strong and courageous: little drummer boy

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

little drummer boy

We continue to be encouraged by and grateful for Isaiah's over-comer attitude. He's so hopeful, appreciative and expressive of his love for his mom, sister and me. Lately, we've found him talking on the phone to various cousins, aunts/uncles, or grandparents. He's our independent one - helping himself to food in the fridge, calling family members just to say, "How's it goin?"

We also continue to count on your prayers. Please pray for healing for Isaiah. Please pray for wisdom for his parents.

Much peace,

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: I am still hopeful that Isaiah can play baseball in the summer, that was such a great time for me when I was his age! I am glad that things are going well, keep fighting! I sent Josh Hermsmeier a link to the blog since I thought he might like to see Isaiah at the drums! Thanks - Scott Ritter; January 23, 2008 at 1:05 PM
Michelle Coder said...: Isaiah, you it appears you like playing the drums. Drum rhythms are fun!

We continue to pray for your healing and for peace, wisdom and joy for your dear family.

Love, Michelle; January 23, 2008 at 10:17 PM
Tami said...: We are also lifting you all up in prayer... CONTINUOUSLY! Isaiah, Lucas specifically prays SEVERAL times a day that you will be able to play some baseball. He knows just how important that is. :0) Keep drummin'... and keep being that sweet boy that brings such big smiles to our faces and hearts. ~

Love,

Tami; January 24, 2008 at 7:04 AM
Emily said...: Isaiah's Family,

My name is Emily. My son Grant was diagnosed with T-Cell ALL on April 26th of last year. We live in North Carolina and Grant is being treated at UNC Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill. We came upon your page a couple of months ago while we were looking on the internet for more info on leukemia. We check in often.

We are sorry to hear about Isaiah's fractures. We hope that he feels a lot better soon.

Grant loves Star Wars and Superman too! We call him SuperGrant! You can visit his page at www.grantnelson.blogspot.com.

It is really a small world. I actually have family in Bellevue, WA and Mercer Island. My Uncle Ralph owned Hancock Carpets and lived in Bellevue with his family for many years. My cousins run the business now.

We will continue to pray for your family and for Isaiah to be healed.

Emily Nelson; January 27, 2008 at 6:51 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