strong and courageous: august 6th!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

august 6th!

Happy Birthday Isaiah!

This morning I heard him stir, gasp, and then exclaim, "I'm seven! I'm seven! I'm seven!"

10 comments:

Taria M. said...: Happy Birthday Sweet Isaiah! I hope you have a GREAT birthday! I'm so glad to see your smiling face, and hope that I get to meet you someday. :); August 6, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Unknown said...: Happy 7th birthday, Isaiah! We love you! Stephen, Jo, Shaw & Seth!; August 6, 2009 at 9:31 AM
Nicole @Team Pipkin said...: Happy Birthday Isaiah! I hope you have a fabulous day:-); August 6, 2009 at 9:41 AM
Cyn said...: Happy HAPPY Birthday Isaiah!!!

I bet 7 feels GREAT!!
Enjoy the day and every moment of the next year!; August 6, 2009 at 9:55 AM
Unknown said...: Hope you have a fantastic day, Isaiah. I remember *loving* being 7. I'm pretty sure you will too!; August 6, 2009 at 10:56 AM
Tarissa said...: Happy Birthday, Buddy!!! I think this is going to be a GREAT year for you! Being 7 is so much fun!

I love you and hope you have the greatest birthday ever! Miss you...please give yourself and your family a huge hug from me!; August 6, 2009 at 10:57 AM
Rebecca Unfried said...: Yay!! Happy 7th Birthday Isaiah!! I hope that you have a wonderful day today!; August 6, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Annelies said...: Happy Birthday dear boy....I know it will be a joyous day for ALL who love you. XXX Anne; August 6, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Josh, Aaron and Jonah... said...: Happy Birthday big man! Can't wait to see you Sunday to give you a big hug, "hive-5, WORD!, finga's"...

Have a great rest of the week.

Josh, Aaron and Jonah...; August 6, 2009 at 9:43 PM
Jennifer said...: Happy belated!; August 7, 2009 at 9:19 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