strong and courageous: Does a ship really float?

Monday, August 13, 2007

Does a ship really float?

Hi everyone! We know it has been a long weekend without an update. We apologize for the delay and hope you were not worried. Isaiah is very well! We appreciate every post and all the support and prayers for our family. Nathan and Sienna traveled to Minnesota for a special wedding: Levi Oates, Isaiah's uncle, got married yesterday! Isaiah and Carmen traveled to San Jose to visit Isaiah's new cousin Ethan Wong! Isaiah titled this post and would like to be the author of this post, so get ready to hear from him.....

"We went to see baby Ethan for the second time and it was really fun. I forgot what he looked like so I wanted to see him again. I spent the night at Auntie Angie's house and I tried throwing a stick up in the tree for like two minutes [really 20 minutes] and I finally got it in. Then I wanted to get it out. I had a second birthday that was kind of "Carsish, Chicken Littleish" because the table cloth was Cars but the pinata was Chicken Little with a tiny bit of blue on the bottom. I broke the pinata open. I was really happy. Baby Ethan was very cute. Sometimes he had really happy times and sometimes he fell asleep. He mostly falls asleep and mostly wakes up and then goes right back to sleep. Thank you to my tia Gloria, Lucila, Cristina, Grandma, Aunties and cousins for my second birthday. I was really happy. Then I finished my trip and came home."- Isaiah

Isaiah had a great weekend just hanging out and being a 5 year old boy (sword fighting, eating cake, laughing, arguing about bathtime with mom, reviewing Star Wars trivia and begging to watch just one more cartoon). Tomorrow we go back to the Dr. for a bloodcount check and physical exam. He continues to take chemotherapy by mouth daily. Today we begin week three of "Interim Maintenance" the third stage of Leukemia treatment. It is followed by "Delayed Intensification" which will begin sometime in September. Thank you for praying for his healing and strength.

The last thing he said to me Sunday night was, "Mom, sometimes when I pray and have no one's hand to hold I hold God's hand."

6 comments:

Unknown said...: It is wonderful to hear that your family had such
a great weekend (even though you were apart!) I hope you enjoyed Minnesota and got to see a little bit of that beautiful state!

Our thoughts and prayers are with you for a successful appointment tomorrow!

hugs,
Cara, Patrick and Jae; August 13, 2007 at 7:22 PM
rewind photography said...: hey super man, i am happy your family had fun. i am happy you had fun in minnesota. have a good week. love and pray rebekah andrews; August 13, 2007 at 8:14 PM
Anonymous said...: Praise God for a time to be together and to enjoy some time to relax. Isaiah, I loved the story that you shared. You always make me smile. Your cousin is very cute....just like you!!!! We will pray for a great appt. tomorrow. Keep holding God's hand tightly. We send love and hugs from San Diego. XXX; August 13, 2007 at 8:51 PM
Michelle Coder said...: It's good to hear about you guys again! I love your blog Isaiah. How lucky are you, Isaiah, to have so many cousins to play with! I'm glad you had a lot of fun.

You know what! I hold God's hand too. God's hand feels very strong and warm and safe and is always there whenever I need to hold it. I'm so happy you know how much God loves you, Isaiah.

We prayed for you and your family in our prayer chain circle tonight and continue to pray each day for your continued healing. I'll pray a lot for you tomorrow while you are at the doctors getting your blood count.

I love you Isaiah. Give your mom, dad and sis a big hug from me.

Michelle; August 13, 2007 at 11:30 PM
Nana and Grandpa said...: Dear Carmen, Nathan, Sienna and Isaiah,

We LOVED seeing your photos. I wonder if Isaiah knows how wise God has made him. You two have done such an inspiring job of teaching your children how to rely on Him. Our positive thoughts and prayers continue to be with you. Kathy and Don; August 15, 2007 at 4:14 PM
Tami said...: Isaiah,

I'm thinking you might have a career in journalism! :0) GOOD WRITING BUDDY!!! Well, the boys are BEGGING to come play Star Wars, but Lucas was the last one to catch this nasty cold, and he's the last one hangin' on to it. He should be much better real soon and we'll play, okay? I LOVE what you said about holding on to God's hand when there's no other hand to hold onto. You know why? God's hand is the BIGGEST and STRONGEST hand to hold onto, and there's no other better comfort than that! Even as an adult, there are lots of times that I need His hand to hold onto. You will experience that when you're an adult too and life will be much easier because you will already know what to do!! :0) So... not only are you strong and courageous, but you are a very WISE young man too! Hope to see you soon big guy...

Love,

Tami; August 15, 2007 at 5:10 PM

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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