Progress Report on IZ

July 21st Update:

People ask all the time how Isaac is doing and how he is handling chemo.  So I thought I would write a little progress report on the past couple months since his diagnosis/surgery. But first here is a little snapshot of the past few months in picture form.  The April picture was taken 2 days before Isaac's diagnosis (on Easter).  You can clearly see that his torticollis (head tilt) was pretty evident at this point in time.  We had a feeling going into the MRI that something would come about because his head tilt was getting worse but nothing could have prepared us for hearing the words "Your son has a brain tumor".  :-(  YUCK! That was a dark day.  But praise God for brighter days in our future.  :)

Already in May you can see that his head tilt was basically gone.  He was roughly 1+ month post surgery and was playing outside on those warm days.  June/July have been similar; we've filled the days with a variety of new and exciting activities.  He loves to play with his baseball and bat when he's outdoors, and loves to shoot basketballs and kick soccer balls indoors. Isaac continues to love the song "Uptown Funk" and would dance to it all day if I let him.  He is inseparable with his 2 new figurine toys: Hulk and Spiderman.  He loves to color and watch the movie Shreck and Madagascar 3.  He is a busy and strong-willed little boy.  

Chemo Update:

Chemo has been going pretty well.  He finished his 7th round last Thursday.  Twice his blood counts were too low to administer chemo so we had to forgo those weeks.  When that happens he gets a "break" but it extends the 60 week treatment plan out 1 additional week.  Unfortunately his "missed weeks" don't count.  :-(  But on a brighter note, IZ has experienced very few side effects.  In fact the past month or so he has experienced ZERO side effects!  Praise God that he is tolerating his treatment well!  We count it a blessing and are so thankful for a God that is healing our son!  These summer months I've been blessed in that I've had different family members step up and go with me to many of his chemo appointments.  They are often times long days and it's difficult to go by myself so when someone else tags along it makes the whole experience better for us all.  :-)  

Physical Function:

I wrote in a previous post that the 2 main areas of concerns that lead up to Isaac's diagnosis was his torticollis came back and also that he was experiencing some left sided weakness (mainly in his arm/hand).  I'm happy to report that his torticollis is basically gone and his left side function is getting better everyday.  Isaac had been going to a Physical Therapist prior to surgery but has only gone once since surgery as his gross motor movements are now appropriate for his age.  He has however been going once a week to an Occupational Therapist (OT) to enhance his fine motor skills.  It's amazing to see how much he is progressing in this area.  When we first started OT Isaac was VERY reluctant to using his left arm/hand for anything but now he uses it A TON more.  His therapist and I were talking the other day that sometimes we really have to think about what hand is the "bad hand" because he is using them the same.  He still favors his right hand and will most likely be a right-hander but his left hand is looking a lot more normal now and he will use it spontaneously where as before he would just get by with only using the right hand.  Our prayer and hope is that Isaac will regain full strength back into his arm/hand and that a stranger not knowing his condition wouldn't be able to tell that he prefers one over the other.  

I'm so proud of our little guy.  He has defied the odds and is a determined little booger.  He progresses daily and is constantly learning new things.  The past few weeks he has been learning a new word basically everyday it seems and is talking up a storm with us.  He's starting to use 2-3 word phrases.  It's a joy and privilege for Nick and I to see our boy get to grow up and meet all the milestones that a normal/healthy toddler would.  

We can't begin to describe how thankful we are for everyone that asks us about Isaac, and that continue to send us cards gifts, letters of encouragement, and that reads this blog weekly.  It's comforting to know that there are so many out there still thinking about and praying for IZ.  We serve a BIG God and in my mind He is doing BIG things for Isaac and we couldn't be more thrilled about it.  We know that we still have a long and daunting journey ahead of us but we aren't alone.  

Joshua 1:9

Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS declares the LORD

Do not be discouraged

Do not be afraid

For the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go

This is the verse we dedicated Isaac to when he was only 1 month old; it's proved so true in our lives thus far.