How'd It Go?

Thank you all so much for your prayers this week. They were and continue to be appreciated more than we can say.

You might remember that his dosages went up this time. There was an obvious difference in how Joshua's body responded to the larger doses, but as usual, he handled it like the pro he has become. Every morning, Joshua woke up happy, but hungry. After about 3 or 4 breakfasts, he was good to go until the next snack. Surprisingly, Joshua napped well each day. But at around 5 pm he would hit a wall. He was hungry, but nothing tasted good. He was tired, but didn't want to sleep. He was cold, but a blanket made him hot. It's very weird, but we've become convinced that during this time he just feels everything, from hunger to happiness to pain to temperature to love, more acutely. He'll turn on a dime from throwing a fit over the smallest thing to grabbing you and telling you over and over again that he loves and is thankful for you.

You get the idea. There were some tears, but in the end we all made it to the next morning, every day. Thankfully, Joshua took his last dose of steroids this morning and the ill effects will begin to fade even tonight. 

Some Tough Moments

This morning started out pretty normal for a clinic day. Joshua and I left around 8 o'clock without breakfast because he had anesthesia scheduled for his spinal tap. Joshua seemed absolutely fine, even watching Andi eat breakfast without complaining. Joshua was doing a great job at the clinic. He didn't shed a single tear while was being accessed, being examined by Dr. Zeiber, or while receiving meds through his line. Then, while he and I were playing dinosaurs on the floor, he stepped on his line and pulled the needle out of his port. OUCH! The nurses fixed him up and restarted his meds. Unfortunately, this sent Joshua into a tailspin of emotions. His crying and lack of food led to a drop in blood sugar. After quite a bit more crying, they gave him some liquids through his line and he perked up enough to proceed to his spinal tap.

Before we went downstairs for Joshua's procedure, Dr. Zeiber came back to talk to us about Joshua's home meds. Currently, Joshua is at 100% of his chemo pills (based on weight/height). Because his counts were up, she informed us that we would need to up his dosage to 120%. The fact that Joshua's counts are up is good news. We rejoice in that. At the same time, we get nervous when Joshua's dosage gets very high because it can very easily cause a crash to his immune system. Along with the increase in chemo, she also needed to increase his steroids. YUCK! As we have shared many times before, the steroids cause so many strange side effects. Thus, an increase in steroids means an increase in side effects.

The spinal tap went well and the nurses had his cherry coke Icee waiting for him when he finished. After a very long morning, at around 2 o'clock we made it to one of Joshua's favorites, Jason's Deli. He broke his fast in fine style to the point that the manager came over and asked if he wanted a refill on his fruit. I guess he noticed how quickly he downed the strawberries. It was a pleasant end to a long day.

Please pray through the news about Joshua's increase in dosage. Pray that he can continue to show his courage and strength in this fight. Pray also for Michael, Andi, and me. Pray that we will be patient and encouraging toward Joshua and each other. Thank you again for your faithfulness.

Wednesdays Are For Chemo

From Michael's blog this morning:

At least they are in our house. Usually I reserve the weekends for a "Weekends Are For Kids" post, but I thought since today is a big appointment day I might give you a glimpse into Joshua's treatment cycle in case you're interested.

Just to refresh your memory, Joshua (then 2 years old) was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia).

Eventually, we settled into this basic routine:

- Joshua takes chemo pills every day.

- Every Wednesday, he takes 7.

- Every 4 weeks he has intravenous chemo sent directly into his blood stream through a port in his chest.

- Every 12 weeks, in addition to the above, he has a spinal tap to put the chemo into his spinal column.

Today is week 12, so we've got it all happening this morning. This is the 844 day Joshua has taken a chemo pill. It's his 30th time to have the medicine go into his chest. It's his 10th spinal tap. And he keeps on smiling.

For this, I am thankful and so very proud of my boy. In just a few minutes, he'll jump out of bed excited to go to the hospital. He'll bravely take his medicine with the promise of an ICEE when he comes out of his anisthesia. And he'll try hard for the next 6 days to feel good.

We continue to feel blessed for Joshua's progress, so thankful that God has sustained us and him thusfar, and continue to take one step at a time in fear and trembling. Thanks for going there with us.

A Little Sunshine

Marathon Training

I did it. On Saturday, I ran 14 miles. I decided I wouldn't make my training official until I had run more than a half marathon to get ready. So now I am in. I am training again with Team in Training. They continue to be such a supportive organization and have made Joshua a Honored Teammate this year. We are thankful for what the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society does and we wanted to make sure that if hundreds of people were running in Joshua's honor, one of us was running as well. I'll keep you posted on the progress. In the meantime, check out the websites highlighted above and feel free to give to support the cause.

Surprise Attack

Today, after nap time, I took the kids to the nearest drugstore to grab a few things. I rarely stray from the list at the store, but for this, I could not resist. Joshua saw Silly String on the toy aisle and asked if we could get. Memories of all night lock-ins and cool kids' birthday parties came flooding back. We purchased the Silly String and made a plan to attack Daddy as soon as he came home.

Practicing before Daddy gets home.

Andi got her own turn, but was not all that impressed with it.

Get 'em Joshua!

Love the face, Michael. Very convincing!

Michael finally bends to the will of the Silly String. 

What a fun 10 minutes! Worth every penny!