strong and courageous: waiting...

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

waiting...

Isaiah's temperature is back to normal but his counts are still very low. We're still at Sutter and may be for a few days. We'll keep you posted. Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers.

10 comments:

little peeps said...: Isaiah, we are praying for rest, strength and hope for you and your family today. Josiah wishes he could come visit you like you visited him at the hospital. We love you sweet boy!
love aunt kait, uncle mike, B, maicee & baby josiah; October 17, 2007 at 6:03 PM
Cara said...: Hey, Isaiah, this is the Bolton Family AKA Your dad's "cheering section" at church...
We're always looking on here to see if you are doing better...We're so glad that you are. We're praying that your blood count goes back up to what it should be...

P.S. I guess Luke isn't the last Jedi after all!!! (lol); October 17, 2007 at 6:43 PM
Niamh McCreary said...: Isaiah,

We're all praying for healing for you and continued strength for you all. Cormac misses you and says to tell you to come home soon so you can play together because there are lots of big puddles.
Love
The McCrearys; October 17, 2007 at 7:16 PM
Unknown said...: Isaiah,
Glad to hear your fever is down...now for the counts to go up, up, up! We look forward to you and your family coming home soon!
Carmen and Nate, if there is anything you need, let us know...
hugs,
Cara, Patrick and Jae; October 17, 2007 at 7:46 PM
Amber said...: Isaiah,

I am praying for peace and rest during this time. I hope you feel better soon! Keep up being strong and courageous...you are an amazing boy!

Amber; October 17, 2007 at 9:16 PM
Josh Unfried said...: Isaiah, God is making you stronger and stronger every day. We pray for His peace to surround you and His arms to hold and comfort you. We love you so much and continue to pray for you everyday. What a blessing you are to us.
Aaron says HI :)
Love,
The Unfried's; October 17, 2007 at 9:32 PM
Michelle Coder said...: Hi Isaiah,

I've been praying for you, Isaiah. The prayer line at church has also been praying hard! I am so glad to hear your fever is down.

Even though the hospital is no fun I'm glad you are being well taken care of and that your family can stay there with you. I am praying your counts will go up and you will be home soon.

I read about you holding so still and being so brave in the MRI machine. WOW! Your courage helps me to chose to be courageous and look to God each day for comfort and support.

I know for sure God is holding you and your family in his arms.

Much love to you, sweet boy!

Michelle; October 17, 2007 at 11:15 PM
Anonymous said...: Much love and prayers to you all from San Diego -- I am so inspired and encouraged by Isaiah's bravery and the courage ALL of you have showed us through this fight! Love,
The Linville Family; October 18, 2007 at 6:12 AM
Jennifer said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; October 18, 2007 at 4:45 PM
Jennifer said...: Peace to you little Jedi.
The Ferraras are thinking of you all.; October 18, 2007 at 4:47 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