The Latest and Greatest - March 2014

Happy 3rd B-Day Jake

I haven't posted anything for awhile. Jen posted the last update giving her perspective of this journey with our little Jake. Maybe we've become accustomed to our routine with Jake. Every time Jen or I have to go somewhere the other has to be home with Jake. It is hard to tell him he has to stay home but it has become his normal. It's hard to take our other kids places like Cabelas or up on the hillside to shoot guns  or even to go get some fast food and have him stand at the door looking up at you with his big eyes asking if he can come. It has also been difficult for my sweet wife. She can't run to the grocery store or any other errands that require her to get out of the car until I get home at night. She has been stuck in the house a lot. Saturdays consist of us taking turns if we need to go places. Of course it is our decision to keep him home. Taking him out just increases the risk of him getting sick and us ending up at Primary Children's in the ER. We have been very blessed that he has only had to go in once and of course it happened the only time I went to Koosharem . Thanks again Aunt Shelly for going with them. Sundays are the same with Jen and I taking turns going to church. Our other kids have been awesome too. They know that no friends are allowed in the house and everytime they come in the house it's wash your hands and hand sanitizer. They understand when we just have to sit around on Saturday because of their little brother. They never complain about Jake just an occasional comment regarding their extreme dislike of cancer. We did sneak a trip to Delta to visit Jen's parents a few weeks ago. It was the first time we have went anywhere as a family since last October. Jake asked several times as we were packing the car if he could go. It was so nice to tell him yes. He probably thought we'd end up at the hospital because that's where we always end up when he gets to go. His new distraction is playing Super Mario Brothers on the Wii. He insists on someone playing with him so he can be Luigi and follow along. Jen complains that she can't get anything done during the day because she "has to" play Mario Brothers all the time. Sometimes we have to take shifts to keep up with him.


He's growing

Jake had his latest round of chemo last Tuesday (march 4th). He is doing awesome. His face has filled out and he is gaining weight. He's even grown a little taller. The doctors are always so impressed at how well he's doing. He is pretty much back to normal running around the house and playing with his siblings. Well,  his chemo makes him nauseous and Tuesday we forgot to give him his next dose of anti-nausea medicine on time. Well that led to him not feeling well and throwing up all over the couch. He's been doing so well lately that I think we needed a little something to remind us of his condition.

At the clinic in Primary Children's they have a large room in the back with a line of recliners where everybody sits to get their chemo. Jake's chemo is relatively quick, usually about 20 min and we are done. For other patients it can take hours to finish. The last few times we've went, there have been teenagers getting their treatments. One was a boy in his high school baseball warm-ups getting his first treatment. This last time there were two teenage girls sporting the cancer hairdo ie baldness. Some kids are so weak they are brought in wheel chairs. Some of them might not survive their battle. Some will have lasting side effects to deal with throughout their lives including the chance of secondary cancers caused by their chemo. It is very humbling to think how strong they are and how small many of our problems really are. I remember what I was doing at that stage of my life and it was far from what they are dealing with.

Jake has two more treatments spaced out at 3 weeks, so 6 weeks until his final treatment. He'll get a few more scans and x-rays along the way. After the treatments are done we'll go in every three months for more scans to make sure it isn't coming back for the first year.  Then every six months to a year after that. Here's a pic of his latest echo-cardiogram of his heart.

Throughout this journey with our little family I'm reminded of a comment made by Brianne ,a girl I grew up with who lost her mom to cancer. She said "The Lord's tender mercies would be with our family and we would grow closer as a family and closer to Him." There have been so many instances where we have seen the Lord's hand in our lives. I truly believe that the Lord answers our prayers through those around us. From deadlines at work, our other children's activities to everyday events, things have always worked out and our prayer have been answered. Our family, friends and neighborhood have been amazing. The Lord knows us and understands our needs. As I've mentioned before, I believe this trial isn't for Jake it is for us. It has taught us things that we couldn't have learned any other way. I has brought us closer as a family. It has brought us closer to the Lord and helped us to learn to rely on him for everything especially for those things beyond our control. In a way, I'm thankful for this trial because I have seen the gospel lived by those sent to answer our prayers. We are so thankful for the blessings we've seen in our lives and for all those who have helped us. I'm thankful for my wonderful wife and my sweet children. They have been amazing. Jake has been the sweetest little angel through it all. The Lord has been with us every step of the way. We continue to pray and hope that Jake will get through this and get back to being a normal little boy.