Back at school and LOVING IT!

Hello all!

We hope you all are well and enjoying the warmer weather.

Elijah has been back at school for 2 weeks now! The first week was extremely difficult (more so for me I'm sure). Our morning ritual of waking at leisure to Daddy's voice or Sheba's bark, eating a full breakfast, then waiting in anticipation for the next Barney episode was replaced with a firm shake of the alarm clocks' scream, a bag of cheerios and sippie of milk, and a mad dash to get in position to make the 45 minute haul to school before 8am.

DID I MENTION THE GUILT????

Elijah made certain that I knew...EVERY MORNING...that he was supposed to be glued to my hip-not away from me with a bunch of little people that were obviously not going to kiss boo-boos, laugh at his indecipherable banter, and give him free reign over every toy in eyesight.

So although the first week of school was very difficult for Elijah, his second week and start to the third has been much smoother. He awakens with no objection in the morning, he walks his brother to his class then walks mommy to his and even says bye! He's eating well, playing with his friends well, and has been "Very Polite"...so the teachers say. ;p

Jacob has been having a ball in school. He has the same teacher Elijah did at that age so the spoil factor has gone up exponentially! He's proving to be every bit of the flirt and charmer his brother is.

Elijah's health continues to improve. The last Xray and Blood test (just last Friday) revealed he is recovering well. We are still fighting the anemia/low iron and now have to include hearing tests to the regimen as his last test revealed hearing loss at a high frequency.

We continue to receive well wishes and inquiries and I am so very appreciative. Thank you for your continued love and prayers and I will keep you posted!

~Love Dawn

All Clear!

My prayer this evening included a special thank you-thank you for the words God has given each of you to pray for my son. It's your prayers, your love, support, and strength, and God's grace that got us to this place.

Elijah's CT Scan was all clear! His hearing test is showing loss but only at the high frequency levels. His blood work is phenomenal-the Dr.s continue to be amazed at how stable his levels are. His energy is off of the charts, his appetite is slowly returning, his hair growing back and he's already gained a half of a pound since his last treatment! We are still struggling with his iron levels and getting him to take his meds.

He will continue bi-weekly blood tests, monthly xrays, quarterly CT Scans, and yearly kidney and hearing tests for quite some time. He has been cleared to return to civilization. HOORAY!!!!! Daycare...WATCH OUT!

I will continue posting every now and again as he has one more unrelated surgery in the next few months.

My heart swells with love and adoration for you all. Thank you Thank you Thank you!

ALL CLEAR!!!

Family & Friends...

Please forgive me for not writing in over a month. Managing a 2 year old and newborn is a bit more challenging than I had anticipated. ;)

Elijah's last outpatient treatment was March 16th and was fairly uneventful. His counts were up as well as his spirits (as usual). His favorite nurse made certain she was there to give his last treatment and to meet his new little brother! A few weeks passed then it was time for his first post-op blood work and CT scan. Although his blood work looked great, he was still not released to daycare so I must continue to monitor his interactions. The CT scan was all clear and will be repeated every 3 months. His blood will need to be drawn every 2 weeks for awhile then monthly then with every CT Scan. We go back for more blood work on the 24th of March as well as a hearing test (as hearing can be affected by the chemotherapy).

Although his appetite is still down, his hair is starting to grow back, his joint pain is lessening and he's running, jumping, playing, laughing, singing, and tiring me out daily!

I will continue to update the blog although it may just be monthly.

Thank you all for your love and prayers. We are immensely Blessed by your presence in our lives.

Here are updated pics of Jacob & the family: http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc157/dawnmoire/Jacob%20N%20More/?albumview=slideshow

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