Went to Hawaii on Thursday . . . .

3/24/2012: 10:05 AM

An amazing week.

My sister Amy told me about this website, Goalforit.com, that creates an online chore and behavior chart for each child in the family. I can assign the chores and behaviors a point value and when the child reaches a certain amount of points, he/she can cash it in for prizes that I have assigned. So far, so good. Davis' chore chart includes being thankful (no complaining), being respectful, and taking his medication on time without complaint. Annakate's chore chart includes no yelling, picking up after herself, and practicing the piano (something she is not a fan of). Of course, there are other chores as well. Needless to say, we haven't had the medication fight with Davis this week. I hope this is the start of something new and permanent.

There was quite a surprise waiting for Davis at school on Thursday. While he was in the hospital and on spring break, his teachers and the parents of both Miss Goodchild's and Mrs. Meyer's classes organized a day in Hawaii for Davis. Since he was unable to attend his Make-A-Wish vacation because of a hospital stay, they brought Hawaii to him.

The room was abundantly decorated. There was even a banquet table for food set up on the north side of the room. There were palm trees, fish nets, flowers, tiki torches, shells, leis; all the things you would imagine seeing in Hawaii. Some of Davis' classmates were even wearing Hawaiian shirts. When Davis walked into the classroom, he didn't get it. He had no idea what to make of it. Mrs. Meyer explained to him that his classmates' parents worked really hard to bring Hawaii to him since he was unable to go. He was speechless.

At lunch time, Mrs. Meyer's class and Miss. Goodchild's class filled the classroom for a feast. The kids munched on pizza, Hawaiian rolls, pineapple, grapes, strawberries, and cookies. The kids even had treat bags full of goodies too.  A big thank you to Papa John's for giving the classes a substantial discount on pizzas.

The feast ended with a presentation from Mikayla Kuznicki on behalf of her family. To my understanding, the Kuznicki family has a friend who is native to Hawaii. I believe she made two authentic leis for Davis. The leis are beautiful. Davis is very careful with them. He takes them out of the box, shows them off, and puts them right back up. I think he is afraid they are going to be broken.

I know that there were a lot of families involved in making this day so special for Davis and for the rest of the classes. I wish those of you who are not familiar with the children Davis goes to school with could see how these children have bonded and become a little fifth grade family of sorts.  I feel like Davis (and we) have a support group like no other. A heart-felt thank you to the Simmons family, the Schutzbach family, the Kuznicki family, the Holly family, the Cox family, the Williamson family, the Hendrix family, the Ebinger family, the Cline family, the Gandolfi family, and the countless others who helped or offered. The families of Davis' classmates raise the bar on generosity, support, and kindness; and we are forever grateful.

After Thursday, Friday was pretty anti-climatic, but it was Friday, so that was a plus. Davis has baseball try-outs today. I am a nervous wreck. I am worried that he is going to be injured or too weak to do much of anything. I don't know if he is even strong enough to hold up his bat for consecutive pitches. His whole body hurts every night and morning; we assume that he is building muscle again. He is worried that he is going to make a fool of himself in front of all of his friends. I assured him that they understand that being sick has taken a lot out of him, but he is convinced otherwise. I will let you know how it goes. The doctor did tell us that stepping back into "normal" life is difficult and scary. I guess this is what he meant.

Medically, we don't get blood counts again until Thursday. I am eager to see how he is doing. He seems great, so no worries here. We still appreciate and need your positive thoughts and prayers. This battle isn't over yet.

We will keep you posted.

More Normal Than Not

3/21/2012: 5:35 PM

We enjoyed what was left of the kids' spring break by spending most of it with family. Kyle's aunt Tricia was visiting from Georgia, and Grandma Hawkins had a birthday. We spent some time on Friday and Saturday with our Hawkins family, and Sunday afternoon, we celebrated another birthday as my niece turned 3.

Kyle and Kennedy playing with the bubble wand.

Davis and Annakate are doing a pretty good job of finding a routine of school and chores. We had a pretty good routine until Davis wound up in the hospital. It is still a struggle for Davis to take his medication; there are nights when he doesn't go to be until 10:45 PM because he won't/can't take his medication. And of course, that makes for a rough morning, where he has to repeat the process. 

His medicine causes a bit of a conundrum. The predisone he is on causes him to be hungry all of the time. He eats from the minute he gets up until the moment before he has to brush his teeth before bed. One of his chemo meds, 6 MP, has to be taken on a completely empty stomach. Kyle and I have been putting Davis to bed, and then waking him up two hours later to take his 6 MP. It's unusual, but it's working. Davis is still groggy from being asleep, so he doesn't resist taking it as much. And being asleep, he isn't super hungry from the prednisone.

I know I blog it all of the time, but we are so moved by the love and generosity shown to us by friends and family. During spring break, Macy, a little gal who is in band with Davis, took her trumpet and her big heart and played songs for people. They, in turn, tipped her. She took the tip money that she raised and gave it to Davis. Wow. We were so touched by this child's thoughtfulness. I am not sure if she reads the blog, but if so, thank you, Macy!

Thank goodness the weather has been cooperating! She rides every day.

Davis has been feeling pretty good the last few days. He has some major allergies, but who doesn't? He has been playing outside quite a bit, and therefore, he is coated with sunscreen every morning. Chemo and sun exposure do not mix. We have had our fair share of emotional and behavioral issues with Davis as of late (50-80% of children with cancer suffer from depression or issues with compliance), but we are confident that with the help of his psychologist, our united front, and lots and lots of prayer, we will be beyond them soon.

I am sorry that I don't have any counts or medical news to report. It seems odd to me to not know more about Davis' health. This part of meeting the maintenance phase is going to be quite an adjustment for me. We are supposed to get a CBC and CMP next Thursday. However, no medical news is a blessing in and of itself. It means that we are inching our way closer to being done with cancer treatment.

We continue to pray for a complete healing for Davis. When I tuck him in every night, I personally pray over him right then and there. I pray for complete healing, a strong bone marrow, no relapse. I pray for his heart, liver, and kidneys that they stay strong. I pray for his mind and those battles that he fights that we can't see. I pray that he is a witness for God and a leader in the world. I pray that he may see the blessings brought forth by cancer. And I pray that God builds a hedge of protection around him and keeps him safe for all of the days of his long, long life.

We will keep you posted.

St. Louis Channel 5 News Story

3/18/2012: 9:48 PM

While Davis was inpatient at Children's, he had an opportunity to be interviewed by Heidi Glaus, a reporter from the KSDK news station. She was doing a piece promoting Camp Rainbow, an organization that does wonderful things for the children with cancer.

You can see Davis and his little friend Allie in the news story. Just click on the link below.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=310369

Thursday, We Did Not Have Cancer

3/17/2012:   4:50 PM

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

I am not sure when I blogged last, so I will catch you up on the last couple of days.

Thursday morning, Davis and I headed in for blood work. Davis' blood was so thick, that it was clotting before Valerie, our wonderful phlebotomist, had a chance to finish. We finally decided to do a peripheral stick in his arm to save time and multiple finger sticks. We then headed out to pick up his buddies.

Davis had had these three best buddies since kindergarten. They all have such different personalities and interests, but they complement one another fantastically. They listen to one another, bounce ideas off each other, and help one another without thought. They are truly kindred spirits. And I think that Davis is at his best, both emotionally and physically, when his friends are around. It is truly like the cancer melts away . . . as though it never really existed. What a blessing these boys and their families have been to us. They haven't shied away at learning and adjusting to our new normal, and I am grateful. Last week when Davis was in the hospital, one of the boys texted Davis, "How are your counts?" I couldn't help smiling at that oddity from one ten-year-old to another.

So Thursday, the boys started with a two-on-two Nerf gun war, and eventually we headed to the farm for fishing and go-kart/4-wheeler/golf cart driving/riding. Hands down, it was one of the best days we have had in a long time.

Friday morning was bound for disaster when I neglected (because I forgot) to get Davis up at 5 AM to eat a little something. He was scheduled for a spinal tap at 1:30 PM and wasn't allowed to eat anything after 5:30 AM because of the anesthesia. When I got him up at 8:00 AM, it was too late. It was a miserable ride down to St. Louis filled with his complaints and bad attitude and my resolve to completely ignore him, which just seemed to fuel his growing fire. He finally gave up and fell asleep at Troy, which was not soon enough but always my luck. Once in clinic, he was fine, and the chemo and spinal went well. 

Davis had severe nausea on the way home. I am sure the combo of anesthesia
and chemo was to blame.

Dr. Bednarski, one of Davis' oncologists, explained that starting the maintenance phase is the third scariest time for families. Diagnosis is the first, and end of treatment is the second. Until now, we have been dependent of Davis' weekly counts. They determine if he needs transfusions and the strength of his immune system. In the maintenance phase, Davis will only get a CBC once a month. I asked the doctor how we will know what his counts are and how strong is immune system is, and he replied, "You won't". I wanted to cry. I am not a risk-taker and I am a bit of a control freak (even though cancer is curing a lot of this in me), so you can imagine why I was beside myself with this news. Apparently, Davis' counts are to be returning within normal limits (except ANC) within six months time. His ANC will still fluctuate given the chemo and viral/bacterial infections that he picks up. He will still be hospitalized for any fevers/low counts.

Other changes that come with the maintenance phase is the resuming of normal activities and oral meds. The doctor wants Davis to consume protein powder and do some endurance building activities to start building his muscle mass for baseball. Davis is also to be held accountable for former responsibilities (chores that he couldn't do because they were too germy or used chemicals). Davis has three new oral chemo medications he takes at home. His daily medications went from three to six, and that doesn't include his "as needed" medication that he takes for pain and/or nausea. Plus, the medications are tricky. Some are taken on an empty stomach, some on a full, some refrigerated, some on certain days of the week. There sure are a gazillion ways to mess this up.

Random picture. Annakate is now an orange belt.

We aren't expected to go back to St. Louis until April. Hopefully, no issues will arise between now and then.

We continue to pray for us. This new phase is already proving to be quite an adjustment. We will never be able to really thank all of you who have lifted us up in prayer and positive thoughts over the last eight months, but please know that we are forever grateful for you. My heart breaks for those who must make this journey alone.

We will keep you posted.

Our New Addition

3/14/2012: 9:11 AM

Davis was released from the hospital on Friday afternoon. He received platelets and blood before we left. Uncle Randy, who was visiting us that day, drove us home. Annakate had her taekwondo belt ceremony that evening, so Kyle attended that while Davis and I enjoyed home. Yes, Annakate is officially an orange belt now, and she really seems to enjoy taekwondo immensely.

The pre-medication for platelet transfusions makes him sleep.

When we finally reached home, Davis and I were greeted by the newest member of our family: Linus Swindol Coffey. (Yes, all of our pets have middle names.) Davis really wanted a dog for Christmas, and it took us a while to find one. Davis was willing to wait for his Christmas present, and he was finally able to hold his "gift" on Friday night. I think we had all forgotten what having a puppy around is like. We, especially Annakate and Davis, are adjusting to the nips of the razor sharp teeth. Annakate can't understand why Linus chases her every time she tries to get away from him. This puppy is smaller than our cat, and Annakate still cries, "Mom, get him away from me. He's going to get me."

Davis and Linus

Lucy, our 3-year-old Doberman, gets alongs well with Linus. She mothers
him quite a bit. And no, Davis wasn't thinking Charlie Brown when he named his dog.

We spent a couple of days visiting my family down in Tennessee.  It was a nice getaway. With Davis' ANC being so low, we can't really stay in a hotel (germs) and we are avoiding public places, so visiting Grandpa and Grandma Fanello was a great solution to our need to get away.

We will be enjoying what is left of spring break here at home. We couldn't be more pleased with the weather. I have so many projects that I am ready to do; I don't know where to start. Davis will go to SBLHC tomorrow for blood work. The results will determine if his counts are high enough to start his maintenance chemo. His ANC (immune system) has to be 750, and his platelets have to be 75 in order to start. If his counts are there, Davis and I will head down to Children's on Friday for chemo and a spinal.

Please pray for Davis. I fear that although the maintenance phase is easier for most children, it will be harder for Davis. In maintenance, Davis will only have to go to Children's once or twice a month for IV chemo in his port. The rest of the chemo (including steroids) will be taken orally every day. Davis still struggles taking oral medications. Although we have been at this eight months now, he still fights us nearly daily on taking oral medication. Plus, all meds are still crushed or liquid because he can't swallow pills yet. He will be taking medication daily for the next 2 1/2 years and maybe longer. I know it will be quite an adjustment for him here at the beginning, and I pray that over time it becomes second nature for him to down his medications.

We still pray the same prayers we always have. Total healing, Strength for the journey. We thank you for doing the same.

We will keep you posted.

Heading Home

3/9/2012: 10:40 AM

I am giddy. The nurse came in this morning and told me that we would be going home today. The doctors confirmed that statement about twenty minutes later. Davis was removed from the antibiotics this morning, and he will be given products (that is what they are called in cancerland: packed red blood cells and platelets) before he can be discharged. Davis has to be pre-medicated for the platelets, so he is zonked. He has no idea that he gets to go home today.

Davis is holding up powder art. You peel numbered stickers and
shade the area with colored powder.

I don't know all of Davis' counts yet, but I do know his ANC (immune system) is 135. This is a far cry from the 500 we were wanting, but the doctors are pretty sure that Davis is trending up. I am hoping that he is over 500 in a few days.

Yesterday afternoon, Phillip, a volunteer at the hospital, stopped in to play Davis a song on his violin. This young man is quite talented. He can play any song that he has heard. He plays a lot of contemporary top 40 songs. Davis asked him to play "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. It was flawless. Phillip plays violin for the kids; he is actually studying to be a doctor.

Talented Phillip playing us a song

We just had a great visit with Kyle and Annakate last night. Davis made Annakate bacon in the microwave. We played in the playroom. We ate ice cream. We wrestled. The kids played on the computer. It felt like home. Annakate cried terribly when it was time to leave. I think I could physically feel my heart breaking when she was clinging to me. I worry about how Davis' illness is affecting her. Cancer has victimized her too. We will be reunited tonight. Far too long to be separated from one another.

More Wii

Projects galore

Yes, Kyle was super tired.

Hopefully, Davis' counts will spring up quickly. He is scheduled to have chemo and an LP (lumbar puncture/spinal tap) a week from today if his counts have recovered. The doctors have postponed his Septra (a medication he takes to prevent bacterial pneumonia) because it can suppress counts. He will restart his Septra when his counts are strong again. Although we have no idea what caused the fever that landed us in the hospital a couple of weeks ago, we are thankful that God had His hand on Davis, and he is getting better. Just one tiny bump in the road on this long journey.

Thank you for your support. We continue to appreciate it and need it.

We will keep you posted.

It's About Time!

3/8/2012: 12:11 PM

Well, we have officially tied our hospital stay record. When Davis was diagnosed, he was admitted for eleven days. On this go-around, today makes day 11.

Yesterday sailed by pretty quickly. My in-laws, Gary and Marylee, came over for a visit. They played Bingo with Davis here in the room, and they played Wii with him during his scheduled private playroom time. We even went out to the garden some. Going to the garden is a rarity when Davis stays here. He never wants to go; I think it reminds him too much of home. At least that is what he has told me. It must be the outside of it all, because it's not like we have anything quite as beautiful as the garden with its unusual trees, stepping stones, and koi ponds at our house.

Davis still struggles with homesickness.  His friends text or call him occasionally, and that helps quite a bit. (Thank you, Drew and Wade!!) I think he feels a real disconnect from school. Spring Break couldn't have come at a better time. It starts next week for Davis. We can use Spring Break to get him strong and well, and then he can start back with the rest of the kids after break.

Yesterday, the doctors ordered a test to test Davis' IgG levels. I am not going to pretend I know much about this. Apparently, chemotherapy can wipe out one's immunoglobulin supply. If one's immunoglobulin supply is low, the activity in the bone marrow is suppressed, meaning the counts don't recover. The doctors can give a person IVIG therapy, basically a partial synthetical IgG transfusion, to help raise one's levels. Luckily, Davis' IgG test came back within normal limits. This could mean that Davis' low counts have been caused by a virus/bacteria infection. We may never know.

I haven't received a print-out of Davis' counts today, but I do know that his ANC (immune system) was 33 yesterday and is 70 today. The Fellow on call said he expects a couple of good jumps over the next couple days. You know what that means?  That means we are heading home in a couple of days! Davis has be in the triple digits and trending upwards agressively. The doctors also plan on transfusing him over the next couple of days. It appears now that Davis will only need hemoglobin, because his platelets jumped dramatically overnight.

An organization called Camp Rainbow is holding a camp-in on the ninth floor. Basically, it is a bunch of crafts and projects the kids can do to pass the time. Davis was interviewed by the Channel 5 news reporter concerning the Camp Rainbow camp-in, and the news feature is due to air on Monday or Tuesday. I will be sure to attach a link to the story when the story airs.

Channel 5 News Interview

We have met some wonderful children (and families) this week who have needs much greater than Davis'. I don't think I ever valued a smile on a child's face or the sound of laughter so much as I have in the time I have spent on 9 West. Joy finds its way into this little corner of misfortune. Please pray for the children battling cancer and send up positive thoughts in their honor.

Our prayer requests are always the same. We ask that God heals our son completely and forever.

We will keep you posted.