a mom’s thoughts
Let’s see…how to summarize the past 7 days? A week ago tonight, on September 6th, our lives were turned upside down. A mom is never prepared to hear her child has cancer. And then the rest of the bad news trickles in… 6 months in the hospital, what the chemo will do to his body […]
first round of chemo
After five days on a relatively mild trial drug, Ty did awesome yesterday on his first day of the “big guns” chemotherapy. Last night was rough. Today he needed a blood transfusion, so he missed his appointment to have his hair cut before losing it. We actually found out that some kids keep their hair through […]
prayers needed!
Late last night, doctors got the results back of Ty’s bone marrow cultures and met with Ron and me. Tyler has a subtype of AML that is associated with very poor prognosis if a bone marrow donor can’t be found. Even after a successful bone marrow transplant, the relapse rate is very high. Ron and I […]
finding humor
Tyler’s posted this photo of himself with Brandon on Facebook today with the status “Too sexy for my iv pole”
ups and downs
Ups and downs today. Tyler was fatigued and wasn’t able to handle all his visitors without falling asleep. There was some big excitement in the morning though when his friends from Connections Church surprised him with a visit from Chrystina Fincher. Chrystina is one of the lead singers for the Bigstuf Band. Bigstuf is a […]
comfort
The verse I’m claiming this morning: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
a note from dad
Many thanks for all the prayers and support to Tyler and our family. Today, Tyler finished his 12th day of a 15 day course of chemotherapy. He will finish his first cycle of chemotherapy on Thursday, then will have a 14-40 day inpatient recovery period. The length of the recovery will depend on how long […]
two weeks
Having a quiet early morning moment in Tyler’s hospital room. Ty is sleeping; no nurses are here, and nothing is beeping. Since Sunday, Tyler has been able to have longer stretches off his IV pole, which has had a very positive effect on his mood. The last 5 day stretch of his chemo only involves […]
thanks from dad
Dianne and I would like to take some time to let others know how God is working to bring aid and comfort to our family in this time of crisis. First and most importantly, friends, family and strangers from around the world are praying for Tyler and our family. Neighbors are cooking meals and keeping […]
friends are good medicine
Tyler’s wonderful friends bringing laughter and hugs to his hospital room!
recovering from his first chemo course
Just wanted to update you on how Tyler’s doing and share the latest information we have. Tyler completed his first cycle of chemo Thursday night. He now has a 26 – 40 day inpatient stay where they wait for his blood counts to recover to safer levels. For the first 3 weeks, his counts are expected to be critically low. Once his […]
tyler’s facebook status
“The Reason that I’ve been handling this well. The Reason I’ve remained happy and will remain happy throughout this ordeal. This Reason is giving me mental, emotional, and spiritual strength. This Reason’s Name is Jesus Christ. He’s definitely the best thing to turn to because in reality, He is the only comfort.” I can’t tell […]
almost four weeks since this journey began
This coming Tuesday night will mark four weeks since Tyler’s journey with cancer began. He has been off chemo for 10 days now, and has at least 11 more to go before they test him again to see if he’s ready for the next onslaught. He’s been off Gentamicin for the past 3 days because […]
a waiting game
Many are asking how Tyler is doing. Since our last post, Tyler is definitely holding his own. He has been reaching his fluid intake goal of 3 liters every day, sometimes exceeding it! He’s been able to tolerate eating a bit better as well, and is starting to notice he can taste things a little […]
overwhelmed – transplant info
Tyler, Ron and I met with one of the transplant doctors this evening. Feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, but we will try to summarize. They have completed Tyler’s typing and have searched the bone marrow registry. They have 4 matches, all adults from Europe. Tyler is 3/4 German and 1/4 Irish, and since ethnicity […]