strong and courageous: silly boys

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

silly boys

Friends, thanks for checking in on Isaiah's blog. It's always so encouraging to hear who is sticking with us!

Isaiah had a quick appointment today. The good news: His back is stable. There are no new fractures and the existing ones have not further deteriorated. Good news indeed. The not-so-good news: His ANC has dropped from 2900 two weeks ago to 300, probably due to a slight increase in one of his chemotherapy drugs. So we're nutrapenic which means lots of hand-washing and very limited contact. Please pray that he'll bounce back quickly and stay healthy!

Dancing at Sadie's wedding

9 comments:

Rebecca Unfried said...: So good to hear about Isaiah's back!! We will just be continuing in prayer for further healing and for the ANC to come back up. We love you Isaiah!!; September 24, 2008 at 9:35 PM
Anonymous said...: Thanks for the updates... We will keep praying! Your faith in the midst of difficulty is truly inspiring!; September 24, 2008 at 11:00 PM
mollyllilja said...: Isaiah! We are so glad that your back is doing well. We will continue to pray that it recovers and doesn't bother you. Now for those counts... we will pray for those too. And congrats to Sadie! Wow, I think everyone is married now?! Have a good day.
Love the Liljas; September 25, 2008 at 9:07 AM
Anonymous said...: Glad to hear that he is doing well despite some bad news - it is encouraging to see how you are all still staying strong and courageous - keep up the great work! God Bless - Scott Ritter; September 25, 2008 at 10:40 AM
Anonymous said...: Penny said
Isaiah it's great news about your back. You are still in my prayers and I will continue to pray that your counts improve. I have your blog on my homepage so I see your smiles every morning!; September 25, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Cyn said...: Great news about the back. I will continue to keep you all in my thoughts.
It's amazing to see pictures of him. The life and joy in that boy is incredible!; September 25, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Jaime said...: Hey Guys,

we continue to check up on Isaiah and keep praying for him. Thanks for keeping us up with what has been happening.; September 25, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Anonymous said...: Isaiah you look so good. What a blessing to see you staying strong and fighting a good fight.; September 26, 2008 at 3:03 PM
Anonymous said...: Isaiah, I sure know what it's like to wash hands all the time. I've been working at a medical clinic so I wash my hands like every hour! Can't wait to see you back at church. We're praying you'll be out and dancing around soon.
The Christensens; September 28, 2008 at 5:41 PM

Post a Comment

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