strong and courageous: growing stronger

Friday, November 30, 2007

growing stronger

One of our favorite trees in Lincoln. 11/25/07

5 comments:

castagnolifamily said...: Wow- that is an awesome tree. I bet only a JEDI knows how to get on that tree. We are praying for you.

Go Isaiah Go!!!!!

Vanessa and Craig; November 30, 2007 at 5:58 PM
Michelle Coder said...: What a GREAT old oak! I wonder how old that tree is? How did you get up there Isaiah?

I continue to pray for your increasing strength and healing!

Love and Light,

Michelle; December 1, 2007 at 10:22 PM
Anonymous said...: Isaiah - you look so small in that big ole tree. But you aren't small, your the biggest bravest young boy that I know. Prayers continue in the Sutter Creek area. Keep up the good work. Only you and Jesus know how to prevent leukemia. Love you lots

Roxanne; December 2, 2007 at 8:51 AM
Rebecca Unfried said...: Isaiah, I love to see all the pictures of you - what an amazing tree. And your happy face is such a blessing. God is working in you as well as all of us through this trial. I just want to let you know that we love you so much and pray for your continued healing and strength and joy and hope.
Love you,
Rebecca; December 2, 2007 at 10:51 AM
Anonymous said...: Dear Ones,
I have been struggling getting on the site, but someone said I try being anonymous. So....I just want you to know how much we continue to pray and think of all of you. In this season of God's most loving gift of His Son, we pray for the gift of healing for our dearest Isaiah and that your hearts are full of peace and filled with the joy of holding one another close. We send all of our love and MANY hugs from San Diego. XXXAnne and family; December 2, 2007 at 9:41 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