strong and courageous: Isaiah's Announcement

Monday, March 30, 2009

Isaiah's Announcement

Isaiah made a big announcement at church on Sunday. He used a side mic, so the lighting is poor and he's barely in the frame...but we think you'll enjoy it anyway...

(The edge of the film is cut off - try clicking on the "full screen" option).

9 comments:

Anonymous said...: That is great! What a cool way to announce it, congratulations! Scott Ritter; April 6, 2009 at 9:54 AM
Unknown said...: Congratulations Oates Fam! What a blessing. Very fun how Isaiah broke the news! We love you, thank you for sharing the Joy with us ; )

Lisa Lebo; April 6, 2009 at 3:32 PM
mollyllilja said...: YIPPPEEEE I am crying and cheering too!!!! You know how happy I am for all of you! I am so so so happy. WHat a wonderful blessing.

Love,
Molly; April 7, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Jennifer said...: Great news indeed!
Enjoy the anticipation!; April 8, 2009 at 9:44 PM
Claudia said...: Great new, Nathan & Carmen. I follow your blog regularly and pray for you as often as I can remember. 3 children...what a joy from heaven.
Claudia; April 9, 2009 at 12:50 PM
mamapierce said...: We are so very happy for you all. I can't think of a better family to welcome a new little life into.

Love, Bob, Heth & Ledger; April 9, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Meghan said...: Oh my goodness! What JOY!!!! I have had you all on my heart a lot lately. I am so happy to hear the great news!!! Congratulations Oates family. We love you so much!
Meghan and Dustin Hein; April 12, 2009 at 4:35 PM
Jaime said...: Congrats!

You're gonna have as many kids as we have soon.; April 12, 2009 at 6:23 PM
Anonymous said...: So excited to hear this!!! Love, the Linvilles :); April 13, 2009 at 4:14 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