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!

Thanks to all that came out to the garage sale and supported Jordan's Cause. It was a huge success! Thank you to the generous people that donated money without buying anything at all and to the people that donated items to the sale just to help. Jordan was well enough most of the weekend to be there and meet some of his faithful supporters.

Jordan received chemo last Wednesday and is do back for a repeat this Wednesday. The effects of last week's chemo definitely kicked in, but not as bad as I've seen it in the past...thankfully. Come Saturday, he was pretty much back to himself. We should know what to expect with tomorrows chemo now and it seems he should be able to enjoy Thanksgiving somewhat. We will just have to be on top with the nauseous medicine. I think just being with cousins he hasn't seen in a while will lift his spirits and hopefully he will be distracted from feeling sick (at least that's what I'm hoping for). The next day back will be December 9th and it will be big, so we will definitely take advantage of the time off.

This Thanksgiving, I give thanks to LIFE my son has, when I think back to what could of been, my prayers instantly begin...giving thanks to God for his miraculous favor he had on Jordan's life and still has. We will never forget the MIRACLE that was given to us!

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Jordan received chemo this past Wednesday, it consisted of a spinal tap and when they are in there pulling the fluid from the spine, they also inject some chemo medicine. Once he came out of the anesthesia, we went back to the room where he received two more chemo medicines. After an eight hour day, the last thing was to change his pic line dressing and like always they don't like the rash they see, so once again we are changing how we apply the bandages and now switching to iodine to clean it and have to now change the dressing every other day rather than once a week. It seems to be helping, his rash is much better.

Unfortunately the throwing up started that evening while we were at home. The nurses always give him dose of zolfran before we leave for the nauseousness but it only lasts so long. When Jordan is sick like this Shawn and I take turns sleeping on the couch with him and pretty much stay up the entire night. We do find it frustrating though, because its very hard for Jordan to keep any of his meds down when he just vomits them right back up. We wish we could take the medicines home with us and give them to him in the pic line like the nurses do. It would make things so much easier! We also give Jordan ativan and benadryl when he is so sick and vomiting, this is recommended by the doctors, to relax him and make him sleep. When he can keep these all down, it does seem to take the edge off.

This time around, Jordan did not throw up as long but seemed to stay sick longer with laying around a lot and sleeping more. He finally started to feel better on Sunday. We are due back again this Wednesday for more. Thankfully, no spinal tap, he will get two chemo meds at the doctors office. The next treatment after that will be the following Wednesday which will be the day before Thanksgiving...yes, we are all bummed!

For Jordan's Cause, we will be having a garage sale at my sister and brother-in-law's house this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Their address is 35275 Wildwood Canyon Drive in Yucaipa. The nearest cross street is Bryant. All you garage sale shoppers...come on out!

Lastly...When Jordan was sick on Saturday with no life in him and feeling his weakest, I found the perfect bible verse, 2 Corinthians 12:9 and it talks about God's power working the best in our times of weakness. When I read this to Jordan, it brought tears to both of us, that verse was exactly the verse we needed to get us through that day. I'm so glad I found that seed to plant in Jordan's mind and heart, it helped reassure us we are not facing this battle alone...even in our times of weakness.

A Glimpse Of The Old Jordan

This past weekend, we were able to enjoy Jordan the most we have in a long time. The four of us were able to get away and stay at a campground with two other families in Temecula for Tristen's baseball tournament and yes...he was the bat boy. If it puts him on a baseball field, he'll do it. Jordan is as eager as ever to be playing ball again and being the bat boy just draws him closer to the field.

The break that Jordan has had from chemo has done wonders for him! His hair is growing back, his voice is coming back, his strength is coming back, his personality is coming back, and he's eating more than ever! For the first time, I'm finally seeing it...a glimpse of the old Jordan! I've been eagerly waiting for it and it brings so much relief to see that it can and will happen...I can't wait until he's back, fully restored and even better than ever!

We do however, start up an intensive phase this Wednesday for 62 days. It, like always, begins with being admitted to the hospital for a spinal tap along with other chemos. The doctors feel this phase (hopefully) can be done without any hospital stays overnight. This is a big deal to Jordan and us, considering we've had our fair share of staying in the hospital...we strongly hope those days are behind us.

Jordan has loved this time off as he has been able to be somewhat of a normal kid again. He was able to ride his scooter and actually play ball this weekend with his brother and buddies he camped out with. His Grandpa Henry and Grandma Tina were even able to come and stay one night with us.

On Sunday night we picked up the bike he won from his school, thanks to Mrs. Matlock, and on Monday he was getting back into his old groove of riding and jumping his ramps (taking it cautiously of course). He loves his new bike and it will be great for strengthening his leg muscles.

Jordan currently weighs 60lbs! This is the most since he left the hospital after his initial stay in July. We hope and pray this next phase will not set him back much. He is very much aware of the upcoming chemo and just goes along with it. I've got to hand it to him, he's a trooper all right. Whenever people ask him, "How are you doing?" he always responds with "Good" or he gives a "thumbs up". He never really lets on that this is hard for him. When he does have his bad days, we just reassure him this will all be over soon and life will get back to normal. He feels like sometimes it won't, because in his mind three years of maintenance therapy seems forever. We just keep comforting and reassuring him.

Jordan would like to say, "Thanks to all who keep reading his blog and thank you for everything that you've done for me."

In closing, please remember us in your prayers, as we really don't know what the next couple of months will bring. We've just got to get Jordan through these last stages of the heavy chemo.

A Welcomed Break

This past week we have had a nice, well welcomed break from chemo. Jordan only had chemo on Monday and Tuesdays chemo was canceled due to a reaction he had from the injections in his thighs. I am proud to say this phase is finished.

We have an appointment to meet with doctors this Thursdays to discuss this last phase of Jordan's aggressive chemo therapy treatment. Praise God!! I never thought I'd see these final days approaching, although I do believe this final phase will last all through the holidays.

Jordan is doing pretty well right now, with the exception of his low white blood count. His coloring looks pretty good and his spirits are great. He has been able to do things that keeps him busy and entertained. When he is felling well, it brings much relief to all of us, having days of somewhat normalcy reminds us of what living like a normal family is like once again.

I want to say thank to all the continued prayers that go out for Jordan. I have people telling me continuously they're still praying...it's good to know Jordan has not been forgotten as we still are in a fight. These prayers have lifted us up during days when we as a family have been at our lowest.

Once I get more details regarding this phase on how the doctors are going to approach this...I will defiantly let you all know.

God Bless

Jordan - Bat Boy!

This weekend was much more enjoyable than last weekend for the Macias Family! Since last weekend's chemo treatments, Jordan has finally recovered, making it a weekend full of baseball.

Jordan was the bat boy for his brother, Tristen's traveling baseball team on both Saturday and Sunday. The minute I saw him pick up the first bat and jog out on the field, I must say...brought tears of much satisfaction and joy. It made me remember when we first brought him home from the hospital, he could barely walk, let alone jog. Jordan being out on the field and being apart of the team (even in their huddles) made me realize that ALL things are possible.

When Jordan is feeling well from the side effects of chemo, he gets stronger and stronger in all areas. He is more than ready now to be back on the baseball field playing once again. Soon this phase will end for this particular treatment, than we only have one more aggressive phase before he is on the maintenance phase. I can only hope, it won't hit it hard and set him back.

Friday morning, Jordan was one of four 4th graders at his school to win a bike in which Mrs. Matlock entered his name for the entry. He was able to go up in front of the school and see friends, teachers, and parents who may not have seen Jordan in a while. This made Jordan really happy, plus any chance he gets to go to school makes him so excited.

Unfortunately, we are due back Monday and Tuesday for another round of chemo. It is a repeat of what he's been having and thankfully, no spinal tap is due.

Jordan easily gets bored at home not going to school and playing sports, so this weekend was much needed to recharge and reset his mind. If there's, one thing I noticed about him, he's strong and he's a fighter.

He has told me before he is stronger than me which I know has truth to it. The other day, he was messing around on the computer and he just kept on writing over and over again: Jordan is strong, Jordan is strong. He probably wrote it 40 times...we should all take lessons from him. I know I should.