Thursday Update: Chris

Chris is home!! We picked him up this morning and ran a few errands to prepare for his final test tomorrow, his GI scope. The oncologist is hoping to get some preliminary results on the previous biopsies back today, but we do already know that Chris' anemia is a little bit worse than before. The GI test will check for internal bleeding as a possible reason for low red blood cell levels.

The results of Chris' CT scan yesterday show that there are no other areas in his body with enlarged lymph nodes. This is obviously a good sign, but also that will help with the staging of the cancer. If the cancer is on only one side of the body and has not passed to the other it indicates a better prognosis- the cancer is more centralized and hasn't spread across the blood stream to the other side.

Chris is very tired and will have to be on a liquid diet for almost 36 hours for the final test, so keeping his energy levels up will be a challenge. Please pray for stamina for him during this time. The test will be Friday at 1pm here locally.

Thank you for all the prayers and meals and phone calls and emails and texts. They mean the world to us.

Chris Update June 6th

Chris spent the night at Presby last night and was able to have the CT scan done before bedtime. His doctor is concerned about his bloodwork results so he will also have a GI doctor do a scope of his abdomen to check for possible internal bleeding. His red/white blood cell counts are a little off. So that may keep him through Thursday afternoon- all his tests were going so quickly we thought he might be able to come home tonight but now we aren't sure. His two biopsies are scheduled for today at 3pm. Dietary accidentally sent him a meal and the nurse caught him eating half way through and stopped him. Oops, not allowed to eat before procedures. He is doing ok and probably enjoying the rest he is getting. I'm going to take the boys to see him tonight. Luke called him this morning to check on him. Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes we have gotten. I'm going to compile them all for Chris so he can see how loved he has been. Our friend Sandy came up with the idea to have all his friends stop and pray for him on this Thursday at 11am. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Keep you posted...

Health Update

Friends and Family-

  I wanted to let you know about a family emergency we are currently going through. About 6 weeks ago, Chris got very ill with what we thought was a nasty flu virus.  He spent a week in bed and never really seemed to recover his full strength and energy. He continued to run really high fevers, lost weight, had a chronic cough along with body aches and pains, and required lots of naps. The most disturbing thing was drenching night sweats almost every night, requiring him to change clothes and the sheets several times a night. Thankfully he continued to seek medical treatment, and in addition to finding out that he is severely anemic, he had a CT scan done last Friday. The results showed inflammation of several sets of lymph nodes around his spine and central arteries as well as an inflamed spleen. His doctor diagnosed him with Lymphoma, which is a blood/lymph cancer which can also spread to the bones.  

 The oncologist he wanted to refer us to locally was on vacation and we had to wait until today to see him. After a thorough history and looking at the radiation results he confirmed that Chris does have lymphoma, but that is really only the first step in this process. There are 20 different kinds of lymphomas- Hodgkins is the most curable but also uncommon. Non Hodgkins Lymphomas (NHL) are the most common but not as curable.  

 We were given the choice to do all his testing on an outpatient or inpatient basis. We chose to have Chris admitted locally to the hospital to have a full body CT scan, a bone marrow biopsy, blood tests and a lymph node biopsy. Our prayer is that we will be finished with the testing by late Thursday and hear back from the pathologists by Friday or at the latest, early next week. As soon as we get the results, treatment can begin immediately. 99% of lymphomas can be treated on an outpatient basis, so he will be home for that.  We don't know if treatment will require only radiation or some chemotherapy as well.  They need to stage the cancer as far as progression, determine the risk level (low, high or very high) and pinpoint the exact type of cancer it is.

 God has graciously answered our first 2 prayers: that we would get in to see the oncologist today (we didn't have an appointment- the doctor fit us in)and that we would quickly move towards finishing all the tests.  The doctor forsees us starting treatment some time next week. We are praying that the pathologists would easily determine the type and that Chris would be able to finish all his testing quickly and be home by early Thursday. Obviously, we are hopeful that the cancer has not progressed far and that it is very curable.  We are being loved on well and are so thankful for our friends- we are blessed with amazing friends and an amazing church and an amazing God. The boys are fine and I am ok as long as I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the cancer's possible progression. 

Please pray with us for the following:

*That Chris would not give into his worrying about work, money, me, the boys or the future.

*That the boys and I would be a blessing and not a burden to him.

*That the cancer is a low risk, high cure type

*Peace for us and our family

*Energy and stamina for Chris as well as an increased appetite

*All testing and results by Friday so we can start treatment first thing next week

Here we go again...

Dear Friends and Family,
 I want to apologize for my lack of postings over the last year. I promise to make it up to you. I will see you again really soon.
Love, Andra

Weekend away... some of it really good, some not so much.

This is just a quick one. I dont even have the camera out of my jacket yet, so no photos either. We just rolled in from Charis Hills Camp. It is a camp specifically for kids with "special needs." 90% of the kids there were in the Autism spectrum, namely Aspergers, which is what Jacob has.

It was eerie to see so many of his traits on display there, things that I think are just 'him' are really Aspie traits. I used to wonder what he would have been like without his condition. Now I try and rest in the fact that God created him this way and not to dwell on the what ifs. Lord its hard. It was a difficult start for us yet the end of camp was sweet. It was great to be together as a family, dwelling on God's provision and being in the company of others in the same place. More to come...

Florida Trip in photos

Our trip to Florida began with the train ride in the Tampa airport. The boys were super stoked and Luke's blankie was along for the ride.

Here are my boys at the wedding. Aren't they the handsomest things you've ever seen? Those white shirts stayed clean about 17.4 seconds after the ceremony finished.

The next day we went to the beach with Dad, Linda and Matthew and Kevin along with Stephanie and her family. The boys loved the ocean. It was Jacob's second visit to the beach and Luke's first. Salty sea water was Luke's downfall- he struggled to keep his eyes open and his mouth automatically popped open instead! It was great to see the Jones fam and experience Matthew and Stephanie's wedding day.

This Fall and Winter in Photos

Been a loooooooooooooong time since I posted any photos of the boys, so here is a quick recap of our fall and winter via pictures. Luke decided to dress up as Bumblebee for Halloween- that's the Transformer, not the bee. You wouldn't believe how many people thought that a 4 year old boy would dress up like an actual bee for Halloween.











Jacob dressed up as a Jedi Knight for trick or treating. Which Jedi he was pretending to be depended on the day, but the important thing was that he was a good one and not on the Dark Side.






We went to Arkansas to visit my mom's sister Cookie, her husband Rusty and all my cousins and various nephews and a niece for Thanksgiving. Highlight of the trip for the kiddos? The giant leaf piles they made in the front yard.





We bought a LEGO Advent calendar for the Christmas season which the boys have LOVED! Trying to explain that Legos and Jesus dont really have anything in common has been a wee bit difficult, but we are trying. We are preparing to go to Arkansas yet again next week to visit Chris' side of the family. The presents are bought and wrapped, just got to do lots of laundry and prayer! Merry Christmas from ours to yours!

Autistic Children With Sleep Problems Benefit From Melatonin

Autistic Children With Sleep Problems Benefit From Melatonin

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