And Then There Was 1…

Today is Joshua’s next to last chemo treatment, God willing, forever. Hard to believe. Really hard.
I want to think of something profound to say at this point, but I’m learning that sometimes moments speak for themselves. They don’t need commentary.
Almost done, son. Almost done.

Read Full Post »

Leukemia Reflections – Year 3

Yesterday, October 18, marked the 3 year anniversary of our 5-year-old’s diagnosis with leukemia. On the anniversary the previous 2 years, I’ve written a series of reflections from the previous year. In case you want to read them, you can do so here:
Diagnosis Post
Year 1 Reflections
Year 2 Reflections
This year is a little different, because we [...]

Read Full Post »

A Trip to the ER

We had a deja vu moment last night, and not the kind that involves Denzel Washington.
About midnight, Joshua woke up wheezing, coughing, and burning up. In leukemia world, the threshhold of fever is 100.5. If the fever goes beyond that, you have to head to the emergency room. Joshua’s was up around 102 so off [...]

Read Full Post »

Dear Dr. Zieber:

t’s Wednesday again, Doc. At least every 4 weeks, on Wednesday, we’ve been coming to see you. And every 4th Wednesday you’ve been there, ready to see us. All I can say is “thanks.”
We met you almost 3 years ago under the worst of circumstances. Jana and I were sitting in a room at Vanderbilt [...]

Read Full Post »

The Wisdom of God and Sea World (Part 2)

After a night in the ER and half a day in the hospital, I had a chance to cool off. And I knew that I had some things to be sorry for. Most specifically, I felt as though my attitude had called the wisdom of God into question.
Isn’t that what we do when we complain? [...]

Read Full Post »

The Wisdom of God and Sea World (Part I)

In the world of leukemia, when a kid gets a fever, it disrupts life. And the fever threshold is 100.5. Beyond that, we have to go to the emergency room because something’s going on. And even a normal infection might potentially be concerning because of a depressed immune system due to chemotherapy.
Before our Make A [...]

Read Full Post »

Back to Vacation

Great news – we’re back at the Give Kids the World village. And Joshua has been sleeping off his hospital stay for the past 2 hours. but we’re clear, ready to start the vacation again.

And we’re going to stay an extra day just to stick it to leukemia.

Tomorrow, we go to Sea World. And we’re [...]

Read Full Post »

Sad Vacation News

First the good news. Disneyworld is amazing, and Joshua doesn’t know what to do with himself. He’s met all the characters, ate gallons of ice cream, and had an absolutely wonderful time. 
Now we’re sitting in the Orlando Children’s Hospital. Joshua got a fever last night, and we are being admitted.

He doesn’t seem to feel bad [...]

Read Full Post »

Leaving for Disneyworld

Early tomorrow morning, we are headed to Orlando for Joshua’s Make-a-Wish Trip. We’ve looked forward to it for some time now, both as a vacation and a celebration of sorts. It’s not that Joshua’s treatment is by any means over or less significant when we come back; it’s more of us celebrating the faithfulness of [...]

Read Full Post »

Wednesdays are for Chemotherapy

At least they are in our house. Usually I reserve the weekends for a “Weekends Are For Kids” post, but I thought since today is a big appointment day I might give you a glimpse into Joshua’s treatment cycle in case you’re interested.
Just to refresh your memory, Joshua (then 2 years old) was diagnosed with [...]

Read Full Post »