations show up. They brought a ladder engine with them and Dakoda got a lift in the ladder bucket and a ride around the block. Although, I know you would'nt have been able to tell by looking at him (since he was sick), Dakoda was thouroughly excited about the visit. They gave him some great gifts along with an authentic helmet from station 35 and a badge from Castlewood. It was so cool! Chris, Buzz and the rest of the gang did a great job of lifting his spirits. Kode loves that stuff, he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up, of course.
Tomorrow Dakoda is scheduled to have his last day of chemotherapy for this round. This should require about 7 hours at the oncology department.
Again, thank you so much for the support and prayers. The meals have been great and they are invaluable in that they save huge amounts of time so we can maintain this frantic schedule.
You are in our prayers each and every day! God bless!
Wednesday, February 27, 2002 at 12:48am MST
Dakoda had his first of three consecutive days of outpatient chemotherapy today at the oncology unit at Childrens Hospital. We got there about 9:00am. After some short examinations they hooked him up with his IV and chemo drugs, and was finished around 4:30pm. It was a long visit, but Dakoda did great! He was very patient and of course had wonderful company all day ..... his mom. They watched TV and played some games. He felt great all day! Reactions from the chemo drugs normally don't hit until the second day, so again we pray that his body handles the drugs with few, if any, of those nasty little side affects.
Good news! Madi is feeling better and had the great company of her grandma (Hubbard)today. Madi loves having time with Hubbard, of course she has the run of the house when Hubbard is here.
Tomorrow Dakoda has the radiation consultation and set up in the morning at Fitzsimmons and then goes back to Childrens for the chemotherapy in the afternoon. Two out of the three days he receives two different types of chemo drugs (along with different medications) and one of the days he has only one chemo drug. So, tomorrow he will have just one of the chemo drugs and that allows us to hit both appointments.
Now, if everything goes well in the morning, Dakoda is going to have a special ride over to Fitzsimmons from some real special friends.... some of the Denver Firefighters! How cool! Dakoda will love it. The firestation right by Dakoda's school does alot of things for the kids at MPB. It's impressive to see the additional community involvement that they participate in at that station.
We thank you again for the notes, support and prayers for Dakoda and the rest of the family. We continually give thanks to the Lord for his help through you, because without His grace and your loving spirits we would see no light of hope or promise.
Much love and thanks from the Bell family!
Tuesday, February 26, 2002 at 12:10 am MST
Just as I was sitting here sending off some replies to some loving e-mails, Dakoda woke up briefly with a headache. I don't think it is too bad because it looks as though he has gone back to sleep. I pray that he sleeps peacefully for the remainder of the night. Last night he woke up around 2:45am with a severe headache. He was sreaming and yelling it hurt so bad. It eased up after 30 to 45 minutes and he was soon able to go back to sleep. We were so scared. Until last night, we've been fortunate, we haven't had to experience that type of episode before. We pray that we won't have to again. It's strange how he can be having a good day and then all of a sudden he's feeling so poorly or is in pain. Like today, he still had a slight headache this morning when he woke up, but after breakfast it was gone and the rest of the day he did great! He even offered to help mom with finishing dinner. That was sweet because she was frustrated - Madi had just thrown up on the carpet before I came home. I think we need to do some additional praying for Tracee and Madi as well. The difficulty is only compounded when Madi's sick. But, Tracee has done a phenomenal job handling everything. She and Dakoda are my heros. Speaking of Madi....here she is - just crawled out of bed for a midnight snack!
Good news! Dakoda starts another round of chemotherapy tomorrow. Dr. Foreman feels that after studying the latest MRI taken after the fluid draining procedure, and consulting with some radiologists, that the tumor hasn't really grown and he would like to continue with the chemotherapy. We feel that's encouraging news. Dakoda will still go to Fitzsimmons for radiation set up on wednesday as well. So the plan at least for next three days are chemotherapy along with radiation set up and consultation.
Again, we are encouraged by this latest bit of information and remain confident that the LORD IS WORKING A MIRACLE ON DAKODA!
Thanks for the great notes in the guestbook today! They are very uplifting to us. We love reading them all.
Peace to you!
Sunday, February 24, 2002 at 11:17 MST
Sorry about not having updated you on Dakoda's progress on friday and saturday. We got Dakoda home from the hospital late friday night and just as we got him and Madi into bed, Madi began throwing up! What a mess! That was a tough night. Then when I went to update last night the CaringBridge website was down for maintainance.
Now for the encouraging news about Dakoda's MRI that was taken on friday. Although we haven't had an official visit with Dr. Foreman yet, Dr. McBride of his team, indicated that the mass was approximately half the size it was from the last MRI. Praise God, that is extremely encouraging to us. Dr. Foreman indicated that the chemotherapy treament may be working after all. It is difficult to tell without further study and pathology reports. We hope to get a definitive answer tomorrow.
Overall Dakoda had a good weekend. He was able to get out of the house a little bit on saturday and able to get out for a few hours today. He got to watch the last half of his brother Jordan's basketball game yesterday and visited with some of the great people and friends that are supporting him throughout this ordeal. This morning he went to church and saw some his friends from school. Summer, Katie and Madi (not his sister) were there to give him some big smiles and hugs. It was wonderful to see the smiles on their faces. I know Dakoda misses them and likewise they miss him. Later in the afternoon we went to a healing service at St. Vincent de Paul church in Denver. We remain confident that the Lord is working miracles on Dakoda!
On friday, before the MRI, Paul Toviessi of the Denver Broncos visited Dakoda and gave him an official autographed jersey. And when he got home he had an autographed football and hat from Brian Griese waiting for him. How cool it that? Just like you, they have stepped up to support Dakoda, with just a word about his battle. Again you have all been so supportive throughout this ordeal, and we truly appreciate it all. You have been incredible! We feel the support each day and thank God for you!
God be with you!
Thursday February 21, 2002
How wonderful it is to see all the loving people from all over the world sending Dakoda notes of encouragement and healing prayers! We appreciate every single one of them, and Dakoda along with the rest of the family read all of them. We are very touched and humbled by the response we have received. It truly is remarkable.
Dakoda successfully had stereotactic surgery today to remove fluid from the tumor. The procedure is not easy, and as in all surgeries involving the brain, there are potentially serious risks. We thank and praise the Lord for each successful procedure thus far. Dakoda was out of the recovery room quickly today and immediately asked for pancakes. Wouldn't you know that the cooks whipped up the pancakes especially for Dakoda. Everyone's been so helpful and accomodating at Childrens Hospital.
Dakoda has another MRI scheduled for tomorrow evening at 5:30. We pray for a positive outcome, and again we ask for healing prayers from all who know Dakoda and know of his battle. We also ask that you pray for his emotional strength as well. He has been through so much already and is extremely frustrated and has now become a bit scared. He has been very brave so far, but his attitude has faltered a bit as of the past couple of days, and he needs every little bit of support to help him remain strong and positive.
We cannot express our gratitude for all the support you continue to provide.
God bless.
Wednesday February 20th
Dakoda had another long day at Childrens Hospital today. He had his MRI this afternoon without any problems. We were much more encouraged today from his doctors' initial observation of the MRI. The MRI did in fact show an increase of the mass size, however he was unable to distinguish whether or not the additional growth was actually tumor growth, nicrosis(dead cancer cells) or swelling. After yesterdays discouraging news, our spirits were lifted today with better hopes. So, tomorrow morning Dakoda will undergo surgery to try and remove some of the substance which is in the center of the tumor. We pray that it's fluid caused by swelling.
As you can see, sometimes we don't know if we're coming or going with everything that's going. Tomorrows plan has been changed, and those plans were changed from the original plans that were laid out a couple of weeks ago. I am amazed with how well Tracee has handled all this crazyness. She has been solid, making sure she attends to the rest of the family's needs, while still spending quality time in prayer. Again, I know we wouldn't be able to handle everything without the support and prayers from all of you. You have been fantastic! The great dinners you have been providing us during the week enable us to spend the needed time at the hospital and free up some time to spend with our other children.
We noticed yesterday that Dakoda has begun to loose a lot of his hair from the chemotherapy. Don't be suprised if you see some extra people walking around with shaved heads soon.
Please be in prayerfull thought for Dakoda tomorrow as he undergo's the surgery and we also ask that you pray for good results from the pathology reports.
Peace be to you!
Tuesday February 19th 11:05 MST
Thanks for doing a great job of getting the word out about Dakoda, he truely needs the prayers. Again, we feel the comfort of all your prayers and support. Although the diagnosis of Dakoda's illness is very hard to handle, you have, and continue to give us strength. We still remain confident that the Lord can and does perform miracles everyday, and we continue to remain positive that He is working one with Dakoda!
Due to our visit to the hospital last night we had to go again first thing this morning. Dr. Foreman (Kode's lead oncologist) set up an MRI for this afternoon, however the MRI scanner broke down for a bit. So, we remained at the hospital and met with Dr. Foreman and the oncology departments' social worker while we waited for the scanner to be repaired. The scanner was back up around 3:30 and they immediately took Kode in for the MRI, unfortunately without sedating him he was unable to stay still enough for the entire scan, so we have another MRI scheduled for tomorrow at 12:15pm.
Although the CT Scan from last night leads the doctors to believe that his tumor has increased in size, Dakoda felt very good today and had no headaches or nausea. That's one of the reasons why we continue to have a positive attitude towards Dakoda's recovery.
It looks as though there will be a change in Dakoda's therapy due to the apparent lack of reduction of the tumor size from chemotherapy. He is scheduled to begin radiation therapy on friday. We have an appointment thursday morning with the radiation department at Fitsimmons in Aurora.
Please continue to spread the word for Dakoda's need for prayer. We appreciate everything.
May the Lord bless you!
Tuesday February 19, 2002 2:04 AM MST
Dakoda had a headache early on today, but overall felt very good. However, Tracee noticed that Dakoda was slurring his words for a short period this evening, so the on-call oncologist had us take Dakoda to the emergency room at Childrens Hospital. They performed a CT scan and told us that they feel the tumor has grown in size. So, we will be at the oncology unit first thing in the morning to have Koda checked out and to see if changes need to be made in his therapy.
Due to the late stay at the hospital tonight, this journal entry will be short. I need to do some power praying and get some sleep. Before I finish I would like to ask that everyone that reads this entry - TO ASK AT LEAST ONE MORE FRIEND TO PRAY FOR DAKODA'S RECOVERY. Dakoda's healing is in the hands of the Lord and we ask Him to help guide Dakoda's doctors in finding the proper treatment and cure for his illness.
Thank you for everything!
Sunday February 17th
Dakoda had a bit tougher night last night and had an even tougher start the first part of today. However, he rebounded nicely and finished off the day great! He had a tough headache last night and periodically had a few more today accompanied with nausea as well. After an early nap he felt much better and only had a slight temporary headache this afternoon.
We had family pictures taken today at Daniel's park south of Denver. It was a windy, but beautiful day today and I think the setting of Daniel's park made for some very nice pictures. We hope to be able to share those pictures with you soon! While we're on the subject, Dakoda's Uncle Steve was able to add some new pictures to the photo album tonight. Please check them out, I think you'll enjoy his great smile. The lovely young lady you'll see with him on Santa's lap is his little sister Madison. She's 2 1/2 and adores Dakoda. Behind the lovely lady-like smile of Madison's lies a wild Taz-like personality that keeps her brothers on their toes. She is quite the character and makes us laugh and smile all the time. Unfortunately, we are only able to have 3 pictures at a time on the site, so we will switch pictures out every few days.
We continue to feel the comfort of your prayers and see the blessings of the Lord. Your support has been fantastic, much needed and greatly appreciated.
May the Lord keep you in His grace, always!
Friday February 15th
Dakoda had a good day today! He had another visit to the oncology department at Childrens Hospital this afternoon. He received some more antibiotics today, which took about an hour and a half. Fortunately all the medications so far have been administered through his lumin lines which enables him to take his medications intraveiniously.
Dakoda has discovered a new show he enjoys, I believe it's - ED, EDD and EDDIE. I've seen some of it and it's pretty funny! Dakoda also got a sweet Sponge Bob Square Pants tee-shirt from his mom! Lucky guy, hugh?
Please block out Saturday - March 9th on your calenders. Lori is in the process of putting together a FUN-d raiser for Dakoda and we hope you will try to attend. It looks as though it will be from 12:00 to 5:00 at the Holiday Bowling Center in Lakewood. If you are unable to attend we hope you can pledge someone to bowl for you instead. Please watch for more information as that date draws closer. It should be fun for all and Holiday Bowling Center will give the majority of the funds raised to the Bell family.
I'm amazed! Look at how many friends of friends, friends of families and families of friends are praying and supporting Dakoda and the rest of the family. It's awsome and a true testament to the Lord!
We are trying to answer as many E-mails as possible, however, due to time constraints we are unable to answer them all. Although we can't answer them all, please keep them coming. We truly appreciate all the E-mails, notes and cards we receive. They help keep us strong and confident, and they are fun to read as well. Please check out some new pictures that have been added to the photo page. We are going to update them as we go along on this journey so you can hopefully get to know more about Dakoda. He is a great young man, and has tought me so much about love and what it takes to better myself as a man and father. I am so fortunate and blessed to have him in my life!
God bless!
Friday February 15, 2002 2:29 AM CST
Dakoda had a long visit to the oncology unit today. We got there at 9:30 and didn't get through until 3:15. He had some platletes added to his blood today along with another antibiotic to help fight any type of infection or virus. We weren't expecting to be there that long today, but his doctor said that this is not unusual and that he was anticipating this(low platelete count) to happen about now.
After we were through at the hospital, we went to Trice Jewlelers where dad works to visit friends and pick up mom's Valentines gift. We are getting wonderful support from our friends at work along with our fellow Parish members and family. It truly is amazing to see the phenomenal response from everyone.
Dakoda goes back for another checkup to the oncology department tomorrow (Friday the 15th). This was not originally scheduled, however, with this type of treatment we have to be ready for any type of schedule change. This is another reason why we are so grateful for your help - having wonderful graciously prepared dinners several times a week is such a big help with the amount of time we are spending at the hospital. Even today with the unexpected extra hours spent at the hospital along with yet still the daily medications we administer Dakoda at home, the time commitment is huge.
Dakoda did have a fever last night, furtunately it was not bad enough to have him admitted into the hospital. If his temperature goes above 101 degrees he will have to be admitted for close observation due to infections.
Dakoda capped off the day with a good dose of cartoons and a healthy dose of prayers.
Again, thank you for the wonderful support and prayers.
May God be with you and happy Valentines day!
Wednesday February 13, 2002 2:14 AM CST
Wow!! Dakoda's guestbook is getting thick with all those uplifting notes. He appreciates all of them, and enjoys reading them everyday. He thinks it's cool how they are coming in from all over the country and even from people he doesn't personally know. It's inspirational to see the amount of love and kindness that has been displayed for Dakoda and our family.
Dakoda had another good day today and will probably go to school tomorrow for half the day. He didn't go today (Tuesday)...I think mainly because of some guy called Sponge Bob and his square pants. Dakoda discovered Sponge Bob while in the hospital last week. Until last week we didn't have cable TV, but thanks to Grandma Hubbard, he can now watch him at home.
Again, thank you for the prayers and support they are greatly appreciated.
Tuesday February 12, 2002 0:29 AM CST
Dakoda went to Childrens Hospital oncology unit for his first checkup of the week today. He did well and has been giving the OK to return to school if he feels well enough. He may return tomorrow on a part-time basis for the remainder of this week and monday and tuesday of next week.
Next week he will start his second round of chemotherapy which will be done as out-patient treatment on the 20th, 21st and 22nd. Each of those treatments will require him to stay anywhere from 5 to 8 hours at the oncology unit. Not to worry, he will still have a TV watch along with movies, and if he feels good enough they even have video games to play as well. They treat the kids great at Childrens, they try to make them feel as comfortable as possible for their stays.
Dakoda is looking forward to going back to school. He has missed his friends. He was able to have a friend come over to play for a while this evening. We have to be careful because Dakoda is going to be very susceptable to catching infections for quite some time, even after the therapy is complete. Due to the strength of the chemicals used in his therapy, the effects of those chemicals may stay for as long as a year or more.
Thank you for all the loving notes in his guestbook. He enjoys reading them and is also trying to answer many of them as well.
We are aware of your prayers, for they fill us with hope, strength and courage. Peace be to you!
Sunday February 10, 2002 11:57 PM CST
Dakoda had a good day today. His home care nurse came this morning to show the procedure to administer his GCFS medication. Dakoda will receive this medicine every day to help produce more whiteblood cells. This medication takes about an hour or so to administer. It's got to go in very slowly, so a small battery operated machine administers the dosage. Right now it takes about an hour and a half a day to administer his medications. He is very patient with us when it comes time for his medicines... accept for taking the tape off his chest.
Dakoda's Aunt Lori added some pictures of him to the photo album on this site today! Please have a look. He's got a great smile to go along with his wonderful personality. The picture of Dakoda in the angel costume is from his kindergarten Christmas program last year and the picture of him in his pj's was taken the night before he went into the hospital for the surgery for his lines. (The lines are basically two tubes that are inserted into a vein inside his chest with approximately 8" inches that are also left outside of his chest. This allows medications to be administered intraveniously so he doesn't have to be stuck by too many needles.) As you may notice in the second picture, his right arm is drooping. That is caused by the tumor putting pressure on the portion of his brain that controls the right side of his body.
We will be adding more pictures of Dakoda and his family in the near future. For those people that are praying for Dakoda and have never met him, I think it may be helpful to now be able to picture his face with his name when praying. I hope that makes sense.
Peace to all!
Sunday February 10, 2002 1:21 AM CST
Dakoda had a good day today. He was able to get some homework done for school and played with some great gifts he's gotten from some of his friends.
It was very windy and cold today and the wind knocked down powerlines in the neighborhood. The power was knocked out from early afternoon until just after 9:00pm, so he went over to his great grandmothers house to keep warm. He almost got an extra treat - to spend the night at a hotel and get room service.
Please keep the prayers coming. We know the Lord can and does wonderous miracles. It's amazing to hear of all the loving people that are praying for Dakoda's well being! There are people in states all over the country and even people in Rome praying as well. Our friends at work and in the parish have told us of their "prayer warrior" friends, family members and prayer groups, all praying for Dakoda's recovery. Thank you. We are extremely grateful. You are all in our prayers as well.
Saturday February 9, 2002 2:13 AM CST
Dakoda had an appoinment at the Children's Hospital oncology unit on friday morning. Due to the harshness of the chemotherapy, he started a new medication to help build his whiteblood cell count up to help prevent infections. Due to his susceptability to infections at this time he has not returned to school. However, we hope that he will soon be able to return to school. We know he misses his friends and Mrs. Eyerman.
As of this date, Dakoda has handled the chemotherapy pretty well. His main symptom has been fatique, which has made him a bit...shall we say - GRUMPY.
Again, we thank you for all of your support. Not one thing has gone unappreciated - from the prayers to the notes and cards, from the pumpkin bread to the meals, from the babysitting to the transportation of our other children to their activities, from the comforting hugs to the medical financial suppport. So many people have made this situation more copable. Thank you.
Saturday February 9, 2002 1:00 AM CST
Saturday February 9, 2002
Dakoda had an appointment friday morning at Children's Hospital with the oncology unit. Chemotherapy is extremely harsh on the immune system, so he began taking a medication to help increase his white blood count to help him fight infections. This is one reason why he hasn't returned to school yet. We hope he will be able to return to school soon, but for now he is doing his schooling at home. We know he misses his friends and Mrs. Eyerman.
As of this date, Dakoda has done a great job handling the therapy. His main symptom of the therapy has been his fatique.
We truly believe that all your prayers are helping him heal and helping to keep us strong throughout this battle.
Again, thank you for all your support and prayers. Your support has truly been a blessing. Not one thing has gone unappreciated, from the prayers to the notes and cards, from the pumpkin bread to the meals, from the babysitting to the transportation of our other children to their activities. So many people have rallied to lend a hand in any way they can. Thank you.
Thursday February 7, 2002 11:32 PM CST
February 7, 2002
We want to thank everyone that was able to attend Dakoda's prayer service at MPB last night. It meant so much to our family. It was wonderful to see how many people turned out to share and to pray for Dakoda's health. We are confident that God is healing Dakoda at this very minute and that he will soon be returned to his original health.
Today Father Walsh of St. Vincent de Paul performed healing on Dakoda at his Parish. After the healing Dakoda was chasing Madi and his cousins outside. He felt good all day, however he still is running on low energy throughout the day.
Again we thank all of you who keep Dakoda in your prayers and all for the loving support we have received the past couple of weeks. Your support strengthens us everyday.
May the Lord bless all of you and keep you in his care.
Wednesday February 6, 2002 9:57 PM CST
Tonight, our friends, family and the Most Precious Blood Community gathered at church for a prayer service for Dakoda.
Tuesday February 5, 2002 8:36 PM CST
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