strong and courageous: home

Thursday, October 18, 2007

home

We're all home and everyone is asleep. It feels good to be all together. Isaiah's counts are very low but he's feeling good. It sounds like they'll postpone his next round of chemo and scheduled hospital stay until at least Thursday. More soon...

9 comments:

www.sixhennings.com said...: It makes my heart happy knowing you are home. I love you so much!
Angela; October 19, 2007 at 7:08 AM
Anonymous said...: I am glad to hear that you are all back at home, that must be a relief. Thanks for keeping us updated. May God continue to bless you all in this rough journey. Scott Ritter; October 19, 2007 at 9:53 AM
Megan Webb said...: I continue to pray. May the peace and grace of Jesus Christ be with you.; October 19, 2007 at 10:17 PM
Michelle Coder said...: I've been praying throughout the day(s)and am glad you're all home and able to relax. Thanks you for keeping us posted so we can pray specifically (:

Love Michelle; October 19, 2007 at 11:57 PM
Victoria said...: Hang in there - I am so amazed at Isaiah's strength and courage - keep breathing, slow and steady. Blessings to all,
Vicki; October 20, 2007 at 12:33 PM
Unknown said...: Welcome to the comfort of your own home...it is good to have you back! We appreciate your time and effort in keeping us posted.

hugs and blessings,
Cara, Patrick and Jae; October 20, 2007 at 6:57 PM
Aunt Millie said...: Hello Isaiah,
I read every one of your Daddy's posts. You are so lucky to have such a wonderful Daddy but then he is lucky too to have such a handsome, courageous little son. God is surely looking over you and I pray that He will make you healthy and strong real soon.; October 20, 2007 at 9:48 PM
Annelies said...: Strong and courageous......yes you all are. I hold you so close to my heart and pray for you always. I hope the week ahead is a better one and kisses to Isaiah who always amazes me with his wisdom. Know that we never stop walking beside you and if there is anything more that we can do you only need to let us know. Hugs from San Diego; October 20, 2007 at 10:12 PM
Anonymous said...: We send our love to you. Thank you so much for your blog. It is such an encouragement to Don & I.We lift you up in prayer as God brings you to our mind.
Love Don & LaDona
(Dustin's Mom & Dad); October 21, 2007 at 8:48 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