A Shout-out from Florida

The Cardinals played their first spring training game today, so you knew we would be watching. What you didn't know was that Cardinals broadcasters Rick Horton and Dan McLaughlin would have a certain Cardinals fan on their minds...  

Prayers and Thanks

This week, Jack hit the requisite levels, so he is getting the treatments that he was originally scheduled to get last week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday). The first day is the hardest, and Jack was at the hospital getting a spinal tap and chemo yesterday pretty much all day (from 8am until a little after 4pm), and went home feeling pretty rotten. He's back at it today, and we'd sure appreciate prayers in line with those we requested last week--especially that the side effects would not be so severe. We'd also like to add this one: 

• That this current round of chemo would not cause any  damage to his bladder or kidneys.

On a more positive note, when Erin and Jack got to the hospital for treatments this morning, they were excited to see the brand new book cart that was paid for with money from Jack Up Cancer Night. Patients at Hurley Children's Hospital are able to get a book to read while they're undergoing treatments and take it home with them. And Hurley Child Life Services even recognized Jack and the Grand Blanc Community on the cart. We're so thankful once again to all who made and/or purchased baked goods to help make this possible!

Radiothon Thursday and Friday

Well, Jack's counts weren't quite where they needed to be this morning, so his treatments this week have been postponed until next Tuesday through Friday. Not sure if that's good or not, but Jack is happy to have another week with no chemo!
 
There still is news for this week though. This Thursday and Friday (February 7th and 8th), local radio stations Nash FM 95.1 and CK 105.5 will be holding a dual radiothon from 6am to 6pm to benefit some important causes that have been a blessing to us and are very dear to our heart: Pediatric Services, the Pediatric Oncology Clinic and the Child Life Program at Hurley Children's Hospital.

If you get to listen, you’ll no doubt hear from a number of the friends that we’ve met over the last eight months, and at least a portion of the time between 11am and noon eastern time Thursday specifically on Nash FM 95.1 will be spent focusing on Jack, his battle with leukemia, and the great care that Hurley has provided.

To listen to the radiothon online, go to the stations’ websites (Nash FM 95.1 or CK 105.5) and click on the “LISTEN LIVE” button at the top.

 

Update

It’s been awhile since we have given any updates, so before we share any prayer requests, here’s a quick review of what’s been happening the last few weeks:

At the very start of the “Delayed Intensification” phase in mid-January, Jack dealt with a great deal of nausea, pain and stomach issues. Thankfully, after a really difficult week, things settled down a little bit. Chemo was still having an impact on him, but it seemed a bit more manageable.

Jack's treatment includes a number of different forms of chemotherapy that are given to him at varying intervals, and Jack takes a number of different medications that fight side effects. As a result, it’s a little difficult to determine a pattern of what exactly causes problems and what exactly solves them. That said (to nobody’s astonishment), the more treatments he receives, the worse he generally feels.

In light of that, it was no surprise that last week was a fairly good week as he had a scheduled reprieve from chemo. This week though, things are likely to get tougher as he is scheduled to go in for chemo on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The four consecutive days are likely to leave him feeling pretty rotten, so our prayers for him would be as follows:

• That Jack would not have any headaches resulting from the spinal tap scheduled for Tuesday
• That the actual administration of the chemo would go smoothly
• That the side effects from chemo would be minimized
• That he would have strength and endurance to persevere through whatever side effects there are
• As always, that the course of treatment would continue to have its desired effect

As I’ve often put it in talking to people, with over two and a half years of chemo remaining, we know that the path that lies ahead of Jack is a long, bumpy one. We take some measure of comfort though that so far, he has made the progress that was intended, he’s where he’s supposed to be right now on that road and he’s headed in the right direction. Thank you for praying for him as he makes that journey.

***TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: Click here