LAST CHEMO!!!

November 23rd Update:

We are overjoyed to share with you all that this brave little boy finished his last treatment of Chemotherapy today!!!
The road was heartbreaking, hope-filled, frustrating, time-consuming and now joyous! We give thanks to God that our son is with us and now has an amazing story to share. This lil guy has had to deal with Chemotherapy and a wide array of other medical events. Here are some numbers to show you how much Mr. Isaac has endured.

596 days since Isaac was diagnosed with a brain tumor
116 blood tests
77 port accesses
68 chemo treatments
13 overnight stays in the hospital
9 shots given at home by Mom and Dad
8 hour brain surgery
7 MRI's (with many more to come)
7 fevers (that required him going to the hospital)
2 ER visits
1 allergic reaction to his chemo
1 overnight stay in the ICU

We couldn’t be more thankful on the eve of Thanksgiving. Hold onto those you love and remember family is a gift from God.

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” That is Isaac’s verse he was dedicated to when he was just a month old. I’d say this verse is pretty darn perfect for him.

LETS SPREAD THE LOVE, JOY AND SEASON OF THANKFULNESS!

Chemo - Week 51

November 17th Update:

Isaac had his second to last chemo treatment today!!  It was a longer appointment for us as he also had this monthly antibiotic that runs over an hour but overall Isaac enjoyed his time in the hospital.  His favorite cartoons happen to be on tv during the chemo/sit and wait portion.  And prior he was able to do some crafts and play games while he waited for his medicine. 

Next Wednesday is his last chemo.  We are all counting down the days.  Even Isaac knows.  :-) 

Chemo - Week 50

November 10th Update:

We made it to week 50!! Wow,  I can't begin to express how happy that makes me.  It's been quite the journey and now we ate looking at only 2 more weeks! How amazing is that?!?!

Isaac's appointment today went well.  Although he had to get his flu shot and let's just say he wasn't a big fan of that but what kid likes shots.  Besides that he did great!

His last chemo treatment will be on Wednesday,  the 23rd (since Thursday is Thanksgiving)

Chemo - Week 49

November 3rd Update

Isaac's blood counts were really good yesterday so this morning we woke up bright and early and headed to the hospital for Isaac's 49th treatment.  We might have all been a tad bit tired from staying up so late watching the amazing Cubs won the world series but it was worth it. 

Chemo - Week 48

October 27th Update:

Isaac wore his Captain America Halloween costume to his chemo treatment today.  The nurses,  and staff loved it, as did Isaac.  :-)  After his treatment (when we were getting ready to leave) he was showing off his costume to a group of nurses and then all of a sudden salutes them while saying "Captain America reporting for duty", then turns to leave... and that was that :-) haha

Only 4 more left! Getting real now!!!

Chemo - Will 47

October 20th Update:

Isaac is down to 5 chemo treatments left.  Today's chemo went well.  Isaac was greeted by a group of college kids with the organization "Love Your Melon". They all dressed up as superheros and wow capes.  They gave Isaac a green hat to wear in the winter and a superhero coloring page.  Isaac of course loved their theme. 

Chemo - Week 46

October 13th Update:

Isaac's counts Wednesday plummeted from last week.  He's unfortunately  now neutropenic so he can't get chemo today.  Also had to give him his "booster" shot last night before bed time cause counts were so low.   Gosh it never gets easier to hold down your child and stick him with a needle.  Err! But we got through it as we always do. 

In times past we've moved Isaac's mattress into our room for a "slumber party" as he tends to wake up more with bone passion when he gets this shot.  Well last night we didn't mention it to Issac but we planned to try keeping him in his room to see how he did.  Well a few minutes after the shot was over he says "Now, let's go get my bed and have a slumber party" :-) little stinker totally remembered the times pasts.  So what did we do.... we had a slumber party.  Haha.

He unfortunately didn't do as well as he's done at night the past couple times. He woke up A Lot! So about 3am he ended up in the middle of our bed and then after that we all got some decent sleep. 

6 more treatments left!

Chemo - Week 45

October 6th Update:

Forgot to post last week's but Isaac received his 44th dose of chemo last Thursday.  :-)

He still has that pesky cough which developed into walking pneumonia this week.  We've been struggling with getting medicine into this little boy as he has gag reflexes like his mother when it comes to medicine.  He will literally gag up the medicine and then proceed to throw up.  lol  We are working on it.  :-)

Chemo - Week 44

September 30th Update:

This week looked a little different for us.  We were in Texas visiting grandma and grandpa and so most of our weekly appointments were skipped.  We got home on Thursday (Isaac's normal chemo day) so we had them move Isaac's 44th chemo to Friday morning instead.  We also got blood counts that morning instead of the day before.

Isaac's counts were once again GREAT, thanks to a little cough he's been fighting.  Of course his cough gets pretty bad while on vacation in Texas but I think the cough is getting much better now, so I'm hoping his counts can stay high too once the cough fully goes away.

8 more treatments to go!!!

 

Chemo - Week 43

September 22nd Update:

Isaac's counts soared this week thanks to a little cold he's been fighting.   this was actually good news because we've been struggling with counts the past few weeks..  then today at his chemo appt they had his meds ready super fast so I totally thought this would be a very quick trip.  Unfortunately Isaac's port started having problems.  It wasn't returning any blood. They had 3 different nurses try to mess with it but no luck.  So they gave him some special medicine to try to break down whatever was causing the blockage.  It ran over 30 minutes; luckily after waiting,  his port started working just great.  So long story short,  it ended up being a little longer of a morning at the hospital but we are down to 9 chemo's left! Single digits!!

Chemo - Week 42

Sept 15th Update:

Isaac had his 42nd treatment today! That means only 10 more left now! Woo whoo! 

His blood counts were just barely high enough yet again. But that's Isaac for you, he seems to always push it to the limits. ;-) 

The appointment went well but was long, they were pretty busy which always takes longer. In addition Isaac had his monthly antibiotic which goes over an hour. 

Isaac brought his little Kion/Lion Guard stuffed animal to help him to be brave today. :-)

Chemo - Week 41

Sept 8th Update:

This BIG 3 year old just celebrated his birthday yesterday. He had good counts which was a great birthday present. Yesterday when we walked into his blood work lab he was greeted with cupcakes and balloons from wonderful, Tanya. Isaac was so excited to get balloons! It's so amazing as a mom to see her child so loved by people who use to be complete strangers. 

Then today Isaac had his 41st chemo treatment which was super fast. It was a pleasant surprise. Isaac brought in his favorite birthday bagels from Panera for all the nurses and doctors. :-)

Here's a photo from Isaacs birthday. Enjoy!

Chemo - Week 40

Sept 1 Update:

We made it to week 40 on Thursday! Only 12 more to go!  Isaac's counts on Wednesday were a little disappointing as they went from being the highest they've ever been last week to barely meeting threshold for chemo this week. But never the less we still made it. Isaac was pretty resistant to the procedures this week unfortunately. He normally does so well but ever once and a while he just isn't having it. ;-)

As a side note we walk into the back where all the check up rooms are and Isaac sees his awesome nurse, Morgan, and the first thing he says is "Hi Morgan, I'm gonna be a big brother!" :-) just right when and where he said it was perfect because we were right outside the nurses station so the rest of the staff heard too. Everyone was excited! 

Here's a pic we took last week. Isaacs little superhero sibling to arrive in March!

Chemo - Week 39

August 25th Update:

Isaac's blood counts soared yesterday. They were over 7K! That's the highest he's ever been while on chemo. It seems Isaac just needed a little extra time to boost his counts. We were very thankful for the high counts. So Isaac had his 39th chemo this morning. It was a smooth, short little appointment. 

Low blood counts

August 22nd Update:

We rechecked IZ's blood counts this morning and to my surprise they were worse than Friday's. :-( I guess it's not uncommon for kids on chemo to need this "booster medicine" a few times a week from what I've been told. However in the over a year that Isaac's been receiving it he's never needed it more than 1 dose within a week or 2 timeframe. Now all of a sudden we have to give it to him 3 times in 6 days!  Poor Isaac is not a fan on getting a shot, but what kid would be I guess. Thinking I should have went to school for nursing instead of getting my accounting degree (seems it would have better suited me for this new role I've had to enter). Lol. I'm not quite sure I'll ever get use to giving my son a shot. #hardtodo #wishusluck

So Isaac will receive another injection tonight and then we'll recheck his counts again on Wednesday.

Good thing he's one tough superhero. :-)

Low blood counts - Week 38

August 19th Update:

We took Isaac in to recheck his blood this morning to ensure he wasn't neutropenic anymore. In the past, every time we've had to give Isaac his booster shot at home his counts sky rocket the next couple of days and we are good for the week. Unfortunately, today's results weren't so great. Even after his booster shot on Wednesday, today he's still considered neutropenic. His counts did rise compared to Wednesdays counts but still not high enough.. Shucks. :-( So this means that we'll give him another dose of his booster shot tonight and recheck again on Monday. So our prayers will be the same that he stays away from germs, sickness, etc. Wish we would have known about his counts earlier in the day because Nick and I took the lil guy to the Iowa State Fair this morning (probably not the germ free zone we are looking for). ;-)  but we had fun!

August 17th Update:

Isaac went in like normal for his weekly check of blood counts this morning. Unfortunately the results weren't ideal. His neutrophil count was VERY LOW (only 90)! So needless to say Isaac will not be getting chemo tomorrow. Instead, Nick and I will administer his "booster" shot tonight before bed (definitely not looking forward to that). Praying that Isaac will miraculously sleep well tonight as this medicine we have to give him comes with "bone pain" as a side effect. :-( Giving it to him right before bed is always suggested so the child sleeps through the pain.  However Isaac has regressed with his sleeping lately and has been waking up numerous times a night, so this will be interesting. 

So please pray that Isaac's counts will bounce back fast and that he can stay away from germs and stay fever free. If he gets a fever while being neutraphenic then he'll need to be hospitalized (needless to say we would like to avoid that). Thanks as always! 

MRI Results

Isaac's tumor has remained the same size and is considered stable. :-)  The enhancement has once again decreased which may suggest "less active tumor cells". If that's the case then that's very good news. The "official" report doesn't actually say that but that's our doctors interpretation and I'll go with it. ;-)  

Thanking God for another positive report.

Chemo - Week 35, 36, 37

August 11th Update:

Today Isaac's getting his next dose of chemo. He's also due for his monthly  antibiotic so it will be a slightly longer appointment but thus far Isaac hasn't minded as there's always fun toys to keep him occupied here.

So technically we are on week 35.  However in talking with our University of Iowa oncologist last week she thought that we could "count" the 2 weeks that he missed recently due to his blood counts being too low for chemo. thus, today we are now considering Isaac at Week 37!!  Also going forward we will still count the weeks even if he misses in the future. This news made my day because now we will have a "for sure end date" for chemo such I believe is in December. Then we'll get his next MRI in the beginning of January and also we'll meet with a surgeon to discuss removing his port. Not going to lie, it's going to be so nice to get rid of the port and not have to worry about fevers!!! Can't wait! 

For the time being, we will take each week by week but am thankful that we are getting close to the end. :-)

MRI and Chemo 34

August 4th Update:

Today the Dose family will travel to the University of Iowa Hospital for Isaac's next MRI. We are arriving around 9am and Isaac's two MRI's are scheduled for 9:40 and 10:30. Once again Isaac won't be able to eat or drink this morning so that is always a challenge but we are hoping for the best. Wish us luck on that part and please join us in prayer that Isaac's tumor is shrinking or stable. Thanks! 

Chemo - Week 33

July 28th Update:

Today Isaac had his 33rd chemo treatment. His counts from retreat had almost doubled compared to last week! 

The doctor did notice Isaac's lymph nodes were enlarged. We are hoping it's just a late effect from the virus he had a week ago but we did a urine sample just to be sure. That was interesting with a 2 year old! ;-) Isaac was not thrilled about it but as soon as i told him he could pee standing up he was all for it and filled up almost the whole cup. Luckily we got through it but it was slightly on the "messy" side. Haha

Next week is already Isaac's next MRI. So we will travel back to the University of Iowa for the test and then we'll get his next dose of chemo there as well. 

Chemo - Week 32

July 21st Update:

Isaac went in for his 32nd week of chemo this morning. Because of his fever/ER visit earlier in the week they took more blood today to double check they were still high enough. After a long wait they came back. They did dramatically decrease and were just barely good enough to still get chemo. But hey we'll take it. So while the pharmacy got his meds ready Isaac and I went down stairs and get a snack. Isaac choose chocolate milk. :-) go figure

Isaac has waited really well today and got to play with his favorite child life specialist... Kathy!

Fever #7

July 19th Update:

Yesterday evening Isaac started having a low grade fever. He seemed fine all day but then randomly started throwing up around 5 or 6. So i then took his temp...  It was below the threshold for having to take him in right away so instead we kept checking it every hour. It had gone down at first and we were really hoping it would stay down but then at bed time (of course) we take it again and it has jumped up a whole degree and was at the "take him to the hospital right away" limit. Errr! So we packed up and headed for the ER.

This of course is at the end of one of the worst days ever. I (mom) had not been feeling well all day and think threw up 10 different times through out the day. Dad wasn't feeling the greatest either but what do you do?!?! Thankfully i finally was able to keep some medicine in my system right before that so i thought I'd be OK to come to the hospital with the boys as i was beginning to feel "slightly" better. Nope, wrong choice Allison. Right after his port access at the hospital i had to give Isaac to dad so i could go throw up again. Then on top of that one of the medicines i had taken had sleeping medicine in it which was causing me to barely be able to keep my eyes open. We were probably a sight to see. From a outside perspective one would have thought i was the reason for the hospital visit. Isaac just did great. It was so late but he just sat on the bed like a big boy playing with his superheros and watching mickey mouse. 

Isaac's blood counts were thankfully high enough. So they gave him some antibiotics which ran over 30 minutes and cultered his blood then we got sent home. Thank the LORD! We got home a little after 11. Of course i start throwing up right when i get home and Isaac needed his mom to put him to bed. This delayed bed time even more. Luckily by the time i got myself put back together and off of the bathroom floor, Isaac went down pretty well. Thank the Lord for his extra dose of strength he gave us at different moments throughout the day. Can't do it without Him!

Isaac slept in till 8:30 today and was fever free!  Praying we all stay away from more sickness. 

Chemo - Week 31

July 14th Update:

Week 31 was today! Isaac's daddy, Nick, got to join us today at the appointment. This was the first Thursday daddy has had off since we've transferred to Blanks in Des Moines, so it was nice for him to be able to meet everyone that takes such his care of Isaac. Isaac did wonderful as usual.

Chemo - Week 30

July 7th Update:

After missing counts for 2 straight weeks Isaac finally got his week 30 chemo. We stuck to the 50% dose. It's a slightly longer appointment today as he was also due for his monthly antibiotics. He has been doing great though. Such a trooper!

Week 30 - low blood counts continue

June 30 Update:

This post is a week late. Whoops. 

Isaac continued to struggle with his blood counts. At Wednesdays appointment he was still neutrapenic. So we brought him into the hospital on Thursday evening to have a nurse give him his "booster shot". This helps his body make more neutrophils. The plus side is that mom and dad didn't need to administer the shot themselves. The down fall is that this medicine has a negative side effect.... Bone Pain!. Poor Isaac definitely suffered from this that night. It was well past midnight before we got him to bed because he was in so much pain. Then he was up a number of times through out the night. This broke mama's heart. It's heart breaking to try to console your child when there is nothing you can do to help. I so wanted to be able to take away the pain but nothing worked. :-(  Luckily when he woke up in the morning the pain had gone and he was back to normal (although mom was a tad tired) ;-)

Low blood counts, Week #30

June 22nd Update:

We took Isaac in for his weekly blood draw this morning and the results were unfortunately too low for chemo this week. So looks like Isaac and mom get a day off tomorrow instead of a day with docs 😊.  I kind of anticipated he may be too low this week as they were very border line last week. 
But Isaac isn't missing a beat, besides being perhaps a bit more tired he is still as active as ever and very playful as of late.


Prayers appreciated for Isaacs counts to raise back to normal and that he doesn't catch a bug while his immune system is down. Thanks!

Chemo - Week 29

June 16th Update:

Isaac had his 29th treatment on Thursday. They had to decrease his chemo dose again because his blood counts we got checked on Wednesday were low, in fact he barely made counts. This was the first time they've been low since we've moved to the Des Moines area. He seems to tolerate the lower dose much better so perhaps it will be best to just stick with the low dose for the remainder or the treatment... Only time will tell 😊

As you can see here, Isaac was pretty happy during his appointment.

Chemo - Week 28

June 9th Update:

Isaac had his mima from Texas get to come with him to his week #28 chemo! His counts have continued to be good so it appears he is finally tolerating this well! 😊

Chemo - Week 27

June 2nd Update:

So I totally forgot to get Isaac's blood counts on Wednesday. So we had to go in to the hospital early on Thursday to double check his counts before they gave him his chemo.  Luckily, his counts were still good.  But I was flabbergasted as to how I could have forgotten to take him for blood work. I've only been taking him every Wednesday for over a year now. 😉 geez haha  I'll chalk it up to the memorial day weekend throwing my days off this week.

Isaac did well. We are now on the downward slope of weeks left!!

Chemo - Week 26 (HALF WAY!!!!!)

May 26th Update:

Today Isaac is HALF WAY through his chemo treatment!!!  Week #26 was this morning, in addition to his monthly antibiotic, so a slightly longer appointment but Isaac had fun with all his hospital pals (aka: nurses, doctors and child life specialist). 

Although we've been on this journey for more than a year, we feel blessed that Isaac is continuing to progress and do well. We realize God didn't have to spare our son but yet he did and we are so grateful. Can't imagine our lives without this little guy.  Even though our lives have changed dramatically we wouldn't have it any other way. 

26 more weeks until the end of chemo!!! Bring it on!!

Chemo - Week 25

May 19th Update:

Isaac is at week 25 for chemo today.  Unfortunately mom misplaced his port cream in the big move to our new house this past weekend.  So when i went to get Isaac ready for his appointment his cream was no where to be found. 😕 so we had to come to the hospital 30 minutes early and get cream on his port here. But bonus for Isaac, this meant he got to spend 30 minutes playing in the hospital play room while the cream worked it's numbing powers. 😉

He played swords with the child life specialist while getting checked out and at the end of his appointment he got a brand new light saber.

Chemo - Week 24

May 12th Update:

Forgot to post but iz had his week 24 chemo treatment last Thursday. He received a gift from an awesome organization. Since Isaac's diagnosis, we've discovered so many terrific groups and organization that blesses kids like Isaac and families like ours. We are so grateful!

MRI Results

May 11th Update:

Isaac's most recent scans showed his brain tumor to be STABLE in size (which is the goal). 😊 We also got additional good news... The enhancement on the images was less which means that his tumor is "less active"! This was great news! Praise God! I didn't even know that tumors had "activity" but less is exactly what we want.  I asked the oncologist whether less active meant the tumor was dying.  She said it doesn't necessarily mean that but that definitely could be a possible reason to why it's less active. So that is what I'm going to pray for... A dying tumor!!! Wouldn't that be amazing!

Here's a little video when Isaac woke up from sedation:

MRI and Chemo - Week 23

Update:

The MRI went well today. However we had a slight hiccup as Isaac woke up with a fever this morning. Luckily we still were able to do the procedures planned but Isaac was a little crankier during it all. 😕

We are back home now in Des Moines but Isaac still has a high fever. Unfortunately he doesn't take medicine well so we've yet to get rid of it. I'm praying he sleeps it off. His blood was cultured at Iowa this morning so we should get results back tomorrow but praying it's just a virus.  Poor little guy can't catch a break. But he's been such a trooper today. I'm thankful i get to be his mommy even if he comes with a little extra work (it's always with it) 😊.  Appreciate your prayers!

May 5th Update:

Nick and I will be traveling to Iowa City with Isaac for his next MRI and chemo treatment.  It’s been 3 months since his last MRI and so we are due for new scans.  As for chemo, it will be his 23^rd.  This is the first time we are going back to the U of I since we’ve transferred to Blanks in Des Moines.  I am kind of excited to go back and see the familiar faces of our beloved nurses and doctors there.  J  With that said, I am not necessarily looking forward to the full day of appointments. 

We are scheduled to arrive at 10am for his port access.  Then we’ll head down to imaging at 11 and his MRIs should begin at noon.  Unfortunately we got the later time slot which will be “interesting” as Isaac won’t be able to eat or drink anything prior.  :-(  It always kills me to have to tell him he can’t have breakfast or a drink before these procedures.  It sure is hard to explain to a 2 year old…  Hoping and praying he will just miraculously not be hungry tomorrow morning.  ;-)

After the MRIs are complete and Isaac wakes up from sedation we will meet with a few doctors (oncologist and radiologists) and then lastly Isaac will receive his chemo.  I imagine it will be a very long day but I am thankful Nick will be with me this time. 

We’d appreciate your prayers as we travel to Iowa City, and Isaac undergoes yet another MRI.  We are truly thankful for the support shown for our brave little guy. 

Faith,

It does not make things easy,

It makes them possible

Chemo - Week 22

April 28th Update:

Today Isaac had his 22nd chemo. Only 30 more to go! 😉 While getting his meds Isaac was pretty excited to get to watch Mickey Mouse on the Disney channel because we recently got rid of cable and he doesn't get to see it anymore. And bonus for him, he had his 1 hour long antibiotic so that meant more screen time for this little guy. He didn't seem to mind the longer appointment today. 😉

Right before we left a group of "superheros" stopped in to see our lil guy. You should have seen Isaac's face light up when a nurse popped her head on and asked if Isaac wanted a visit from Batman!  "Ya, Ya, Ya!!!!" He said. They presented him with a superhero cape and mask and told him that he was a superhero! It was so sweet! Although this picture suggests otherwise Isaac really was pretty happy to have this visit (and so was mom). Thank you Blanks!

Next week we'll be traveling back to the UofI to get chemo #23 as Isaac will also be getting his next MRI then. Sure will be as long day of appointments but will be nice to get to see everyone there and get all appointments done together. 

Chemo - Week 21

April 21st Update:

Today Isaac received his 21st chemo. As normal he was a champ. The child life specialists are awesome here. We walked into his room and they had already brought in Isaacs favorite "hospital toys" aka superhero figurines. 😊 so naturally Isaac was pumped to see them right away!

Today also marks the 1 year anniversary of Isaac's brain surgery. It's been an amazing journey this year. We are so thankful we still have our little fighter. Let's just say we slept way better last night than we did 1 year ago. 😉  #GodIsGood

Chemo - Week 20

April 14th Update:

Isaac got his 20th dose of chemo today. He wasn't keen on having to go to the hospital again since we were just here yesterday but once we got here he was a trooper.

Fever #5

April 14th Update:

Isaac still had a slight fever this morning but they still did chemo. We got home from his appointment right before noon and I took his temperature and it was higher. So i called the hospital and unfortunately they had us come back.  😕  so we are now at the hospital for the 3rd time in 24 hours....

We had to re-access his port which he wasn't thrilled about.  Then we ran into issues in getting blood return. An hour later we finally got it to work and they started him on more antibiotics and now we are just waiting for blood results.  If counts are over 500 they'll let us go home again.  If they are under 500, they'll admit him overnight.  Hoping for some good news... 😊  now he is resting comfortably in mom's arms. 

Update:
Luckily Isaacs counts were high enough so we got to go home after a few hours. 😊 still has a fever but at least we can enjoy the comfort of home. 

April 13th Update:

Unfortunately Isaac came down with a low grade fever this afternoon.  So we are at the hospital right now waiting on blood work.  Each hospital has different protocols when it comes to fever for kids like Isaac.  Here at Blanks they will let Isaac go home if his blood counts are high enough (even despite the fever).  So we are just waiting for results while getting some antibiotics just in case.

We are hoping it's just a virus and that they'll let us go home today. Could be one perk of moving to Des Moines and transferring hospitals 😉.

We'll keep everyone posted.

7pm update:

Isaac was sent home from the hospital a few hours ago. His blood counts came back above the minimum requirement. So as long as he doesn't become neutrapenic then he can rest and get better here at home rather than the hospital. 😊  this is a different in procedure.  At the U of I any fever meant automatic 3 day admission. But here that is not the case.  They did culture his blood and they will monitor it for the next 3 days to make sure no bacteria grows. As long as it stays clear then Isaac should be good to go. He does still have a fever and deep cough but it's most likely a virus and should clear up on its own.  So here's to hoping he'll be better very soon!! 

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Chemo - Week 19

April 7th Update:

Today marks the 1 year anniversary since Isaac was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It's been quite the rollercoaster of a year. 1 year ago today we didn't know if we would have our son with us a few more weeks, but we are so blessed that God spared our son and we still have him in our lives today. God has done so much in our lives and we are so thankful for all that he provided. There were a lot of ups and downs but God was the one constant. 😊  He never ceases to amaze me.  Your support also has been a tremendous help! We've had so many go on this crazy journey with us and we will forever be grateful!  Thank you!!

Isaac got his 19th chemo treatment today. We have 33 more weeks to go pending things continue to progress well and as planned. We know that there are always hiccups in the road (hey we had to start over at week #1 after an allergic reaction 7 months into treatment but that's ok). We still have a fighting chance and we'll take whatever life throws at us. 😀

Chemo - Week 18

March 31 Update:

Isaac's blood counts were really good this week!! So he had his 3rd treatment at Blanks. He already loves everyone there, and so does this mom. The staff here are so caring and kind. Isaac knows a few of them by name already. 😊  this appointment went great and there were no tears or fuss.

Today, Isaac was given this cool superhero cape.  This is so fitting because he loves superheros and he is such a little fighter. 

Chemo - week 17

March 24th Update:

Isaac did so great at his 17th chemo. Even though he just met everyone at Blanks last week he seemed to remember and was very friendly to them. 

He continues to go get his blood checked twice a week and thus far seems to be adjusting to DesMoines well.

Chemo - Week 16 (Blank's Children's)

March 17th Update:

Isaac had his first chemo visit at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines this Thursday. It went well overall but there are some differences that we'll have to get use to (not really bad just different than what we are use to). 

Isaac was a champ and did quite well considering everyone was completely new to him.