strong and courageous: mom's away!

Friday, October 24, 2008

mom's away!

We miss her...but we're having fun!

6 comments:

Cyn said...: Now that's a lot of ice cream!! Isaiah's hair has grown back in so nicely and are those grown up teeth in that beautiful smile?; October 24, 2008 at 7:41 PM
Michelle Coder said...: I was glad to see you are feeling better, Isaiah. Sorry I haven't posted recently. I've been super busy with some really boring work related stuff. But I wanted to let you know I'm still praying for you, Isaiah, and your sweet family.

In His Love and Light,

Michelle; October 24, 2008 at 10:48 PM
mollyllilja said...: Ohhhh boy lots of sugar in that picture!!!! The mom in me says...ummmmm really?! You know I am kidding (mostly)!!! Have a super time with those two BEAUTIFUL kids, wow, so darling.

Love,
Molly; October 24, 2008 at 11:09 PM
Auntie Angie said...: Hey Sienna and Isaiah! Oh my GOSH...that ice cream looks great. Looks like you guys had a good time while mom was away...wait till she hears about that! I miss you both, I will send a picture of Ethan in his halloween costume. Guess what? The other day we went to the Border's halloween party, and Santana entered the costume contest. HE WON! He was a Trooper guy from Star Wars...the guys in white with the big helmets. Yeah I know....right about now Isaiah is probably shaking his head at me because I never know the names of all the guys in Star Wars. Don't laugh at me!
Love you guys! Auntie Angie; October 26, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Anonymous said...: Good to see you guys this past Saturday. I am so glad that you all seem to be doing so well, that is a great example to me! Thanks for being a faithful, godly family! God Bless - Scott Ritter; October 30, 2008 at 10:42 AM
little peeps said...: Could you call me next time your mom is away because I REALLY love HUGE scoops of ice cream! I want some right now!; October 30, 2008 at 12:48 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