Ryan
So not good with this now… ;-)
I have promised to post more, but as always, I don’t. It seems that now that Ryan is in remission, it’s just easier to forget about this blog. It was our lifeline to the world for 5 months, and now that he acts like a normal 10-year-old boy, I forget this thing.
Just an update for this school year. In August all the kids started a new elementary school. In a way, this was a good thing for Ryan. It is showing him that while everyone knows him and his story, they were not personally involved with it. So – he is learning while he is a special kid he is not always going to get special treatment. Bryce and Deanna have settled into the new school as well. Both boys wish they were back at the old school, but they have lots of new friends here.
In September, Ryan had his gall bladder removed. I know – how many have heard of a boy having that removed? And while it was being removed, he had another problem stopped (the tumors had pushed his intestines up and they didn’t fall back down). While fixing this, a bruise formed on them and instead of being in the hospital for 24 hours, he was there for 5 days. While there, we meet a 12-year-old boy named Hunter that had just been diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma. Please be in prayer for him and his mother and brother – they have a 2 year road ahead of them.
Also, please pray for Melindy Barrett (and I hope I spelled her name correctly). She is 30-year-old mother of 3 (oldest is Ryan’s age) and she is battling colon cancer. She is doing treatments – so please pray that everything will be fine and her children will have her around for more years.
Xavian Hall (the little baby boy that had a cancerous brain tumor the same time Ryan battled his cancer) just celebrated his second birthday! PRAISE GOD!
Also, in September, I was asked to talk at the Relay for Life Summit meeting here in Jackson, MS (while Ryan was in the hospital). It was hard going there and talking to everyone, but in the end I’m glad I got to go. My speech was from the caregiver’s point of view and after the break, I will post the speech.
No amount of words can express the love that my entire family felt during Ryan’s cancer. I am so thankful for each and every one of you – more than you will know. May God bless you all!
Wonderful news and update – finally
I know – I’m still terrible about updating this blog, but hey, some know that no news is good news.
Both boys are playing baseball this spring and they are having fun at the fields. Ryan is in kid-pitch while Bryce is in coach-pitch. Deanna is just hanging out with me most of the time, but she has said she would like to go back into gymnastics. We’ll have to see about that.
But the best news we’ve had came this morning. We met with the surgery team and next Monday Ryan will be getting his port out. That’s right – the port will be removed Monday, April 12, 2010. PRAISE GOD! This means that the doctors think the cancer won’t be back.
After the appointment at the Cancer Clinic, it was decided to move the port removal to May 3. Next month marks the one year anniversary of Ryan’s last round of chemo, and he will have to get everything ran – LP, bone marrow extraction, scans, echo, the works. Instead of him being put to sleep this month AND next month, we decided to do it all at one time – bone marrow extraction, LP, and port removal. PRAISE GOD! We are so thankful that the port will be out and soon.
Other than that, we’ve been busy with baseball and scouts. Everyone have a blessed day!
A new holiday – “No hospital day”
The title says it all. Ryan came up to me last night saying, “Mom, I have a new holiday for tomorrow.” After asking what it was, he said, “No hospital day.” I had to give him a high-five for that. You see, the date – February 2 – was the night he was admitted into Baptist Hospital for a abdominal CT scan. He had nothing to eat or drink all night long, and he had no qualms about letting me know he was hungry and thirsty. February 3 marks the date we found out he had cancer. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this week, and I know I shouldn’t be. To look at Ryan now, no one can tell he was a sick little boy. He’s in school and acts like a normal, healthy nine-year-old boy. Of course, people can tell that he has matured faster than most boys his age, but that is because he went through so much last year.
And what did I learn from all of this? That God has His plan for our lives, and no matter what He is with us – guiding us and comforting us when we need it. Why God chose me to be one of his own and why he chose Ryan to go through this I will never know. But one thing is for certain: my faith has grown stronger because God was with us the entire time.
Ryan goes back on February 11 for scans (no LP/Bone Marrow extraction this time). This is part of life now, and I know that we will have to go back for scans and tests for the rest of his life – but God healed him and He will use this story to show His love for the world.
Thank all of you for the prayers and for reading this blog. While going through this, the blog helped voice our concerns and fears while the comments encouraged us everyday. May God bless each and everyone of you!
12/26 update
Wow! Where has this year gone? It seems like yesterday I received the news that my father had been diagnosed with dementia. Now we are at the end of the year, and I can tell you, I’m really looking forward 2010.
Just a recap of the year 2009:
1/1/09 – receive word of Dad’s dementia
1/23/09 – receive word that Dad had a massive heart attack and travel to Tennessee that weekend
1/27/09 – Ryan calls from school complaining of a headache and is out from school for the rest of the week
2/2/09 – Ryan is admitted to Baptist Medical Center for a CT scan of his stomach
2/3/09 – we find out Ryan has cancer and begin the three month process of getting rid of it
6/15/09 – Ryan was listed as in remission from cancer
8/10/09 – Ryan started the 4th grade
12/16/09 – Dorris Sullivan (Buddy) passes away after a long battle with his heart
12/21/09 – went to see my Dad and signed for medical power of attorney as the nurses say he is not mentally competent to make decisions
Well – that just about sums up the year. And I didn’t even list everything that happened. After we found out Ryan had cancer, I kept asking if I could wake up tomorrow and it be 2010. And in a few mores days, that will happen. I just pray that 2010 will be a year to remember and for better reasons.
I hope that everyone had a very Merry CHRISTmas and that everyone has a joyous New Year! God bless each and every one of you!
Where does the time go?!?!
I have had every intention of posting a new blog entry every week, but for some reason I seem to forget. Now Troy is going to say that I need to set a reminder on my phone, and this is the only place you will see in black and white that I say he is right. I will try to do better, guys!
Now that I have that out of the way, I can get to the fun stuff: sharing Ryan’s Make-A-Wish and it coming true.
Ryan’s wish was to go on a Disney cruise. So on Friday, November 20, Ryan had a send off party with his class. People from Make-A-Wish and The Woman’s Hospital (his sponsor) were there. He received a goodie bag from Make-A-Wish, and all the boys enjoyed cupcakes as a snack. Then after that Ryan was escorted by “cheerleaders” (as the boys called them) all around the school. Everyone had a blast.
On Tuesday, November 24, we flew to Orlando, Florida to begin Ryan’s wish. We stayed at the airport in the hotel – which was weird but so much fun! The next day we took a bus from Orlando to the Disney Wonder. The first thing the kids wanted to do was swim in the Mickey pool. On Thursday, we woke up and we were in the Bahamas, man! It was great! The best part was the boat ride to the submarine. Our guide was so good – we learned what celebrities owned houses there and some we got to see. Deanna had her hair braided – so for now we call her “Bahama Mama”. (BTW: she doesn’t like the new nickname.) Friday was our day at sea and we got to see the Disney Magic. From what I’m told it is very rare that the sister ships see each other and it was a special treat for us. Saturday we were at the Disney private island called Castaway Cay. We rode bikes on the island and then we snorkeled. We even got to feed and swim with stingrays! Don’t freak out – they were fine to swim with. Even Deanna thought it was cool. That afternoon, Minnie Mouse hosted a special party for all the Make-A-Wish kids. It was so cool. And of course, all good things must come to an end – we came home on Sunday.
That was an over view – more after the break…
And the year continues….
Well… school year is going great for all the kids. Deanna is loving Kindergarten. Bryce is enjoying first grade. Ryan is really glad to be back in school. All of them seem to be back into the swing of things, and now I’m left trying to figure out what normal is.
With the H1N1 flu going around, it was bound to hit in our house. And yesterday, Ryan was diagnosed with it. When it rains it pours, right? We are all on Tami-flu to make sure no one else in the house gets it. I just hate for Ryan to have been the one to get it. But it’s like I told a friend on Facebook, I’m just thankful he’s here today to get sick, if you know what I mean. In February we didn’t know if he would live through the first weekend, and now as I update the blog, he is laying on the love-seat (where all the kids go when they’re sick) sleeping and it does my heart good. Of course, at 4:30 this morning he came into the bedroom asking for Troy. It was bittersweet for me as I was the one he wanted during all the hospital stays, but Troy was on cloud nine (or as close as he could get on it that early in the morning). With the long weekend coming up, hopefully Ryan can kick this bug and be back to his old self quicker.
Everyone have a great Labor Day weekend and eat some at cookouts (if you’re going) for us. HA! We love all of you!