About Us

Our family of 6 (dad Adam, mom Sherry, big sister Abby and little brothers Isaac and Brady -- who was born on December 14, 2010) joined the ranks of pediatric cancer fighters when our 4-year old son Logan was diagnosed with a dangerous and highly malignant form of brain cancer in mid-August 2010. Logan's cancer journey began abruptly on Sunday, August 15, when his right eye suddenly turned inward during dinner. Twenty-four hours later, we were checking into Children's Hospital Oakland and finding out that life sometimes takes you places you'd never, ever imagine yourself going.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Logan Update: 10/22/10

I had a 'day off' today: No hospital, no other kids. A big thank you to Jane and Karla, who took charge of Abby and Isaac for me. I hope neither of you came away from your experiences terribly traumatized by my children. They're generally very well-adjusted and behaved, but well, things have been much different lately so you never know for sure. I appreciate you both very much. And as always, another big thank you to Becky: You're amazing. I hope you know that.


I realized that I suck at being 'off'. I decided to do some birthday shopping since Abby will be 6 on 11/3 and it's much easier to hit the stores when it's just lil ole me. So I went by Target, where I immediately ran into an old roommate of mine (hi Andrea) and spent time talking with her and filling her in on the past few months (and well, technically, years). Then it was over to Toys R Us. When I left TRU, I was starving so I drove to In N Out, got there, decided I didn't want it after all, and hit up Taco Bell instead. Yes, I know it's gross. On the way home, I decided to make one last stop at Walmart, since I was driving by anyway. I was pooped by the time I got home, but at least I got a LOT done. And tomorrow morning I'll get more done: There's a Pixar Cars collector day at KMart stores across the nation. They'll have a limited selection of brand new racecars with rubber tires starting at 11AM and I know Logan will LOVE to get his little hands on a few of them. So Abby, Isaac and I will hit a KMart and hope to come away with a few. But that's enough about me.


****************


I know that you really want to know about Logan. :) His WBC was up to 2.6 this morning, his hemoglobin was at 9.3 (held steady since yesterday) and his platelets, 51. And his ANC was over 1,000. The transfusion cut-off for platelets is 50 or above, so he eeked by without one today for the first time in quite a while. He's also managed to stay fever-free for almost 2 days. They've taken his O2 down to 1 liter, and are attempting to reduce his morphine dosage. The transplant team decided that tomorrow will be the big day for doubling his GCSF, so pending good numbers when they check them on Tuesday coupled with better breathing, he should go through the harvest process on Wednesday. Hopefully, they'll get enough stem cells on that day, but it could also extend into Thursday, if necessary. Whether or not his lungs clear out in time will also determine if he's able to have his MRI Tuesday; if he's not better, they'll have to put it off since it involves a few hours of sedation and would be too dangerous if he were ill.


The double dose of GCSF can cause bone pain, so please pray that he'll be spared that discomfort. (I think he's already been through enough and will go through MORE than enough in the future.) In case you're wondering, the pain comes from the bone marrow churning out extra stem cells.


I'm truly humbled and amazed by how things have turned around for my little sunshine since I posted about the power of prayer a few days ago. Thank you all for taking part and for continuing to do so. It's going to be a long process, but it's comforting to have such a devoted and caring army marching in front of, beside and behind you.


And just because it's something I do, I'll share another super short anecdote before I sign off for the evening. Abby chose her Childrens' Bible for story time tonight. We alternated choosing stories to read; she picked hers deliberately from the table of contents while I just randomly opened to different pages and read what was there. My first random selection was the story of Jesus healing the blind beggar. I was struck when the disciples asked if the man was blind because of something his parents had done; I feel that way about Logan's cancer at times. It's hard not to wonder if I'm somehow responsible, even though everyone insists that I'm not. After all, it was me who carried him, nursed him, and spent more time with him than anyone else. I was encouraged when Jesus replied that no, the man's disability opened the door for God to show Himself in amazing ways. And then, of course, the man was healed and gained his sight. Another random selection involved the page adjacent to the beginning of the story of Jonah and Ninevah (again!), and another involved God walking with us through the darkest of valleys. Coincidences? Don't think so. 'Merely' encouragements.


Good night to you all and God speed.

No comments:

Post a Comment