First Round Done, Several More To Go

Just a little update on Casey, he is doing well. A little tired of all the nurses, docs and volunteers - except for the playroom volunteers, those are his best friends.  He's not really a people person any way, unlike Bennett, so all these people in his face all the time I think are starting to annoy him.  He woke up this morning with a tummy ache, not uncommon for nausea to start this soon but he got some Benedryl  and is out cold now.

So it looks like we will be coming up to Portland every week. Every 3 weeks he'll get his big dose of chemo and for the first 4x we'll stay overnight. His immune system won't be as strong and he's at risk for pneumonia so we would appreciate it if anyone who wants to see him be healthy and have clean hands.

We are so appreciative of all the prayers and love.   I really believe in the power of prayer and believe that is what helped us get the prognosis we did. He's in Group 1 of ERMS which is the best case scenario for his situation. He has a 95% cure rate and his CT and Bone scan were clear! As well as his Bone Marrow test. His oncologist did say he has a 50/50 chance of needing either a blood transfusion or bone marrow transfusion during his treatment but he doesn't take that kind of thing lightly and will do everything he can to prevent that. Let's pray we won't have to worry about that.

I feel so blessed with our situation, looking at all the other sick kids here at Doernbechers, it could be a lot worse. We're pretty lucky. My heart goes out to all the families here.  But there's a special kind of spirit here though and you can really feel angels walking the halls.  

Casey's Cancer

As many of you know our sweet little Casey was recently diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. You can watch a video that explains what rhabdomyosarcoma is here.  


It has been a long few weeks of surgery, tests and doctor visits, all either in Salem or Portland. He is now a patient at Doernbechers in Portland which we are so grateful for since this is a rare form of cancer and they have the best doctors up there. He is in great hands. 


We have had so many people praying for us and it really has been appreciated and felt. Our family has felt a strong sense of peace and comfort during this anxious time of waiting for test results. We also happened to move the weekend we found out and the move went hassle free.  We are also so appreciative of all the help our family and friends have provided. 

Some of our friends and family have asked how they may be able to help out financially.  We have set up a donation account for Casey at Northwest Community Credit Union, the account number is 5303879043. If you mail in a check you can memo it "to Casey's Cancer Fund" on the memo line and make the check payable to either Jeff or I. The address for NWCU is: PO Box 892 Albany, OR 97321. You can make a donation at any branch though. 

It has been a roller coaster of emotions the last few weeks. We thought we'd never have to hear the word "cancer" again after my battle with breast cancer last year. In a way I am thankful to have gone through that as it has prepared me to be a better support for Casey and understand a little of what he's going through.  But you can never prepare yourself to hear those words "Your child has cancer" or see their little bodies in a big hospital bed with IVs and monitors. We are bracing ourselves for the coming year and what it will hold. 

Again we cannot express our gratitude for all the help, prayers, thoughts and well wishes. 

Romans 12:12

"Let your hope make you glad. 

Be patient in time of trouble

and never stop praying"