strong and courageous: thank you for praying

Thursday, April 3, 2008

thank you for praying

Isaiah is feeling much better and was excited to play tonight. Thanks for cheering him on!

9 comments:

Mike Beidler said...: Nice action shots, Nate!; April 3, 2008 at 11:20 PM
Jaime said...: Great Pics. We have been praying for Isaiah and I am glad he was able to play.

BTW, the Dodgers have always been my favorite team.; April 4, 2008 at 8:58 AM
sarah hornacek said...: such great action shots of the little t-ball star! way to go, isaiah! we are so glad you are feeling better. we would love to have you and your family over next week for dinner! what do you think? sound like fun?; April 5, 2008 at 8:57 AM
Anonymous said...: Hey Isaiah and Nathan, it was great to see you both on the float!
When you read this can you email me??? Thanks motherof7@hughes.net
I have a fun proposal for you from a photographer friend of mine.
In HIm, Martha A; April 5, 2008 at 7:09 PM
Jennifer said...: You rock our world; we get so much strength and courage from all of you.; April 5, 2008 at 9:53 PM
Anonymous said...: I see a potential ALL star in this picture!!!! You go Isaiah.....our whole team is cheering you on with lots of love and prayer!!!! XXXAnne Dease and family; April 6, 2008 at 10:04 AM
Anonymous said...: My thoughts and prayers are with your family daily. I am in awe of your strength and grace in this difficult time.

Christine Johnson
Emmaus Member; April 6, 2008 at 8:51 PM
Franks Family said...: Hi Isaiah! Christian, Barry, and I just wanted to say that we are so proud of you and we admire your strength and courage to keep on moving forward even when you don't feel good. How did it feel to hit a homerun? Wow!!! And all those catches too!!! Great job! :) We are praying for you and we love you. Tell mom, dad and Sienna that we pray for them too. Thanks for being soooooo strong and courageous! Love, Dar; April 7, 2008 at 9:37 PM
Michelle Coder said...: Nice sports shots! It's exciting to see you play baseball, Isaiah. Looks like you really mix it up! We are praying for you and your sweet family this baseball Spring.

Love Michelle; April 7, 2008 at 11:45 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