{"id":2650,"date":"2013-10-02T23:24:38","date_gmt":"2013-10-03T05:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jacobhickford.com\/?p=2650"},"modified":"2013-10-08T11:30:38","modified_gmt":"2013-10-08T17:30:38","slug":"our-world-was-lit-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacobhickford.com\/?p=2650","title":{"rendered":"Our World Was Lit GOLD"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"City<\/a> I now it’s been a little while since I’ve updated and I have to apologize. It seems Jake has his own little social calendar.\u00a0 This “in-between” stage has been good to him.\u00a0He’s still needing transfusions… lots!\u00a0 But his ANC has been higher than usual. It’s still not what yours and mine is, but for him, it’s better than it has been in a year.\u00a0 Enough for him to get out and about a little bit (or a lot-a-bit, actually), with caution.\u00a0 And that has allowed us to attend a few events\u00a0specifically geared for\u00a0him.\u00a0 We’ve had a busy month, a good month… a month\u00a0full of\u00a0GOLD!\u00a0 At the beginning of the month, we met with other cancer families for the lighting of City Hall.\u00a0 It was a\u00a0night full\u00a0of stories and love.\u00a0 There was a balloon release to honor\u00a0those children taken too soon and it was a really special night.\u00a0 One afternoon Jake and I\u00a0visited Cathedral Energy where they went GOLD for September with Jake shirts and a luncheon in his honor. There were dino footprints leading to the party room (aka conference room), and there was pizza,\u00a0cake and dinosaur toys all over the place!\u00a0\u00a0We\u00a0were invited to speak at Concordia HS recently and that was such an honor!\u00a0 I prayed and prayed over the words and the nerves, and the right message for them to hear. It certainly was a blessing for us and Jake loved the attention!\u00a0 We were a\"J<\/a>lso invited, along with our friends, the Whales, to the Concordia volleyball game last night. Jake and Grant were honorary guests. They brought both of our families out, gave the boys the coolest box of Lego\u00a0stuff and presented our families with checks toward the boys medical funds.\u00a0 The students at Concordia have been hard at work in September learning about childhood cancer, spreading awareness and raising funds.\u00a0 They have wrapped their arms and hearts around our families and we are so blessed and thankful!\u00a0\u00a0I want to send out a very special thank you to Emily Riemer for spearheading the bake sales at Concordia and doing so much to rally her friends and so many students behind such an awesome month of GOLD.\u00a0 Two weekends ago, Jake was able to go to his nephew, Nikolas’,\u00a0birthday party.\u00a0 Yes nephew!\u00a0 Remember we have a much older daughter,\u00a0Meghan, and she has our two grandbabies, Nikolas and Ebby.\u00a0 So that makes Jake an uncle – only a year older than \"J<\/a>his nephew.\u00a0 Grins!\u00a0 He was also able to\u00a0attend the benefit of one of his warrior friends, Taylor, and had a great time eating snow cones and bouncing around.\u00a0 His lips, tongue, hands, shirt, you name it, were bright blue. He and his friend Maddi, attended a special premier movie night\u00a0of Cloudy With A Touch of Meatballs 2 with the Candlelighters. And this weekend, Jake will be honored at the Bengals game (junior league football) and\u00a0will get to walk out on the field. AND, I’ve been able to go back to\u00a0Bible Study!\u00a0 THAT in itself is HUGE!\u00a0I have missed my girls and my Godtime!\u00a0 He’s felt well enough\u00a0to allow me a babysitter, or maybe it’s that I’ve felt comfortable enough to leave him since he’s feeling okay. \u00a0See… social calendar!\u00a0 It’s been really nice and he’s been so happy!\u00a0 We know it’s only temporary and isolation will return soon but for now\u00a0we’ve had a little downtime while waiting \"2013-09-22<\/a>on scans in between the last MIBG treatment and our next course of treatment but it’s been a couple of weeks\u00a0of needed reprieve.\u00a0 And he has had time to grow some hair!\u00a0 That too is temporary but it’s so nice to see it.\u00a0 I’m trying not to harp\u00a0on it too much so that it isn’t a big deal when he looses it again, but I can’t help but touch his\u00a0head all the time.\u00a0 It’s such soft, baby fine hair. I must be doing it\u00a0too much because he told me that I need to *not* touch his head so much,\u00a0 Then said, “but you can still rub my head at\u00a0bed time”.\u00a0 He likes me to rub his little head to help him get to sleep.\u00a0 Awwwwwww… a mommy moment.\u00a0 So we start his next set of tests soon.\u00a0 We have his bone marrow biopsy on Tuesday. Then we have his MIBG, CT, EK\"2013-09-24<\/a>G, and ECHO the week of Oct 14th.\u00a0 And we still have two lab\/transfusion appointments each week with all of those. So we live at TCH and driving into the med-center\u00a0so much is definitely taxing on both of us. At the moment, they have scheduled us for a 2nd MIBG\u00a0treatment in Ft Worth.\u00a0 We are praying for NED but, should we need a second treatment, Jake has a plan in place.\u00a0 (Several plans in place, actually.)\u00a0 The scans will pave the next\u00a0course. Please begin praying over these scans.\u00a0 We desperately pray for\u00a0NED!\u00a0 NED means we don’t subject Jake to another MIBG\u00a0treatment.\u00a0 As I’ve mentioned, it’s well tolerated now, but no one truly knows the repercussions later.\u00a0 I also have another prayer request…\u00a0as happy as Jake has been, he’s also having some pretty major melt downs. He’s five and five year olds have\u00a0occasional tantrums. But these are different. These are\u00a0uncontrollable, crazed\u00a0moments of crying, screaming,\u00a0flailing… he can’t\u00a0calm down until he’s almost worn out. He’s had three in the past week. We believe it’s chemically induced by the meds, the radiation, or\u00a0something.\u00a0 After it’s over, he has true remorse and says, “I just can’t \"2013-10-01<\/a>stop myself”. He genuinely feels\u00a0bad but has no\u00a0control over\u00a0his emotions or behavior.\u00a0 Please pray that this is something temporary and that it subsides soon.\u00a0 These are the scary things that\u00a0you are not prepared for, no matter what you’ve read or\u00a0you’ve been told.\u00a0 Each time, it’s surprising, maddening,\u00a0and\u00a0heart wrenching.\u00a0 There really isn’t much we can do but let him go through it.\u00a0\u00a0So that’s our month in a nutshell!\u00a0 Just one year ago, we heard those words… that Jake had cancer. You can’t tell me that God isn’t in this with us!\u00a0 Here we are a year later… his cancer came to light in September…. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month… and while we’ve lived in the hospital for most of the year and he’s been isolated and sick, it’s this month –\u00a0September –\u00a0where we’ve been blessed by a “time out”\u00a0to help\u00a0spread awareness and enjoy the journey that has brought so much change.\u00a0So now that September has come to a close, I’ve noticed\u00a0all the stores in full PINK mode.\u00a0\u00a0I pray that one day we see GOLD filling the isles the same way and I’m so thankful and proud of all of our family and friends who too\"2013-10-01<\/a>k up the cause with us this year. I know next year will be even bigger and brighter.\u00a0 Now it’s time for Pinktober!\u00a0 We will be praying and honoring all of our PINK warrior friends this October just as they have prayed and honored Jake. We are so thankful for the love, support and mentorship they have shown us this year.\u00a0 So, ladies, the best way to take care of your families is by caring for yourself.\u00a0 Get you “girls” checked!\u00a0 Find your\u00a0PINK and wear it proudly, just as you did GOLD!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I now it’s been a little while since I’ve updated and I have to apologize. It seems Jake has his own little social calendar.\u00a0 This “in-between” stage has been good to him.\u00a0He’s still needing transfusions… lots!\u00a0 But his ANC has been higher than usual. It’s still not what yours and mine is, but for him, … <\/p>\n

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