strong and courageous: no more curls

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

no more curls

People have always said we have the same hair.

Tomorrow (Thursday) we go in for a scheduled hospital stay. We'll be fasting, spinal tapping, etc. etc. unless, of course, his blood counts are too low to move forward. Much peace to you all. We'll keep you posted.

Jacob demonstrated strong support for his friend Isaiah.

9 comments:

www.sixhennings.com said...: Wow Isaiah-I think you look even tougher! I love you and am as always proud of your super strength!
Love,
Your very proud godmother; October 24, 2007 at 6:19 PM
Amber said...: How sweet! Isaiah, you have a pretty awesome family and support system! You are in our prayers, especially this weekend. Keep up your strength and know that God is right beside you!
Love,
Amber Bobst and her 2nd grade class; October 24, 2007 at 7:24 PM
Anonymous said...: U DA MEN!; October 24, 2007 at 8:57 PM
mollyllilja said...: You look great Isaiah! You look like you are feeling pretty good too! I hope so! We are praying for you.
Love,
the Liljas; October 24, 2007 at 9:11 PM
Taria M. said...: I'm so proud of you, Isaiah! I especially like your new hair cut. :) Stay strong... know that God is beside you and so many people are praying for you! With lots of love and hugs,

Taria; October 25, 2007 at 6:23 AM
Tami said...: Isaiah,

We are praying for you during this hospital stay. We're praying that your body is the strongest it can be and that you are able to be as BRAVE as you always are!
I have to say... your smile is even brighter now with that new "do" you have! You also look even more like your daddy... how cool is that? :0)

We love you all,

Tami; October 25, 2007 at 12:42 PM
Niamh McCreary said...: Wow what coooool dudes...and so super strong too :) Hope your hospital stay is peaceful and pain free.

Love

The McCrearys; October 25, 2007 at 1:21 PM
Sandie Haskins said...: Hi Isaiah,

You and your dad look so cool with your new look! I was thinkin' that it is very Mace Windu-ish!
I just got costumes for Kendrick and Kyler. Kendrick is going to be an alien named Commander Cram and Kyler is going to be a space invader named Blufinity!
We love you and are praying for you all as you stay in the hospital. Give our love to Hazel and Millie, the hospital dogs, if you see them!

Love,
Sandie- TGK's mom; October 25, 2007 at 1:57 PM
Alaina said...: Isaiah - I think that is just about the greatest picture i have ever seen! You guys look great!!! Hugs to you and your whole family! I am praying!!!; October 25, 2007 at 2:45 PM

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