Cody's 10th Birthday

Dear Family and Friends:

This was a tough week for us. Monday, Cody felt the reality of what is going on. Sobbing, he wished he didn't have "this" cancer. I told him I would give anything to trade places with him...needless to say, we were both in tears. We have never known such heaviness in our hearts.......and such joy and gratitude.

Cody still amazes us with his strength and his overall positive attitude.

Cody's treatment schedule is Monday - Friday, radiation at 1:00; Wednesdays, chemo at 11:00. Blood labs are at the same time as chemo. So Wednesday is a full day. We have 1 week under our belts and 5 more to go for the first phase of treatment. Then we look forward to a month break before the last phase of chemo, the most grueling of the entire treatment.

On the lighter side, in the radiation waiting room, there is a nice sized table, so we bring 100 - 200 piece puzzles, work on them and leave them for others to work on. Small pleasures.....it is fun for us, good eye/mind coordination for Cody and it is fun to see the progress of the puzzle from day to day.

Wednesday through Friday and part of Saturday Cody was feeling VERY well. I think he felt so "well" because of the anticipation of his birthday. Friday, on his birthday, he was excited and ran around "as if" he were back to normal. It was heart warming to see him have fun and feel well. Dave, Cody and I, some family and friends went to see "Narnia," then came home to have pizza and cake. It was a special birthday and meant a lot to Cody. (and us).

Cody had his first chemo injection on Thursday and it went smoother than he expected as far as pain goes. But, the after affects of chemo sometimes don't hit until a couple days later.....and it did. Late Saturday afternoon he ran out of energy and lost his appetite. His mouth and tongue are very sore. Today he could only handle ice chips and water. We pray that tomorrow, his appetite will return. It is so hard to watch your child suffer and not be able to physically do anything to relieve their pain.

Early Saturday we went to a Christmas party hosted by Cody's neurosurgeon and his colleague at CHOC cancer clinic. The party was for their patients. We thought it would be a good idea to meet other families going through the same thing. It was festive, with games, gifts and Santa, however, VERY sobering. There were many children in wheel chairs, some physically and some mentally handicapped from this disease. We have been so very blessed. We spoke with the neurosurgeon, and once again, he was smiling and shaking his head by Cody's miraculous recovery. Dave and I were moved to tears, once again, to realize the huge miracles and depth of God's mercy for Cody (and us) through this whole process. This is a huge testimony for God's miracles, His grace and mercy and the power of prayer.

Thank you for your continued prayers. They mean so much and have proven to be very, very helpful.

With Gratitude,