strong and courageous: thursday

Thursday, July 5, 2007

thursday

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

7 comments:

Tami said...: Wow... a room with a view! :0) We prayed a lot for you Thursday, Isaiah. We prayed that your experience would be much more positive than last week. You look GREAT and we're so glad that you had a buddy to help you through the day. Jacob, Kaitlyn an Sophia are spending the weekend up here this weekend. As a matter of fact, the boys are ALREADY awake!! UGH... pretty early, huh? Anyhow, we will have some great "team prayer" for you this weekend. We all love ya' big guy!!

Hugs,

Jason, Tami, Lucas, Colby, Caleb, Kaitlyn, Jacob and Sophia; July 6, 2007 at 6:23 AM
Niamh McCreary said...: We prayed hard for you on Thursday Isaiah. I hope you felt them and your Mum, Dad and Sister too!! You looked sooooooooo cool in your Star Wars outfit on Wednesday!! I hope you enjoyed the fireworks as much as we did!; July 6, 2007 at 9:03 AM
Unknown said...: Our thoughts and prayers are with you all for a wonderful weekend. We were so happy to see you and Sienna doing sparklers on the 4th!

big hugs,
Cara, Patrick and Jae; July 6, 2007 at 3:56 PM
Franks Family said...: Hello all! Barry, Christian and I just wanted to say hi and let you know we continue to pray and think of you all. This month Joshua Chapter 1 has been a reoccuring theme in many ways. Just last week while I was on vacation, my nephew Michael, who is in remission (healed) from a rare kidney disease, reminded me of his favorite verse in the Bible and it was also Joshua 1:9! This Sunday I will be preaching on this verse and theme and reminding the children of God's strength in us and his constant presence in our lives no matter what we go through. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 and 2 Corinthians 4 have also been encouraging verses for my family lately, I hope you will be encouraged too! God bless you all and please tell Isaiah that we are praying for him here in Sutter Creek!
Love you,
Darlene; July 6, 2007 at 10:23 PM
Michelle Coder said...: I'm praying and praying for you, Isaiah...especially during your doctor's visits. Sounds like your experience was a better one this week. You look great in your pixs! I hope you had a fun 4th of July.

Hugs and Kisses,

Michelle; July 6, 2007 at 11:05 PM
Kathy said...: Hello Oates family,
We've been out of town but not out of prayer. I was so anxious to check Isaiah's site first internet chance. Good news then not so good but no doubt... God is faithful. Funny how Joshua 1:9 is the ringing voice in our ears. We pray for a daily supply of strength and courage. Feel the Lord's hand in yours today.
Bill and Kathy; July 7, 2007 at 9:26 AM
rewind photography said...: hey superman, i have been praying for you a lot this past week. you look alot better. i miss you a lot at church. lots of love. rebekah andrews; July 7, 2007 at 11:56 AM

Post a Comment

update on isaiah's progress

We're received quite a few questions recently about Isaiah's treatment. Here's a quick update:

Is he in remission?

Yes. He's officially been in remission since the 17th day after diagnosis, early June 2007.

Is he still on chemo?

Yes.

Mercaptopurin (chemo) daily, orally, with a 3 hour fast.

Methotrexate (chemo) weekly, orally.

Bactrim (antibiotic) daily, orally.

Dexamethasone (steroid) every 8 weeks, orally.

Vincristine (chemo) every 2 weeks, intraveinously.

Methotrexate (chemo) every 12 weeks, in the spinal fluid with a "spinal tap".

Currently he is at the clinic at Sutter Memorial every two weeks for a blood check, etc.

When's he done with treatment?

The protocol for boys with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia is 36 months beginning after the initial 60 day treatment. We anticipate he'll be done with chemo at the end of July 2010.

Merry Christmas Friends!

Thank you to all of you who have sent us pictures and updates! It's great to see your faces once again. We've not been able to put something together this year (yet!), so here's a quick update for those who visit us here:

Carmen: doing a great job teaching our kids at home this year, running, hiked Half Dome, lovingly and consistently caring for all of us (and lots of others).

Sienna: super-creative and always nurturing, loves studying at home, played soccer, raised chickens and looking forward to horse-riding lessons in '09. See pictures of her 8th birthday here.

Isaiah: 08 highlights include playing t-ball, learning to swim, riding his bike, a trip to Disneyland, trip to Alabama, and lots of playing.

Nathan: ran a 25K trail run at Stinson Beach, loved our family vacation in San Diego, and is so grateful for our staff, church community, and the ongoing adventure of leading/serving Emmaus. Nate blogs very infrequently here; you can access his pod/vodcasts here.

2008!

There are many ways you can continue to pray for Isaiah. He has some exciting goals ahead in 2008!
Here is the list:

1)Get Strong! He does physical therapy at home 3-5 times per week and at the office 2 times per month.
2)Play Ball! He is working hard to get ready for T-Ball season. Pray he will play and that his compression fractures will heal.
3)Learn at Home! He is working on Kindergarten school work at home. Many factors make school work a challenge. Pray for a healthy brain and a desire to learn.

even more thank yous to...

the students of Amber Bobst's 2nd grade class from Eastside Christian School in Belleview, WA for the cards
all those who have contributed to our gas and groceries fund...you're keeping us going!
all the Emmaus families who have brought dinner to us in recent weeks
the Harrington family for the picnic package
Anne for the book and CD
The Hoke family for the birthday bird
Goebel, Linville, Nutti, and Ferrara families for the great gift certificate
Doris for the pint of ice cream
Emmaus for being the Church and supporting us in countless ways...for the gifts for Isaiah and Sienna...we're so thankful to be sharing life and discovering Jesus with you.
Betsy for the care package for the kids
Diane for the one-prize-a-day gift
Glenda for the beautiful superman quilt
Mrs. Liden for the SuperIsaiah cape and blanket
The Keaton Raphael Memorial Fund
everyone who is praying
friends and family for the financial support
Shirli and the Needle Arts Group for the blankets and hats
Susanna for the cleaning supplies
Susan, Laura, Sandie for nutritional help
Bob and Elaine for the motorhome
The Arena for the Batman blanket
Anne for the quilt
The Arena and The Ridge for supporting Carmen
Sunrise Church for the prayer quilt
Ms. Della Roca's 4th graders at St. Mary's for the beautiful cards
Josh and Lisa for the superman blanket