beach

We had a great week with our extended family at the beach. Isaiah seemed stronger and happier than he has since his diagnosis. We are so grateful we were able to go.

At today's doctor's appointment we learned that Isaiah's ANC has dropped to 300...so we're back to being super careful about exposure. He also received Vincristine which typically affects his ability to walk for several days. Thanks for your continued support!

ANC:600

While his ANC was borderline (anything below 500 is considered neutrapenic), Isaiah’s lead physician, Dr. Yim, cautiously encouraged us to go ahead with our beach plans. In his distinct accent he said, “Go, have life.”

Amen.

So we’re here at the beach where we plan to try to relax, enjoy our time as a family, and check Isaiah’s temperature often.

After his shower this evening I asked Isaiah if he had been worried that we might have to stay home. His response was remarkable. And I share it more because of what I believe it reveals about God than about Isaiah. He said, “With my eyes I didn’t think I’d be able to go. But in my heart I knew that I would.” I asked him, “How did you know that?” He replied, as a simple matter of fact, “God told me.”

It's in times like these that I'm grateful for a God who comforts and speaks to children.

Have a great week. Thank you for praying for our son.

lotus

Our friends Ken and Nancie gave us their Lotus (our kids call it simply "the race car") for the afternoon. They've been wanting to do something fun for Isaiah.

So we spent about 4 hours racing around in the sun, criss-crossing Placer (and Sutter - there's some really straight roads out there) Counties. What a blast. Both the kids loved it. Isaiah was cracking me up - whenever we hit a smooth, striaght piece of road, he'd shout, "Dad! Do a hundred! Do a hundred!"

We're off to the clinic tomorrow (Monday) for a quick blood draw. We're really hoping for an ANC of 1000 so we can join our family for a few days at the beach. We could really use the break. Thanks for praying. We'll keep you posted!

pretty easy

Today's trip to the hospital was easy compared to the last few. No chemo today. No fasting. Just a blood draw to check counts. We were in and out in 90 minutes compared to the usual day-long experience. Still, Carmen and I have been remarking about just how tired we feel on days when we go to the hospital. I guess it's all the decisions and "what if's" and questions for the doctors and seeing the kids in the hall who are going through this. We just come home wiped out.

His blood counts were down quite a bit from last week. We're hoping to get away next week with our extended family for our annual beach trip. It would do us all some good. Would you please pray that Isaiah's counts remain high enough on Monday for us to be able to go? Thank you all!

last fast (for a while)

Isaiah was strong at today's doctor's appointment. His appetite is mostly gone with this new chemo he's receiving so the fasting was a bit easier as well.

For the next three weeks we're scheduled for simple check-ups and chemo therapy through his port. This means no more spinal taps and fasting for a while.

Thank you for standing and praying with us today.

learning...and teaching me

As I put Isaiah to bed the other night I asked him what he was learning. He thought for a minute and then said, rather apologetically, that he hadn't really learned anything since we left the hospital. I had to smile at that.

So I asked him what he learned in the hospital. I listened to his reply, then I kissed him and wrote this down. Here's what he said:

• Even when you think you're alone, you're not alone.


• Even when you think can't be strong and brave, you can be because God is always with you.


• Sometimes the doctors give you medicine but they don't know if it will hurt you or not - if it will make you hurt more or if it will give you hives or if it will make you throw up - but God knows.

Isaiah had a hard day today. As we worked through taking his medicines tonight he said,

• There are lots of people who aren't hurting. But there are lots of people who are.

We're fasting tomorrow (Thursday) in preparation for another spinal tap and chemo treatment. Please pray for us. We've got a couple of key issues we need to discuss with the doctors. Thank you!

The 4th and beyond...

Isaiah celebrated the 4th of July with his cousins from San Jose and all our 5th St. neighbors.

On the 5th he had another spinal tap with chemo. Thursday and Friday were very difficult days. He was in a lot of pain and wouldn't move. We're not sure if this was a reaction to Thursday's chemo or pain associated with two compression fractures which were just discovered in his spine (a side-affect of the steroid treatment he received during the first 30 days).

Please pray for his back to heal, for the pain to subside, and for strength and courage for this Thursday's fasting, spinal tap, and chemo. Thank you!

thursday

Isaiah was back today for his weekly spinal tap and chemo therapy. His friend Jacob kept him company.

thursday

feeling better

Thanks for your notes and messages. Isaiah is feeling a little better since the weekend and is looking forward to playing with sparklers tomorrow night.


We watched the original Star Wars with the kids for the first time the other night. It's been so fun watching him become captivated by the story much like I was at his age almost thirty years ago. So for the last 48 hours from the moment he wakes up we've been fielding non-stop questions about why Anakin turned bad and why the sandpeople don't talk and why Darth Vader has one color light saber and ObiWan has another and how did Han Solo and Chewbacca become friends... and on... and on...