New Additions to the Family

9/22/2011:  10:28 AM

Well, harvest is in full swing.  I see the farm machinery out in full force. Kyle leaves long before anyone else is stirring in the Coffey house, and he comes home after the kids have been tucked in. The kids catch up with him through phone calls and the occasional visit to the field.  When they were younger, Davis and Annakate would beg to ride in the combine with Daddy.  They have outgrown combine riding and would rather spend their time hanging out at home.   

We have seen marked improvements this week.  Davis continues to fight taking his medication, and the fighting sucks the energy and positivity right out of me. However, he is eating more. What an answer to prayer.  It seems as though his QQ Buffet cravings are about over, and his Mexican phase has begun. He does eat a lot of chicken strips as well.  It is amazing how circumstances change you. A few months ago, I would have never allowed my children to consume as much fat and grease as Davis does now.  He needs the fat to sustain him, and the grease (french fries, chicken nuggets) isn't ideal, but at least he is eating. 

Davis has gone to school for the last three days.  Today, he actually made it on time.  Yay!  Davis spent his entire evening working on a student council poster and speech. Hours.  A typical ten-year-old, he waited until the night before it was due to do it all.  He decided that he wanted to make a commercial for his speech, and I thought this was a good idea in case he was sick and couldn't physically stand up in front of the class to present.  He even dressed up in a suit and tie for his speech.  He didn't know what to put on his poster to fill up the space, so he had me to take pictures of him to glue in the empty places. 

When I picked him up from school, he was beaming. I guess the presentation went well. There is some really stiff competition from what he tells me.  There are seven kids competing for one spot.  I know that his odds of making student council are slim, but I was thrilled that he took the initiative to try. I always worry that Davis has lost his drive to be involved since he rarely feels well and it is easier for him to say he doesn't want to do something than to push through the pain. It was nice to worry about school stuff for an evening. 

Davis has been wanting another dog, and Annakate has been dreaming of raising a rabbit.  I cringe at the thought of being responsible for one more living being, so we settled on something we could all be happy with.  Compromise, right?  Yesterday, we added to new beta fish to our Coffey family. (Thanks for the idea, Stephanie!) Annakate got her own little tank and named her little beta Carmen. Davis picked out a bigger tank and named his fish Jacker.

Carmen Coffey

On the way home from Wal-Mart, I asked the kids how they decided on the names. Annakate said she has always liked the name Carmen.  Davis said that Jacker reminded him on a movie star.  Hmm.  A famous beta? Anyway, I told Davis that the name Jacker reminded me of hijacker, and I asked them if they knew what a hijacker was. Annakate  piped up, "Oo. Oo.  I do. A hijacker is when you stand on the side of the road and put your thumb out."  Oh, how she makes me smile.  I explained to her that she was referring to a hitchhiker, and then I explained what a hijacker was.  I was so content watching them pick out their tanks, rocks, and the little plants, and I love that they (hopefully, not me) now have added responsibility.  (Annakate asks to feed her fish every thirty minutes!)

Jacker Coffey

Tomorrow, Davis will be accessed here, and I will give him his chemo at home. Since Davis only has one IV chemo this week, we do not have to go to St. Louis.  Despite the emergence of some illnesses at school (strep throat, some rashes), the kids in his class are healthy (answer to prayers), and Davis continues to go. Wouldn't it be amazing if the kids in his two classes remain healthy all year long, and Davis is able to attend school through the months of October - February? 

Next Friday is a big day. We ask that you pray for Davis now.  He will receive some nasty chemo that impedes his ability to walk and use his hands at times. He will also receive the PEG shots.  You may remember me mentioning them before. The PEGs are gigantic shots that are shot into the thigh muscle of each leg. Even though we use numbing creme for the actual stick, the chemo injected into his leg stings and bruises. He last had them on August 26, and after much debate, they agreed to give the shots to him while he was under anesthesia for his spinal tap. Next Friday, there will be no anesthesia. His legs are half the size they used to be. I am nauseous just thinking about it, and I am not the one getting them.  Poor guy.  Definitely need prayer for next Friday.

The first week of October or so, Davis will have another bone marrow biopsy to see if he is still in remission. There is not a doubt in my mind to believe otherwise.  We ask that you pray or think for the immediate and long term.  Davis needs prayer to conquer his fear of medication.  Kyle and I continue to pray for his strength and health, the kids in his classes, and short and long term side effects.  And as always, we pray for healing and CURE. 

With September being National Childhood Cancer Awareness month, I always tack on a little prayer for the other children who have to face cancer every day. Children who fight cancer are warriors like no other. They fight the disease in their bodies.They fight nausea, infections, rashes, hair loss, fevers, weight loss, weight gain, phantom pain, surgeries. They fight the stares of strangers and the same inquisitive questions over and over again. I have always thought that children (teenagers included) are some of the toughest people in the world. They would have to be to deal with the problems that young people face today. But kids with cancer . . . definitely the toughest in my book.

Thank you for your continues support and prayers.  We will keep you posted.