Sam Conquered A.L.L.: july 22

july 22

From my bberry so this will be short. We took a chance and granted sam his wish and came to the cabin in vernon. Yesterday was fabulous and sam swam, played with hollier boys and even tried a short wakeboard. Today he's sore but wants to try again in a few days.

Went to vernon hospital today for blood work and all is good except for his Absolute Neutraphil Count which was only 0.4 (minimal immune system - you or I would have 2.7 - need 1.0 to fight an infection). So he gets a week off treatment (big smile here from sam), gets to stay at the cabin, gets to watch Karly play at summer games in Kelowna maybe.

God continues to amaze us with these gifts. God is good all the time - ups and downs... All the time.

Ger

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: Hi Sam & Gerry & Debbie, et al

Gairns Family checkin' in! We're planning to be at a wedding in North Van. on August 9th, and were wondering if it's at all possible to connect when we're there on the Friday... Let us know when you have a chance. We're trying to plan out our time down there.

OK, being at the lake in Vernon at the end of July is just way too much fun, Sam! Hope it's "uber" fun (uber being MEGA!!!).

Catie is quite often "uber" bored without'cha around. Thank the Lord for new little puppies next door that she can go and play with.

Thanks for your notes Debbie and Sam - It's always a treat to get something in our mailbox other than Sears flyers!!

MUCH LOVE TO EACH ONE OF YOU INCLUDING K & K & Lucy

P.S.

YOUR YARD LOOKS IMMACULATE! HOW FAIR IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE 500 MILES AWAY AND NOT ABLE TO HAVE THE SCOTT'S FERTILIZER WARS WITH YOUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR!!!??"LOL"
IT'S OBVIOUS THAT YOUR NEIGHBOR IS TAKING A GREAT DEAL OF CARE TO MAKE YOUR FRONT LAWN LOOK "ACES", AND, KEATON IS MAKING SURE THE BACK YARD IS TICKETY BOO TOO!

Checking out,

The Gairns'; July 22, 2008 at 8:15 PM
Anonymous said...: Glad you guys were able to make it up to Vernon! What a treat. I've heard the weather has been great. I head down tomorrow, so maybe I'll see you all at Kalamalka!
Mrs. (Kristina) Scott; July 23, 2008 at 2:09 PM
Heather said...: Sweet! I'm so glad you guys could have some Kal time.
Tamara and Bax were here for a speedy overnight trip en route to Lethbridge (drop off Bax) then Winnipeg (pick up Noah) so we enjoyed shopping at Chinook and walking our shorn dog in the dark. Didja know that when a black dog slips his leash in the dark - you can't find him? We did hear his jingling tags eventually when he followed some amenable late-night walkers back to our place, but we'll have to pick up the flashing lights dog collar, maybe one with GPS! Twas fun.
Now, back to the rat race. Love you all - party on, dudes.
Heather et al; July 23, 2008 at 4:49 PM

Raining

The flower with all the petals and leaves on it is the healthy flower. It has a sad face because it is raining. The wilted, bald flower is the cancerous flower. It may be a little wilted and have no petals or leaves but it is happy to be alive even if it is raining. The healthy flower doesn't know how lucky it is to be alive and have all its petals. All it's worried about is the rain. This is true in real life as well. When I was getting my chemo in the hospital I would listen to what people were complaining about and I would think "If that's all you have to worry about then you are doing pretty well." People would act like it were the end of the world if the fan was blowing too hard on them or if they would get home in time for dinner but I was worrying about whether I would get better or would I die?
Melinda, age 13

Consolidation "Summer"

Day 1: (June 25) - LP- IT Methotrexate, IV - AraC, Mercaptopurine, Septra
Day 2-4: IV Ara-C, Mercaptopurine
Day 5-7: PO - Mercaptopurine
Day 8: LP- IT Methotrexate, IV - AraC, Mercaptopurine, Septra
Day 9-11: IV Ara-C, Mercaptopurine
Day 12 - 14: Mercaptopurine
Day 15: LP- IT Methotrexate, IM - PEG-Asparaginase, IV - Vincristine, Septra
Day 22: LP- IT Methotrexate, IV - Vincristine, Septra
Day 29 - 60: Repeat Day 1-29 except without the IT Methotrexate
Day 61: Recover and Wait for Counts to Improve to start Interim Maintenance Stage - Probably 1 week, maybe 2

Prayer

We have all enjoyed having a yard. We have played many games of croquet with friends and family.
We are really enjoying our second "home " here in Vancouver. It is close to the hospital, lots of trails to walk, run, and bike in, and just a few minutes from the beach.
We are thankful for the exceptional people we are surrounded with who are supporting us in prayer and in so many practical ways...you have blessed us tremendously.
Pray that Sam will not get an allergic reaction to the Asparaginase injections on August 13.