Time

Jake had some minor surgery yesterday and is doing great! The chemo has not been kind to his teeth (think I’ve mentioned this) and we had to fix them before Stem Cell. We will eventually get there so had to be sure this was checked off the list. We are hoping that the chemo is eating away at his bone disease and marrow the way it is eating away at his teeth. His next round of chemo is scheduled to begin Monday. He’ll be on the pole for a week and it’s the same drugs as last time. He’s been out of treatment for five weeks now. This

chemotherapy combo was a doozy and his counts just aren’t recovering like they have. This week has been the first time I’ve felt some confusion and concern from his team. We’ve been on, off, on, off, all over the place trying to figure out his counts and how/when to get him back on track with his next treatment. The good part of having this time is that he has had some really happy days and is eating like crazy! He’s had lots of energy (and transfusions to help with that) but it’s been too long and we don’t want anything growing that shouldn’t. Speaking of transfusions… we have a new fave place! As we leave the med-center, we’ve been stopping in for ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s. It IS summer after all. Jake also made it to his first baseball game and LOVED it. He’s asked all week when he can go back again. And we’ve been heading to the park at dusk, when it’s vacant. Strange tid bit… mosquitos don’t like Jake. They swarm us, but not a bite on him! This morning I found some pictures from this time last summer. My initial feeling was sadness at the innocence lost and how physically different he looks now. It’s not just his hair, but his facial features and his body. His weight has yo-yo’d so much this year that sometimes he looks like a little old man. But then it hit me… we have him here, we’ve had TIME and lots of new memories. Many of them have been hard and painful but so many more of them have been full of joy and love. We’ve witnessed God’s strength through Jake’s perseverance and his ability to bounce back time and again… and for that I can’t help but be thankful. This song has come on a couple of times this morning so it must be a sign, reminding me to trust and praise Him in all we’ve been through so far… to praise Him in the rain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIFOPWHjA6c by Mercy Me. I love all of the artwork that accompanies this video, hope you like it! It’s been a really tough week in our cancer

world and lots of tears. Please pray for the families of Will, Bridgette, Talia, and Abigail. Three of them fought Neuroblastoma, they were all FIGHTERS till the end. In my humanness, I can’t help but believe that in the midst of celebration in the Heavens, there had to be a bit of sadness at how many little ones walked through those gates.

“God who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain.” C.S. Lewis