Summer Blues

Rough day at the cancer center, Monday! 

It's such a relief that Zachary is out of school to help keep our spirits up!  He is so strong and our rock when we're hurting.

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David (Daddy) hugs always make things better!

Complications during Cal's spinal tap also meant a harder recovery.  It took a day for him to get over his upset stomach after the ordeal, and finally - my eyes are no longer puffy from crying.  Most days we get by just fine, but then we hit that roadblock that hurts and scares us so much. Makes us appreciate our little man more than we already do! Chemo injected into his spine and IV chemo have wiped him out.  Daily chemo by mouth compounds his weakness.  Steroids this week are building his strength though! 

We have just been heartsick all week over the loss of one of the strongest cancer fighters we've met.  This is precious little Kyssi and her AMAZING mother!  She says Kyssi won her battle against cancer this week, because she is now in Heaven and out of pain and in the arms of Jesus. 

Kyssi taught Caleb how to position his body when nurses access his port-a-cath for chemo, so that it doesn't hurt.  She helped him so much with that knowledge.  Every time he does it from now on, I know Kyssi will know how much pain she spared him by helping out.  What a precious, precious, precious angel.  It's hard to believe she's gone from this Earth.  She was truly fuller than life itself.

 

 Chemotherapy has been brutal during the Texas heat for Caleb.  While he usually has a stomach of steel and can ride the craziest rides without a worry and never gets motion sickness, it has been brutal on his stomach. 

Yes, that's him, upside down!  Don't worry - he didn't let it stop him!  He pushed himself through it.  Kyssi would be proud that he refuses to let chemo slow him down. 

Caleb's baseball team sailed through the Play-offs and ended up in the Championship Game!!! Proud of those lil' Dodgers!

It was pretty scary during the final game though - the high humidity and heat were too powerful for our little slugger.  His body overheated.  He was horrified to have to lie down in the middle of the game and be iced down.  His medications come with warnings about the sun, and it caught up with him this time.  He didn't want to have to miss a moment of the game. 

On a much happier note - Caleb wrapped-up the school year with honors!  His chemo has been known to cause learning disabilities, but that just hasn't been the case for Cal, and we are so thrilled about that!!!  Definitely answered prayers!

Zach & Caleb were both honored for scoring so high on their standardized testing!  Caleb was also happy to win the 1st Grade Spelling Bee and tie for 2nd place in a Math Contest!

Caleb also graduated from being a Tiger Cub Scout and is now a BIG BEAR!  He's really excited about next year and all of the fun scouting events to come.  

Other BIG NEWS... Caleb turned 8 on May 29th!!!!   

Forget acting like a cancer patient - he wanted a "rough and tumble" birthday party!  It started it off with a wild game of flag football... (I was hoping that's a non-contact sport.  Ha! ha!  No such luck.)  :-) 

He enjoyed a competitive game of laser tag at his party too!

He wrapped it up by walking the rafters - through a tough obstacle course about 20 feet in the air.  Gotta love those safety ropes!

Caleb is enjoying a peaceful summer and lots of extra time with "the Maggers"! 

We're so proud of Caleb - on his own - he decided to stay away from his iPad as much as possible.  He asked us to enroll him in a reading contest at our local library!  WOW, be still my heart.  :-) 

He won a trophy & certificates today for reading 20 books last week!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.  We can do that because of our amazing network of supporters!  

My wonderful cousin, Gerri, sent us a care package so amazing, it's worth sharing!

Gerri knows how much being "courageous like a lion" means to Caleb - so she made us this DVD cover & a video that has POSITIVE photos from the past two years of Caleb's treatment.  It reminds us about how many great things have happened because of Cal's diagnosis!  She put it over the soundtrack "It Takes Courage to Stand Strong".  What a powerful tune.  Here's a link to the song:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vts-HnuJHh4

She also sent Caleb this super cool cap that says "Chemo:  All the cool kids are doing it!"  The shirt she sent Zach says, "I Stand Alongside My Brother To Win the Battle".  LOVE THAT.  It's so true, too!  

David's cousin, Joe, surprised us with this photo - of him wearing a special "Caleb's Courage" bracelet, in front of a fierce lion he found while traveling to Philadelphia.  Cal LOVES this!  :)

We are so very appreciative of our family and friends who have continued to keep us in their thoughts & prayers all this time.  We realize that most cancer treatment ends for patients within six months.  Thanks for being in it with us for the long haul.  We know four years is a LONG TIME, but YOU make a world of difference.

In honor of our little friend, Kyssi: 

2 Timothy 4:7 

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

We will keep the faith forever.