Thursday, February 24, 2011

What A Great Week!


You just have to find a way to have some fun when your on your way into surgery! Regina, mom, was all decked out to go into pre-op with Ariel and having a good time messing with Ariel right before going into surgery. These are some really wonderful people to be blessed to hang out with!!


Ariel, the aftermath of her NO MO CHEMO party!! Lot's of fun, something she has been patiently waiting for!!!


Jordan got to enjoy the carousel at the mall.


Well, our little baby Jordan is showing off how BIG he really is now! He is just such the ladies man!


You simply can NOT possibly get enough Jordan hugs and kisses!

This has been a great week! I am so happy to pass along to you that both Jordan and Ariel have completed their week of test, scans, pokes and prods and are now considered to be NED-ALL CLEAR or in other words.... STILL CANCER FREE!!! Jordan will be coming back in 3 months to have some follow-up test for some activity that showed up on his EEG this time. Nothing they seem to be to concerned about at this time. He has been off of his seizure medication for almost a year now, and this is the first time that any such activity has shown up. He has not displayed any signs of seizures, so this is a precautionary measure, and they may consider putting him back on the seizure meds just to make sure he remains seizure free if they feel it necessary.

Ariel, had her surgery this afternoon to have her "extra part" or her port removed! This is a huge step toward being "NORMAL"! All of her test have come back perfectly normal and she is doing great! She will be returning in 3 months too, just for follow up. They will continue to monitor her closely just to make sure that they stay on top of any and all changes in any moles or spots that may come up. She will not be taking any further treatments, just check-ups. She had her NO MO CHEMO party in her clinic today! She was so excited about this, just like a little kid! No Mo Chemo Parties are a HUGE THING regardless of what age you are. I am so very proud of this beautiful young lady. She has been such a trooper and has come through her journey with cancer with such dignity and showing tremendous faith. This girl has had to administer her own chemo at home on a weekly basis, I have been in very close contact with her and her family through the entire journey and I can honestly say, she has not complained or had any negative comments to bring herself or anyone around her down. She is such a fighter and has faced this like a true champ.

So, having said all of this... we have 2 very happy kiddo's and families who are ST JUDE SURVIVORS and thriving tonight!! Jordan is back home, he left this afternoon, and Ariel will spend the night (post surgery requirement) and return home tomorrow.

Lord, we just want to come to You and thank You for Your perfect healing on Jordan and Ariel. What an Awesome God You truly are. We humbly thank You for all of the many rich blessing that You have bestowed upon us. We love You Lord,
In Christ Name, Amen

On, a sad note, I want to ask each of your for your prayers for Ryan's family. Please keep them in prayer tomorrow as they attend the funeral service for Ryan. I just can not imagine burying one of my children. Please keep them close in your prayers and if you have a moment, leave them a message on Ryan's caringbridge page.

It's been a very busy 2 weeks, things I THINK will slow down just a bit. I have had a call regarding a new patient. He is an older teen, non-hogkins lymphoma diagnosis. His name is Nolan, I would like to ask you to please add him to your prayer list. I will be meeting him tomorrow, I'll give you more info as I know and have permission to share.

Thank you to the most wonderful prayer warriors that I know of! Keep praying, your pleas are being heard.

BELIEVE PRAYER WORKS~

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Prayers For The Madrid Family

Another sweet one has gone home. Ryan passed away in his sleep around 11:30 last night. He did not seem to be in any pain, that is something to be so thankful for. This has been a very long journey, a very painful journey. I know Kim and the family are hurting so much, but at the same time so relieved that his suffering and horrible pain are now gone forever. He is at perfect peace with his Heavenly Father. Please lift them up in prayer as they face the tough decisions and reality of everything over the coming days.

It's been a very busy couple of weeks around the Jude. Last week Lil' Trevor was here most of the week for his big test, scans and chemo. He did great. Had the best results on his MRI since he began treatment. Tumor is still there, but the spine and brain stem looked as if the cancer there was possibly decreased in size. WOOHOO! Please continue to pray for this treatment to work.
He is just as much all boy as you can imagine. He is such a joy to be around. He will be back next week.

Preston seems to be really doing well. He is feeling much better, Renee says he is more and more like the old "pre-sick" Preston! For that we are so grateful! Please pray that he continues to recover for all of this nasty GVHD and will get to go home soon.

This week is a big week too! Jordan and Ariel are both here for the whole week. We have been having a blast! Jordan, believe it or not, is here for his 2 year POST TRANSPLANT check-up!! Yes, it has been two years since his transplant! That is just so hard to believe, but it has been that long! He is doing GREAT!! He is such the talker and really a ladies man! He loves the girls. I'll post more info from our events of the week with pictures later. We did meet up with Ariel and her family yesterday and did some major shopping at the mall and some fun time with the carousel and Spider Jump. These two attractions in the mall are so sweet and allow the St Jude patients to participate for free. Jordan and Ariel had a blast on that Spider Jump. If your on my fb, I have video posted there from yesterday.
Ariel is also here for her big week! She has completed her protocol of treatment and is here for all of her scans and test to make sure the chemo has done it's thing and she is NED or all clear of cancer. On Thursday, she will have surgery to remove her port. Thank the good Lord, this is now an extra un-needed part!!! Please keep her in your prayers as well as Jordan for all scans and test this week to show both continue to be CANCER FREE!!!

Got to run, more fun to be had today!

Please keep everyone in your prayers, especially the Madrid family.

BELIEVE PRAYER WORKS~