A Short Hospital Stay...

Surprisingly and nothing short of prayers answered, Jordan was able to come home Tuesday morning after a heavy day of many different chemos given on Monday. He's definitely not feeling the greatest and feeling very sad because he is not able to do fun Christmas activities. We find it very hard consoling him at this time, he very much prefers to be out and about. This week started out with Jordan's spirits being wonderful considering what he was up against. Now, he's not so happy...you put not feeling well on top of that, and there's nothing but tears...it breaks your heart. We are due back Wednesday and Thursday for more chemo. He will also be taking chemo pills for the next two weeks.

I keep reminding him that the hard part of chemo will be over very soon and that easier days are just around the corner! I'm going to say it again, we never thought we'd see the day!!! Now, the challenging part will be getting through the holidays.

I want to add that this Christmas, we are not only blessed with the precious birth of Baby Jesus, but we are also blessed with the precious life of our dear Jordan. We are still are family of four strong and for that we will be forever grateful.

Thank you all for the continuous prayers in a battle that at times seems never ending. May you all be truly blessed this Christmas season!!

Chemo Will Begin...

On Thursday Jordan had a doctors appointment that verified the pneumonia is better and his counts are well enough to start the round of chemo that was delayed last week. This coming up Monday we will once again be admitted to the hospital for another spinal tap with chemo that will consist of four medicines. One of which will be given during the time of the spinal, two through his pic line and one in pill form. We will stay the entire day on Monday and that night for sure. It will then be determined the next morning, after another push of chemo, if we will be able to go home. That will only be if Jordan is not to sick and throwing up. Regardless, whether we go home on Tuesday or not, he is do back on Wednesday and Thursday as well, to receive more chemo. The same will be repeated the following week minus one of the heavier drugs, which should make it a bit easier for Jordan.In honor of Jordan going bald from chemo, Shawn decided to surprise us all and came home with a shaved head. What a great dad he is! He didn't want Jordan to feel alone. There's nothing he wouldn't do for his boys. We are so lucky to have him! Shawn lifts our spirits everyday helping us to remain positive.

This weekend Tristen has a baseball tournament that will keep us busy and keep our minds off of what next week may bring. Prayers will be needed for us...we hope the hospital stay will be short and that Jordan will not get too sick so that all four of us will be able to be together for what is one of the most important holidays...Jesus' Birthday!!

Jordan Is Home!!

Jordan came home Saturday and it couldn't have come soon enough! I don't know how we could have tolerated another day in there. The fevers finally stopped after he was put on a third antibiotic and the pneumonia that started in the left lung has since moved to the right lung but thankfully it is a mild case, so they gave us the pass out!

I can't even dig deep enough to find the words to describe the despair that our family endured staying in the hospital this pass week, it's something that the four of us just can't handle anymore. I'm sure it's due to what we experienced in the beginning with Jordan. Any time the four of us have to be separated now just seems unbearable. It is as if we've stopped living and time is standing still.

BUT, thankfully we serve a God that can turn a dark situation into a good one. Where there seems to be no hope, he can turn it around. Where fear may consume you, we can as hard as it may seem, no matter what our circumstance, turn our fear into FAITH by not looking at the situation but at the outcome. This week our joy was stripped away...and I say that truly for Shawn, Tristen, Jordan, and myself...so it will be my mission to find that joy again for our family. I am going to start in the book of Philippians in the bible, it's all about Joy, and start speaking life and happiness back into our family again.

I don't know when chemo will resume, we are do back for an evaluation and more blood work on Thursday, so I'm sure we will discuss the plans for chemo then. I'm thinking the following week but who knows, at least we get a break from anything heavy this week.
I'm so glad we took the opportunity and went to Knotts Berry Farm on the Sunday before Jordan was admitted. The hospital gave us tickets and we were able to go with my sister and brother in law, Gary and Sherrie, and with Jordan's cousins, Joshua and Natalee. Jordan had a blast, he was feeling great and went on every roller coaster and spin ride there was. He went on the Ghost-rider...three times!! Jordan is defiantly a thrill seeker and didn't even get sick once. Me...the second ride did me in and I was done for. I got so nauseous and sick, I had to take one of Jordan's pills he takes after chemo. My sister and I then decided to hang out at Camp Snoopy with my four year old niece and I couldn't even look at the rides, let alone ride one, but thanks to his pill, I was better towards the end of the day. I know crazy...right, I was the joke of the day and gave everyone a good laugh!

So...soon we will find that happiness again, just like the happiness we had at Knotts Berry Farm. It may take some time for us to bounce back, but we wont give up, even when the going gets tough. This is when I say...Thank you Lord for catching every tear and knowing when we can handle no more.

Chemo Postponed

No chemo for Jordan this week, it has been pushed back. Monday evening Jordan was admitted to the hospital for a fever that kept on raising. After listening to his lungs and doing a chest x ray, it has been determined that he has a mild case of pneumonia in the lower left lung. He was immediately started on two powerful antibiotics that cover a wide spectrum of bacteria infections and treats pneumonia. As of last night, the fevers have not let up and only break with Tylenol. He is not feeling sick nor showing any signs that would have been a red flag to us, only the fevers. We are also waiting on blood cultures that take up to 48 hours to determine if there are any bacteria infections in his body, for example a blood infection due to his pic line. Once nothing shows growth on the cultures for three days, we may be able to go home after another chest x ray is done proving the pneumonia is clearing, and if the fever stops. There are a number of reasons for the fever, it may even be viral that antibiotics can not help.

We are looking at the earliest possibility of coming home being Friday, and we are counting on that!! Shawn, Tristen, Jordan and myself are not ready for any hospital stays to say the least. We will keep you posted.

A Wonderful Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving our family genuinely had something to be grateful for, as you can imagine it was an emotional one, but with happy hearts. Jordan didn't even throw up once from his chemo the day before. I believe seeing family really brought his mind to a happy place, not to mention we were able to go on our annual trip to the desert with many other family members to ride. Jordan actually rode his quad and loved riding his cousins dirt bike. He did really well for a kid being hit with chemo, we were impressed. It brought back some normalcy in his eyes...there is life after leukemia!

The next round of chemo will be a day earlier than expected. Jordan is do back this Tuesday, he will be admitted to the hospital for a spinal tap and he will also receive 4 other chemo medicines. We will stay in the hospital, hopefully for a short while, depending on how Jordan responds. This is a heavy round that not only consists of medicine given through his pick line, but of taking chemo pills as well. After Tuesday, Jordan will pretty much receive chemo consistently up until approximately December 30Th. If everything goes according to schedule and there are no delays, the aggressive part of therapy could officially end at the end of December and once his counts raise back up, he can start the maintenance phase!

So many people have been commenting on how much of Jordan's hair has been growing back and how good it looks. Today however, we noticed it all over his shirt...they warned us it would start to fall out again. Thankfully, he seems not to care one bit. His weight is at the highest it has been since he was first diagnosed, he weights 63lbs! They continue to do blood work weekly and all seems to be coming back looking as well as can be expected. His spirits have been wonderful and we are seeing his goofy personality come back everyday. We do have some heavy rounds coming up in the next two weeks, so please remember us in your prayers, not only for Jordan but for his big brother Tristen, this takes a toll on him as well, especially with Christmas being so close and us having to be in the hospital and at the doctors so much.

On a much happier note, Jordan is almost done with the aggressive part and that's what we keep our eyes focused on...we never thought we'd see this day!