The Last Stay

Family & Friends,

This last weekend seemed to have taken a lifetime to get to. Elijah was neutropenic last week and we had to postpone his last inpatient chemotherapy. Now that its come and gone, this leg of the journey seems to have flown by. I suppose that's God's way: During the struggle question your strength-Live through it and know you can carry a much heavier load because it all rests on his shoulders.

This was by far the most difficult inpatient stay. Elijah's reaction to the anti-nausea meds were extreme but his nurses were amazing. As soon as we checked in they were showering him with love, affection, and attention, They even had a hopping (his new favorite pastime) contest down the hallways which I was thankful for because he was tired out quickly!!

We spent Friday evening and Saturday visiting and saying goodbye-the playroom, the quiet room, running the halls, etc... Not sure if he knew it was his last stay but he took advantage of every chance he had to run, run, run. (Click on the link to see pics) http://s358.photobucket.com/albums/oo24/ElijahEzekielWilliams/Last%20Chemo/?albumview=slideshow
Elijah has 2 more outpatient treatments and then he is done with chemo!!!

As usual, I have no words worthy enough to give you the Thanks I wish I could. Your prayers have kept him free from infection, sickness and unbearable side effects. Thank You for keeping my little boy close to your heart. I am so undeserving of your love and support and I Thank God for you always.

Elijah's Baby Days

Family and Friends...

I hope this email finds you all in great spirits and good health. It has been some time since I updated the blog but I'm sure you will forgive me since I was bringing Elijah's little brother Jacob into the world!

Elijah's 3rd inpatient treatment went well. He did get sick but as with the last treatment, it did not hit until the last day. We are seeing some of the longer term side effects of the chemotherapy take its toll on him now-sunken eyes, more joint pain, and constipation. However he continues to be in good spirits and is still the strongest little soldier I know.

2 days after I returned home from his inpatient stay, I went into labor and delivered a very healthy 8pound, 21inch long baby boy-Jacob Josiah Williams. Elijah is an exceptional big brother. He kisses him every chance he gets and loves the fact that they both have "Papies" (pacifiers).

Elijah has only one inpatient treatment and 5 weekly treatments to go! Upon completing treatment he will have a CT Scan, Kidney scan, and several blood tests then will continue monthly blood testing for 6 months before scaling back to every 3-6 months.

What a journey! We are almost to the end so please continue to pray us through. We love you all.

~Dawn

-go to: http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc157/dawnmoire/Jacob%20Josiah%20Williams/?albumview=slideshow for pics of the new baby!

Moving Right Along....

Family & Friends,

We pray that you all are doing and feeling well. We are doing well-basking in the Glory of A New Day. A new day for our children, our communities, our country and world.

Elijah is doing great although he still has pain a few days after his weekly treatments, a limited appetite, and has resigned to refusing any and all oral medications. He had a kidney scan and weekly chemo treatment last Wednesday, he will have a CT Scan this Wednesday and will be admitted for his 3rd of 4 in-patient treatments this Friday.

We are finally coming to the end of this arduous and incredible journey!!!!

As always, your continued prayers and support are such a Blessing to us. Thank You!

2nd Cycle Down...2 to go!

Hello All & Happy New Year! We pray everyone is enjoying the first week of 2009 in good health and great spirits!
Here is my bald, beautiful and very silly baby at the pediatric oncology clinic Monday.

As you know, Elijah's was unable to be admitted for chemotherapy for over a week now due to very low white blood cell counts. Well his counts were high enough to be admitted for his second cycle Monday. We are truly grateful for the fantastic pediatric oncology team at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. A Doctor recommended an anti-nausea/vomiting regimen called BAD-a combination of Benadryl, Ativan, and Dexamethasone. Although he did have some vomiting and nausea today, it was much less than what plagued his little body during the 1st round of chemo. However, the side effects of the steroid (dexamethasone) was unexpected and almost impossible to handle; extreme mood swings and generally inconsolable outbursts. All things considered, he seems to be feeling really good right now which is an absolute Blessing!

2 cycles down...2 more to go!

All of our Love,
~Dawn

On Hold...

Hello All!

We pray everyone had a Blessed and safe Christmas! We had a wonderful Christmas and I will post a pic or two of Elijah enjoying all of his toys soon.

Here's a pic of my little bald baby and his twin! His daddy vowed to go bald as well-and will stay that way until his "little buddy's" hair grows back.

We were to be admitted for his 2nd cycle of treatment Friday but unfortunately blood tests revealed that he is Neutropenic-meaning he has an abnormally low white blood cell count. He has more than likely been exposed to a virus of some sort that his body must clear before the next round of chemotherapy. With a low white blood cell count he is unable to fight off infection of any kind but thankfully, he is not exhibiting any additional symptoms such as fever, cough or cold so we are hopeful it is just something very minor that will clear in the next few days. We can carry these viruses and pass them to each other and never know it thus why I must limit his exposure to others.

We will go back to the oncology clinic Tuesday morning for testing to verify that the virus is gone and his white blood cell count elevated. If all is well, we will be admitted immediately.

Thank you for the continued support, love and prayers. We especially thank those that sent Elijah gifts, cards, and messages for Christmas. It truly brings our hearts joy to know how loved and adored he is.

All our love-

Quick Update-

We've made it through the first week. The first few days were spent managing nausea and vomiting, the past week has been spent trying to get a handle on other side effects taking over Elijah's little body. Pain management, appetite and alleviating constipation may be a consistent issue and is proving to be difficult and heartbreaking.

Elijah has never seen snow before so Nana & I took him outside this morning to enjoy.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Chemo Begins

Hello All,

We hope your week is going well.

There were no complications with Elijah's surgery to place the portocath Friday and we were admitted that evening. Here he is giving us a glimpse into his future as "Dr. Cutie-Pie Williams" shortly after we were admitted.

Elijah will be receiving 3 different chemo therapy drugs throughout the next 4 months. Although he receives 2 of the drugs once per week- every week, he must be admitted inpatient for 3 days and 2 nights every 3 weeks due to the severity of the side effects of one of the drugs (cysplatin). This drug was administered over several hours beginning at midnight on Friday. We were elated when more than 8 hours passed with no side effects. Unfortunately that elation was short lived as sickness abruptly awoke him from a restful nap after an exhausting day of charming the nurses and befriending several fellow pediatric oncology patients.

Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning were spent trying to manage Elijah's nausea and vomiting. By Sunday afternoon he was back to ruling the hallways and conquering the hearts of every nurse on the floor. The other 2 drugs were administered Sunday evening with no complications.

We would have been home Sunday night but his oncologist ordered a CT scan for Monday morning to make certain none of the "bad cells" formed into a tumor over the 6 weeks between surgery and this first chemo treatment. By Monday evening we were on our way back home. Other than an extreme loss of appetite and another bout of vomiting on the way home from the hospital, he seems to be doing well. God has Blessed Elijah with an amazing resilience and immeasurable strength.

Thank you all for fortifying his strength through your love and prayers.

~Dawn

Thanksgiving...Still continues

Good Morning all!

I pray our family and friends had safe and undisturbed travels this Thanksgiving. Randall, Elijah and I spent the holiday with Randall's family in Alabama. Elijah had a ball dancing, singing, and playing with his little cousin Amber, aunt, uncle and "Me-ma". He is back to 100% and is doing very well. Here's a pic of Elijah having fun in the leaves in his Nana's backyard the week before Thanksgiving.

Before the holiday we had our final pre-treatment appointment with pediatric oncology. The treatment begins first with surgery to implant the Port-O-Cath this Friday morning then chemo begins that evening. The regimen will be as follows:

Day 1-admitted to hospital, IV hydration then given the worst of the 3 chemo drugs

side effects are monitored and controlled for 48 hours.

Day 3-2 other chemo drugs are given then released from hospital.

Week 2-1 outpatient visit for 1 chemo drug

Week 3-1 outpatient visit for 1 chemo drug

Week 4(Day 21)-Cycle begins again with 3 day/2 night hospital stay...

Elijah will undergo 4 cycles of treatment-meaning he will have a total of 4 hospital stays, and a visit to the hospital for 1 weekly chemo drug treatment every week from Dec. 5 through the first week of March.

Our prayers continue to be Elijah's full recovery and healing. We ask that our friends and family pray that his body withstands the effects of chemotherapy treatment. These drugs are labeled poisons-even by the oncologists due to not only the short term side effects but long term permanent effects. Some of those are:

Nerve Damage

Hearing loss

Renal failure

Growth

Cardiovascular

Respiratory

Thyroid

Secondary Cancers

Chemotherapy drugs are effective at killing cancer cells, but they also damage normal cells, which can cause side effects. Drugs used in cancer chemotherapy attack cells that are actively dividing to produce new cells. These drugs are useful because cancer cells reproduce more quickly than normal cells.

Chemotherapy also causes a drop in white and red blood cells. The side effects caused by low blood cell counts will likely be at their worst when the White Blood Count, Red Blood Count, and platelets are at their lowest levels. Because of this Elijah will have very limited contact (no contact if you haven't had a flu shot) with others during the duration of Chemotherapy. Although he will be on antibiotics to lessen the possibility of infection for the duration of therapy, a low white blood count means an inability to fight infection so even the common cold could be life threatening for him.

Thank you all for your concern about my health and the well being of Elijah's little brother due on Valentines day. We are both doing well. We are prayerful that "baby brother" will stay put for a few more months :p I'm sure he will - when I ask his big brother where his little brother is, he simply lifts my shirt and gives my belly a kiss with a big "mmmm-waaahhh" sound!

Happy (late) Thanksgiving wishes to you all. We love you dearly.

~Dawn

3 weeks Post Op

Our dearest Family & Friends...

I hope this message finds everyone doing well, feeling great and ready for the Thanksgiving holiday.
It's been about 3 weeks since surgery and Elijah is doing well. He is still challenged physically by a few things but is almost back to 100%! His appetite is great, he's sleeping fairly well, and he even enjoyed a play date this weekend with his buddy Alison.

He recently had the picc line removed and will only need one more blood test this week to make sure his little body is free from infection. He will then be monitored for a few more weeks to make certain he is able to withstand the effects of chemotherapy.
Please don't forget I will be making a scrapbook for Elijah of all of your wonderful comments on this blog so please leave a message. Simply go to "comments", write your comment (don't forget to sign your name), then click "anonymous" to post without having to create an account.
Our sincerest gratitude for all of your prayers-please keep them going,

~Dawn

The Great Escape

We are finally home!!!!

Elijah was able to have the Pic line inserted for antibiotic therapy at home. Due to the infection in the blood he has been under strict monitoring and since his fevers continue to spike, a CT Scan was ordered to rule out the spread of infection to his heart. Although the scan showed some fluid collection where the right lobe of the liver was, the overall results from the scan were favorable and we were released around 6:30 pm.

Elijah still has some pain - the source we can't seem to identify. But his appetite is up, as are his spirits, and we are so grateful to have him home.

He has more testing (renal, audiology, lab) on Friday. Once those results are known we will have a plan of action for chemo and followup therapy.

Thank you for your prayers, support, and love.
Dawn~