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In Memory of Jordan Robert Horton
God Saw You
God Saw you getting tired
And a cure was not to be,
So He put His arms around you
And whispered, "Come with Me."
With tearful eyes we watched you suffer
And saw you fading fast away;
Although we loved you dearly
We would not make you stay.
A gold heart stopped beating
Hard working hands to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove to us . . .
He only takes the best.
This is the poem we chose for ^^Jordan's^^ memorial cards.
^^Jordan Robert Horton^^
Born: October 29, 2002, 3:33 PM - September 26, 2004 4:55AM Weight: 8lbs. 8 ozs. Length: 21 inches ***CHANGED PICTURES 12/27/2007
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Where the Sidewalk Ends
There is a place where the Sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.
Shel Silverstein
Journal
Sunday, August 17, 2008 8:02 AM CDT Hello everyone. My Dad is doing very well, and I want to thank everyone for all the continued prayers and well-wishes. He is getting stronger everyday, and he is responding well to the radiation and chemo therapy. He went down to St. Louis on Friday to have a consultation with Dr. Vij. (his transplant doctor). We got surprising news.
Dr. Vij. does not like the chemo. that Dad is currently taking. The CHOP chemo can cause stem cell damage. This could prevent him from having enough stem cells left over for the transplant if he continues to get all six rounds of chemo. Dr. Vij. would like for him to get a different kind of chemo., which he would have to be in-patient to receive. This chemo. is given over three days and would be given along with the growth factor to help produce a higher amount of stem cells. This would allow them to go ahead and harvest the stem cells in the next few weeks. They are able to do this because the cancer is not in his bone marrow.
What all of this means is that instead of getting four more rounds of the CHOP chemo. over the next three to four months, Dad will go down to St. Louis within the next two weeks, have three days of in-patient chemo., wait a few days, harvest the stem cells, do all the preliminary testing, and then do Dad's transplant at the end of September or the beginning of October.
I know that my parents thought they would have a little more time to prepare to get everything arranged, but Dr. Vij. really thinks that this is the best chance for Dad to make a full recovery with the least amount of risk. If he continues with the current treatment, he may not have enough stem cells to do the transplant with his own cells, and that would force the doctors to find a donor. This would put my father at a much larger risk. With the autologous transplant, there is normally only a one percent risk. Since my Dad has had a stroke, it puts his risk up to about ten percent, but those are still pretty good odds.
Dr. Vij. was very impressed with how much stronger Dad is now than when he saw him at the beginning of the year. He was also impressed with Dad's head CT scan. He said that there were only a few small spots in his brain that indicated any sign of a stroke. He said it was fairly normal. We found that news remarkable. Since Dad hasn't had any seizures since January, and the CT looked so good, Mom is going to talk to the neurologist about taking him off or at least tapering the anti-seizure medication. Sometimes the anti-seizure medication can mess with a person's balance, so we are hoping that he can get off this medication soon. This may help him become even more steady on his feet. Plus, he will have one less medication to take.
We don't know exact dates for everything yet because the insurance company has to approve everything and then get it all set up. Once I know the details, I will update again, and I know that Mom does frequent updates on Dad's website. I ask that you all keep my Dad and Mom in your prayers. Please pray that everything goes well with transplant, and that they are able to survive financially.
If anyone wants to help out, I am including a list of some things that would be helpful during their stay in St. Louis. I know that these types of things were very helpful when we had Jordan, and I know that Mom and Dad would be extremely grateful for any gift they receive, no matter how small.
- Prayers and support
- Gas gift cards
- grocery gift cards
- restuarant gift cards
- pre-paid phone cards
- visa gift cards
- cash (for parking, laundry, and hotel)
Mom and Dad's address is 2249 Kenwood Court, Decatur, IL 62526.
Thank you so much for your support. This is going to be a difficult journey for my family, but I know that we can get through this with the support of all of you.
I will keep everyone updated as I get the information. Go hug your kids!
Love,
Carrie
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Patient Room: HEAVEN Carrie, Patrick, & ^^Jordan^^ Horton
204 Pembroke Ct.
Wendell, NC 27591
919-451-9890 (Carrie's Cell)
Links: http://www.mpsforum.com MPS forum
http://www.packers.com Jordan's Favorite Web Site
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/daleyeske DAD'S CARINGBRIDGE SITE
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