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Thursday, June 8, 2006 8:14 AM CDT

SCANS & XRAY ARE CLEAR!!!!

Blood counts are back in the normal range!
Thank you so much for your prayers.



UPDATE TUESDAY 6:30 PM

I know that you are patiently awaiting the results of Jay's scan, guess what? So are we! I was able to make it through yesterday given that it was a Monday, however today has been a little tougher! I did call about 11 am & left a msg., but we haven't heard back. I'm sure that we'll hear something tomorrow & I'll call again in the afternoon. So far, I haven't been as nervous about this scan, but please pray that I'll continue to stay calm & not start worrying because we haven't heard anything yet. I'm trying to keep in mind that they are busy & they have to be read by the Radiologist first & that takes time, but I'm also used to finding out by the end of the next day. I'll post the results as soon as we hear. Thanks for checking on us.


Finally, an update!! It's been so long that I don't even know where to start, so grab a cup of coffee or tea & settle in for a read :)

We're all doing fine. Jay has a checkup & scans tomorrow, the 9th. He hasn't had a scan since last Nov., so I'm a little nervous, but he did have an x-ray & ultrasound at the end of Feb. & all was clear. He had his hair braided for that visit & Dr. Lockhart loved it!

In March, we celebrated Joshua's 8th birthday at the skating rink. He had a hockey party & loved it. Hockey has become his passion & even his GI Joes have taken a backseat to it. His skating is improving & he assisted in scoring a goal this season, so he's happy. His team was #1 at the end of the season & then went to the playoffs & won! We were so excited. A friend watched the little ones for us & the game was so close, goal for goal & ended up going into overtime, but they won!!! Josh was thrilled.
What a great way to end your first season!

The weekend before Spring Break we went on a family retreat w/Candlelighters & really enjoyed it. It was called "Forward Footsteps" & Shawn & I agreed that we needed it. The kids had a great time. Every family was on a team w/1 or 2 other families & there were activities throughout the day. We did things like a ropes course, mini golf, painted a family boat. Later in the evening there was a pizza cook off & dance & then ended the w/a campfire & s'mores, which the littles thoroughly enjoyed.

For Spring Break, we picked up my nephew & brought him here for a couple of days & then drove him back to Houston & spent a couple of days there. We had a great time visiting family & the boys loved being w/their cousins. Jay still had his hair braided & wanted to show everyone. Shawn's mom was great, she just looked at Jay, gave him a hug, & said "I love you". When we got back from Houston, Jay told us that he was ready to cut his hair, that everyone had seen it & it was time. Of course, he asked for it to be cut like John Cena's (a wrestler), his favorite person right now. His hair had been growing for a year & was at his shoulders. Shawn did the honors of cutting it & he wanted it very short, almost as short as he used to wear it. He looked so good afterwards! You could see his face again:) He's been getting it cut ever since, in fact, this past weekend I cut it even shorter & now he has his old style back. He's asking for Shawn to put up before & after pics, so I'll work on him!

In May, we celebrated James' 3rd birthday. He is something else. He thinks that he's as old as his brothers & tries to do everything that they do, especially Jeffrey. He likes to say "I want to do (whatever) like Jeffrey. I'm trying to use that to my advantage w/potty training him right now! He got real rollerblades for his birthday & skates around the house everyday, usually w/hockey stick in hand. Joshua's hockey coaches have already asked when he will start playing. He still has another year & then we'll put him in.

Joshua made his First Communion & did really well. He wanted to wear a suit & looked so handsome. We had started going to church w/friends of ours back in Feb, & their Religious Ed. Director let us put the boys in class there. We have been really happy there & the boys really enjoy going. Which has been wonderful. It used to be like pulling teeth to get them up & going & now they're asking to go. We've made it to church every Sunday except twice, since the beginning of Feb. & both times we were out of town.

The finished school at the end of May & our summer has started. They did really well. Jay made A/B honor roll &
had a great year. His teacher was great & was able to get him reading for pleasure. At the beginning of the year, we told her that he didn't like to read & he viewed it as homework & something to get through, well she had him asking to go to the public library by the end of the year! She also had a pizza/movie party at her house at the end of year for anyone in her class that 50 or more reading points & that was Jay's goal, well he exceeded that, ended the year w/61 points, went to the party & had a great time. She had a little more than half of her class there & the majority was boys & all of them were on either the A or A/B honor roll! Jay really liked her & Josh has decided that he wants her for 4th grade!

Joshua had perfect attendance for the last nine weeks. He improved so much this year. His reading level was a 12 (mid first grade) when the school year started & he ended at a 34 (mid third grade! He also received an award as Master of Math facts. He is very strong in Math. He had an awesome year & while we know that his diagnosis of ADD & Dyslexia was part of it, his teacher was most of it. We can't say enough about her. She is truly wonderful & one of those teachers that are born to teach.

Jeffrey & James had a great preschool year. It took a little while for them to realize that school was out, but they've adjusted. They really like going the older boys class parties! Jeffrey has one more year of preschool & then he's off to Kindergarten & then James will follow the next year. Hard to believe, they're growing up so fast.

Now, I've caught you up to June. So far, we've been to the pool alot, the boys are getting brown. James has learned that you can swim in the big pool w/floaties on & he's very independant. Jeffrey has discovered that you can do flips off the side of the pool, to which scares me everytime, so I've told him that he can only do it when Shawn is w/us. We've been to the library & the boys are doing their summer reading program. We've already had a couple of sleepovers & now Jeffrey is asking for his turn. We went to the movies last week & saw "Over The Hedge". It was James' first time at the movie theatre. It was a cute movie & we enjoyed it. The tickets along w/the kid's movie meal was donated to quite a few of the cancer families by a family that wants to have a once a year "Mallory's Day at the Movies" in honor of their daughter, Mallory. Mallory was there & we were able to thank her & her family. Back in Dec., Jay, his friend, Korey, & several other cancer kids were asked to test the new "Over The Hedge" game, so that the creators could work out any kinks before it came out on the market! He was so excited & loved it. He's been asking for us to get him the game, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks we'll be able to. We went to Houston two weeks ago, just for the evening! Actually, just for church!! Our good friend, Deacon Gene, who baptized Josh, Jeffrey, & James was celebrating his 25th anniversary as a deacon. We didn't tell him that we were coming & we surprised him. We had decided not to go since Shawn's mom & 2 sisters were going to be at a wedding, but our friend Lida called & I knew then how much I really wanted to go, so we called her back & got dressed & headed out. We got to her house & visited w/her & Rebecca, Jeffrey's godmother, & Theresa, her older daughter & then went to Mass, the reception afterward & then drove home, getting in about midnight, but we knew that we were so glad that we had gone. We saw people that we hadn't seen in 7 yrs, since we moved from Houston. The expression on their faces were priceless. We miss everyone, but are so glad that we are still in touch. In fact, we've known Rebecca since she was in Middle School & now she is 25 & a Youth Director. She was our babysitter before we left Houston, came up to stay when we had Jeffrey & James, & had come up to help me January '04 when Shawn was out of town & all of the boys were sick, including Jay who was also having chemo & was here when we got the call that my mom had died, in fact, she took the Josh & Jeffrey to Shawn's sister in Houston on her way back home. Her & her mom came up for Jay's First Communion 2 yrs ago & they came up this yr for Joshua's, which was how we found out about Deacon Gene. She is absolutely wonderful. God has truly blessed her w/a gift. The boys adore her. I think Jay is going to spend a week w/her at the end of summer doing some Middle School Youth activities, even though he has one more year to go, she said it would let him see what Middle School Youth is like. He's looking forward to it.
We went to a cancer survivor's "Celebration of Life" on Sunday. It was great. There was a health & wellness fair w/booths from GarrettskidSTRONG, the Children's Hospital, LAF, lunch was catered by Pok-E-Joe's, Jay's favorite bbq, & they had a station set up w/fountain drinks, snocones, popcorn, funnel cakes,frozen yogurt, & cotton candy. I had my first funnel cake & the kids got sugared up on everything else, but they had a great time. The had rock wall climbing, face painting & a playscape, so the kids were tired when we left! We met an amazing man, Mark, who is a 28 yr Rhabdomyosarcoma survivor. He was diagnosed at the age o f13 & is now 42. He was so excited to meet Jacob. He said that he had been searching for other Rhabdo survivors & so far, Jay was the only one. We told him of a few that we know of, but we hadn't found any long time survivors. It was so good to meet him. I think we really needed that. He said that while it does get easier, it's still harder on moms. Jay was glad to meet him & said that it made him feel better.

Next weekend, we're going to Houston for Shawn's 20 yr high school reunion! The boys are going to stay at Shawn's sister's house & we are going to get a hotel room! We haven't stayed in a hotel, just the two of us since our honeymoon, almost 13 yrs ago & it wasonly for 1 night! We are looking forward to it. Shawn is continuing to workout & we've changed alot of our eating habits. Actually it hasn't been that hard. For the most part, the kids have been good sports about, & some things we just don't tell them, like using ground turkey! We have Vacation Bible School the week after we get back & then Josh is going to camp. He's really looking forward to it & is also asking when we can go & buy his camp stuff, he's all about the gear! I think all he really needs is sunscreen, flashlight, & a camera, but I'm sure he'll think of something, like a whole new wardrobe!! He's going to have to get a job just buy clothes & shoes! Like father, like son. :)

Shawn has registered for the Livestrong ride in Oct. I'll have him put a link to it on this page if anyone would like to make a donation. He is going to ride 100 miles & his goal is to raise $1000. He needs to raise $500 in order to actually ride, but I know that he'll meet it. He's also training to do a triathalon in Houston at the end of August and then would like to start training for the Freescale Marathon in Feb. I'm very proud of him. I had started out w/the best intentions of running & then a knee injury sidelined me & I haven't been motivated since, however, there is a kids triathalon here next month that Jay & Josh are interested in, so last night I took them out running. They have two friends who are going to di it, so we're going to try & get them together. We decided that I would help them w/running, therefore getting yself to run again & Shawn would work w/them on their swimming, as their form needs some help. I won't be able to register them until next week & spots are limited to the first 175 kids, so pray that I can get them in. Josh has had an interest in triathalons & Jay's was a last minute decision, but he wants to start working out, & is ready for football season to start (Aug.1).

Jeffrey is asking to get on the computer, where he'll stay off & on all day if you let him! He's quite good & is learning where his websites are (nick jr, disney, etc). Plus, I've been at this for 2 hours, which is what I get for not updating sooner! Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this. Jay's scans are tomorrow, so we'll probably find out by Mon & I PROMISE that I'll post as soon as we find out. Thank you to those of you that continue to check back to see if I've updated. I'm sorry that I've made you wait so long.

Give your family a hug, please keep us & other cancer families in your prayers. Have a wonderful weekend & enjoy your summer.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 3:05 PM CST

Thank you for patiently waiting for an update. I know it has been awhile. I have come to realize why it was so hard for us to find a success story back when Jay was first diagnosed, because you move on (sort of). Your life becomes even busier & you wonder how you used to manage everything & treatments. I'll try to put the last 2 months in a nutshell. We survived Christmas Break! Actually, it wasn't that bad this year & went by quickly. We went & picked up my nephew, Christopher, & stayed w/ us for a few days. The boys had a ball w/him here. Jay woke up at 2am Christmas morning & then went & woke up Joshua! We let them have their stockings & they went back to their rooms & let the little ones sleep. Eventually everyone was up at 7am. My brother was able to make it over for a couple of hours & we had a great day. We stayed home for New Years & Shawn cooked a big lunch on New Years Day.

Jay started basketball & Joshua is starting hockey this weekend. Jeffrey is asking almost everyday when he can play soccer, so I think we are going to look into that for March. The kids have gone to several birthday parties & we have 2 more before the end of the month! Shawn has been going to the gym every morning & I have started going & running as well. My goal is to run the Capitol 10k in April. I told Shawn that I would register next Tuesday & then it'll be official. Report cards came out & Jay made the AB Honor Roll & Joshua is doing great as well. I really think that this year is exactly what Joshua needed. Of course it's all due to Mrs. O'Neil!! And speaking of Mrs. O'Neil, Jay & I were at the store the other day & he wanted to look at the Valentine Day aisle. He found a big teddy bear & said that "we need to get this for Mrs. O'Neil"!! The boy has his first crush & doesn't even know it!!!

We went to Louisianna for our nephew's wedding. It was beautiful. The boys were well behaved & we had a wonderful time. Jay really fell in love w/La & the food! At the wedding, he had 2 cups of chicken & sausage gumbo & then when we went to eat at a restaurant that Shawn's parents used to take him to, he had a bowl of shrimp gumbo. Then after we got back he kept asking Shawn to fix gumbo for him!!! We were able to visit w/Shawn's brother & wife, their son & his family. It was really nice. Then we went to Baton Rouge & took Jay to LSU & the kids got to see Mike the Tiger. Mike was sleeping, but was up by the glass so we were able to get pictures. Jay has also decided that he IS going to LSU & that is how he wants his bedroom decorated!

In true Faherty fashion, the week before Jay was to start basketball, he jammed his finger. We went to the pediatrician & the first thing he tells me is that 1/2 of all jammed fingers are broken & if it affects his growth plate, then we'll have to go to a specialist. Fortunately, it didn't look broken on the xrays, so they put it in a splint, buddy taped it & told him no sports for 7-10 days! That was very hard on him. His finger has healed & he's had 2 basketball games & even scored a couple of baskets, so he's very happy now. His checkup & xray are on Feb. 17th. He has a dental appt the following week. His dentist decided that since he needed so much work, 5 cavities, sealants, an extraction that she wants to split it into 2 appts. He was a bit nervous at his checkup, so we're going to have to sedate him before the appt. We have several friends that see her & I think that that has helped him to relax a little bit. After we get him through those appts. then she said we can talk about orthodontics- does it ever end?!

Life is moving on & we are rolling w/it. I'll try not to go so long between updates. Give your kids a hug & have a great week.

Monday, December 5, 2005 4:23 PM CST

*****NEW PHOTOS ADDED*****



JAY HAS BRAIDS!!!!!!

I'm trying to get Shawn to load the pictures, but he is being a bit stubborn!! Jay went on Friday w/his friend Davonne & had his hair braided! It took about 1 1/2 hours to do & he has 17 rows. He is very proud of the fact that it is all his hair. It is even about 3 inches long in the back, so if he had wanted, she could've added beads. He said that it really hurt, but he stuck it out. I'm very proud of him! That has been his goal ever since his hair started growing back, to grow it long enough to have braids. We went to Wal-Mart on Sat. & he told me that people were looking at him & I told him that people looked at him when he was bald & he got over that, he'll get used to this. I'm not sure how long it'll last, Davonne's usually lasts about 2 weeks, but we'll see & if he wants to do it again, then he can. I really like it, plus it keeps all of his hair out of his face. I'll have to have Shawn scan his school picture, my brother asked if this was "The Brady Bunch" when he saw their school pictures!

Today is the 2 yr anniversary of Jay's cancer diagnosis. We are going to go out to eat tonight & he asked that Garrett's family join us. He said that if Garrett were still alive that he'd want him there, that Garrett had helped him & he had helped Garrett. We miss him so much. It's hard to believe that we only had a year w/him. They became instant best friends. Jacob views today as the day he "kicked cancer's butt"! Last year, we were dreading this day, but our friend, Briana & her youth group had planned a Christmas party for us & several other cancer families (w/out knowing what the date meant), & that turned the day into a celebration. Ever since then, the day has new meaning for us & Jay wants to celebrate it as that. He even wrote a paper about it for school. He said that today, his teacher let him tell the class about it. It's hard to believe that it's been 2 yrs.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We went to Houston for the day & there were 21 of us. It was so nice to relax & talk & eat w/family while the kids played. We did a second Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday & my brother came over & ate w/us. Then Shawn made turkey & sausage gumbo!! That was great! Jay had been asking for gumbo for several weeks & was very happy.

Jay is in the school play tomorrow. He is a reindeer! Then we have Joshua's end of season hockey party, a Candlelighter's Christmas party, & a Garrett's Kidstrong Parent's Night Out coming up. Shawn & I are looking forward to that! I don't remember the last time we went out!!! Shawn's mom & Christopher are also going to come up for a couple of days, so that'll be alot of fun. We have about a month before Jay starts basketball & Joshua starts winter/spring hockey.

We put our Christmas tree up last night. James is fascinated w/Christmas this year. He loves to look at the tree & wants the lights on all day. Jeffrey keeps asking if Santa is going to leave presents at our house. Jay has decided to hide his wish list, as a test to see if Santa really knows what he wants! Joshua is pretty low key about it. He helped Shawn put the outside lights in the trees & enjoyed his "daddy time".

That's about it, everyone's doing fine. Please take some time to slow down & enjoy the season. Hug your children, read an extra story, & thank God for your family. Please keep our friends in your prayers. Spencer is doing well, it's SNOWING in Utah. Korey www.caringbridge.org/tx/koreylee ; Harley www.caringbridge.org/tx/harleyfetterman ; Blake www.caringbridge.org/hi/blakeyoung ; Kevin Martin www.caringbridge.org/tn/kevinmartin & any other families that you know or come across on the caringbridge pages.
Please continue to keep Garrett's family in your prayers as they have their first Christmas w/out him. Colleen has become one of my closest friends & I thank God for bringing our families together.

Thank you for your prayers for our family. Merry Christmas.

Monday, October 31, 2005 7:34 AM CST

CLEAR SCANS!!!!!


Nurse Jennifer called & told us that Jay's scans & x-rays were clear!!! YEA!!!! Even his sinus x-rays were clear, so that means that his headaches are most likely due to his vision & needing a new prescription. His checkup went well & we now move to checkup & x-rays every 4 months & CT Scans every 6 months for the next 2 yrs. I think I'm ready fo that. Jay did really well & we took him to eat afterward.

We also took him to the Make-A-Wish office to pick up the tickets to the Ice Bats game last night. The staff was so excited to meet a "wish kid". They said that that doesn't happen very often & the whole staff came out to meet him! They also gave us 2 extra tickets, so he & Josh invited a friend. The game was really good & everyone had a great time. We took Jeffrey & James & while Jeffrey was ok w/it, James loved it. He was so excited & would clap & yell. They won 5-4, & had 2 fights!

Sat. night was our Halloween block party. It was a big hit & I think we might do it again next year. We had hamburgers & hot dogs, chips, a birthday cake for Britney, games like bobbing for apples, pumpkin bowling, decorating a cupcake, etc. The kids got prizes. The dads had a tricycle race & Shawn lost!! He said that the other tricycles had bigger tires, which the winning one did!! Afterwards we roasted marshmallows, the little kids rode around on the tricycles & the big kids traded candy & everyone had a great time. Jay ended up spending the night at Davonne's & I think we all went to bed around midnight.

The boys are really looking forward to trick or treating tonight. They've already asked if there is school tomorrow! They are calling for rain this afternoon/evening & I'm praying that it'll hold off until later. James is Spongebob & looks adorable in his costume. Jeffrey is a red Power Ranger. He doesn't like getting scared, but lloves to scare everybody else!

My brother, Jeff, is supposed to be coming home today. He is a corporate traine for Cheddar's Restaurant & has been in Joplin Mo. for a month opening a new store. This is his 4th opening this year & they are sending him again in December. The boys have really missed him & are ready for him to come home. They are usually okay w/him being gone 2 weeks, but this is the longest. We're hoping that he can make it in in time to go home for a little while & then come over & visit for awhile.

kI don't have any errands on the calendar this week, fingers crossed that it stays that way! Shawn's mom & our nephew Chris are supposed to come up for the weekend. We saw everyone at the weding, but there wasn't enough time for them to really play, so they are ready for some cousin time & Meatballs & Spaghetti from Granny. Plus, she's going to make her chocolate cake for Jay.

Thank you all for your prayers. I hope that you know how much we appreciate them & all that you've done.

Happy Halloween & have a great week.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 7:29 AM CDT

UPDATE FRIDAY OCTOBER 28TH

Today is Jay's CT Scan, X-Rays, & checkup w/Dr. Lockhart. We should have the results on Monday. This marks 1 yr. off treatment. Please keep us in your prayers today. Thanks.




HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFFREY!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!!!! (yesterday 10/25)


CONGRATULATIONS SHAWN-100 MILES @ The Ride for the Roses!!!!


The last few days have been a whirlwind & it's only Wed!! On Sunday we went to the Ride for the Roses. We left our houses at 5:15 am & arrived at the Expo Center about 5:45 am. I think we left about 5pm for home!!! Talk about a long day. We had a great time. The kids & I were able to ride in the Pedi-Cabs again this year, along w/Korey, Ariana, Harley, & several new families. The kids made posters to decorate the back of their pedicab & had goodie bags for the ride. A huge THANK YOU to our drivers for volunteering to do a 7 mile ride. Cynthia & Mary, child life specialists from the clinic were there as well. Joshua & Kyle were going to ride their bikes, but we ended up w/a few empty pedicabs, so they got to ride in them! Joshua was totally decked out in his CSC jersey (he matched Shawn) & bike shorts, sunglasses, gloves & helmet (also matches Shawn's. His goal is to be able to ride w/Shawn in a few years.

Speaking of Shawn, HE DID IT!!!! HE RODE 100 MILES!!!!! We are so proud of him. He said that the last 20 miles was rough, but he'd made it that far & wasn't going to give up. It took him 8 hrs to ride, but that's great considering last year he didn't have a bike. He went from couch to 100 miles in a year! WAY TO GO!!!!! Can you tell that I'm proud? The first person he called was his brother Tom, then his mom! His brother Tom came up last year & rode 70 miles. He has been cycling for several years & is the one that encouraged Shawn to start. He has been so supportive & encouraging this past year. We were sad that he wasn't able to make it this year, but hopefully, next year he'll be here.

Monday was running errands, bakcing brownies for Jeffrey's class & cupcakes for Jacob's & then football pratice & off to order their birthday cake, that I kept forgetting! Yesterday was Jacob's birthday. I helped in Jeffrey's preschool & went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch, then to Jacob"s class w/cupcakes & then made a stop at Ms. O'Neil's class to give her a cupcake. I don't know what she did to Jay, but she has his heart! I told her that if he doesn't get married it'll be because no one measures up to her!!! After he figured out how many cupcakes would be left, he said that I needed to take one to her. She is the first person that he thinks of if something is going on. Jay skipped practice so that he could play w/his friends & not have to rush through dinnner. Today is Jeffrey's birthday & we are doing last minute birthday errands & then their party is tonight. Tomorrow, Jeffrey has school & a well checkup w/all 4 of them getting their flu shot & then football practice. Friday is a BIG day. Jay is having his CT Scan. It'll be his one yr off treatment scan. He has his checkup w/Dr. Lockhart at 11:15am & then the scan at 1pm. He cannot have anything to eat after 7am, so he's going to be really hungry when we're finished, which will probably be close to 3pm. We are going to take himm out to dinner. He doesn't have practice, which is good, because he's usually wiped out afterwards & I know he wouldn't make it. Saturday is his football game, Joshua's hockey game & then our street halloween block party. Sunday we have tickets to the Ice Bats game & Joshua is so excited. THANK YOU Ice Bats for donating them.

We should find out the scan results on Mon. & I'll post them, as well as send an email to those of you on my list. I'm very anxious about this one, as it is his 1 yr. I'm going to see if Dr. Lockhart will ok a sinus xray & we can see if that's what's causing his headaches. Other than that, he's been fine. We got his school pictures back & you'd never know that he had cancer. He has a head of full, thick hair!!! I know I need to get pictures put up.

I know that this was a long one, but I don't know that I'll have a chance to update this week. Have a great week. Please continue to keep our friends in your prayers.

Saturday, October 22, 2005 9:13 PM CDT

Tomorrow is the big day

RIDE FOR THE ROSES!!!!!

Shawn is ready for 70 miles, but is going to try & go for the 100 miles. He rode 65 miles last weekend at the Outlaw Trail 100. That is the furthest he's ridden so far. Not bad for someone who didn't even own a bike this time last year!!!!

Joshua is going to ride 7 miles on his bike & Jay, Jeffrey, James, & I are going to ride 7 miles in the Pedi-Cabs. The boys decorated posters tonight to put on the back of the pedi-cabs. Joshua will look like a mini Shawn. He had a CSC (Shawn's employer) bike jersey & shorts, a bike helmet identical to Shawn's. He also has bike gloves & sunglasses! We decided that Shawn would wear his CSC jersey for this ride instead of getting a new one. He is going back to Sears Nov 1st. He has a smaller CSC adult jersey that Jay is going to wear. The boys are really excited about the Ride this year. It is bittersweet, though, as last year Garrett & Jay rode in the pedi-cab together. There are a bunch of really good pictures from last year at the Youth InterACTIVE website www.youthinteractive.org .

We are trying to get everyone in bed. We are going to have to leave at 5 am. The boys & I should be done w/our race around 10 am, but it'll be another 3-5 hours before Shawn finishes, depending on whether he does 70 or 100 miles. Wish me luck on keeping them entertained while we're there!

I'll update again to let you know how it went.

Saturday, October 15, 2005 7:41 AM CDT

An Update!!!

Thank you Shauna for your subtle hint!!! I know it's been a long time & I am sorry. We are doing well w/the exception of Jay being sick right now. He's been running a fever off & on for the past two days & was up in the night getting sick. He's also been having headaches, but we found out that he failed the school vision test w/his glasses on & he's also been doing alot of reading lately, so that could be part of the problem. We may be in for a trip to the pediatrician. I am glad that it was this weekend & not last weekend.

Last weekend we were in Louisiana for our niece's wedding. It was beautiful. Jeffrey was the ring bearer & looked so handsome in his tux. The boys wore dress clothes, ties & let me fix their hair, which is still growing! My sister-in-law had set a table up at the reception just for the kids & had markers, coloring books, sketch paper & little boxes of goldfish for them. That kept them & their cousins busy during the reception & they loved it. THANK YOU MONA & KATIE. We were able to see family that we hadn't seen in years. Jeffrey's highlight was the new Power Ranger that Katie had gotten him in hopes of coaxing him down the aisle! He loved it & was very excited about it, but he & the flower girl had a little trouble making it down the aisle!! It ended up w/Shawn holding his hand & her granmother holding her hand & walking w/them. At one point Jeffrey was swinging the pillow! It really was cute & we were so glad that no one was upset. The boys got to eat their very first po'boys at a restaurant called Chris's Po'boys & they loved them, so much that we went back the next day w/more family & there ended up being about 13 of us. The boys & I had shrimp & Shawn had roast beef. The boys are already asking if we can stop there in January when we go to New Orleans for our nephew's wedding. We were able to get Jay an LSU jersey. He's been asking for one & has decided that he's going to play football for LSU. We ended up getting Jay & Josh jerseys, Jeffrey & James shorts outfits, Shawn a hat & a t-shirt for me. Mind you, I don't own anything U.T., even though I've here for 14 yrs, but I've got an LSU t-shirt! Shawn's sister, nephew, & his wife graduated from there. His other brother & his daughter graduated from U.L.L. (University of Louisiana Lafayette). Shawn went there, but only for 1 yr, if that! We drove around the campus (ULL) & Shawn showed the boys his old frat house. Jay really enjoyed it & asked lots of questions. It was then that I realized how much he's grown up.

Speaking of growing up, Jay has a birthday in 10 days! He will be 10 yrs old. I can't believe it. It has gone by so fast & we've been through alot in 10 yrs. Jeffrey's bday is in 11 days.

We've been busy w/school, which they are both having a great year. We have 3 more weeks of football & 7 weeks left of hockey. Both boys are thoroughly enjoying their sports. We are going to take a break during winter & then start up again in the spring. Josh wants to continue hockey & Jay is asking to play soccer again. I was thrilled to hear that. Jay had played soccer every season from the time he was old enough until Fall of '03,(about 3 yrs) that's when he decided to try baseball, he didn't like baseball & 1 month after the season ended was diagnosed w/cancer. He took almost 2 yrs off & originally said that he didn't want to play sports. Then at the beginning of this year he started talking about football, when we asked him about soccer he, very emphatically, said "no". I was heartbroken, but we didn't push him & even though I was scared, we signed him up for football, tackle no less! He has now decided that he wants to play soccer in the spring. Jeffrey has started asking when he can play & he wants to play soccer as well, but he has to wait until next fall. James is still our "all around sports" kid. He wears Jay's football helmet & cleats & carries Josh's hockey stick, so we'll see for him.

Our next few weekends are going to be busy. Today is my bday & Shawn is doing a bike ride. The Outlaw Trail 100 here in Round Rock. www.outlawtrail100.com His goal is 63 miles. Next weekend is the Ride for the Roses. He & Josh are going to do an adventure challenge race on Saturday & on Sunday he & his brother, Tom, are going to ride 70 miles together. I am really glad that he & Tom are doing this together. Of his 3 brothers, Tom is the one he is the closest to. Then we have Jay & Jeffrey's bday, a neighbor hood Halloween party, a Fall Festival w/Wonders and Worries (www.wondersandworries.org) & then Halloween!

I am trying to move Jay's scan up by a few days. It was originally set for Nov. 2nd, but Shawn foud out that he is scheduled to go back to Sears Nov. 1st & therefore, our insurance will change. He is still waiting to hear back on that, it'll either be COBRA for 1 month & then Blue Cross in Dec, or Blue Cross effective Nov 1 but we will again have the deductible & out-of-pocket for 2 months & then it will start over in Jan! So, that in mind, I'm hoping that Raquel & Children's Hospital can fit him in before that! This will be his 1 yr off treatment checkup & scan. We should find out at this appt. what the next year will be like. We have never been given an official off treatment plan. Aside from what's bothering him right now, he's been fine, he looks great, has gained weight, has energy, life has been "normal" but there have been 2 children lost to Rhabdo this past month & another relapse recently, so you can say that I'm a little nervous concerning this scan. The most recent relapse had been off treatment for 2 yrs. Please continue to pray, not only for Jay but for all of the other families going through any stage of cancer. Even off treatment you still deal w/it. The threat of relapse is always in the back of your mind. I guess maybe I haven't updated lately is because I've wanted to put it behind me, but you can't. You can't let it rule your life, but it will always be a part of it. So for that, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. I know that there are those of you that check on us & are patiently waiting.

Well, I've got to go, James is putting cans of Chicken Noodle soup in front of me! Oh, before I forget, Shawn has lost almost 30 lbs!!!! He's really been trying & has been at the gym several times a week, I think I went once several weeks ago!!! I would like to start running again. I noticed that the Dallas White Rock Marathon, www.runtherock.com is Dec. 11th, but I don't think I could be ready. That run benefits the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children & if it weren't for them testing & diagnosing Joshua w/Dyslexia, he would still be struggling at school. They do have a Half Marathon, but maybe I will make that my goal for next year, just as Shawn's is to ride 70 miles in the Ride for the Roses this year. Brianna & Shauna, what are your thoughts?

Have a great weekend & thanks for checking on us.

Saturday, September 3, 2005 6:48 AM CDT

Finally, an update!! I did not set out to wait an entire month, but it has really gone by fast. It has been filled w/practices & school & life w/4 kids! We are doing good. Jay has his first football game today!! He is really excited. He's practiced alot, at least 3 times a week since Aug. 1st & he's ready to tackle!! It's been a bit tough for him, as he's had to give up playtime w/friends, but he's hanging there & we think that once the season begins, he's going to be glad that he stuck w/it. He has a really good teacher this year & thinks that he's going to like 4th grade. He has several friends in his class & some that he was in 2nd grade with, so he's happy about that. He still won't cut his hair, so I'll see if we can get a picture up.

Joshua had a great time at camp. He was so excited about it & he & Jay talked about it the whole way home. He got an award for "fabulous hair"!!! His hair is starting to wave over in the front & he has some great highlights! He got Ms. O'Neil as his teacher & we were so happy. He really likes her & is also going to have a great year. He starts hockey next week. We're going to get his gear this afternoon & he's ready.

Jeffrey was asked to be in my niece's wedding. He's going to be the ring bearer! We are going to get his hair cut! I'm sure he's going to do fine, but he's our strong/silent one & I can picture him walking down the aisle w/a serious look on his face! He starts preschool next week. He had a playdate yesterday at school & has already met his teacher & dropped off supplies. He keeps asking to go to school, so I know he's ready to go back.

James is James! He's funny & sweet, talks up a storm. He really needs a haircut, but it's so blond & soft that I'm debating just getting his bangs trimmed for right now. It's so funny, because I've never let their hair get so long & it's not like it's really that long. Before they would get haircut like every 6-8 weeks & it would be short, now I actually like it longer & hair isn't an issue in our house. Last year, Jay didn't have any hair! James likes to tell us to turn up the radio in the car, he even knows that song before it starts! His favorite, along w/his brothers, is Green Day's Boulevarde of Broken Dreams. He's progressed from saying "walk alone & streets" to actual full lines & knows most of the song! He's also our "all sports" kid, more so than the others were. It'll be interesting to watch him at Jay's games.

Shawn is still in "limbo" w/his job. It's kind of a good thing, because Sears hasn't made him an offer yet, so he hasn't had to make any hard decisions. I hope & pray that CSC has something for him & then our lives won't have to change again, ie possible pay cut & changes in our insurance benefits. He registered for the Ride for the Roses & was hoping to do either 70 or 100 miles. His brother Tom rode last year & they were going to ride together this year, but Tom is in La. & may not be able to make it in Oct. His brother lives across the shore from New Orleans & they are ok, but some of his other family, aunts, uncles, cousins lived in New Orleans & are not out of a home and/or job. Fortunately, his sister is in Houston & has some room & they were able to go there & stay w/her. Shawn's family is from New Orleans, he was born there, he used to play at his grandmother's house, that is now underwater. I've only been to New Orleans once & that was when Shawn's cousin got married. Jay was 20 months old & we have some really good pictures of him chasing the birds by the carousel & Shawn holding him while a street artist did a pencil drawing of him. It was the first time I've ever had cafe au alit & beignets, which are wonderful! We were supposed to go this coming January for our nephew's wedding. Another nephew & his family are in Alabama. They are ok & doing the best that they can.

We also know several people who have family or friends from New Orleans. Please pray for & do what you can to help the people affected by Hurricane Katrina, especially locally. One of Jay's friends has family staying w/them. They were only able to grab their chilrens' birth certificates & that's it. There is one family here in Round Rock that has 54 people in their house.

I've got to go & get these guys up & ready. Jay has to be at his game an hour before gametime & we also have to figure in drive time. Have a good, safe weekend. Hug your children.

Monday, August 8, 2005 8:21 AM CDT

CT SCANS AND CHEST X-RAY ARE CLEAR!!!!


UpDate August 9th: I had to put this in, last night James (2 yrs) went to bed w/Jay's football cleats on & his football beside him! He usually tries to walk around the house w/Jay's helmet on, even though it is quite heavy for his little head!


Jay had his checkup & CT Scan/chest x-ray last Wed. Both came back clear & the spot on his lung from the last scan (May) was positively identified as a blood vessel! His checkup went really well. He has gained 2 pounds & his counts are on the rise! After spending the last nine months watching them continue to drop, I really needed needed to see them come up. Dr. Lockhart was amazed at his hair, it has grown out so much. I'll have to try & get a good picture this week.

I am so sorry that it has taken so long to post an update. July seemd to fly by & a couple of times Jay reminded me that I needed to update, but it seemed that everytime I turned around we were running out the door! July started off w/almost nothing on our calendar & then w/in two weeks we had been to Dallas twice, San Antonio 3 times, & New Braunfels once, plus Shawn's mom & nephew came up for a weekend visit. We went to Dallas to the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital for Joshua's testing & found out that he is Dyslexic & that he is inattentive type adhd. We spent several hours w/the Pediatrician at Scottish Rite & received alot of information. We are now getting ready to work w/the school, so that he will have a successful year. He scored really well on the Math tests & has a high IQ. We started reading The Magic Treehouse books this summer & he loves them.

Jay went to Camp Discovery & had a great time. He even had a "date" at the dance!! He came home w/great stories & still wants to become a couselor when he gets older. He started Pop Warner Football & had his first practice last week! They only had 2 practices due to the rain, but he really enjoyed it. He was definitely tired & after taking a shower, went right to sleep! James is becoming his shadow & everything that Jay was showing us, James would try to do as well.

Joshua will go to camp this week. He is really excited & has been looking forward to it for a long time. The boys start school next week & to be honest, I'm ready! Actually, they are ready as well. The last few weeks have been a bit trying & I think that they are getting on each other's nerves. We will find out this week who their teacher will be. I'm a little anxious as we requested Ms. O'Neil for Joshua & are hoping that he will get her. We didn't request for Jay, I think he'll be fine w/whoever he gets.

Have a great week & I won't wait so long to update again!

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 9:03 AM CDT

Hi Everyone, it has been a busy week. Shawn had a really nice Father's Day. He cooked his own dinner!! Actually he wanted to. We bbq'd ribs & sausage & unlike Colleen, Garrett's mom, I don't grill. Shawn was happy to do the cooking. The boys gave him some new cycling socks, one w/a tribal pattern & one w/camoflague-can you guess which one that was from-& some Clif bars. We went to Luby's & picked up his favorite pie, buttermilk chess, he was very happy about that! I haven't found the right recipe yet to make it homemade. We also took the boys swimming. On Wed we went to my brother, Jeff's apt. & ate lunch & went swimming at his pool. The boys had a blast & my brother loved having us over, so much that we are going back tomorrow! It was really nice to spend time w/Jeff. He works alot, so we don't get to see him to much. The boys love him & Jeffrey, his namesake, adores his Uncle Jeff. On Thursday I took all 4 boys to our swimming pool & it wasn't too bad. Actually, it was pretty easy! My friend, Mayra met me up there w/her 2 kids plus 2 more from our street & there were a couple of kids from Jay's class already there. We stayed for a couple of hours & were fine. We decided to meet again this Thursday. On Friday, Shawn & I were able to go out!!! Thank you Austin Junior Forum. These women are wonderful. They babysat the kids for a Parent's Night Out. Shawn & I had 3 hrs to ourselves. We went to Joe's Crab Shack, Crescent City Beignets, & a walk around Whole Foods Market. The boys enjoyed pizza, drinks, games, crafts, & lots of undivided attention. Apparently, there was a mix up of some sort w/the invitations to the Candlelighters families & there were only 6 kids there, 4 of which were ours! Miss Karen was there & James adores her, of course she's been a part of his life since Jay was diagnosed when he was 7 mo. old. She was always at the Candlelighters Family Nights & has watched him go from a crawling baby to walking/talking 2 yr. old. She is wonderful. On Sat, we went to a birthday party, took Jay to Academy to register for football & then drove to S. Austin for a bbq get together & swimming w/friends. It was a busy day. We got home, the kids took a bath & then James & Jeffrey were out as soon as they laid down! Sunday, Shawn took Jay back to Academy to get his football gear & then took 3 J's swimming.

This week is pretty packed as well. Kyle & Caleigh came over yesterday & are coming over today & we're going to go to the pool. We are going to my brother's on Wed, Kyle's bday party on Thurs & so far that's it. Next week we are going to Dallas for Joshua's testing & are going to go to Six Flaggs. Shawn has taken his vacation, so that'll be nice. We are also going to go to Schlitterbahn.

Jay is now a football player. He looks too cute in his helmet & pads. Of course they told him that his helmet would fit better if he got his haircut, but he said no! He will practice 3 nights a week w/games on the weekend. Joshua is really wanting to play hockey. He taught himself how to rollerblade & spends all day on them. It's a good thing that our floors are tile!! Shawn took him on Friday to get new rollerblades, he was wearing Jay's that we're 2 sizes too small! We got 2 hockey sticks & pucks so that he can play w/his friends or w/Jay. I called the roller rink & registration for the fall is at the end of July. He will only have games on Saturday mornings & practices on Sat. & Sun. afternoons.

I've got to go, James is trying to put on the rollerblades! Have a great week.

Friday, June 17, 2005 11:45 AM CDT

Another week of swimming, sleepovers, & fun!! Last thursday we had a Garrett's Kidstrong board meeting at Pump It Up. They kids had a blast playing on the inflatables & the adults got alot accomplished at the meeting. Afterwards, several of us went to McD's for lunch & then to Blake's (www.caringbridge.org/hi/blakeyoung) house to swim & visit for the afternoon. Korey (www.caringbridge.org/tx/koreylee) came home w/us & spent the night. On Friday, Brenda & Kylie, Korey's mom & sister, drove up from S. Austin & stayed for awhile, playing & visitting before taking Korey home. The weekend was spent running errands & taking Jay shopping for camp. Actually, he needs some new clothes & camp is the perfect excuse!!

Our bunk room & playroom is no more. James, our climber, had decided that instead of taking his nap, he would climb up to the top bunk, go to the opposite end, climb over that end & into the window sill. It brought down the blinds & he was stuck. Needless to say we realized that we couldn't keep the beds stacked, so we moved Josh & Jeffrey back into their room w/beds unstacked & James & Jay are still sharing a room. Jay's bunkbed does not have rails at the end, so James cannot climb onto the top bunk. On Joshua's bunkbed, we had a dresser at the end to block the rails, but James managed to find enough space for his little foot to get a grip & started climbing. The boys miss the playroom, but are happy w/their rooms. I have promised them that I would paint them while Jay was at camp.

Yesterday was Jay's checkup at the clinic. His weight is holding at 79 lbs, so that's good. His counts are still dropping, but they keep telling us that that happens & not to worry about it. It's hard to see his counts dropping at each visit & yet he's 7 months off treatment & they should be coming up, if not holding steady & we're supposed to not be worried about it. Yea right. If this has happened to anyone else, please let me know. I feel like it's easy for the doctors to say not to worry, they see it more than we do, but this is my child. Other than that, Jay is doing great. He's sleeping well, has energy, is growing, his hair is amazing! He's growing it out & it is thick & curly, only right now it's more like bushy than curly, but it'll get there! He's very proud of it & actually wants it to be curly! I realized toady that we only have about 2 left to reister him for football. I think we can do a walk up next Saturday, but am waiting on a reply. He is very excited about it. That's all that he's been talking about, next to going to camp! He should have his next CT Scan the beginning of August.

We went to Blake's house last night for a bbq in honor of Garrett's birthday. There were several of us that were close to Garrett & it was really nice. The kids wrote birthday wishes to Garrett & sent them up in balloons. The kids played & we all swam & ate & shared memories of Garrett & it was nice just to be together. I know that Garrett was there in spirit. At one point, James saw an outside candle burning & started singing Happy Birthday! It was really touching to me because, James just turned 2 & the outside was not decorated like a bday party, it looked just like a regular outdoor bbq, so I know that Garrett was there & that's how James knew.

We're planning on a quiet weekend at home. Maybe do some things to the house. Shawn's job is still up in the air, so please keep that in your prayers. He's been more than a little stressed out about it this week.

Happy Father's Day to the fathers out there. You're doing a great job.

Please continue to keep our friends in your prayers & please sign Jay's guestbook. It really does mean alot to him to read your entries.

Have a great weekend.

Tuesday, June 7, 2005 8:19 AM CDT

UPDATE 1:17 PM
JAY IS GOING TO CAMP!!!
We just received the letter that his application has been accepted for Camp Discovery this summer! He was grinning from ear to ear :) He had such a great time last year & is really looking forward to going this year. YEA!!!



What a weekend we've had!!! The boys played w/friends & went shopping for a birthday present & new swimsuits on Sat. Then Sunday was our big day. We took Joshua to his best friend, Jackson's house for a birthday party & then the rest of us went to the Celebration of Life picnic for National Cancer Surivor's Day. We had fun. We ate bbq & then the boys had snow cones, jumped in the moonwalk, did some karate moves w/the instructors, even James-he really liked that & then they had their arms painted w/Batman & Spiderman! We saw Ella & her family & Korey & his family. I talked to Brenda, Korey's mom about Korey coming over Thurs after our Garrett's KIDSTRONG meeting & spending the night. He & Jay are so excited. Then we had to leave & pick up Joshua, go home, the boys changed & our big, big news, Shawn, Jay, & Joshua were given tickets to The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl premiere!!!! Thank you Greg Geisler, they had so much fun. Thank you Colleen for thinking of us. They met up w/Colleen, Kyle, & Caleigh & then saw Blake & his family & Jared & his mom. They went to a carnival, ate food, got an autograph from Shark Boy & then saw the movie. They were even given toys & a clear backpack w/goodies inside & a Shark Boy/Lava Girl keychain!!!! They were definitely hyped up when they got home, around 10pm! They said the movie was really good.

We received Joshua's testing date at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas. It is July 6th at 8:30 am, so we will go up on Tues & stay the night. When we were checking out at Give Kids The World Village after Jay's Disney World trip, we were given a packet w/information from different amusement parks across the United States that would give us free tickets for up to one year after our Make-A-Wish trip, so we are going to figure a trip to Six Flaggs in Dallas in our stay. We also had friends that moved to Dallas several years ago & the boys are asking to go & see them, so Sabra, I'll be calling you! I am relieved to be able to have Joshua tested before school starts. We will have to go up to Dallas for the initial testing day & then again for the results, after that, he can be monitored at the Diagnostic Clinic here in Austin. He did really well last year, but it was a struggle. I will be glad to have everything in place when school starts. He also keeps asking when he will find out who his teacher is. We requested Ms. O'Neil & he really hopes that that is who he gets. Shawn & I are hoping he gets her as well. We didn't request a teacher for Jay. I know that he will be fine w/whoever he gets, but Josh has been through so much & we've learned so much about his learning style & the teaching style that he needs & anyway, we are really hoping he gets Ms. O'Neil! We haven't even considered the possibility of him getting someone else, although we did list a second choice & we would be happy w/Ms. Thompson as well, so we'll find out on August 11th, when they get to meet their teachers.

Have a great week.

Friday, June 3, 2005 8:46 AM CDT

SUNDAY JUNE 5TH IS NATIONAL CANCER SURVIVOR'S DAY

We have jumped right into summer vacation. Jay spent the first 3 days sleeping over at friends' houses, then we had friends sleep over here :) We've had a few days of sleeping in, James & Jay are my early risers, while Jeffrey & Joshua sleep late.

So far, our calendar is pretty clear. On Sunday we are going to a Celebration of Life picnic & wellness fair sponsored by Austin Cancer Centers & American Cancer Society for National Cancer Survivor's Day. Next Thursday is our board meeting for KIDSTRONG at Pump It Up. We are having a rep from Central Texas Harley-Davidson coming to talk to us about a fundraising rally that they would like to do to benefit the KIDSTRONG program!! Apparently they, Harley-Davidson, are very excited about the program. There are several more companies that are interested & considering becoming a sponsor. We are still waiting to hear back from LAF. Please keep your fingers crossed.

Jay has a checkup on June 16th. He looks great. I think he's slowing down on his weight gain & he seems to be getting taller. He is now just above my chin & thinks it's great. We have found that all of his swimsuits are too small, so we've got to go buy some new ones this weekend.

I don't know what our summer plans are going to be. We were going to go to New Orleans for July 4th to visit family, but Shawn's job is very up in the air right now & we aren't sure if he'll even have a job, so we're going to hold off on going anywhere. Please keep his job, as well as Mike Jones, Spencer's dad in your prayers. Mike works for the same company as Shawn & they are facing the same decisions. Shawn has found a couple of jobs online, but they would require a move.

Other than that, we are doing well & the boys are great. Jeffrey is finally potty trained, has been for a couple of weeks & has fallen asleep a couple of times in underwear & woken up to go potty! James is now wanting to sit on the little potty when Jeffrey is going, so maybe he'll potty train soon too!! That would be wonderful.

Have a great weekend.

Monday, May 23, 2005 7:12 AM CDT

3 Days left of school!!!! Jay & Josh are ready for summer. James is usually up at 6:30 am, so my morning isn't going to change, but at least I don't have to get the boys up & ready for school. This year seems to have flown by. They have both done really well this year & we are so proud of them.

On Friday, Shawn took Jay to see Star Wars Episode III. They had a great time, so much so, that they went & bought Episodes 4,5, & 6 on DVD & then came home & started watching those! Even Jeffrey has been watching Star Wars. Alot of tickets were donated to the Oncology Clinic & we were one of the families that Deanna called. Colleen & her family went, & Korey & his family went. The boys were really glad to see each other.
Joshua did not go, he went to a birthday party for one of his friends. It was too cute. It was an Aloha theme party for 2 sisters, Joshua & Samaria have been in class together for 2 yrs & her older sister was in 1st grade w/Jay, so we've known them for about 3 yrs. It turned out that Joshua, her brother, & another little boy were the only boys there & about 15 little girls! But, he had a blast. It was a sleepover party for the girls & the boys had to be picked up by 9 pm, but at first he came home excited that he was going to a sleepover party! He was a little sad that he would have to leave early, but was glad that he could stay until 9pm!

On Sat, Shawn took Jay to a birthday pool party, but he only stayed about 30 min & then came home & started throwing up until about 10:30pm. He was also running a low grade fever. Fortunately he was feeling somewhat better yesterday & did not throw up. I was hoping that it would pass since there's only 3 days left of school. He still took it easy yeaterday & didn't play w/any of his friends all weekend. I took Josh, Jeffrey, & James to a nieghbor's bday party Sat. night. The kids had alot of fun. We had 7 babies born on our street, w/in an 8 house stretch & w/in 6 months of each other, & they are all turning 2 yrs this year. 3 of them were born in May. Between all of us, there will be kids starting Kindergarten every year for the next 4 yrs! It was really nice to see everyone at the pasty. We have been so busy, that we haven't seen very much of everyone this past year.

On Sun we stayed home. We bought a pool & put it at the end of the slide so that the kids could slide down into it. The boys had fun, even James & Jeffrey's friend Cole, came over to play. Jeffrey had gone to his house earlier to play in his pool & when they started hearing the boys, they wanted to come back.

Tomorrow we are getting together w/the other Rhabdo families in Round Rock to talk. There are now 4 families w/in a 5-7 mi radius of each other, pretty scary. I have a doctor's appt on Thurs & so far, that's all that's on our calendar for this week, but that can change!

Spencer has scans today, so please keep them in your prayers. They are hoping to have the results tomorrow.
Korey, www.caringbridge.org/tx/koreylee received clear scan results, for both his sinus infection & cancer. please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Have a great week.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 7:49 AM CDT

Jay is much better. He was able to go to school on Wed-Fri. He went on his field trip to the Children's Museum & Shawn went w/him. Friday was field day at school & he & Joshua were very excited. They had a blast.

We had our first Garrett's KidSTRONG board meeting Friday night & came up w/a list of possible sponsors & some really great ideas of activities for the kids. Lance Armtrong Foundation (LAF) will be announcing the recipients of their sponsorships in June, we are praying that we get it. This would be wonderful for the kids & the idea of it going nationwide is awesome. It is definitely needed. Thank you Briana & youth for watching the kids for us. We couldn't have done it w/you.

We did our first family bike ride on Sat. 7 miles!!! I am very proud of myself, I pulled the trailer w/the boys & even though I was the last one, I did it!!! I even had my own escort, the bike police!! They were great & the members from the Austin Cycling Association were very encouraging. Thank you guys for staying w/me! Jay stayed right up front w/the riders & Shawn & Josh were in the middle. Joshua hit a slick spot in the parking lot & was covered in mud, so that threw him off, but he got right up & started riding. He then got off the road & tried to get right back on & fell a 2nd time, but again he got up & rode,, we told him that we were very proud of him, that he didn't give up. The boys all had a good time. Jeffrey hasdecided that he needs bike shorts as well, & you know what, they make them in his size, an x-small! We told him that he has to wait until he's riding on a bike, not in the trailer. We decided to celebrate by driving to Greune, Tx & eating at The Gristmill. They have the best chicken fried steak, salad w/house dressing, & round cut fries. It's definitely worth the drive.

On Sunday we went to the Round Rock Express game. Our seats were 7th row, seats 1-4, right behind home plate. Those were the best seats we've ever had. Thank you to The Express Bank of Texas for giving them to us. We had a great time.

Jeffrey is out of school for the summer. The boys have 1 week left. Shawn is riding again at the 24 Hour Fitness at Hancock Center on Thursday. Lance Armstrong is supposed to be there as well. Joshua has a birthday invitation for Friday & Jay has one for Saturday.

Have a great week. Please keep our friends in your prayers.

Monday, May 9, 2005 7:59 AM CDT

UPDATE MAY 10TH:
Jay threw up again last night after he went to bed. He was fine during the day & hasn't had a fever, so I'm a little worried. So far today, he's been fine, but we'll see tonight. If he does it again I'm going to call Dr. Lockhart.

James had a great well check. 31 lbs & 35 3/4 in!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!!!!

Today is James' 2nd birthday. We had decided to have a family celebration instead of a party & it turns out that that was a good idea. Jay was up at 12:45 am throwing up. He's not running a fever, so I'm hoping that it's just something he ate.

Shawn is going to do a bicycle ride tonight at 24 Hour Fitness. Lance Armstrong has partnered w/24 Hour Fitness & today is the grand opening of the 24 Hour Fitness Lance Armstrong Sport here in Round Rock. They are going to donate $24 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation for every person that can ride a bike (staionary) for 1 hour. They have 3-4 hrs of time slots. My friend Melissa is going to do it at 5 & Shawn is going at 6:15. I'm not doing it because the kids club can only take up to 40 kids, so I know that w/4 I'm limitted, & also because Jay was sick. They are expecting alot of people. We were there last week when they were repainting the lines & poles yellow. The boys like the kids club & keep asking when we are going to the gym! I joined last Sept. & Shawn just started 2 wks ago. He's been going regularly & I'm proud of him. We also registered to win a Trek bike! Wouldn't that be great!! The 24 Hour Fitness in Hancock Center will have their grand opening on May 19th & Lance will there!!!! We are going to that one & I think Shawn has signed up to ride at it as well! We've decided that Jay will wear his "Busy Kickin' Cancer's Butt" t-shirt. Joshua is going to wear his "My Brother Is Busy Kickin' Cancer's Butt" t-shirt & his is bright yellow, so he'll stand out!!!

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. Shawn went & got donuts for us. We went to Target so Joshua could spend a gift card from his bday (in March) & we needed a present for James. Then we came home & watched National Treasure. It was really good. The boys finished homework & Shawn made dinner, steak & Au Gratin potatoes, homemade & his mom's recipe!! Yummmy. It was a good day.

This is the last week of Preschool for Jeffrey. He has really enjoyed it. The boys have 2 1/2 more weeks. It has gone by so fast. Jay has a field trip on Thursday & Shawn is planning on going. James has his well checkup tomorrow & I'm curious to see his height/weight.

Have a great week. Thank you so much for your prayers & encouragement. It really does mean alot.

Saturday, May 7, 2005 4:25 PM CDT

I'm sorry that I'm just now updating, but we had a bit of a scare regarding Jay's CT Scan results & we wanted to talk to Dr. Lockhart first before updating. Nurse Jennifer called Thursday late afternoon w/the results. His abdominal & pelvic CT Scan were clear, but his chest CT showed a nodule on the left lower lobe of his lung. According to the radiologist report, "it appears to extend superiorly & branch suggesting this is a prominent vessel, but attention on follow up". Needless to say, we were very worried. His previous scans had never picked up on anything & we really didn't know what it meant. I was especially worried since my mother passed away last year from a blood clot that had travelled to her lungs. Also, from everything that we've read, if you are going to relapse, it will usually show up in your lungs, hence the chest CT and/or x-ray everytime. We also know that if it is good news, they call right away, if it is bad news, you end up having to call & call time & again before you can get the doctor. Since Dr. Lockhart wasn't there, we had to wait until Friday. She was in Day Surgery & ended up calling us after 10 pm last night. She said that it truly isn't anything to worry about. That they see it all of the time. That it is the size of a pinhead. She said that the machines are so sensitive that they can pick up on a speck of dust. Most likely it won't even show up next time & it is all in the way they slice it. Plus, radiologists have to document everything to cover themselves. i was so relieved that she was calling that the fact it was after 10 pm didn't bother me. I was so afraid that we were going to have to wait until Mon. She also said that we didn't need to watch out for anything or limit Jay's activities, so he's still set for football registration. She said that he is the picture of health & even though his blood counts haven't recovered, they will in time. He only gained 1 lb. this time & is 54 in. tall, he's catching up to me! His height & weight are good, about 75 percentile, so he's right where he needs to be. We feel so much better now, knowing that he's ok. Thank you so much for your prayers. After the relief came the exhaustion! You have no idea how long the wait felt & how much of a toll it can take. Ok, I know some of you know. Thanks for being there for us.

We did have a bit of a break yesterday afternoon. We went to Caleigh's birthday party at Pump It Up, a place filled w/inflatables & the boys, all four, had a blast! They loved it. Watching them have so much fun, made me forget about worrying for several hours. Shawn was able to make it & afterward we went to Colleen's for a little bit. The boys wanted Kyle to come over & play & spend the night. They were willing to give up the bike ride this morning for that. Imagine that!! We stayed home & Shawn went to the ride. His riding buddies were going & planned on doing the 42 mi. ride. He had previously told them that he wasn't going to ride w/them so that he could do the family ride w/us. Well, he called them up & they ended up riding 52 mi!!! His furthest yet! I am so proud of him. He really needed it, for the stress release. Afterward there was a spaghetti for the riders & then he came home. Colleen came & picked up Kyle, Jay, & Joshua & took them to the comic book store, National Comic Book Day, where they got free comic books & then they bought Hero Clicks, went to McD's & then came home.

I hope you all have a Happy Mother's Day tomorrow. I'm looking forward to spending it w/my kids!

Wednesday, May 4, 2005 1:37 PM CDT

SCANS TOMORROW, THURSDAY THE 5TH AT 10AM.

I can't believe that it is Scan time already. Jay is fine w/it, but I am really nervous. I keep thinking that if we can get past this one & the next one in August that I'll start to relax a little & not be so worried. We should know the results on Friday & I'll post them as soon as we find out. Jay will have his checkup first & then his scan. Dr. Lockhart is out, so we'll see Dr. Sharp. We really like Dr. Sharp. Nurse Jennifer hasn't seen Jay since Feb, so I know she'll be really surprised to see him. He has changed so much. It's amazing how a bit of weight & glasses can change a persons appearance. I know I need to have Shawn post new pictures.

We've had a good week. Busy, but good. I had parent conferences yesterday & both boys are doing well. Joshua has made alot progress this year & Jay has managed to stay caught up w/almost all A's & B's (except spelling) despite being absent so much. I know that next year he will not miss as much school. They will both be promoted to 2nd (Josh) & 4th (Jay) grade & w/Joshua we will have to continue reading during the summer to keep him caught up. I heard back from Scottish Rite Children's Hospital & they are hoping to set up his testing for the summer or early fall. On Friday, Jay & I are going to U.T. to find out the results from his testing.

We are in training for our bike ride on Sat. We are praying that the weather holds out. We took the boys last Friday to Bicycle Sport Shop & bought Jay & Josh padded bike shorts. They were so excited & said they are ready for the ride this Sat & Shawn signed us up for the 7 mi ride next Sat, May 14th, for the Mayor's Fitness Council! We are on our way to becoming a cycling family. I will consider us officially after we do our first ride on Sat! I will see if someone will take a picture & we'll post it. But I must warn you, I have a girly bike helmet! It is light blue & white & has flowers on it!!! The boys think it is funny, but hey, I've got 5 males in our house & even our dog is a male.

Please continue to keep us & our friends in your prayers. You have no idea how much that means to us. Spencer has scans coming up, Blake www.caringbridge.org/hi/blakeyoung is still awaiting the results from a 2nd scan. Korey www.caringbridge.org/tx/koreylee is almost done w/his antibiotics for sinus infection & then he'll have scans. Please continue to keep Garrett's family in your prayers. I talk to Colleen daily & see her all the time & I know that there are days that are so hard for her & her family. I am so thankful to God that He is keeping our friendship strong & Garrett will always be a part of our life.

Have a great week.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 7:23 AM CDT

It has been a good week. Jay made it through the Math TAKS test. Thank you all for your words of encouragement. On Wed, Colleen took him up to the clinic for Korey's off-treatment party. He was really excited that he got to see Korey. He & Korey haven't seen each other since camp last summer. He had a great time playing games & eating a ton of pizza. Thank you Brenda for inviting him & thank you Colleen for taking him. I was on a field trip w/Joshua's class & Shawn was in Chicago. Joshua's field trip was fun. We went to the park & walked along the creek to the "round rock" for which the town was named after. The kids had a great time.

We went to family fitness festival on Sat. for Round Rock ISD put on by Youth InterActive. They are the ones helping to get Garrett's KidStrong Program going. There were different challenge courses for the kids to do, tattoos, skateboarders & live music.

On Sunday we went to Houston for Chris' birthday & Matthew's Confirmation. We had a great time w/family & Miss Rebecca watched Jeffrey & James while we were at church. A huge Thank You to Rebecca as the service was 2 hrs long & we were there a little over 3 hours! The boys, (Jay, Joshua, & Chris) were very, very good. I was so proud of them. Of course they knew that if they misbehaved they were going to get split up & someone was going to sit next to Granny (Shawn's mom)! Afterward we went back to Mary's, ate a quick dinner & left. We made it home close to midnight. Needless to say, the boys did not go to school on Mon.

My friend, Melissa, had started riding w/me. We are in training for a ride next Sunday. It's called the Armadillo Hill Country Classic & they have a Kids & Family 6.5 mile ride & that is what we're doing! I told the boys that they are in training as well! They offer all of the same things for the Family ride as they do for the big ride, up to 125 miles. There will be rest stations w/water, sports drinks & snacks, a police escort & the cars that will take you back to the finish line if you get too tired. It is a great ride for families & beginners. The boys are excited about it, although I think it has more to do w/the rest station & snacks than the ride!! I rode 3 times last week & once, so far, this week averaging about 5 miles, but considering that I'm just starting out & pulling Jeffrey & James in the trailer, I think that's pretty good! I'm looking forward to the ride.

The boys are out of school early tomorrow & then off on Friday. We have parent conferences next week. Jeffrey only has 2 more weeks of school & the boys have 4. I can't believe how fast it's gone. I think we're all ready for a break though.

Jay has his 6 month off treatment scans next Thurs. Spencer's scans are coming up & Blake (www.caringbridge.org/hi/blakeyoung) is also having scans. Korey (www.caringbridge.org/tx/koreylee) seems to be doing better w/his new antibiotics. Please continue to keep our friends in your prayers.

Have a great week.

Monday, April 18, 2005 8:51 AM CDT

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Relay For Life was really nice. They had a wonderful buffet dinner. Shawn's mom, Pat, came up for the weekend. She is a 19 yr colon cancer survivor. She & Jay walked the Survivor Lap together. We saw Spencer & his family, Allie, & Harley www.caringbridge.org/tx/harleyfetterman & his family. We walked around for a little bit & then took the kids home. Kyle, Garrett's brother, had come over earlier & spent the night.

On Sunday, Granny made her "Meatballs & Spaghetti" for the boys & then headed back to Houston. The boys love her meatballs, so they were very happy. We ran errands & then came home & Shawn hooked the bicycle trailer to my bike to see if I could pull it w/Jeffrey & James (about 70lbs) & I did!!! We did a family ride, of about 4.48 mi in 45 minutes, but it's a start!!! It'll get easier pulling the trailer & this way, I can ride as well & since Shawn is travelling quite a bit, I don't have to wait for him to be home. Shawn rode 48 mi on Saturday w/some friends from work & was gone about 3 hrs. Not bad!!

Shawn is in Chicago this week, I have our off treatment mtg w/Candlelighters tonight, field trip w/Joshua on Wed., & our Friends w/Cancer Support Mtg on Friday night. This will be our first "official" meeting! I'm really looking forward to it. I think Shawn will be back in time for that. Jay has his Math Taks test tomorrow, so pls keep him in your prayers. He's really good in Math, so he's not worried about it, which is good. Then on Saturday we're headed to Houston for Chris's bday (8 yrs) & the Matt's Confirmation, which Shawn is his Confirmation Sponsor!

I decided not to register the boys for swim team this year. The thought of getting everyone up at 6am & heading out the door by 6:45 am for an entire month during summer is not my idea of a good morning! Especially when 2 of then are 3 1/2 & 2 yrs old! Jay said he would get up, but trust me, he would not be a happy camper. It's hard enough getting he & Joshua up by 6:45 am to go to school. They are so ready for summer break.

I hope everyone has a great week. Please keep our friends in your prayers.

Monday, April 11, 2005 7:45 AM CDT

I hope eveyone is doing well. Life continues to fly by, it's already mid-April. April started off w/Shawn riding in a charity bike ride benefitting The Rosedale School. He rode 43 miles!!!!! The boys & I met him at the finish line & we were so proud of him. James was in his stroller saying "yeah daddy, yeah daddy". He is becoming a daddy's boy! Shawn said that he was tired, but it felt great. To date, that is the farthest he's riden. He typically rides about 30-35 miles.

Jay is still doing well. His next appt & CT Scan is set for May 5th. I am really anxious about this scan. This is the time when , Garrett relapsed. I know that there were differences in their diagnosis, but I think it's only human nature to still worry. You know, people say, "he looks so good, you shouldn't worry", but that's just it, he looked so good before he was diagnosed w/cancer. He was hardly ever sick, he had been outside playing minutes before he came in & said that it hurt & then I took him to the doctor & here we are. It happened that fast. There wasn't any warning. I am thankful that he looks great & feels great. I would worry if he didn't. Shawn will tell you that I just worry!!!

We are hoping to sign Jay & Josh up for Swim Team next weekend. They seem excited about it, but I'll let you know when we have to be at the pool everyday at 7:30 am! They don't know that part yet & they aren't going to be too happy about it! Especially when they're counting down until summer & they can sleep in!! But, we think it'll be good for them & they'll have fun. Shawn was on swim team & even did year round swimming.

Relay For Life is this coming weekend. Shawn's mom, Pat, is coming up & will stay the weekend. She even said that she'd make the boys Meatballs & Spaghetti! Absolutely wonderful & their favorite. It's also one of the few foods that got Jay through his chemo. I remember calling to Houston & asking her to please come up & cook for Jay one weekend, & she did! She is wonderful. We have several friends that will be at Relay, Spencer, Korey www.caringbridge.org/tx/koreylee, & Blake www.caringbridge.org/hi/blakeyoung. It'll be really nice for the boys to see each other. We are going to do luminaries in honor of Garrett. We miss him so much. Colleen said that it would be too hard on her to go this year. I know that she will be w/us in thought & Garrett will be w/the other angels looking down on us & telling them about his friends. The boys are asking for Kyle, Garrett's brother, to come & spend the night, so he may be w/us, depending on what night he comes over.

Jeffrey went on his first field trip last Thursday. He went to the Christmas Tree Farm. It was alot of fun. He really enjoyed seeing the animals. He was able to pet a piglet, bunnies, see a duckling & chicks. There were goats, cows, horses & donkeys, which he also petted.

So far, our week looks pretty quiet. We have an off-treatment meeting tonight. It's a 6 wk session & we're already into the 3rd one. Tomorrow is our first Friends W/Cancer meeting!! We are trying to coordinate schedules & decided to just get the moms together during the day for this meeting & then we can share ideas to get our group off the ground. Our goal is to be able to meet in the evening so that the older kids & dads can be a part of it. If anyone has any ideas or wants more information, please email me. I'll have more details tomorrow, so when I update again, I'll share them. Thursday is our conference w/Joshua's teacher & then a parent night at school for those in the reading program & then the weekend is here W/Relay.

Please continue to pray for our friends. Please say an extra prayer for Blake's family (www.caringbridge.org/hi/blakeyoung) his grandfather, Royce, was just diagnosed w/cancer.

Have a great week.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005 7:26 AM CST

Finally, a journal update!!!

Thanks for being so patient! Spring Break was very nice. Shawn was in Ft. Worth all week & even had to stay an extra day, but God was definitely watching over us in that the week was great. The boys didn't seem to argue or fight w/each other & it was a really good week. We stayed at home & they either went to friends houses or had friends over. Jay spent the first 2 days at his friend, Davonne's & came home only to get clean clothes! Josh spent all day Friday w/Kyle, Garrett's brother, & then Kyle spent the night & on Sat. Colleen & Caleigh (Garrettt's sister)& I had lunch & went shopping. Shawn watched all of the boys, including Kyle & then Jay & Josh went to Kyle's & spent the night! Jeffrey wanted to go & stay in Caleigh's room & sleep in Caleigh's bed, but Colleen told him that he had to be potty trained first, which he replied "I want to ride the potty train". It was too funny. He is trying, because he wants to go to Ms. Colleen's house. He has also decided that he's going to grow up & marry Caleigh!!! Caleigh on the other hand, does NOT think that that is funny or cute!

Shawn went back to Ft. Worth last Mon & was there until Wed. He was able to take off Friday & we headed to Houston. The boys were so excited & had counted down the days. Especially since the van broke down on Tuesday. I went to pick up the boys from Preschool & when we went to leave, it wouldn't start! That has never happened before, so I had to call Rebecca & ask her to come & get us. Thank you! We took it to her mechanic & it turned out to be the battery, plus we needed a new tire (almost bald) & brake work, all in all about $700 even after a discount which we really appreciate! Thank you Bill & Todd at Jerry's Garage. Fortunately they were able to get it fixed in time for us to go to Houston. The boys love going to Houston & being w/their cousins. This was the first time in 9 1/2 yrs that we didn't have to take the Port-A-Crib or a high chair!!! We did get a bike rack & bring their bikes along w/Shawns. He was planning on riding w/his brother, Tom, but Tom's bike got a broken spoke & the bike shop wasn't open, so he went back to his (Tom's) brother-in-law's house & Shawn went on hisride by hmself. I am so proud of him. He rode 35 miles! He started riding w/some guys rom work & they have been doing about 30-32 mi but this was the first time that he's done it alone. He's thinking about entering a race this Sat. for the Rosedale school, which is for children w/various disabilities. He is training for the Ride For The Roses in Oct. & Tom is going to come up (from LA.) & ride w/him. Joshua has started riding & used his birthday money from my brother to buy a new 20" bmx bike. Shawn is thinking that he might be able to ride 10 miles. He's been taking Josh out after he gets back from his rides & he's doing really well. Jay told me last night that he thinks that Josh has finally found his sport & that he is good at it. While in Houson, we got to meet our nephew, Jason's fiance, Dannielle. She is really sweet & her father is a colon cancer survivor. Her & Jason are so cute & Shawn & I were talking about how young they looked & realized that they are about the same age as we were when we got married (25 & 21)! Jason's parents, Tom & Deirdre will celebrate 30 yrs this summer & Shawn's other brother, David & wife Mona celebrated 25 yrs this month! Shawn's sister, Susan & niece, Meghan took the boys to see Robots at the theatre. The boys said that the movie was good although Jeffrey did get scared. It was a great Easter weekend w/tons of food & a chocolate triflethat was wonderful, chocolate pudding,brownies, toffee & whipped cream!

Jay had his Oncology checkup yesterday. He gained another 4 lbs, bringing him up to 78 lbs. Dr. Lockhart said just to watch what he's eating & she's not too concerned about the gain, only that it is happening a little fast. So maybe a little less chips/dip & pizza & a little more apples & oranges! Other than that he was great. His counts have me a little worried, they are no higher than they were in Dec., but I know that it does take awhile for them to recover. Dr. Lockhart isn't worried about it & I know that we shouldn't be either, but I can't help it. Plus we don't know anyone that has been through this that can say that it is "normal" & not to worry. Everyone that we know is either at the same point we are or had a differnent diagnosis, like Leukemia which takes a huge toll on your counts. We are hoping to set his next scans & checkup for May 5th (a Thursday) so that we don't have to wait through the weekend!

Jay got his Camp Discovery application in the mail & we are filling it out! He was so excited & still says that he wants to be a counselor when he is old enough. This is a bitterswet time for me because it was at this time last year that we had met Garrett & his family & had become friends & started doing things together. Shawn & I picked them up from camp & they spent the whole way home talking about how much fun they had had & how they were going back next year. I can't help thinking that Colleen & I should be doing their applications together. I know that Garrett is in a better place, that he is no longer in pain & that his body has been restored, it's just so hard sometimes. I really miss him. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

I know that you've now read a novel! Thank you. I'll try & update again this week. We have nothign planned for this weekend, except Shawn's bike ride. From the middle of April until May every weekend will be busy, so I'm looking forward to a quiet one. Shawn is home this week, so that's nice. Have a great week.

Please continue to pray for our friends & all of the children w/cancer or serious illness. We truly appreciate your prayers & words of encouragement.

Wednesday, March 9, 2005 12:52 AM CST

MARCH IS COLON CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

What an incredibly busy week we've had! Joshua's birthday party on Saturday was alot of fun. His two best friends, Jackson & Kyle were there, as well as Jackson's two sisters Annie his twin & Jenny 10yrs old, & Kyle's sister Caleigh. Annie & Caleigh hit it off & stayed together most of the day. Jay & Jenny were too cute & showing a little interest in each other, but please don't tell them that!!! I'm definitely not ready for girls just yet, but Jenny is different! She is so sweet. It was great to spend time w/Jackson's mom, Rhonde & her & Colleen were able to meet. All in all the kids had a great time. We then went to eat at a Japanese steak house & the boys loved watching the chef cook their food. James was still a little scared when he did the fire on the flat top, but he did a great job of eating! Joshua wanted to clarify that he was ok going to eat there, but that was not for his bday dinner. Usually on their birthday we let them pick a restaurant & go & eat. On Sunday, his real bday, we took him to Cheddar's & my brother, who is a corporate trainer in the kitchen, was able to get off work & have family dinner w/us. The boys adore their Uncle Jeff & love the food at Cheddar's, especially the Hot Fudge Sundae Cake. James was a big hit w/the waitresses & even kissed the hostess! Talk about a flirt & he's not quite 2 yrs old!

Monday was the start of 2 days worth of appts! We first went to the clinic for Spencer's off-treatment party. It was fun & the boys really like Spencer. He & Jeffrey hit it off & started playing dinosaurs together. Jay gave him his Lttle Foot from The Land Before Time. When Jay was 3 yrs old a friend of ours who was 10/11 yrs old gave Little Foot to him as well as some videos. Jay was a huge Land Before Time fan. Little Foot has gone through quite a few moves w/us & almost 6 1/2 yrs. At first, several months ago, Jay wasn't ready to part w/him, but on Monday he said that he was. He really likes Spencer & knows how much Spencer loves LBT. None of the other boys ever showed any interest. Well, Spencer was very excited about it & showed everyone his new Little Foot! Shauna & Mke, thank you for letting Jay give it to him. Later in the day I took Jay to the dentist. The first time since our cancer journey began. Well, we found out one of the "perks" of chemotherapy 5 cavities!!! This for a kid who brushes his teeth. We were aware that chemo affects your teeth but weren't ready for that. So, he now has to go to a pedidontist for fillings as well as discussing braces in the future. We knew that braces was almost a given because Shawn's side of the family has had them or getting them. Tuesday, we took Jeffrey & Palmer to Preschool & then took Joshua for his 7 yr. well checkup & he is very healthy. He weighs 62 lbs which is what Jay weighed at 8 yrs old when he was diagnosed w/Rhabdo. But Joshua is also very tall 51 in! He has also been showing signs of being ADD. We have been working w/his teacher & consulting w/our pediatrician all year & we did an ADD/ADHD screening & found that he has strong indicators, as well as hearing back from Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, after submitting an application for an evaluation of a learning disability, that he was showing signs of attention/focusing problems & that we should address that before we begin his testing w/them. We decided to start him on medication, as it has been affecting his schoolwork. With the help of his teacher, we will be able to find the right medication & dosage by watching the side effects & if it is helping. After that appt he had a therapy appt, pick up Jeffrey & Palmer from Preschool & then Jay had his therapy appt! And they call us Stay at Home Moms! Colleen & the kids came over to visit & I really needed that. They stayed for dinner & the kids had fun playing. Today is a quiet day, laundry & housecleaning, tomorrow I'll be up at Jeffrey's Preschool until noon & I think that Friday is pretty quiet, maybe running a few errands. Oh Yeah, I also painted our laundry room/pantry on Sunday! Next week is Spring Break & I do not have anything on our calendar! Maybe more painting!

The bedroom/playroom thing seems to be working out, so far, & knock on wood!

Please keep our friend, Blake www.caringbridge.org/tx/blakeyoung in your prayers. He was having another ultrasound & more blood work done today & tomorrow he will undergo an endoscopy & colonoscopy. His parents are very worried. Blake has Hodgkins Disease & is getting ready to come off-treatment. They are also supposed to leave on Saturday for their Walt Disney World Make A Wish Trip. Tomorrow is also Blake's brother, Clayton's 12th birthday. Please stop by his webpage.

Korey, www.caringbridge.org/tx/koreylee, is home from the hospital & feeling much better.

Have a great week & I'll update later.

Tuesday, March 1, 2005 6:56 AM CST

MARCH IS COLON CANCER AWARENESS MONTH


We finally did it. James is out of the crib & in a regular bed. He climbed out once a few weeks ago & then recently started putting his leg just over the top & saying "get out". A million times Thank You to Colleen who gave Jay & James Garrett's old bunkbed. It is wonderful, it is a twin on top & full on the bottom & all of the boys love it. In fact, we moved Josh & Jeffrey's bunkbed into Jay & James' room & now all 4 boys are in the same room. We moved their toys & the Playstation into Josh & Jeffrey's room & made it into a playroom. They love the idea of a playroom, I just need to get it organized. We thought we'd try it for now & see if it works, if not, then we move everything back. Speaking of moving things around, in Shawn's family they are always playing "musical furniture", well we are doing it w/our friends! Not only did Colleen give us Garrett's bunkbed, we gave Spencer, Jay's twin bed w/bookcase headboard. It worked out great because Spencer was ready for a twin bed & we needed bunkbeds. James is adjusting to life in a real bed w/out rails to keep him in! Which means that we are adjusting! It's so much easier to put them in their crib for naps & bedtime & they can't get out, but he's doing fine & it only took about 30 minutes to get him to finally get in bed & go to sleep!! Of course he was up at 6:30 this morning.

The boys are home from school today. They came home yesterday & after eating a snack, they fell asleep. Jay went & got in his bed about 4:30 pm & slept until 6:45 this morning. Joshua was on the couch & woke up about 7:30 & then went back to sleep in my bed about 10:30 pm. They aren't running a fever, but this isn't like them. They went to bed about regular time over the weekend, so I know it wasn't like they had stayed up late, but I'm hoping that they're just tired. I was feeling pretty confidant in that we have all had our flu shot & I was hoping we could make it through the spring w/out anyone getting sick. I think we are all ready for Spring Break in 2 weeks.

Other than being tired, Jay is doing well. He's eating, playing, giving us attitude, but I think that is part of being 9 yrs old. At least, I hope it is!! Being off-treatment & w/out a support grooup is so hard at times. I am struggling w/wanting everything to go back to the way it was before & knowing that it will never be that way again. I am slowly coming to the realization that while cancer doesn't rule our life like it did last year, it is still a big part of it & always will be. While I'm not running around to chemo appts, but I'm still thinking about it & wondering & worrying. Worrying if it will come back, if it will be in a different spot, if it will a different type of cancer& the biggest worry, will we be able to catch it in time, will we know if he relapses or gets something else. So far, we have not met anyone who has had Jay's EXACT diagnosis, Stage 1, Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, location Paratesticular that we could follow, yet I've had 2 families send me an email asking if they could follow Jay because their sons were just recently diagnosed. I'm going to see if Shawn can add them to Jay's buddy list, one is Colton who is 4 yrs old & the other is Charlie who is 6 mo. old. I really want to be a support for their family, so please pray for me as well as for them. I know I always say this, but for their sake, I will try & update more. That may be why we don't know anyone w/the same diagnosis, because they are doing great & have beaten it & are no longer keeping up w/their page, maybe they have moved on.Maybe that is a good sign. I feel like my group of non-cancer friends has shrunk & my group of cancer friends has grown alot! My friend, Brenda mom to Korey (Jay's camp buddy in picture)www.caringbridge.org/tx/koreylee (Shawn needs to add that one too, as well as Harley & Blake), see what I mean, anyway, Brenda is trying to get a support group started which would be great as their are quite a few of us that would meet. It doesn't matter that the kids have different diagnosis, Korey has ALL, Blake has Non- Hodgkins Lymphoma, what matters is that we can get together & talk & the kids can play & hang out & we all know how each other is really feeling. I didn't mean to turn this into a story about me, I just know that this will always be our life, that it may not take up as much thought in later years, but it will never go away.

Joshua's birthday is on Sunday. We are having his party on Sat. & he is so excited. His Granny, (Shawn's mom) is coming & bringing Christopher (our nephew) & his best friend, Jackson is going to be there. He & Jackson have been friends since Pre-K, for almost half of their short life! They live about 20 minutes from us & we try to get the boys together as much as we can. It's funny, because they really haven't seen each other in a few months, yet they pick right up & you would never know it! Jackson tells people that he has another brother (Joshua) but he doesn't live w/them!!! Josh is of course having a GI Joe party, like he would pick something else! Shawn is going "No more GI Joe's" He has quite a collection! We are hoping to clean out the garage this spring & set up an Art area for him. He loves drawing & painting. He prefers free hand to coloring books & markers/paint to crayons. I would like for him to take classes but I don't know of any. He's also starting to like motorcycles! He loves watching the Discovery channel when they're doing Orange County Choppers, or Monster Garage.

That reminds me, Jay set me straight, Terrell Owens is with the Eagles, not the Falcons!! Also, thanks Allie for the info on him. Allie, you are wonderful & so very thoughtful.I'll have to talk about Allie another time, as I know that I've written a novel!

Shawn is in Chicago. He said it was snowing. Please keep him in your prayers.

It has been one month since Garrett received his angel wings. Please keep his family in your prayers. We miss him so much.

I just found out that our friend Korey, www.caringbridge.org/tx/koreylee was admitted to the hospital over the weekend w/a fever. Korey is about 4 weeks away from being off-treatment, he has gone through 3 yrs of treatment for Leukemia. A fever is such a scary thing, please keep his family in your prayers.

Thanks for being there for us & our friends. Have a great week.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005 8:14 AM CST

Hi Everyone,

Jacob is taking his TAKS Reading Test today. Please keep him & all of the other 3rd graders in your prayers. He is very anxious about taking the test. I told him that he would do fine & however he does, we know that he did his best. Reading is just not his thing. He can read & does a great job, but he doesn't like to read for pleasure. Next year he will take the Math portion of the TAKS test & he said last night that he knows he will do well on that. He loves Math & will do as much Math as Ms. Gromer will give him!

Speaking of Ms. Gromer (Jay's teacher), she met us at the mall on Saturday for the Radio-Thon! She is a wonderful woman. She talked to the volunteers & became a Wish maker, meaning a committment of at least $20 a month for 12 months. She said that after all that he has been through, she could do that!!! Thank You Ms. Gromer! We were so excited to here the final total over $261,000. Enough to take care of the current list of pending wishes!!!! Last year, they only raised $48,000 so this year was AWESOME. THANK YOU to those who donated. You can't imagine what this means to these kids & their families. The week that we were at Disneyworld, which accounts for about 1/2 of all of the wishes, was truly a magical time. It was like being suspended in time. Even though we were around other kids & their families, it was like you didn't think about cancer. There were no doctors visits, chemo injections, hospitals, nothing. It was just us & the other families & a wonderful time. Thank you to all of the volunteers at Give Kids The World Village. You are truly special people. Jay ended up getting shy & didn't say more than 3 words, even when he was told that he could say ANYTHING on the radio & not get in trouble, all he said was "OK". He could've said "CANCER SUCKS", but he didn't! Shawn had really wanted to talk & that was what we told them when they asked who would talk if Jay got shy, so I didn't even think of anything to say & then Bama Brown started to give me the mic after Jay & I pointed at Shawn because I knew that time was limitted & Shawn really wanted to talk. He did a great job & talked about Jay going after his last chemo & being there for his birthday & how they make it a special day for you. I was very proud of him. We heard Shauna, Spencer's mom, talk about Spence & the "brown" ice cream. Shauna, you were great!! We saw Blake, but he was also getting his Make-A-Wish package, so we let him have his time & we'll get together w/his family later. Blake is going to DisneyWorld next month over Spring Break.

Colleen, Garrett's mom, called in & became a Wish Maker in his honor & talked about Garrett going to DisneyWorld for his birthday. Colleen, you are an amazing woman & a wonderful friend. Thank you for lunch yesterday. I'm glad that we got together.

Jay's last basketball game was great. His team won & he was really happy. Now he says that he will wait until fall to play football, tackle no less! I'm not sure that I'm ready for football, but if he wants to try it, then we will. He's even been looking at football jerseys on the internet, I think that he wants T.O. (Terrell Owens) from the Falcons? Boy, do I have alot to learn!!!

Joshua's bday is next Sunday, so I'm busy getting everything together for his party next Saturday. G.I. Joe, of course!! I need to post his school picture, full BDU's & haircut!

James has decided that he's ready to get out of the crib, so he's trying! He's starting to put his leg just over the top & saying "get out"! He thinks that it is funny.

That's about it so far. Shawn is coming home from Ft. Worth tonight & has to go to Chicago next week. Spring Break is in 2 weeks & hopefully we can relax & not have any appts or running around to do. I'm ready for a break! I know that the boys are ready to sleep in, it's getting harder to get them up in the mornings. Have a great week. Hug your kids.

Saturday, February 19, 2005 7:40 AM CST

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry that I haven't updated in awhile, my computer has been giving us problems & we've been in & out so much that the days have flown by. Did I say that when Jay was off-treatment that our lives would slow down? Well, guess what? It doesn't! In fact, you are just as busy, if not busier & you wonder how you did it all while being on-treatment.


Jay is going to be on the radio today! Every year, KASE 101 (100.7 FM) holds a radio-a-thon at Lakeline Mall to raise money for Make-A-Wish. It is only for 2 days, once a year. Last night at about 6pm they had raised $128,000! Make -A-Wish called & asked if Jay would like to be on the radio & talk about his trip to Disneyworld & we said "YES"! He was so excited. He will go on at 4pm. We also found out that Spencer will be there at 2 pm & Blake, http://www2.caringbridge.org/hi/blakeyoung/ will be there at 6pm. We are hoping to be able to see everyone. We're not quite sure what all he is going to say, but he did say he was going to tell them how Garrett went first & then called him & told him all the best rides & where to go first & how they both wanted to go w/each other on their trips & that they went for their birthday. I really wish that they could have done it together, but I know that he will be w/us in spirit.

Thank you for your prayers for Jay. He's hanging in there. He misses Garrett & gets upset when talking about him. We had a counselor come up this week & meet w/him & he seemed to like that. Ariel had been Garrett's counselor, so Jay has met him before & was comfortable talking to him. They will meet 6-8 times & Ariel will come to the house so that we won't have to pull Jay out of class.

The service for Garrett was beautiful & the boys did great. Colleen not only wrote but gave his eulogy & it was incredible. She said it w/all of the love in her heart for her son. The way that only a mother could. Garrett was so loved by many & touched many peoples lives. He truly made every friend feel like a best friend. Thank you Mary for coming up to watch the little ones. She also brought Christopher, our nephew, & I really think that it helped the boys to have their cousin here. Please continue to keep Garrett's family in your prayers.

Speaking of Garrett's family, Kyle came over Sunday afternoon & spent the night & he & Joshua stayed up until almost midnight!! Jay went to his friend's birthday party & spent the night, came home at 12:30 pm & fell asleep on the couch until 6:30 pm. Appearantly the party boys stayed up all night as well! I'll admit it, at first we were really worried about him sleeping until we realized that they had stayed up all night, then we relaxed. I don't think that we will ever stop worrying about him & "little" things like that.

I need to go & try & get him up for his last basketball game & then we have a busy day. We are also going to try & squeeze in looking/getting a bunkbed for he & James & new washer. Wish us luck!!

Please try & listen to the radio (100.7)if you can. I almost forgot, our friends next door were listening to the radio & heard about the radio-a-thon & Alexzandra asked her mom to call & donate her birthday money, $15, to Make -A-Wish because they had helped Jay! Then a few minutes later, after her mom had called to tell me about it, the deejays announced it on the air! They thought that it was so great that she gave her birthday money & she was only 7 yrs. old!

Have a great weekend & I will start updating again more often!

Wednesday, February 2, 2005 8:39 AM CST

!!!! UPDATE 2/7 CLEAR SCANS !!!!!!

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry that I haven't updated before now. I was going to over the weekend, but Sunday, Jan 30th was the 1 year anniversary of my mother's death & I didn't do much of anything. Saturday, the 29th, was 1 year since the boys & I had talked to her. We were planning her trip to visit during Spring Break & would celebrate her & Joshua's birthday. She didn't come to visit at Christmas because Jay had just been diagnosed w/cancer & it was such a hard time for us. The boys had just gotten home from school & were able to talk to her. The boys were very excited that their grandma was coming out, they hadn't seen her for several years & she hadn't seen Jeffrey or James. The next morning, she was gone. Very unexpectedly, from a blood clot that had travelled. When Jay first found out that he was being nominated to Make-A-Wish, he said that he wanted to go to Ca. & visit his grandma. We told him that she was coming to visit him & that a trip to Ca. was something that we could do, w/some planning, but a Make-A-Wish is something big, something that we couldn't do, hence his decision to go to DisneyWorld. So, this weekend we spent close to home, just being here. Kyle, Garrett's brother came over & spent the night & the boys played until Sat. afternoon.

On Monday, I was able to take another stool sample from Jay to the doctor. We are getting quite good at it & they know me by sight at the lab. After talking w/the nurse & pediatrician, if it comes back positive we will have to take Jay to an Infectious Diseases specialist for a full exam. Please pray that the Zithromax worked & that he is negative for Shigella. He has been fighting this since Dec 18th. He has had 30 days worth of antibiotics & the longer that this germ stays in his system the more worried I become. I should find out this afternoon the results.

Spencer had his scans yesterday. Hopefully, they will find out today his results. Please keep them in your prayers as they wait. Waiting is one of the hardest parts. This is Spencer's first scan since being off treatment. He has complained of his tummy hurting & has been drinking alot. They were able to rule out diabetes, but his parents are worried about his tummyaches.

Jay will have scans this Friday, Feb 4th. This is his first since being off treatment & I am anxious. He looks great, has his hair, is gaining weight, has energy & yet, he was like that last year, even up until the minute he was diagnosed. Since his scans are on a Friday, we will have to wait until Monday to hear.

I have saved this part for last. I was going to update yesterday & spent the day thinking about what to say & how to say it & you know what, today isn't any easier. Yesterday, my son's best friend, Garrett, received his angel wings. They were definately hard earned. We are so heartbroken over losing Garrett. He was Jay's best friend, a brother that he didn't have, so much so that they wanted to trade brothers so that they could be "real" brothers. At one point over the summer, Garrett asked his neighbor if they would trade houses w/us so that they could live beside each other. It is hard to beleive that he is gone. There is so much that they were supposed to do. Go to camp each summer & then become counselors, ride their bikes in the Ride For The Roses, be each others best man at their weddings, beat this cancer together. They have been through so much together this past year. They share a bond that only cancer children/adults can share. A bond that no one else can ever have. They have been through surgeries, chemo, throwing up, getting accessed, feelings & thoughts & they know exactly how each other feels. Garrett was such a wonderful friend. He was great w/Jay's younger brothers. He laughed at James & he would let Jeffrey play Playstation w/he & Jay. Jeffrey who is 3 & thinks that he is 9! He treated Joshua just like his younger brother Kyle. The boys were almost inseperable this past summer. I know all of the "right" things to say. I am truly glad that he isn't in anymore pain, that he has truly beat this beast called Rhabdo, but he was my son's best friend & he should be here. They should grow up together. I have been told be several people that Garrett is now Jay's Guardian Angel & I believe that but it doesn't make it any easier. I know that Garrett will always be in our lives, in our hearts & we will never forget him. I know that Garrett was met at Heaven's gates by his Grandma B, by Jay's grandma, who is probably talking his ear off, by Maxie, Ian, Conner, Alex, Cheyenne, Justin R. & all of the other Caringbridge children that have gone on before him. There have been so many this past year that have died from Rhabdo & other childhood cancers. I am so thankful for the year that God gave us. For a year of wonderful, fun memories. For a year of getting to know an incredible young man. As much as we will miss him, I would not trade even one minute to not have know him. I know that God brought Garrett & his family into our life for a reason. Garrett was just finishing treatment & Jay had just started treatment when we met & they helped each other through this past year. Garrett fought long & hard to beat this & in the end he was so tired. He had such courage & strength & I know that God has restored him back to his pre-Rhabdo self. I know that he is happy & playing & watching over us. I know that he will be waiting & welcoming the next child to enter Heaven. A few days before Jay's big off-treatment party, Garrett went for a visit at the clinic, he told Dr. Wells, his doctor, that he was going to beat this & have a big party like his best friend Jay & you know what, he did it. He is truly having a big party in Heaven & it's so much better than the one he would've had here on Earth. He finally did beat it, just not in the way that we wanted. Please continue to pray for his family. They are such wonderful friends & have been there for us every step of the way. It's not often that 2 entire families can be friends, but we are.

Please pray for Jay. He is angry & very scared. Please pray that God will help to help him through this, as well as being there for Colleen, Darrell, Kyle, & Caleigh. God used Garrett & Jay to bring us together & make us friends. Please help us to know what to do.

Thank you all fo reading this. I am so thankful for Caringbridge & knowing that there is a place where we can pour our heart out & people understand. You have all helped us to get through this journey & I know that you will continue to be there not only for our family, but for all of the other families. Thank you.

Friday, January 21, 2005 7:51 AM CST

Hi Everyone, we've had a busy week. Doctor appts. & school conferences! Jay is now on Zithromax w/a higher dosage, 2 teaspoons for 5 days instead of 1 teaspoon for 4 days, in hopes of beating the Shigella infection. I'm getting a bit frustrated at the whole situation. We've been dealing w/this for one month & 3 days. He's had 20 days of Augmentin, 3 stool cultures, & still testing positive. Please, please pray that the Zithromax works. I am thankful that he does NOT have any symptoms, therefore he is NOT contagious, but it is getting really old quite fast! The rest of us are fine, which is a good sign. He's being a real trooper about taking all of the medication.

We did go to Houston last weekend. We had a great time, very relaxing. Granny made meatballs & spagheti, Jay's favorite, a pound cake w/strawberries, & a chocolate cake! Yummy, Yummy. The boys played w/their cousins, rode bikes, & jumped on the trampoline. Thank you Meghan for all of your help w/Jeffrey & James! Meghan, our niece, would take Jeffrey to the trampoline & jump w/him & then she'd play w/James, letting us have some adult time. We learned how to play a new card game, Phase 10, & loved it. Jay also learned how to play & we are "teaching" Joshua. Because Jay likes to play it, we've started using it as a motivator for getting him to do his nightly reading homework! It's working & even, Ms. Gromer, his teacher, told him that he's improved this week!! Usually he doesn't read & then has to stay in at recess, which he hasn't really minded, but we've now changed that. We stayed until Sunday afternoon & then headed home. The boys were not happy that we weren't staying longer, but they did like having Monday off. I really wish that we were a little bit closer to Houston or that our family was a little bit closer to us. Matt is 17 & he & Shawn are bonding & went to REI for awhile on Sat. Meghan is 14 & it would be so nice to go to the mall w/her. Taking the boys is not the same thing! Chris is almost 8 & he & the boys get along great. Of course they have the usual 3 people situations, someone getting left out, but he can play w/either Jay or Joshua one on one & be fine. Jeffrey plays w/the big kids & thinks that he's older than 3! He's definitely learning to hold his own & does NOT let anyone boss him around!! It's really quite funny.

Jeffrey has a bday party to go to today, Joshua has one to go to tomorrow & Jay has a basketball game tomorrow. Cynthia, from the clinic, called & has tickets to the Ice Bats game tomorrow night! We were able to get a sitter for James & Jeffrey & are taking Jay & Joshua. They are excited. Jay has been once before but Joshua & I haven't. It'll be nice to take the older ones out & not have to try & keep up w/the little ones.

Garrett is doing better, but still needs lots of prayers. They were able to move him to the Green Unit, take out the breathing tube, & Jay was able to go & visit w/him. I think it was a tremendous relief to Jay to go & see him. Thank you Colleen, more than you know for letting him go. Right now, he is still running a fever & has fluid in his lungs. He is receiving nutrients via IV & says that he is not hungry. He has been in the hospital now for two weeks. Thank you so much for your prayers for him & his family.

Please keep Spencer & his family in your prayers as well. They had a wonderful time at Walt Disney World! Spencer finished treatment about a week after Jay & he is starting to say that his tummy hurts. His parents are worried. He is going to go & see a Pediatric Urologist & also set up his scans.

Jay will have his CT Scan in two weeks, Feb 4th.

Have a great weekend.

Friday, January 21, 2005 7:51 AM CST

Hi Everyone, we've had a busy week. Doctor appts. & school conferences! Jay is now on Zithromax w/a higher dosage, 2 teaspoons for 5 days instead of 1 teaspoon for 4 days, in hopes of beating the Shigella infection. I'm getting a bit frustrated at the whole situation. We've been dealing w/this for one month & 3 days. He's had 20 days of Augmentin, 3 stool cultures, & still testing positive. Please, please pray that the Zithromax works. I am thankful that he does NOT have any symptoms, therefore he is NOT contagious, but it is getting really old quite fast! The rest of us are fine, which is a good sign. He's being a real trooper about taking all of the medication.

We did go to Houston last weekend. We had a great time, very relaxing. Granny made meatballs & spagheti, Jay's favorite, a pound cake w/strawberries, & a chocolate cake! Yummy, Yummy. The boys played w/their cousins, rode bikes, & jumped on the trampoline. Thank you Meghan for all of your help w/Jeffrey & James! Meghan, our niece, would take Jeffrey to the trampoline & jump w/him & then she'd play w/James, letting us have some adult time. We learned how to play a new card game, Phase 10, & loved it. Jay also learned how to play & we are "teaching" Joshua. Because Jay likes to play it, we've started using it as a motivator for getting him to do his nightly reading homework! It's working & even, Ms. Gromer, his teacher, told him that he's improved this week!! Usually he doesn't read & then has to stay in at recess, which he hasn't really minded, but we've now changed that. We stayed until Sunday afternoon & then headed home. The boys were not happy that we weren't staying longer, but they did like having Monday off. I really wish that we were a little bit closer to Houston or that our family was a little bit closer to us. Matt is 17 & he & Shawn are bonding & went to REI for awhile on Sat. Meghan is 14 & it would be so nice to go to the mall w/her. Taking the boys is not the same thing! Chris is almost 8 & he & the boys get along great. Of course they have the usual 3 people situations, someone getting left out, but he can play w/either Jay or Joshua one on one & be fine. Jeffrey plays w/the big kids & thinks that he's older than 3! He's definitely learning to hold his own & does NOT let anyone boss him around!! It's really quite funny.

Jeffrey has a bday party to go to today, Joshua has one to go to tomorrow & Jay has a basketball game tomorrow. Cynthia, from the clinic, called & has tickets to the Ice Bats game tomorrow night! We were able to get a sitter for James & Jeffrey & are taking Jay & Joshua. They are excited. Jay has been once before but Joshua & I haven't. It'll be nice to take the older ones out & not have to try & keep up w/the little ones.

Garrett is doing better, but still needs lots of prayers. They were able to move him to the Green Unit, take out the breathing tube, & Jay was able to go & visit w/him. I think it was a tremendous relief to Jay to go & see him. Thank you Colleen, more than you know for letting him go. Right now, he is still running a fever & has fluid in his lungs. He is receiving nutrients via IV & says that he is not hungry. He has been in the hospital now for two weeks. Thank you so much for your prayers for him & his family.

Please keep Spencer & his family in your prayers as well. They had a wonderful time at Walt Disney World! Spencer finished treatment about a week after Jay & he is starting to say that his tummy hurts. His parents are worried. He is going to go & see a Pediatric Urologist & also set up his scans.

Jay will have his CT Scan in two weeks, Feb 4th.

Have a great weekend.

Friday, January 14, 2005 7:54 AM CST

Thank you so much for your prayers & encouragement for Garrett. He is doing much better. His doctor, Dr. Wells, has told Colleen that he should be able to beat this infection!!! They are hoping to remove the breathing tube by Sat. His white counts are coming up, which means that his body is trying to beat this infection, which is bacterial & not fungal, like we first thought. He has been able to move his arms & legs, blink his eyes, smile at his mom, try to talk, & raised an eyebrow at her! Colleen has made several updates to his webpage, you just have to scroll down, but is hoping to update again tonight. Please keep praying for them.

Thank you for your prayers & concern for Jay during this past week. It has been very hard on him. After alot of prayer & thought, we had decided for Shawn to take him up to see Garrett on Thurs, but Colleen called & said that because Garrett was improving, the PICU nurses did not want anymore children coming to visit. She said that they were hoping to move him to the Green Unit (Oncology section of Children's) & then he would be able to have visitors & talk to them! She also said that if anything should change, she would insist that Jay be allowed to visit. Jay was bummed, but understood. I did go & visit Garrett on Tuesday & Jay's wonderful teacher, Ms. Gromer, let me interrupt her class to see if Jay wanted me to give Garrett a message from him. Thank you Ms. Gromer. We have been so blessed by the teachers & staff at the boys' school. They have been very supportive & understanding during Jay's journey. I couldn't imagine not having them.

We are hoping to go to Houston this weekend. We haven't seen family in a couple of months & Jay is desperate to see his cousins! He has a basketball game in the morning & we are going to be packed & ready to go after it.

Jay has finished his 2nd round of antibiotics for the Shigella infection. I'm hoping to get a stool sample this afternoon so that we can find out tomorrow the results. Please pray that he is finally over it. 20 days of Augmentin is enough! If he is still positive, then I think there is a stronger antibiotic he can go on, but I'm already feeling like enough is enough. Thankfully, Shawn didn't get it & the rest of the family has not been re-infected, yes it can happen.

Spencer comes home today from Disneyworld! I hope that they had a great time. Please keep them in your prayers as they are travelling.

Have a great weekend & I'll update in a few days, if not sooner.

Monday, January 10, 2005 7:28 AM CST

Please keep our friend, Garrett, and his family in your prayers. He was admitted to Children's Hospital on Friday w/a fever & has since developed a sinus infection, fungal infection, & has bacteria in his blood. He is on a breathing machine & is not expected to make it. Garrett has a brother, Kyle, & a sister, Caleigh. Garrett is a wonderful friend to Jay, almost like another brother. He is a very sweet, loving, giving boy. We told the boys last night & Jay said that he is glad that Garrett is his friend. That he would rather be friends w/Garrett, than to have not ever known him. I don't know which was harder, telling Jay that he had cancer or telling him that his best friend might die. These two boys are only 9 yrs old & have been through so much together. They share a bond that is so strong. They have had so many great times & I'm so glad that Garrett & his family are a part of our life. I told Jay that Garrett will always be his friend. That he will always be in his heart. Please keep them in your prayers & please go to his webpage & sign his guestbook.

Jay had his first Basketball game on Saturday. He scored a basket & we were very excited! His team did great & everyone had a good time. James loved it, but was not happy that he couldn't have a basketball. I think that he is going to be our jock! He loves balls, in fact, he takes Jay's football to bed w/him instead of his mini football. As I think about it, I remember Jay being the same way at this age. In fact, it was at a Small Faith meeting at Alicia Richards' house that we met new friends, Mary & Andy Myers. The have twins, a boy & a girl, that are Jay's age & Jay & Noah fought over a ball. How funny to remember that.

Jay went to see Dr. Lockhart on Thursday. He is doing fine. He gained 2 more pounds & now weighs 70 1/2 pounds! I realized that not only is he making up for not gaining last year, but this is when he usually has a growth spurt. They did another stool sample & we are hoping that this one comes back negative for Shigeela. He still have 3 more days of antibiotics & she said that sometimes, even in people w/normal blood counts, it can take a second round of antibiotics to get rid of the infection. To which, his counts have dropped again, but she still was not worried. He goes back on Feb 4th for a checkup & scan. His first scan since being off-treatment.

Shawn is on his way to Dallas this week. Please keep him in your prayers. He'll be home for about a week & a half & then gone to Chicago for a week & then the whole travel thing starts over in Feb. He thinks that it'll slow down in March, but you never know. We're adjusting & I know that he has to go. He does make every effort to get back as soon as he can & for that I'm thankful. Jay is a daddy's boy & Shawn travelling is hard on him. Especially right now.

Spencer & his family are at DisneyWorld & we know that they are having a wonderful time. They have been through so much this past year as well & deserve a wonderful vacation. Please keep them in your prayers as they are travelling.

Thank you for all of your prayers & encouragement. This is such a hard thing to go through, but knowing that you have the support of family & friends makes it easier.

Monday, January 3, 2005 7:59 AM CST

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas & a Happy & safe New Year. I'm still amazed at how things can happen in an instant & all of your plans can change. As I said in my last update, we were getting ready for class parties & Jay's off-treatment party at the clinic & his benefit & guess what? Things changed! All four boys & I came down w/Shigella, a bacterial diarrhea infection w/symptoms similar to Salmonella, fever, stomach cramps, diarrhea w/blood and/or mucus, & vomitting. It is horrible nasty & makes the stomach virus seem like a cold! The five of us ended up on antibiotics for ten days & the boys spent the first week of Christmas break in the house! Joshua missed his Christmas party at school, we re-scheduled Jay's clinic vistit & off-treatment party & this is what Shawn came home to at 5:30 in the morning on Sat. the 18th! Fortunately the boys only ran fever for about 24 hours & never had the stomach cramps & vomitting. I got all of that, fever for 2 days & didn't eat for 3 days, it was awful. Thank you so much for your prayers for Shawn because he hasn't gotten it! Please continue to pray for him though because Jay's stool sample is still showing positive for Shigella. After you finish the antibiotics you have to turn in stool samples to make sure it is gone, so far Jeffrey & James have come back negative, Joshua we're still waiting on & should find out today & Jay was showing positive, which means another round of antibiotics. We're thinking that because his immune system is so low, that he couldn't fight it w/one round. I've got to call his Oncologist this morning & talk w/Nurse Jennifer about it.

Jay ad his clinic visit last thursday & he has gained more weight! 3 pounds since Nov. so he is 68 1/2 pounds! We were so excited. He didn't gain any all year long & this is great. His counts are still low & we were so surprised, I guess we thought that everything would be back to normal, but Jennifer said that it could take 6 months for the counts (blood counts) to come back up. His counts are great for where they're at, which is about the same they've been all year, so that's good. He also had his off-treatment party. Thank You to Mary, Cynthia, Belinda, for puttingit together & to Allyson for helping w/James. Jay had invited his friends, Davonne, Kendall, & Garrett & he had Pizza & strawberry cake. It was alot of fun & at the end he received a huge trophy! It is engraved w/his name & is the "Courage" award. He is looking forward to taking it to school & sharing it w/his class. Dr. Lockhart declared him officially off-treatment & it was very touching. They are so wonderful there at the clinic. We have been very blessed to have such wonderful doctors, nurses, office staff there to help us.

Christmas was a blast. Jay woke up at 4am & decided to wake up Joshua & Jeffrey. We could hear them & were ok until we heard them talking about the wrappe dpresents & then we had to get up, at 4 AM!!! They were so excited! Santa brought Joshua his Stingray Chopper bike, along w/a motorcycle style bike helmet, gloves, & saddle bag & he was dressed & ready to ride & had to wait 3 hours until the sun came up!!! Thank You Mike & Barb for your garage!!! "Santa" needed a hiding place for the bike for about 3 months!!! Jay was excited about his basketball goal & a skateboard that you put together. Jeffrey & James got a Little Tikes basketball goal & Jeffrey got the Spider Friends playset w/a couple Spider Friends & James got Little People. The range of toys was incredible, Jay didn't want toys this year, only music, games, movies & James had Little People! My brother, Jeff, came over & gave the boys his present which had been in the garage for about 3 days & they didn't know! He got them a trampoline w/enclosure & they were so excited! They've been wanting one for awhile & our friends next door have one & they go over there & jump, Jeffrey loves it, so they were on cloud nine that they got one. Jay's friend got one & Josh's friend got one & if they are all jumping at the same time, the can see each other! So we have 4 trampoline in our little section of the neighborhood! Shawn cooked our dinner & it was nice to spend time w/family.

On New Year's Eve we went over to our friend's house in the neighborhood & ate dinner, played cards & the kids ran around. It is great going over there, they have 4 boys as well & we all get along. Their oldest, Ryan, is in Joshua's class & they are best friends & the same age & their youngest, is about 14 months. Their 3rd son & Jeffrey are best friends & close in age & both are Power Ranger fans which is wonderful! In fact, they were both wearing matching Power Ranger tshirts & Rachel & I didn't know that the other one had the same shirt. We stayed over until about 1am, even James stayed up!! We had a great time.

The benefit was wonderful, I wasn't able to go, but Shawn said that is was great. We hope that everyone had a wonderful time. We are so glad that you came & the boys loved seeing their friends. I also heard that Ms. Gromer, Jay's teacher was even helping to sell raffle tickets. She is a wonderful teacher & I am so glad that we have her. Ms. O'Neil, Jay's teacher last year, was there w/her new baby & Jay was really glad to see her. Ms. O'Neil is another wonderful teacher & we've already decided that she WILL be Joshua's teacher next year. Even if he isn't assigned to her class, Shawn will sit w/him in her class! Just kidding, but she truly is wonderful. She taught my niece, in Houston, 7 yrs ago & anyone that had her loves her & she was the teacher that everyone wanted. Ms. Gromer is the same way. We truly appreciate everything that everyone has done. Eveything, no matter what, from a meal to babysitting to gifts to monetary donations is truly appreciated & were are so thankful. Speaking of a meal, if you're ever in the mood for great homemade Manicotti, I know the person to call. Annemarie, are you reading this!!!

I know that I've written a novel & I'm truly sorry for not having updated sooner. Jay's next scan is Feb 4th. Garrett will finish his radiation treatments tomorrow & have scnas in Feb. as well, I believe. Spencer is getting ready for his DisneyWorld trip. Please keep them in your prayers.

Shawn is going out of town tomorrow. He has to travel 3 weeks out of this month & possibly the same next month. Please keep him in your prayers.

Have a great week.

Monday, December 13, 2004 7:35 AM CST

Parties, Parties, Surgery, and more Parties!

Hi everyone,

Since my last update, on Thursday the 2nd, we went to the Candlelighters/Any Baby Can Christmas Party. It was very nice. There was a catered turkey & ham dinner, Santa Claus, presents & craft tables. The boys had their picture taken w/Santa Claus & were allowed to pick out one hard toy & one soft toy & then Jay received a CD player & 2 CD's. This was also the start of Jay's puppy collection! Last year, after he was diagnosed, a friend of his gave him a stuffed puppy. A very soft, snuggly, husky puppy. Jay named him Puppy & carried him everywhere. He went to every single Dr.s appt, etc. At the Christmas party, he found another similar puppy & picked him. He became Puppy 2. I put the yellow "Livestrong" wristbands around their neck like a collar. On Friday, before his surgery, we stopped in at Skippy's gift shop at the hospital & he found another puppy, this became Puppy 3 & also has a collar!

Last Sunday the 5th, we went to a Christmas Party for several cancer families, put on by the Youth at First United Methodist Church in Pflugerville. It was absolutely wonderful. I don't know that I could adaquately describe our feelings or give them enough credit for it. Garrett, Spencer, Morgan, Elora, & Jay were the guests of honor, along w/their families. There was spaghetti & pizza, desserts, Santa Claus, Joe Scruggs, stockings, gift baskets for the parents, & alot of presents for the kids. We were so everwhelmed. It was much more than we ever expected. Each child had their own table w/6-8 presents on it. The boys were so excited & couldn't get over the fact that the youth knew what toys they would like! Josh-talking GI Joe, Hot Wheels Slimecano, Jay-basketball & a Tony Hawke Underground 2 playstation game- which he announced to the entire room his delight! Jeffrey received his very own Power Rangers & a Power Rangr PC game tht he plays every day! James received his favorite thing in the world-Balls & several Little People playsets! You would have thought that Christmas had already come to our house! We had a wonderful time. We hope that they continue to do this for other families in the future. We are truly thankful that evening. Also it was the 1 yr anniversary of Jay's diagnosis & it was nice to be able to be at a party.

This past Friday the 10th, Jay had his Port-A-Cath removed. It was outpatient surgery & he is doing well. I'm keeping him home today, because he overdid it a little bit yesterday, but he'll be back at school tomorrow. We told his surgeon, Dr. Horowitz, that we should have scheduled it for the 9th, that was when he put it in last year! I can't believe that it's been a year already. It has gone by fast, yet seems like cancer has been a part of us for so long.

This week the kids have their school Christmas parties & then Jay has his first DR. visit since being off-treatment this Friday. He is also having his Clinic off-treatment party!

Jay was in the newspaper, The Austin American Statesman, last Thursday the 9th. You can view the article at www.statesman.com & click on Williamson County & the title is Church to Help Sick Boy. The newspaper had pictures in it, but the website did not. It was really exciting, they sent a photographer who took alot of pictures of Jay, his brothers & his friends outside playing. The two that they printed were of Jay & Apollo, his friend next door, playing basketball, his favorite sport! They did an article on Jay & his cancer & a benefit that a couple of friends & our church, St. John Vianney Catholic Church are having for Jay this Saturday, the 18th from 11-2 pm. at 3201 Sunrise Rd. Round Rock TX 78664. There will be a Bar-B-Que plate lunch, silent auction, raffle, & live music by the Christian Rock band Crosswind. If you'd like to purchase tickets, make a donation, or for more information please call Tasha Carlton at 512-218-8754. It should be alot of fun.

Shawn is in San Francisco for the week. He left yesterday morning at 6 am & will fly into Austin at 3am on Saturday morning, just in time for the benefit! This will be the longest business trip that he's had this year. Usually it's just 3 or 4 days. I just talked w/my sister in law & found out that her & the kids(3), Shawn's mom, his brother & wife are also coming up for the benefit, so it'll be a fun day w/family & friends.

Have a great week.

Wednesday, December 1, 2004 7:25 AM CST

Hi Everyone. I know it's been a couple of weeks since I updated, so I'll try & keep it short & catch you up.

Jacob had a wonderful End-of-Treatment Party. Thank you to everyone that came & shared that time w/Jacob. He is so glad to be off treatment. I know that some of you weren't able to make it & that's ok. We were planning on having a bounce castle in the front, but it started raining 15 minutes before the party, so we ended up w/somewhere between 25-30 kids (not adults) in our house! They were great though. They ended up in the bedrooms & office playing w/toys or Yugioh cards & everyone got along really well. We had plenty of food, chili, fritos, hot dogs & a yummy strawberry cake, homemade by one of Jay's friends' grandmother! Jay was on cloud nine. He had his Granny, cousin Christopher, Garrett, Spencer & all of his close friends here. His teacher, Ms.Gromer, even picked up two of his friends from their house & brought them w/her! Everyone had a great time.

Granny, Aunt Susan, & Christopher stayed until Sunday afternoon & the boys had a blast playing. I was able to go to lunch w/mom & Susan. We drove down to Gruene & ate at the Gristmill Restaurant. That place is absolutely wonderful. The best chicken fried steak & worth the drive, just over an hour each way. We've even gone before & waited an hour just for a table, it's that good!!

We had a great Thanksgiving. We stayed home, the first time in the 12 yrs that Shawn & I have been together! Shawn is the cook & was up at 6:30 to put the turkey in the roaster. He cooked everything & it was yummy! I do not take any credit for the dinner, it is all Shawn. I am the baker. My brother, Jeff, came over & stayed all afternoon w/us. Jeffrey is his namesake & as usual, he cried when Uncle Jeff left. He adores his Uncle Jeff. James is starting to repeat words & we were able to get him to say "Uncle Jeff".

Shawn & I talked about last Thanksgiving, we were in Houston & Jay starting telling us that his stomach hurt. He spent most of the time laying down & even took a nap, which is not like him, especially when we're in Houston w/his cousins. We came home either Friday afternoon or Saturday & he layed around the house all weekend. On Monday, I took him to the pediatrician & he was diagnosed w/a sinus infection. She said that his stomach was probably hurting from either not eating that much or the drainage. Then that Thurs, 4 days later, we we went to Children's ER & he had surgery, for what we thought was a twisted testicle & instead was diagnosed w/cancer. I remember his pediatrician being upset because she hadn't checked "down there" (location being paratesticular) but I told her that you don't check "down there" for a sinus infection!

On Friday, Shawn took Jay, Josh, & Jeffrey to the movies. It was Jeffrey's first time to go to the movie theatre & he had a great time. They saw The Incredibles & he came home & told me all about it. I'm ElastaGirl! The kids always go to the movies on either Thanksgiving Day or Friday. Shawn is usually the one to take the boys to whatever kid movies come out during the year. This is their time w/dad. Jay went to his first movie at the theatre when he was 3, A Bug's Life, so we've always waited until then to take the next one. This was Jeffrey's rite of passage into being a "little boy"!!

Sunday, we went & got our tree. We decided to get an artificial, pre-lit tree this year. Jay was not happy & refers to it as our "fake" tree, but he'll get over it. We've always had a real tree. The boys went over to Rachel's house to play w/her 4 boys while Shawn & I went to look for the tree. That was a big help, as the store was crowded! We started decorating the tree last night, James is still sleeping & has yet to see the tree! We also realized that while we like the glass ball ornaments, we have a tile floor & it does NOT like the glass ball ornaments! We've broken 3 already!!

Monday, I took 3 J's to the pediatrician for Guess What? Sinus infections! James had it big time, Jeffrey was just starting, & poor Joshua has an impacted sinus infection. His poor little nose was so swollen that it couldn't drain, which explains why he has been a grouch all week/weekend & throwing temper tantrums. All 3 are on antibiotics, so I have 5 bottles in my fridge, 2 different kinds & 3 different dosages!

Jay started Basketball practice Monday night & loved it. He has played sports ever since he was old enough to be on a team & since his diagnosis last year, he hasn't played, so Basketball was hard earned! We are so happy that he is able to play. We are going to have his Port removed on Dec.10t, so that'll be a relief to not have it when the games start in January. He fell on it a few days ago & scraped the skin & it really scared him, so he said that he's ready to have it removed. It'll be a Day Surgery, outpatient, & on a Friday, so he can recover over the weekend & head back to school on Monday.

That about catches us up. We have a busy rest of the week & weekend, but I'll wait to fill you in. Hopefully on Friday! Thanks for being so patient!

Please keep Garrett & his family in your prayers. He is currently at Children's & they have done another set of scans, a bone marrow aspiration, he'll start a new round of chemo & have some more radiation. He has almost reached his maximum allowed radiation for his lifetime. He was at Jay's party & had a really great time. He also told his Dr., the Thurs before the party, that he was going to Jay's party & when he beat his cancer, he was going to have a big party as well. He is a fighter & one of Jay's best friends. Please keep them in your prayers & stop by & sign his guestbook.

Spencer has finished his treatment & had clear scans! Please keep him & his family in your prayers. He also was at Jay's party & had fun playing in the boys' rooms. He is starting to get his hair back, it is fuzzy right now!

So much for keeping it short! I can't help it!! Have a great week.

Monday, November 15, 2004 7:15 AM CST

Good Morning!

Did I say that our lives should slow down a bit? Who was I kidding! It's still just as crazy! Or maybe this is what it's really like for everyone else & we just got a jump start on it last year & now we've been doing it for so long that we've gotten used to it! Our "new" normal! When Jay was diagnosed last year, Jeffrey was just barely 2 yrs old & James was about 7 mo. so we'd only just begun to adjust to life w/4 kids or 2 sets of 2, meaning 2 in school & 2 little ones.

On Thurs, after Jay's scan, I took him to the eye doctor & he failed the exam BIG TIME! His eyes are double what Joshua's was & yet it was Joshua that said he was having a hard time reading the board at school! We received the letter from the school about Jay failing the vision test, but we have yet to receive the one for Joshua! He was NOT happy about getting glasses, but we found him a pair of black wire rimmed ones that had "The Matrix" on them & he loves that movie & black is his favorite color, so he really liked them & was excited about wearing them. He is very sensitive about them as well & we only had one minor teasing incident, which I actually find funny. I'll tell you what he said happened. He said that he put them on & one of his closest friends said, "Man, that is the terriblest thing in the world to have to wear glasses." I find it funny & ironic because, his friend has been w/him every step of his cancer journey. His friend was playing w/him the night that he was diagnosed & has seen him through everything, bald head, throwing up, stood up for him when he was teased, everything & was fine & yet to get glasses was terrible. But you know what, that is a typical kid thing & that tells me that he doesn't see Jay being any different than any of his other friends. So I wasn't upset & we talked to Jay about it & plus, I don't think his friend knew that he hurt his feelings. Then Jay told us about another friend that told him that he looked intelligent w/them! That made him feel really good. So he survived & is wearing his glasses. We think that he looks really cute w/them & I'll try & get a picture up w/he & Joshua wearing their glasses.

The boys, Shawn, & my brother Jeff got tickets from the clinic to go & see WWE raw last Monday night. They loved, especially Jacob. He was so excited when he came home. My brother & I grew up watching wrestling on TV, so he really enjoyed going.

Jeffrey & James had well checkups & are doing great. James grew 3 inches in 3 months & shocked the nurse! She re-measured him but it was still the same! Joshua had a growth spurt like this at about the same age, so I wasn't surprised. James will most likely take after Joshua in his growth.

I took Jay, on Thurs, for a visit w/Dr. Lockhart, he hadn't seen her in 3 weeks! He is doing great, had gained another pound, so he's 65 1/2! He started out at 61 1/2 last year & has maintained that, so this slow gain is great. We talked about taking his port out, since he has so much anxiety over getting accessed, she felt that it might be better to take it out sooner than later. We are looking at setting it up for Dec.10th. We have parties the weekend before & the weekend after & then there's Christmas & then we're into Jan & he will start having basketball games, so we're hoping for the 10th. She said they usually do it on a Friday, he'll go home the same day, recoup the weekend & be ok for school on Mon. Then she dropped the bombshell "I'll see you in a month." I was in shock. After going in EVERY week for 47 weeks & to hear "I'll see you in a month" & then she said, after that I'll see you every 3 months & we'll do scans every 3 months! After taking about it a bit more, she relented & said that after the Dec. visit, we could come in every 2 months for the first 6 months & then go every 3 months. His next scan will be in Feb. & then every 3 months after that. She also said that it's normal to be really scared when you come off treatment & that as the year goes on & as his scans come back clear, we'll start to feel better. I hope so.

This week Shawn is leaving for Chicago until Friday. On Saturday, his mom, sister, & nephew are coming for the weekend. We are having Jay's off treatment party on Sat. & he is very excited about it, especially since his cousin, Chris is going to be here. He also wants his granny to cook for him, but I don't think that's going to happen. So far, our calendar is clear, no appointments, which is good, because I need to clean the house!

Please keep, Spencer in your prayers. He has scans tomorrow & he had his last round of chemo 2 weeks ago. They are now entering the "off-treatment" stage as well.

Garrett is at Disney World & hopefully having the time of his life. Please keep him & his family in your prayers. They found out that chemo is no longer an option & are waiting to hear back about the possibility of surgery. We went over on Thurs, after Jay's dr. appt., & they got to play together for a little bit. Please do not tell your kids, as they are waiting before telling Garrett & his brother & sister. They have asked us to wait on telling the boys as well & we are respecting their wishes.

We hope you have a great week.

Saturday, November 6, 2004 8:04 AM CST

CT SCANS ARE CLEAR!!!!!!!!

Jay's CT Scans are clear. We are relieved.

Honestly, though we weren't too worried about this set because he's been on chemo, it's the next ones & the ones after that, & so on that we'll be anxious about. The "off-treatment" scans. We are starting to realize that while we're glad to be off-treatment & our lives can settle down a bit, we no longer have that safety net of chemo & we are now having to truly rely on God & trust that the cancer is gone. We've heard that the first year off-treatment is the hardest. It's a wait & see year. We have also found out that there is no set off treatment plan, so we honestly don't know what this next year looks like in terms of office visits & scans. I'm thinking that office visits will be every couple of weeks & CT Scans every 2-3 months, but I'm not sure. We also do not have our cancer support group anymore. Our support group, Candlelighters, after merging w/Any Baby Can, decided to stop doing the once a month Family Night support groups & hold 6 week seminars instead. While that sounds great, the first one they had was really for newly diagnosed children & since we were about 6-8 weeks from being off treatment, we didn't fit. So we didn't go. Well, I found out on Thursday that their next off treatment seminar isn't until March, so we are left w/4 months of being off treatment & no support group. It's a very scary & lonely feeling to go from the security of weekly dr. visits & chemo & monthly support group meetings to having no idea when your next dr. appt is & no support meetings for several months. I know that we will be fine. God will take care of us & He has given us wonderful friends, family & a great church. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Jay is very excited to be off treatment & his life will for the most part go back to the way it was. Fortunately for him, it hasn't changed as much as it has for some children. He is currently looking forward to playing Basketball at the Rec Center & has a friend, Brandon, that will be on his team. He loves basketball & has talked of nothing else.

We are hoping to put Joshua in Tae Kwon Do. Several friends from church go to the same place & have talked highly of Master Ferraro (sp?), but I haven't had a chance to take him over in the evenings to watch a class or two. His interest lately has been drawing & making books. I can't tell you how many staples he has gone through in making these books!

Jeffrey & James are the same. Nothing new w/them. Jeffrey finger-painted w/chocolate pudding at Preschool & loved it. They are both busy trying to keep up w/their brothers.

I hear the pitter-patter of little feet so I'd better go before I lose this update. Take care.

Please keep Garrett in tyour prayers. They received the results of his MRI/MRA & his cancer has progressed. The tumor has not responded to the chemo & has grown. They are going to stop the chemo that he has been on & are waiting to hear if another chemo can be used & what their next steps are & should find out on Monday. They have not told Garrett & have asked that we not tell Jay & Joshua until they know more. So please keep them in your prayers but not tell your kids just yet. Jacob & Garrett are best friends & I pray that God will bring them even closer & guide us in how we (the parents) tell them.

Thank you for all of your prayers & encouragement. We still need them.

Wednesday, November 3, 2004 8:41 AM CST

Hi Everyone,

A quick update. Jacob has a CT Scan tomorrow, Thursday, at 10:30 am. Please keep him in your prayers.

Our friend, Garrett, has a MRI/MRA this afternoon. We are praying that the tumor has responded to the chemo & shrunk by at least 50 that his carotid artery is NOT working, thus reducing his chance of a stroke during surgery.

Our friend,Connor, earned his angel wings on Monday, Nov.1st. He bravely fought this cancer for 3 years & held on for his 10th birthday on Oct 31st. Please keep his parents, Rhonda & Eddie, in your prayers. Connor was their only child. Please pray for peace & comfort & that that they will continue to hold strong to their faith.

Spencer has completed his chemo & has scans scheduled for Nov.16th. Today is Spencer's 3rd birthday.

Thank you all for your prayers & encouragement. We could not have made it this far w/out you.

Monday, November 1, 2004 6:24 AM CST

WE'RE BACK!!!!!

We had an incredible time, but first I have to tell you about Jay's chemo appt. He gained another pound, so he's at 64 1/2 lbs, which is the most he's weighed all year! He threw up quite a bit, about 5 times & that was before Nurse Jennifer even saw him! After his chemo, he only threw up once on the way home & that was it. NOT EVEN ONCE the whole weekend! This was his big chemo & you know that he trhows up from Thurs-Sun & this time he didn't!! He was so happy!!!

Shawn made it home on Thurs night, around midnight. He took Jay on Friday to get a haircut. He looks great & he wanted it short, like he used to have it.

We spent Friday packing & geting ready & then the kids went to bed & Shawn & I took a "nap" about 4 hrs of sleep & got up at 2 am, got the kids up at 2:45-3 am & left for the airport about 3:20 am for a 6 am flight! The kids did great on the flight. Jeffrey fell asleep on the way from Houston to Orlando & James fussed & would fall asleep the last 20-30 minutes of each flight! The kids stayed awake on the way home & we got back to our house about 11;45 pm on Friday night!

On the flight home. we met a Marine who had just graduated from Boot Camp. Joshua was really excited but too shy to sit by him. His name is Shawn Medena, I hope I spelled it correctly, & he is from Kyle, Tx. He talked to Jeffrey the whole way & played games w/him. Pretended to be a Power Ranger & was just great. He said that he knew from the age of 10 that he wanted to be in the military. He is just starting out, just graduated college, but would some day like to be a jet fighter pilot. Joshua has already told us that he wants to fly jet fighters. If anyone knows Shawn or his family, please pass on Jay's webpage & let them know, again, that we will keep him in our prayers. He was a very nice young man & we wish him the best.

There is so much to tell about our trip. It was absolutely wonderful. We realized a few days into our trip, that even if we were to plan another trip years from now, it would n't be the same. This truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Give Kids The World Village, www.gktw.org is a wonderful place. The kids would have been happy to spend the week there! I was so amazed at the way they treated the families, but especially the children. Like they were royalty. The volunteers go out of their way to make sure that the kids have whatever they need, that they are happy, & having a great time. We had one night where Jeffrey spilled his glass of milk, one of the girls came over cheerfully cleaned it up, made sure he was ok, & brought him another glass. Well, then Joshua spilled his glass of pink lemonade & guess what? The same girl came over, cheerfully cleaned it up, made sure he was ok, & brought him another glass. I don't know of any other place where that would happen! there was another Disney volunteer that we met on Tuesday night. She had worked all day at Animal Kingdom, had parked our strollers (2 double strollers,) & then after her shift, came over to The Village to serve ice cream for a few hours at the Ice Cream Palace. She recognized us from earlier in the day (Jay & Jeffrey had worn Birthday buttons)& talked w/us for a few minutes. She was so cheerful & you wouldn't have known that she had just spent the day working at Disney. The volunteers & staff at The Village are amazing.

I will continue to update about our week, but I need to go. The kids are getting up & Jeffrey has a well checkup in a couple of hours. Shawn is geting ready to head back to Dallas & will be home Wed. night & Jay has a scan on Thursday morning.

Please keep our friends in your prayers & hug your children a second time!

Thursday, October 21, 2004 7:56 AM CDT

*****LAST CHEMO DAY*****

Today is Jay's last chemo treatment! We are excited but SCARED. I can't believe that we are at the end of the 47 week protocol. It seems like it has gone by fast, yet it feels like forever.

There is sooo much to share w/you all, but I don't have enough time right now. I've got to get Jeffrey ready for Preschool & then Jay, James, & I are heading out to the clinic. Shawn has been in Dallas since Monday & is coming home Friday afternoon/evening. We have been incredibly busy this past week, but it has been a blast. I'll try & catch everyone up this afternoon.

Have a great day!

Tuesday, October 12, 2004 1:11 PM CDT

Hi Everyone,

I just lost everything that I had typed in the last 45 minutes, so I'll try again this afternoon. I need to go & pick up Jeffrey from Preschool soon. Please check back later.

Tuesday, October 5, 2004 1:07 PM CDT

THREE WEEKS AND COUNTING!!!!!!

3 More chemos to go, 3 weeks until Jay & Jeffrey's birthday (the 25th & 26th) & 2 1/2 weeks until Walt Disney World!!!

Jay & Joshua are starting to get excited about going to Disney World. We can't wait. We are soooo ready for this! Jay will have his last chemo on Thurs the 21st & we will leave on Sat. the 23rd. We are going to be prepared w/extra Ziploc bags, because Jay's last two big chemos have been really hard on him. On Thurs, he started throwing up as soon as he & Shawn walked in the entrance to Children's Hospital & continued until Saturday night. He barely ate all weekend & didn't even touch his tacos on Sunday. He didn't play w/any of his friends & slept alot, even napping during the day. But we have been very fortunate that this has only been this bad for the last 3 months & not from day one.

We have also noticed this weekend that his hair is falling out again. Right now, it is just thinning & only Shawn & I notice, but I let his teacher know today & she is going to talk to his class about it on Thurs when he is out for chemo. Just so that they can be aware that it might all fall out. His friends have been wonderful & I'm so proud of them & their parents.

He & Joshua have school pictures today & Jeffrey will have his on Thursday.

We took Joshua to the dr. last week & found out that he needed glasses. He really likes his glasses & looks so cute w/them. We'll have to take his picture & post it. He, Jeffrey, & James got haircuts this weekend & of course Joshua got his "soldier" cut. He told me that he wants to grow up & fly fighter jets for the military!

Shawn & I were able to go out on Saturday. At first, we weren't going to, but our friends Laurie & Darryl & their kids were going to watch the boys & encouraged us to keep our plans & Jay would be fine & if he threw up, they would take care of him! Talk about friendship!! Jay ended up being fine & eating some dinner & they all had a great time & Shawn & I enjoyed going out. It's been so long!

I've got to go & pick up Jeffrey & his friend Palmer from school. I'll update again this week.

Monday, September 27, 2004 7:29 AM CDT

We had a great weekend. Jacob's friend, DaVonne, spent the night & they stayed up until about 11pm.

On Saturday, I took Joshua to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. He had a great time. He loves to go to parties & it doesn't matter if it's a girl's party, which it was. What is so funny is that he has 3 brothers yet is great at picking out girl presents! This time he found a Halloween Barbie, whose dress glows in the dark! She loved it.

On Sunday, I took Jeffrey & Joshua to another birthday party! It was for Palmer, Jeffrey's friend (& ours)& we went to Peter Piper Pizza. They had a great time & Palmer got his first Rescue Heroes. We love those toys & Jay had gotten his first one at 3 & we still have them! Those guys have been through everything. They have been in the mud, in the bathtub, thrown from the playscape, teethed on by babies & have still held up. Our first ones are almost 6 yrs old! So, I highly recommend them. Even though Jeffrey's first love is Power Rangers, Rescue Heroes is a close second. In fact, he's played w/them the last two days.

Today should be pretty quiet. Jay's big chemo is on Thursday & then he'll only have one more of those left! He's already talking about his end-of-treatment party. There is so much going on for October that I can't think straight! We have my birthday on the 15th & Shawn's family coming up that weekend for the Ride For The Roses, his brother, Tom, is going to do the 100 mile ride. Then Shawn is possibly going out of town the next week, coming home on Friday, the day before we leave for Disney! We will be at Disney for Jay's bday, the 25th, & Jeffrey's bday, the 26th. How's that for a party! Then we will come home that Friday & our friends next door are having their Halloween party on Saturday, which the kids are excited for & Halloween on Sunday, then Jay's scan should be on Nov. 4th. We'll have is end-of-treatment party in Nov. & then to Houston for Thanksgiving! Another month to about to fly by!

Please keep Garrett in your prayers. His is being admitted to Children's for his 5 day chemo. While he's there they are goingto to surgery to remove part of the tumor that has reached his ear. He's had an ear infection that has not been responding to antibiotics & his counts are too low to fight it off. They are also going to put the weight back in his eyelid. Please pray that this round of chemo works, so far his tumor has not shrunk & they need it to in order to try & remove it. Please pray for his entire family, that God will continue to give them strength. Also, his grandparents' house is in Florida & took a direct hit from Jean. As you all know from the news, this is the second time for them. Please stop by his site & sign his guestbook. Colleen is a wonderful friend & such an encouragement to us & the kids are like brothers & a sister that they don't have!

Have a great week.

Friday, September 24, 2004 12:51 AM CDT

THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN!!!!

We are now less than 30 days away from Jay's last chemo treatment & our trip to Disney World!!

Jay's last chemo should be on Oct. 21, 4 days before his birthday & 2 days before we go on his Make-A-Wish trip to Walt Disney World!! We are so excited. We have 4 weeks left of chemo & another scan on Nov 4th. I can't believe it. We have done 44 weeks already. In some ways it has gone by very fast, yet it seems like a lifetime.

Jay is doing great. His chemo yesterday went well & he had actually gained a pound! He is now up to 63 lbs. He also impressed Dr. Lockhart, who has been in Norway for a conference, that Norway is the "Land of the Trolls". A fact that his substitute teacher taught the class last year. Sorry, Ms. O'Neil, Jay said that you were out that day! Garrett came over for a little while & they played Pokemon on their Gameboys.

Everyone is feeling much better, w/the exception of allergies & still no sign of the stomach bug in James. Please pray that he doesn't get it & we are done w/the stomach bug for good.

Joshua has a birthday party to go to tomorrow & Jeffrey has one on Sunday. Shawn is on call, but that is about it for us this weekend. October is going to be very busy for us so we need to rest up!!

Have a great weekend.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004 9:14 AM CDT

Hi everyone. Well the stomach bug made its way through our house. Joshua & Jeffrey had it on Thursday, then Shawn had it on Friday & a little on Saturday. Jacob had it really bad on Saturday & I had mine yesterday afternoon! Fortunately, Shawn was working from home & was able to take care of the kids. Also, a big Thank You to God that he didn't get called last night as this is his on call week. It was awful & hit hard, but I'm feeling better today & he is working from again in case I need his help. I honestly thought that James & I had escaped it & I had just made it home from Parent Conferences at the school when it hit. So far, James is the only one that hasn't gotten it, so please pray that it is gone.

Other than that, things are pretty quiet around here. I didn't get to go & get my hair done at the salon, but that's ok & I rescheduled it. The rest of the boys are doing much better. Jeffrey was able to go to Preschool yesterday. He loves it & Miss Laura. He asks for her everyday. He's decided to fight us on potty training. He knows when he has to go & can tell us, but has decided that he doesn't want to wear underwear & will take them of & put on a pull up, so I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet & not buy anymore. Then he doesn't have much choice. He's actually being stubborn like Jacob was about this. Jacob was 3 yrs & 2 months when he potty trained & it was the same thing. Jeffrey's bday is the day after Jay's, so it's like he's following in his footsteps. He also looks like a mini Jay!

Jay was very excited to hear that Ms. O'Neil had her baby last Friday. A girl & both mom & daughter are doing fine. He really wants to go & visit, but w/this stomach bug, I didn't want to take a chance.

I'll update again in a few days. Have a great week.

Friday, September 17, 2004 7:34 AM CDT

Hi everyone,

I can't believe that it's been a week since my last update. Mom's Night Out was great. I am so glad that I went & stayed overnight. Colleen & her mom went as well as several moms that I knew & I met a few new ones. We had a delicious dinner of salad, dinner rolls, wild rice stuffed chicken breast & broccoli, & a piece of angel food cake w/whipped cream topping & a strawberry. We played purse bingo & everyone won a prize. I was so excited because I won a gift certificate to a very nice salon, Bella Salon on 6th st, for a hair cut, color, & makeup application!! I've been growing my hair out this year & really wanting to get something done w/the color, but couldn't bring myself to spend the money & now I can! We had manicures, pedicures, chair massage which was absolutely wonderful, & facials. We also had snacks & wine! It was very relaxing. Then about 11 pm a group of us went to Bennigan's to eat & talk. We stayed out until about 1 am & then a couple of us went back to the hotel & a couple of the moms went to 6th street! The hotel provided a nice hot breakfast & really good coffee!! It was great to be around other cancer moms & even though we did talk about our children & cancer & our lives, it wasn't like we were sitting around having a pity party. It really wasn't any different than having a slumber party! I found that it doesn't matter whether you just met another cancer mom or you've known them for awhile, you share an incredible bond instantly. Plus it gives us more to talk about!! Besides where else can you discuss your child's bodily functions w/out grossing someone out!

Shawn's sister, Mary, & the kids came up for Saturday & they had a great time. Shawn took Matthew,16, to New Braunfels to go kayaking & they loved it. Mary, Meghan, 13, & I talked & the boys & Chris,7, played all day.

Jeffrey loves preschool & Miss Laura, his teacher. He talks about her all the time. He had to stay home yesterday becasuse he had starting throwing up around 2 am & then started having diarrhea & couldn't go to school & he was upset that he wasn't going to see Miss Laura!

I got a call from the school yesterday afternoon to come & pick up Joshua. He had thrown up in Art class. I was able to get him home before he had to go to the bathroom. I found out from the nurse that there is a stomach bug going around. Now I just have to watch James & Jacob. So far, they seem ok. I have Jacob & Joshua home from school today. I talked w/Nurse Jennifer about Jacob & she said that he could go to school, it might help to keep him away from his brothers, but we decided to keep him home & let him sleep. He came home from chemo yesterday & took a nap for a couple of hours. He doesn't normally do that. I stopped by his classroom, when I went to pick up Joshua, & Ms. Gromer gave me his work for today, just in case he stayed home. She is a wonderful teacher.

Speaking of wonderful teachers, our beloved Ms. Oneil (Jay's teacher last yr) is having her baby today. Jay is so excited. He's hoping to go by the hospital this weekend & see her & I told him that as long as he doesn't get this bug, he can go.

Our nephew, Michael, & his family live in Mobile, Al & Shawn was able to talk to his brother, Tom in New Orleans & found out that Michael, Amy, & baby Trey are w/them & have been having a grand time! My sister in law, Deirdre has been making Gumbo & fried shrimp & they're having a Hurricane party! We were so relieved to hear that they are ok. Michael is the oldest grandchild (11 total-James is the last) & he & his wife, Amy, had baby Trey (1st great grandchild) this spring. They just closed on their house & moved in right after Trey was born, so we're praying that the damage was minimal.

This hurricane has been keeping Shawn very busy w/work. His doctor appt last week went well, he now has a referral for the colonoscopy & we are waiting on his lab results, for things like his cholesterol level, etc, but other than that, his health is good. We are going to try & go out on Saturday if the boys are all well.

Please keep our friends in your prayers. Two families lost their children to cancer this week. Baby Allie Scott, w/Leukemia (www.scotthousehold.com) & Trevor Peck w/Rhabomyosarcoma (relapsed)(www.caringbridge2.org/ca/treverpeck) . Please pray for their families. Please give your children extra hugs & kisses & thank God for each day that you have them.

Have a great weekend.

Friday, September 10, 2004 8:05 AM CDT

MOM's NIGHT OUT!!!!

Tonight is a Mom's Night Out from our support group, Candlelighters. I am going to get to go to a hotel, have dinner, spa treatments, door prizes, & spend the night!! I am so looking forward to this!! Colleen, Garrett's mom & Shauna, Spencer's mom are going, & there might be a few more moms that I know. The only other time that I've been away from the boys' was when I was in the hospital having the next one (4 c-sections) & I'd hardly call that a nice relaxing stay!!!

We have had a really great week. Jay had his big chemo yesterday. His counts were up & I was really glad. His WBC (white blood count) was at 5.2 which is great, last week it was 4.8, but this is the highest it's been in weeks. Garrett came over for theafternoon & they played the new Pokemon "Fire Red" game. The games (Fire Red & Leaf Green) were advertised as being out on Tuesday & I think Colleen & I called every store looking for them! Well as an FYI that was the ship date, the stores didn't have them until Wed & some weren't going to have them until today! Anyway the boys were very excited to have their games & the had such a great time. Jeffrey on the other had was not very happy that they were playing because HE wanted to play Power Ranger Ninja Storm on Jay's Gameboy! He's not even 3 yrs old, yet he knows how to work the buttons & thinks he's playing. Thank you Kyle for letting him "borrow" the game & not "renting" it to him as you suggested!

Jeffrey started Preschool on Tuesday & loves his class & his teacher, Miss Laura. He talks alot about Miss Laura! He goes twice a week & his friend, Palmer, is in his class. He looks like such a big boy w/his backpack & lunch box. I was able to find a Power Ranger blanket & pillow online & he LOVES it. Not only does he take it to school, but he sleeps w/it on his bed & caries it w/him everywhere! He is a huge Power Ranger fan. Gone are the days of The Wiggles!

I am going to have Shawn post a new picture of Joshua. I took him to an army surplus store & got his Halloween costume, which is "soldier" gear. We decided to buy him "real" soldier clothes versus a plastic costume so that he'll get more wear out of it for the same price. Anyway, as soon as we got home, he put on his pants w/the ties at the bottom, his green undershirt, the long sleeve shirt, the hard helmet & best of all, the jungle boots! The only thing that we forgot was the socks. His boots are turning his white socks black. He was on cloud nine! I took a couple of pictures in the front yard. He looked like a mini soldier. Yesterday, he wore the pants, t-shirt, & shirt to school. He did wear his tennis shoes, but changed to his boots as soon as he got home!

Shawn' sister, Mary & the kids are coming up for the weekend. The boys are looking forward to playing w/their cousins.

Shawn is at his doctor getting a physical & then he'll get a referral for a colonoscopy. There is a family history of colon cancer & it's been 5 years since his last checkup. I will post when that date will be & please keep him in your prayers. We really don't need anything else at this point in our lives.

Have a great weekend & please continue to keep our friends, Garrett, Spencer, Connor, & others in your prayers & if you have a minute or two, stop by their webpage & sign their guestbook.

Thanks for being there for us.

Tuesday, August 31, 2004 7:30 AM CDT

We had a great weekend. On Friday, I took Jeffrey, Joshua, & Alex to see Dora the Explorer Live. They had a blast. Jeffrey knew more about Dora than I thought he did! He loved it. The kids had popcorn & soda & we bought souveniers afterward. We saw several friends, Spencer and Annie, Mickayla & AJ (whom Jeffrey adores because even though AJ is about Jacob's age, he plays Power Rangers w/Jeffrey), & Cory & his sister. Thank you Candlelighters for the tickets.

Jacob went w/his friend Apollo (& parents) to the movies & saw the new Jet Li movie "Hero". It was in Chinese w/English subtitles & they loved it. I'm afraid my "little " boy is growing up! He also spent the night at Apollo's.

Saturday, I took Jeffrey & James to a birthday party, where they had a ton of fun. It was James' first time to go to a birthday party that wasn't for family. Then we came home, they took naps & then we went to another birthday party! It was next door, so we didn't have to go too far! Jacob & Joshua were a big help w/watching James in the bouncy castle & Jeffrey can hold his own in there! We had a great time & both parties were alot of fun. Thanks Rebecca & Kristin.

Jacob did go to school on Friday. I was so proud of him. He hung in there all day & was just a little tired when he got home. I think the fact that it was Pizza Day helped. He is planning on going again this Friday. Next Friday, the 10th, he will be out. That will be his double chemo day, a guarranteed throw up day, & I don't want to put him through that at school. He really likes his class & teacher, loves Math, hates writing, which he has alot of, & is so-so about reading.

I think that's about it for right now. Our weekend is looking like it will be busy again, but I'll write about that later.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that when we went to the Lance Armstrong parade, the boys got to see "Leslie"! We tried really hard to shield them, but to no avail. "Leslie" was definitely decked out w/a Lance t-shirt, sparkly, green, bikini bottoms & heeled flip-flop sandals! He was just walking through the crowd & I think the couple standing next to us were tourists, I can't remember what the man said, but it was funny & he sounded a bit shocked! Leslie is a part of Austin culture, everyone knows who Leslie is. He is a transvestite (cross dresser) & has run for Mayor several times. He is always walking around downtown (6th st). The boys just thought that it was funny that he was dressed like that!

Please keep Connor in your prayers. He is already in surgery & it should last quite awhile. They are doing major surgery, trying to remove the tumor, a colonostomy & urostomy. Quite a bit for a 9 yr old to go through. Please pray for his miracle. Please pray for his parents & his doctors.

Have a great week.

Thursday, August 26, 2004 7:51 AM CDT

It seems like it's been so long since I last updated, but it's only been a week! The boys had a great first week of school. They really like their teachers & classmates. This is going to be a really great year for them.

On Thurs, Jay had his chemo & did not get sick during the visit!! Nurse Jennifer & I were so happy for him. He really fought it. However, because it was his double week (Vincristine & Actinomycin-D) he did get sick Thurs night & Friday. Poor thing, I took him to ToysRUs on Friday to get some new Yugioh cards & he started throwing up in the store. Fortunately, I now carry Ziploc bags in my purse & he was able to use that. He felt so bad that on the way home, he didn't want McDonalds for lunch, but wanted chicken noodle soup instead. Then we came home & he took a nap.
We also went & visited Garrett in the hospital. The boys ate lunch together & played cards for awhile. I think that it helped both of them to be together.

Saturday was our 11 yr Anniversary! It has gone by so fast. Shawn's mom & came up & spent the weekend w/us. Our nephew, Christopher, came up as well & the boys had a great time playing. Shawn & I got dressed up & went out to dinner. We went to a really nice restaurant & had a table by the window w/a great view & a wonderful dinner. Afterwards we went & had coffee at a locally owned coffe shop, not a Starbucks, & talked & then headed home.
Granny made Meatballs & Spaghetti on Sunday, Jay's favorite, & then headed home.

On Tues, this week, Jeffrey & I met his new preschool teacher. I really like her & think that this is going to be good for Jeffrey. His friend, Palmer, is in his class & another friend, Max, is in the class next to his. They have a really good program & we have several friends who have/had children there & they love it. The church is right down the street from us, so it'll only take a few minutes to get there.

Allergy season seems to have really hit our house hard this week. It's usually just Shawn, myself, & Joshua that have fall allergies, but Jeffrey & James are having symptoms, plus James is teething so that could be his deal, & now this morning Jay got up sounding hoarse. Shawn is going to take Jay for his chemo & I'm going to stay home w/the little ones. Apparently, there's a stomach virus going around & yesterday I had a bit of an upset stomach, so rather than risk exposing kids at the clinic, I'm going to stay home. I'm not sure if it was something that I ate but, I'd rather not take that chance.

We have tickets to see Dora The Explorer Live tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it & praying that everyone is feeling fine. I'm going to take Jeffrey, Joshua, & Alex. Alex & Joshua are best friends & she is a huge Dora fan. In fact she was Dora for Halloween last year. Jacob & Apollo, Alex's brother, are going to go ice skating or do something & then have a sleepover. We have 2 bday parties this weekend, so we are looking forward to that. Plus there is a dance at church on Saturday night! For those that recall, we found out at the Candlelighters' Family Retreat back in March that Jeffrey is the dancer in our family. He tried to keep up w/the teenagers & would copy their moves, so the dance on Saturday should be really entertaining.

Please continue to keep our friends in your prayers.
Spencer had scans on Tuesday & they came back CLEAR!!!
Connor will have scans again on Friday (tomorrow) & surgery on Tues the 31st.
Garrett started his new chemo & will have scans in about 5 weeks to determine if the chemo is working. They need to shrink the tumor by 50% in order to continue w/this protocol. In order for the drs. to consider doing surgery to remove it, the tumor needs to shrink by 90%.

Thank you for your prayers & encouragement. Have a great weekend.

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 7:32 AM CDT

SCHOOL IS HERE!!!

School started on Monday & the boys are really enjoying it. They were ready to get back & to see friends. They have the teachers that we were hoping for & we have already met w/both of them & we are very pleased that they in their class. This should be a great year for them, although a bit harder than last year academic wise. Cynthia, the child life specialist, is going to come to the school on Monday & talk w/both classrooms.

Jacob starts his last 3 months of chemo tomorrow & we have decided to change his treatment day to Thurs, instead of Wed. He said that he wants to try & go to school on Fridays because it is Pizza day!

We went to the Lance Armstrong Parade last Friday. We now know why he won the Tour de France! He rode by & poor Joshua, was still looking down the street & said "where is Lance"! It was too funny. We are glad that we got to go. We went w/Garrett & his family & afterward went to eat & the kids had a great time.

Please keep Garrett & his family in your prayers. They received the results from his scan last week & he has relapsed. His tumor has started to grow. They admitted him last night to Children's & are putting his port-a-cath in, doing a bone marrow aspiration, & lumbar puncture today & tomorrow are doing the bone scan & starting chemotherapy. His dr.s are talking about doing more radiation to try & shrink the tumor so that they can try to remove it. Please pray for wisdom for his dr.s. He has been off treatment for 5 months & his previous scans were clear. Garrett has a brother, Kyle 7 & sister Caleigh 5. Colleen's parents came in on Monday & are helping them out for a little while.

Please keep Jacob & Joshua in your prayers as well. We are very close to Garrett & his family & the boys are almost like brothers. In fact, several months ago, Garrett was asking his neighbors if we could trade houses so that Jacob & Joshua could live right by him & Kyle! Jay is very angry about Garrett's relapse & has started calling it "a big, fat, stupid tumor" & saying "cancer sucks". Both boys are very scared for Garrett & Jacob. We are doing our best to talk to them & also let them know that there are several people that they can talk to as well.

Shawn is in Dallas until Thurs afternoon. Our anniversary is this Sat. Shawn's mom is going to try & come up for the weekend & the boys are looking forward to that. I will update again in a few days.

Please stop by Garrett's site & sign his guestbook.

Thursday, August 12, 2004 2:42 PM CDT

SCANS ARE ALL CLEAR!!!!!!


Thank you all so much for your prayers. Jacob's scan came back clear & we are so happy, relieved, excited, etc!!! He did really well yesterday & we are so proud of him. We took him to eat at Taco Bell, but he was so exhausted that after eating one taco, he put his head down & was ready to go to sleep! We brought him home & he slept for the next several hours. When he got up later, he ate his 2 tacos, went to Garrett's house to play for awhile, & then came home & went to bed about 9pm.

Please keep Garrett in your prayers as they are awaiting the results from his scans yesterday.

Please continue to keep our friend, Connor, in your prayers as they are awaiting the "next steps" for him from his doctors. He is not responding to the new chemo & his scans revealed continued growth of his tumor.

The boys are getting excited about meeting their new teachers tonight & seeing friends that they haven't seen all summer.

Have a great weekend & give your kids an extra hug.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 9:19 PM CDT

SCAN TIME!!!!

Yes, it's that time again. Jacob has his scan tomorrow, Wed, at 10 am. He is very anxious about it & is having a hard time going to sleep tonight. He may end up in our bed. He has to be at the clinic at 8:30 to get accessed & blood drawn for counts. I'm a little worried about that, he has been getting tired by the afternoon & by bedtime he looks wiped out. I realize that this is the last week before he school & he is probably just overdoing it. After his visit, he will have to drink contrast for 2 hrs & then they can do his scan. Even though it is set for 10 am, it probably won't be until about 11 am. Please keep him in your prayers throughout the day.

Garrett is also having a scan done at 8:45 am. He is starting to have some of the same symptoms that he had right before he was diagnosed & his family is very worried. He has been off treatment for 5 months. Please keep them in your prayers tomorrow as well.

James had his 15 month well check yesterday & is doing quite well. He is 25 lbs & 31 inches long & has 7 teeth & working on several more! He is quite a character & is starting to talk up a storm. He can say "Jacob" really well & is working on "Joshua". He also received two vaccines but was doing fine today.

Jeffrey had a trip to the dr. last Thurs. as well. He had cut his foot on Wed. night,it wasn't bleeding & looked like a really bad scrape, but by Thurs afternoon, it was starting to look red & a little deeper than we thought. Fortunately the dr. said that he didn't need stitches, which was good because it was too late by then, but it was starting to get infected, so he put him on antibiotics & said to keep it clean & bandaged until about Sun & after that, just try & keep it clean & bring him back if it got worse. Well, he is doing fine. It is healing up & we found that putting the antibiotic in his milk works great! He LOVES his milk, but doesn't realize that the medicine is in there!!

Joshua received his yellow "My Brother Is Busy Kickin Cancer's Butt" t-shirt last week.(www.cafepress.com) He absolutely loves it & wears it as soon as it is washed. Now most of you who know Joshua, know that he has his own sense of style & it is currently camoflauge and soccer shorts. So his new t-shirt is a big deal. Everyday, including the day it was ordered, he would ask when it was going to get here! I'll post pictures soon.

The boys are looking forward to Thurs night. That is when they get to meet their new teachers & see who is in their class. Also, Jacob has decided to wear his "Busy Kickin Cancer's Butt" t-shirt to meet his teacher because he said he wants everyone to know that HE IS KICKIN' CANCER'S BUTT!

I am going to call & see if they have the results on Thurs afternoon, so I will update as soon as we know. Plus we'd really like to know before we go to the school!

Please keep our friends in your prayers. We couldn't make it through this w/out your prayers, encouragement, & most of all, friendship.

Saturday, July 31, 2004 7:14 AM CDT

Jacob is still going strong. His counts are back up & he's spent the night w/friends twice this week & it's just now Saturday! I was worried about his counts after going to Houston, that maybe we overdid it, but they were fine. We realized that it had been two weeks since his big chemo & that may have been his lowest point. We've tried to chart his counts to see if we can tell when his lowest point is, but they've never dropped enough for us to tell. Needless to say, I was very relieved that they were back up.

Garrett went with us, to try & provide distraction for Jay, but it didn't work & Jay threw up anyway. I had left his bucket in the car, but had a ziploc bag & he threw up in that & Shawn & Nurse Jennifer both said that they prefer the bucket!! We also had a new child life specialist & I told Shawn that I thought she was new & we might have freaked her out. I got the feeling that she hadn't been exposed to the throwing up before. It's funny how that doesn't bother you after awhile. Even Shawn has come a long way w/it. We thought Jay was done & took away the bag, but he wasn't & Shawn's first reaction was to put his hands together & he threw up in them! Way to go dad!!! He said that he didn't even have time to think about it, he just did it. I'm so proud of him. For those of you drinking your morning coffe, I know this is what you want to read right before breakfast!!

Shawn's mom isn't going to be able to come this weekend. She plays golf & sometimes she over does it & her knee will swell up & hurt, so she's going to try & come up in two weeks. She was so glad to see the kids last week & I know that seeing Jay w/hair made her feel alot better. She came up in May for his First Communion & he had started getting his hair back, but nothing like what it is now. Plus he's so tan that you'd never know that he's sick.

We saw Spencer at the clinic & the people from Make-A-Wish were going to their house that night. I'm happy to say that his wish will be granted, but I don't want to spoil it, so go to his page to read his story.

Jacob is now on the Make-A-Wish website (for Central & S. Texas) & says that he "will celebrate his birthday by going to Disney World". The date should read October 25th, but they forgot the 5, so it says the "2 th"! He is soo excited. Plus Jeffrey's bday is the next day & we will still be there, so he gets to celebrate his as well! How's that for a 3 yr old party!! The boys are counting down the days!

Speaking of counting down, school starts in 2 weeks!! We are anxious to see who their teachers will be, as we had requested them, but I am trying to trust that God will place them w/the best teacher for this year. We did find out that our friend & "life coordinator" (see earliest journal entries), Jo will be teaching third grade this year & we are very happy for her. She is wonderful w/children. Jay was really excited to hear that she would be teaching & he would get to see her everyday.

I guess that's about it. We are hoping for a relatively quiet weekend! Shawn is on call until Monday, so we sticking close to home. Have a great weekend.

Monday, July 26, 2004 6:35 AM CDT

We went to Houston! We left for Houston on Thurs am & came home Sat. afternoon. We had such a great time & it was definitely needed! Going to Houston is like a mini vacation for us. We eat & swim & nap & swim & eat & swim. That was the first thing that we did when we got to my sister-in-laws was go swimming. We went to Granny's (Shawn's mom) for homemade meatballs & spaghetti, strawberry pie & mississippi mud cake (both recipes from southern living magazine). It was wonderful. For those of you that don't know, granny's meatballs & spaghetti are out of this world & Jacob asks for them EVERY time she comes to visit or we go there to visit & she makes them! I can come pretty close, but Jay will still tell me that they're not like Granny's! On Friday we had breakfast & headed to the pool. We swam, had hot dogs, swam some more & then I took the little ones home for a nap while the others swam. Matthew & Meghan, my nephew & neice, watched Jeffrey & James & I went back to the pool. We stayed until about 3 pm & then went home & the boys played w/their cousins. Christopher ( cousin & 7rs) had a baseball game that evening & we went for most of it. Jay was looking really tired so we left a little bit early & headed home to get ready for bed. On Saturday, we got up, went to the pool for a couple of hours & then headed back to Austin. The boys had a great time, but were ready to see Shawn. They hadn't seen him since last Monday when he left for Chicago. I really enjoyed being in Houston. It was the break that I needed to relax & recharge. Thank you Mary.

Meghan was a tremendous help at the pool w/Jeffrey & James. Jeffrey is in floaties & getting comfortable being in the water & testing out how far he came go. James didn't want to be in his baby float & had to be held the entire time, so balancing the two was alot easier w/help. Joshua has come a long way this year w/his swimming. He was jumping off of the diving board & swimming out into the pool instead of immediately going to the side. Jay has always been a little fish & this year is no exception. However, he has the surfer look going on! His hair is really blond on top & dark underneath, so he has a bleached blond look. He has also gotten really tan & it makes his hair look even lighter. We took pictures & I'll try to post them this week.

Yesterday we ran some errands & got the kids new backpacks for school. This year we were able to find a camoflauge one for Joshua, Jay found Yugioh, & Jeffrey got Spiderman! Jeffrey will start a Mother's Day Out/Preschool in Sept. We still need to get Jeffrey a lunch box, but other than that, school shopping is pretty much done. I ordered their school supplies through the school, so that's taken care of.

Please continue to keep Jay in your prayers. He is still having anxiety & throwing up during his treatment is becoming routine. His weight was up (63 1/2 lbs), no fever, but his counts are dropping. I asked Dr. Lockhart about going to Houston for a few days & she said that that was fine, but I'm hoping that it wasn't too much for him. While his counts have been steadily dropping, he has been able to go to school & play w/friends. I think that that is what is really helping him to deal w/his cancer & get through it. We are almost in the home stretch, about 15 weeks left of chemo, a scan in 2 weeks, & another in 16 weeks.

Garrett is getting his port & the weight that is in his right eye out today. Please keep him in your prayers.

Connor & his family will be finding out the results of his scans this week. Please keep them in your prayers.

This should be a quiet week for us-LOL our summer has flown by! Shawn's mom (Granny) is coming on Friday & staying for the weekend. We are looking forward to that & she usually brings Christopher w/her.

Have a great week.

Monday, July 19, 2004 7:46 AM CDT

CAMP WAS AWESOME!!!

Jacob had a wonderful time at camp. For as much as we missed him, we are so glad that he went & had a great time. He is already talking about going again next year & eventually becoming a counselor! He made some new friends & one of the boys even lives here in Round Rock. Jay didn't get his address, but I am going to talk to Cynthia, the child life specialist, & see if she will give them ours & we can get the boys together. Jay & Garrett didn't stink like we had thought! The boys were so excited that they talked the whole way home & Jay is still telling us stories!

These kids are so thoughtful, they had a carnival & won tickets for prizes & both Jay & Garrett used some of their tickets to get toys for their brothers/sister. Jay got a bumper car Spiderman for Jeffrey & a soldier w/gear for Joshua. He said that he couldn't find anything for James & we told him that that was ok. They did get themselves something, but it's so sweet that they thought of the others. Then again, that's Jay's nature. Throughout this whole journey he has not asked for special toys or special treatment. When he has gotten gifts, he has shared them w/his brothers.

He came home w/a bag of toys & he said that one of the counselors had brought Beyblades & he got 3 or 4 of them, some Hot Wheels cars, and even a Yugioh card! The generosity of the sponsors & other groups is just amazing.

He said that they had ice cream everyday for a snack & they ate really well, pancakes & eggs, hot dogs, pizza, they had a bar-b-que one night & two of the older cabins had a chili cook off. They had a "Hollywood" carnival & "Night at the Oscars" & they got autographs of "stars". He has Ozzy Osbourne, Agent Cody Banks, James Bond 007, Neo (from The Matrix), & a few others. They also had a dance & he said that he did a little break dancing but didn't have any "dates" from the girls. He said that he & his friends would run away from the girls! His one friend did have a date & we asked him what a date was & he said it's when you go out & we asked where did they go out & he said it was just to dance! It was so cute! I also know that him running from girls is short lived & in a few years that will be the reason that he goes to camp!!

He got to ride horses & they swam twice a day. He made a bear claw necklace in arts & crafts. The big event was the Jello war on Friday & he said that it was a blast. They were given bags of jello & cans of whipped cream! He said that the "little kids", his group, were easy targets & they were soaked but had a ball.

Yesterday was pretty quiet & Shawn took them to the pool while Jeffrey & James were napping. My brother stopped by in the evening & ate dinner w/us & played w/the kids. Jeffrey absolutely adores his Uncle Jeff & usually doesn't let him out of his site while he's here! Usually if Jeff is here for dinner, Jeffrey is sitting on his lap eating too!

Shawn left this morning at 5:30 for Chicago. He will be there until Thursday. Please pray for his safety while travelling. I am considering going to Houston w/the kids on Wed after Jay's treatment & staying until the weekend. Please pray that Jay's counts are still holding. They love their cousins & always have a great time when we go.

Have a great week.

Thursday, July 15, 2004 8:15 PM CDT

It seems so weird to update when Jay is at camp, but I couldn't help it! I know that he is having a wonderful time. We haven't received a phone call from him asking to come home & he got to skip chemo this week, so I KNOW that Wed was wonderful for him! We thought that we were going to have to take his chemo to camp, Shawn was REALLY looking forward to that, honestly, but in the end, Dr. Lockhart decided to skip this week & he can make it up the week before his scan, which is usually a "no Chemo" week & is coming up on Aug 11th. It has been pretty quiet around here. Joshua & Jeffrey have fought a little bit, but it doesn't seem like it is as much as usual & of course, Josh & Jacob are NOT fighting & no it is not always Josh that starts it. Contrary to popular beleif, Jay does his fair share of picking at Joshua. However, I'm really ready for Jay to be home. I started feeling it today. The last couple of days have been fine, because he does go & spend the night at friends houses & plays all day, but now it is getting harder. The house is quiet, but it's starting to take on an eerie quiet & I don't think that I like it very much. Joshua has decided that he's had enough of the "big" brother role & is ready for a break! He actually told us that "we treat him like a maid" hmm... where have I heard THAT phrase before!!

We have talked to Dr. Horowitz & Joshua's ultrasound showed an asymmetrical accummulation of fat. Basically, it's nothing to worry about. Some people have it & some don't. Of course, I had to ask him how he knew for sure & that it wasn't a non-Rhabdo sarcoma like Liposarcoma, which is usually found in early adolescents in the abdomen & he assured us that there were no masses, or anything out of the ordinary or abnormal, but to keep an eye on it & let him know if it changes in shape or size or if Josh starts having any other problems. It's so hard because we hear of kids that are misdiagnosed for months before finding out that they have cancer. Plus it doesn't help that Jacob had a "classic presentation of a twisted testicle & pretty common in boys" only to find out that it was a tumor. We will just have to trust God in this one.

It is w/mixed emotions that I write this next part. We have made a new friend. His name is Blake Young, www.caringbridge.org/hi/blakeyoung & he is 9 & lives here in Round Rock & was diagnosed w/Hodgkins Disease last month. Josh & I met him & his family today at, of all places, Super Target in Cedar Park. Josh & I had went to his friend,Jackson's bday party & we were on our way home & he was thirsty, so we decided to stop in Super Target, & get an Icee & there was a family w/their "Live Strong" bracelets on & I saw Blake & knew that he was about Jacob's age & possibly a patient at the clinic, so Josh & I started talking to them & exchanged information. I was really glad to meet them, & yet saddened because it is another new cancer family. Of course I called Shawn & then Colleen, Garrett's mom & hopefully we'll see each other at the Candlelighters meeting next week.

Connor finishes his 2 nd round of chemo tomorrow & his scans are scheduled for July 23rd. Please keep him in your prayers. His mom read the radiology report from two weeks ago & the tumor had grown but not enough for them to stop the chemo. Please pray for his miracle & for his pain to subside.

That's about it for now. From what we have heard from other families, the boys, Jacob & Garrett will come home stinking! One father said that he put his son's gear & shoes in the back of his truck & the drive home made you wish that it was legal for them to sit in the back! Just think, we are going to have 2 campers for 2 hours in the van! Maybe I'll just send Shawn in the truck!! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, July 15, 2004 8:15 PM CDT

It seems so weird to update when Jay is at camp, but I couldn't help it! I know that he is having a wonderful time. We haven't received a phone call from him asking to come home & he got to skip chemo this week, so I KNOW that Wed was wonderful for him! We thought that we were going to have to take his chemo to camp, Shawn was REALLY looking forward to that, honestly, but in the end, Dr. Lockhart decided to skip this week & he can make it up the week before his scan, which is usually a "no Chemo" week & is coming up on Aug 11th. It has been pretty quiet around here. Joshua & Jeffrey have fought a little bit, but it doesn't seem like it is as much as usual & of course, Josh & Jacob are NOT fighting & no it is not always Josh that starts it. Contrary to popular beleif, Jay does his fair share of picking at Joshua. However, I'm really ready for Jay to be home. I started feeling it today. The last couple of days have been fine, because he does go & spend the night at friends houses & plays all day, but now it is getting harder. The house is quiet, but it's starting to take on an eerie quiet & I don't think that I like it very much. Joshua has decided that he's had enough of the "big" brother role & is ready for a break! He actually told us that "we treat him like a maid" hmm... where have I heard THAT phrase before!!

We have talked to Dr. Horowitz & Joshua's ultrasound showed an asymmetrical accummulation of fat. Basically, it's nothing to worry about. Some people have it & some don't. Of course, I had to ask him how he knew for sure & that it wasn't a non-Rhabdo sarcoma like Liposarcoma, which is usually found in early adolescents in the abdomen & he assured us that there were no masses, or anything out of the ordinary or abnormal, but to keep an eye on it & let him know if it changes in shape or size or if Josh starts having any other problems. It's so hard because we hear of kids that are misdiagnosed for months before finding out that they have cancer. Plus it doesn't help that Jacob had a "classic presentation of a twisted testicle & pretty common in boys" only to find out that it was a tumor. We will just have to trust God in this one.

It is w/mixed emotions that I write this next part. We have made a new friend. His name is Blake Young, www.caringbridge.org/hi/blakeyoung & he is 9 & lives here in Round Rock & was diagnosed w/Hodgkins Disease last month. Josh & I met him & his family today at, of all places, Super Target in Cedar Park. Josh & I had went to his friend,Jackson's bday party & we were on our way home & he was thirsty, so we decided to stop in Super Target, & get an Icee & there was a family w/their "Live Strong" bracelets on & I saw Blake & knew that he was about Jacob's age & possibly a patient at the clinic, so Josh & I started talking to them & exchanged information. I was really glad to meet them, & yet saddened because it is another new cancer family. Of course I called Shawn & then Colleen, Garrett's mom & hopefully we'll see each other at the Candlelighters meeting next week.

Connor finishes his 2 nd round of chemo tomorrow & his scans are scheduled for July 23rd. Please keep him in your prayers. His mom read the radiology report from two weeks ago & the tumor had grown but not enough for them to stop the chemo. Please pray for his miracle & for his pain to subside.

That's about it for now. From what we have heard from other families, the boys, Jacob & Garrett will come home stinking! One father said that he put his son's gear & shoes in the back of his truck & the drive home made you wish that it was legal for them to sit in the back! Just think, we are going to have 2 campers for 2 hours in the van! Maybe I'll just send Shawn in the truck!! Have a great weekend!

Sunday, July 11, 2004 7:36 PM CDT

Jacob is at Camp Discovery!! He was so excited last night that it's a wonder that he was able to sleep! He really enjoyed packing & was ready to go this morning w/in minutes of waking up! His friend Garrett came over & went w/us to San Antonio. We stopped at a Kentucky Fried Chicken/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell & the boys ate tacos & pizza & thought that that was the coolest restaurant. We got to the hospital in San Antonio about 12:30 & at 1 pm the registration process began! The buses left at 3 pm sharp & the kids did really well for having to wait several hours! We even had Jeffrey & James w/us & while we might consider a sitter for them next year, they hung in there. James was so tired that fell asleep before we left the parking lot! There were ALOT of kids going. About 3 big charter buses. There are 11 boys in Jay's group, 2 of them we know from Candlelighters & they also went to the family retreat during Spring Break. Jacob made a new friend right before they left & Shawn took a picture of the four of them. They have 4 counselors in their group & one of them is a teacher/father of 3, & has been going for the past 13 yrs! When we told him about Jay's anxiety during treatment & that he would throw up, he said that was okay, there'll be others that do it too & he's not the first camper!!

Please keep Shawn in your prayers as I think he may have a bit of separation anxiety! Jay is definitely a daddy's boy & more so since his diagnosis. He will be gone for 6 nights & that's even longer than when Shawn has had to go out of town. And speaking of that, he has to go to Chicago next week! Shawn's sister & family may come up for a couple of days & then we'll head down to Houston after Jay's treatment for a few more, so that'll help.

We haven't talked to Dr. Horowitz (pedi-surg) yet about Josh's Ultrasound & by the time that I realized it, it was 5 pm Friday night & the office was closed. I'm going to call in the morning & will let you know as soon as we find out.


Please keep our friends in your prayers & stop by & sign their guestbook.

Garrett's scans came back clear & they are talking about taking his port out in two weeks.

Connor is in alot of pain & will be finishing his 2nd round of the new chemo this week. He is scheduled for scans on July 23rd.

Spencer is having his scans tomorrow morning, July 12th.

Have a great week.

Wednesday, July 7, 2004 7:28 AM CDT

Hi Everyone,

Quick Update

We are taking Joshua for an Abdominal Ultrasound at 10:30 am at Children's Hospital. I was able to move Jay's chemo appt. up to 2 pm, but we are still going to be there all day. Dr. Horowitz, the pedi-surgeon, requested that the report be faxed to him & he would call us once he receives it. Since his office is downstairs from Dr. Lockhart, I think we'll stop in & check after Jay's chemo. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, I'm getting a bit nervous & am praying for strength & peace during the Ultrasound.

Thank you to Pam & Colleen for working together to watch the little ones today.

I will update as soon as we know the results.

Friday, July 2, 2004 7:45 AM CDT

Well, we think that we found the source for Jay's intermittent fevers...a sinus infection, detected by a sinus x-ray! Last week, Dr. Lockhart wanted to do a sinus x-ray to check for infection since she didn't see anything, & he was running another fever (101.2) She also put him on Augmentin. This week when we went in, he DID NOT have a fever!!! & she said that the films showed a pocket of infection on his right side. She said that they are finding that some of the kids on therapy are more prone to getting sinus infections & since he wasn't running a fever & had been on the antibiotic all week, that was probably the source. Now, the antibiotic is 2 teaspoons twice a day for 2 weeks, most of you know what we go through w/medicine, but we have a new trick that seems to be working. It is to count to 3,push the med a 1/2 teaspoon at a time, drink some Fruit Punch Gatorade or Sunny Delight & eat some potato chips, then repeat. At first, it took about 10 mins to get through 2 teaspoons, but now it is only taking a couple!! Major breakthrough. He also tried out his joke on a med student. We have a book about cancer for him & there was a joke in it that said "How to trip up a new dr. ask him to spell Rhabdomyosarcoma". So Jay asked him & the student said "can you spell it?" At first, Jay said "no", but then a little while later, w/a little help from dad he was able to spell it for him!! Also last week his potassium levels were low so we had to put potassium packets in his drink to boost his levels. I have found that the best thing to mix it with w/out him knowing is the Fruit Punch Gatorade. At first, I tried it w/orange juice & it took him awhile to drink it, but when I did it w/the Gatorade, he drank it down, no problem. Of course, I DID NOT tell him about it. Why ruin a good thing!

In other kid news, I took James in yesterday to the pediatrician & he has hand, foot, & mouth disease, a viral infection. For those of you that don't know what that is, basically you feel like if you can make it through the 7-10 day time it takes for it to run it's course, you can make it through anything! It is viral, so they can't give you anything for it, it is more common in babies, because they put everything in their mouth & then if another child picks up the same thing mouths it, then they get it. They get blisters on their hands, feet, sometimes diaper area, & in their mouth. They also run a fever for about 3 days. You can give them Tylenol/Motrin, & because there are blisters on their throat, they don't want to drink, so oyu can mix Maalox & Benadryl, & give them that (dose according to Benadryl) to coat their throat. It is a lovely virus. There is an incubation period, so by the time you find out that your child has this, they've exposed other children. There's no way of knowing beforehand. The irony of this is that the only place that we can think of that he may have gotten exposed, was our Parent's Night Out last Friday. Now I say ironic because the night out was for families involved w/Candlelighter's, our cancer support group! Cancer families are very vigilant about being around sick kids, even siblings & we do our best to stay on top of it, so for him to be exposed is ironic. But as I said before, you have no way of knowing beforehand. Incubation is 3-5 days, so the timing is right & James hasn't been anywhere else. We have missed church for a few weeks, so he hasn't been in the nursery & when we went to Sea World, he stayed in his stroller & I put his food on his stroller tray. Plus I also wash off the table (in public places) w/a wipe because his food usually ends up there otherwise the plate will end up on the floor. Jacob had this twice as a baby, once at 8 months & again at 13 mo. Miss Rebecca in Houston & Aunt Mary will remember that! He also has croup, so we are giving him breathing treatments as well. His molars are coming in, which was what we originally though was wrong w/him, so you can imagine what our day/nights are like right now!

We took Joshua yesterday for his appt w/the pedi-surgeon, Dr. Horowitz felt his stomach, said that he didn't think it was anything more than a "fat pad", but wants an ultasound to rule out an umbilical hernia. So, his ultrasound is next Wed morning & we are going to try & move Jay's afternoon appt up a little bit. I will feel alot better after the scan & knowing for sure that it is nothing. He said that if it is a "fat pad" that there is nothing to worry about. Please continue to keep that in your prayers. We have heard several times about kids that are misdiagnosed for months only to find out that there is a tumor. We still probably won't know anything until the following day Thurs, or Fri but will let everyone know as soon as we find out.

James got his first hair cut on Mon & Jay's hair is really coming in. He's about ready for a neck & over the ears trim!

We are hoping for a quiet weekend, Shawn is on call this week & they've really kept him busy.

Garrett had his scan on Tues & they should be finding out the results today, hopefully. His next appt is on Tues, so they'll know for sure. Connor is having another scan this afternoon, to see if the new chemo is working. Please keep them in your prayers.

We hope you all have a great weekend.

Sunday, June 27, 2004 9:06 AM CDT

What a busy week we've had. We took the boys to Sea World-San Antonio yesterday & had a blast. The boys absolutely loved it & Joshua was super excited. We almost didn't go & now we are so glad that we did. We had been talking about going & staying the night & spending the weekend in San Antonio & then on Friday it started raining. It was still raining when we got up yesterday & the weather was supposed to be bad in San Antonio as well. We took the boys to breakfast & they were a little upset that we weren't going & kept telling us that the rain had stopped, so after a two-second hesitation, we drove to San Antonio, as is. Meaning, no extra clothes, towels, etc, except for the little ones in the backpack (diaper bag). Joshua had decided to wear jeans, so we stopped at Wal-Mart & bought him a pair of shorts & ended up getting to Sea World about 3 pm. There were more people than we expected, but it wasn't too crowded. We saw the WaterSki show, which was delayed about 10 min. due to lightening, but they were able to resume & it was great. We saw the Shamu Show which was incredible & the boys & Shawn got SOAKED! The boys wanted to get splashed, so Shawn took them & Jeffrey & they sat in the front, I stayed at the top w/James, & they got splashed. Jay & Josh thought they should have gotten splashed even more & Jeffrey wasn't sure he liked getting splashed, he kept telling Shawn "Shamu splashed me"! James & I had a great view & he loved it! He was clapping & making loud baby noises! I tried to take some pictures, so hopefully they'll turn out & we can post them. We also made it for the Theatre Show, which Joshua absolutely loved. I think that he'll probably be involved in Drama when he gets to Jr/Sr High School. I would love to send him to the performing arts camp at the Theatre or get him involved in Children's Theatre. For those of you who don't know Josh, he is very dramatic! He also has a very creative imagination & loves art. We stayed until the park closed & the boys wanted to go to a hotel, but we didn't have anything w/us, so we drove home & got in about 12:45 am! Jeffrey & I are the only ones awake right now (9:35 am) & we're so glad that we went. We haven't done anything like that & we really needed it. They had the best time!

Now, to back up a little, the boys went to Science Camp last week. They really enjoyed it & even their snacks were experiments that they made. One day, they made ice cream, in a baggie! I will post the recipe later. On Thursday night, we went to the Round Rock Express baseball game & the boys, along w/ Garrett & Kyle & 5 other kids were chosen to be representatives for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) & got to be "baseball buddies" w/the players! They ran out onto the field before the players & they were up on the screen for everyone to see. It was wonderful! They were given the black t-shirts w/Live Strong in yellow on it, a yellow wristband, a baseball hat, & a team photo. Some of the players & Spike (the mascot) signed their photo. Lance is very involved w/childhood cancer & he & Nike are trying to bring more awareness to it. The representatives from LAF were very nice & even gave the siblings t-shirts & wristbands. They took pictures & are going t email them to the families. We will post those as well.

On Friday, Shawn & I went out! Our support group, Candlelighters, had a Parent's Night Out & they watched all of the kids & they had dinner, games, crafts for them & the parents got to go out for about 2-2 1/2 hrs. We met up w/Colleen & Darryl, Garrett's parents & went to Spaghetti Warehouse. It was really nice to go out & spend time w/them. They just got back from Disney, so you can imagine what we talked about! All of the boys had a great time & the volunteers just loved James! The volunteers are wonderful w/the kids & the one who stands out the most is Karen. She has watched James grow from a crawling 8 mo. old to a walking 13 1/2 mo. old. Wow, times goes by fast!

Please pray for us & Joshua this week. On Thursday we are taking him to see Dr. Horowitz. He is the pediatric surgeon for Jay & James (inguinal hernia). We think that Josh has an umbillical hernia, but are not sure. I am worried because, to me, it seems to be getting bigger, but this could also be my mind doing it because of the knowledge of Rhabdo & a very common spot is the abdomen. The best case, is that it is just a "fat pad" & nothing to worry about. I will update as soon as we know more.

Now for one of the "perks" of being a cancer family! Last Sat, I took the boys shopping for Father's Day & afterward went to McDonalds for lunch. They ate & played for a little bit & right as we were leaving, not a foot from the door, you guessed it! Jay started throwing up! Now his big chemo was on Wed, which he did not throw up like usual. Instead it was on Thursday night & then he was fine until Sat afternoon. Needless to say he threw up quite a bit before I could get him turned around & his head over the trash can. Of course, the play area was FULL of people, however, they were great. I had 3 different moms get paper towels, water & a cleaning person for me. One dad asked if he was going to be "okay" & I told him that he wasn't "sick" but had just had chemo & it was his bodies reaction to it. I didn't know what else to say. It was really weird because his usual sick days from the big chemo are Wed night & Thurs, not Sat, but it was the only thing that I could think of, since he wasn't running a fever or having other symptoms. I got Jay cleaned up & we went home & he was fine later. So we have now had our first restaurant throw up, it is inevitable so I guess we are "officially" a cancer family! I'm trying to be funny here. Everyone talks about the restaurant scene, that it'll happen, it just took us 6 mmo to have ours!

Please continue to keep Connor in oyur prayers. He is having an MRI on Thurs, July 1, to see if the new chemo is working. If it is, then he will have another 2 week round of chemo followed by surgery. He is fighting very hard to beat Rhabdo & has been for the last 3 yrs.
Also, please continue to pray for Ian's family. www.caringbridge.org/nj/ian. Ian passed away last Sunday, Father's Day, from Rhabdo & now is in Heaven w/the angels. Ian was 3 1/2 & has an older sister, Ali 5 & baby brother Eric 15 mo. His parents, Kellie & Brian really need our prayers & support.

Relapse is an all too scary word & becoming a part of our life. I think that no matter what stage your child is, you have the same fears. While, Jay's prognosis is very good, Stage 1 ERMS 90-100urvival, I worry, because there are no guarrantees. I worry because it only takes one infection to turn our lives upside down again.

Slow down, take time to look & listen to your kids. It's something that we are learning to do & it's not very easy w/4 kids, but we trying to live each day for itself. Give your kids an extra hug & Thank God that you are not a cancer family & say a prayer for those of us that are. God continues to bless us & the other families that we know. For whatever reason, this is our life & God is helping us to see what an incredible gift our children are.

Have a great week & I'll see if Shawn will post some new pictures. He is also working on a family web page, but it's not ready yet.

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 7:18 AM CDT

Hi Everyone,

We've had another great week. We are starting to think that part of Jacob's low grade fever is due to anxiety. When he went last Wed. for his chemo & they took his temp. it was 100.2 we were stunned because he had been fine all day. He got this really sad, scared look on his face because he thought that he wouldn't be able to spend the night at Davonne's house, but we told him that he could still go. Dr. Lockhart said that this may be part of his anxiety & we'll just have to see if it continues. I took his temp. on Thurs. morning it was 98.6! He has started wearing the paper mask that covers your mouth/nose when we get to the clinic & that has been helping, he hasn't thrown up from the alcohol smell, but now is starting to throw up at the end of his chemo when Jennifer is pushing in the saline. She said he may be tasting the saline & we should try having him chew gum or suck on a piece of candy. So, we're getting there. Tomorrow is his big chemo, the double shot w/a guaranteed throw up tonight & tomorrow. I think it's easier knowing that it might happen, that way you're prepared & if he doesn't throw up, then great!!

He is such a social butterfly. He spent the night on Wed, went to Garrett's & played & stayed most of the night on Thurs. On Friday, he & Joshua went back to Garrett's while I took James to the pediatrician. He had been sneezing, runny nose, cough, & pulling at his ear, so I thought for sure that he had an ear infection. Guess what? He was perfectly fine. Dr. Owens said that he had the clearest ears of anyone she'd seen that day! His throat was fine, lungs were clear, go figure! I was relieved, because you know that if you don't take them in, then you'd surely have a sick baby over the weekend. On Sat. Jay played all day w/his friends, Shawn took Jeffrey for a haircut, & then took Joshua swimming. I got to go out for a Mom's Night w/some of our friends & went to a Mexican restaurant & then to see The Stepford Wives. On Sunday, Shawn took Jay & Josh to see Harry Potter 3 & then we all went swimming. We had a really nice weekend & really needed it.

On Monday, Shawn became a Computer Science Corporation (CSC) employee. He is no longer a Sears employee, it's hard to believe that he was w/Sears for 4 yrs. He is excited about working for CSC. He is still doing the same job (for Sears) & has the same office & apparently the transition has gone smoothly.
Everyone else is doing fine. James is walking everywhere & I realized on Saturday that we needed to get him shoes! Jay & Josh are excited about going to the shoe store & picking them out, however they don't realize that he's getting the white, first walker, soft-soled shoes, but I don't want to burst their bubble just yet!

Please continue to keep our friends in your prayers. Connor was having his port put in yesterday & is starting a new round of chemo. Ian www.caringbridge.org/nj/ian is in alot of pain & his parents really need strength & peace. Kevin www.caringbridge.org/tn/kevinmartin is a 38 yr. old father of 5 w/recurring colon cancer. He is currently going through chemo & is trying to not to let the side effects get him down. Please say a prayer for them, visit their webpage & sign their guestbook. It really does mean alot.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Some days are just so hard, esp when I visit our friends & see how hard things are for them. The pain that they & their child are going through. Sometimes I feel plain guilty because Jay seems to be just sailing right through this & yet I'm learning that it can change in an instant. One high fever or an infection in his port & our lives will spin out of control more than it already is. Then there will be the time when he is off chemo. When he is no longer receiving drugs to kill the cancer cells & we have to wait until time for scans to see if it has come back. It is so hard not being able to know for sure that my child will make it through this. That it won't come back or that he won't get another type of cancer. He now has that risk. My child has hardly ever been sick, is a great kid & had to ask the other day what "restriction" meant, has a life-threatening illness & there's nothing that you can do about it & there are no guarantees. It is a horrible place to be. But we do have our faith, family, & friends. We are truly thankful for that & for the prayers.

Shawn was trying to work on Jay's page, but was having a hard time adding the links to our buddy list. He said he'll try again this week/end. We hope you all have a great week.

Wednesday, June 9, 2004 8:21 AM CDT

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!


We had a wonderful weekend & beginning of the week. I think that God knew we needed some great news & fun afternoons. On Friday afternoon, (after I had updated his page!) Jay received a letter from Make-A-Wish stating that they are able to grant his wish to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando for his BIRTHDAY! His birthday is in October, he'll have his LAST chemo on Wed., we'll leave on Sat. & his bday is on Monday & Jeffrey's bday is on Tues! Then we'll stay all week & leave on Friday. His last scans are two weeks later. We are praying that his counts hold up & he'll be feeling great. We are very excited about the trip. His friend, Garrett, is going for his birthday & Jay is looking forward to getting the scoop when they get back!

On Saturday we went to Petco to finalize the adoption of our newest Faherty family member, Ferris! I'll see if Shawn will post his picture this weekend. Ferris is about 7-8 months old & is a lab/border collie mix. He is black w/white on his chest & 1 paw. He is very good w/the little ones & anyone that comes over. We had him for 2 weeks on a trial basis to see how he would fit in w/the family, that's why you're just now hearing about him. We didn't want to say anything until we were sure that he would be a good fit. I have since come to the realization that he is a boy, I knew that all along, but my point is that there is another BOY in our family! I had said that we were going to get a GIRL dog & I didn't even think about that when we were looking & found him. I am considerably outnumbered!

Sunday, we went to Children's Hospital for Family Fun Day. It was in celebration of the new children's hospital that they are going to build. We had such a great time. The hospital did a wonderful job. It was a free event, there was tons of good food, the boys, even James, received brand new bike helmets after participating in a safety course where they visited about 7 different safety stations & answered questions & did hands on activities to earn a certificate for the helmets. The boys got to pick the helmet that they liked & the volunteers then fitted the helmets to their heads for a correct fit. There was a magician, which Joshua absolutely loved, a band, a dunk tank, a moonwalk, etc. The boys got their faces painted like clowns. (pictures to be posted soon) Garrett was there w/his family, as well as Mikayla, her brother A.J & parents. Jeffrey loves A.J. & always plays Power Rangers w/him even though A.J. is Jay's age. A.J. is great w/him. We saw Dr. Sharp, a partner of Jay's dr. & Wade, the technician who does Jay's CT Scans. We went over & said hi & he asked about the scan & we told him that we'd see him in 2 months (Aug 11) for the next one. We also saw Paul ( I can't remember his last name), but he is a physical therapist at the hospital & he was featured on The Children's Miracle Network Telethon this weekend. Apparently alot of people saw him on TV & were telling him about it! He is wonderful w/the kids & was so nice when we met him. He is one of those people that were born to do the job that they do. We stayed all afternoon. We really needed that.

WE HAVE A NEW WALKER!!
On Tuesday night, James decided that he was ready to walk & has been cruising around ever since! It is so cute to watch him teetering around like a drunk! He's very pleased w/himself. As are we.

So far, so good. Jay has his treatment this afternoon & plans are being made for sleepovers w/friends for Jay & Josh for the next couple of nights. Everyone else is doing well. Jeffrey is moving ahead on potty trainging & is thisclose to getting it. He knows right after he's gone & has made the connection that he has to go & made it to the potty in time a couple of times, but not every time yet. We're almost there.

Please continue to keep our friends Connor and Ian http://www.caringbridge.org/nj/ian/ in your prayers. Shawn is going to add Ian's link & a few others to our buddy list this weekend.

Have a great week & we'll update this weekend.

Wednesday, June 9, 2004 8:21 AM CDT

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!


We had a wonderful weekend & beginning of the week. I think that God knew we needed some great news & fun afternoons. On Friday afternoon, (after I had updated his page!) Jay received a letter from Make-A-Wish stating that they are able to grant his wish to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando for his BIRTHDAY! His birthday is in October, he'll have his LAST chemo on Wed., we'll leave on Sat. & his bday is on Monday & Jeffrey's bday is on Tues! Then we'll stay all week & leave on Friday. His last scans are two weeks later. We are praying that his counts hold up & he'll be feeling great. We are very excited about the trip. His friend, Garrett, is going for his birthday & Jay is looking forward to getting the scoop when they get back!

On Saturday we went to Petco to finalize the adoption of our newest Faherty family member, Ferris! I'll see if Shawn will post his picture this weekend. Ferris is about 7-8 months old & is a lab/collie mix. He is black w/white on his chest & 1 paw. He is very good w/the little ones & anyone that comes over. We had him for 2 weeks on a trial basis to see how he would fit in w/the family, that's why you're just now hearing about him. We didn't want to say anything until we were sure that he would be a good fit. I have since come to the realization that he is a boy, I knew that all along, but my point is that there is another BOY in our family! I had said that we were going to get a GIRL dog & I didn't even think about that when we were looking & found him. I am considerably outnumbered!

Sunday, we went to Children's Hospital for Family Fun Day. It was in celebration of the new children's hospital that they are going to build. We had such a great time. The hospital did a wonderful job. It was a free event, there was tons of good food, the boys, even James, received brand new bike helmets after participating in a safety course where they visited about 7 different safety stations & answered questions & did hands on activities to earn a certificate for the helmets. The boys got to pick the helmet that they liked & the volunteers then fitted the helmets to their heads for a correct fit. There was a magician, which Joshua absolutely loved, a band, a dunk tank, a moonwalk, etc. The boys got their faces painted like clowns. (pictures to be posted soon) Garrett was there w/his family, as well as Mikayla, her brother A.J & parents. Jeffrey loves A.J. & always plays Power Rangers w/him even though A.J. is Jay's age. A.J. is great w/him. We saw Dr. Sharp, a partner of Jay's dr. & Wade, the technician who does Jay's CT Scans. We went over & said hi & he asked about the scan & we told him that we'd see him in 2 months (Aug 11) for the next one. We also saw Paul ( I can't remember his last name), but he is a physical therapist at the hospital & he was featured on The Children's Miracle Network Telethon this weekend. Apparently alot of people saw him on TV & were telling him about it! He is wonderful w/the kids & was so nice when we met him. He is one of those people that were born to do the job that they do. We stayed all afternoon. We really needed that.

WE HAVE A NEW WALKER!!
On Tuesday night, James decided that he was ready to walk & has been cruising around ever since! It is so cute to watch him teetering around like a drunk! He's very pleased w/himself. As are we.

So far, so good. Jay has his treatment this afternoon & plans are being made for sleepovers w/friends for Jay & Josh for the next couple of nights. Everyone else is doing well. Jeffrey is moving ahead on potty trainging & is thisclose to getting it. He knows right after he's gone & has made the connection that he has to go & made it to the potty in time a couple of times, but not every time yet. We're almost there.

Please continue to keep our friends Connor and Ian http://www.caringbridge.org/nj/ian/ in your prayers. Shawn is going to add Ian's link & a few others to our buddy list this weekend.

Have a great week & we'll update this weekend.

Friday, June 4, 2004 7:12 AM CDT

This week has really flown by. Jacob's fever went down enough so that he could go to school last Tues & Wed & finish the end of the year w/his friends, but when Shawn took him in for his chemo Wed. afternoon, his fever was 100.6! They drew blood for cultures, but it never grew anything & he never had any other symptoms. It was also his Actinomycin week, which means, guarranteed throw up & sure enough he did. His friend, DaVonne was spending the night & fortunately it didn't bother him that Jay went in to throw up! However, he came & laid on the couch & went to sleep, it was about 7:30pm. At 10:30 pm he reached 101.5 & we called the on-call dr. She said to go ahead & give him Tylenol & watch him, since they had drawn blood for cultures earlier in the day & call back if he went any higher. On Thursday he remained at a low grade all day & threw up about 2-3 more times. His friend, DaVonne was here & he played w/Joshua & those two seemed to have a good time. Which was good because they don't normally play together w/out Jacob. On Friday, his fever dropped between normal & low 99, but we still wouldn't let him out to play. He was not a happy camper! Saturday was great!! NO FEVER & has remained fever free. He was so excited that he spent most of the weekend w/friends & we told him that we were going to pack his bags & he could live w/them! He played w/friends & we all went swimming on Saturday, on Sunday he went to a softball game w/his friend Brandon. His dad is a firefighter & was playing in a tournament against the Dallas Cowboys at the Dell Diamond, then he came home grabbed his swimsuit & went to the pool w/them, & returned several hours later to grab dry clothes & spend the night! He came home Monday afternoon, after swimming some more & played the rest of the afternoon w/Kendall & then was at Kendall's house first thing Tuesday morning & played there all day! We all went swimming again Tuesday night. Talk about making up for being inside all week!!

Chemo was rough this week, as he threw up at the very end of it. Last week he tried using a mask to cover his mouth/nose so that he wouldn't smell the alcohol & it worked then, but not Wed. Eventually we'll figure out what works & it'll be the end of his treatment! When we got to the clinic, Spencer 2 1/2 was there. We got to talk w/his mom, Shauna for a few minutes & Spencer played w/Jacob's puppy. Spencer has come a long way from when he was first diagnosed, 6 weeks after Jacob. He absolutely didn't want to leave. When it was time to clamp Spencer's tube, Nurse Jennifer had the little square alcohol wipe, still in the package, but when Jacob saw it, he immediately got up from his chair, in the fish room, & went out into the hallway, which is a bit far away, & would not come back in until Jennifer had left & thrown away the alcohol wipe. That is how sensitive he is becoming to the sight/smell. We truly believe that if he had stayed in there, he would have thrown up.

He and Joshua went over to Garrett's house yesterday & swam all afternoon. Garrett came home w/them & spent the night. We are so thankful that we have such wonderful friends. We know that Jacob's friends are helping him get through this. We are so thankful for their parents s well.

Jacob is going to go to Camp Discovery! He got his acceptance letter & we faxed over another medical exam form yesterday. He is so excited. It is one week of sleep away camp! He & Garrett are hoping to be in the same cabin. It is in the middle of July, so that will be a nice summer break!

We received our yellow "Live Strong" bracelets from the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) on Wed. Nike is raising money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation & is selling yellow bracelets w/Lance's mantra Live Strong engraved in it for a donation of $1. They are available at Nike stores & at www.wearyellow.com If you order online you also get a pack of 10 notecards free. The fundraising campaign will support the LAF's efforts to help young cancer survivors. One of the groups that the LAF has supported, Wonders & Worries,(www.wondersandworries.org) has been a tremendous help to us & other families. They provide play therapy/counseling sessions for the children w/cancer as well as their siblings & the the children who have a parent w/cancer. They also provide fun activities for the families as well. They put on the Ice Cream Social that Joshua went to last weekend & Jay missed, due to fever. They are going to have tickets to a Round Rock Express game this summer, as well as several fun activities for the kids throughout the summer. Jacob wants Shawn to order more bracelets so we can give them away to our friends. He said that he is wearing his because of his friends Garrett, Spencer & connor.

Jeffrey has decided that he is really ready for potty training & has actually reached what I call the frustrating step, which is the one where they know right after they've gone but not quite soon enough. So you're changing them like every hour! He's actually gotten quite good at taking off his pull up or training pants by himself, even when they're loaded! He has gone on the potty alot actually & we're proud of him, but I'm really ready for him to make that connection to go.

James is still taking his time on walking. Although Joshua tells me that he walks for him! We took him in the pool the other day & he wasn't too sure of it at first! He made this face that was funny to us, but you knew that it wasn't funny to him!

I know that I've written a short novel again, but I can't help it. We hope you all have a great weekend & I'll see if Shawn can work our page some more. Wendy

Tuesday, May 25, 2004 7:17 AM CDT

Well, it's the last few days of school & Jacob had to miss yesterday due to a low grade fever! We are beginning to really dislike these low grade fevers. They put you in a limbo kind of state. To start w/we cannot give Jacob anything for it, you just have to watch it & if it reaches 101.5 then you can call the office for one of two options. #1 being give Tylenol & continue to watch the fever. Do not give a 2nd dose until you take the temp. If it has spkied up again to 101.5 then you can call in again.
#2 being you bring him in to the office where they'll do a checkup, give him Rocefin(sp)-an antibiotic, IV fluids for about 2 1/2-3 hrs, & possibly Tylenol if his fever is still up. They'll draw blood for cultures, to see if he has an infection, & also to check his counts. If his counts are low, then he may be admitted to Children's for a minimum of 3 days, the time it takes for the cultures to grow. While at Children's he will have to stay in the room the whole time! If his fever were to reach 104, we call the office & take him straight to Children's for admittance.
If his fever stays below 101.5 you just have to wait. You take his temp every hour to see what it's doing. It is the waiting that drives us crazy. Jacob started runninghis fever on Sunday, several hours before we were supposed to go to an Ice Cream Social for families involved w/Wonders & Worries,so that meant that Jay couldn't go. His fever hovered between 99.2 & 101.3. Steadily going up, but not quite reaching 101.5 He was quite upset that he couldn't go. Fortunately his friend, Kendall, had come over & after talking w/his mom, she let him stay all afternoon. Jacob's fever was surprising for us because he didn't have any other symptoms, just the fever. We kept him home yesterday & he stayed in the low 99's. I talked w/his nurse, Jennifer, & she said just to watch him. If he stayed in the low 99's & was doing fine then we could send him to school today, so we did. Today is their end of school party & we didn't want him to miss it. He absolutely hates having a low grade fever.

We sent Joshua w/his friend, Kyle, to the ice cream party & he had a great time. He went over to Kyle's house afterward & played. Joshua also got to go to his another friend's birthday party. It was the first time that he had been to a skating party & he had a great time. We've also noticed that he is getting taller! He just turned 6 & is a couple of inches shorter than Jay, but his legs are getting longer & he's outgrowing the length on his jeans (size 8)!

Jeffrey & James are doing fine. James is still holding on to things when he walks & has taken a few steps. He's getting two more teeth on top, so that'll make 6 total. Jeffrey is continuing to talk alot & try & keep up w/his brothers. He has also learned how to open the freezer door & takes out popsicles all day long! He is something else!

We are looking forward to school being out. This has been a really long year. The last 6 months have been esp hard on all of us. I know that they are ready for a break from something for a awhile! When school starts in the fall, we will be starting the last 3 months of treatment.

We should be finding out this week if Jay will get to go to Camp Discovery! He's looking forward to that.

Tomorrow is our double chemo day. Please keep Jay in your prayers. Even w/the anti-nausea medication it is still a guarranteed throw up day. Usually in the evening & then the next morning. Jay had been talking about spending the night at his friend's house, but we suggested that his friend come down here instead. That way he can throw up in his own home & then continue playing. I'm beginning to think that you can become de-sensitized/immune to throw up. Much in the same way as changing dirty diapers. Which by the way, I've figured that by the time James is potty trained, I'll have changed diapers for about 9 1/2 years! I actually had a break of about 1 yr between Joshua & Jeffrey! Anyway, last week at Jay's scan appt he threw up 4 times. He had to drink 3- 12 oz. bottles of Powerade w/contrast mixed in it & after all was sid & done, he had thrown up about the equivalent of 1 bottle. Fortunately, there was enough contrast in his system to do the scan, which was clear!

We hope you all have a great week. I'll update before the weekend.

Please continue to pray, not only for us, but for our buddies. We have a couple more to add to our buddy list.
Thanks for signing our guestbook. We read them everyday.

Saturday, May 22, 2004 9:14 AM CDT

!!!!! SCANS ARE CLEAR!!!!

Well We are halfway through treatment. Jacobs scans all showed no signs of Cancer. Wed. was a rough long day Jacob continues to have sensitivity to the smells.

We got a call from Make A Wish and it looks like we will be able to go to Orlando in October for Jacobs birthday. His doctor agreed that it was a good plan. If we stay on schedule with his treatment he will recieve his last chemo on October 20th and we can go to Orlando the following week. In Orlando we will stay at a resort built just for wish kids it is called Give Kids the World.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and words of encouragment

Tuesday, May 18, 2004 7:33 AM CDT

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for signing our guestbook. You all are going to make me cry! God has really blessed us w/so much support from friends, family, & people that we don't even know, but are getting to know! We are especially thankful for the babysitting that is being provided for the little ones while we take Jacob for his chemo every week. It is alot to ask someone to watch 2-3 children every week for at least 4-5 hours. Thank you!

Yesterday was FIeld Day at the boys' school. They were so excited. Joshua has been waiting 2 years for this day (ever since Jay was in Kinder) & he was in heaven! Their school does a terrific field day. Their field day activities were in the morning, but they were still talking non-stop about in the afternoon!

On Saturday we went over to Garrett's house Garrett & the kids played on the playscape & went swimming & we cooked out. It was alot of fun & much needed. Then, Jacob spent the night & Kyle, Garrett's brother, came home w/us & spent the night. He & Joshua had a blast! We are so glad that Joshua has a friend close by that is his age & they get along so well. we didn't trade kids back until about 4pm on Sunday & then Jay went down to his friend Davonne's until about 8:30 pm! Talk about a non-stop weekend. We are so thankful that he is still able to keep up w/his friends. He does have his days though when he is tired, like last week, but that's to be expected.

Speaking of last week, as you know it was No Chemo week & we were looking forward to Jay being at school ALL week! No such luck. He was so tired on Monday morning, that we let him sleep & he didn't get up until 10:30 am. The same thing happened again on Thursday morning. But, the good news is that his body just needed the rest & he didn't run a fever & his energy picked up later in the day. Tomorrow we'll find out what his counts are. Each count WBC (white blood count) HGB (hemoglobin) & PLT (platlets) mean a different course of action if they drop too low. His counts have been dropping, but only a little at a time & not enough to alter our days.

His CT Scan is set for 1 PM tomorrow, Wed the 19th. As soon as we have the results, hopefully Thurs, but more likely on Friday, I'll post the results. I will be glad when this week is over, while 2 weeks off of chemo is a good thing in Jay's eyes, it is a worry to me. That is two weeks that he is not getting medicine to kill the cancer cells, therefore giving it time to come back. I know that I shouldn't worry & that it doesn't help & I can't change what they might or might not find, but I can't help it. I think that alot of cancer parents feel the same way. I'm starting to realize that even when Jay's weekly treatments are over, that our lives will not go back to the way that they were. Our lives have been forever changed by cancer. Tears become ever present. Whether they are tears of joy, or sadness, or anger. Sometimes, when Jay & I are talking, he'll say "You're going to cry aren't you". He's usually right! But he knows when they are happy tears. It's hard not to read other's stories & not cry, again, it can be happy tears, because you know what they're going through & sometimes your heart just breaks for them. Although there are times that I just cannot bear look at anymore & need to log off. He's starting to go to his "buddies" webpages & follow their "buddy" list to others. He especially likes looking at their photo albums & is forever asking Shawn to add more to ours & to work on his webpage! I think it may help him to see other kids w/cancer & know tht he is not alone, & yet, it is a two edged sword. Not everyone is handling it the way he is. He's learning new words, relapse, being the most recent, but we try to be as honest w/him as we can be. We've encouraged his friends & their parents to ask questions if they want. I think it helps us all.

On a funny note, Jeffrey has developed a love for "Flavor-Ice" pops. A great thing is that it is helping him w/his colors, but the child would eat them all day long if I let him! Fortunately they are quite inexpensive. He also has strted telling the "knock, knock" jokes from "The Amanda Show"( I think) on Nick. I.E. Knock, knock, who's there? Goldfish Goldfish who?, I hit you on the head w/a goldfish, psh (hand motion). It's really quite funny, but he's only 2 1/2 so this is what you get when you have 2 older brothers!

Everyone, is doing fine. Shawn is in a meeting w/the new company, CSC (Computer Science Corp). They were contracted by Sears to take over the IT dept & will his new employer. He will still be doing the same thing for Sears & have the same office location, but will report to a new company. Right now, he is finding out our insurance benefits. So far, all they told them (on Friday) is that we would not have to meet our deductible but our biggest concern is the out-of-pocket maximum. We have since reached/exceeded our limit for the year (and it's only May) and are worried that it'll be reset to zero & we'll have to start all over again. It is rather daunting to think of doubling our medical expenses, but God has taken care of us this far, & we know that He will continue. The oncologists' office & Children's Hospital have been great about working out a payment plan. The hospital added James' hernia surgery to Jay's account, so now we only have one bill coming from them instead of several.

The boys are ready for school to be out & are counting down the days. We should be finding out about Jay going to Camp Discovery this summer. It is a sleep away camp for cancer kids. He's looking forward to it & I'll give you more info. later. He & Josh are also going to be able to go to Science Camp for a week next month. It is half a day, Mon-Fri & was offered to Candlelighters (our support group) families for $15 per child instead of the $135 per child tuition! We filled out our registration that night & sent it in first thing the next morning! Space was limitted to 8 kids & the boys were accepted! As were their friends Garrett & Kyle!

I know that this was a long one. My next one won't be as long & of course, when Shawn updates it's even shorter! Thanks for reading. We love you guys & need you in our lives. Thank you, Wendy, Shawn & the 4 J's

Monday, May 10, 2004 2:08 PM CDT

Jacob is very excited about this week-NO CHEMO! & NO visit to the dr.s office! Because his next scan is next week, his body gets a 2 week break from chemo. His counts were great last week, so his dr. said that as long as he was fine, no fever or signs of his counts dropping ie, pale skintone, decreased energy, bruising, or blue/purple lips, he wouldn't have to come in for a visit this week. He gets to go to school EVERY day this week. We've had to put him on anxiety medication & found out last week that he gets anxious about taking the anxiety meds! We were 30 min. late for our visit because we were trying to get him to take his pill. Which is a tiny little pill & he ended up throwing up anyway. Plus, it didn't help that it was his Actinomycin week, which is a guaranteed throw up in the evening & possibly the next day & that is even w/having the anti-nausea meds!
On Thursday we met w/his teacher for the end of the year conference & found out that he is still doing great! He is reading at the middle of third grade level & is doing wonderful in Math-his favorite subject. He still needs to work on his handwriting, but he has always needed to do that, the good thing is that so far, the Vincristine (weekly chemo) doesn't seem to have affected his handwriting that much. Thursday night, he met w/a rep from the Make-A-Wish Foundation for South & Central Texas & he told her that his wish is to go to Walt Disney World for his birthday, October 25th. He will have his last dose of chemo on the 20th & the week of his bday is a no chemo week, the following week will be his last scan (Nov 2). They are going to let us know in a couple of weeks if we will be able to go on those dates. He also requested that Miss Rebecca (our friend & longtime babysitter) be able to go w/us to help w/the little ones! They are looking into that, which would be a blessing!
He spent the night again on Friday w/a friend. We are just so proud of his friends. They have truly rallied around him & been there for him every step of the way.
Sunday was really nice. It was also James' 1st birthday. James is taking steps & we are so excited & ready for him to walk.
Shawn is working on our buddy list. Please visit our friends & sign their guestbook.

We would also like to ask for prayers for Connor. . He is nine & was diagnosed w/Rhabdo in 2001. After completing chemo he relapsed in 2003 & had surgery & another round of chemo. His scans came back last Friday & he has relapsed again. Please pray for his family & his doctor as well.
Please pray for Hunter Jistel, he is a friend of Joshua's who is almost 6 & has broken his leg. He will be in a cast up to his mid thigh for several weeks before being able to get a shorter one. He is wheelchair bound for the time being. This is such a hard time of the year for kids to be inactive. Please pray for his parents, Mike & Sabra & his brother Austin, as well. I'm sure that this is going to be a trying time for them.

One last thing, please give your kids a hug. Be thankful that they are healthy, but know that we are all blessed to have these precious gifts from God.

Ours is a road that is hard, I would not wish this on anyone, yet it is travelled by many. We are more thankful now for everyday that we have.

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 8:37 AM CDT

WE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND


Friday night we attended the Round Rock Relay For Life. this is the primary fundraisng activity for the American Cancer Society. I recommend anyone who has nor participated in one try to attend it is a very moving experience. Jacob really had a good time he and his friend Garrett carried the Banner on the survivors lap. Each survivor carried a baloon and released them in groups based on their length of survivorship. One woman has been a survivor for 57 years. the relay teams had tents setup in the outfield of the Dell Diamond we visited with the youth group from our church down on the Field. Saturday Jacob made his first communion he was very excited .

Monday, April 26, 2004 8:14 AM CDT

Not much to update Jacob has been doing really well his counts have stayed pretty good just inside the normal range and I think his body has gotten used to being at this level. He was able to spend the night with a friend who lives at the end of the street on Friday. Saturday we went to the youth Mass and a pot luck Family night afterwards the boys all had a good time playing games. Jacob won twice in Bingo.

Last Sunday was ministry Sunday at church each of the ministries had a table set up to get volunteers Jacob asked to become an Altar Server after he signed up Joshua wanted to know what he could Sign up for so we sent him to talk to our friend Annmarie who signed him up for a work day where he could help around the church. After church on Saturday he helped clean the windows in the cry room and was very proud of himself so I think he really wanted to sign up for church keepers.


This week should be a busy one for us Thursday Joshua has a Field trip and I (shawn) will be going with him, Friday is relay for life at the Dell Diamond, and Saturday Jacob will be making his first communion he is very excited we gave him a taste of wine yesterday so it wouldn't be a shock on Saturday.

James should be walking anytime now Sunday morning he walked around the hallway holding on to the wall.

Thanks to everyone for your help and Prayers - Shawn

Monday, April 12, 2004 4:17 PM CDT

!!!!Well so much for planning ahead!!!

I (shawn) had a trip scheduled to Chicago last week. We tried to plan and scheduled Jacob's appointment on Tuesday so I could attend. Once we got to the doctor Jacob was running a low grade fever ( 99.5) they took blood for a culture and checked again after his chemo and it had gone up ( 100.2)Tthey had us spend some extra time in the office to see if it would go up anymore after 45 minutes it had gone down a little so they let us go home. By the time I was getting on the airplane Tuesday night it had gone up and Wendy called the doctor they let us give him some Tylenol and said to keep an eye on it. the next day he was still running a fever up and down but not high enough to go in. By Thursday he hit above 101.5 and needed to be seen Wendy spent the afternoon at the doctors office, they gave him IV fluids and Antibiotics. The cultures did not show an infection and his temprature was down by Friday I think he just didn't want dad to be gone.
With Jacob's temprature down we were able to head to Houston for Easter although the weather was bad we had a good visit.

Friday, April 2, 2004 12:37 AM CST

Hi everyone, I don't even know where to begin! I started to update last Thursday & had typed for about 30 minutes & then hit a wrong key & lost everything! By that time Jeffrey & James were up & there was no returning to typing! On Saturday, we went to check on a buddy at his webpage http://www.caringbridge.org/va/maxie/ & found out that he had passed away. That was very hard for me because I had just startd visiting other webpages signing their guestbook & Maxie was one of our first buddies. This has also been one of my greatest fears, the fact that we may lose a buddy. Please pray for Maxie & his family.

Jacob has a couple of other buddies, but I need to find out how to add a buddy list to his page. I did have help on adding a hyperlink & for that, I'm thankful. Yes, that's you EJ! One child, Zachary, has a great name for his page! It's the Cancer Sucks Club! We have come to believe that that is very appropriately named! I'm sorry for those of you that may be offended by that, but until you've been in our shoes... Case in point, last week was Jay's double chemo week. Normally, we can give him the nausea medicine & he's fine, however, not so last week. He was sick first thing on Thursday morning, reminded me of the morning sickness I had w/each pregnancy, & then ran a low grade fever for 2 days. We decided to keep him inside & had to monitor his fever. If it goes up to 100.5 then we have to call the dr., if it gets to 104 or higher then we go immediately to Children's for admission & a 3 day minimum hospital stay, in the room, no going to the playroom or walking around the hallway. So needless to say, Jay was not happy w/me for keeping him in. He loves to be outside or w/his friends. He stayed upset w/me until bedtime! Which was ok, I mean, he wasn't in trouble, he didn't do anything, but he has cancer & you have to be more aware of everything. If it had been one of the other 3, I probably wouldn't have even taken their temperature. Jacob has been so good about all of this. He doesn't ask for anything or special attention, he doesn't complain, he's not demanding, but yet this is our life & you know what? It just plain sucks. But you go on. What other choice do you have.

Happy news: We did go on the family retreat! What a blast. That is a picture of Jacob w/a fish that he caught at the retreat. We were able to ride horses, Joshua's favorite part, go fishing/canoeing, there was archery & a challenge course. The guys, Shawn, Jay, & Josh, got to climb a rock wall & then go down on a zip line. They loved it! There was a Mardi Gras party on Saturday night & a dance & we found out that Jeffrey is the next John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever! He was the first one on the dance floor & started moving his entire body! It was so cute. He was a hit. He would watch the older kids & imitate their dance moves. He actually had a couple of them dancing w/him. Then he decided to pull his "play dead"trick & laid down flat in the middle of the dance floor & did not move. At first they (counselors) just watched him & others were stepping over him, but he did it for so long that the couselors finally bent down to touch him & then he laughed & got up & started dancing again!! We had such a good time & really needed the break away from home.

Current week: Jacob is doing much better. His counts are fine & he did really well after his treatment on Wed. Report cards came out this week & both boys are doing fine & Jay is staying up w/his class. Our week was moving along just fine, Shawn & I were planning on going on a dinner cruise w/our friends on Saturday night & the boys were going to spend the night at a friend's house & we were just cruising through the week & guess what?

James' story: James threw up Wed night, but nothing out of the ordinary, just an upset stomach or he ate too much, no big deal, clean him up & go back to bed. Thurs morning he sleeps in, so ok, his little body needs the rest. About 10 am I go in to get him up & he fusses a little bit, I think "ok buddy, I'm calling the dr. you're not acting right", I go to change his diaper & PANIC sets in. His entire groin/pelvic area is completely swollen. I immediately thought of what happened w/Jacob. I call Shawn & then a friend of ours, because Jacob cannot go w/us to the dr.s office & I'm still just panicked. I called the pediatrician & was told that "it's probably just twisted & take him to Children's ER". Now where have I heard tht before. A friend of ours took Jacob & Jeffrey & we were on our way. After an exam, they did an ultrasound on James & we were told that it looked like an incarcerated hernia. They said that a hernia is fairly common in babies his age. His intestine had slipped through the muscle into his groin area & he had fluid. The ER doctor tried to push it back into place, wasn't able to & called for the surgeon, who happened to be the same one tht has done both of Jacob's surgeries. Thank you, God. We were relieved to see Dr. Horowitz. He also tried to push the intestine back in place w/no luck. Then they gave him Morphine to try & relax him, well that was a joke. It took away the pain, but he then felt great, so he crawled all over the bed & was pulling up to stand! So, Dr. Horowitz came back, tried one more time & ended up having do surgery right away. James did wonderfully. We were a little worried that the dr. would come out & say that it wasn't a hernia, but a tumor, just like when Jay went in, but it was definitely a hernia. He was admitted & we stayed overnight. We were able to come home this afternoon & he is doing really well. It was on his right side, same as Jay's, & they both have matching scars, to which Jacob replied "copycat James"! A hernia we can deal with, another cancer scare I don't know. Actually, I do know. We'd do the same thing thta we are doing now. Relying on God, family & friends. Jacob, Jeffrey, & Joshua (after school) stayed w/our friends all day yesterday unti labout 9pm last night. We are truly grateful. Chances are slim to none that this will happen again w/James, even on the other side. The hospital is becoming second nature to us & we have seen familiar faces. The charge nurse today was the same one that Jacob had w/his first surgery! Anyway, thank you all for your prayers.

One more request, please pray for Shawn's mother, Pat. She has shingles & is in alot of pain. Thanks, Wendy

Wednesday, March 17, 2004 8:48 PM CST

SPRING BREAK IS HERE!!!

Jacob and Joshua are enjoying Spring Break. They are enjoying sleeping in, however Jeffrey and James have no idea what Spring Break is and are still getting up early. Life is still pretty busy around here. Joshua celebrated birthday #6 on March 6th & was very excited that two of his cousins came up for the weekend & the two little ones went to Houston in their place. Thank you to Shawn's sister, Mary. We had a moonwalk in the backyard and invited his class from school & several other friends. We then took him out for family dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, his favorite restaurant. On Sunday, we drove to Houston to trade kids & went to a carnival at Strake Jesuit High Schol & then Granny cooked him another birthday dinner and made a cake. He had a wonderful weekend.
Jacob is doing well. Last week he had a presentation on a famous american & he had chosen Neil Armstrong. He made a poster & then we dressed Jeffrey up in an astronaut costume & he was the "visual aid". The whole class & parents got a kick out of that & Jeffrey thought it was funny. On Saturday, we went over to his friend, Garrett's house. We met Garrett & his family at the Candlelighter's (our cancer support group) Valentine party & later found out that we live about 3 minutes from them. Garrett is 8 yrs. old & was diagnosed w/Rhabo, same cancer as Jacob, in May 2003. The boys have really hit it off & Garrett has another brother that is Joshua's age & a younger sister. Yesterday, we went to Garrett's off treatment party at the clinic. He finished his chemo about two weeks ago. We were able to schedule one of Jacob's treatments on the same day as Garrett's & it ended up being the last treatment for Garrett! Jacob went for his treatment today & has gained 2 pounds! His counts are still holding w/in the normal range, so we're glad about that. As long as his counts are in the normal range, he can still go to school & hang out w/his friends. He spent the night at his best friends house last night & came home this afternoon! His friends have been great. He said that they don't really talk about his cancer, they're too busy playing Playstation or riding bikes. He did say that he should them his port, which was both a surprise and a relief for a us. A surprise because he didn't want anyone to see it in the beginning & a relief because it means that he feels comfortable w/it around his friends. He and Joshua are at the movies w/a friend odf Joshua's from school. Uncle Jeff took them this evening to get "do-rags", even Jeffrey! They looked really cute. Jacob got a black one w/red lightening bolts, Joshua got a camoflauge one (imagine that) & of course Jeffrey got one that matches Uncle Jeff!
Jeffrey is something else. Not only has he decided to repeat everything that is said, but he now tells knock-knock jokes & sings the jingle to Zoo Pals, animal shaped paper plates! He loves Jacob & Joshua, is very protective of James, whom he calls "Neanut instead of Peanut", but he adores his Uncle Jeff. Those two are quite a pair.
James is still trying to walk. He's starting to let go & stand alone for a few seconds. He has two teeth already in & two that are coming in. He is such a sweet baby. It's hard to believe that he is 10 months old already. Speaking of babies, we have another addition to the Faherty family. Not us! The oldest grandchild, Michael & his wife, Amy, have a new baby boy! The first great grandchild for Shawn's mom! He was born last Friday and they are doing great. We also heard that he has red hair! Jacob is very worried that his hair is going to come in curly & red!!
We are planning on going to a family retreat this weekend w/other cancer families. We are looking forward to it. There is going to be horseback riding, canoeing, fishing, arts & crafts & I won't have to cook or clean! There will be nursing staff on hand & a hospital is close by, just in case. It should be a really fun weekend.
We hope you all enjoy your Spring Break & I'll update when we get back. Wendy

Thursday, February 26, 2004 7:44 PM CST

!!!!!!!! SCANS ARE CLEAR !!!!!!!!


Great news Jacobs scans are clear. We had some excitement this week Tuesday night Jacob was playing tag with some friends outside and fell. He busted open his chin. He and I went to the emergency room at children’s Hospital and he received 4 stitches. They were very accommodating as soon as I told them he was under treatment for Cancer they took us straight back to a room. We were still there until 10:00 pm though. Jacob was still able to weasel his way out of school today even though he had no Chemo this week, after arriving at school he went to the nurse complaining that his chin was hurting.

Joshua is getting very excited he delivered the invitations to his upcoming birthday party today. And his tank piñata arrived from birthday express his party should be lots of fun we are having it at home one of our neighbors’ rents moonwalks so we are getting one for the backyard.

The two littlest Js (Jeffrey and James) are doing great Jeffrey is still wild about power rangers and James is pulling up on everything could be walking anytime now.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers with all of your help and prayers Jacob will beat this.

Tuesday, February 24, 2004 9:45 AM CST

Things are looking great around the Faherty home. Jacob did not have to go in to see the doctors at all last week since his counts have been good. Tomorrow is the big day our first scans. Jacob seems a little nervous about it. He really does not like to drink the contrast required for his CT scan. the other boys seem to be over all their illness Jeffrey has finished his second round of antibiotics in a month and Joshua is almost finished.
Jacob has been contacted by the make a wish foundation they spoke to him on the phone to find out his likes and dislikes. They asked him his fovorite color and what type of music he likes. His response was black and he likes rap I have no idea where that came from. we also think they talked about food likes and dislikes because Wendy overheard him say I DO NOT LIKE BROCCOLI " big surprise"

Friday, February 13, 2004 9:08 AM CST

Well we have finished week 9 of Jacobs treatment. great news !! jacob does not have chemo for the next 2 weeks and since his counts have been so good we don't have to see the doctor at all next week unless he gets sick or runs a fever. jacob is scheduled to have a ct scan and chest xray on Feb. 25th. for those of you who have not heard Wendy's mother past away on January 30th. Thank you to everyone who has been there to help us through tis trying time. The boys were able to attend a Valentines party with Candlelighters on Feb 6 and had a wonderful time Jacob was able to make a friend who also has Rhabdo and like jacob loves Pokemon. the first thing they asked each other was "Do you have Pokemon Ruby?" while the boys attended the party wendy and I were able to get some much needed time alone. We went to Pappasitos and had a nice dinner with out kids , although it was only 2 hours alone it was great. Jacob is very excited his Grandmother is coming this weekend to cook for him.

Tuesday, January 27, 2004 10:45 AM CST

Jacob is having a good week thus far. He has now added Sloppy Joes and pickles to his menu. He has eaten that for the last two days! As well as the tacos. Although this past weekend, Shawn cooked up about 5 lbs of ground meat & taco seasoning & we portioned it up & put it in the freezer so he (Shawn) wouldn't have to make anymore 8 pm trips to the grocery store for taco fixings! I think we'll do the same for sloppy joes. He is currently awaiting the arrival of Pat, Shawn's mom, this weekend, as she is going to cook for him. One of our friends has 2 jumping castles & he jumped on that for quite awhile this weekend. He has also started jumping on another friends trampoline. I was really glad to see him doing that since he is very self conscious of his "port" (port-a-cath) & afraid that it will get bumped & hurt. Tomorrow he goes in for his Vincristine. He's been doing really well w/that, but it also means that the cycle starts all over. He gets tired & eats very little until about Sunday & then he does well until Wed. His brothers, on the other hand, are not doing as well. Joshua is now on antibiotics for a sinus infection. Jeffrey & James are taking a cough & cold medicine as well as being on a nebulizer to help their cough & breathing. James is borderline RSV, he hasn't developed the wheezing, but has the bronchial cough, sneezing, & congestion. Jeffrey has the croupy cough, fever & runny nose! And to top it all off, Shawn left this am to go to Chicago for business until Friday & will get home late Friday night! I believe the saying goes that God will not give you more than you can handle. He is defintiely the One who is going to handle the rest of this week! That's about all for now. James is waking up. Take care, Wendy

Friday, January 23, 2004 12:56 AM CST

This week is going great. Jacob has not had any nausea from his chemo. this time they gave him some medication before the Chemo. Still having trouble getting him to eat . He is once again on a taco kick. We now have plenty of taco fixings on hand I just hope he doesn't change to something else. His counts are still looking good ecept his hemoglobin is down a little. the doctor recommended putting him on a vitamin with iron. in the midst of all this Joshua is on the verge of a sinus infection and has been feeling miserable.
Jeffrey is currently into power rangers and decided wendy is the pink ranger. I can't believe we went from watching the wiggles to nothing but power rangers. I guess thats what happens when you have 2 older brothers.
James seems almost ready to walk he is pulling up to everything.

Well thats it for now I will keep updating the journal when I can

Tuesday, January 20, 2004 8:33 PM CST

It s hard to believe we have only been in this 61/2 weeks it seems like an eternity. We are settling into a routine treatments every Wed. Jacob seems to be adjusting well to this routine.Jacob started losing his hair a couple of weeks ago and was getting tired of it falling out and asked to have it all buzzed off it looks like he wont lose all of it but it is pretty thin. I will try to get a picture of him posted soon. He has only had Nausea when he received the Actinomycin which he recieves every third week(tomorrow). so far our biggest hurdle with the side effects has been his appetite. last sunday we could not find anything he would eat and finally at 8:00pm I went to the grocery store to get ground beef and cheese to make tacos which he devoured at 9:00pm. He seems to be hungry but says that nothing tastes good (even butter and jelly sandwiches.) last week we attended our first family night with Candlelighters which is a support group for families and kids with cancer . It was great to meet with other parents who have been in our shoes it just seemed like it was over to soon. Jacob went to the Cub Scouts pinewood derby on Sunday and really had a good time. WE will try to start posting more often to the website so stay tuned
Shawn

Sunday, December 14, 2003 8:22 AM CST

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to give you all an update on Jacob. To back track a little, Jacob was diagnosed w/Rhabdomyosarcoma, Rhabdo for short, last Friday Dec. 5,2003. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a cancer of the bone, soft tissues, or connective tissues. It is the 6th most common cause of childhood cancer, although there are only about 300 new cases each year. This type of cancer can occur anywhere in the body & for Jacob it was in his genital area. We first took Jacob to the after hours clinic & then to children's er thinking that he had a tortia- meaning a twisted testicle, it was during surgery that the dr. discovered a tumor instead of a twisted testicle. The tumor was removed & found to be malignant. We met w/a pediatric oncologist & was told that he would need to have chemotherapy for at least a year. He stayed in the hospital until Sat the 6th & then came home for the weekend. We took him back to Children's Hospital on Tues the 9th & he underwent surgery to put a port-a-cath (central line) in his chest, so that they wouldn't need to put an IV in his hand everytime he went in for his chemo treatments or blood tests, etc,. He also had surgery, on the same day, to remove his right testicle, the tube going down to his testicle (please forgive me,I can't remember the name of it) & the rest of the tissue surrounding the testicle. After examination, the testicle showed cancer cells as well. Snipets of the tissue that was left were tested & came back clear. He also had a bone scan, which is a head to toe xray of every bone in his body & they tested his bone marrow, both tests came back clear. They took him back for surgery at 11:30 am & we didn't see him again until 5:30 pm. He pulled through & is quite a trooper. He started his chemotherapy on Wed. night & we brought him home on Thurs night the 11th. He has chemo every week & will have to receive chemo for 47 weeks. He will have 2 different drugs, but will have one every week & the second one every 3rd week. He will have nine weeks of chemo then 2 weeks off w/the 2nd week being an evaluation week consisting of xrays & blood tests. He will have 4 of these throughout the 47 weeks. He started his chemo on Wed & was sick on Thurs, but started coming around on Friday & today he even went down the street to his friend's house!!We have tried to be as honest w/him as possible, as well as w/Joshua. Although we found out that Joshua went to school, told his friends that Jacob had
surgery & when asked what surgery was, he replied that it's when you cut their head off!! He has quite an imagination! As most of you know! We are planning for Jacob to return to school on Monday. He has recovered really well from the surgery & is walking around, although a little slow. His dr, which now includes a pediatric surgeon, oncologist & urologist, said that he should be able to be at school, swim, go back to playing sports, although we may have to take the spring off, since we're not sure how he is going to react to the chemo, but other than that, he should be the same old Jacob. His friends have been great & seveeral have expressed interest in shaving their heads as well! We have been told that this is a known cancer w/a known treatment & the cure rate is over 90%. His chemo is 2 of the mildest drugs & are specific to his type of cancer. We were also very fortunate that we caught it as soon as we did. Normally the tumor does not present itself the way it did, like a twisted testicle, therefore it was a shock for all involved. Normally the tumor will grow & spread & by the time you notice the swelling & have it examined. The urologist thinks that more than likely blood had gotten to the tumor causing it to swell up to golf ball size & become extremely painful, hence the trip to after hours clinic.

God has truly blessed us by putting so many wonderful, caring people in our life. We are very grateful that you all are praying for Jacob, as well as the rest of us. It is hard being strong in front of the boys, but we have to, for their sake. we know that God will bring us through this & we will be a stronger family w/a stronger faith for it. Jacob & Joshua's teachers & principal are very aware of what's going on in our life & are very supportive. Jacob's teacher, Ms. O'Neil has offered to come to the house, on her own time & help keep Jacob up w/his class. she brought him cards that his class had made & has sent an email w/different friends sending a message & he loved it. We know that there are going to be days that he will
miss school & I'm glad that his class cares about him. We are going to have a Child Life Specialist, from the hospital, come out to his school & talk w/his class, Joshua & Joshua's teacher & several of his friends in different classes & grades about his cancer, his treatment & she can talk to them on their level & answer any questions that they have. Mr. Wells, the principal
was very supportive of that idea & he & Ms. O'neil are working on coordinating that date/time.

I wanted to let everyone know that Shawn & I are very grateful for all of the offers to help us, however we are a bit overwhelmed by it all. I found myself at the store today & could not even think of why I was there! We have a wonderful friend who is coordinating our life right now, so if you could give her a call we would appreciate it. Her name is Jo Hemberger. I'm trying to work on a group email list, but I know that there are addresses that I don't have. I will try & update everyone as things happen. Jacob goes for his next chemo on Wed the 17th, we are going to try keeping it on Wednesdays & see how that works. We are also hoping to make it to church today(it's almost midnight)!

Wendy, Shawn & the 4 J's (Jacob, Joshua, Jeffrey, & James)

Friday, December 12, 2003 11:45 AM CST

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