Christmas living at the Hospital

Dear Family and Friends:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family!

Thank you for your continued prayers. Also, many thanks for the cards and gifts. I was going to try to get a Christmas/thankyou cards out to everyone, but, it will be impossible ...sorry. Most all of my time is being nurse mom.

I apologize I have not been able to keep up with an update this past couple of weeks. I have tried using the lap tops at the hospital, but I have to trick it to get on the web, the keys are sticky and I didn't have a chunk of time to sit and type without loosing my connection...so I gave up.

Dave went back to Oaxaca, with my blessing, because the week he was to be gone, Cody was just having routine things done. He left on Tuesday and Cody ended up back in the hospital on Friday, and is still there and it looks like he will need more time in the hospital before coming home. He is where he needs to be right now. We will likely be spending Christmas Day at CHOC.

He has had 2 X-RAYS, an MRI and ultrasound on his stomach to make sure nothing was damaged or other possible complications. Thankfully, it is his body reacting to the radiation and chemo....not that that is good, it is just better than the alternative. The doctors want him to stay in the hospital until he can comfortably eat, keep it down and not need pain medication. So maybe in a couple of days? Please pray that his stomach will be healed soon.

The radiation and chemo have taken a toll on his little body. For 10 treatments of radiation, the focus has been on his spine and head, which also affects his internal organs. His mouth, throat, tongue and stomach hurt so bad he couldn't/wouldn't eat. What he did eat would come up, he lost weight he couldn't afford to loose and became constipated. We started IV nutrition at home the Wednesday and Thursday before being admitted. He has not eaten anything that stayed down for over a week. His nutrition, pain medication, stool softener, antibiotics are all in his IV. He has spent most of the last week sleeping and recovering.

The good thing is that radiation treatment as of Tuesday is focused on the tumor area on his brain rather than the spine and brain, which will help his stomach recover. The doctors let him pass up chemo this week and possibly next week so he can recover some of his strength. Because he has been so weak, it is difficult for him to walk. However, we make him do a lap around the 3rd floor of the hospital to keep things moving. He doesn't like it, a lot, because it is so painful.

He did have a couple of bites of a sandwich yesterday and yogurt today...and is having improvements in other areas. The doctor was encouraging, in that once the stomach starts to recover, things could get much better more quickly all around.

He still has his sense of humor..which is awesome. I have been encouraging him to let me shave his head because his hair is falling out all over the place (he changed his mind about cutting his hair). He has little patches of hair here and there. I asked him once again to let me cut his hair, he grabbed a handful of hair, handed it to me and said "No you can't cut it, Merry Christmas Mom!"

This has been a very hard week. It is hard to watch our child crumble in pain, vomit, shrink to nothing and struggle to walk and eat. Nothing prepares you, as a parent, to see your child go through this. Cancer is an ugly disease. I am sure I have said this before, but I just don't know how someone could go through this without God by their side and covered in prayer.

On the lighter side, sort of, Dave got back from Oaxaca on Wednesday and came to the hospital to visit. (I have been living at the hospital) We were talking to a nurse, waiting for the doctor to make his rounds, (Dave was just telling me that he came home to a plumbing leak in the upstairs bathroom and water was dripping out of the light socket in our closet downstairs and some clothes got moved because they were wet) Dave then excused himself and didn't come back. I went looking for him. He was bent over in pain. I couldn't leave Cody at the moment. I told Dave to get into the elevator, walk across the street and check himself in at St. Joseph's E.R.. I would be down in a bit to be with him. I got Cody tucked in at CHOC. Ran across the street to be with Dave. He finally got relief (morphine), so I ran back to check on Cody...he was good, ran back to St. Joseph's to check on Dave...half way there I just stood on the sidewalk and just started laughing at the absurdity of it all. Turns out he has a kidney stone. The doctor gave him a pain prescription and sent him home. He is doing very well. (thank you Gus for picking up the prescription and coming to be with Dave and Jon and Aubre for getting Dave home).

Please continue to pray for Cody's recovery. For all of us, good health and continued peace. Thank you again for your prayers and concerns.

With Gratitude,

Dallas