It's Been Two Years!!!

 My goodness…times flies when you’re having fun! I can’t believe how long it’s been since the last update.

Once it was time for Florida to come, we became extremely busy, preparing for the trip, fitting in doctor’s appointments and juggling three baseball teams between both boys. I guess you can say, we’ve been a bit busy but who isn’t!

So…here it goes. Our Make a Wish trip to Walt Disney World in Florida was absolutely more than we could have ever wished for. They took care of every detail making it the most satisfying and gratifying trip ever! We hit the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Downtown Disney, Sea World, Universal Studios, Adventure Island, and Wet n Wild. All in one week, with sometimes two theme parks in one day! We were given VIP passes and were always escorted to the front of the lines so no waiting was ever involved. We even got up close and personal with dolphins and were able to feed them. The boys never stopped and always wanted to go go go! (And that we did)!

The village we stayed in was called Give Kids the World, it was a theme park in it’s self with restaurants, shows and parties that we really didn’t have time to take advantage of. Every morning a staff member would deliver a special gift to Jordan and when we first arrived our refrigerator was stocked with food and drinks. I could just go on and on about it. That alone was a very magical and whimsical place that made every child feel so special. Mainly this facility is ran by volunteers…again no way to describe all the little details and how truly wonderful this village was!

Weather was perfect…boy’s first plane ride was great and we even had a black stretch hummer limo pick us up and bring us home from the airport! I really wish I could describe the whole trip down to every detail, it was one made with a lifetime of memories! Thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation…truly a phenomenal organization!

Unfortunately, Jordan started to get sick with sore throat and stuffy nose on plane ride home that did end up with a fever and landed us almost immediately in the hospital. Yes…I know this was the last place we wanted to be after being gone on vacation and so exhausted. Once Jordan recovered, I got sick and took even longer than him to recuperate. But hey, we didn’t get sick on the trip and that’s what we were afraid of. So thank the good Lord for answered prayers!

Since then, Jordan has still been doing his regularly scheduled chemo along with chemo pills every night. The leukemia is in remission and I confess it will stay that way…in Jesus Name!!! School is going great for him and he is still very much involved in baseball. His hair is curlier then ever and the weight is coming on slowly but surely. I can’t believe today marks the 2 anniversary since he was diagnosed! We estimate that he has about 2 more years left of chemo therapy to go.

Still, there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thanking God for his healing power that he has on Jordan’s body. We feel so fortunate that his life was spared. I admit…there’s always that fear in the back of my head that hinders me from having that complete peace I long for, but that’s when I start to remind myself of God’s promises.

When people ask, I always say when Jordan does good, we do good.

So…Shawn, Tristen, Jordan and myself continue to conquer on and fight the good fight. We really do know how truly blessed we are and may you all never take the precious life that God has given you for granted!

Psalms 91…this entire passage I have loved and stood on these past 2 years, let it minister to your hearts as well and may it carry you through whatever trials you may be enduring today…

No News is Good News!

Hello to all! Well… you know what they say, “no news is good news”!

It has been quite some time since an update and Jordan; I’m pleased to say is doing pretty well. School is good, baseball is good, and spirits are good! He turned 11 in January and is thriving in all areas…we couldn’t be happier!

The weekend of Jordan’s birthday, he filled in as an extra player on Tristen’s baseball team and really did well. Jordan was a little apprehensive at first because the boys are older and he’s used to playing with kids on his own travel ball team, but he had nothing to worry about and held his own! It was a great way to spend his birthday…playing baseball! We wouldn’t have it any other way!

He still undergoes the same treatment and we are fast approaching the 2 year mark of Jordan being on chemo therapy with 2 ½ more years left to go. We continually make trips to Kaiser for blood work and chemo (at times it seems grueling) but really, we do appreciate life as we do so. Not to mention, the doctors and nurses are really our extended family now.

Next month is our make a wish trip to Walt Disney World, we are so excited and was just told by our make a wish finder, “That we are going to have the time of our lives!”

Jordan has been home from school all week battling fevers, a sore throat and a chest cold. We barely avoided a hospital stay, but because we remain in faith and trust God to carry us through every circumstance, we have been able to stay home! This is always our main priority! Today, he seems to be on the mend. I sure hope he’s taking a turn for the better, all though, we forget he’s not your average child, with the normal immune system. So patience is a virtue with us these days.

If I had to request the focus a prayer at this time, it would be that Jordan is strong and healthy, with no bugs, flu’s or viruses that would keep us home from making our trip to Florida next month. The last thing we need is to miss such an exciting trip to Walt Disney World.

May God be continuing to watch over your families, keeping them healthy and whole!

Hello 2011!!!

Happy New Year friends! The holidays have come and gone…again! We all are doing great and Jordan is doing pretty well himself.

Jordan is still doing the normal chemo, along with continuous blood work at the doctor’s office. He was just in the hospital a couple of weeks ago for his spinal tap along with some chemo meds, which he tolerated well.

That day I was making a picture diary of Jordan’s typical day at the hospital to share with his classmates and I thought I would share a few with you.

I included our last picture of a very long day at the pediatric oncology ward, that I had a nurse take when we were finally walking out of those doors…the smile on Jordan’s made me realize what a trooper Jordan really is and how he has adapted to the life of a child diagnosed with cancer.

His weight is at an all time high at a whopping 74lbs! His hair is growing rapidly after loosing it for the second time caused by the radiation to his brain. The guessing game between Shawn and I is…will it come back curly like the first time it grew in after loosing it from the chemo or will it be straight like it originally was?? Jordan wants it to be curly…I prefer it to be long and straight! (I still try to hold on to any of the old Jordan that brings me back to how he was before the “cancer” days).

Christmas and New Years were much better than last year. Last year during this time we were still undergoing the aggressive chemo therapy that put a damper on our holidays. This year, Christmas was spent with family and lots of festive activities such as ice skating, a Christmas play, movies, games, and plenty of fighting with Tristen while on Christmas break!

To make things exciting over the break…the week before Christmas Jordan ate a bite of See’s Candy that he thought did not have peanuts in it, but the piece of candy did and Jordan started with an allergic reaction to where his throat began to close up. To make a very long story short, we had to call 911 and he had to go to the emergency room in the ambulance…as if we aren’t at Kaiser enough! (And this was the week we weren’t even due there)! Thankfully, the bite he ate had very little peanuts in it. I can’t imagine the reaction had it been larger! And for the record, we always inspect the piece with him before he eats it but this time he felt confident on his own that it had no peanuts and did not check with us. Again…God has his back! He recovered with flying colors but I must say it was a very scary moment for the entire family!

As if the peanut reaction wasn’t enough excitement for the holidays…the week after Christmas the boys were playing baseball in the front yard and Jordan threw a baseball into my back expedition window shattering it to pieces!! It was just what we wanted…especially with all the rain!! NOT! There’s never a dull moment with us!

New Years was good...no mishaps! Last New Years Eve Jordan was super sick in the hospital from heavy chemo, so this year we were able to make our annual trip to our family’s cabin out in the desert and the boys and their cousins rode quads and bikes till their hearts content despite freezing weather!!

School starts back today. Prayers will continue for both boys to be protected from any germs and bugs that would land Jordan in the hospital and baseball resumes for both of them! I can’t even look at Jordan without saying, “THANK YOU JESUS”! He is our walking miracle! I’m so thankful 2010 did us well and now we enter 2011 with the same hope, faith and expectations that God will provide, protect and continue his miraculous healing upon Jordan!

In March we will go to Walt Disney World in Florida for Jordan’s “Make a Wish Trip” that we are very excited for! Jordan will be turning 11 on January 15th…this marks another milestone! So thank you all for your continued support and prayers as Jordan continues his journey filled with high hopes and dreams that will be a testimony for all!

May God richly bless you and your families in 2011!

Thanksgiving Blessings

I can’t believe a month has already flown by since I last made a post. Things have defiantly been on the mend since the last time I made an update. Jordan has been doing pretty good, as always his counts are up and down which makes the dosage of his chemo pills constantly change. Sometimes this change is needed to allow his counts to recover and give his body a break.

We did have another scare with a fever that came on a couple of weeks ago that unfortunately landed us in the hospital for a short time but thankfully the fever went away and was just symptoms of the common cold. He is back in school now full time with tons of germs brewing all around him so this can be expected…of course we do all measures possible to avoid any bug.

Jordan is almost back up to 70 lbs, we are constantly trying to shove food and protein drinks down him any chance we get. His wonderful doctor, Dr. Horvath made arrangements for us to meet in Palm Springs with a nutritionist that specializes in patients undergoing chemo therapy…she had lots of helpful ideas for Jordan to gain weight along with putting him on some special supplements while going through the chemo, as we still have nearly 3 years left to go.

His hair started to grow back a few weeks ago and we are amazed how rapidly it’s coming in now. I absolutely love seeing hair on his head as it takes away from the “chemo look”. He finally was able to return back to practice with his baseball team, the Ruffryderz and was looking forward to playing only his second tournament with them this weekend but weather didn’t permit and it was rained out. Hopefully we will get a tournament in before Christmas so he can try to get back in the swing of things.

Tristen is a typical 12 year old and is constantly busy with either homework or baseball; he is currently playing with the 66ers and is preparing to get braces on this Tuesday…lucky him!

Shawn and I are doing well and just celebrated our 15 year anniversary! What many ups and downs we’ve had in these years but in the end love conquers all…even when life doesn’t seem fair at all. We are forever counting our blessings and at times don’t even need to say anything to one anther…only needing to glance at the other knowing what we’re thinking. There are many silent moments between us, enjoying the sight of Jordan...thriving, laughing, living life and under our breath, you can bet we’re thanking God for allowing him to be right here with us!

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the simple things in life…the four of us being under one roof, being able to sit at the dinner table together and doing things a normal family does such as watching a movie by the fire, it doesn’t take much to please us anymore.

I love these fall crisp cold days and love them even more as I share them with my sons and wonderful husband. I’m sure you are all embracing your families and making the most of every moment especially as the holidays approach. Continue to live life, smile, laugh and love…but most importantly don’t forget how Awesome and Wonderful our Heavenly Father is!!

Praising God!

What an answer to prayers! Jordan’s bone marrow test came back negative, no Leukemia cells were found. Thank you all for your continued prayers during this time for us!

Jordan was having similar signs of what could have been a relapse but it appears to of been side effects from his brain radiation. The doctors say this is about the time for him to start having some delayed reactions and the fevers were just leaked to a virus. Thankfully, the fevers stopped this past Tuesday. We have gradually started him back in school but he doesn’t last to long because he is just so weak and sleepy, we have him doing half days. Unfortunately he has lost 5 lbs, bringing him back down to 65 lbs. We encourage food every minute but his stomach has shrunk so much and his appetite is very little. We just have to be patient for that weight to come back on. His is still bald from loosing his hair back in August but you can see his hair starting grow now.

I was happy to hear that they felt it was best to postpone his spinal tap along with his chemo for about another month. They want him to recover from all the side effects of the radiation before they zap him with some more chemo. They might consider doing his monthly chemo next week; they will decide this at his next appointment. In the meantime, his counts are pretty good. His ANC level is around 1000...no where near the average child but acceptable for Jordan at this time.

Again, we are so relieved that his bone marrow is clear…the Leukemia still remains in remission! We rejoiced with tears of joy that day. We are in awe of God’s faithful promises and like my sister reminds me, the Lord will complete the work he has started in Jordan and never doubt the power of prayer!

Thank you Heavenly Father for your Mercy that endures forever!!

“For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. Jeremiah 29:11

Trying to Remain Positive

Hello Everyone. Just when you think all is well, something pops up to make you worry…

Last Saturday, Jordan started having fevers that we hoped would go away but they didn’t and we ended up in the hospital for 5 days. He had no other symptoms but fevers with chills, being very tired and no appetite at all…it all came on very quickly. They ran all routine blood tests for bacteria and fungal infections and even tried to determine what type of virus it may be. After being on heavy antibiotics, they felt it was safe enough to stop all antibiotics and just let whatever virus he had run its course. Thankfully, they agreed it was safe to come home on Thursday and have allowed us to give Tylenol for the fevers and just push as much food and liquids as possible.

To much of my surprise, they are still going to proceed with his spinal tap and chemo medicines (that he gets every 3 months) this Monday. The doctor says his counts look good and that it would be ok to do so. They are also going to do another bone marrow test the same day just to make sure the bone marrow is still clear. The last time he had his bone marrow checked was about a year ago. His bone marrow has never had any Leukemia cells in it, so our hope and prayers are that it has remained clean and clear of any unwanted Leukemia cells. Unfortunately, when I made a call to the Leukemia/Lymphoma Foundation and actually spoke with a specialist I found out that Jordan has some symptoms of a possible recurrence. This has thrown us in a panic and our hearts and minds are filled with worry and fear that at times are unbearable. We’re trying very hard to remain in tact for Tristen as we don’t want to weigh him down with too much worry for his brother.

Since Jordan has been home, he has been sleeping pretty much non stop, hardly eating and still running low grade fevers. He just looks sick, with droopy eyes and has a pale complexion, with really no life inside of him. Every once in awhile he will wake up to watch some playoff games of baseball and play a round of rummy with one of us.

We are trying to remain positive and put our complete trust in God that this is just a virus and eventually he will be over it, but it’s much easier to say than do. There’s no doubt in my mind that it has been all the prayers that have gotten Jordan this far, especially in the beginning when things seemed so hopeless. Now, we will continue those prayers and keep our hope and faith so that it will carry us through no matter what we find out from Monday’s tests results.

I pray for Gods Mighty Healing Power to work supernaturally in Jordan’s body right now and in this next week to come. I especially pray for peace of mind upon all of us as we wait for test results of the bone marrow. Please stand firm and stay in agreement with us as we continue to fight this battle for our precious son.

Hebrews 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our Gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

It’s Monday morning, 4:30 am and I have hardly slept. My mind has every emotion you can think of…

The first two weeks of school for Jordan went very well. He was welcomed with open arms. By the second week, Jordan developed a runny nose and cough but it never got bad enough for medicine, I just hoped and prayed it wouldn’t turn into anything more. But approaching our third week of school, a fever put us in the hospital for one day and one night. We returned to the clinic the next day for doses of antibiotics incase a bacteria infection was brewing. Thankfully, no bacteria showed up in his blood cultures and the fever was just related to a common cold.

His counts were very low for the second time in a month so he was put on independent study for the week. Again, all chemo pills were stopped to give his body time to rest and recover. As much as he wanted to be back in school, it was too risky to send him. We are due back tomorrow to check his blood work.

Unfortunately, his hair has come completely out due to the radiation. His teacher has compassionately agreed to let Jordan wear his baseball hat in class…loosing his hair again has not been easy for him.

He is doing fine now and will return to school Tuesday. His travel ball team has already started their season without him, competing in their first tournament this weekend. His coach tells us to get him healthy again so he can join the team… the radiation has taken more of a toll on him then ever imagined and going back to school has been a huge adjustment for him…so playing baseball may not even be in the cards right now.

Ever since radiation, the past few weeks have set me back a bit. I feel myself spiraling down with a ton of emotions getting the best of me. I guess you can say seeing Jordan with a bald head again is a constant reminder that yes, I have a child that’s fighting cancer (even though it’s already been beat and we’re just going through the process now).

Do you all remember when Jordan spoke at a fundraising dinner for the Cancer Society? He was asked by friends we met, whose daughter had Leukemia as a teenager and ended up having the same doctors as Jordan. Well, it is with great regret to have just found out the cancer is back and she is now in need of a bone marrow transplant along with even more aggressive chemo therapy than before. Her name is Raeleen, she just tuned 20 and had just started her first week of school at Cal Baptism at the time of her relapse. She is an absolute beautiful young girl who now has to once again put her life and hopes on hold.

This news has set me back and I am completely devastated. I feel the pain of that family and her mother’s….I know exactly the despair and heartache they must be feeling as they walk those halls of Loma Linda. Thankfully, they are a family full of faith and completely trusting that God will see them through once again. I can only imagine what Raeleen may be feeling. I pray she has the fight left in her and that God will give her the strength she needs to endure a very difficult road. She and her family need prayers around the clock right now.

I know I usually leave off with something encouraging but I don’t have it in me. I am sick physically and mentally right now. I am trying very hard to cast all negative thoughts down and surrender all to God so I can be the mother and a wife I was called to be…it’s a lot easier to say then do when you’re in a world of hurt.  This news with Raeleen has been the last thing I needed to hear. She gave our family hope. I guess for now I’ll take the advice of her mom, written from their blog, to take one day at a time…

My Little Hero!

Hello all…I’m more than thrilled to announce that Jordan is done with radiation! We actually started it a week later then anticipated because of his counts being too low. But, oh how happy we are that his last treatment was this past Wednesday!

Last Sunday afternoon, when we got home from camping up in the mountains (to get a quick getaway in before school started and to give Jordan a change of scenery other than the radiation rooms at Kaiser), I read a wonderful comment made by Keri on the blog. She shared her story of her daughter that was diagnosed with T-Cell Leukemia almost 20 years ago and now how she’s being released from the care of her oncologist!

First off, I couldn’t even get through the first few sentences without crying. This comment meant so much to me in many ways. This is the first person who I have EVER came into contact with who’s child had T-Cell and to know she’s been a survivor for so long and is now being released from doctor’s care, was just what I needed to hear! So CONGRATULATIONS Keri on hearing those words that I’m sure you’ve longed to hear for so long. Your comment was a great encouragement to me and the rest of my family…including Jordan! Reading comments like this, reminds me that yes…I need to continue doing this blog!

Unfortunatly…the radiation did not go as smoothly as we thought it would. It was much more on Jordan then we ever anticipated…physically and mentally. He started feeling nauseous almost right from the beginning which brought back a whole flood of emotions for me. It brought back the times of undergoing the aggressive chemo and I caught myself questioning our judgment of even doing this radiation. I felt like I was torturing him all over again and not helping him. But when I read the comment from Keri and she said that not getting the radiation was not an option, I realized (with the help of Shawn and others) that it was indeed needed.

Thankfully, we only had to do it for eight days but I could definitely see the fear in Jordan’s face every time we went. It broke my heart seeing them lock the mask on his face each time and on several occasions when we would go back into his room to get him, he had tears that filled his mask. For a 10 year old this was traumatic (gosh, for an adult it would be traumatic). But by Gods strength he gave him each day to go in and do this, he overcame yet another phase in this journey with flying colors and now Jordan in my eyes will always be my “Little Hero”! There’s no other word to describe it other than this!

Unfortunately today, his hair has started to fall out. They warned us of this, but doctors are hopeful it will just thin and not completely fall out due to the amount of radiation he received. I pray that this is true.

On a much happier note, we’ve hit another milestone in Jordan’s Journey. He officially started back to school and is now a big 5th grader! We were a little concerned if he could even finish the first week due do the radiation making him sick but thanks to the nauseous medicine and his determination to be a normal child again, he made it! We are completely blessed to have him at Calimesa Elementary School! Everyone there is wonderful, caring, and nurturing towards Jordan. They are all so happy he’s back!! He has a wonderful teacher (Mrs. Peterson) who is a Christian and texts me bible verses every morning, I love it! (This is great because I need all the encouragement I can get). They really made a week I thought was going to be very difficult quite easy. Tristen also got off to a great start at middle school! This week has been quite a transition for all of us, but in a good way!

A lot of people are asking me if Jordan is still getting chemo. The answer is yes, we have 3 years of maintenance chemo left. This consists of chemo pills daily, chemo in his port once a month which follows with 5 days of steroid pills, and every 3 months we are due in the hospital for spinal taps (along with chemo in his spine on those days).

So… as you see, the road is far from over but it has already begun as well…Jordan’s health is being restored and now Jordan will continue to be strengthen by God’s healing power which brings us the peace we need to fight and to overcome this. When he’s down, I always tell him one of my favorite verses…Phil. 4:13, For I can do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.

And so can you…

SWEET VICTORY!

Hello All! My how time flies when you’re having fun! Summer has sure kept us busy! The days are just flying by. I can’t believe before we know it, the boys will be back in school and yes Jordan is returning and starting the 5th grade and Tristen will be starting middle school.

We actually just got back from vacation at the river, filled with family, fun and lots of laughter. Jordan made up for missing this trip last year and had tons of fun on the boat, tubing and bonding with cousins!

We finally ended the All Star season towards the end of July and ended it with a BANG for Jordan’s team! They did wonderful and had an awesome time! Shawn coached and had an amazing group of kids that won their district title! They were the only team in our division to do so. The team went on after that to represent our district in Sectionals but was eliminated after loosing two games. I thought the boys would be upset but really it seemed they were all relieved and ready to start their summer vacation. None the less…they have so much to be proud of after such a huge accomplishment winning their district! I caught myself tearing up the last game they played as I sat there watching Jordan play...thinking what a SWEET VICTORY it was that he was playing at All Star level! Last season, Jordan had to deal with the fact that only his brother could play wishing he had the strength to play himself. Again…another milestone! Who would have thought Jordan would be where he’s at today! God is so good and has answered all our prayers!

I now have to have the confidence that God will carry us through this next journey in Jordan’s life. I last mentioned we had a consultation in Hollywood to discuss the Cranium Radiation that Jordan is due to get. We actually start this radiation in Ontario on August 4th for 8 days. This is a preventative treatment as T-Cell Leukemia can tend to come back in the brain. The odds of this coming back if we don’t do this treatment is extremely high, so of course we want to do what’s in the best interest to prevent this from coming back. One good thing they tell us is the dose of radiation has significantly lowered in the past few years. So that means fewer risks in side effects.

We had to go in for them to make a mask that molds to his face for treatment in order to help his head from moving during the radiation. The mask will lock down to a bed Jordan is laying on to prevent any movement in his head so the radiation can go only to his brain. They say each treatment should be done within 5 minutes.

To be honest, I really can’t think much about this because fear instantly sets in. As a mother I’m constantly worrying, this whole thing makes me a big ball of nerves. My faith’s for sure going to be tested during this time. I know we’re not the only family battling such illnesses as this, so when I feel this worry come on, I start to pray for all who are battling for their loved ones. My heart aches when I think of what people all around are going through, I do know now first hand we’re not the only ones. With that being said, please join me and my family in prayer as yet another phase in Jordan’s Journey is about to begin. Jordan will need peace of mind as radiation begins in his brain. Also pray for strength in his body and for protection so NO side effects will affect him now and in the years to come.

For I know God has a plan in his life and this is just a small bump in the road to complete recovery and restoration in the innocent life of our child.

Thank you and God's Blessing to all of you and your families!

Living Life

I know it’s been quite some time since I’ve written, but life lately has been extremely busy consisting of baseball, weddings, graduations and then…more baseball! I have found myself saying a lot lately, “That’s ok because we’re living life and a year ago, we weren’t living life”!

Since I last wrote Jordan has spoke at a fundraising dinner for the American Cancer Society and spoke like a pro! His doctor even attended and spoke, she expressed how pleased she was with Jordan’s recovery and talked about how depleted he was when she first saw him. He amazed everyone at the dinner (including us) with his poise as he shared his story and how money raised is so important for research. How important you learn these things are, when it happens to you.

We’ve been to Bakersfield for his cousin graduation, had my niece’s wedding, ended our home school journey with Jordan’s wonderful teacher, attended Tristen’s graduation ceremony for completing the 6th grade and moving on up to middle school, and have attended many baseball games between both boys.

Baseball season with Little League is officially over but I must say…Tristen and Shawn’s team definitely ended on a high note! They had an amazing team who finished 1st place in the regular season with an outstanding 17 wins and only 1 lost. They ended the season with a tournament where they placed 1st and received trophies for both! How very proud I am of them both! What an accomplishment!

Jordan’s team did well, finishing the season in 4th place of 9 teams and ended up in 3rd for the tournament. It was an accomplishment in its self that he even played and did so well! (It was purely his determination because I know his body still has a lot of strength and weight to gain). Which by the way…he finally weights 70 lbs.

Both boys made it for All Stars! Shawn has chosen to coach Jordan’s team. Jordan will be on the 10 year old team and their tournament will take place in Yucaipa and Tristen will be on the 11 year old team, playing his tournament in Yucca Valley. So practices with their new teammates are full steam ahead.

Jordan is due to get “Cranium Radiation” as a preventative treatment for T-cell Leukemia. We have a consultation coming up this Tuesday in Hollywood to discuss and make plans for treatment. I haven’t made mention of this yet because I just wasn’t ready to deal with it and wanted to focus on and enjoy the baseball season. Like the chemo did, the whole radiation thing makes me ill! But we know it’s needed to help keep this sick disease away. I don’t know how he will respond, I don’t know side effects or when this will even take place. All I know is the focus of prayer will need to be to get us through! Jordan especially!

On Jordan’s one year anniversary (May 26th) since his diagnosis, to celebrate we let orange (the leukemia color) balloons go with all his teammates in honor of everyone who has had to fight and endure this type of cancer. After, Jordan wanted Sushi…so we went, which he claims will now be our tradition.

With it being one year, everything takes me back where we were exactly a year ago and emotions take me all over the place. I have found myself doing a lot of reminiscing about long hospital stays, the images of Jordan being on life support, the day he coded and they prepared us for brain damage, Tristen not being able to finish his school year, Jordan learning how to walk, talk and eat again…the list goes on. I think about how a lot of people’s life stopped that day because ours did and really I don’t know how we made it through.

I appreciate the small things in life now, for instance just falling asleep in my own bed, and knowing we are all under the same roof. I appreciate the love and support from family and friends who never left our sides when the only thing that surrounded us seemed to be more and more bad news of despair. Really…we felt our life was over but thanks to our Heavenly Father he had different plans!

I now can share our story of success and how MIRACLES can happen! As a mother, I hope I can be an example to others. Our hearts are always going to be heavy and worry for our children but it’s our job to never let up on our constant battle for them, especially in prayer.

I’ve seen Shawn be the true example of a father whose strength stood strong for his family when we needed him most. I’m in awe of what a large burden he had to carry when all odds seemed against him, when I was so weak and couldn’t even make a decision, he was right there being the backbone of our family, lifting us up, NEVER giving up.

I’ve seen Tristen be a devoted brother that was in his bible daily, praying and crying himself to sleep every night for his brother that he wanted to see come home so badly. And because of our trust and faith in God it happened!

Thank you again for your continued support through prayer and encouragement as we are not done yet, we still are in battle everyday especially with this radiation coming up.

I’ll keep you posted as Jordan’s Journey continues…