History

Monday, October 5, 2009 7:01 PM CDT

Allen & I will be going to Memphis this time next week for a checkup. We went today to have his counts checked and they looked good. I am a little afraid of what we might have picked up while we were in the doctor's office waiting. The flu has hit our school so please say a prayer that we all dodge the flu this year. Also, remember James Christopher Allums in your prayers who does have the flu and is in the hospital right now.

Don't forget about the St. Jude Marathon. We will be running in honor of Allen the first weekend in December. All donations are tax free and go to the children of St. Jude. You can donate by going to www.mystjudeheroes.org/amie

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers as we travel to Memphis next week. We are praying (and expecting) for an uneventful trip.

Thursday, August 13, 2009 6:31 PM CDT

Special Prayers needed tonight for our friend Corbin Gulde. They are in Memphis for a check-up and found a small "bump" in his shoulder. Surgery is scheduled for the morning so they can biospy it. I know tonight is going to be a sleepless night for them. Corbin's website is www.caringbridge.org/la/corbin

As for us...we start school tomorrow. Allen is going into 2nd grade and Hannah in K. Where did the time go? It's hard to believe when I first started this caringbringe journal Allen was only 3 and Hannah 6 months. We are all doing great and looking forward to a great school year.

Don't forget to sign up for the St. Jude Marathon. TEAM ALLEN is signed up and ready. Email me if you need more info.

Friday, June 26, 2009 2:26 PM CDT

Sorry for the lack of any information about Allen, but as you all know by now that means everything is going great.

We have had a busy summer already. The day school got out we headed for DisneyWorld. Our family went with our friends across the street (Sara Kate & Addie). Everyone had a super great time. Allen and Sara Kate were at the perfect age..they still loved the little stuff but were tall enough for the big stuff too. Allen's favorite ride was Rockin Roller Coaster...an upside down roller coaster. Hannah & Addie loved all the characters and getting their autographs.

This past weekend we went to Dallas to see the Jonas Brothers in concert. It was awesome and better than that Miley Cyrus made a suprise entrance and performed a song with the boys. After the concert it was off to Great Wolf Lodge for more excitment. GWL is an indoor waterpark. This was Allen's 3rd time to visit but Hannah finally got to come with us on a big kid trip...she'll be five soon!

Now that baseball is over, we are just bouncing in between the pool and the lake camp. We have one quick trip to the beach planned for July.

This weekend is the St. Jude Dream Home giveaway, so if you haven't bought your ticket yet you need to fast. Allen and I will be at the dream house Sunday around noon to do an interview.

Hope everyone has a chance to buy a ticket for this wonderful cause.

P.S. - I put a couple of new pics from Disney and Jonas Brothers. Hopefully, I can get a slideshow made of all the pictures. Yes... Allen does have a black eye in his Disney pictures. We've had stitches this summer too!

Monday, April 27, 2009 9:12 PM CDT

We have made it back from another trip to St. Jude this time very uneventful just how we like it. Allen's counts were PERFECT even though he had strep throat last week. We are now on six months visits instead of four. We don't go back to Memphis until October 12th which is a week before Allen's 8th birthday.

For now Allen is busy playing baseball and he has moved up to pitching machine. Ms.Shelly we are on your team "Jerry Jones" and I will have to update with baseball pictures soon. Allen has also mastered his rip stick so he is spending hours outside practicing on it. School is out in less than a month and this time next month we will be in DISNEY WORLD for our summer vacation.

Thanks for checking in on us!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 5:43 PM CDT

We're doing great! Allen is loving first grade and doing awesome in school. We were suppose to go back to Memphis during spring break but our schedule has changed. Dr. Pui is going to be out of town so we have been pushed back a couple of weeks. Now we are scheduled to go back April 27th. Our plans are just to spend one night and have a very uneventful trip. Thanks for checking in!

Thursday, January 22, 2009 10:08 PM CST

We've got the January bug. Allen has the flu. I had strep and now Hannah has strep. Brad came home from work today with fever so we'll see which one he picked up. Allen's counts are pretty low and he's pretty wiped out but I think that's just part of the flu. Hopefully we'll be up and running again soon.

Thanks for checking in on us. Please remember Shelbi Wingfield in your prayers who was off of treatment but just found out her tumor is growing again. She has started another round of chemo. Also, keep our Shelby in your prayers. She and Daniel are getting close to welcoming the newest Smith...The kids are so excited to meet their cousin.

Saturday, December 27, 2008 1:42 AM CST

Just checking in to let everyone know what a wonderful Christmas we had at the Smith house. Everyone knows we got the biggest gift of all with our prayers answers that all of Allen's test came back clear...no leukemia!

Allen and Hannah both had a great Christmas and I couldn't even begin to list everything they got. Here are their favorites...Allen got an electric guitar, Wii, legos and more legos. Hannah got a toy puppy that swims, cupcake maker, and a baby doll that tee-tees. I will have to get Christmas pictures up soon and hopefully even a deer picture. Brad and Allen have been in the woods a lot trying to get Allen his first deer.

Thanks for checking in with us and please keep all our St. Jude friends and their families in your prayers.

Sunday, December 21, 2008 1:49 PM CST

Update Monday:

Labs are perfect! I was expecting them to be "improving" but not perfect. They were perfect so we will put this behind us and move forward. Our next scheduled trip to Memphis is in April. We will be there the Monday after Easter which is exactly the Monday we were there last year for his "no mo chemo" party. Thanks for all the prayers and don't forget to get on the bone marrow transplant list in honor of James Christopher.

Sunday:
We are pressing on and getting ready for Christmas. Allen will have labs tomorrow in Bastrop and I am sure they will be fine.

I wanted to share part of James Christopher Allums site with you to hopefully inspire you to be added to the Bone Marrow list. James Christopher is a precious boy who is awaiting to find a match so he can have a bone marrow transplant. Please consider doing this in honor of James Christopher. It is just a swab from your mouth (no blood)and just send it in. If something should come up with Allen in the future a transplant would be our only answer. You could be the one they are waiting on to save James Christopher's life or the one we need one day if that should ever come up.

From James Christopher's site:
If you would like to order kits for your family and friends to test and see if they could be a match to save James Christopher's life or someone elses, you can call DKMS @ 212-209-6704 and ask for Amanda. Please request in honor of James Christopher. (this will allow them to contact us when a match is found for someone else) She will be glad to put several kits in the mail so you can encourage others to test on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Your asking someone to test could be the match that saves our sons life. You can also log on to www.jcallums.com and click on "Give the Gift of life." Please share this flier with everyone you know and encourage them to test this Holiday Season. The drive will end January 1.

Thanks for the prayers for Allen. Please add James Christopher to your prayers if he isn't already. His site is www.caringbridge.org/visit/jameschristopherallums

Thursday, December 18, 2008 11:24 AM CST

Just heard MRD is negative!

We don't (and won't) know about any of the viral labs because his blood clotted before the test were able to be done. We will do labs in Bastrop on Monday so see if this mystery problem has fixed itself. We'll update then! Thanks for the prayers ... we are all feeling much better now.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008 3:06 PM CST

Good News!

The prelimanary test results show no leukemia. There is still one more test that is "cooking" and we will know that tomorrow. However Dr. Pui went from he was certain that it was a relapse yesterday to sending us home RIGHT NOW! We will be waiting for that other report but he said he would be very shocked if it did come back as leukemia. We will recheck his counts on Monday in Bastrop. There are some more viral test still out too but we can do viral.

These last two days have been so stressful! We apreciate your prayers. Everyone in the hospital today thought Allen had for sure relapsed. Your prayers have pulled us through once again. We still need your prayers to get us through because we are still in limbo about some things. Allen's labs are really low and no one knows why. Our prayer now is by Monday when we retest counts that all will be normal again.

I will be so HAPPY to be at work tomorrow!!

Monday, December 15, 2008 2:56 PM CST

12:30 Tuesday ~ As of we still don't know anything. We are waiting on another test to come back from the lab. Our nurse said Dr. Pui is driving them crazy calling every five minutes to see if they are back. We hope to hear something in the next hour or two. There is a chance we will have to wait until the official MRD comes back tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers.

Allen just went into procedures after a little bit of a tramatic morning trying to get a good vein for an iv. The procedure room nurses are our friends and take extra good care of Allen. They made arrangments for Allen to be put to sleep before having to get stuck again. We should know something in an hour or two.

Prayers needed!

Allen's checkup has not gone as planned. His bloodwork did not look good this morning so we repeated his labs. The repeat labs had even dropped more and Dr. Pui is very concerned with his platlet count. His platlets are low almost as low as they were day 1 in Feb. 2005. Because of this Allen is having a MRD to check his bone marrow in the morning. This will tell us everything.

I have to say I think we need a miracle right now because Dr. Pui does think this is a replase and was crying when he talked to us. It still could be some kind of virus that has affected counts. So we are all praying for a virus!! Brad is on his way to Memphis and we'll update after prcedures tomorrow.

P.S. I am trying to stay off my cell for two reasons. 1) is I don't want Allen to hear me talking about it all over and over and him getting nervous. 2) I don't want to have a breakdown in front of Allen and I will if I have to actually to talk to someone. If you need me please email, text, or leave a caringbridge message. Thanks!

Saturday, December 13, 2008 8:58 PM CST

Allen and I leave tomorrow for his 8th month post-chemo checkup. It will be a very quick trip and will be home Monday night. Allen is nervous about going and I can tell it is on his mind because he is talking about the past a lot. He walks up to strangers and wants to show where he use to have a buddy and told his teacher 6MP was the best thing he had ever tasted. He is already asking if I have his prize hidden in my bag for after his needle stick.

Last weekend was the St. Jude Marathon and it was a huge sucess as always. All three races were SOLD OUT and tons of money was raised for the children of St. Jude. Thanks to everyone who donated in honor of Allen. A big thanks to everyone who made the trip to Memphis and got to experience it first hand.

I'll update about Allen's checkup once we get back! Thanks for thinking of us and checking in.

Sunday, November 9, 2008 10:43 PM CST

It's less than one month away from the St. Jude Marathon. It's time to sign up if you have not already. We are slowly but surely raising money for St. Jude and would always love your support. Just click on the second link below and donate online in honor of Allen and all the kids at St. Jude.

Allen and I return to Memphis on December 14-15 for his 8th month check up. It will be a quick trip with only blood work and a visit with Dr. Pui. When we go back in March for his 1 year post treatment visit is when the FULL work up will be done.

I still have a lot of kid size t-shirts!!! I will also be putting in another order for t-shirt very soon. If you still need a shirt just email me and let me know. Runners if you want a runners dry fit shirt let me know what size to order for you.

Thanks for all your support!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008 11:01 PM CDT

Okay... so it's been forever since I have last updated. Things are just busy an October is especially busy because it is Allen's birthday on top of soccer and Halloween. Allen will turn 7 this Sunday!! It is so hard to believe how big he is and how great he is doing. He is doing great in school. He is having a party at Skatetown this weekend for his birthday along with soccer games and our annual Halloween Street party. So needless to say it will be a busy weekend.

The TEAM ALLEN t-shirts are in. I just ordered a bunch of different sizes so right now I have a bunch of shirts to sell. I have short sleeves and long sleeves in adult and kid sizes. The short sleeves are $12 and the long sleeve are $15. I will be glad to send it to you if you don't live close by. Here are a couple of pictures of the shirts.

It's not too late to sign up for Team Allen. The marathon is the first weekend in December. Please consider donating to St. Jude by clicking on the link below. It looks like we are way behind on our fundraising in comparison to the last two years so if you are thinking about donating to a great cause this would be the one to give to.

Please remember our friend Cole, who will be getting his last dose of chemo and his NO MO Chemo party tomorrow.

Front of shirt on left "pocket"

Back of shirt

Thanks for hanging in with us still!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008 1:19 AM CDT

Things have been wild around here with the start of school. Allen started 1st grade and is doing great. He loves his teacher and she is making sure all the "gaps" are filled in from the last two years of missing so much school. Hannah is doing great a big girl school too. She has a cute cute class and I think she's going to have a great year. I am trying to get back into the swing of things after being out for four years. It is taking some getting used too but it's getting better each day.

I will try to update with some pictures from the beginning of school soon. Please consider donating to TEAM ALLEN as we go to Memphis to run the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in honor of Allen and all the kids who have battled cancer. Just click on the link below to donate! Thanks~Amie

Friday, August 15, 2008 6:28 AM CDT

Sorry its been so long since I have updated. We have been so busy around here! We are all geared up for school this year which includes me. I am going back to teaching and I will get to teach at the same school that the kids will be attending. We are all three making the move to Lexington and I am expecting it to be a great move. Allen's first day of 1st grade is Monday and Hannah will start her first day of big girl school next Friday.

Please continue to sign up for the St. Jude Marathon and join us in Memphis this December. Please support TEAM ALLEN by clicking on the website below to donate. Thanks for all the prayers and support and remember to say a little prayer for all the children and families at St. Jude.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 4:46 PM CDT

We're home and Allen's check-up went fine. He had to be held to get his needle poke but then it was over. He milked it all day and ended up with TWO transformers after the ordeal. I was a softie and nervous waiting for those labs and we had to wait FOREVER because Dr.Pui was in meeting.

When we saw Dr. Pui he said everything looked perfect and Allen was a normal boy now. No medicine and No needle sticks until December. We go back to Memphis for a check Dec. 2 which is just a few days before the St. Jude Memphis Marathon.

We are gearing up for TEAM ALLEN this year which will be a year to celebrate no mo chemo for Allen! Please consider joining TEAM ALLEN and coming to Memphis to run in his honor and all the kids who fight cancer. You can participate in the 5K, 1/2, or the biggie. If you can't join us please consider donating to support out TEAM. Your donations do save lives and Allen is living proof of that! You can get to TEAM ALLEN's website to make a donation by clicking on the link below.

Just a side note: If you are planning on joining TEAM ALLEN or even thinking about it book your hotel room now! All the rooms super close to the start and finish line are booked(the hotels I called anywaY). The Marriott Downtown still has rooms and has a runner's rate of $104 a night. Email me if you have any questions about the marathon!

Friday, July 11, 2008 9:01 AM CDT

UPDATE Monday July 21st:
Allen and leave for Memphis tomorrow for his first checkup post chemo. Say a little prayer that all goes as planned. Also, Allen is fearful of this trip because he has to get a "real" needle since his buddy is gone. I am fearful for all the unknown and I am just ready to get it behind us! I update Wednesday about his checkup.

*************Memphis Hotels********
I had no idea but all the hotels are ALREADY booking up for the weekend of St. Jude Marathon. I tried to book at the two closest hotels and they were full. I would start looking and booking a room for Dec. 5-7th even if you are thinking you may come. It will only hold your credit card number not charge it and you can cancel up to 48 hours before. It's better to be safe. The closest and cheapest one I found was Sleep Inn on Front Street (901-522-9700). They only had 14 rooms left for that weekend. It is 3 blocks away from autozone park and I couldn't tell you what condition this hotel is in. Call me or email me if you have any questions!

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We are home after a little mini reunion with some St. Jude families at the lake camp. Maybe next year we can have even more friends come because it's so nice spending time with these families outside the stress of a hospital. Peyton (who is Allen's age) really took care of Hannah this week. Allen and Philip (Peyton's older brother) hit it off and had a great time. Allen learned to turn a 360 on the knee board this week and is now begging to try to get up on only one ski. We told him he would have to wait until he was at least seven to try that.

Sunday we head out to Hot Springs for a few days to spend time with Karen and her boys. I think we are going to hit the water park too!

I have the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Team Page set up now so start signing up and raising money. There is a link at the bottom that will take you straight to our team page.

I have added a new slide show of just summer fun stuff! Thanks for checking in!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008 0:00 AM CDT

We have been busy busy around here! The kids are enjoying the summer and we have been spending a lot of time at the lake and the pool. Allen has become a pro on skis and is so very proud of himself. He just finished a week of tennis camp then he went to a week of horse camp. He LOVED horse camp!

Tomorrow we head out to the lake again to meet up with some friends from Nebraska that we met at St. Jude. The Raborns and Boudreauxs (other St. Jude friends)will be down there with us as well.

We go back to St. Jude for a check up on July 22-23rd but no major test will be run only labs. We are gearing up for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon and I have been working on getting that all set up. If you are interested in joining TEAM ALLEN for the marathon in December we would LOVE to have you! More to come....

Also, if you live in the area Munchkin Market is coming up again for our fall/winter sale. Don't miss it! You can find out more info about Munchkin Market at www.monroemunchkinmarket.com

I promise to get new pictures up after this weekend! Thanks for checking in with us!

Sunday, June 8, 2008 8:27 PM CDT

We're home after a wonderful beach trip! The kids had a great time and loved boggie boarding and skim boarding. The dads liked skim boarding too! We did the normal sit on the beach on veg out and just had fun. Guthrie made the kids a very cool LSU tiger out of sand. We did go out to crab island one day and the kids loved catching crabs in the water.

It was so nice to not have to think about ANY MEDICINE and our biggest concern was getting on sunscreen each day. We love "normal"...life is good!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 10:09 PM CDT

Sorry for the lack of updates but it's been great not having to rush home to the computer every Tuesday to give count updates! Summer has officially started with visits to the MAC for swimming every week day and spending the weekends at the lake. This past weekend Allen learned to ski and stay up! At the end of last summer he got up but couldn't stay up. This time he got up and went to one end of the lake, made the turn, then let go when he saw a few huge waves headed his way. He is so proud of himself! Hannah on the other hand just likes to "rest" in the boat. This is the only way we can get her to nap!

We have a busy summer planned and already see it flying by... We leave Saturday for the beach for a week. Then we'll be home for a VBS, horse camp, and golf camp. In July, we are looking forward to the Holubeck's from Nebraska making it all the way through Louisiana for a visit of their St. Jude friends. We would love to meet you at the lake camp for a few days!! We'll have Peyton and Philip skiing before you know it.

As of today, I will officially be going back to work in the fall. I just got a teaching postition at the school Allen and Hannah will be going to next year. We are all going to make a big transfer over to a new school. Allen is pretty pumped because it is very cool to a 1st grader to have your mom being a teacher at your school. I am very excited to get to be at the same school as the kids. It will be a fresh new start for Allen and hopefully give him a little boost of confidence.

Thanks for checking in on us and I'll update with beach pictures when we get back!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 5:42 AM CDT

It's been a couple of weeks since "buddy" came out and Allen is feeling GREAT! He seems to look better and better everyday. Thanks so much to everyone who has sent or given Allen a "buddy out" present and he says. More importantly thanks for always remembering Allen in your prayers the last three years.

We have been sooooo busy with end of the year school stuff. There have been more field days and field trips going on. Allen is also in the middle of t-ball and really enjoying it more this year than before. Hannah's gets out of school on Thursday and Allen's last day is Monday 19th. We are gearing up for summer and plan to spend a lot of time at the lake this summer. We leave for the beach in two weeks and the kids are really excited. Brad and I are excited because we don't have to pack any medicine, worry about what hospital to go to for fever, and best of all Allen can have Ice Cream after dinner like his friends.

I'll update with new pictures in a week or two!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 8:43 AM CDT

**Tuesday: Allen's buddy is out! He's already been in and out of surgery. Now we just have to sleep it off for a while. We'll spend the night in Memphis tonight and then head back to Monroe in the morning. I'll update once we get back!**

Wednesday Night: We're home after a weird day at the Memphis airport. All the electricity was out! Everything was grounded for a while then they decided to press on with hand written boarding passes and all. Very Strange!

Monday afternoon before surgery we decided to have a little fun in Memphis so we went to Peabody to see the ducks, then to the arcade, and then to a Redbirds minor league baseball game. Allen had a great time and it kept both our minds off surgery the next day!

Tuesday morning surgery was short and sweet. The first thing Allen said to me after he was good and awake was "so this is what it feels like to be normal" I didn't know how to feel about his comment was it funny, or sad, sweet? It is just Allen...he really doesn't ever remember a time before he was sick. This is all he knows and he is pumped to have buddy out!!! We went back and rested then came back to the hospital for lunch where he proceeded to show EVERYONE we came in contact with his "scratch" which is his stitches where buddy use to be. Then as an added surprise the Ole Miss baseball team came by the hospital to visit and he got a ball signed by most of the team. The hospital was kind of slow when they got there so Allen got a lot of attention. He had on his Ben Sheets shirt and all the ball players commented on his shirt! It was a baseball week in Memphis this trip.

We met a new family on day one at the hospital. They have a one and half year old daughter from Baton Rouge and are only starting their journey. That is the sad truth about our trip is everyone at St. Jude looked new...all new shocked families with sick kids. Thanks for all your prayers for our family and all the kids at St. Jude.

The kids are staying with Pops and Lissa for the weekend. Brad and I are going on a little mini vacation for a long weekend. Thanks Pops and Lissa for keeping the kids!

Remember, It's not too late to buy your St. Jude Dream Home ticket!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008 12:48 AM CDT

**This is a picture of Allen from Relay for Life Friday night. I'll update more later. We head out at 6 A.M. for Memphis. Surgery will be around 7 A.M. on Tuesday.**

Yesterday we got the okay for surgery to remove Allen's port. We did labs yesterday and all his counts looked super! His hemoglobin jumped from 7 to 11.4 which 12 is normal. It is amazing what a little blood will do! I talked to our nurse practitioner and we wanted to make sure he had his surgery and was healed before we go to Florida. So we leave Monday morning for surgery Tuesday morning and we'll be back on Wednesday. Allen is so excited about getting his buddy out!

This week around town there is a lot of buzz about the St. Jude Dream Home. If you haven't got your ticket do so before Friday which is the early bird deadline. Allen and one of us will be on TV (channel 4) for the morning show Thursday. I say one of us because it will be whoever loses paper, rock, scissor that will be on TV. Then Friday there is a radiophone all day on 104 and Allen and I will go at some point to tell our story. Friday night is Relay for Life! It will so good to be there and completely off treatment! There will be a lot of reflecting this weekend on how far Allen has come.

Thanks for the continued prayers and please pray everything goes as planned this time in Memphis! I'll update Tuesday.

Allen's t-ball schedule:
Tuesday, May 6 -- 6:45
Saturday, May 10 --12:45
Tuesday, May 13 -- 5:30
Thursday, May 15 -- 6:45
Friday, May 23 -- 5:30
Wednesday May 28 -- 6:45
(Games played at the t-ball field at Forsyte Park)

Monday, April 14, 2008 12:50 AM CDT

Surgery has been cancelled....
Allen's counts aren't good enough to go into surgery. His ANC and white blood count are great(ANC 2000)! His hemoglobin is only 7 today and we are waiting now to get a blood transfusion. They transfuse at 8 so Allen was way low and maybe this will give him a boost of energy.We found out Allen's marrow has Fifth's disease which causing people with weakened immune system to become anemic needing transfusions. This could be the case for several weeks so we can't get his port out until he gets over this and his hemoglobin gets back up. We will have to go do labs once a week until this all evens out. I do feel better about his crazy labs that they know what is causing it and looking at the big picture it's not that big of a deal.

Allen is pretty disappointed about not getting his buddy out. We had to make a trip to the hospital toy store to help make him feel better. I haven't yet explained that he will have to get stuck each week for labs and that will even be more frustrating for him. We'll cross that bridge next week when we have to go do it!

Pilots for Patients, Wayne Petrus, was so nice to us to fly us here this morning. Actually, Allen flew us here this morning! Wayne and another pilot are going to rearrange their schedules and come get us tomorrow instead of Wednesday. Thanks!

We'll be home tomorrow night!

Sunday, April 13, 2008 9:52 AM CDT

Tomorrow morning Allen and I leave for Memphis once again. This time for surgery to remove his port on Tuesday. Surgery is scheduled for 7:00 A.M. and should be very fast in and out. I am not sure yet how sore Allen will be after surgery and for how long but he is sooooooooooooo very excited to get that thing out. He told us then he can be a "normal" boy once his buddy is out.

Please pray that everything goes smooth and that his labs have bounced back. I really need to see good labs to make me feel comfortable about the next four months until we redo all the big test is July again. I am still worried about his hemoglobin being low and that could affect surgery or he may have to be transfused before surgery.

We are flying with Pilots for Patients which is a new local nonprofit organization that flies patients to their hospital appointments. You can check out their website at www.pilotsforpatients.org. Thanks so much to Wayne Petrus who is going to fly us up Monday. Allen is looking forward to being your co-pilot Wayne!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 10:22 AM CDT

Sorry for no update yesterday..

Yesterday was not as picture perfect as we would have liked it to be. First of all my camera broke or was not working right so Ali PLEASE send me your pictures. All of Allen's appointments went fine other than we were worried about his counts looking a little funny. His nurse told us not to worry it was probably some "bug" he was trying to fight.

We DID HAVE ALLEN'S NO MORE CHEMO PARTY and we got to have a double party with Will Moore. Will and Allen started and finished this journey together! However, Dr. Pui did not show up to the No More Chemo Party and I didn't mention what a terrible mood he was in while we were in clinic. After the chemo party was over Dr. Pui walked in and asked us a couple of questions about Allen and if he had been sick. Then he proceeds to tell us that the MRD was not back yet...he basically suggested not to celebrate yet. Brad and I both walked out of the medicine room with a lump in our throat.

We left and took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese and tried to tell each other we were reading too much into the comment. At about 9:30 last night our phone rang at the hotel and it was Dr. Pui on the other end. I think it almost made Brad sick hearing his voice because we thought it meant something bad. He told us that they thought there were some suspicious cells in the preliminary look but the MRD was back now and everything was all good! Those suspicious cells turned out to be immature cells that were recovering from being sick. Allen was in the clear and now we can officially celebrate!

The plan now is to come back in two weeks to get Allen's port out. We may see if we can even do it tomorrow. His appointments for Wednesday got moved up to today so we will be heading back late tonight unless they try to schedule surgery. We were not expecting to have his MRD back so soon but when they saw those cells Dr. Pui put a rush on things.

Thanks for your prayers!

Update Tuesday 10:40 ~ We are home now and his surgery is scheduled for April 15th. After that trip we will go back every four months for check-ups which will be at the end of July.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 10:22 AM CDT

Sorry for no update yesterday..

Yesterday was not as picture perfect as we would have liked it to be. First of all my camera broke or was not working right so Ali PLEASE send me your pictures. All of Allen's appointments went fine other than we were worried about his counts looking a little funny. His nurse told us not to worry it was probably some "bug" he was trying to fight.

We DID HAVE ALLEN'S NO MORE CHEMO PARTY and we got to have a double party with Will Moore. Will and Allen started and finished this journey together! However, Dr. Pui did not show up to the No More Chemo Party and I didn't mention what a terrible mood he was in while we were in clinic. After the chemo party was over Dr. Pui walked in and asked us a couple of questions about Allen and if he had been sick. Then he proceeds to tell us that the MRD was not back yet...he basically suggested not to celebrate yet. Brad and I both walked out of the medicine room with a lump in our throat.

We left and took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese and tried to tell each other we were reading too much into the comment. At about 9:30 last night our phone rang at the hotel and it was Dr. Pui on the other end. I think it almost made Brad sick hearing his voice because we thought it meant something bad. He told us that they thought there were some suspicious cells in the preliminary look but the MRD was back now and everything was all good! Those suspicious cells turned out to be immature cells that were recovering from being sick. Allen was in the clear and now we can officially celebrate!

The plan now is to come back in two weeks to get Allen's port out. We may see if we can even do it tomorrow. His appointments for Wednesday got moved up to today so we will be heading back late tonight unless they try to schedule surgery. We were not expecting to have his MRD back so soon but when they saw those cells Dr. Pui put a rush on things.

Thanks for your prayers! I will let you know if we are staying for surgery or if we are headed home.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 9:03 AM CDT

SIX DAYS AWAY UNTIL NO MORE CHEMO..............

We checked counts today and his ANC was 1200. We can't wait until we don't have to live by this number anymore. Although it will be hard not to know what is going on in his little body.

Thanks Whitney for the uplifting message in the guestbook. That is so neat how small the world is and how many people have been praying for Allen. It has gotten us through the last three years.

This weekend was the River Oaks Auction. Each classroom designs an item that goes into the live auction. Allen's class made a precious quilt. It had been hanging in his classroom for about two weeks before the auction and he came home everyday asking if we were going to win it for him. When I found out that they usually go for more than our monthly house payment I had to tell Allen it just wasn't going to happen. Well sure enough the quilt did go for way more than I ever expected... Dr. Duke McHugh won it. Here is the best part of the story... He then turned around found me in the crowd and brought it to me. He told me it was for Allen and he would do anything for him. I know you crying right now...I was shaking I was so excited for Allen because I knew he was going to flip out.

We got home late but I just had to wake him up and show him. He said you did win it for me and I said no, Dr. Duke won it for you. He said he was the luckiest kid in the whole kindergarten. He has toted that quilt around everywhere with him. It is his new "linus" blanket and he even took it to chemo this morning. It made him extra brave and he didn't even fuss when he got his needle.

THANKS DUKE! YOU REALLY HAVE THE BEST HEART AND YOU MADE ALLEN SO HAPPY. WE WILL NEVER FORGET THIS. I THINK THIS IS MY FAVORITE STORY FROM THE PAST THREE YEARS.

***********************
We are still working hard on Munchkin Market. If you live in the area you should really check it out. Our website is at the bottom of the page under the links.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008 3:36 PM CDT

This is a picture of the kids from 3 years ago. We took this the first time we came home from Memphis. I haven't seen Allen with teeth in forever. Hannah doesn't even look like the same child. ***I have added new pictures under the view photo link!

Allen's counts are down some from last week at ANC of 2800. He is feeling great other than getting a little worried about Memphis. He has it in his mind that he is getting his port out this time which will really happen in July. He keeps telling everyone that he is going to have an operation in Memphis and is scared. We're not real sure how he got this idea into his head.

I had a small breakdown today. I had to go drop something off at Allen's old Preschool. The school he was going to when he got sick. Some days I feel like the last three years have flown by and other days it hits me how long we have been doing this. It hit me today when I walked in there and saw all those toddlers....He was just a baby!

He's not a baby anymore! He made two goals in his soccer game last Saturday and his Aunt Sarah was able to come watch him. We are getting ready for Lissa's big Easter egg hunt and busy filling eggs. As for chemo, we have one more week of chemo in Bastrop and then one week in Memphis and that's it!

********************Munchkin Market************************
My friend, India and I are holding a kid's consignment sale the first week of April. You bring in you spring/summer clothes and get to sell them at the price you set and get 70f what they sell for. You would only get 50f you took it into a consignment store. This sale is quick, easy, and painless. If you live in the area and are interested on making some extra money just by cleaning out your kids closets check out our website at www.monroemunchkinmarket.com or you can email us at info@monroemunchkinmarket.com if you have any questions. The website tells you all the info you need and explains how to become a consignor and how to tag your items. You will be shocked at all the cute things you can get in like new condition! I have added the link at the bottom of the page so all you have to do is click!
***********************************************************

Thanks for checking in on Allen. I will work on getting some new pictures on the photo link this week for all my Pokeno friends that have been requesting.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 6:05 PM CST

Allen's counts were sky high today with a ANC of 5000 which is just crazy. With only a few weeks left I don't know that they will do anything about it or not. Allen has had a rough day today ... this morning he was a moving target and had to be stuck five times before they could get blood return. Then I forgot his lunch box so in his mind I should receive the worst mother of the year award. I was working at his school today so I couldn't leave to go get it. He cried all through lunch and would not touch his cafeteria food.

He has also been fretting this next trip to Memphis. I am sure he feels how anxious we are all and it is rubbing off on him. He has been talking about it at school talking about it to his teachers. We are trying to not talk about it so much in front of him right now because he hears more that we realize.

As for everything else, I have my hands in too many fires right now and I am so busy I don't know what to do with myself. I guess it is good to help pass the time until it's time to go back to St. Jude.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 9:38 AM CST

Counts were okay today with an ANC of 900 which is a little on the low side. Allen is out of school this week for spring break. It seems a little early for spring break but the weather feels great. He had his first spring soccer game this past Saturday. Only three boys were there so they had to play the WHOLE game. Allen loved it and scored two goals which he was quick to brag about to everyone. Then he and Hannah both had friends over for the day. He was so sore Sunday morning and could hardly walk. He took about a four hour nap Sunday afternoon! I think he is caught up on his rest!

He is excited to have a friend from school come over to play all day tomorrow. Allen has a whole agenda for us to do. The first thing on his list was to take Hannah to school so she won't be there to mess with them.

This past Saturday marked three years since the day Allen was diagnosed. It feels like a lifetime ago! Thanks for everyone sticking by our sides for the last three years. We really have amazing friends and family. We are so looking forward to having our summer completely free not having to work around getting labs checked or chemo. I have a feeling we will be a the lake a lot. We are also trying to get our Florida trip planned for the week the kids get out of school. Look at the ticker.....this time next month Allen will be finished with CHEMO!!!!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:38 AM CST

The Good, Bad, and the Good Again!

Our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge was so much fun! The kids had a great time and the moms got lots of exercise climbing a million stairs carrying heavy tubes to the slides. The kids were able to do all the slides except for one which was called the Howlin Tornado. The moms had to check it out and it was fun even for us! The kids swam and played for two days until they were all so tired they couldn't stand up anymore. The GWL has only been open for two months so it was more crowded than we expected but we made it work.

Allen woke up fussy yesterday but I just chalked it up to being tired. On the way home he leaned over and he was burning UP. I took his temp and it was right at 104 and we were only two hours outside of Dallas. Then I had to get on the phone and try to decide was the best approach would be. After talking the doctors we decided to give him some Tylenol to give him some relief and then press on to Monroe. We drove straight to the hospital when we got back in town and they had us a room and were waiting on us. Then we went through all the usual stuff and got his labs, chest x-ray, and the flu test.

After all that it turns out that Allen's counts were good (ANC 2400). His chest x-ray was fine and the flu test came back negative. So after a dose of iv antibiotics they sent us home at 12:30 A.M. We were very happy to come home but it made for a really LONG night. Allen stayed home today and woke up feeling great without a problem in the world. He is just bugging me about when we can go back to the waterpark! There is never a dull moment around here!

This is what Hannah does when she finds a sharpie marker in the house!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 9:34 AM CST

Update Friday Night:
We are packed and hitting the road bright and early for Dallas in the morning. The kids are so excited. I can't even imagine how many times we are going to hear "Are we there yet" tomorrow! Allen is feeling better except for a nasty cough but his cough is always lingering and it won't slow him down. We'll be back Monday and off to check counts and chemo Tuesday morning. I'll update then and hopefully have pictures to share.

Tuesday:
Allen's counts are kind of on the low side again. His ANC is right at 1000 but he's not feeling so great. He has a terrible cough and has been extra fussy and sensitive. We are SUPPOSE to go to the Great Wolf Lodge on Saturday with Sara Kate, Owen, and Thomas. Thomas is sick right now so we are hoping he gets better and that Owen doesn't get it. Also, I have a funny feeling that Allen is trying to get sick. He is at home today with me so I can keep my eye on him and we will just play it by ear. If everyone starts feeling better we will press on with the trip to Dallas....I already know where the hospital is since we had to go there last time we went to Dallas. We haven't told the kids yet which is a great thing so if we do have to postpone the trip it won't be such a big deal. I have learned my lesson on telling him things too quickly. Please pray that we are able to take the kids this weekend for a fun getaway! Also, for no fever and no hospital stays in the near future (or ever)!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tuesday, February 5, 2008 9:59 AM CST

Allen's counts are up a little to 1300 which is really considered perfect. He is feeling good and having fun doing boy stuff. Soccer has started back and he was so excited at practice yesterday! We have six more treatments in Bastrop then we go to Memphis for Allen's final treatment! Allen and Hannah have been exposed to the flu so say a special prayer that they don't get it. The flu is what landed us an ambulance ride to Memphis last year about this time.

Our friend, Madelyn, earned her angel wings. She was able to spend a lot of quality time with her family. Please pray for comfort for this family (tn/madelyn). Sarah Marchbank is a girl from the Swartz area who has been going through chemo and radiation at St. Jude. She just got back some scans that could possibly be more tumors. This is ANOTHER family from our area dealing with pediatric cancer. (visit/sarahmarchbank)

Allen is doing a radiothon in Ruston next Monday for St. Jude at 2:00 or 2:30 in the afternoon. I am guessing it will be on 107.5 since that is a Ruston station but if I'm wrong I'll update that info. Thanks for checking in on us!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008 12:32 AM CST

***Sponsor Allen in the St. Jude Mathathon***
Allen is working on the Mathathon funbook to complete math problems in honor of all the kids at St. Jude. You can help Allen reach his goal by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page to donate. You may have to type in his name under sponsor a participant. This is a quick fund raiser and Allen is trying to get to his goal by January 31st. Thanks for supporting our family and all the kids of St. Jude. He is up to $400 right now and his goal is $500!

Allen's ANC has dropped a ton to 1000 this week. It was very surprising after last week it was so high. I should have known something was up because he has been kind of "achy" the last couple of days. We are just trying to be careful because of the time of year and everyone seems to be sick right now.

We did go to the Mardi Gras parade this past Saturday. Allen loved it but Hannah didn't like it because it was too loud. This was Hannah's first time to the parade. We had to bundle them up because it was so cold but they were warm in their camo suits.

Thanks for checking in on us this week!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:29 AM CST

***Sponsor Allen in the St. Jude Mathathon***
Allen is working on the Mathathon funbook to complete math problems in honor of all the kids at St. Jude. You can help Allen reach his goal by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page to donate. This is a quick fund raiser and Allen is trying to get to his goal by January 31st. Thanks for supporting our family and all the kids of St. Jude.

Allen's counts today were sky high with an ANC of 4200. Who know's but only two more months of this guessing game of why his counts are high or low. I need to get the countdown ticker on his website for the official countdown to No More Chemo. Will's mom and I are trying to cordinate Allen and Will finishing about the same time and having their celebration together. Then we will all head over to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate after we get finished at the hospital that day.

Allen is getting a end of chemo surprise a little early on Feb. 16th. We are taking Allen and some of his friends over to Dallas to the new Great Wolf Lodge which is an indoor waterpark. We went to one in Virigina when we went to visit Sebastian and Allen has been talking about it ever since. We are having to go about a month before the official end of No More Chemo just due to everyone's calendar filling up. I am glad we are going early so even if there is some bump in the road when we get to Memphis he will have already gotten to go have fun with his friends.

Please remember our friends at St. Jude especially Madelyn who is still fighting at home on hospice. (tn/madelyn). Our friend Mikey still has a ways to go but he is getting better and making improvments everyday. Corbin goes for a check up soon so pray that all his scans come back perfect. Thanks for checking in on us!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 11:05 AM CST

Allen's counts today are right where they need to be. His ANC is 1500. We are all getting back into the swing of school but it's hard getting up on these cold mornings. Soccer is getting ready to start back up so Allen will be excited about that. Things are pretty "normal" around here right now and we are very grateful.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008 8:52 AM CST

We are all getting back to normal around here! Allen's counts were good this morning (ANC 1500) and he is feeling much better. He had a great day yesterday so we decided to send him to school today half day and see how he does.

I just checked our friend Will's website who started chemo and will finish chemo the same day as Allen. His ticker says that the boys have 2 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days until NO MORE CHEMO! Can you believe that? It will be here before we know it so we are trying to pull together something very special to celebrate!

Please remember our St. Jude friends especially Madelyn and Mikey. For us... the countdown is on!

Thursday, December 27, 2007 7:57 PM CST

Update January 6th:
WE MADE IT HOME-HOME THIS AFTERNOON. Allen went 24 hours without official fever meaning anything over 100.4 so we were set free. He still doesn't feel well. I thought he would spend his day outside playing but instead he just wanted his bed or the couch to rest. He is having very bad coughing attacks to the point where he feels like he can't breathe. His chest xray looks better and he sounds better than he did when he went into the hospital. Hopefully he will be able to shake the rest of this soon. He is suppose to go back to school Tuesday but I am not convinced he'll be ready. We'll just take it one day at a time. We go to Bastrop Tuesday for our regular counts and chemo.

Update January 4th:
Well we're still here. They have ruled out a lot of things it's not but haven't nailed down exactly what it is. The doctors here have been talking with Dr. Pui in Memphis daily. Allen probably just has a viral infection that is taking a long time to get over because his little body is just tired. His cultures haven't grown anything but they redid those today. They are also running some other test to rule out a fungal infection. He will feel fine for about six hours and then spike a fever over 104. Today he went about 10 hours fever free before spiking a fever. That is by far the longest he has gone without fever since we've been here so maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. He has to be fever free for at least 24 hours before being set free.

update January 2nd:
Allen is up and down. He feels terrible running super high fever for a little while then he gets a burst of energy and feels like playing for a while. Brad is sleeping at the hospital tonight so I am off to bed for a whole night of uninterrupted sleep.

update Janunary 1st:
We are spending the first day of the new year in the hospital. Allen woke up this morning with a fever. He has had a terrible cough that has been getting worse instead of better. His counts are good but we still got a ticket inpatient because he sounds "junky" and his xray isn't all clear. Hopefully it's just this crud that's going around and nothing serious. We think we'll be there for at least 48 hours until cultures come back!

Thursday, December 27
Sorry for the lack of updates but we have been super busy around here with lots of Christmas fun. Chemo doesn't stop for the holidays so Allen had his counts checked and chemo Christmas Eve afternoon. Thanks so much to Ms Melba and Ms Pat who came in just to give Allen his chemo. His counts are sky high again so I don't know what is going on with that. His ANC this week was 3800 which did make us feel good considering how many people we were going to be around.

Christmas morning was very exciting over here. Santa got it right this year and got the right kind of motorcycle. Last year Santa wasn't sure if a motorcycle was safe enough for a 5 year old so he got a remote control motorcycle. Allen was upset with Santa for 365 days and made his list very CLEAR this year. Allen LOVES his motorcycle and said it was "totally the best Christmas ever"

He also got a nintendo DS which he has been wanting along with tons of other toys. Hannah had a puppy filled Christmas because that is all she wanted was puppies and I think she got about ten different kinds. I didn't realize how much puppies can do. She has one that knows her name and grows, one that drinks a bottle and burps, and one that plays hide and seek with her.

Allen and Brad have been at the deer camp and called me to tell me that Allen shot an eight point buck. This is his first deer BUT they can't find it. Allen isn't too disappointed but I am because I didn't get to see it. Hopefully soon he'll get another one and we'll get pictures.

Please remember Madelyn and her family in your prayers. She is now home on hospice. Please remember all the St. Jude families in your prayers. Hope everyone has a happy new year! We will recheck counts on Wednesday this week because of the holiday. I added a new slideshow of some of my favorite pictures from 2007.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007 11:59 AM CST

Allen's counts are great for xmas. His ANC is 2200 which is high but good for xmas break meaning we can go and do lots of fun things. This weekend we went and saw the Chipmucks at the movies and it is a must see. It was so cute! The nurses at Oncology at Morehouse gave Allen a gift card this morning to Toys R Us. We will head out later today to let him pick out his prize. He is trying to decide between heelys and a flying helicopter. Who knows what he will actually come out of the store with.

His class went on a field trip this morning to the Children's Museum another good reason for high counts. They had a great time. Tomorrow is both of the kids school xmas party at the same time....ugggh. They both start their holiday break after the parties. It seems like they will be home for a while they don't go back until January 8th.

Please remember our friends in your prayers. Mikey will spend his second Christmas in a row inpatient at St. Jude. He is having surgery tomorrow to insert a feeding tube. Also, for Madelyn who is awaiting results of her last scans. We will check Allen's counts again on Christmas eve afternoon and he will get his chemo then. Please pray that it doesn't affect how he feels Christmas morning. I don't think it will once he sees what Santa has brought.

caringbridge.org/visit/michaelvconger
caringbridge.org/tn/madelyn

Tuesday, December 11, 2007 12:17 AM CST

All seems to be well here at the Smiths. Allen's ANC was high today at 2800. He went back and forth this weekend between feeling fine and not so good. He started complaining that his leg hurt again on Friday and some on Saturday. He didn't say anything about it on Sunday and doesn't seem to be limping on it. If it does start to hurt worse or he does start to limp then we will just hit the road and head to Memphis this time. Hopefully we won't have to worry about it anymore.

The kids are so excited about Christmas and the countdown has begun. Santa's helpers had a present waiting for him at the hospital this morning which helped make his day a little better. He told me something so cute this morning he asked why we get presents for Christmas if it is Jesus's birthday. I told him it was to reward him for being so good all year long but he didn't like that answer. He said our presents at Christmas are the "goodie bags" from Jesus's birthday party. It is quite a goodie bag around here!

Please remember our friends who are struggling right now. Madelyn is feeling good but their is still a lot of unknown as to what is to come for her. She is struggling emotional with issues of death. I know as a mom who has also dealt with that issue their is nothing harder.(tn/madelyn) Also, our friend Mikey, is having major setbacks and they are in Memphis trying to figure it all out. (visit/michaelvconger) Please remember all the families who won't be home for Christmas this year and the families whose family will not be complete because they lost their babies to cancer.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007 3:11 PM CST

We had a great time at the marathon this past weekend as you can see from the slide show above. Team Allen raised over $32,000. Thanks to everyone who made that possible. We are especially proud of our three team mates who ran the full 26.2 miles this weekend. I can't even imagine. We had a ton of people complete the 13 miles and 5K. The St. Jude Memphis Marathon this year ended up raising more money than the St. Jude Golf tournament which is a four day nationally televised event. We hope next year our team is even bigger and we can raise even more money. The best thing about next year's marathon is we will all be able to say Allen is a survivor! He will be done with treatment and cancer free.

Allen's counts today were great (ANC 1500)! He did however have a rough morning and was too sick to make it to school. He took it easy today with Lissa. He is feeling fine now and hopefully he will feel good the rest of the week and holiday season.

P.S. - I need pictures from Mike's crew (Mike, Robin, Dusty, Heather, and Mandy) to add to the slide show!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007 9:54 AM CST

Allen has had a strange week. Friday, he starting saying that his foot hurt so he starting limping around. Then Saturday he couldn't put any weight on his foot at all and was screaming in pain. Does any of this sound familiar? This is how it all started for us 3 years ago except it was his knee and the big difference is he had a HIGH fever. Allen hasn't had any fever. We took him into the er for counts and x-rays. Everything was fine and they really don't know what it was. They said it could be cellulitis and gave him IV antibiotics and oral antibiotics. Sunday he wasn't much better but he is better now and putting weight on it. We hope that this is all it was and the antibiotics will do the trick and we won't have to worry about this again. All we can do is watch for fever and then I may go into panic mode.

His counts Saturday were good but they have dropped today to a borderline safe zone. So now we have to pray that I'll be able to go to Memphis and he won't be in the hospital the weekend of the race. Does this sound familiar? His counts did this last year and were very low the weekend of the race. We need your prayers that he will not get fever this week because of his leg problem or low counts.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 11:46 AM CST

Allen's counts today have dropped a little more and he's just above the safe line with an ANC of 600. He feels okay but he's having anxiety attacks again with his port. I thought maybe last week was just a bad week but he flipped out this week too. The good news is only four months of all of this to go!!

The fundraiser at Portico was a success. Thanks to everyone who came to eat and we saw many people multiple times. If you've been thinking of donating today is the last day for them to take donations to count towards top teams. It looks like we are going to be a little short of the top five this year. We've raised about the same amount of money as we did last year but other teams have raised more than they normally do. That is great news for the kids of St. Jude. www.stjudeheroes.org/goto/heroes

Please remember the Gravelle's in your prayers. Also, our friends from Memphis, Madelyn is having a hard time right now and has not gotten good news (tn/madelyn). I also learned of a baby whose grandmother is a friend of my mom who had open heart surgery at Boston's Children Hospital at only two weeks old. Marin was born with two congenital heart defects and is on a ventilator. She is getting stronger everyday but has a long road ahead of her.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 4:41 PM CST

Allen's counts today are low for him and he's on meltdown mode. His counts are 800 and he's been feeling sick to his stomach. We've been having problems with him getting sick in the mornings so we are going to try a new medicine to help. He still has a nasty cough so we had a chest x-ray today and it looked clear. He went on to school anyway even though he wasn't feeling great.

He has an assembly today where he received the character counts award for respect. He also was the top seller in the whole school for the Sally Foster Wrapping Paper sale. He was thrilled to get his prize and was really excited to hear the words "first place" Here is a picture of Allen with his awards from today.

He perked up after those awards and ended up having a good day at school. He did have a major meltdown after school and didn't feel like going to tennis today.

As for the LSU this past weekend he great time! We were at the VERY top of the stadium and everyone looked liked ants but the kids didn't know any different. We spent some time at Mike the tiger's habitat. The kids played ball and dug in the dirt all day while the parents sat back and relaxed until the game. I am sure we will have to make it to at least one game with him each season from now on.

The big news this week is Portico..... The fundraiser at Portico is going great! Thanks to everyone who has come out to support St. Jude and Team Allen. Team Allen is doing great but we are still trying to make our goal and beat our goal from last year. If you have been thinking about making a donation please consider doing so because the marathon is right around the corner and they want all money turned in by November 20th. To donate go to www.stjudeheroes.org/goto/teamallen or just click on the link below. Your donations are tax deductible and are going to the greatest hospital in the world. We would love to see you at Portico this week!

Please remember the Gravelle family as they are preparing for Hallie's services Wednesday and Thursday. la/hallie

Sunday, November 11, 2007 10:35 PM CST

Today our good friend, Hallie, earned her angel wings. Hallie has been fighting for a long time and now she is pain free with no worries. Please pray for her family - Beth Ann, Joe, and Harrison.

This is all the more reason to come out to Portico this week to support St. Jude. Come support the kids of St. Jude at Portico on Tower Drive in Monroe Monday- Friday for lunch or dinner.

We had a great time at the LSU game but I'll update on that another day.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007 3:23 PM CST

Allen's counts today are perfect at 1600 just where they need to be. Please pray that Allen continues to feel well this week and certainly no fever because we have a BIG weekend planned. We are taking Allen and a bunch of his friends to their first LSU game in Tiger Stadium. He is so excited ... I would hate for something to come up and have to disappoint him.

Today, Allen was on the front page of the Bastrop Enterprise newspaper. We knew there was a story coming out sometime this week but we didn't think it would be headline news. The article was about Allen's fight with his cancer and how to help support St. Jude. He was so excited to see his picture in the paper.

River Oaks had a junior high dance this past weekend in honor of Team Allen and raised about $300 for St. Jude. Thanks so much to Kasey Witherington and the Sunsations who put the dance on this past weekend.

Okay....I hope everyone has marked their calendars because next week is the big fund raiser at Portico. It starts on Monday and goes through Friday. Please come support St. Jude once maybe twice next week at Portico. They have great food and you will be donating to a great cause at the same time. Portico is located on Tower Drive in Monroe off of Oliver Road. We hope to see everyone there!

Also, please remember Hallie Gravelle (la/hallie). She is on hospice care now and is inpatient at St. Jude for pain management. Her parents prayer request are for pain free days so they can continue to make wonderful happy memories. Thanks for checking in on us...see you next week!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 7:31 PM CDT

Allen's counts have dropped again but are still in the safe zone. His ANC is 1000 which is a good number but just seems a little low for Allen. He feels okay but doesn't have much energy right now. He has a nasty cough that he just can't shake and all this changing weather isn't helping anyone. He did avoid strep... Hannah had strep this past weekend and somehow he managed not to get it. She's all better now and everyone is ready for Halloween. Thanks so much to our nurse, Melba, and the nurses in endo for Allen and Hannah's Halloween goodies. They had so much fun going through their buckets looking at all the cool stuff!

Speaking of Halloween this is our first real Halloween in two years. Last year Allen's counts were too low to go out and he had just gotten out of the hospital. The year before he had just gotten out of the hospital in Memphis and we were still living in Memphis. Allen is going to be a storm trooper from Star Wars and Hannah is going to be a puppy. Both kids have parties tomorrow at school and then we'll be trick or treating in the evening.

We are one month away from the marathon and Team Allen is doing great! I am so grateful for everyone who has signed up to join us in Memphis and is raising money for St. Jude. Thanks so much to everyone who has donated to this wonderful cause. We have a MAJOR fundraiser coming up the week up November 12th - 16th so please plan to take your family to Portico sometime during that week and tell them you are there to support TEAM ALLEN. A very special thanks to Stephen Walker and Kenny O'Neal at Portico for putting on this fundraiser for all the local teams. They are working hard to make sure this is a huge success for the children of St. Jude.

Also, I will be making one final t-shirt order next week. If there is anyone who still wants one please let me know.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 8:22 PM CDT

Allen's counts yesterday were 1600 so they are in normal range according to St. Jude. He feels fine and is doing great. He had a great birthday and party. I hope to get pictures up soon from his party.

We still have shirts for sale if anyone still wants to order one just email me. Don't forget to mark your calendar for Portico November 12-16th and go eat great food for Team Allen and the kids of St. Jude.

Still waiting to hear about Sebastains's scans so please pray that everything is fine. Also, Hallie goes back to Memphis tomorrow for pain treatment. Please remember Hallie and all the kids at St. Jude in your prayers.

www.stjudeheroes.org/goto/teamallen

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:49 AM CDT

Yesterday's counts were usual for Allen with his ANC at 2400. This is very high for most children but becoming very normal for Allen but as long as it keeps the leukemia away and keeps him out of the hospital...we'll take it! He is doing super getting his port accessed and is having less and less anxiety in general. He has been going to OT twice a week to help with his fine motor skills and enjoys going and working with Ms Shannon. Of course we knew everyone out at Melanie Massey's was going to be great and we were right!

Allen turns six on Friday! I think I am going to have a hard time saying I have a six year old because that sounds so big! We have a big weekend full of fun things. He officially gets to drive the race cars at Excalibur by himself now. You have to be six to drive so he has hit a major milestone in a little boy's life.

Team Allen is doing awesome and I am amazed everyday by the support we have for Allen and St. Jude. I had to increase our team goal again today because we reached our last goal. I have exciting fundraising news....PORTICO BAR AND GRILL NOVEMEBER 12TH-16TH IS TEAMING UP WITH TEAM ALLEN, TEAM JAKE, AND TEAM CORBIN and donating it's profits to St. Jude that WHOLE WEEK SO PLEASE TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO MARK THEIR CALENDAR AND COME EAT LUNCH OR DINNER AT PORTICO AND TELL THEM YOU ARE THERE TO SUPPORT TEAM ALLEN! A very special thanks to Christie Messenger who set this up for us and especially the guys at Portico for doing this for us...THIS WILL BE HUGE. Also, any drug reps out there place your order early for this week! Also, t-shirts are going FAST so if you are on the team and haven't emailed me please let me know. Anyone can order a t-shirt just email me and let me know what you would like...we have kid and adult sizes and short and long sleeves. They are super cute and Allen wrote "Team Allen" on the back. Look under photos link to see pictures of t-shirts.

Please remember our St. Jude friends in your prayers. Hallie Gravelle is in need of your prayers. Also, our friend, Sebastian is going for scans Monday of this week. It's not too late to sign up to join Team Allen or you can help by donating to our team, buying a t-shirt and spreading the word, and/or coming to Portico the week of November 12th -16th.
Thanks!

Happy 6th Birthday Allen-Man!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007 6:27 PM CDT

We are still very excited about all of Allen's test coming back the way they needed too and the news of his MRD being negative. Today Allen's counts were high but good with an ANC of 2700. He started OT today to help him out with his fine motor skills. We were seeing some side effects from chemo in this area and wanted to get on top of it before it got any worse.

Team Allen Update: I am so excited about our progress for the St. Jude Marathon. You can still sign up and join us in Memphis! If you can't be at the race we would love to have your support by making a donation to Team Allen. You can get to the Team Allen website by going to www.stjudeheroes.org/goto/teamallen or just by clicking the link below. I just got our new Team Allen t-shirts in and they are for sale for anyone who wants to order. TEAM ALLEN MEMBERS PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR SIZE AND WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE AND I WILL HOLD YOUR SIZE FOR YOU. We have short sleeve and long sleeve shirts for kids and adults. For the runners we have the wicking material shirts to make it more comfortable to run in.

The shirts are dark hunter green and have "Allen's Army 2007" on the front with army dog tags. The back has some general info like St. Jude Marathon and Allen's website. The main graphic on the back has a camo background with a little army man running. The BEST part of the shirt is the "Team Allen" on the back. Allen wrote that himself so that's his precious 5 year old handwriting. We are selling the short sleeves for $12 and long sleeve for $15 and the runner's shirt for the runners are $15 also. Any extra money we make off the shirts will go back towards TEAM ALLEN'S goal. You can email me or call if you want a shirt and I will get it to you!

Also, thanks to Kasey Whitherington, for organizing a dance for the junior high students at River Oaks with the proceeds going to Team Allen. We are so excited about this fundraiser and other great fundraisers are in the works too!

Have a great week!

Monday, October 8, 2007 3:37 PM CDT

MRD IS NEGATIVE!!! I just talked with Vickey from St. Jude and found out all his test came back just fine. So now we continue doing what we are doing until....March 24th is the date we have been given for his NO MORE CHEMO PARTY! March 24th is the date that we look to now. Then we will redo all the test once again and if everything comes up like it did this time Allen will be FINISHED with chemo. We will have counts checked and chemo in the morning in Bastrop. Allen has a soccer game tonight that we are getting ready to go too right now. I'll update with what his counts are tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 9:02 PM CDT

Friday update: no results from Allen's MRD so we'll have to wait through the weekend. Allen has a soccer game at noon and then he's going to the camp with his dad and some friends.

We made it back to Monroe just in time for bed! We had a good trip to Memphis. Allen's counts this week are actually normal (ANC 1500) which is rare for us. Dr. Pui was in rare form Monday. He was in a great mood and just wanted to hang out for a while. He is usually very rushed in and out all business. This time he wanted to do magic and let Allen try magic and joke and kid around. We got to see some friends but there were a lot of new faces. Tyler and Brian both had their no more chemo parties this week! We got to visit with Will and Christian's mom for a little while. The Gravelle's were there and went out to dinner with them one night to get away from the hospital scene for a little while. Please keep Hallie in your prayers as they are facing many tough decisions ahead (la/hallie).

Allen had his big test on Monday and we still haven't gotten the final report on his MRD. We hope to hear by Friday that it is negative which would mean Allen is still in remission. All signs point that this will be the case but we still have to hold our breath until we get the final report. Allen did well through all his sedations and woke up happy and in a good mood each time. Mrs. Middleton and Dr. Middleton gave him a few little prizes before we left and his favorite thing was a little stuffed River Oaks Mustang. That stuffed animal didn't leave his side the whole trip!

He did have a little bit of trauma today. Monday at the dentist we found out he had one cavity. I was very pleased with just one! Chemo is very hard on their teeth and I was preparing myself for a lot more. We went back to dental clinic to have it filled but it was too deep. On any other child without a compromised immune system they would have done a "baby" root canal as they call it. With kids like Allen that increases chance of infection and adds other risks so you guessed it...they pulled it. They tooth fairy will be here tonight! It was one of his back teeth and it is just a baby tooth so in the grand scheme of things (especially things in our life) not really a big deal.

Tomorrow we will be back at school and back into our normal routine. I'll update when I find out the final word on his MRD. Our Team Allen shirts are in and I will try to get a picture of one up as soon as I can. Please remember all our friends at St. Jude especially Hallie and her family right now.

Monday, October 1, 2007 7:34 PM CDT

Update!! Update!! Update!! (From Elizabeth)

Amie called from Memphis to say that the initial report from Allen's procedures look good! She said she would update later when she had more time!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007 8:37 AM CDT

Allen's counts this week are around 2000 which is a little closer to normal range. He is feeling great and keeping us busy. He is suppose to be starting back tennis today but the rainy weather may postpone us a week. Last Saturday at his soccer game, he was just on fire on, and scored seven goals. He thinks he is a soccer star now! It was fun to see him so excited and so proud of himself. His self confidence has been a little deflated lately so this was a perfect boost for him.

We rushed home from Awana's Sunday night to watch TLC's lottery show that featured the Raborn's story. They cut out way too much of their story because their story was by far the best! There was a little piece of Brad, Allen and myself on it but Hannah was cut. She kept saying, "Where�s me?" I guess our family is not cut out for stardom. Allen asked me this morning if we could just drive over to that store where Jake's Mommy went to and push that button and get a million dollars....if only it were that simple!!!

We leave Sunday for our trip to Memphis for Allen to have every test under the sun run. He will be sedated all three days we are there. He will have a bone marrow aspirate, MRD (test to see if he's still in remission), spinal tap, MRI, hearing test, dental work, psychological testing, along with his regular blood work, and chemo for the week. These test results are HUGE for Allen...please pray for perfect test results and especially a negative MRD.

DON'T FORGET TO SUPPORT TEAM ALLEN IN THE ST JUDE MARATHON. GO TO www.stjudeheroes.org/goto/teamallen AND SUPPORT ONE OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS OR JOIN OUR TEAM!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007 10:11 AM CDT

Update Sunday September 23rd: Tonight on TLC at 7:00 the Raborn's will be featured on a show called how the lottery changed my life. Our family was also filmed for this show as a family that the Raborn's helped and support through this journey that we are on.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH IS ST. JUDE NIGHT AT CHILI'S. THEY WILL DONATE 100 PERCENT OF THEIR PROFIT TO ST. JUDE ON THIS DAY WHETHER IT IS LUNCH OR DINNER OR DINE IN OR PICK UP. WE'LL SEE YOU AT CHILI'S ON MONDAY!!!!

It has been a busy week around here! I will first tell you that Allen's ANC this week is still a little high (ANC 2000) but we'll take it! He feels great and has done PERFECT with his needle the past two weeks. We are not sure what has come over him but we are loving it! I know Melba our nurse is loving it!

Last Friday at the River Oaks pep rally was "nerd day" Allen came home and said, mom it's nerd day on Friday can I please be strawberry and grape? He did not know what nerd day meant! It was very cute. Here is a picture of him and Hannah his babysitter and one of the cheerleaders at RO.

Saturday, Allen had his first soccer game and he did great. He had so much fun. When he made his first goal he was so proud of himself he ran down the sideline grinning for every mom on both teams to take his picture. The best part is the team we played was Corbin Gulde's team...what a picture perfect day for St. Jude. They were just two boys loving life and not letting cancer beat them. They are even the same number this year...lucky number seven.

Yesterday the Pankeys invited us over to come see their baby deer they were bottle feeding.

I wasn't sure what to expect but I didn't think that it would be so tame and the kids would be able to feed it and pet it. It was just like a puppy dog. Thanks Meg & Joe for letting us come by!

Then we found out that Addie, Hannah's best friend who lives next door has mono. Addie is like a sister to my kids we are with them every day and I can't tell you how many times a week I say no Hannah that's not your cup that's Addie's or the other way around. So this morning we had Allen tested for mono and Hannah had to go in and be tested for mono just to be on the safe side. Neither one of them have it so we are in the clear for now.

That's all for now! If you are still thinking about joining TEAM ALLEN there is still plenty of time just email me or call me and I will let you know how to get started. To go directly to the team�s website you can go to http://www.stjudeheroes.org/goto/teamallen or just click on the link below. The marathon is December 1st in Memphis and it is a great weekend. If you are already on the team remember to book your hotel room because they are going fast.

Thanks for checking on us! There are a few more pictures under view pictures.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 1:32 PM CDT

Allen's counts are down a little (ANC 3000) which is still very high. He feels pretty good except for a nasty nose and cough. Soccer season has started and he has his first game Saturday. He is very excited about soccer this year and seems to understand it a little better this year. School is really tough this year so we are having to buckle down and work hard to get caught up. Those 67 days of missed school last year are catching up with him now. We are all getting a little anxious about our week we go back to Memphis for Allen's Spinal test and MRD to make sure he is still in remission. We go back September 30th- October 3rd and it is already beginning to weigh heavy on our minds.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007 5:17 PM CDT

Allen's counts today were high again (ANC 6000). He did ok with his port but still not great.

Friday at the pep rally he got his new football big brother for the year. Allen was so excited to meet him Friday.

He had a big weekend as you can see from the pictures. We went to the lake and he finally got up on skis and stayed up long enough to say he can ski. He was so proud of himself and his friends were there to cheer him on.

The boys had fun on the tube and also knee boarding. They also got to go dove hunting with Brad and Tommy. They didn't shot a lot of birds but they had fun playing in the mud.

Hopefully, Allen's counts will come back down to a normal range. I hope he's not trying to get sick because he has a nasty cough and runny nose right now. Please remember to check out the link for Team Allen and help out in some way if you can!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007 9:33 AM CDT

Allen's counts are sky high once again with an ANC of 6100. He didn't do as well this week getting accessed but we got through it without too much trauma.

Yesterday was Hannah's first day of Preschool. She is going just in the mornings and I think it will be very good for her. She is very excited about school and so far Allen is still excited too.

Brad is out of town this whole week for work and we have a busy week. Soccer is starting back up this week. We are planning on going to the lake this weekend for Labor Day.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 2:37 PM CDT

UPDATE THURSDAY:

ALLEN'S BACK AT SCHOOL! Allen's ANC was 700 today which makes him able to get out again. It is still a little on the low side so we hope it still continues to climb. He was a happy kid this morning walking into school!

Tuesday:
We are home from Memphis but NOT back at school. Allen's ANC has fallen to ZERO. Which means lots of car washes for us since that's all we can really do right now. I hate that he has missed the first week of school and we don't know how much longer this will last. We will recheck counts on Thursday morning.

As for Memphis, Allen did super getting his port accessed which just blows my mind. I can't figure it out! He had a child life visit and a psychologist visit. Kelly our child life specialist really got through to him with some issues and got him to open up. She assured us that no his behavior might not be normal for the average five year old but it was normal for a child going through cancer treatment. The psychologist had some suggestions which may work for a week or so but I don't think "rewarding him with a candy bar" will take us through the next seven months. We'll see! Allen expressed that he liked the needles that the red hospital uses better than the ones in Bastrop. They are the same needles but for some reason he has it in his head. So we have needles from the red hospital that we will bring with each time and try that approach.

Please continue to pray for Allen that his counts recover and he can start school and get to play like everyone else. I'll let you know what his counts are Thursday!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007 9:18 AM CDT

Update Friday:
We are home! Allen's counts are starting to rebound and fast. Today his ANC was 200 which is a huge jump from 20. We are going to make a quick trip to Memphis Sunday and Monday. After talking to our nurse in Memphis we decided to schedule an appointment with child life, line nurse, and a counseling consult to make sure there is nothing more we can do for Allen to make the next seven months any less tramatic. Vickey was so great to get us in so quickly. We figured his counts were too low to go back to school so we might as well do something production that day. Please pray our questions get answered and his counts are high enough to go back to school Tuesday.

This is a picture of Allen with his nurse at North Monroe. Lee is a leukemia survior and was one of Dr. Pui's patients over 20 years ago. Lee is so great with Allen because he really does get it! He helps Brad and I to understand some things that Allen may be going through also. I can't wait to give Dr. Pui a copy of this picture Monday in clinic.

Update Thursday:
Fever has broken but his ANC has fallen to nothing (20 to be exact) so now we are doing the ANC dance so his counts will come up and he can go to school next week.

Update Wednesday:
At 3:00 today Allen developed a high fever of over 102. He was very upset about having to go into the hospital. He was very stressed and having another panic attack. We will be there for at least 48 hours or until his fever goes away.

Update Tuesday:
This morning getting counts checked went much better. About an hour before he got accessed he took a "Superman" pill. This was a very special pill that Superman takes to make him brave before he goes out to fight the bad guys. That pill sure was SUPER! Allen took his pill and did great without a huge fight this morning. He did hesitate a little but let Melba stick him without crying, kicking, or screaming. The only problem with this Super pill is that it makes him sleepy and lightheaded so we are going to have to do chemo later in the day so he won't have to miss a full day of school every week. He would not have been able to function at school today so we are going to get his medicine every week at 1:00. This means we'll have to pull him out half a day every Tuesday but he will get the bulk of the learning for that day this way.

Allen's counts went WAY down this week and we are on the fence about school this week. Tomorrow is his first day and it is so important that he be there to "feel just like everyone else". Allen is having some issues about WHY he has to do all this stuff and is beginning to question what is going on. We don't want him singled out or to feel uncomfortable at school or feel like he missed something. Please pray for protection against infection this week. We are going to recheck counts on Thursday afternoon to make sure they haven't fallen anymore.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007 9:23 AM CDT

We went to do counts on Monday this week because we went back to the waterpark yesterday. Allen and I took a new group to the waterpark because Cameron was out of town. So we went with Owen, Thomas, & Sara Kate thanks to Bonnie for giving us three extra tickets so we could do this. The kids had a great time even with a heat index of 106!!!

Counts on Monday were high again at 5400 even after St. Jude increased his nightly chemo. I thought they might have been down. I hope they do not bottom out next week because he starts school on Wednesday.

Allen did NOT do good getting his port accessed. Brad & I were both there and he still had a panic attack. I am not sure what the answer to this problem will be but next week we are going to try a little premedication to try keep him calm. I think this is a good plan other than the fact it will make him sleepy and I don't know how that will affect school on Tuesdays. We will worry about that later the first problem is making the whole process less tramatic and stressful for everyone involed.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 2:36 PM CDT

Sorry for the delay but my computer has crashed and my camera is getting fixed so I feel like only half a person. I have to wait to use Brad's computer, which has about a million different passwords since it's through his company. Anyway, Allen did much better this week getting accessed and came home with two toys. Brad took him and I am going to try to take back over next week and we'll see how he does.

Monday we went on a day trip to a water park with our Church. Allen and Cameron had a great time! Towards the middle of the day a bad storm came through and they closed the park. The good news is our boys weren't disappointed at all because they felt like they had a full day. The even better news is that we all got rain check tickets to come back. We are hoping to go back next week if Allen's counts are good. Yesterday his ANC was 1600, which is a perfect number but a BIG drop from the week before.

Brad and I are leaving for Key West in the morning for a long weekend. Daniel and Shelby (the newlyweds) are coming to keep the kids for us. The kids are so excited! Please pray that all our plans go smooth without any bumps in the road.

WE ARE GETTING READY FOR THE MEMPHIS MARATHON WEEKEND AGAIN THIS YEAR. THE RACE IS ON DECEMBER 1 AND WE HOPE TO HAVE A BIG GROUP OF ALLEN'S ARMY. SIGN UP IS GOING ON NOW TO SIGN UP TO BE A ST. JUDE HERO AND RUNNER JUST GO TO www.stjudeheroes.org AND JOIN TEAM ALLEN. I AM WORKING ON TEAM SHIRTS AND WILL EMAIL EVERYONE FROM LAST YEAR EARLY NEXT WEEK. YOU MAY WANT TO START BOOKING A HOTEL ROOM BECAUSE WE HAVE HEARD THEY ARE ALREADY FILLING UP!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007 1:05 PM CDT

Counts are still sky high (ANC 5600) but that may be a good thing considering Allen has been exposed to the chicken pox. Not just exposed but his two very best friends who he went to golf camp with have it. I talked to St. Jude and they said there was not anything they could do other than just wait and see. He did get the vaccinations for the chicken pox before he got sick so he does have some antibodies to fight it. If he does get them it just depends on how bad of a case he gets as to how serious it could be. Owen & Thomas have a very mild case so IF Allen should get it hopefully it will be very mild.

Today was a very heart wrenching day trying to access Allen's port. I don't know why he has started having panic attacks before he gets accessed after going about a year without even batting an eye. For the last few weeks it has gotten worse each time but today was so hard. He starts screaming and kicking so we have to hold him down and then he starts yelling save me save me. Today he screamed I thought you loved me...I told you it was a bad morning. He had to be poked several times because he wouldn't stay still which made everything even harder. I felt so bad for him and for our nurse, Tiffany, who was just as heart broken for him. I called Brad very upset after leaving the hospital and handed him the torch for next week. I just can't listen to him scream like that again. Please pray that Allen will calm down and have his port accessed without any trauma.

On a lighter note we took advantage of Allen's sky high counts last week and took him to one of the dirtiest place in the world...Chuck E Cheese. Karen and I loaded up five kids and drove to Jackson for the day and went to the Natural Museum of Science and Chuck E. Cheese. He also had golf camp last week and loved it! Last weekend we went to the lake camp where Allen got UP on skies but didn't stay up to long. He did master knee boarding! It was it first time to try knee boarding but once he was up he had it! He was so proud of himself and hasn't stop talking about it yet.

Please pray for no chicken pox and stress free accessing of his port next Tuesday.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 5:22 PM CDT

Allen's counts are SKY HIGH this week maybe the two weeks without chemo has finally caught up with him~ ANC 8000. He feels good so we will just go with it! He had a great time at TAGs camp last week but had to stay home one day and rest and regroup. This week he is doing a three day golf camp that is only half a day. He seems to be having fun but I think it's just a bunch of boys running around playing.

We are getting ready for Hannah's thrid birthday next week. She is having a Cinderella party and Allen has informed me that he will go but he won't eat any Cinderella cake. I can't believe Hannah is turning three! She was only 6 months old when we started this whole journey.

A special thanks to Ms. Peggy who had gifts for Allen & Hannah this morning at the hospital. Allen hasn't been doing too great lately as far as getting his port assessed. He's just tired of it and who can blame him. Thanks for checking in!

Sunday, July 8, 2007 8:13 PM CDT

Update Tuesday: COUNTS ARE UP AND EAR INFECTION IS GONE (for now anyway). Allen's ANC today is 2400 which is not as high as I thought it would be after two weeks of no chemo. Now we seem to be back on track and Allen has a fun week ahead. I couldn't tell him to the last possible moment that he was going to day camp this week. It is called TAGS which stands for tennis, art, golf, and swimming. He was so excited when we got there...thanks Kelli for taking care of Allen like you do!

Sunday:
We are home-home now after a relaxing week at the lake. Allen's counts were too low for him to swim so we had to be creative to keep him busy. He still could Jet Ski, ride the boat, jump on the trampoline, & ride in his bumper boat.

It was over cast the whole week which was a blessing because Allen wasn't miserable in the heat begging to get in the water. We had several different groups of friends rotating in throughout the week and weekend. Cameron and Curry were with us during the 4th through Saturday and The Smallings came down on Friday and stayed through the weekend.

Speaking of getting creative on the 4th we had a massive water balloon fight with over 200 balloons. Brad and his friend Highland went and got in the boat and we tried to get them from the dock. The kids and adults had a blast! I don't have any pictures because I was too scared to bring my camera down in the middle of the water balloon fight. Then we shoot some fireworks on the pier. We also got to enjoy the Gravelle's (we think) fireworks whose camp is just a few over from ours. They had some awesome fireworks! Please remember Hallie in your prayers (la/hallie).

We will recheck counts on Tuesday and hopefully start back on chemo. We also hope Allen's ear is getting better! Thanks for checking in on us!

Sunday, July 1, 2007 7:38 PM CDT

UPDATE Monday July 2:
Allen had his counts checked today and he has an ANC of 90. His left ear is still infected. He starts another round of antibiotics for two weeks.

We are still going to the lakehouse today but Allen won't be able to swim. It's a good thing that he loves to fish! Please pray for no fever!

Just wanted to ask for a quick prayer request for Allen. Our plans are to check counts and chemo tomorrow and then head down to the lake for a whole week. Allen's heart was broken when we had to leave last time after only a few minutes to go to the hospital for fever. Tonight he started complaining of his ear hurting AGAIN! I am scared it is infected again and that would mean no swimming at the lake and possibly ending up in the hospital again. He just woke up screaming that his ear hurt...he has had every kind of antibiotic under the sun which has added tummy troubles to our list of worries. We will check the ear tomorrow and just hope for the best!

We attended the first "Shake for Jake" last night which is a fundraising event for the Jake Owen Raborn Foundation. Let me tell you they did some kind of fundraising last night...it was so awesome to see everyone giving to this wonderful cause. We had a great time and were totally blown away by the turnout last night. Emma Grace's mom talked about their journey and then there was an awesome video put together by Gene Ponti. The best part was to watch Jake singing on the video and let me tell you there was not a dry eye in the whole place. It was so nice to see all the St. Jude families and get to catch up with all of them. I finally got to meet James Christopher Allums parents in person which was a real treat. The whole event could not have been better and I can't wait to be there next year.

Please remember our friends who are struggling right now and the families who have lost children. Please remember the Boyers' as the days seem to be getting harder. Check out his website and his angel picture it is truly amazing(visit/spencerboyer). Also, Hallie Gravelle has been having pain issues and her tumors have grown. They are doing radiation now for pain and started a new treatment plan(la/hallie). James Christopher Allums still needs a match for a bone marrow transplant that will save his life. (visit/jameschristopherallums)If you are not on the bone marrow list...why not? It is now just a simple swab of the mouth to be tested.Our best little buddy Sebastian is having scans next week which is a very nerve racking expereince(va/sebastian). Please remember the Raborns who had a very emotional night and will forever be missing Jake(la/jakeowen).

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 8:47 PM CDT

Allen's ANC is right at 500 as of today! We are out of isolation but still have to avoid large crowds. We are so happy to be free and already celebrated with Johnny's Pizza. When his counts are below 500 he can't eat any fast food and has many other food restrictions.

He is feeling great and bouncing off the walls. We are going to have to find something to do tomorrow that gets him really tired. He has been super wild ever since he found out his counts were up!

A very big thank you to our nurse, Melba, who came to check Allen's counts at Lissa's house today. She didn't want Allen in a hospital full of sick people when his counts were down. She was also off today and came to check his counts for us! Thanks Melba we appreciate all you do!

Saturday, June 23, 2007 3:28 PM CDT

Update Monday:
We made it home but we are home bound for a while. Yesterday Allen's counts dropped to 200 and today they were only 275. This is going to be a hard week stuck inside because Allen was going to go to cowboy day camp this week. He also was supposed to go to his end of the year t-ball party and get his trophy. Looks like we'll be going through the car wash several times this week. We'll recheck counts later this week and just hope for the best.

This Saturday night is Shake for Jake auction, dinner, and dance at the West Monroe Convention Center. It sounds like it's going to be great and we hope to see you there!

Saturday:
Allen has been admitted to St. Francis North Hospital with fever...

We drove down to the lake yesterday afternoon for Brad to play in a golf tournament and for Allen to do some fishing. As soon as we got there Allen started acting funny and just went over and laid on the couch without cartoons on. I took his temperature and sure enough he was border line fever so I put him back in the car and drove back to Monroe. I checked his temperature at the half way point and it had jumped to 102.5 so we drove straight to the hospital. After just one dose of IV antibiotics he has perked up and his counts are even UP to 700. He hasn't had anymore fever since last night so we may get to come home in the next day or two. Thanks for checking on us!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 3:57 PM CDT

Allen's ANC is low this week right at 500 so we're going to lay low and hang out around the house. His ear is still not completely better so that might be why his counts have dropped. He did get his chemo this week so we are just praying for no fever or visits to the hospital. Thanks for checking on Allen and please remember The Boyer's in your prayers.

Sunday, June 10, 2007 9:53 PM CDT

Update Tuesday:
I am very saddened to tell you that Spencer earned his angel wings this morning. I never in a million years thought that I would be typing this about Spencer. I loved Spencer because he was such a good kid and so sweet to
Allen & all the little kids at St. Jude. He would play video games with Allen and let Allen win. Allen looked up to him so much and called him his "big friend" meaning older. Spencer could also hang with adults and he always was saying something funny to make me laugh. The Boyers are such a great family and we love them all. Please keep them in your prayers during this difficult time.

ANC Tuesday 1400 ~ Allen still has an ear infection. He feels okay but not 100 percent.

We had a great weekend in Dallas with just a little bit of drama! My best friend Karen had won a Texas weekend package in an auction with Six Flags tickets, hotel, and tickets to a Rangers baseball game. Allen was so excited to go anywhere with Cameron. We drove in Thursday night and our plans were to go to Six Flags Friday, Saturday ice skating during the day and the Brewers vs. Rangers baseball game Saturday night, then drive home today.

All went as planned except for one added trip to the ER on Thursday night. We got to our hotel went to bed and then Allen woke up screaming that his head hurt and his ear hurt. We went round and round for a little while and then he said to me, "take me to the hospital" and then I knew we had trouble. We got up to go to the hospital and then he was sick to his stomach. Luckily, there was a very nice hospital only about two miles down the road.

We got to the ER and he had no fever but did have an ear infection. Everyone at the hospital catered to Allen's needs and we got him fixed up and outta there. It was about 1:00 AM when all this was happening then we had to go to a 24 hours pharmacy at Walgreens to get his medicine for his ear. We got back to hotel and to bed around 4:00 AM. I wasn't sure what the next morning would bring.

Friday Allen woke up feeling super and was ready to roll. We were at Six Flags right at opening. Allen was feeling great other than a little tired (me too) but he was having a blast. It was the perfect day at Six Flags because it was cloudy, windy, and for some reason no crowds. We didn't have to wait in any lines and on some of the rides we rode them over and over without even getting off! We left in the middle of the day and went back for a quick nap then returned to close the park down! I didn't bring my camera in the park with me which was a big mistake. We do have one cute log ride picture that I am going to try to scan and add to the website. Allen is such a trooper and he amazing me everyday!

Saturday we slept late and caught up on some rest then we took the boys ice skating. Allen didn't care for ice skating too much so we went to plan B and went to the movies. After the movies it was time to go to the game.

We were so lucky that our tickets just happen to be when the Rangers were playing the Brewers. We had awesome seats right behind home plate only 19 rows up! We are Ben Sheets fans who is the pitcher for the Brewers. A little bird told Ben Sheets we would be there and he got us Ben Sheets t-shirts for the boys to wear and the boys got to meet him after the game. Thanks Ben for being so sweet to Allen and for making his first baseball game a memorable one!!!

We have VBS this week. Allen gets his counts checked and chemo on Tuesday. We'll check out his ear again and hope that it is all better. Please remember Spencer in your prayers he has a long hard road ahead of him.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 5:03 PM CDT

We're home from the beach after ten fun filled days with no doctor visits or trips to the hospital.

Allen did great all week and felt like any other five year old boy at the beach. Hannah did great and loved the beach too. We were lucky to have neighbors on the beach with a little girl that was Hannah's age so they became friends fast. Allen, Owen, and Thomas did great together and only had a few little "spats"

As you can see from the pictures Owen & Thomas BOTH had broken arms on our trip but it didn't slow anyone down. The boys had fun in the rubber boat and playing in the sand.

The highlight for the kids was the pirate cruise. We went on a pirate ship and the kids found a real hidden treasure, had water gun fights, shot cannons, face painting, and sword fights.

Now back to the real world! Allen had his counts and chemo this morning. His ANC is pretty good at 2500 which is high for any other kid but not as high as Allen usually runs.

Please, please pray for Spencer. He had a transplant Friday and is having many complications from it. He is now in ICU having a very hard time right now. His website is www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerboyer
Stay Strong Spencer...We love you!!!

Thanks for checking on Allen! We are trying to plan another fun weekend trip for Allen to Six Flags. Keep your fingers crossed that all the stars align so it will happen. There are a few more new pictures on the photo page.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007 2:45 AM CDT

Allen's counts are high again this week (ANC 4500)! We can't seem to find the middle ground because they are either sky high or rock bottom. If there were ever a week for them to be high this is a good week considering we are leaving for the beach Friday. We are going to recheck counts on our way out of town and if they are still good then we will give him oral chemo instead of his push this week. That would be so awesome for him to go a whole week without any doctors� offices, hospital, or needle sticks. This has not happened since he was diagnosed over two years ago.

Please remember Spencer as he prepares for transplant on June 1st. He has a harsh round of chemo to get his body ready for transplant that doesn't sound too fun. Also, our friend, Hallie from Winnsboro found out that she has relapsed. We are so sad for their family so please pray while they decide on what treatment is best for Hallie. We are so excited for Will and his family because he found out that he has NOT relapsed. Please pray that Allen remains fever free during our vacation so we don't have to take him to a strange hospital. I'll update again after we get back from the beach unless anything else arises before that.

Thursday, May 17, 2007 1:26 PM CDT

Things have been so busy around here I forgot to update Tuesday with Allen's counts. Tuesday, his ANC was 6500 which is sky high. It could be from DEX the week before or just the fact that he was off chemo so long and his counts finally rebounded. Hopefully, this Tuesday they will be in the more normal range. We don't want them too low because we are planning on going to the beach next Friday.

We were honored this week by Jake's family and the Jake Owen Raborn Foundation. We were guest at a press conference and had TLC come to our house to film. The Raborn's are going to be featured on a show later this year and TLC wanted some footage of them visiting another cancer family. I'll let you know when I find out when it will be airing. We are so proud of the Raborns and thankful for all they are doing to support other families with pediatric cancer. Please check out the foundation's website at www.jakesfoundation.org and plan to attend the Shake for Jake auction/dance on June 30th. We'll be there!

Tuesday, May 8, 2007 4:44 PM CDT

Update Saturday Night: Just gave Allen his last dose of DEX and I can't tell how good that feels. It is all I need to make Mother's Day wonderful. Please remember Spencer in your prayers because he was admitted today with fever. This is so unfair to happen today because almost his whole 7th grade class is coming to Memphis tomorrow to visit and now he's inpatient feeling yucky. I am so ready for Spencer and his family to catch a break. He is also getting ready for transplant next week! You can check on him at www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerboyer
Happy Mother's Day to everyone and Happy Birthday to my sister, Sarah!

We're Free!!! Allen's ANC is 1000! Can you believe that 0 to 1000 in five days. He got his chemo today and starts back on his nightly 6MP tonight. Also, this is a DEX week...his VERY last DEX week. I am hoping the joy of knowing this is the last time he has that stuff gives me patience to get through the week. He is so excited about going back to school tomorrow and it's tennis day after school. Please pray he continues to feels good and gets to enjoy life like all his five year old friends.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007 4:44 PM CDT

Tuesday, May 8, 2007 8:36 AM CDT

Please pray for Allen's counts to be up! We will go check them around lunch today. This is his third week of school missed. He has missed all his extra sports activities and he is going crazy. We are suppose to leave for the beach on the 25th and we need good counts to make this go as planned too! I'll update later with his counts!

Tuesday, May 1, 2007 2:49 PM CDT

Friday:
Brad & I made it home after a great vacation to come home to the real world. Allen had his counts checked yesterday and his ANC is now 0 so we just continue to wait and see what happens. Please say a special prayer for Spencer who received some promising news and hopes to have his life saving transplant at the end of this month.

Tuesday:
ANC 78...Please pray for no fever! We are on fever alert and Brad & I are all the way across the US. We are having a wonderful time only wihsing we didn't have to worry about the "what if" Allen gets fever. Allen & Hannah are having fun with Pops and Lissa and he seems to be feeling well. Brad & I will return home Thursday unless we need to be home earlier. Allen will have his counts checked again Thursday. He needs them to be up but I have reason to believe that they won't. I would love for him to finish out the school year with his friends but he may be out for the rest of the year. Please remember all our friends at St. Jude in your prayers.

Friday, April 27, 2007 5:58 PM CDT

Well counts aren't going up...Today Allen's ANC is down from yesterday. He has two more doses of IV meds and then he can get unhooked. That is the good news!

The bad news is he is still in isolation and we are ALL going stir crazy. Allen was suppose to draw winners for the St. Jude Dream Home give away on Sunday but the doctors in Memphis advised against it.

Brad and I are pressing on with our trip and will be gone Sunday - Thursday. The kids are staying with Brad's parents so please pray for NO FEVER! It may send me over the edge if he gets a fever while we're out of town. Also, pray that they don't drive Mike & Melissa crazy since Allen will be in isolation at there house. Allen will recheck counts on Monday...that also means he will have been off his chemo for nine days which is way to long. We need his counts to come up so he can start back his chemo and start being a little boy again!

Thanks so much to Pops & Lissa for keeping the kids so we can get away from all this for a little while!

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 2:08 PM CDT

Thursday:
Allen is happy to be home but it's just not the same because he's so restricted as to what he can do. His ANC went from 48, 168, to 238 today. The only thing is his WBC went back down today to 1300 so I'm not sure what direction we are headed. Please pray for Allen's counts to recover so we can get off these IV meds. Also, remember all the kids at St. Jude especially Spencer!

Tuesday:
Sorry I haven't been able to update with news in the last few days Brad & I have been tag teaming with the two kids. Allen is now out of the hospital but not out of the woods. He hasn't had any fever in over 24 hours but his ANC is only 48. He has an ear infection which was most likely the cause of the fever but he has to stay on IV antibiotics for three more days. We are home but Allen is still "hooked up" and can't do all the things he wants to do because of his needle and low counts. We have home health coming to the house tonight to get his next round of antibiotics going and then Brad and I will have to hook him up at 2:00 in the morning.

Please pray that Allen's counts come up and no more fevers. Also, Brad & I are suppose to be going on a trip he won for work and leave on Sunday. In order for this to happen we need Allen to be done with all IV medicines. Please remember Spencer who is having a hard day today (visit/spencerboyer) and Will (ms/will) who had test run yesterday but the results were unclear. Thanks for thinking of Allen!

Sunday, April 22, 2007 8:42 AM CDT

Allen was admitted to the St. Francis North hospital last night with fever. He had high fever throughout the night and his ANC is only 50. Looks like we will be there for a few days.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007 1:09 PM CDT

Allen's counts were right where they need to be so maybe we've found the magic cocktail as far as his chemo is concerned. He did great with his new nurse, Ms. Melba this morning. Ms Peggy (his old nurse) had him a very special present. Thanks Peggy he LOVES the video game!

His ANC is 1000 which is lower than it's been in a while. He feels good and we can't ask for more than that. Please remember all our friends at St. Jude in your prayers.

Saturday, April 14, 2007 10:15 AM CDT

Allen has had a pretty good week on DEX. He didn't feel well Tuesday and only made it to lunch at school on Wednesday. It is usually Friday and Saturday that are the hardest days emotionally and physically and he seems to be feeling fine. Only one more month of DEX...I think we'll have a party.

We had Relay for Life last night. It had to be moved to the Civic Center due to bad weather so it was a little different atmosphere than usual but they still pulled it off. Jake was honored this year and there were a ton of pictures of Allen from last year. Allen & Corbin along with many more participated in the survivors lap. They had a train for the survivor kids to ride around instead of walk which was a real treat for the kids. Allen had a great time and after the survivor lap the kids took another lap in the train with their friends.

We will go to Bastrop for counts and chemo on Tuesday with our new nurse, Ms Melba. Please pray that this transition goes smoothly for Allen. Also, this is usually when he bottoms out and ends up in the hospital after his spinal so we are just keeping our fingers crossed.

Please remember our friends who are having a hard time right now like Spencer and Will. Also, our friend, Madelyn is being watched in the ICU right now(tn/madelyn). I'll update again Tuesday.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007 4:23 PM CDT

We've made it through another day at St. Jude. Brad & I were all ready to get some answers about high counts and how to be more aggressive. Then we got Allen's counts back and his ANC was 1400 right where they want it. So we really didn't have a leg to stand on as far as doing something more about his "high" counts. So for now we just keep on doing what we are doing which is a crazy dose of medicine switiching from a high dose one night and then reduced the next. We just hope they don't fall too much and Allen end up in the hospital. This weekend coming up is usually about the time he gets fever after his spinal tap. We want Allen to be feeling good because he has Relay for Life and a soccer party this weekend.

We spent the morning visiting with friends at the hospital. Our buddy Austin is going home today after his seven weeks of radiation. We got to see Spencer and visit with his parents. Please remember Spencer in your prayers we love this family and hate that they are going through so much right now. www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerboyer
Also, another friend found out that he may have relapsed just out of the blue. Will Moore is Allen's favorite buddy at the hospital and it is almost a sure thing that we see them everytime we're in Memphis because they are at the exact same place in treatment. We even talked yesterday about how the boys would have their No More Chemo party together. That was before they got the news that there were blast in his spinal fluid. Please remember their family as they deal with this news that came out of nowhere. www.caringbridge.org/ms/will That is what is so scary about cancer and going back for these procedures. Corbin Gulde left today for his one year scans so please pray that everything goes smoothly for them. I really don't think I could handle anymore bad news right now. Corbin's site is www.caringbridge.org/la/corbin.

Allen is on DEX this week and it's not the last round but close. We do have one more round at week 100. Allen is on week 96 of 146 weeks of treatment. Our good news is we got a new road map (calendar) and we don't have to go back to Memphis until September. We are not going to know what to do with ourselves! It is very exciting that Allen's load is beginning to lessen but it hard to relax because we never really know what's going on in his little body just like Spencer's parents or Will's parents didn't have any clue.

P.S. - I should probably explain Hannah's outfit while hunting eggs Easter morning. The Easter bunny gave her dress up clothes so she put them on over her pjs and off she went to hunt eggs.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 3:06 PM CDT

Today's ANC was back up to 2800 which is very surprising because last week St. Jude called and increased his nightly chemo dose. Also, Allen has been moving kind of slow and a bit on the fussy side this past week. His hair is coming out in clumps and for some reason this time he is really upset about it. I have no idea what to think about his counts anymore.

We found out this morning that Ms. Peggy our nurse while we're home is taking a new job. She is going to leave us in good hands but we're going to miss her every week.

Please remember Spencer in your prayers his bone marrow is still empty which means they can't find out any of the answers that they need (visit/spencerboyer). All four of us will be driving up to Memphis Sunday for Allen's spinal procedure on Monday. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007 9:38 AM CDT

Today Allen's counts are coming down a little. His ANC was 2000 which is still a little high but closer to where they need to be. He has done awesome the last four weeks getting his port accessed. He doesn't even "fret" over it anymore...thanks Peggy & Pops for making our weekly treatments so easy.

Allen has had two soccer games since I last wrote. In the first game he scored two goals which was a first. Also, Allen will be starting tennis this week. He is going to take a few private lessons and then jump in with a group of 5 & 6 year olds.

We are busy getting ready for Easter and Lissa's Easter Egg Hunt. Please remember our friends in your prayers especially Spencer! Thanks for checking in on us and keeping up with Allen. We are having fun being "normal" around here!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007 11:17 AM CDT

We are so glad to be off DEX this time around. The early part of the week was okay but by the weekend Allen was a mess. He didn't feel good and hurt all over. I gave him some pain medicine on Sunday to make "his legs" feel better. He later came to me and told me he wished I medicine to make all his bones stop hurting. If my calculations are right he should only have to have DEX one more month and then we're through with that medicine. He is now coming off his steriods and is still about to crawl out of his skin. We were up to 4:00 A.M. last night because he just couldn't go to sleep.

This morning we had counts checked and they are high again (ANC 3500). Our nurse called last week from St. Jude and said this week if they were still up they may do something about it. I am not sure what that would be but I'll call her tomorrow if she doesn't call me today. Our best buddy, Sebastain, is having scans tomorrow and test this whole week. Spencer is inpatient having some pain issues. Please remember all our friends at St. Jude in your prayers... Allen and I go back to Memphis Easter Sunday (there are no holidays in the cancer world).

Tuesday, March 13, 2007 2:08 PM CDT

Today we TRIED to get chemo but St. Jude Pharmacy didn't send enough medicine. We called St. Jude and they said they would overnight it and we can do it tomorrow which really means we'll do it Thursday morning. So Thursday morning we have to go back which would not be a big deal at all other than the fact that Allen will have to get stuck again. He did great getting accessed today so hopefully it will be the same on Thursday. We won't have to check his counts again just get medicine. His ANC this week is still high at 3200 but at least he feels good. This is his DEX week so please pray that the DEX monster goes easy on all of us this time around.

I am off to pick up Allen from school and then we are headed out to his soccer game!
Update: Allen scored a GOAL last night at his game. He was so EXCITED. He ran off the field to make sure I saw it, took a picture, and gave him some praise. The thing is he forgot he was still suppose to be playing on the field.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007 10:32 AM CST

Allen's counts are heading back in his old cycle of being too high. His ANC today is 5000. I thought his counts were going to be really low because Allen has been a little bit moody and tired. Also, Allen's hair is starting to fall out AGAIN!!! Hopefully it will only "thin out" and not totally fall out.

Allen is on spring break this week and we are so happy to have wonderful weather to play outside. Allen and Hannah have been riding their bikes every free second they have. Allen has soccer game this Thursday and he is hoping this will be the game that he gets a goal. He came very close last Saturday to getting a goal.

Please remember our friends Spencer and Mikey who are starting new treatments for their relapse.

Sunday, February 25, 2007 5:21 PM CST

Tuesday: Everything went fine this morning getting counts checked. Allen's ANC is 3300 which is high but he hasn't had chemo in two weeks. He started back all his meds today so hopefully there won't be any side effects from being off for a while and he got an increased dose.

We made it!

The wedding was beautiful and everything went off without a hitch. Hannah was a flower girl but she just walked down the aisle and then was taken to a back room with our babysitter. She actually walked and didn't talk until she got to me at the front and she screamed..Mama I did it! I walked!

Allen looked so grown up and handsome. I had several people tell me they were teary eyed wathcing Allen walk down the aisle. He felt so good yesterday! The kids went to the reception just long enough to dance a little bit and then they went home.

Allen is going to go back to school in the morning. He's ready and his counts are over the magic 500. Please pray that he can stay well and not miss any more school. We will recheck counts Tuesday and start back his chemo. He's been off chemo for two weeks now so he needs to get back to his schedule. If all goes well he'll have his first spring soccer game Thursday!

Friday, February 23, 2007 9:00 AM CST

Today is the 2 year anniversary of Allen's diagnosis which was the day our lives have changed forever. To celebrate we are coming HOME-HOME! Allen's counts have risen to 800 which means he's not neutrapenic anymore. It is crazy to go from total isolation to back to everyday life.

We ended up staying in the hospital last night since there were no isolation rooms. All the nurses kept asking why we were still here because he is obviously not feeling bad. He was so silly last night. The night nurse asked him what he liked to be called...she was thinking Allen, Allen Patrick, or Patrick. Allen looked at her and said "you can just call me Master!" Later he was being loud after the little one across the hall was trying to sleep so I fuss at him. He began to sing and whistle to me the song "Don't Worry Be Happy!"

Allen is in a great mood and just ready to be set free. I will be in a much better mood as soon as I sign the discharge papers. Thanks for remembering Allen in your prayers and looks like we'll be seeing many of you this weekend.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007 10:47 AM CST

UPDATE THURSDAY: Today has been a day of fustration! The good news is Allen's counts are beginning to come up. His ANC is 200 and he has been laughing and acting silly all day. The doctor came in around 10:00 and told us we would be discharged and going to Grizzly House which we kind of knew. It is 2:00 and nothing has happened except more confusion.

Allen has to go to an isolation room at the Grizzly House which are special outside rooms so he won't come in contact with any other patient. He is alos neutrapenic which means so fast food and he's on a low bateria diet. So I asked if we're in isolation and neutrapenic what does he eat? They seemed to have no idea. It took about two hours to get us an answer that the cafeteria would deliever him a low bateria meal to the Grizzly House. Perfect lets get out of here... Now they are saying there are no more isolation rooms avaliable and they will send us to stay at a hotel. A nasty hotel with germs everywhere and still the food issue to deal with. So my breakdown that I have been holding in for week came and the nurses and doctors feel sorry for me now and say they will not send us to a hotel since he's neutrapenic which means if a room doesn't come up then we will stay inpatient. I JUST WANT TO COME HOME.

Wednesday:
Things are looking much better! Allen's feels 100 percent better but his ANC is still 0. He actually has some color and his energy back. The nurse just came in and said the doctors just finished talking about everything and she heard them say they would discharge Allen tomorrow and then send us to stay at the Grizzly's House. That is where the problem comes in because no one will say for how long! Probably until his counts start coming up but that could be one day or five days. We just have no way of knowing.

He will be so happy to get out of the hosptial because he is in total isolation and can't leave the room. All he wants to to is go play in the inpatient play room but he can't. They have had a lot of fun activities going on this week for Mardi Gras but Allen couldn't participate. We are so thankful to Joan (Spencer's mom) who went out and bought Allen a lot of toys to keep him busy. She also cooked Brad and I a Louisiana dinner for Mardi Gras. Spencer is inpatient across the hall and we can just wave through the glass windows. Spencer is having another big procedure today to test his marrow and see how effective the last round of chemo was. Please remember Spencer and his family during this very stressful time. www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerboyer

Monday I really didn't think Allen & I would be back to Monroe by Saturday. Today I am a little more hopeful but no promises have been made. We started making all the doctors here aware that we were trying to get home by Saturday for Daniel & Shelby's wedding. We just hope they take that into consideration.

We'll keep you updated as soon as we find out! Amie

Sunday, February 18, 2007 2:37 PM CST

Update Tuesday @ Noon:

Allen is feeling much better than yesterday and his fever hasd been down considerably overnight and throughout the morning. They are still treating him for the flu and he has been diagnosed with C.dificil of the intestines. This is a bacterial GI infection caused by overuse of antibiotics. This was also the rough infection he has several weeks ago. It seems as if they have caught it early and have started him on a special antibiotic to cover this new bug. Allen's counts are looking better and his ANC is up to 100. I expect we will be here a few more days and hopefully they can get control of things before the wedding.

Brad

Update Monday Morning:

Allen is feeling much better this morning after his blood transfusion last night. His immune system is still rock bottom with an ANC of 0 and white count of 400, but his hemoglobin has risen to above 9 after the transfusion. The staff brought in a infectious disease doctor this morning to take a look and see what they could come up with. He has had every part of his body cultured and they seem to think his immune system is just having a hard time fighting off the flu. They are running tests for other bacterial infections and have also changed his antibiotics for the time being. A fungal infection has not yet been ruled out since he has run fever so long while on antibiotics.

I definetely want to thank Melissa and Mike for running shotgun with Hannah during this ordeal. I know it's got to be tough, especially with a wedding next weekend. Please pray that Allen's immune system gets out of the gutter and we can make it home for the wedding!

Brad

Update Sunday Night:
We made it to Memphis around 4:00 today by ambulance. St. Jude didn't know how stable he was so they insisted on ambulance. We were comfortable driving ourselves or getting someone to fly us. Thanks to Wayne Petrus,one of our angel flight pilots, who couldn't take us but got on the phone and we had two pilots ready and willing. Allen slept the whole way to Memphis. He has really slept around the clock which was starting to worry us.

We don't have any real news yet other than he is about to have a blood transfusion which should perk him up a little. They have run test for everything in the books and we will have to wait until the morning to know anything else. His wbc is 400 and his ANC is 0. He is still running fever at 103 most of the time.

Thanks for thinking of us and pray for a speedy recovery!

Hello to All!

Allen and Amie are on their way to Memphis via ambulance! Brad is shortly behind them in his car. Allen has had a fever of about 103 consistantly for about 12-18 hours and his counts are crazy! The doctors here can't quite figure out what is going on, so they decided the best place for them to be is at St Judes! If I hear anything else I will update, or Brad or Amie will update as soon as they know something new!

Elizabeth Gregory

Friday, February 16, 2007 11:06 AM CST

Update: 9:00 PM Saturday
Allen is running fever again as of about 4:00 this afternoon. He has all the normal symptoms of the flu, like muscle weakness, headache, and now fever again. He is also fairly anemic with a hemoglobin below 8 for the last three days. His counts are seeing to recover some from yesterday, but he has a long way to go before gets out of neutropenia. Please pray for Allen to build strength and get well before his uncle Daniel's wedding this next weekend.

Okay. so here's the full story about Allen being put in the hospital with the flu.

As you know Allen had fever Tuesday morning but a high enough ANC not to stay inpatient. They ran all the test and did cultures gave his some antibiotics and sent us on our way. We had to go back Wednesday morning for what we thought would be one more dose of antibiotics and then take his needle out. By Wednesday his counts had dropped to 600 so we had to come back Thursday to check them again. Thursday morning he seemed to be feeling fine and we thought our trip to the hospital would be quick. I even expected to be sending him to school after we checked counts and got his needle out.

While waiting for counts on Thursday Allen began to run fever again and his counts had fallen to 400. That meant we had to be admitted because he was neutrapenic with a fever. They redid all the test and cultures and he came back positive for the flu. By the middle of the day yesterday Allen felt terrible and hurt everywhere and was sick to his stomach a few times. His hemoglobin yesterday was 7.9 (Normal is between 14-18)and they use to give blood transfusions if it was below 8 but now they try to wait until it's under 7.

Today Allen's ANC has fallen to 100 and his hemoglobin is at 7.4. The good news is that he feels a ton better than he did yesterday. He doesn't have fever right now and we hope that we caught it early enough that the Tami flu is taking care of things. He will probably have to stay inpatient another two days or so depending on fever and counts. They are taking very good care of Allen but it still makes us nervous because the peds floor at the hospital is FULL not one empty room with a little bit of everything that is going around.

Please pray that Allen continues to get better and doesn't get any high fever. We need his counts to recover so he can be the ring barer in Shelby and Daniel's wedding NEXT WEEKEND. Also, say a little pray that no one else in the family gets the flu. While in the hospital he wants someone in the bed with him the whole time so if we don't get sick it will be a miracle. Spencer also went into the hospital at St. Jude with a fever but they did receive good news Wednesday from his bone marrow aspirate.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007 3:02 PM CST

Update Thursday 15th: Allen has been admitted to St. Francis with the Flu. Amie will update more later.

The past few days have been crazy but hopefully things will settle down soon...

While in Memphis Allen's counts had come down to ANC 2200 which is so good for Allen but still high. He has gained weight and grown a lot taller since we were last in Memphis so all of his chemos were increased. We didn't think it would have that much effect on him but we were wrong.

We had a great time visiting with our friends in Memphis. We had pizza with Diane and Peyton who were there for scans. It was so nice to visit and let the kids play. We also got to spend time with Hunter Leger and his mom Lisa. Hunter was there for his big 120 week of scans and test. Lisa had gifts for Allen, Hannah, and for me. Thanks so much it was very sweet and Hannah loves her purse. Allen & Spencer were in the medicine room together so we got to spend time with them. Please, please pray for Spencer's bone marrow to be clean Wednesday. Wednesday will be a very important day for their family. Finally, we spent some time with Will who use to see every week but haven't seen him in forever!

We flew home last night around 9:00 and had to pick Hannah up from a friend's house because Brad had to go out of town this week for work. Thanks India and Tommy for keeping "wild thing" for us. This morning when Allen woke up his face was bright red and you guessed it...he had 102 fever. Then it was off to the hospital after dropping Hannah off at Rhonda's house. (Thanks Rhonda for always being there for me and Hannah!) Dr. Green was at the hospital so we did labs and cultures which meant sticking Allen two days in a row. The nurse came in and was asking me what he was allergic to and Allen interrupted and said he was allergic to needles in his arm. He is such a smart kid and it worked no needles in his arm today just his "magic" needle in his port.

Today all his numbers had fallen a ton since yesterday and his ANC was 1000. It only took a hospital stay to get his counts back to normal. Since they were over 500 we were able to get IV medicines and come home. We have to go back to recheck counts and possibly more meds in the morning.

We are finally home and just want a nice calm evening but I am not counting on it! Please remember our friends in your prayers and all the patients at St. Jude. Sunday night there were three new patients in one evening and one was a tiny baby. It never gets easier to see these kids and new parents walk through those doors.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerboyer
www.caringbridge.org/la/huntershealing
www.caringbridge.org/visit/peytonh
www.caringbridge.org/ms/will

Tuesday, February 6, 2007 9:21 AM CST

Same story...different day!

Allen's counts are still way too high (ANC 4000). His counts are down a lot from 12,000 but still too high. Anything over 2500 is considered too high. Hopefully we are now going the right direction since they are going down maybe the increase of chemo worked. We will give it one more week and then they will increase his IV chemo as well. We leave for Memphis Sunday for a spinal tap and hopefully many answered questions.

REMEMBER TO GO GET ON THE BONE MARROW REGISTRY TODAY AT ULM STUDENT BUILDING FROM 7AM -7PM. You have to do it today while they are doing this drive. You can�t just walk into a doctor�s office or Life Share and say I want on the registry. It is just a swab of the mouth to possibly be a match and save someone's life like James Christopher Allums or Hallie Gravelle. As of right now Allen will not have to have a bone marrow transplant but if he relapses now or later he WILL have to have a transplant. We hope we are never in that situation but there are no guarantees that won't be necessary for Allen or for someone in your family.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 9:05 AM CST

***Check out new pictures in the photo album***

Today we had counts checked and they are still elevated so as of today Allen's chemo will be increased. His ANC today is around 5000 which is better than 12,000 but still through the roof. Please pray that this does not make Allen feel bad. Also, his cough and cold has gotten worse and it needs to be gone by the time we go to Memphis so he can be sedated for his spinal procedure.

Last week I got some friendly advice from another St. Jude mom to email Dr. Pui myself and make sure he was aware of the high counts and to let him know I was worried. I emailed him and (no kidding) thirty seconds later he emailed me back. He was very nice and we decided if his counts were still up today to increase meds. I guess we'll try this for two weeks and then we will be back in Memphis. (Thanks Theresa for encouraging me to do this!)

It seems as though many of our friends are having a very hard time right now. Spencer did not get good news yesterday and he is going to have to fight even harder on an experimental protocol. Michael is losing his fighting spirit and just tired of being sick. He is having a hard time physically and emotionally. Our little friend, Madelyn, just got the news that she has relapsed and her mom is seven months pregnant. Please remember these children and all the children at St. Jude.
www.caringbrige.org/tn/madelyn
www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerboyer
www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelvconger

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 3:40 PM CST

ANC~12,400...Allen's counts are sky high once again. His white blood count is in the normal range for a person without leukemia meaning his chemo is not being effective. He was on DEX last week that usually boost counts with some kids but it has always been the other way for Allen. He could be trying to fight an infection and he does have a terrible cold & cough. We are hoping and thinking that Dr. Pui will increase his medicine so we can get his counts back down. We hate chemo but we would hate leukemia blast even more!! It is so nice going to Memphis only every 8 weeks but it is fustrating too. They only seem to take action while we're in Memphis and when we're home it is always let's wait another week and see. I am ready for some action concerning these numbers...we don't go back to Memphis until Feb. 12th.

Even though Allen's counts are super high he has a week's vacation from school. They had several kids in his class break out with Fifth's Diease so Memphis wants us to keep him out for a while. Also, Hannah is sick with an ear infection and cold also. So as you can see things are very hectic around our household right now to say the least.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007 9:37 AM CST

We had Allen's counts checked yesterday and they are still way too high. His ANC is 5400! I have no idea why this is going on I just hope it fixes itself soon. Please remember our friend Patrick who is having some signs of a possible relapse and they are doing a bone marrow aspirate today. We follow Patrick very closely because he has near haploid like Allen. You can visit his site at co/patrick. Spencer seems to be having some really good days they are just praying for no fever and for this new chemo to be doing it's job. Allen has been feeling great so far this week. Thanks for remembering my family always and especially right now.

Update Wednesday Night: Patrick's test came back clear. We are so happy for them. Also, the DEX MONSTER is here. Allen has turned into a basket case of emotions and very aggressive towards me and his sister.

Sunday, January 14, 2007 9:29 AM CST

Allen seems to be all better and back to himself for the moment anyway. He starts DEX on Tuesday so we'll see how that goes. Brad went running yesterday and Allen rode his bike beside him the whole 3 miles.

On a sad note, my grandmother died yesterday evening. She adored the kids and we were very close to her. The kids are going to have a hard time understanding because Mimi and Doc were a pair. They were never separated and that's how the kids know them almost as one person. Hannah calls both of them "MimiDoc" one word. Please remember my grandfather and the whole family.

Allen will have counts checked again Tuesday so hopefully they are back down in the "normal" range.

Thursday, January 11, 2007 10:21 AM CST

Thanks for all your prayers because things are starting to look better already. Allen's limp is better so we are no longer worried about that issue. Allen felt bad all day yesterday and continued to run fever on and off all day. Finally, after we bugged St. Jude for the 100th time about everything we decided to give him a big heavy dose of IV antibiotics. Since he's had the antibiotics no more fever and he is beginning to feel better. His cough has gotten a little worse but that was really the least of our concerns. His ANC is still WAY TO HIGH but we are hoping by next Tuesday they will be where they need to be. Allen is home from school again today but hopefully he can go back tomorrow!

I have to tell you how wonderful our nurse, Peggy, is to us. She came back to the hospital yesterday evening after she had gotten home from work to give Allen his medicine. This saved us a five hour trip to the ER not to mention all the germs we avoided. Instead with the help of Peggy and Pops Allen was done with everything in about an hour. Thanks again Peggy~ You're the best!!

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 7:52 AM CST

Allen has been having some issues and I don't know what to think about it all so I haven't written.... His first "could be" issue is that he woke up Monday morning limping and by lunch school had called to come pick him up because he couldn't walk. If you have been with us since the beginning you know that this is how it all started two years ago. On the other hand Allen rode his bike at least twenty miles this past weekend and we thought it could be from that. Tuesday and this morning he is still limping but it seems to be getting a little better. One of his classmate�s parents is a physical therapist and he took a look at him yesterday and thought it was just sore from using a new muscle. Thanks Jennifer and Shane for checking him out!!!

Our next "could be" issue is that we had his counts checked yesterday and get ready for this cancer moms his ANC is 12,000 (that is not a typo). I was pretty nervous about this until I read Spencer's site and his counts jumped too. Dr. Pui told them not to worry because it was not his leukocytes that were high; it was the parts of his WBC that form neutraphils, causing his ANC to be high. That was the same case for Allen too. So hopefully his ANC is nothing to be alarmed by and he did miss some of his chemo last week due to low counts.

Our next "could be" issue that Allen is TRYING to run fever. He just doesn't feel good and his temp is staying at 99-100. 100.5 is the magic number that we have to go to the hospital. He hasn't eaten anything in two days and has starting coughing.

We are hoping and praying that all these "issues" resolve themselves quickly and then I can stop being paranoid. Please keep Allen and all his friends at St. Jude in your prayers.

On a happy note, Allen got a cool surprise last night. Wayne Petrus came by to give Allen an official pilot's jacket. Wayne is one of our Angel Flight pilots that let Allen "fly" his plane home. His new jacket has his name on it and angel flight co-pilot on it. He looks just like Tom Cruise from Top Gun with it on. That's so much Wayne...Allen loves it and really thinks it is awesome.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 7:52 AM CST

Sunday, January 7, 2007 9:16 AM CST

Sorry, I didn't get a chance to update after we had Allen's counts checked again. They were borderline (ANC 500) but enough to go back to school. Hannah got sick as soon as Allen was getting better so it was a good thing I could send him to school to keep them apart as much as possible. Now everyone is on the mend.

We have hit two major milestones this weekend. First, Hannah has given up her paci. She wanted to give them to the ducks so we just went with it. She did good the first day but she is also having some major meltdowns now. Allen's milestone is that he learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He can do it all by himself...take off, balance, turn, and stop. He did have a few crashes yesterday but was so determined to get it he wasn't even phased by it.

Please remember our friend Spencer. They did not get the news they were hoping for last week and he is in a lot of pain right now. Spencer is 13 and the sweetest guy ever. He is so good to the little kids and he even lets Allen beat him playing video games. Allen looks up to him so much and he is the perfect role model. We love their whole family and hate that they are having such a hard time right now. You can check on Spencer at www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerboyer. Allen will have counts checked again Tuesday. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.

Tuesday, January 2, 2007 1:11 PM CST

We finally got out of the hospital yesterday! They were probably regretting holding us New Year's Eve because we made the most of it. We had horns, balloons, confetti, party food, the works and celebrated from our hospital room (around 7:00 instead of midnight). Housekeeping was not very happy the next morning with our mess. Last night we went to our friends house to celebrate just a day late.

Allen feels great but his counts are still low (ANC 270). School starts back tomorrow but not for Allen. He has already missed a whopping 32 days of school this year. We are going to recheck counts tomorrow so maybe they'll be up so he can go Thursday and Friday. Thanks Ms. Peggy for always being so flexible with us and rechecking counts whenever we need too.

Please say a special prayer for Spencer Boyer who is having a big test today so see what steps to do next as far as treatment for his relapse. Also, Brent Nason earned his angel wings this morning. Please keep the Nason family in your prayers.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006 7:19 PM CST

UPDATE SUNDAY: It looks like we will be celebrating the new year from the hospital. Allen feels great, has no fever, and wants to go home. St. Jude wants him to stay inpatient for 48 hours so that keeps us there another night. We are all a little disappointed but it's out of our hands. Our New Year's Resolution is less hospital stays in 2007...Happy New Year to all!!!

UPDATE SATURDAY MORNING: Our prayers were answered because we made it through Christmas without going into the hospital BUT at 1:00 A.M. last night Allen had over 103 fever and off to the hospital we went. Brad was at the camp so Karen came to my rescue once again and took in Hannah in the middle of the night. Allen & I were up until about 5 in the morning while he was getting hooked up and tested for everything under the sun. So far everything has come back negative and his fever has gone away as of now. He doesn't seem to feel bad at all just very upset that he is in the hospital away from his puppy. Hopefully he'll only be there another day or two. Brad is back from the camp and Lissa has Hannah now. I am off to get a little nap! Thanks for checking on Allen.

Tuesday:
We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did! Christmas was wild at our house but is was so much fun. Santa brought Allen a puppy as you can see from the pictures. She is so sweet and he named her Pepper. I think she is going to be so great for the kids. I couldn't even begin to tell you all the presents the kids received but let's just say we will have to clean out some old toys in the next few days.

We had Allen's counts checked today and chemo. His counts are PERFECT. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that. His ANC is 1500 this week. His tummy started to get better around last Thursday and he has been feeling great since.

We want to send a HUGE congrats to our friend Rachael who is done with her treatment for leukemia. She had her NO MO CHEMO party Friday and we are so happy for her whole family. Just about a year and half before we have Allen's No Mo Chemo party!!!

Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, December 19, 2006 2:39 PM CST

We are home from Memphis and ready for an "uneventful" holiday. Allen's ANC is still up but we HAVE found the problem. St. Jude called this morning to say that Allen did have c-diff which is a bacteria infection in his gut. This is what has been causing high counts and diarrhea. Allen does not feel good at all today. His tummy hurts very badly and it doesn't help that he's on DEX right now too. He has medicine (that taste disgusting) for ten days to take care of the c-diff and hopefully make his tummy better.

I wanted to thank Philip Thomas and Wayne Petrus of Angel Flight for flying us this trip. Also, I wanted to tell everyone that Allen flew us home. Wayne let him sit up in the cockpit and "fly" us home. Allen just kept saying how cool everything was until he fell asleep. Wayne I'm glad you were there for back up! Thanks so much you made his day!

Please remember all our friends who will be spending Christmas at St. Jude instead of home in their own beds.

Monday, December 18, 2006 10:44 AM CST

Allen just got out of his procedures and is sleeping like a log. His ANC is still too high (ANC 4700) but it is coming down some what. They did some more cultures and ran a few more test but we won't know anything today. So as of now we are headed back home today around 2:30. Please remember Spencer and Michael in your prayers! Also, we start DEX today and we have ended up in the hospital the Friday of DEX for the last two months...so please pray for no hospital on Christmas!

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 11:03 AM CST

Update Friday: Allen started to feel better by Wednesday and all his cultures came back negative. He began to have more tummy issues today but it didn't stop him from going to the deer camp with Daddy tonight. Also, I am so sad to learn that a good friend of ours has relapsed and will have to have a transplant. I am so angry that this has happened to Spencer because it was such a slap in the face. He had NO signs of relapse. He just went in for his spinal procedure and came out to hear he had relapse. This is the second friend in four months that has relapsed with leukemia. Both cases were found during a "routine" spinal procedure. So now I am so dreading Allen's procedure on Monday! Please keep Spencer and Michael in your prayers.(www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerboyer and www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelvconger)Also, remember Carmen's family in your prayers her funeral was today.

Tuesday:
Allen's counts today are sky high once again which is becoming a little concerning. His ANC is over 7000 and it was over 8000 last week. We were up all night with diahrea last night. Today Allen did great getting buddy accessed but after talking to St. Jude we had to go back to the hospital and get accessed again. The second time didn't go so well but who can blame him. We are now waiting for cultures to come back but hopefully it's nothing.

On a very sad note, we lost another friend on Saturday. Carmen White passed away after a long hard fight with leukemia. It seems to get harder with each friend we lose.

We are just hanging out with Lissa today and playing "hooky" from school. Please keep Allen in your prayers and I'll update if anything changes. We are leaving for Memphis Sunday morning for Allen's spinal procedure.

Tuesday, December 5, 2006 8:31 PM CST

What a great race weekend we had.... Thanks to everyone who joined TEAM ALLEN or donated to our team. Friday night our team was honored at the pasta dinner as being one of the top 5 fundraising teams. It was a great way to start the weekend! Saturday morning there was ice on the sidewalks and it was around 23 degrees. We met up with several people from our team at the heroes lounge before the race. It was hard to find everyone because there were over 9,000 people and different starting times. Brad finished his 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 12 minutes.(They started in a waves which is why the clock says 2:16).

After the race the guys could barely walk down the stairs so it was off to the hotel to rest.

Brad & I hung around to try to catch the full marathoners as they came in. We had seven people run the full 26.2 miles for TEAM ALLEN.

Saturday night we actually got to go out to dinner and do something FUN in Memphis. Brad and I haven't really ventured out far from the hospital other than Chuck E Cheese.

Sunday we went by the hospital to visit Carmen, but she had taken a turn for the worse that morning so we just said a quick hello to Carmen's mom. Please remember Carmen in your prayers she is in a very critical situation in the ICU right now (www.caringbridge.org/visit/carmenwhite).

Today we checked counts and they are sky high...way too high. Allen and Hannah both have a runny nose and a terrible cough. I hope his high white count isn't screaming infection. It could just be the fact that he missed some of his chemo last week due to low counts. Please pray for no infection!

Thanks again for supporting us during our journey. Tonight Allen laid by the fire and watched the St. Jude telethon. He wouldn't let Brad change the channel because to him it's like watching a home movie.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 5:01 PM CST

UPDATE FRIDAY:
Drum Roll Please....ANC 1600. Is that awesome or what? Now we get to go ahead with our original plans for the St. Jude Marathon. Allen was so excited about his counts being up he wanted me to take him to school today. He is going to stay with Karen and Cameron this weekend and Hannah is going to stay with my Aunt Katy. Thanks so much for keeping the kids for us!!! Brad and I are planning on leaving in a couple of hours but I am franticly trying to pack since I didn't really expect to be going.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN PRAYING FOR ALLEN AND DOING THE ANC DANCE...IT WORKED!

Tuesday:
ANC ZERO!!!!! Yes, that's right zero. I just can't stand this for Allen. We had great tickets to go see Scobby Doo tonight and he had a field trip at school tomorrow. It's just not fair that he has to miss so many things! I should have expected it because he has bottomed out after DEX week every month for the last 4 -5 months. Start saying your prayers now that he doesn't get a fever. Brad is out of town this week for work which doesn't make things any easier. Also, the next time he is on DEX he also has a spinal which had put us in hospital for the last three months. According the the calendar that would put us in the hospital on CHRISTMAS.

The marathon is this weekend and we have raised over $22,000.00!!! I am overwhelmed with how supportive everyone has been and eager to help. Depending on Allen's counts I may not be able to go to Memphis. Brad will be there for sure running his 13 miles! We will check Allen's counts again on Friday so if they're up then I will let him stay with Cameron as planned. If they are still really low then I just can't leave town with the chance of fever so high. We still have t-shirts to sell so let me know if you would like to buy one. Thanks for all the support!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006 7:56 PM CST

The Allen's Army t-shirts are in.... They are for sell for anyone who would like one. We have all sizes in short sleeve from kids to XXL and adult long sleeve too. The short sleeve are $10 and the long sleeve $12. Runners we have your running shirts too! You can email me your order and send money to our home address(it's at the top of this page) or if you live close by just come by and pick them up. The picture above is what the back of the shirts look like and the front say Team Allen. Thanks again to Holly Boyd for designing the shirts.

As for Allen, he is having a very GRUMPY week! The DEX has hit him hard this time around and the walls are closing in fast. We had a fever scare Tuesday evening and his temp got right under the "go to jail" mark. We have dodged the bullet for now at least.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006 1:33 PM CST

Allen counts have fallen again...His ANC is right under the magic 500. He feels okay for the time being BUT he started DEX today too! He did so good getting his buddy accessed today. We were all so proud of him because we've had to hold him down the last four weeks kicking and screaming to access him. We are just going to hang around the house for the rest of the week because of low counts and DEX combined.

I am so glad I took Allen to do something fun yesterday. Allen had a great day and we spent the day with Cameron. The boys were playing hunting around the house and then they got very quiet. When they finally came out they had their "war paint" on their faces. They had gotten into the markers and camouflaged their faces. Then we went to movies to see Happy Feet war paint and all.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! Please remember the Raborns this holiday season and also our friend Carmen (www.caringbridge.org/visit/carmenwhite) who has been on a vent for a few weeks and has not been getting good news lately. Her mom Paula is basically taking care of Carmen by herself and could use some encouraging words.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006 3:26 PM CST

Update Wednesday: Allen had a better day today and wore his Pilgrim outfit an sang his little heart out. Also, if there are any Dr. Pui patients reading please email me so I can let you in on a Christmas project for him.

Tuesday:
Allen had a great week last week. It was one of the best feeling weeks he's had in a long time. Today we had his counts checked and they are SUPER HIGH (Too high ANC 4700). Allen doesn't feel good today either so I don't know if there is some kind infection brewing with his white count being so high. Allen's hair is falling out once again and this time around it's bothering him which it never really has in the past. Tomorrow his class is dressing up like Pilgrims and going to do a program at the nursing home and then again for the parents. Pray that Allen feels good enough to do this and that he will wear his costume. At the moment he is refusing to be a Pilgrim. I'll keep you posted...remember there's still time to donate to St. Jude Memphis Marathon.

Tuesday, November 7, 2006 9:28 PM CST

Allen's counts are PERFECT this week...ANC 1500. We are so glad he is feeling good and just being normal.

We are having a St. Jude Marathon fundraiser at LaBella Vita restaurant in West Monroe this Friday, November 10th. We will be serving a spaghetti lunch from 11-2 and all proceeds will go to St. Jude. Come by and eat in or take out!!! Also, we are close to reaching our goal of $15,000.00 for St. Jude. Can you believe that? Thanks so much to everyone who has donated to TEAM ALLEN. There is still time to donate by clicking on the link below and it would be great if we exceeded our goal.

We will be selling t-shirts soon to anyone who is interested in a TEAM ALLEN shirt. Holly Boyd designed the shirt and they are so cute. I'll update more about the shirts soon!

Thanks for remembering Allen and all the kids at St. Jude. Please say an extra pray for Carmen who is on the vent after complications from her lung biopsy.

Thursday, November 2, 2006 1:14 PM CST

We made it through a quiet Halloween. Allen's counts were down so we didn't get to go all out like we would have liked to do but he still had fun. Thanks so much to Courtnee Crews who brought Allen & Hannah a Halloween treat to make the day better. We took Allen trick or treating down our street EARLY before everyone else got out and he asked a couple of times where were all the kids. He takes everything is stride and when I told him his counts were low so we couldn't be around a lot of people he said it was okay.

We had counts checked again today and they are not as high as we would like them to be they are going up and we SHOULD be out of the danger zone. Allen went to school half day today and will go half day tomorrow so he can come home and get a good nap. His little body is just tired and is not recovering like it use to because he doesn't have any "reserve" left. So please pray his counts continue to rise and he doesn't get fever. Also, remember our friend, Carmen, who is recovering from transplant and they have found a "spot" on her lungs. She will have surgery tomorrow to biopsy the spot. Her site is visit/carmenwhite

Monday, October 30, 2006 3:07 PM CST

We're out of the hospital but still have low counts...
Allen was so happy to get rid of his "hook up" and get out of there today. He has not had fever for 24 hours and his ANC is now 150. Still too low to go back to school but it looks like he's going in the right direction. As for Halloween, I'm not sure what we're going to do. We'll probably just take him to a few houses and call it a night. We're going to recheck counts on Thursday morning so maybe he'll be back to school at the end of the week.

Our first night at St. Francis North our night nurse was a former St. Jude patient, and get this, a former Dr. Pui patient. He is a leukemia survivor and it was so good to get to talk to him about everything he's been through and about the adulthood side effects. I can't wait to tell Dr. Pui about you, Lee. Thanks to everyone who took care of Allen this weekend at the hospital.

We'll update after we check counts on Thursday. Please pray for no more fever and for Allen's counts to rebound quickly. Also, for our friend Will, who is inpatient with a fever.

****We are selling tickets for a St. Jude fundraiser spaghetti Dinner that will be November 10th at La Bella Vita. Tickets are $10 and we will deliever for orders of more than 10. If you or your office is interested please email me and we'll work out the details~Thanks~Amie****

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 10:18 AM CDT

Friday night update:
Allen was admitted to the second floor at Saint Francis North this afternoon with fever. After labs were drawn, he currently has an ANC of 76 with a low white count.......so we will be here all weekend on antibiotics. We will let everyone know more as cultures come back. Please pray for no infection or fever so we can get out in the next few days.

Saturday: ANC is now 40 so we are not yet going in the right direction. Allen seems to be feeling a little better but still running a low fever. We are hoping to get out and have good counts in time for Halloween. Allen missed last Halloween too because of the hospital, but I am not sure if it will happen or not.

**************************************
We're home from our AWESOME trip to Disney!!! Allen had the best birthday any kid could imagine and we celebrated all week long. We went to just about every park in Orlando and went nonstop the whole six days. The wish button that Allen wore the whole time allowed us to the front of every line without waiting for anything and receiving special treatment the whole trip. Hannah LOVED the characters and went crazy over Minnie Mouse! Hannah walked around all day saying "I happy, mamma." All we heard out of Allen was things like awesome, cool, can we do it again. Allen loved the roller coasters. We went on Big Thunder Mountain four times in a row without even getting out of our seats. The Nickelodeon Suites Jimmy Neutron room was very cool and lived up to Allen's expectations completely. We did several character meals where you get to meet the characters up close and personal. I am working on putting up a slide show of more pictures but I have to work on the mounds of laundry first.

Allen did have a spinal procedure yesterday and is on DEX this week. His ANC this week is 800. This is the week that his counts seem to fall so please pray for his counts to stay up so he can stay in school. The best news is we don't have to go back to Memphis for 8 weeks. From now on we only go to Memphis every 8 weeks and get the rest of his treatment in Bastrop. Next week will be week 73 of his 146 weeks of treatment...we are half way through.

Saturday, October 14, 2006 9:48 PM CDT

**Check out new photos from Allen's party**

UPDATE: ALLEN'S ANC IS 3000 SO WE ARE OFF TO DISNEY IN THE MORNING AND WILL BE THERE BY LUNCH TIME. THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS FOR A HIGH ANC.

The birthday celebrations have begun... Thursday we had a small family birthday party in Bastrop for Allen and Great-Grandmother. Friday, we had a cookie cake party in Allen class at school. Today, Allen had a cowboy birthday party. It was such a cute party and everyone had a great time. The kids got to ride a horse, play cowboy games, go on a hay ride, and roast hotdogs & marshmallows over a campfire.

This afternoon we have been franticly packing and trying not to forget anything. We leave tomorrow for Memphis for treatment on Monday. PLEASE PRAY FOR GOOD COUNTS! We have to get the final go ahead from Dr. Pui on Monday. That means an ANC over 500 is necessary for us to make our Disney trip. PLEASE PRAY THAT ALLEN'S ANC IS UP!!!

Our flight leaves out of Memphis on Tuesday at 9 A.M. putting us in Orlando at noon. We are staying at the Nickelodeon Suites in a Jimmy Neutron room by Allen's request. We have a packed week of fun and can't wait to get there. We want to thank the Wish I Could of NELA organization for making Allen's exact wish come true which was to go to Disney on his birthday and stay in a Jimmy Neutron room. They have made all of that happen for Allen!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 12:29 AM CDT

Allen's counts are staying strong... a little on the high side (ANC 3600)but with only one week until Disney that's okay with me. This time next week we will be flying into Orlando for the trip of a life time. We are all getting excited and it's going to be here before we know it. We actually leave Sunday for treatment in Memphis on Monday so I have a lot of packing to do.

Please continue to pray for the Raborns as they are missing their baby. Allen has started to worry about death. He continues to talk about Jake being an Angel in heaven and wants to know why and when he'll be an angel. He doesn't know to be sad but he's not sure how he should feel. Please pray for Corbin as they leave today for his scans he has every three months. We can't wait to hear from the Guldes clean scans on Thursday. Also, pray for our friend Rachael (tn/rachaeljames), who is inpatient right now just feeling terrible. Rachael is one of the three near-haploid ALL kids at St. Jude and she is only about a week older than Allen. Her birthday was the other day and she was stuck in the hospital. She is so close to end of her treatment and we are ready for her to feel better.

Off to pack....

Friday, October 6, 2006 1:11 PM CDT

As many of you know our little buddy, Jake, earned his angel wings yesterday at 3:10 P.M. We are so overwhelmed with sadness for the Raborns but glad to know that Jake doesn't have to be in any more pain. We went to visit the Raborn Tuesday night and it was clear that Jake was not doing well. Allen got to tell Jake goodbye and that he loved him. Please continue to pray for the whole Raborn family.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006 8:28 AM CDT

Allen's counts are up and he's back at school. We went to Bastrop this morning and Allen's ANC was 3300. It makes me crazy to think they can go from 30 to 3300 that fast and vice versa. Allen's little heart was racing when I hugged him bye for school. I don't know if he was nervous going back or just excited. He walked in and all the kids were so happy to see and he got lots of hugs from his classmates and teachers.

I am working on getting some new pictures up and one of Hannah for Sarah Moore :) Please continue to pray for Allen's counts because we will be at Disney World two weeks from today for his birthday and wish trip!!! Also, continue to pray for Jake and all the kids at St. Jude.

Thursday, September 28, 2006 12:44 AM CDT

Update Friday: We are officially on fever watch. Allen has a fever of 100 and it only has to get to 100.5 before we are sent to "jail". Today is the same day in his chemo cycle that he went inpatient last month. On a happy note I just received flowers from a secret admirer whom I'm sure must be an Allen follower. To whoever sent me the flowers thanks so much I needed them today with these low counts and possible fever. If we go inpatient I'm taking the flowers with me. Please pray for no fever for Allen and pray for Jake to have another good day.

Anyone who saw Allen on the news this morning knows that he froze!! He wouldn't respond to any questions or even look up. Oh well..I guess that what you get when you put a four year old on live TV. The good news is that he did pretty good considering he's on DEX. He could of screamed or hit someone on one of his DEX rampages.

We checked counts again this morning and they have dropped even more. Tuesday his ANC was 96 and today 32. So we are in another scary zone as far as fever goes. Please pray his counts recover with no fever. I am getting pretty nervous about his counts the week we're planning on being in Disney.

I went to visit Jake and family last night and I'm so glad I did. He even gave me a smile when he opened his Jimmy Neutron movie. Everyone seemed to be holding their chin up and hanging in there. Please remember to pray for Jake.

We will recheck counts on Tuesday and until then we'll be at home or driving through the car wash five hundred times.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006 8:53 AM CDT

I haven't written because I've been feeling so sad lately. I just can't believe everything the Raborns have been through in the last two weeks. Hearing bad news about one of these kids from the hospital just rips my heart apart. I just don't understand why this is happening to these kids. So now more than ever please support St. Jude so there will be a cure and no more bad news for anymore children. Please consider supporting one of the local teams in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. Thursday will be the ground breaking for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway and Allen and I will be on the KNOE morning show Thursday. Tickets will go on sale the beginning of January.

To put me into a deeper "funk" as Bonnie would say, Allen counts are under 100 again so we are home bound this week. We are home bound and on DEX which is a crazy combination for all of us. Allen will have to miss his soccer game and his best friend's birthday party. I hate that I feel like we have no control over anything in our lives. Please pray that his counts recover quickly and also add that his counts are good for our Disney Trip on October 17th-23rd. I don't know what we would do!!!

Sorry to be so down today! We're all having a hard time right now dealing with and trying to understand the cards we've been dealt. Please pray for Jake and his family!!!!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006 8:29 AM CDT

**Check out new photos on photo page and don't forget to sponser a local team in the St. Jude Marathon!**

Last Thursday Allen came home from school to show me his hair was falling out again. I thought we had dodged a bullet and he wasn't going to lose his hair again but I was completely wrong. I asked him why was that silly hair was falling out he said,� Mom, it's the DEX" If you know anything about DEX it gets blamed for everything around here but it's not the chemo that makes his hair fall out. By Saturday's pancake breakfast and soccer game he was pretty thinned out. Today he has a little "fuzz" but not much. I dropped him off at school this morning and the first thing out of one of his classmate�s mouth was what happened to your hair? I just hope Allen doesn't get sad about his hair. Just as he was getting use to his "new look" without teeth now another look.

Saturday the pancake breakfast was a huge success. We were only able to stay for the first hour because of soccer. If we didn't get to see you and thank you for coming we truly appreciate your support. Thanks for all my friends who worked the breakfast...I don't know what I would do without you. The soccer game was so cute. Allen has never even been to an official practice so when the whistle blew to start he just stood there frozen not really sure of what to do. Then we all starting saying "run, get the ball" and that's all it took. Owen, the super star of the team, took care of Allen the whole game and kept trying to pass the ball to Allen.

Sunday we headed to Memphis and our first stop was Chuckie E. Cheese. We only get to go there when I drive because it's too far from the hospital to take a cab or trolley ride. Allen & I were playing skee ball and I hit the jackpot and won 450 tickets. Allen left that night with lots of cool prizes. Monday was our long chemo day in the medicine room. Dr. Pui wasn't there so it was quick and painless in A clinic with Michelle. Allen's counts are a little high but I'm not complaining (ANC 3500). As Staci would say, feel free to cough. We rolled into Monroe close to midnight last night and off to school at 7:30 this morning.

We are officially on the Disney World count down. Allen's birthday is one month from today and we will be celebrating at Disneyworld thanks to the Wish I Could of NELA and wish granting organization out of Rayville.

Jake and his family are in need of our prayers. He is still on the vent and has a huge battle to fight. I am so ready for the Raborns to catch a break...they deserve it! I got to visit with Staci for a little while and every time I see her I am more amazed by her strength. Please remember Jake in your prayers. Sunday before we left Allen and Brad were talking and I didn't know whether to break down or to be the proudest parent on earth but Allen told Brad that he wasn't scared of leukemia because he was the bravest boy ever! These kids are truly fearless!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006 9:10 PM CDT

Life if finally getting back to "normal"

Allen had counts checked and chemo this morning before school. His counts are PERFECT this week (ANC 1400)! He feels great and is getting use to his new look. He is so happy to be back at school and his friends are happy he's back too (especially Hagen). They walked out of school together with their arms around each other with Hagen saying how much he had been missing Allen.

Today we had a photo shoot with Gus, Corbin, & Jake at Lamar's to take pictures for a local magazine called Twin City Family which will have a story on the boys in October. They did great and cooperated for the most part! After I took Allen and Cameron to play putt putt golf. Both boys really (without cheating) made a hole in one. I can't believe I didn't have my camera but I didn't. Then we went out to eat at Chili's and colored some peppers for our friends. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month and you can color Chili Pepper for a $1.00 to go to St. Jude. Also, Mark your calendar for September 25th at Chili's. On September 25th Chili's will donate 100 percent of their profit to St. Jude. You can dine in or take out but please consider eating Chili's on September 25th.

This weekend is Allen's first soccer game and he's pretty excited. He's only made one practice because of all the trauma in the last two weeks but he can chase a ball. Also, this Saturday is the morning of the pancake breakfast at Applebee's from 8-10. You can still get tickets for $5.00 or pay at the door! If you�re headed out to the soccer field that day come by and eat before or after the game! We will be there only the first hour since Allen's game starts at 9:00. All four local teams (Team Allen, Team Jake, Team Corbin, Team Gus)sold tickets and will be there serving pancakes.

Please remember Jake in your prayers as they travel back to Memphis tonight to get ready for scans and a big procedure. Also, Corbin and family will be traveling to LA for the St. Jude Fashion Runway Show so pray for safe travel and Heather's nerves :)! We go back to Memphis this Sunday and will be driving because I didn't get travel arranged since we were busy in the hospital. Thanks for remembering Allen and getting us through a rough week but he has bounced back and is stronger than ever!

Saturday, September 9, 2006 8:58 AM CDT

Believe it or not...we're back in Monroe

Around 3:00 yesterday they released Allen from the hospital and we got busy trying to find a way home. Allen's counts are awesome (ANC1300) so that's why they let us go and we were able to fly home Northwest since his counts were up. We got home around 9:30 last night and it had been a long day (week) for all of us.

Now we're home and getting back to normal. Allen has a skating party to go to this morning and he says he wants to go so we're going to try. His hemoglobin is low (8.0) and they transfuse at 8.0 but the doctors seemed to think it would come up on its own. He does look pretty pale but we'll check counts again on Tuesday and see. Allen doesn't know how to skate but I don't have to worry about him knocking his teeth out~ha ha.

At St. Jude the doctors and nurses don't treat the children like sick frail kids so we try very hard to do the same at home. We desperately want Allen to have as normal of a life as possible. We just let him tell us what he thinks he can handle and keep a close eye on him. The plan is to start back to school Monday and just live of lives like everyone else. Thanks for keeping Allen in your prayers this week and always.

Thursday, September 7, 2006 4:39 PM CDT

We were home for about eight hours before things began to happen very fast and once again we are on the cancer roller coaster. We are now inpatient in Memphis. Last night I noticed something over Allen's front tooth so I had India (dental hygienist) come over and look at it. She "diagnosed" it as a fistula or absest tooth which was probably the root of Allen's high fever and basically just infection seeping into his mouth. So I called Memphis and the first thought of the on call doctor was to get in the car or get in a plane first thing in the morning. Then the on call doctor called me back and said get to a dentist ASAP to make sure India had made the right call~which she did. Then at 11:30 last night the on call dentist at St. Jude returned the doctor's phone call and he told us to go directly to the emergency room for IV antibiotics and then drive immediately to Memphis. So that's what we did. My friends once again came to my rescue and Elizabeth came over to stay with Hannah. Karen said she was coming with me and when I got there not only was she coming but so was her mom, Ms Sammie. Ms Sammie drove us all through the night. We spent two and half hours in the er before we ever got on the road and rolled into Memphis at 7:00 A.M. this morning. In the meantime Brad was in Colorado but headed to the nearest airport and met us here around 1:30 today.

Basically after everyone here looked at it they all agreed that the tooth had to come out today. So they gave Allen some IV medicine to relax him and then gassed him in the dental clinic. He did so good and was so brave. He just amazes me everyday. The good news is his counts have sky rocketed so that helps with the worry of infection and fever. After the dentist looked at it he was shocked at how bad this infection was and we could have been in SERIOUS trouble in a matter of hours. There was no decay in his tooth but it was just traumatized from either hitting it on something we don't know about or trauma from grinding his teeth. Since we started treatment Allen has been grinding his teeth at night. It broke my heart to hear the doctor say it was just from stress of being on treatment ~a four year stressed out makes my heart hurt. Once he took a good look he decided to take both of his front teeth. I am still in a little shock from the whole ordeal and it's hard getting use to looking at Allen without his two front teeth. He is upset about them taking his teeth and just doesn't understand we weren't given a choice. He is a little excited to learn that the tooth fairy will be coming to Memphis tonight. We will be inpatient for a day or two at least on IV antibiotics. I hope this is our last complication for a while and that his counts stay up and he can go back to school toothless! It's kind of ironic because Brad had both his front teeth knocked out around 3 years old so he was always a snaggle tooth too. We'll have to pull out the pictures to compare.

Please pray for no more complications and no more surprises. I am truly maxed out right now and holding on by a thread. Please remember Allen as he adjusts to life without teeth. It will probably be harder on me than him in a few days. He is on pain medicine tonight so please pray that he doesn't feel any pain. Lissa and Pops have Hannah for us (thanks again) and remember poor Hannah as she is sometimes lost in the shuffle with all of this. She has been a real trooper too! On a side note he missed school pictures yesterday so we'll have a whole new Allen for the makeup pictures.

Wednesday, September 6, 2006 3:41 PM CDT

We're home...

We were released from the hospital today because Allen didn't have any fever yesterday. His counts are still nothing (ANC 31). If we were in Memphis we would probably still be in the hospital until counts improved but after Dr. Green spoke with Memphis and let them know they were admitting a bunch of children with pneumonia at St. Francis North it was just best to send Allen home. We are still not out of the woods with his ANC being so low and still in isolation but at least it's at home.

I can't say enough for the care we received from Dr. Green while in the hospital. She went over and above trying to meet all of Allen's needs. We were very impressed and feel good about the situation if fever should arise again. Any other "St. Jude" friends reading this should feel comfortable going to St. Francis North and being under the care of Dr. Green.

We will check counts again on Friday so please pray they are up and Allen can return to "normal" life. We hope he can start back to school next week~he misses his teachers and friends. Please pray for no fever or at least if it's coming to hold off until Sunday when Brad is back home. :)

Tuesday, September 5, 2006 12:46 AM CDT

We are still inpatient but things are looking better! Allen woke up this morning happy, hungry, and ready to play. He really was a different kid this morning. He did run fever all through the night and his ANC is 22(in Memphis they would round to O). His labs look like he is trying to recover and could be turning the corner. The last time they took his temp. it was under 100 which is the first time since Friday afternoon it's been under 100ish.

Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement to get us through this latest hospital stay. Thanks to my wonderful friends who came to my house and cleaned so we would come home to a spotless house~thanks Karen, Erin, & Elizabeth. Thanks to Pops & Lissa who are keeping Hannah for us. Also, to my Aunt Kathy who cleaned out Toys R Us for Allen and has been staying with him so I can get some fresh air every once in a while. Thanks to Allen's River Oaks teachers and friends who sent him presents and are so accommodating to Allen's needs.

Remember we are selling tickets for the pancake breakfast on September 16th at AppleBee's. Karen Tripp, Jeff & Staci Yokum, and Holly Boyd have tickets to sale. Also, thanks to everyone who has donated to TEAM ALLEN for the St. Jude Marathon. We are always so blessed with how our friends and supporters always come through for Allen and all the kids at St. Jude. Please pray Allen's counts recover and no more fever so we can come home!

Saturday, September 2, 2006 8:20 PM CDT

UPDATE #2: Monday, Sept. 4, 2006 8:10 p.m.

Allen and Amie are still in the hospital this Labor Day. All day Sunday, Allen's temperature was down between 99 - 100. He felt so much better! He was laughing and playing games in bed - not at all acting like a sick child. He was even requesting food. Dr. Green gave Amie the OK to get him whatever he wanted to eat outside of the hospital as long as it went with his neutropenic diet.

THEN, last night, Allen's fever went to 103 all night long. It was a LONG night for Allen and Amie. Dr. Green is working closely with Allen's doctors from St. Jude. They decided to change his antibiotic and run more tests.

When I spoke with Amie this morning, she said she felt like they were back at square one. Allen just felt yucky all day long today. The new antibiotic added diarrhea to his bad day also. He did request "shell noodles with butter" for supper. He ate about 10 bites or so.

They are in room 222 at St. Francis North. The hospital has the "Reverse Isolation" sign outside Allen's room so no visitors, please. Allen can have cards, toys, games, and Mylar balloons. I don't really know why the Mylar balloons only, but I do know it is a St. Jude rule when the child is neutropenic/0 ANC. Amie could probably use a few "happies" too!

Thanks for checking in and please continue to pray for Allen and his family!

UPDATE:

This is Karen filling in for Amie tonight as she is presently at St. Francis North with Allen. Allen spiked a fever of 102F Friday evening around 8:00pm. This was not exactly a surprise since his ANC was at 0. (which really means he has no immune system to help him at all)
Amie says the hospital is taking really good care of them and that Dr. Green has gone out of her way to make both of them feel at home - or at least like they are at St. Jude. She even brought Allen toys from her house and brought Amie some magazines to help pass the time. Thanks Dr. Green!
Allen continues to have a 102F temp tonight. Amie says he feels like any other child with that kind of temperature - cruddy and tired. Allen is also in isolation on the second floor because he CANNOT be exposed to any germs right now. Amie says everyone who comes in the room to check on him, doctors and nurses, look like they are headed to surgery- masks and all.
Allen has had alot, and I mean ALOT, of tests run. He even had to be stuck with a needle because they couldn't find the right size needle to access his line. (Dr. Green has also taken care of that little problem too! She has ordered the right size just in case there is another "next time".) Currently nothing is showing in any of cultures and scans. So, Allen continues antibiotics and fluids.

Allen's Army Prayer Warriors: Let's all pray for Allen's health. Our Father Almighty, please heal Allen from this fever and more so - from the cancer. Please continue to be with Brad, Amie, and all of their family as they endure this time in their lives. To You, our Father, we give thanks, praise, and glory forever and ever! Amen

Allen is officially at rock bottom as far as his counts go... ANC ZERO! Allen has only been at zero two other times in the beginning of treatment and we are just shocked that his numbers have been so low the last month. This is very disappointing because Allen has so much going on right now that he is missing. He is missing school, meeting his football player big brother at the pep rally, his first soccer practice, birthday party, and going to the lake to attempt skiing again. He is on a low bacteria diet which means no fast food or eating out, he can't have anything that has been opened for more than an hour (food or drink), and no fresh fruit or vegetables. We just have to pray that he doesn't end up with a fever which is very possible and it would be almost a miracle if we don't end up in the hospital. Also, I am soloing this week because Brad is out of town for ten days. Today I asked Allen what he wanted to do and he said that he just wanted to go to school. Our highlight of the day today was going through the car wash and driving around looking for the tallest building in town. That's about all we can do with his counts.

I just wanted to say thanks to Patrick Thomas for understanding that Allen won't be there tomorrow. Patrick is a senior football player at River Oaks and Allen's big brother. Tomorrow they will be calling the kids to come hang out with their big brother at the pep rally and Allen can't do it this week.

As for the marathon things have really started to roll. I am so impressed with Jeff Yokum one of our Team Allen members who has raised over $1300 for St. Jude. St. Jude has a special place in his heart because his son Austin is a cancer survivor. Austin was diagnosed with retinoblastoma when he was only ten months and now he his nine year old living a happy healthy life. St. Jude really is that amazing! I have fixed the link at the bottom so it�s easier to get to Team Allen's page.

Also, we are having a fundraiser at Applebee's September 16th. It is a pancake breakfast and tickets are on sale now for $5.00. I have tickets to sale and so does Karen Tripp and Jeff & Staci Yokum. This is the morning of the first soccer games so a lot of you will be heading out in that directions. You can come anytime between 8-10 A.M. or pick up to go.

Thanks for checking in on Allen this week! We will be in isolation until at least Tuesday when we check counts again.

Monday, August 28, 2006 10:14 AM CDT

Allen is in procedures right now as I update. I am a little nervous about procedures and chemo this week because his ANC is only 100. They usually don't give chemo if it's under 300 but you just can't skip the spinal chemo. Dr. Pui said all his other numbers indicate that his counts are recovering but I don't know how after he gets hit with really heavy chemo today. Also, I did a major no no yesterday because I thought his counts were fine. We spent the day at the zoo with an ANC of 100. This morning he tried to run fever 100.3 and fever is 100.4. So we need prayers that Allen's counts recover and no fever. It's so weird we went a year with super high counts and now we can't get them up when it's more important now so Allen can go to school. We plan to check counts again on Wednesday in Bastrop and just hope we don't end up in the hospital this week. We are coming home today on Angel Flight...Thanks to Phillip Thomas who flew up down yesterday and picked up our return flight too because no one else had picked it up.

On a lighter note, I did get some really cute pictures at the zoo and we ran into another patient from the hospital to spend the day with.

Thursday, August 24, 2006 11:27 AM CDT

Just wanted to let everyone know Allen is doing fine this week. He had a rough start at school yesterday just getting back into the groove and being really tired after six hours of chemo. Today he walked in happy and was excited about school.

I just wanted to encourage anyone who is thinking about signing up to join Team Allen in the St. Jude marathon to do so or to donate to Team Allen for the kids at St. Jude. To sponsor someone on our team just click the link below and follow directions. It doesn't matter which person you sponsor or really what team you sponsor because all the money goes to St. Jude. Also, if you are thinking about joining you might want to think about booking a hotel room there are rooms with special rates for the runners. I just booked ours at the Wyndham ($69) and the number is 1-901-525-1800 just let them know you�re a participant in the race.

There is a pancake breakfast Saturday (8-10) at Applebee�s but we decided to do this too late and missed the ticket selling. We will go to help serve and help the other local teams but didn't have tickets to sell ourselves for Team Allen. I am sure if you�re out and about they wouldn't turn you away at the door if you came by. There will be another pancake breakfast September 16th and Team Allen will be selling tickets for that one. If you have any fundraising ideas for me please email me and let me know.

Thanks for checking on Allen. I have also added a link to a song called "The Halls of St. Jude" which is a very sweet song about Danny Thomas and the kids at St. Jude.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006 9:56 PM CDT

Check out our pictures from Memphis...

We made it home! First of all Sebastian had clean scans once again! This is more than a miracle for the kind of cancer he has survived (ATRT-brain tumor). We were so glad to be there to celebrate with them. Allen had a little fever Sunday night for about 15 minutes and then it went away and never came back. It was just a fluke thing but he does have a bad cough and nasty cough. They did the whole work up on him and everything came back fine but we had to stay an extra day. It was the one time I was glad to stay because we got to go out Monday night with Andrea and Sebastian.

Monday after they got the good news we went to the trolley station and rode the trolley to eat at Spaghetti Warehouse. After dinner there was a police car in the parking lot and he motioned for the boys to come over and talk. He was so sweet to them and let them play with his loud speaker. The boys thought it was very cool. Then we were planning on taking the trolley back but a nice couple offered to get us a horse and carriage ride back to the hospital. It was so sweet of them and the boys rode up to the Grizzlies House in style...usually the horses don't go that far so it was a real treat. The boys had an awesome time taking in the sights of down town Memphis. Then we went up and got ready for bed but not with out a semi sleepover. We all went over to Sebastian's room in our pjs and watched "the fall down show" aka America's Funniest Videos. It felt so good to sit and listen to the boys just belly laugh together.

Today we had a long day at the hospital (8-5) then caught the shuttle to the airport and got home around 9. Today in assessment triage the nurse asked Allen what face he was on the pain scale...they have smiling faces from happy to sad and ask the little kids to point to how they feel. Allen looked at the nurse and then at me and said "I don't see one with a running nose!" It was pretty cute. The dogs were at the hospital today and Allen was fascinated with the one that looked like the shaggy dog. We ran into a familiar face while in Memphis, Shelbi Wingfield from Monroe. She starts chemo tomorrow so please keep her in your prayers as well. Allen is in bed and hopefully it won't be too hard to get him out of bed in the morning for school. Allen's ANC is still low (700) and will probably be dropping because of chemo he got today so please pray he stays fever free.

Please remember to check out the link below and sponsor Team Allen, Team Jake, Team Korban, or Team Gus in the St. Jude Marathon.If you are thinking about joining the team we would love to have you come run for St. Jude...what could be a better motivator to get in shape than these kids at St. Jude?

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 8:55 AM CDT

Monday Update: We've had a minor setback in Memphis. Allen ran fever last night only for a short time but Dr. Pui wanted him to be fever free for 24 hours before getting his chemo. We'll have to stay another night and wait and see! The good news is Allen feels fine and Sebastian is here with us. We hope to be back in Monroe around 9:00 P.M. Tuesday night.

Sunday Update: We are heading out the door for Memphis please pray for safe airline travel. Also, Sebastian will be having 6 months post chemo scans Monday. Please pray for clean scans. Jake and family are getting ready to battle the beast once again after scans showed more tumors. Please pray for Jake's strength to continue fighting this terrible disease.

Allen's first day of school went wonderful. He was happy and excited. In the car on the way to school he kept telling Hannah she could come in and see his classroom but she wasn't big enough to stay. He walked right in and sat at his desk. He kind of got a little quiet on us but let us leave without any problem. I picked him up and he told me he was ready for rest time. We went to a special lunch at Chili's which he picked out so he could have ribs to eat. Everyone kept calling me to see how I was handling it and I was fine YESTERDAY. I was just so happy for Allen and hoping this would be the beginning for a more normal childhood for him. We were so happy that this day came for Allen. This is a picture of Allen with his sweet teacher Mrs. Warner.

Today we had to get counts checked and chemo BEFORE school which was stressful in itself. To make matters worse Allen's counts were down almost to the point of not being able to go to school. Then I had to rush to get him to school on time, we walked in as the bell was ringing. I was a little teary eyed when I left him today. Thanks to Hannah I had a complete break down. As we were headed to the car she starts screaming and crying for Allen. She kept saying Allen Allen over and over and saying where's Allen? It broke my heart. Hannah got over it quickly after pancakes at McDonalds.

As for the St. Jude Marthon, I have started a team called Team Allen. There is a link at the bottom that will take you to the St. Jude heros website. You can sponsor Team Allen in two ways. You can make a donation to Team Allen which all money goes to St. Jude and is tax deductable. Or you can join Team Allen and run in the marthon,half marthon, or the 5K. Brad and I plan to run/walk in the 5k which will be held in Memphis on December 2nd. If you are interested click the link below then go to sponsor a hero. Next go to the 3rd from the bottom and click on St. Jude Memphis Marthon, Half Marthon, and Memphis Grizzles 5k. Search for a Team and type Team Allen. Click on my name and then you can make a donation. We only have $10 right now which was what it cost to set up the team. If you want to join the team and plan to attend the marthon then go to "sign up" at the top of St. Jude heros page and Join Team Allen. I know this seems confusing and I'm trying to figure out an easier way to get to the Team Allen page. We would love to have you come run with us and support Allen and St. Jude. There are four local teams and we will be having fundraisers soon so I'll keep you posted.

Sunday, August 13, 2006 8:26 PM CDT

We had an awesome time in Williamsburg and Allen decided he just wanted to live with Bastian forever...

I am so glad we went forward with our plans to Williamsburg. It turned out Sebastian was feeling fine but his Dad got the bug too. So we did stay in a hotel 3 of the 4 nights we were there but it didn't stop any original plans. When we got there we drove straight to Great Wolf Lodge which is an amazing indoor water park. The boys played there for two days nonstop. Allen latched on to Xavier, Sebastian's seven year old brother. Allen did every slide in the park with no fear. He loved it! I do think the water park was the highlight for him.

The next day it was raining so we did some indoor activities. We took the boys to Yankee Candles which I thought may take up one hour of the day but we spent 3 hours in there. The boys dipped there own candles, looked at the toy & candy store, and looked around the Christmas room. In the Christmas room it snowed every 15 minutes and Santa Claus was there. Allen signed his name to the good boy list and told Santa he wanted a zip line for Xmas like Sebastian and Diego the cartoon character. Sebastian has a zip line in his back yard and Allen would have been content playing on that all day. Then we went out for lunch and went to the movies to see Barnyard. Then we suited up the boys in rubber boats and went and let them play by the beach of the James River. It was so much fun to watch them all be boys and have fun with no IV poles in sight.

Friday we went to Bush Gardens and Allen was just amazed with everything. We started off in the Land of the Dragons (preschool land) but it wasn't long until Allen wanted more excitement. Allen wanted so badly to ride the BIG rides. He stood by the height chart and was stretching out his neck and on his tip toes trying to pass. It worked! He's about 41 inches and the requirement was 42 inches. The only problem with the big rides were the long lines. We left mid-afternoon and went to take naps. We came back to Bush Gardens that night for more fun...even the moms rode a roller coaster since Jordi (Sebastian's Dad) was feeling better and came with us that evening.

Saturday was Sebastian's birthday party at a build a bear kind of place. They all picked out a bear to stuff, went on a treasure hunt, and played pin the nose on the bear. Then we went to picnic in colonial Williamsburg and walk around sight seeing. We almost ended up in the ER because Allen slammed his thumb in the van door and it was stuck there! It began to swell up immediately and it hurt so bad he wouldn't move it. After the shock wore off he began to move it and cheered up. It is fine now! Then it was off to the airport for a long travel day. The boys did great and we got home late last night or should I say early this morning.

We all had the best time! Allen, Corbin, and Sebastian's friendship is so special and unique. They are all miracles and all are doing so well. It was an awesome feeling to go somewhere with all of them and no one would have guessed in a million years what they have been through. We were normal this week except for the overuse of hand sanitizer. I think the moms had just as good of a time hanging out and loving watching the boys play since we all have seen each other at the lowest points. We want Sebastian's family to come visit us next but we don't have near the entertainment here that they do. Williamsburg is really a cool place to visit and I can't wait to go back.

Tomorrow is a really big day around here too! It is Allen's first day of school. He is starting at River Oaks and is in Pre-K 4. We are so excited and anxious at the same time. We hope his counts will stay high enough for him not to miss much school and keep him fever free. We will post more pictures tomorrow of the big day!

Also, we are going to start a team for the St. Jude marathon. Jake, Corbin, and Gus already have teams going. We are going to jump on the band wagon and help raise money for St. Jude also. Think about joining any of the teams...all the money goes to St. Jude and that's all that matters.

I will post more info about this tomorrow so stay tuned.

Sunday, August 6, 2006 11:24 PM CDT

UPDATE MONDAY: WE ARE WALKING OUT THE DOOR HEADING FOR JACKSON TONIGHT AND WILLIAMSBURG EARLY IN THE MORNING. ALLEN'S ANC WAS 2700!

Trip plans are not going as planned...

We are all ready for our trip (2nd attempt) to Williamsburg to visit Sebastian. Allen & Corbin are ready to roll but we have just found out that Sebastian's family has some sort of "bug" and not feeling well. Heather and I decided that we will go to Williamsburg with the boys but stay at a hotel. We may or may not get to visit with Sebastian depending on if he has been fever free for 48 hours. We are so depressed that it seems like we may not get to spend time or at least as much time with Sebastian and family. With the boys starting school this fall there is no time to reschedule and we already have once. Last time we had to get doctors notes etc. to get credit for our tickets and water park stay. It has happened again that it is now less than 48 hours away and we can't cancel without penalty. Not mention I can not cancel on Allen again. We now also have to rent a car and this trip is turning into the million dollar vacation but it will be worth it if the boys have a good time.

Here's the next bump in the road ... we still have to have Allen's counts checked at 1:00 Monday. Please pray Allen's counts are good, that Sebastian and family get well and no more fever, safe travel, and that I don't get lost driving in Williamsburg. We may come home a little early if it looks like we won't get to see Sebastian but we are going to play everything by ear. I have told Allen that Bastian has fever and he just continues to ask me for how many days and when can he see him. I know Corbin and Allen are going to have a blast I just hope Bastian is able to join us!

On a lighter note, we went to the lake for a quick trip and the boys (ages 4-6) decided they wanted to water ski. Allen has been asking all summer and we have put it off because we just weren�t sure if he was ready. After a couple of tries he was popping out of the water (for about 5-10 seconds) and just couldn�t get enough of it. He kind of got the feel for getting up he just couldn't stay up & balanced. He would have tried all day if we would have let him. The worst part of the whole story is we had three picture taking moms and none of us had our camera. Can you believe that�.

Tuesday, August 1, 2006 3:25 PM CDT

This is a DEX week and so far Allen has done well. He had counts checked today (ANC 2500) and got vincristine. Next week we are planning on going to Virginia to visit Sebastian and Corbin's coming with us. It has been the week after DEX that Allen's counts have fallen. Please pray that his counts hold so we don't have to cancel our trip for the second time. Next week is Allen's last official week of summer because school starts on the 14th. This week he has been going to icky sticky art camp in the mornings. We are practicing dropping him off and leaving for a few hours at a time. He is having a lot of fun at camp.

In the last month or so I have found (or they found us) the other two kids at the hospital with near-haploid leukemia just like Allen. It is so good to know someone with exact diagnosis especially since both of them are doing so well. They are both ahead of Allen in treatment so I am looking forward to following them closely which continues to give me a brighter outlook on the whole situation. In the beginning the doctors kept telling us how rare and bad this diagnosis was but when I see how well everyone is doing at all stages of treatment it does make me feel much better. You can check their sites at tn/rachaeljames and co/patrick.

We are getting so excited about our trip to Williamsburg. We are planning on staying one night at the Great Wolf Lodge which is a resort indoor water park and one day going to Bush Gardens theme park. The next day will be Sebastian birthday party and we are so excited to get to be there for that! I'll update Monday with counts (hopefully high) and when we get back Saturday with lots of pictures. Please continue to remember Jake in your prayers. He may get to come home-home soon ~ way to go Jake!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 1:27 PM CDT

We tried to lay low last week...at least until Friday. Allen had a birthday party to go to on Friday and we had to get ready for Hannah's party on Sunday. Hannah had a hula girl party at the MAC pool and it was so much fun for Hannah and Allen. They have everything there from a big pool, baby pool, water sprinkler park, and swing set park. Hannah did it all and was not happy when it was time for her party to end.

Allen & I had to leave very early Monday morning so we could get labs done before clinic. Allen did great with his Buddy access and his counts are finally good again (ANC 2400). We didn't see Dr. Pui in clinic because he was upstairs with a new patient and thought we had avoided the Dr. Pui drill. Michelle, our NP, is always so upbeat and positive. However, we saw Dr. Pui in the cafeteria and he came and sat down and ate lunch with us. I watched as he scanned our table looking at what we were eating. He asked me about his counts and medicine. He looked Allen over pretty good and asked him about his eye. Allen and a piece of furniture got into a fight and he has a small black eye. I tried to make "intelligent" small talk but Dr. Pui is not much on small talk.

Allen had his teeth cleaned and had no cavities. Then we were off to the medicine room for six hours. Luckily Allen had some friends come by for visits and Jake was our medicine room neighbor just across the hall. It has been over four months since Allen has seen Jake awake. Allen was so excited and it was hard for him to understand that Jake still wasn't feeling like running around...he's working on it. Allen had a master plan for all of us to go to the movies that night so we all loaded up after medicine room and went (Allen, me, Jake, Staci, Don, and Jin) to see Monster House. Monster House is a PG cartoon that Allen was begging to go see. We asked the lady at the ticket booth if it was okay for 4 year olds and she said "they'll love it" I don't think she's actually seen the movie nor has a four year old. Monster House, hence the name, was quite scary for Allen the man with the plan. Jake watched the whole thing without flinching...what do expect from the bravest boy in the world. Allen watched the movie one of two ways. Either it was one hand over his eye and one hand eating popcorn on the not so scary parts or with his white blanket totally over his head and his hands on his ears. There were some funny parts to it that help ease the tension. I was scared we might have a long night but he went right to sleep and never talked about it again...thank goodness.

We are so lucky to have amazing friends. Staci and Don are so sweet to us they picked us up this morning and brought us to the airport. Thanks to Lissa who kept Hannah yesterday and India who keep her this morning. We don't have much going on this week except for tomorrow is Hannah's official birthday...they are both growing up too fast.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:23 PM CDT

We had Allen's counts checked today in Bastrop and they are still a little low (ANC 450). Allen's counts have bottomed out the last two times he has had a spinal procedure. When Dr. Mike talked to St. Jude they said they have been seeing a trend like this with a lot of kids so next time Allen has procedures they will give him a rescue drug to try to prevent his counts from dropping so low. He was able to get his chemo this week and back on his oral chemo at home. I wanted to say a special thanks to Nurse Peggy at Morehouse General Hospital who is always so accommodating to us and so sweet to Allen. Peggy he loves his "boom box" he picked from the treasure chest. We have been dancing all day!

Allen has not let low counts slow him down. Last night he spent the night with Pops & Lissa. Tonight, he is staying across the street at Sara Kate's house. It has been the perfect week for him to be a social butterfly because Brad is out of town this week for work. We are spending the rest of the week getting ready for Hannah's birthday party this weekend. I can't believe she is about to be two!!!

Please remember Corbin who has scans tomorrow and Jake who is still inpatient trying to get off his oxygen so he can come home. Here are some more beach pictures�.

Sunday, July 16, 2006 11:11 PM CDT

**check out beach pictures**
Sorry for no update last week, but I didn't really know what to say. Monday we were all packed beach bound with a quick stop in Bastrop for counts to be checked and chemo then a bump in the road. Allen's counts were very low and he couldn't get chemo and really shouldn't have gone to the beach. Brad and I made an executive decision that we would press on....we couldn't punish him for having leukemia. This would have been the second trip this summer cancelled to low counts and we still haven't recovered fully from not going to visit Sebastian. We decided we would be very cautious and if St. Jude wanted his counts rechecked in the middle of the week we would find a way (either an er in Florida or come home early). After Dr. Mike talked with them they decided it could wait and we didn't have to worry about finding a doctor/nurse in Florida. We just had to watch for fever!!!

I was a little uptight the beginning of the trip but then I was able to "forget" his counts were low. We stopped on our way down in Mobile to visit with Cole Tanner and his family. We became very close to them at St. Jude and it had been forever since we last saw them. Cole is finished with treatment and he is doing awesome. We got to the beach Monday night and the kids were ready to go. We went with two other families and there were six kids total. It was so wild but so much fun.

Allen felt great all week. He got tired a little faster than the other boys but he hung in there. We tried to take there picture all dressed in white but this is the best I got of four of the kids.

Allen and Owen decided they didn't want to take pictures and went and jumped in the ocean instead. The boys boogie boarded and rode the waves in a little blow up boat.

Allen got hit with a wave and came running back screaming "the pepper, the pepper" instead of salt. There was a high school age boy who played soccer with the boys one day forever. We were so grateful because that afternoon they all took a great nap! This was Allen's first time to get into the ocean. We went for a long weekend last year but he had his line and couldn't get wet. It was Hannah's first beach trip and she did great after the first few hours of getting use to it.

Also, tonight I rebooked our trip to Williamsburg. Corbin & Heather Gulde are coming with us and we'll be there for Sebastian�s birthday party...keep your fingers crossed and pray that all three boys are feeling super when we go August 8th. Corbin has scans this Wednesday and if all goes as planned he'll get his port out. Please remember Jake, he is recovering from a procedure that removed two tumors in his lungs and seems to be doing well.

So it turned out our bump in the road turned out only to be a pebble. I just couldn't break Allen's heart again. After we cancelled our Williamsburg trip he kept asking me why he had to have "kemia"? I am so glad we trusted our gut and let Allen be a little boy for a week. We will have all counts check again on Tuesday in Bastrop.

Tuesday, July 4, 2006 10:35 PM CDT

Happy 4th to everyone...we have seen enough fireworks to last us until next year!

Last Friday, we went to the Jungle Gym with Corbin and Nathan Gulde. Allen & Corbin are always so happy to see each other. Heather brought me their Disney pics to look at and gave me some good advice for when we go on Allen's make a wish trip. I couldn't get a good picture of all four of the kids but Hannah was sweet on Nathan once again.

Allen & I flew to Memphis Sunday for his procedures on Monday. We went straight to the hospital to have buddy accessed and unfortunately it hurt this time. It was a traumatic for Allen and the nurse had a hard time getting his dressing on because he was crying and wiggling. He finally calmed down and I was able to cheer him up with a trip to Chuckie E. Cheese. Thanks so much to Staci Raborn who let us borrow their car to take Allen to have some fun. We tried to let Allen visit with Jake but both times we went by he was sleeping. As we were leaving Chuckie's we saw awesome fireworks and had a great view from the parking lot. After we got back and getting ready for bed I noticed Allen's dressing had come off so I called the medicine room and we had to go back to the hospital. This shouldn't have been a big deal but Allen was already jumpy because of earlier and it took 3 nurses to hold him to change his dressing.

Monday morning we saw Dr. Pui and had procedures. Allen's counts are good but low for him (ANC 1200) and his hemoglobin was low also. Everyone was running ahead of schedule and we got done so early we were able to catch an earlier flight home. We got to visit with Will, Allison, and Anne Reagan while waiting for our ride to the airport. Will went into the gift shop and bought Allen a Louisiana bear and balloon. Thanks Will~ Allen hasn't put the bear down except when he's swimming. Ear infection is all cleared up so we got the okay to get back in the water. Allen is on DEX this week and so far he's been okay.

We got in from Memphis and drove straight to the lake and surprised everyone. We made it in time for dinner and then fireworks. Allen rode in the boat with Pops & Lissa to go watch the fireworks on the lake. Today we got up and went tubing. Allen has gotten brave and now he's "falling" off the tube. He pretends he is falling when really he starts wiggling to the side and lets go while the boat is still pulling him. He loves it! We had the big annual 4th of July lunch at Miss Tut's camp and then swimming and tubing again.

We left the lake just in time to make it to Monroe for the firework display they had. We drove over to the park and just watched from the car.

We will lay low the rest of the week mainly because of DEX but also to get ready for our beach vacation. We will leave to go the beach Monday right after Allen has his chemo in Bastrop. Please remember Jake in your prayers...as well as all the kids at St. Jude.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 12:10 AM CDT

We've been to Memphis and back in less than 24 hours which may be a record. Thanks so much to Bob Smith who flew us down and Edwards Barham who flew us home with Angel Flight. It is so nice to be there only a short time and then get back home to our "normal" life.

Allen's ANC was a little high (3300) but they weren't too concerned since it's been perfect lately. Allen does have an ear infection which means more medicine. This week of treatment is usually our easy week as far as medicine only Septra for three days but we have now added two more on top of that for the week. Allen can't swim until we have his ear checked again next week when we go back. Yes, we have to go back next week for Allen's spinal procedure. Yuck! We hate that we are not going to be able to have a long weekend at the lake. Instead we are going to have a garage sale~even bigger yuck~ but it must be done we are busting at the seams over here. Our kids have so many toys they don't even know where to start! I am saving Allen's room last to tackle because he has the most stuff to go through.

We did get to visit with many of our friends while in Memphis. I got to go visit Jake and his parents for a while. Thanks to Joan Boyer who watched Allen for me at the computers while I went to see the Raborns. Jake is looking great and Staci & Don seemed to have a little more spunk who wouldn't after getting to hold Jake after what must have seemed to be an eternity. We are so happy for them and ask everyone to continue to pray for Jake to regain his strength. Allen had fun playing with Austin & Trey who came to visit him in the medicine room.

Thanks for your continued support. Check out new pictures!

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 1:06 AM CDT

Not a whole lot to report...Allen is still feeling great. He had chemo this morning in Bastrop and did great with getting buddy accessed. We used a lot of numbing cream and it worked. His counts are right where they need to be. We went to see the movie Cars with some of Allen's friends today and tomorrow he is going to "camp" at the children's museum from 9-12. It's just a couple of hours but we have to start getting ready for big boy school and begin venturing out a little. We have to go back to Memphis this Sunday and are still hoping to get an Angel Flight. Hopefully it will work out but if not we'll drive which we haven't had to do in a long time.

Please remember all of Allen's friends at St. Jude. It seems so much is going on with everyone right now. Will (ms/will) is off to real camp for a week and was a little nervous, Spencer (visit/spencerboyer)is having a bunch of test run later in the week, Corbin (la/corbin) is off in LA being a movie star for St. Jude, and Jake (la/jakeowen) who is turning the corner and making amazing progress. He's so close to coming off the vent! Way to go Jake!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 12:14 AM CDT

We made it home from our trip late Sunday night and had a restful & relaxing time in Miami. Pops & Lissa didn't have a restful time with Allen on DEX. Thanks so much for keeping them especially during that medicine. Allen had his last t-ball game Saturday but wasn't really up for it. He didn't want to play the field. When he went to bat, he hit the ball ran to first and then straight into the dugout.

Yesterday we just spent the day getting organized again and then went swimming at the MAC for about four hours! We got to go out to lunch with Corbin Gulde which was a treat for all of us. The boys light up when they see each other. Last night Allen & Brad were grilling and when Hannah & I came outside Allen said, "Kitties, run for your life. Here comes Hannah" and he was right. It really gave us all a good laugh.

Allen had his counts checked this morning and they were great (ANC 2200). For some reason the numbing cream didn't work at all and Allen screamed in pain. We all couldn't figure it out. Allen was trying very hard to be brave but it just hurt so badly and we all knew it. We will put extra cream on his buddy next but I am scare we might be back at square one because he's going to be nervous. The kids are resting right now and then it's off to the pool.

Please remember Jake in your prayers. This is a big week as they begin trying to wean him from the vent. Also, we are saddened to learn that Jacob (fl/jacob) and Will (ky/will) passed away yesterday. We didn't know either family personally but by following these kids site you feel like you have known them forever. Please continue to remember all the St. Jude kids in your prayers.

Wednesday, June 7, 2006 2:15 PM CDT

Allen's counts are right where they need to be this week (ANC 1150). He did great getting buddy accessed. This is a DEX and Vincristine week. After about a day of this medicine he just doesn't feel good. He has been complaining of hurting all over which the Vincristine causes bone pain. The DEX makes him "grumpy" and impatient. It also makes him look sick with red swollen eyes. Today he has petty much stayed in my bed watching cartoons and having his meals served to him. He is eating nonstop which is another side effect of the DEX.

We have been going to the pool everyday. Allen is doing so great with his swimming! I am so proud of him! Here is a picture of Hannah pretending that Allen is a "horsey" which couldn't last long because she was sinking Allen.

Tomorrow, Brad & I will be going to Miami Beach for a weekend trip he won with his company. The kids will be staying with Pops & Lissa. Please pray for Pops & Lissa especially since this is a DEX week. Hopefully he will be super sweet for them!

Please remember Jake in your prayers! Check out his site at www.caringbridge.org/la/jakeowen

Sunday, June 4, 2006 8:42 PM CDT

Allen is feeling so great right now! His hair is growing in at record speed and it won't be long before he needs a haircut. Allen has loved his kittens. We even brought them to his t-ball game on Friday. If you were at the t-ball game one of the kittens names has been changed. The kittens are officially Sam and Klicker. Allen's t-ball team is named the PT Klickers so that's where we got the name Klicker and as you know Sam came to Allen in his dreams. He still hasn't completely warmed up to picking them up yet but that's ok because they are over stimulated by Miss Priss (Hannah). Allen's t-ball season is coming to a close with only two more games left! He has another game tomorrow at 6:30.

We went to the lake after the game and had a super weekend other than Allen getting a HUGE splinter in his toe. Dr. Mike had to do minor surgery to get it out and it was very traumatic for all of us. Allen didn't take his crocs off the rest of the weekend. He had another lake milestone this weekend and went tubing alone. It didn't take long before he was screaming faster and trying to go over the wake! Maybe he'll be skiing by the end of the summer...stay tuned.

Usually this is a Memphis week for us but because Allen's MRD was negative he only has to have spinals every 8 weeks instead of 4. So we get to have chemo in Bastrop three weeks in a row, but this is a DEX week. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Please continue to keep Jake and his family in your prayers. Also, pray that Allen's toe heals without any complication. It hard to believe we worry about splinters! Please pray that Allen's counts stay within normal range so we can continue having a great summer!

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 10:58 PM CDT

Kitty Update: Allen was so excited about the new black kittens. He keeps saying how cute they are and how he has a pet now. He only wants to hold it with the "kitty towel" around it because of its claws. Hannah,on the other hand, has no fear. I fear for the kittens with Hannah. Allen said he dreamed he had a cat named Sam so that's what he named his kitten. We would love to name the other kitten something that goes cute with Sam. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Sorry for the lack in updates... we have been having fun at the lake and then a quick trip and back to Memphis. First the fun, we went down to Lake Bruin on Thursday night after Allen's t-ball game which was great. We drove late so we didn't waste anytime on Friday. We went down with two families which included Allen's friends~Sara Kate, Addie, Owen, & Thomas. We had six wild children but it was so much fun. We couldn't resist and had to buy the kids a new "toy" for the lake which was a water trampoline and slide. It was of course a huge success and we got our money out of it in one weekend. This was a big weekend for Allen at the lake because last year we didn't go much because we were in Memphis and he couldn't swim because of his line. It didn't take him anytime to warm up to it. He was actually the first one in swimming around and by the end of the weekend tubing and jumping off the pier. It was awesome to see how much fun he was having without a care in the world and he felt great the whole weekend.

We left the camp Monday at lunch, ran home and repacked, then headed off to the airport. Our flight was delayed but we finally made it to Memphis. Allen's counts are high (ANC 3500) and Dr. Pui expressed once again how he didn't like high counts. It has been about two months since we actually seen Dr. Pui because he's been out of town every time we're in town. Allen warmed up to him quickly and acted happy to see him again. I, of course, got grilled on what meds, how much, and what time (Dr. Pui patients know what I'm talking about).

We went up to the ICU waiting room twice today to visit Jake's family. The first time I got to spend some time with Staci and catching up on things. While we were there we met a new family who was waiting while their daughter got her line placed a day after being diagnosed with ALL. It brought back a lot of memories but they seemed a whole lot more together than I was on that day.

Speaking of holding it together, I don't know how the Raborns do it. They are so strong! My afternoon visit to ICU was with Jin and Mo and there was definitely a different mood. Things have gotten even more serious and everyone just has to pray and believe in Jake. If any kid can do it ...it's Jake. It was then we decided to have Hayden fly home with us so he could make his baseball game and be a kid for a few days. It broke my heart to see him crying as he left ICU after saying bye to his mom and Jake. I meant it when I said I would drive him back as soon as he was ready~ so Mo let me know! Hayden is so sweet to Allen (so is Hunter) and just treated him like he would Jake. They laughed and giggled on the plane ride home and I think it was good for both of them. When praying for Jake please remember his brothers as well they are struggling and are having to grow up to fast dealing with cancer.

Today, I also learned that a little boy in California with the exact diagnosis as Allen died Thursday. Nicolas is the only person we have come in contact with that had near haploid ALL. He was diagnosed only three months earlier than Allen and was six years old. I "met" this family through the caringbridge world and his mom and I communicate through email from time to time. I knew he wasn't doing well but it doesn't make the new any easier to hear.

Also, a special thanks to Grace Episcopal sixth grade class who honored Allen by writing him short stories and making donations. Sorry Allen was so shy when we came to visit. We are honored to have a whole new group become a part of Allen's Army.

Sorry for the long update and check out new pictures!
Pray for Jake! www.caringbridge.org/la/jakeowen

P.S. ~ Allen had a big surprise waiting on him when we got home tonight but was too tired. Allen is now a proud pet owner of two black kittens. I'll update more after we see his reaction. He's been begging to get a kitten for months.

Monday, May 22, 2006 11:35 AM CDT

I just had to add to today's entry and let everyone know(and see) how much fun Allen had today. Even though Allen has been sick he is still all boy and a sneaky big brother...just look for yourself.

Don't feel sorry for Hannah...she can hang!

Allen's t-ball game was great! Allen ran after EVERY ball even if it was across the field. He was just excited to be outside and running. He did get some hits and scored two times! He has another game this Thursday then it's off to the lake!

Counts are up....t-ball game here we come! Allen had a mini meltdown going to the hospital today to get counts checked but after we told him counts were up he was all smiles. He is so excited to play in his game tonight, go swimming, and play with his friends. After getting counts checked today we made a stop by the toy store and bought a sprinkler that he is getting his swim suit on right now! We are looking forward to a week full of fun with our friends and are heading to the lake this weekend with some of Allen's friends. We do have to go to Memphis on Monday so we won't get a long weekend but we're just happy to be able to enjoy anytime with our friends.

Thanks for thinking of Allen and remembering all our friends at St. Jude especially Jake.

Thursday, May 18, 2006 12:33 AM CDT

Counts are still very low! Allen's ANC today is 117 which means we are still in prison at home.We have rented everything at Blockbuster to keep our minds off things. He is starting to show some signs of low counts meaning he's a little sluggish and just doesn't feel quite right. He doesn't want to go outside and play right now not even to ride his four wheeler.

Allen will have to miss his t-ball game Saturday. He has another game on Monday so we are going to recheck counts Monday to see where we stand and if he can go to the game. It's going to be a long weekend at home not to mention Brad has to go out of town tomorrow until Tuesday. Please, Please pray for no fever...I will have my hands full without having to add a hospital stay to the picture.

Thanks for remembering Allen and our family this week. Please remember Jake..he is having some more big test this week. Thanks!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 11:37 AM CDT

I have not been this disappointed in a long time...Allen's counts are NOT good and our trip has been cancelled for now. I can't even tell you how sad I am and how hard Allen cried when I told him his counts were too low (ANC 88) to go visit Bastian.

Forever we have not planned anything in advance because we were afraid to upset Allen. His counts have been so high �why did this happen this week? I don�t tell Allen about birthday parties or anything fun until the day of so he won�t ever know if he misses something. I didn�t start working this trip up until a few days ago and he has felt great I just don�t know how his counts can be so low. I was even beginning to feel comfortable where we were in treatment and starting to feel like we have control of our lives again and can be normal. This is just a slap in the face that cancer stills rules our lives.

I know I shouldn�t be whining about a trip when Jake and some of our friends are fighting for their lives right now. It is just so hard to make a four year understand and he shouldn�t have too. We hope we will be able to go visit later in the summer and maybe even stay longer. Sebastian and his family are leaving for Spain for a month next week so it will have to be sometime at the end of June before we can make it up to the boys. We will have counts checked again on Thursday and please pray for no fever that would really do me in at this point. Also, it�s going to be a long couple of days until counts come back we are basically stuck at home without company. Please remember Jake today he has a MRI that needs to be clean.

Monday, May 15, 2006 10:35 PM CDT

It actually happened...Allen had (played) his first T-ball game. We have been in Memphis for every game except one that got rained out. Tonight practice paid off for Allen. It is t-ball but the coach throws three pitched balls to see if they can hit it without the tee to get them ready for when they move up. Allen hit all three times he went to bat without the tee. He got on base twice and scored two points. He was all smiles and kept checking the crowd to see who was cheering for him. He thought everyone was there just for him. Allen had so much fun and was very proud of himself. The game was very funny and I don't have many pictures because I was filming the whole game. I did get some pictures so check out the photo page.

Tomorrow night Allen and I leave for a BIG trip we have been talking about forever. We are flying to Williamsburg, VA to visit Sebastian. Allen and "the Bastian" (as Allen calls him) were best friends at RMH. Andrea & I hit it off too. We will drive to Jackson tomorrow and fly out early Wednesday morning. Thanks to the McAbee's who are letting us spend the night Tuesday. We are going to take the boys to the Great Wolf Lodge which is an indoor water park. I think Allen is going to flip out with excitement and I know there will be tears when we leave. Friday, we are going to Bush Gardens for the day and I'm sure will have the same reaction. I can't wait to see how happy they both are playing and not worrying about changing buddy or taking a bunch of medicine. At the RMH our playtime was scheduled around doctors visits, medicine room, transfusions, etc.. This trip is all about the boys just having fun. We will come back to Monroe on Saturday.

Allen has chemo and counts checked tomorrow morning. Please pray for good counts so we won't have to worry about fever on our trip. Also, remember Jake in your prayers. He is having more scans to check his status and the Raborns need good news. Thanks for checking on Allen!

Friday, May 12, 2006 9:16 PM CDT

No more DEX for a couple of weeks at least... We made it through the week and it's been a long week. Allen has not felt great this week but it didn't slow him down much. Today we went to watch the Jack Hayes talent show. Thanks India for watching Hannah for me! It was always the highlight of the school year and it was nice to visit with friends, students, and parents. Allen sat in my lap for the most part covered up with his blankie but cheered up when he saw his #3 girl Courtnee (a sixth grader). We also made a stop by Cameron's classroom and Allen just made himself at home acting silly in front of the whole class. Cameron is over now having a sleep-over.

Check out the new website listed on the link below...it is a slide show I had made for all my St. Jude friends for Mother's Day. I wanted to do it so I put some feelers out there in cyber space seeing how much this little project would cost me and happened upon www.dvdphotographs.com. They offered to do it for free and make copies for all the moms. Then as if that wasn't enough he has put it on his website so all of our caringbridge friends can watch it. It is so special to me because most of us in the dvd celebrated Mother's Day in Memphis last year together. These families have become some of our very close friends and it's hard to imagine that we all found each other at St. Jude even the Raborns & Guldes who are from Monroe/West Monroe. After you watch the slideshow check out the whole website...maybe you need a dvd for Father's Day or wedding video. They did such a great job and I would recommend their work to anyone. Thanks so much to Mike Yared and his team at dvdphotographs. You made this Mother's Day very special!

P.S. - You made need a tissue!

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 8:23 AM CDT

I JUST GOT THE CALL FROM ST. JUDE THAT ALLEN'S MRD IS NEGATIVE!!! WE ARE SO HAPPY AND NOW READY TO START THE NEXT PHASE OF TREATMENT WITH LESS VISITS TO MEMPHIS! THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS!

We're home and the preliminary results look fine. We should know more by next Monday. Allen's ANC is perfect this week (1700). We were able to do a lot of fun things since we had Andrea and Erin there with their car. Sunday, we went to the zoo and watched the polar bears which is a new exhibit at the zoo. Monday, Allen was sedated for procedures but finished early. So he slept if off and then by 2:00 we were off having more fun. We went to run a few errands and then it was off to Chuck E. Cheese. We started DEX on Monday and by Tuesday it was already affecting Allen's mood. Then he had to be sedated again for MRI and wasn't himself the rest of the trip. This morning he was still grumpy so this may be a hard week of DEX.

I did get to visit with Staci, Gin Gin, and Jake. It was a very hard visit because Jake does feel so bad. He just sleeps most of the time but I was glad to get to visit with Staci. Please pray for the doctors to ANSWERS THEIR QUESTIONS. It seems they just don't have any answers which has to be so frustrating and hard. If you don't check Jake's site already you should check it out and drop them some encouragement in their guest book.

Thanks for thinking of us!

Saturday, May 6, 2006 3:47 PM CDT

*Check out the new pictures from Friday's Relay for Life. Also, check the link to look at Easter Egg Hunt pictures.*

I wanted to thank some of my friends from high school who have donated a wagon to St. Jude in honor of Allen. We'll be on the look out for Allen's wagon. He's going to flip out when he sees his name on it but he might have a hard time understanding if someone else is riding in it. Also, thanks for the Target card. I will take Allen to pick out a celebration toy after our trip with the results we are expecting. Thanks to Anne Jane, Catherine, Katie R., Katie W., Jennifer, Margot, Talmadge, Lisa, Tracy, and Ellen!

Allen has had a great week and is feeling great. Allen has had fun playing with his friends. Friday they made a slip-n-slide without the slide just mud, grass, and rain. Can I tell you how much we love the new buddy? Allen can play in the rain puddles just like his friends.

Friday night we went to Relay for Life in Bastrop. Allen did the first lap with another honored survivor. He just held Ms. Mary's hand and walked the track with her. She was so sweet she even ran some of the track with him because he kept trying to explain to her this was a race and they needed to run to win. American Cancer Society has been so good to us and we can't thank them enough. Thanks for all the presents for everyone!

Today was supposed to be Allen's first t-ball game but it was rained out. The team had a game last week when we are in Memphis and will have another this week while we're in Memphis. Allen won't have HIS first game now until May 15! I hope we can still keep him interested until then.

We leave for Memphis at 2:00 tomorrow by Angel Flight. This will be a big couple of days for Allen with his MRD test and MRI of the brain. He will be sedated two days in a row for these test. Also, our friend Will is having the same test this week. He is also in week 48 of treatment. Jake still needs our prayers and his whole family needs our prayers. Our friend Spencer is not feeling well and is down in the dumps about having cancer and all. He's older and so it must be really hard because he understands what is happening and what he's missing. Spencer's site is www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerboyer. We will be home Tuesday evening and we hope to have at least the preliminary results by then. We will also be getting our schedule for the next year and hope the trips to Memphis become less frequent. We'll let you know as soon as we know something. Thanks for remembering Allen and all the kids at St. Jude in your prayers.

Tuesday, May 2, 2006 6:40 PM CDT

**I just added a link to look at pictures from the big Easter Egg Hunt!**

Quick update:
We needed to send out a special thanks for the wonderful vacation we had last week. Thanks you Pops and Lissa for everything you do! I know keeping two kids under five for six days is tough, but you did a great job as always. You've come to our rescue numerous times over the last year and we love you for that! Thanks for the great trip!

You have Brad and I had a great trip! We relaxed and I stayed away from all the caringbridge sites for almost a whole week. That was really hard! I couldn't stand it the last night we were there and ordered the internet through the tv just to check on our friends. Jake still needs your prayers and has been inpatient for a long time and I know it is getting harder to be there each day. Carmen is having her BMT on Wednesday so please add her to your list of prayers too! She will have to stay inpatient anywhere from 4-8 weeks!

We flew in last night around 9:00 P.M. and Allen and I flew to Memphis this morning at 6:00 A.M. Yes, it has been a very long day! Allen's counts are sky high for the second week in a row (ANC 4400). He will have his big test next Monday...we a praying for his MRD to be negative. I haven't run into anyone whose has not had a negative MRD in week 48 so that is good. Although all the research we have read said that many near haploid patients relapse between months 10-15. Allen is in month 15 of treatment so I will be glad when it is behind us!

Allen did great with getting buddy accessed this morning. We were very surprised to run into Sebastian in Memphis today. He was here for an unschedule MRI but thank goodness it was all clear. They gave me a pretty good scare and it sent me into a tail spin. Today has been hard on both of us most likely because we're tired but I have been a basket case today. Allen has cried all day about not wanting to be at the hospital, it's no fun, he just wants to go home, he wants to sleep in his bed, etc... He's never acted like this before while in Memphis but I think it's just getting a little old. I hope this was a one time thing and next week will be better. We'll have Andrea (our old nanny who moved) coming up to Memphis to spend some time with us so that will make Allen very happy.

We will be headed back home in the morning. I am so glad! I had a guilty feeling all day about coming home and seeing Hannah for about half hour and then not being there when she woke up today. Thanks so much to my Aunt Kathy who comes through for us every time we need someone to keep Hannah! We should be home around lunch and then on Sunday we'll turn right back around and head back to Memphis. Thanks for remembering Allen and all his friends in your prayers.

Sunday, April 23, 2006 9:25 PM CDT

Update Tuesday:
Allen did terrific today getting buddy accessed. He did not shed a tear or even whimper. He sat in the chair in my lap and I didn't have to hold his hands away or anything. I am still shocked! His counts are high again (ANC 3000) but that makes me a little less fearful about leaving the country and not having to worry about him getting fever.

Brad & I are packing and you can tell we haven't been on a vacation in a while. We have two HUGE suitcases stuffed full! We leave early in the morning and come home Monday night. Then not even 12 hours later Allen and I will turn around and fly to Memphis on the 2nd. We are flying commerical because I couldn't cordinate phone calls while in Mexico. We are hoping to get an Angel flight for the next week when we go back for Allen's MRD. Please remember Pops & Lissa in your prayers as they tackle the kids!

Allen had a busy week and he was a little run down by the end of the week. Allen went swimming almost everyday last week and had t-ball practice two days. He and Hannah both had a pretty nasty cough. Friday morning Allen woke up screaming that his ear was hurting so off we went to Bastrop to have Pops take a look at his ear. It wasn't infected but Allen didn't feel good. He didn't get off the couch the whole day and ran low temperture. When I told him he had a little fever he broke down crying saying he really wanted to go to the race (Relay for Life).

When it was time to get ready for Relay he perked up but the weather took a turn for the worse. We were going rain or shine! Relay for Life was delayed about an hour because of rain but once it got started there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky! Brad did a great job speaking in front of all those people but Allen was not too excited about standing on stage with us. Then after the speeches it was off for the survior victory lap and Allen led the way on his four wheeler! It was so cute and Corbin was right behind him on his John Deer Gator. We later heard there was a rumor going around about the little boy TWIN surviors. They did look like twins that night! The American Cancer Society gave Allen a huge bucket full of swimming toys and he can't wait to bring them all to the pool. We ended up staying until 10:00 and got home just in time to see Allen and his friends Sara Kate, Thomas, and Owen on TV. Thanks to everyone who came out to support Allen and the Cancer Society in the not so great weather!

Saturday, was Corbin's big party for No More Chemo, late birthday, and off to Disney World party. The kids had a great time! Allen & Corbin just love each other and we have to get them together more often. Today, Brad took Allen and his friends (and dads) fishing at the Green's House in Mer Rouge. Brad said they could keep the bait on the hooks fast enough they were catching so many fish.

We have chemo this week on Tuesday in Bastrop! Allen also has swimming and t-ball Tuesday. Brad and I are leaving for Cabo on Wednesday. He won a trip through his work and we are so excited to get away from everything. It is a little nerve racking to think we will be out of the country if something happened but I am sure everything will be fine. The kids are staying with Pops and Lissa while we're gone and then they will need a vacation!

I will update about Allen's counts Tuesday! Please remember Jake in your prayers. He is still in ICU but seems to be showing signs of improvement!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 10:11 PM CDT

Our life is so busy and NORMAL right now... we are loving it! Allen did great this week with his chemo and getting buddy accessed. He was very brave and it is getting a little easier every time. His counts are exactly where they need to be this week - ANC 1300. We thought they would be higher just coming off DEX but we'll take it! We are hoping that this latest medicine increase has done the trick and his counts stay where they need to stay.

Monday we went for a long walk and bike ride to Lexington School to play on their new playground equipment. Sara Kate and Allen rode their bikes and we pushed the babies. Later in the day I clocked it in my car to see how far they rode and it was 2.2 miles which is a long way for four year old legs to pedal.He'll be ready to take his lap at Relay for Life this Friday. I can't believe Allen's endurance. He is so strong it just amazes me.

Tuesday we had chemo and then swimming lessons about 2 hours after chemo. His swimming teachers couldn't believe how great he felt and how much energy he had. He was actually bouncing off the walls he was so excited. He is getting more comfortable in the water and will be ready to hang with his friends at the MAC this summer. Thanks Katrina for working with Allen! He just adores you!

He also had his first t-ball practice Tuesday night. We had to go out and buy him some cleats so he could run fast in the dirt. They are so cute out there and don't have a clue what is going on. Many of the kids on his team go to River Oaks or will be going next year just like Allen. He will have ten games, but we already know he'll miss two right off the bat because of trips to Memphis.

We go back to Memphis on May 2nd for Allen's long chemo day. Then we go back on the 7-9 for his big week of test which we need his MRD to continue to be negative. Corbin is having scans this week so please pray that all his results are perfect. Please continue to pray for Jake who is still in the ICU at St. Jude. Relay for Life is this Friday and starts at 6:00 at Sterlington High School. Everyone is welcome and there will be lots of games and activities for the kids. We hope to see you there!!!

Tonight I told Allen to go get his PJ's on and this is how he came back. He is so full of life and he makes me laugh all the time.

Sunday, April 16, 2006 11:07 PM CDT

Hope everyone had a happy Easter! We sure did! Allen had a very busy week and did great even on DEX. He was invited to go to the Pre-K 4 River Oaks Easter Egg hunt at Elizabeth's house on Wednesday and had a great time.

Then on Friday, Lissa had a HUGE egg hunt for Allen and Hannah and all their friends. There were about 33 kids there and about 90 people if we counted correctly. We had about 1,000 eggs and lots of fun.

Saturday, we had a crawfish boil and egg hunt at night with flashlights at Sara Kate's house.

Then today the Easter bunny left a lot of stuff (mini Christmas), hunted more eggs, church, lunch at Gamaw's, NAP, "jaybirds" playing in the water in the backyard, then dinner with Nana and Papa Joe. As Allen put it, "Today was a big day!"

We really out did our Easter festivities this year, but Allen has come a long way since last Easter. We were living at the Ronald McDonald House last Easter. He felt terrible last year and didn't enjoy hunting eggs or even the Easter bunny prizes. We made up for it this year in a big way!

This Friday is Relay for Life at Sterlington High School's track and Allen will lead the survior lap. There will be lots of carnival games for the kids from 6-10 P.M. and it should be a ton of fun all for a great cause the American Cancer Society.

Thanks for checking on Allen! Please remember Corbin as he goes back for scans this week. Also, Jake is still in ICU recovering from his 2nd brain surgery in two weeks and dealing with some side effects of his transplant also. Hope you enjoy the pictures from Easter and thanks to everyone who drove to Bastrop for the egg hunt!

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 11:20 AM CDT

Twenty-six hours later we are home from Memphis. Allen and I had a very easy laid back trip. We flew up using Angel Flight and had two great flights. Thanks so much to Mr. Claude and Mr. Mike for flying us...we appreciate it so much. Also, thanks so much to Mr. Mike for the Easter basket full of goodies. Allen loved it!

Allen's counts are perfect this week (ANC 1800) ..go figure. Allen's procedure went well and I have to tell you how silly he is. He got this remote control woopie cushion and had so much fun playing jokes on the procedure nurses. He would push the button and you know what sound came out and then he would say, "Was that you?" He had those nurses blushing! It was pretty funny and he is definitely all boy.

Allen had a HUGE package waiting for him when we got home. The box was bigger than him and it was filled with Spiderman and Incrediable Hulk prizes. It was from a mystery sender with no card or return address so thank you so much to whoever sent this awesome package.

Please remember Jake in your prayers. They have come to another bump in the road finding more tumors in his brain. They are going to discuss treatment options today, but I can't imagine the stress the whole family is under right now. His site is www.caringbridge.org/la/jakeowen.

We have a busy week ahead of us filled with swimming lessons and Easter egg hunts. Allen is getting very excited about Easter which makes us so happy because he was so sick last Easter and did not enjoy it at all. Thanks for remembering Allen in your prayers!

Saturday, April 8, 2006 3:41 PM CDT

***Check out the new pictures!***

We have had another great week at home. As you can see from the picture Brad and Allen caught a big catfish last weekend at the lake. Allen was so excited and proud of his fish.

Allen has done so well with his swimming lessons. He was even swimming alone with a noodle under his arms. I am so happy he has taken to the water again and is not scared of it. I can't wait until the summer!

We also went to see Dora twice this week. We went Thursday night with some friends and then Friday we went with Lissa and brought Hannah. Allen loved the show both times and Hannah even watched the whole thing.

We go back to Memphis tomorrow by Angel Flight so we should be home early evening on Monday. Dr. Pui will be out of town again so someone new will be doing Allen's spinal procedure. Please pray that accessing his port goes smoothly and no complications with his procedure. Thanks for thinking of Allen and please remember Jake and all our friends!

Tuesday, April 4, 2006 11:17 AM CDT

***ULM is having their Up �til Dawn finale� tomorrow night, Wednesday, at ULM in the Grove from 6-10 pm. We want the public to join us this year. Admission will be $5 for adult and $3 for children and then they can enjoy a carnival atmosphere, silent auction, car show, bands and much more. This is a funraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital!***

Allen and I are home from Memphis! Allen did great getting buddy accessed. He is enjoying having his new swimming buddy so much. He takes multiple baths or showers a day and just soaks. It is so nice not to have to worry about dressing changes or flushing his line daily with heprin.
Allen's counts are still high (ANC 2500) so they did a special blood test to see why and see what medicine they need to increase. It could be 2-4 weeks before we know anything from this test. Allen will have a MRD done on May 8th which is the big test that tells us if there is any leukemia blast in his marrow. Please start praying now for a negative MRD. Then if all goes well our trips to Memphis will even lessen.

We missed being able to spend time with Jake this trip because he is still in the hospital but we hope we'll get to see them next week. Please remember Jake in your prayers. We will go back to Memphis next week for Allen's spinal procedure he has every 4 weeks. After May 8 these spinal should be spread out to every 8 weeks.

Our plane ride down was very rough due to bad weather and everyone on the plane was on edge. At one point drinks went flying in the air and people were gasping. Not Allen he screams out as loud as he can, "He sure is a bad driver!" He made the whole plane laugh! He loves the bumpy rides. Thanks for checking on us!

Friday, March 31, 2006 11:48 AM CST

Allen has had a super week filled with activities! We have gone swimming everyday and Allen will start lessons on Tuesday. He has had lots of energy and just in a great mood this week. We are leaving today to go to the lake to celebrate Lissa and Stu's birthday. Sunday we will head off to Memphis for one night. Please pray that Allen's counts go down to where they need to be. I am not sure the next step they will take if not. They have already increased all his medicine and the 6MP twice.

Note to Miss Rachel & Miss Lane in Assesment Triage: We'll be in Sunday night and I promise it will go smoother this time with buddy. Allen has gotten a lot better! I still feel bad about last time we were there!Also, for some reason Allen thinks jumping off the diving board makes him grow taller so when you measure his height ... say he must be so big from all that jumping off the diving board. See you soon!

I won't be able to update again until Tuesday unless something comes up! Thanks for thinking of us!

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 12:55 AM CST

Allen had his port accessed, counts checked, and chemo yesterday. He is getting better each time with his new swimming buddy. We stayed in all last week because we thought his counts would be close to zero because of increased dose of 6MP and ANC of 360. We were shocked yesterday to find out Allen's ANC is now 5400...way too high. So now we start all over again with counts being too high and not really knowing what they will do next. We go to Memphis Sunday so we'll see what his counts are two weeks back to back. Dr. Pui will be out the country so I'm not sure who we'll see and if they will be proactive about these counts or not.

The good news about high counts is lots of playing with friends and going to do fun things in the real world. Yesterday we went swimming and Allen jumped off the diving board. I was shocked he really did it! He only did it once though because he said it made him breathe too hard. We are planning on swimming again this afternoon and hopefully starting lessons real soon.

Please remember Jake in your prayers. He is getting released from the hosptial today and is doing great. He still has a long road ahead of him!

Sunday, March 26, 2006 10:17 PM CST

As many of you know tomorrow, Jake (la/jakeowen) will have surgery to remove two tumors in his brain just one month after transplant. This is all happening very fast for the Raborn family so please say an extra pray for Jake. Even though he had a transplant a month ago he is so strong right now and I am sure he will do fine through surgery.

Allen has felt a little better each day so we are hoping that means his counts are over 500. Allen had Cameron spend the night on Friday and they had a blast playing in the backyard and staying up really late watching movies.

My sister was called last week saying she was a possible match to be a donor for a bone marrow transplant. Sarah got on the registry when they had the bone marrow drive for Hallie Gravelle. She is a five out of six match. From what she understood there are several people who are a five out of six but no perfect match has been found. She is going to do more blood work tomorrow as well as the other people across the U.S. to see who is the best match. We�ll let you know more when she finds out more. They didn�t give her too much info about the person at this point.

Allen will have counts checked and chemo on Tuesday this week in Bastrop. Please pray for high counts so we can go swimming again. He really wants to go back to the pool. Today he took three baths just to have fun and splash around. Thanks to Kay Austin for the prizes you sent Allen in the mail. I am having a hard time getting that Spiderman hat off him and Hannah is fighting for it too. Thanks to Victory Baptist Church-Boomer�s SS class for Allen�s card and all his dollars! He had fun sticking them one by one into his piggy bank. His piggy bank is pretty impressive for a four year old. Thanks to our friends out in Starkville Mississippi and all the mail you keep sending Allen ~ he loves it!

Thanks to everyone for love, prayers, mail, support for Allen. We truly appreciate all that has been done for us. Please remember Jake in your prayers! I�ll update after we have counts checked again.

Thursday, March 23, 2006 10:39 AM CST

***Check out the new pictures!***

Allen is so glad to be home let's just pray we stay home. He did start to feel warm last night and had about 99.8 temperature which is not considered fever. I was up all night long going and feeling his head and trying to decide what we would do if he did get fever. That was the only time and he is fine today. We are all getting a stir crazy because we're not going out much because of low counts and that means no swimming this week (at least at the pool).

Thanks to Quilts of Love who made the cool personalized quilts just for Allen. He was so happy when he heard the Shrek song playing and loved his poem especially the part about America's Funniest Videos. You can check it out by clicking on the link below.

Allen said the funniest thing yesterday. I was at Sonic getting my daily diet coke and one of my former students, Courtnee a sixth grader now, came up to the car to talk. We caught up and then she talked to Allen a little bit and left. After she walked away, Allen said can "that girl" be my number 3 girl? I asked him what he meant and he said that Sara Kate and Allie were his number 1 & 2 girls and he wanted Courtnee to be his number 3 girl. He is already chasing older women!

Thanks for checking on us and praying for us!

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 1:15 PM CST

We are free!!! Allen was let out of the hospital about 10:00 this morning. We were not sure if he was going to get out or not because last night at 7:00 he ran a fever of 100.8 which doesn't sound like a big deal but it is in the world of cancer. Thank goodness Dr. Pui agreed to let him out since his counts seemed to be on the rise. Today his ANC was 360 but we don't know for how long.

I can't even predict what his counts might do... he received his methotrexate push through his line this morning and we will start back on 6MP at an increased dose tonight. His counts may bottom out again so please pray that he doesn't get another fever. We will hang close to the house this week until we recheck counts again next Monday or Tuesday in Bastrop.

Thanks for keeping Allen in your prayers as well as all our friends at St. Jude.

Friday, March 17, 2006 7:21 PM CST

Update Monday Night:
We're still in the hospital but keeping our fingers crossed that he'll get out of jail tomorrow. He had fever of 103 at 6:00 this morning but that was all for the day so far. If he doesn't get fever tonight we should be able to come home. His ANC has come up to about 350 ~ not great, but much better than zero. We'll let you know when we're home.

Update Sunday Night
Allen was without fever all day until around three oclock this afternoon. Since three, he has pretty much run a constant fever and is beginning to feel bad again. Blood cultures are negative, so this must be a lingering virus. Please pray for no fever....we're ready to come home!

Brad

Update Sunday morning: Allen is still in the hospital running fever on and off. He is feeling better and his ANC is slowly coming up. Today it is at 250 but his hemoglobin has dropped to 8.4. Please pray that this will rise so we don't have to go to Shreveport or Memphis for a blood transfusion. He will have to stay another night for sure and we will see what his counts look like in the morning.

Bump in the road...
Allen woke up this morning running fever. We expected his counts to be high since they were 3000 on Monday and on DEX which makes them higher. We couldn't have been more wrong. Allen's ANC is now zero and was running a scary fever at almost 104! He just felt terrible this morning. He was admitted into the hospital in Bastrop and Pops is the on call doctor this weekend. He will be inpatient at least until Sunday and then we will see depending if he still has fever and where his counts are. He is still running fever tonight but not in a dangerous zone and he is feeling a lot better.

There is some good news. Allen did 100 percent better today getting his new buddy accessed. He did cry but was very brave. It did give me hope that this will be no big deal before long. Since I "thought" his ANC was 3000 this week we had a great week doing all kinds of fun things. We did go swimming and he did great for his first time back in the water. We played at the park and had McDonalds and Shipley's in the same day. He even went to an Arts and Craft camp for half a day on Thursday. It was the first time I have left him any where in over a year. Sending him to school next year is going to traumatize me!

Please continue to pray for Allen. Please pray that the antibiotics do the trick and get rid of the fever. He was so sad today. He kept saying I really wish I could go to my house and lay in my bed. He didn't eat or drink anything today so hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. I'll update if anything changes!

Update at 8:30 P.M. on Friday night~ Allen's fever is back up to 104.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:55 PM CST

The new buddy was a huge ordeal but it should get better. Allen had an all out panic attack when it came to accessing his new buddy on Sunday. I felt so sorry for him and Miss Rachel and Miss Lane. They were so patient with him and we tried every trick in the book to talk him into to calming down. It didn't work! We ended up calling in back up to help hold his kicking legs and biting mouth. It was terrible for all involved. Everyone promises it will get better and he'll get used to it. He didn't even flinch when they stuck the needle. He got all worked up just trying to clean the area before. He didn't like taking the needle out on Monday either and back up was called once again.

After the trauma of getting his buddy accessed we ran into our friends Austin Pullen and his mom. Thanks to Alison I was able to keep my promise about going to get a toy after being so brave. Alison and Austin had their car so they took us to Target and then we went out to eat. Thanks Alison!

Monday, we had clinic and Allen's counts are still high for the 4th week in a row so Dr. Pui increased his 6MP again. He is now taking as much as our friend Will who weighs almost double what Allen does. Hopefully he will be able to handle the increase as well as he has in the past. Allen and Will both had procedures and Allen was finished before Will and tried to wake him up in recovery before he was ready. I think Ali (Will's mom) must have paid off the medicine room because they sure did get in and out quick. It took us three hours before Allen was called to the medicine room. The original plan was to come back Monday, but it didn't work out because of bad weather. It was probably for the best because we were running behind schedule. It also gave us a chance to go visit with Jake at the Target House. Jake's Pops cooked for us and it was delicious.

The only thing that upset Allen about staying another night is that he cried for Hannah. He said, "I want my Hannah Baby!" Today when I picked Hannah up from Miss Rhonda the first thing Hannah said was "Where's Allen?" It was so sweet! Thanks to Rhonda for keeping Hannah an extra day this week when we were in a pinch!

I want to thank Mike Catlett, our Angel Flight pilot, who flew us down to Memphis and Bob Smith who brought us home this morning. It makes our trips so much easier!!! Also, I want to thank Katrina Durrett who is allowing Allen to come swimming at the Natatorium for a few weeks just for fun before he starts lessons. He is so excited! We went today to see the pool and that is all he has talked about. Tomorrow, we are going swimming for the first time in a long time. I hope he just jumps right in without even hesitating but I'll let you know.

Thanks for remembering Allen in your prayers! This week he is on DEX please pray that it is better than last month.

Friday, March 10, 2006 12:06 AM CST

We're all home and doing great. Allen loves his new swimming buddy. He has shown it to everyone and strangers are a little shocked when he lifts up his shirt. He is a little sore but not enough to slow him down. He doesn't like cleaning the wound that we have to do twice a day for seven days. He can go swimming next Wednesday and be fully submerged in a bathtub! The true test of this new buddy will be Sunday when he gets it accessed for the first time. This will mean getting a needle stick. He keeps talking about it like it will be no big deal but we'll see. Miss Rachel and Miss Lane get ready for us Sunday night in Assessment & Triage.

On Wednesday Dora was at the hospital and the kids had so much fun. They got to be up close and personal with Dora, Diego, and Swiper. They sang songs and read stories to the kids. Hannah would have loved it because she is very into Dora right now. She thinks Dora's name is backpack.

If anyone reading is a member of Glenwood Wellness Center and would let Allen come as a guest to go swimming just email me. I would love to let him take advantage of his new swimming buddy as soon as he's able. He hasn't been in a pool in about a year and a half.

Allen was so happy to come how to a mailbox full of letters for him. He has been saving his money and we took his piggy bank to Toys R Us yesterday and he picked out a toy and paid for it with his money. I am behind on my thank yous but please know it makes Allen's day to get mail and makes mine to know we have someone else praying for Allen.

Jake is doing so great and Corbin had his no more chemo party yesterday. Way to go Corbin!!! We will be going back to Memphis on Sunday and returning Monday by Angel Flight. Please pray that Allen is brave while they access his buddy for the first time.

Tuesday, March 7, 2006 4:54 PM CST

Allen did great today...but mom not so great!
Sorry for the delay today! I updated after surgery and lost it and then I couldn't get to an open computer until now.

Allen was happy this morning until we had to go up to the surgery floor that he has only been one time his second day at St.Jude. He was nervous and scared when he saw everyone dressed head to toe in their surgery scrubs. He refused to put on the hospital gown and so once again he rolled through the hospital in his Spiderman underware. He did calm down and I was able to go back with him until he was completely asleep.

We waited in the same waiting room we were in when Allen got his first line and the wait was MUCH easier this time. It did bring back some strong emotions thinking about how scared we were last time. We were able to chat with Anne Raegan's parents who were waiting while she had her line replaced to help pass the time.

In the recovery room I begin to feel a little light headed and almost passed out. The nurses were taking care of me at that point. One nurse kept telling me how green I looked and the other how I was a white as a ghost. By the time Allen was ready to leave I felt better but they insisted that Brad roll us both out of there in a wheelchair. I can't beleive I did that!

Yesterday in clinic, we talked to Dr. Pui about if Allen's prognosis had changed any in the past year. The answer was what we kind of expected which was no. The patient of the month story sure did sound good and we wish it was true. Whoever wrote the story made it sound like Allen's prognosis was 85 percent which really that is the outcome expected for most ALL kids who don't have any "fancy" sub-types like near-haploid.

Last night we had a super fun night at the Target House playing with Jake. We put Brad in charge of cooking steaks and we entertained the boys. The boys had so much fun together and play so well together. We took LOTS of pictures and I'll post them as soon as we can.

We didn't have to spend the night in the hospital so we are staying at the Grizzlies House tonight just for precaution. It turned out to be a great day to stay because Dora will be coming to the hospital tomorrow to do a private show for the kids at the hospital. We are going to go watch Dora and then head out after lunch. Thank you for your prayers today and everyday.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006 4:29 PM CST

Quick Update from Memphis on Monday Night: Allen will be going into surgery in the morning around 9:00. Start to finish it should take about an hour and half. Please pray everything goes smoothly in the morning and we will update after surgery.

Update Wednesday:
Allen is feeling much better today thanks to all your prayers. He is still having some leg pain but no fever. Allen's story is up on the St. Jude website under patient of the month and I have added the link. Today was the first time Brad and I got to read and see what they took from the "interview" we had. When doing the story they also talk to the patient�s doctor. We have a burning question now after reading his story. The survival rate that they put was way higher than anything we've ever been told. So did Dr. Pui say it because of how well he's doing or is it a little misunderstanding of information. Some standard risk kids may have a survival rate of 85 percent from my understanding that is not what is in Allen's chart. Near Haploid ALL is just too rare to really put a percent on it. There are fewer than 10 cases a year in the WORLD. We are getting ready for our trip to Memphis with lots of questions for Dr. Pui.

Tuesday:
This past week has been a good week for Allen. Saturday night he went on his first official date. Brad and I took Allen and Sara Kate to dinner at McDonalds and to see Eight Below. They are so cute together! Yesterday, his Mimi and Doc (great-grandparents) got Allen a real basketball goal for him at their house and he was thrilled. He had so much fun granny shooting the ball to try to reach the goal and he actually did make it! That is all he has talked about how he made one goal- two points.

Today, he hasn't felt so great! He has been running a low grade fever off and on since late last night. He woke up saying he didn't feel good and his knee was broken (that means hurting). His counts are good (a little high) but at least if he does get a fever we shouldn't have to spend the night in the hospital. Usually, if his counts are higher than 500 they just give them some antibiotics through the line. Hopefully, we won't have to worry about it.

Brad and I made a big decision this week to send Allen to River Oaks Pre-K 4 next year. We are so excited about the environment of small classes and more attention. Also, I just got the okay that Allen makes the age cut off for T-Ball this year so we are going to sign him up. Look out Ben Sheets...we've got a lefty for you! Allen writes with his right hand, but does all his sports (baseball, golf, etc.) left handed.

Please pray for no fever or trips to the hospital. We need Allen to be feeling better so his Nana and Papa Joe can take him to the circus this weekend. We also need him to be feeling good for his surgery next week. I am beginning to get a little nervous about it but I know in my heart it is the right thing to do. Please keep all our others friends in your prayers as well.

Friday, February 24, 2006 1:15 PM CST

Well we made it through our 1 year anniversary. I wasn't sure how to feel yesterday. I was so happy to think how well Allen is doing compared to last year at this time. I am happy we have the first and hardest year behind us. At the same time it is a reminder that my son has had cancer for a year and our lives will never be the same again.

We had a "normal" day yesterday get labs checked and chemo! Then Allen went to gymnastics. Last night we celebrated with Johnny's Pizza at Cameron's house.

Allen's ANC was just where they want it at 1300 and all his other numbers looked good too. Jake is doing awesome and we are so proud of him. Also, Julia, is done with chemo and getting to go home. Sebastian had his scans yesterday and they were clean! Yeah Bastian!!! Corbin is getting ready for his last round of chemo ever in about two weeks. Corbin's mom added some different pictures of Allen and Corbin from the Jungle Gym. Corbin's website is la/corbin. Thanks for remembering Allen in your prayers. We will get chemo on Tuesday next week in Bastrop. Allen is feeling GREAT this week!

Wednesday, February 22, 2006 3:09 PM CST

***Check out new pictures!***

Still no chemo... We assumed that the chemo didn't get to Bastrop on time because of Presidents Day, but that was not the case. For whatever reason, the pharmacy shipped Allen's chemo to Shreveport. We have not been to Shreveport in months! They are now resending it overnight and we will get it tomorrow four days late. Next week we'll do counts on Tuesday to give Allen an extra day to recover. We are a little frustrated, but it was out of our hands.

Brad spoke at the Relay for Life team captains meeting last night and did a great job. We were honored they wanted us to tell Allen's story. It is very hard to get up in front of a crowd and talk about YOUR sick child and the prognosis for YOUR child. We can't wait until the relay and hope the American Cancer Society raises more money this year than the last.

Jake did have his transplant last night and so far so good. Please keep him in your prayers he has a long road ahead of him. You can send him a word of encouragement at www.caringbridge.org/la/jakeowen

Today we went to the Jungle Gym with Corbin and the boys had a blast. Hannah and Nathan had fun playing, too. We are so excited to have found new friends in Monroe even if we had to go all the way to Memphis to meet.

So far Allen is having a much better week!!! Thanks for all your prayers, love, and support. It was today a year ago we were told we would be going to St. Jude to rule things out, but it turned out to do just the opposite.

Monday, February 20, 2006 11:22 AM CST

I have never been happier to see a week go! This last round of DEX took a toll on Allen. The later part of the week was better than the beginning, but he was still not himself. He was really "sad" all week long and saying things I have never heard him say. I am not sure if he is beginning to become more aware of the situation or just had a bad week. I talked to his nurse this morning and she said it could take about a week to completely wear off. We went to a Mardi Gras party Saturday night and he sat in my lap and wouldn't play with the other kids which is not like him at all. When we asked if he wanted to go to the parade he said he just wanted to go home. It is probably for the best that he didn't want to go to the parade it was way too cold.

Dr. Mike called this morning and said Allen's chemo had not arrived from Memphis. I called and it was sent on Friday so it will get there today. We will do chemo and counts in the morning. It really worked out well because we didn't have to get out in the icy weather this morning.

I wanted to say a special thanks to Bob and Susan Smith. Bob is the Angel Flight pilot who took us home last time and he and his wife have really gotten involved with Allen. They have let all their friends and family know about Allen's story and we feel like we have a whole new community supporting us in this journey. I let Susan know that Allen loves to get mail with simply a $1.00 bill for an icee and she has told everyone. Allen received so much mail this week and had a record number of brown icees! It is so fun to watch him open mail and say wow another dollar for an icee! Thanks to everyone who has become apart of Allen's Army and I will bring more bracelets to Bob the next time we see him for all of you!

Please say an extra pray for Jake as he will have his transplant on Tuesday. We are so looking forward to the day Jake is cured forever! You can check out his site at www.caringbridge.org/la/jakeowen. We are praying and hoping for a better week around here and I know it can only get better. This Thursday the 23rd will mark our one year anniversary for living with cancer ... only two more years to go!

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 8:26 PM CST

The DEX has not been nice to us this time around. It is so strange how some months he does so great on DEX and other months it is meltdown city. Allen has really worried me this time when he cries he says things like I don't want to feel bad anymore or I don't have any friends. He has been crying for hours at a time. I've had to keep Hannah at a distance because he's been really aggressive and angry at the world.

We attempted to go to the park today, but Allen didn't feel like playing and cried. Guess what, when I told him we were leaving he cried some more. Ainslee brought us Johnny's Pizza tonight because it is Allen's favorite. (Thanks Ainslee! I couldn't handle anything else today not even dinner!) He was looking forward to it all day, but before she came he was having another meltdown and fell asleep in the middle of the den floor he was so worn out. Thank God he is only on this medicine five days out of the month.

The other day I forgot to thank Ms. Sammy for picking us up at the airport on Monday!

I am off to bed to rest up for another day of DEX tomorrow. Please remember Allen this week he is just not himself. Also, Corbin is in Memphis getting his next to last round of chemo! Please remember Jake and everyone else also.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 10:51 AM CST

Happy Valentine's Day!!

We had a great trip to Memphis because of Angel Flight. We were able to come and go in record time. Thanks to Mike Smith who flew us up and to Bob Smith who flew us home. Can you believe all the Smith's involved with no relation? We are so grateful to you and the service you provide.

We had a great time at Monster's Inc on Ice and we had great seats right in front of all the action. We just about had to clean out our savings account - it was unreal how expensive things were there. Allen and Jake enjoyed their $10.00 cotton candy, $8.00 popcorn, $5.00 drink, and don't forget the light up toys they sell (I won't mention how much that was!). The boys loved it and had a blast and it was worth every penny to see them so happy.

Allen's counts are still high so Dr. Pui just said we'll just keep watching them. Allen is on DEX this week and I am already in need of patience especially since Brad is out of town this week for work.

Surgery is scheduled for Allen to get his port on March 7th. Allen has warmed up to the idea so I know all your prayers about this matter are working. Thanks to Ali and Will Moore who let Allen come watch him get the "magic needle" in his port. Will is so brave and so sweet to Allen. He kept saying Allen it doesn't hurt at all! After we watched I asked Allen if he was ready to get a buddy like Will and he said, YES. When I told him he would in about two weeks he told me that was too long. I feel better about the whole thing now. I can't wait to see Allen playing and splashing around in the water again!

Please pray for a good week on DEX especially since I'm taking it own alone. I really need patience. Also remember Jake in your prayers and all the kids at St. Jude.

Friday, February 10, 2006 10:38 AM CST

***check out new pictures***

Allen has had a great week! He has felt pretty good except for getting a little sick to his tummy one day. We did find a pilot for Sunday so we are all set. It is so nice to take Angel Flight. You don't have to get to the airport an hour early and it only takes an hour to get from Monroe to Memphis. That helps us get through all these trips a lot easier instead of having to make weekly drives to Memphis. It is hard to believe we still have another two years of this!

Sunday when we get to Memphis Staci Raborn and I have planned a little fun for the boys! We are going to see Disney on Ice ~ Monsters Inc. I know the boys will love it!

Thanks to TCS for the awesome care package you sent to Allen. He had so much fun going through it and looking at everything. Thanks to Tiffany for the Batman t-shirt. You all know how much he loves Batman.

Pray for safe travels and that Allen's procedure goes more smoothly this time. Hopefully we can get an appointment with surgery clinic and set a date for the port.

Tuesday, February 7, 2006 11:08 AM CST

**Check out new pictures!**

We're home from Memphis once again. Allen's counts are still up, but they didn't change any medicine this time. He has a cold and cough so they did a culture and he hated that stick in his nose. Nothing came from it so it must be just a viral thing. He was a little stir crazy yesterday getting his 6 hour chemo. I can tell this is getting old for him and he's becoming a little inpatient.

I had a heart to heart with our nurses Michele and Stephanie about the port, school, and crazy counts. They told me a lot of kids have high counts and they will get it fixed and not to worry. They said to put Allen in school next year so he can have as normal of a life as possible. Also, they said if we thought Allen could handle the port then it was a good idea. He still has two more summers of treatment and no swimming with the line. The port will bring him more freedom. The problem is that it is another surgery and he will be sore from it. It hurts my heart to think that we are doing this optional surgery even though I know it's for the best in the long run. Also, with a port you have to get stuck to get it accessed, but they have numbing cream and the kids I have talked to say they don't even feel the stick. The problem is just the sight of the needle. I can't wait to hear about the magic needles Corbin uses. I think we are going to go forward with the surgery for sometime in March or April. We will make an appointment with surgery clinic and go from there. Thanks to everyone who sent me advice about the port! I have only heard good things about it!

Please remember our friends... Corbin is inpatient is Shreveport on his birthday. Jake's transplant is scheduled for Feb. 17th. Madelyn is doing better, but still has a long road ahead of her. Please pray that we find a pilot for our trip down next week. We have someone willing to fly us home, but we need someone to fly us down on Sunday.

I am taking Hannah and Allen this afternoon for haircuts. It will be Hannah's first official haircut and Allen's hair is falling out all over the place. I am hoping he will let Sherry give him a short buzz, but it won't be long before it's all gone again. Have a great week!

Monday, January 30, 2006 8:44 PM CST

Allen's counts are up again. He was only off his 6MP three days, but it was enough to do the trick. His counts are a little on the high side, but after being stuck at the house worried about getting a fever we'll take it. We go to Memphis on Sunday! Who knows what is going on ... I just keep telling myself Allen has the best leukemia doctor in the world so everything must be okay.

We are thinking about getting Allen's buddy changed to a port instead of his Hickman line. We thought Allen would be so excited about this, but it seems that he is a little attached to "buddy" and not so sure about taking it out. The port would allow him to swim and take normal baths. Every time we talk about it Allen has a very clever reason why we shouldn't change. For example, I'll say we can go swimming everyday at the MAC with your friends when you get a swimming buddy. He'll say that's okay I can just put my feet in. I'll say we can ride the cool water rides at Disney World. He'll say we can ride the others rides two times instead of the water rides. Please pray that we all find peace about this decision. Brad and I really think this would be the best thing for Allen to have more of a normal life for the next two years. Allen is not so sure about it and we don't want to upset him about this. What if we do the surgery and then all he really wants to do is put his feet in? We are hoping he will come around and we can convince him that this would be a good thing. I am planning on talking to St. Jude about this when we go back. They may not allow it until we straighten out all of these blood work issues.

Have a great week and remember all our friends at the Jude.

Friday, January 27, 2006 10:14 PM CST

It has been a sad day...

I got the call today that confirmed once again how much I hate CANCER. Another one of our friends passed away last night after a year long battle. Sam Cox was three years old and was one of Allen's best buddies at the RMH. They loved playing Batman, baseball, and feeding the squirrels. Sam doesn't have a caringbridge site, but please keep his family in your prayers. I am sure Princess Ashley has already given him the royal tour via 4wheeler because they both love to ride them.

One of the perks of having your doctor be your grandfather is that you can go get counts checked just to see where they are. Allen desperately wanted to go to a birthday party at the Jungle Gym in the morning so we went to see where he stood. Unfortunately, he won't get to go because his ANC is only 120 which is lower that it was on Monday. I was so sad for Allen and was amazed at how he always just goes with the flow. He understands that when his counts are low he can't play with a lot of kids and that is just how it is. It breaks my heart because a 4 year old shouldn't have to worry about if his counts are up or down.

We have been planning on having Cameron spend the night forever and so I decided to let that happen even with low counts. Karen put Cameron in the bath tub before we went to get him and probably washed (scrubbed) him with alcohol. The boys have had sooooo much fun tonight and hopefully Allen will not think about Jungle Gym in the morning.

Please pray for no fever and for counts to recover so Allen can get his chemo on Monday. He has been taken off his oral chemo at home until we check counts again. Please pray for all our friends and their families. It seems that many of our friends are very sick right now and the last two weeks have been really hard.

Monday, January 23, 2006 10:11 PM CST

We survived another week of DEX and Allen did great considering. He ate everything in the house and just couldn't get full. We even went on a walk to feed the ducks and when we found the ducks he decided against giving them the bread instead he ate it.

Allen's HAIR has started to fall out again. This is just a side effect of the increase in meds. We'll take no hair any day as long as Allen continues to feel good. It is a bit emotional for me just because right now we can go out in public and no one suspects he's sick. When he's bald everyone gives you this heartbroken look and you can feel people looking at you. We just want to be normal or at least pretend.

As for counts this week...I give up trying to figure it out. This week coming off DEX we were expecting VERY high counts instead he has bottomed out and we are stuck in the house this week. Allen does have a nasty cough and cold so please pray for NO FEVER. I talked to St. Jude today about these crazy counts and didn't get much other than the week of DEX they don't really "count" the numbers because they are false and since he's got a cough he could have a virus driving his numbers down. The thing that bothers me the most is that last week his meds were increased because his Red Blood Count was too high and this week it even got higher but everything else dropped. I don't think this is normal or good and at the very least puzzling.

I had a tear jerker moment this week when a mom at the park came to me and told me about her little girl's birthday. Anne Marie Loftin turned seven earlier this month and instead of getting presents she wanted to donate money to St. Jude. This seven year old raised over $350 for the hospital. What a special girl... thank you!!!

Please remember our friends at St. Jude. Jake (la/jakeowen) is doing great with his chemo and getting ready for transplant. Corbin (la/corbin) will being going to Memphis for scans and another round of chemo. Madelyn (tn/madelyn) is on an anti-body therapy and has had to be placed on a ventilator. Julia (visit/juliaeidt) started her last round of chemo today. Way to go Julia!!! Baby Preston (visit/prestonwilliams) will be returning to Memphis for check-ups also. Please don't forget to lift up the Taylor's as they begin to go back to work and school after the loss of Ashley (la/princessashley).

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 10:24 PM CST

Brad and Allen made it home tonight safe and sound. Allen's procedures went okay today, but not without a hitch. It seems that Dr. Pui had a hard time finding the right spot and had to try (stick him in the spine) four times. Allen was sedated so he didn't know this was happening, but Dr. Pui was concerned with how his back may be feeling this week. If his back does hurt, it will be hard to determine if it is from the procedure-gone-wrong or the vincristine he got today which causes pain. This is also the week of DEX so as you can see we have so much to look forward to this week.

Allen's ANC has dropped some but Dr. Pui is still not happy with the rest of his counts saying they are still too high. The reason Brad got today was just we haven't find the right dosage for Allen and that his body may metabolize the chemo too fast and it doesn't stay in his body long enough. So they have increased meds again hoping that it will finally do the trick. We won't know next week because DEX falsely raises the counts. It seems that increasing the meds is what we will do until his counts are in check. With the increase there is always the increase of side effects. Allen came in tonight saying his belly hurt because he drank too much Gatorade. Hopefully that is the reason of the belly ache and I guess we will see in the morning.

I saw this on Will Moore's site and thought it was so sweet and perfect for all moms especially of little boys. It is a song called "A Mothers Wish" and I have added it to the links below. You can check out Will's site at ms/will. He and Allen are in the same week of treatment and we look forward to seeing them each time we're in Memphis.

Thanks for checking on us and remember Jake as they start of new phase of treatment.

Monday, January 16, 2006 9:32 AM CST

Update 2:00 Monday: Brad has come to my rescue and he is now taking Allen to Memphis. I have pink eye and sinus stuff. I just didn't feel right about going into the hospital and taking the chance of someone else getting it. They just pulled out of the drivway so please pray for safe travel especially in the rain. Also, this is the first time I have not been with Allen through procedures so pray that he does just as well tomorrow as he always does.

We have had an extra day at home this week and leave this afternoon for Memphis. It will be hard to walk through those doors knowing that we won't run into Princess Ashley and her family. Ashley's services were beautiful with all the pink flowers, but it has been a very emotional weekend.

Allen has a pretty nasty cough and sometimes they won't sedate a child if they're cough too bad. So please pray that we are able to get his procedures done and not going all the way to Memphis for no reason. Also, please pray that we get some answers from our doctor about Allen's counts. Jake will be on his way back today also. Peyton will be having scans in the morning so we need those to be clean. Remember the Taylors during this time as well.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006 7:36 PM CST

**Check out new pictures!**

Wednesday update: I have just learned that princess ashley taylor has earned her angel wings. She was on her way to Memphis and died peacefully. Please keep her family in your prayers. I can't imagine the emotions they must be going through. Ashley will be remembered always as a sweet, fun-loving, little girl who always knew what she wanted. Allen now has another friend to watch over him from heaven.
Her caringbridge site is www.caringbridge.org/la/princessashley

Tuesday:
We are back home after a quick and eventful trip to Memphis. Our luggage got lost and our ride to St. Jude left us while we were looking for our bags. Finally we made it to the hospital around 8:00 instead of 5:30.

Allen's counts have puzzled everyone once again. They are way too high this week. Dr. Pui wasn't there so we just got the wait until next week line to figure out what to do. The up side to Allen's counts being too high means he feels great and has more energy than I know what to do with.

Please remember our friends in your prayers. Jake had a PET scan today and Princess Ashley is having a hard time right now. We will go back to Memphis Monday night through Tuesday for procedures.

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 3:00 PM CST

Some added request:
Please remember Jake who is back in Memphis. His tumor marker has increased and they will meet with the doctors to decide what Jake's best treatment plan will be. Also, Cole is having test run this week and an MRI tomorrow. This is the first trip back since he ended treatment and no more chemo ...that's the way we want to keep it. Princess Ashley is still fighting, but this is a difficult time for her whole family.

Counts are finally where they need to be!!! Allen's ANC is 1300 so I guess uping the medicine made the difference. He is feeling great and has not shown any side effects to the increase in his medicine. We are just enjoying the pretty weather and playing outside with all the new Christmas toys. We will go to Memphis this Sunday - Monday for his big dose of chemo. Thanks for remembering Allen in your prayers!

Saturday, December 31, 2005 9:48 AM CST

Goodbye 2005�we are so glad to see you go!
Sorry this is so long, but it's been a long year.

2005 was not the year we had expected it to be and basically the whole year has been consumed with Allen�s illness and getting him better. People say the first year of marriage is the hardest then they say wait to you hit the seven year slump, well nothing will test the glue that holds your family together like having a child with cancer. I always wanted to be a stay at home mom, but never a nurse. I hoped the most I ever had to do is an occasional band-aid here and there. Never would I have thought this year would mean giving Allen medicine three times a day, dressing changes, daily saline flushes through his line, nightly chemo that Brad and I are to wear gloves while giving it to him, and weekly chemo through his central line. Not in a million years did I think I would know children who have died and those who are still fighting for their life including my child.

This year has been unbelievably hard, but Allen has come so far. In February of last year he didn�t have the energy to climb the ladder to slide and was pushed around in a stroller. Now, if you didn�t know Allen you would never know he�s sick. That is until he lifts up his shirt and shows you his buddy which he loves to �shock� strangers that way. Hannah was just six months old when Allen was diagnosed and it was very hard to be away from her...only seeing her for long weekends in the beginning. I feel like I missed so much, but there was just no other way. Allen was so sick and we had to focus on him at the time.

A good day in 2005 for our family was probably quite different from yours unless you to are a St. Jude family. A good day for us meant getting a tricycle at the hospital, having your favorite nurse take care of you, getting a good IV pole that rolled easily while Allen rode on it, finding a cute backpack the perfect size for a bag of fluids, hearing of our friends clean scans and negative MRDs, Allen getting to send his blood off in the spaceship (the tube in A/T that sends the blood to the lab), ANC between 500 � 2500, and most importantly no FEVER.

Everything you hear about St. Jude is true! It is absolutely an amazing place and we have not had a bad experience since we�ve been there. They have not asked us to pay a dime to them, but we will spend the rest of our lives trying to repay them for all they have done.

Consider for your New Year�s Resolution to donate to St. Jude and become a Partner in Hope. This is a small donation of $19.00 a month or $0.63 a day. You could take care of two resolutions.....the usual weight loss resolution and giving to a charity. This can be done by just giving up four fast food combo meals a month or eating in instead of ordering that $20 pizza! Maybe have your coffee at home instead of $1.50 a day at the coffee shop. The extra money you spend in these places could actually go to something worthwhile.

A small donation of $19.00 a month helps save children like Allen, Jake, and Corbin you all know and read about daily. Your New Year�s Resolution could be to save a child�s life....how good would that feel!! This may be the first resolution you actually stick with for a whole year!

As a "Partner in Hope" you will receive monthly info about St. Jude and the kids. Each month they feature one child and their story. Allen has been asked to be the patient of the month for March. I have added a link to the bottom of the page that can take you to the "Partner in Hope" information page.

Have a happy New Year! We are hoping and praying for a much better year in 2006!

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 8:29 PM CST

***Check out new Christmas pictures on the photo page!***

We had a great Christmas and don't know what we are going to do with all the toys Santa brought. Allen didn't feel good at all the days before Christmas and was really tired. We were very busy in the days leading up to Christmas and maybe that's why Allen was so tired. He did perk up when he saw that Santa brought him a huge 4 wheeler that goes really fast. He tore through all his presents so he could get outside on the 4 wheeler. We must have made the block about 15 times before 7:30. The funny thing is we ran into two more little boys who got the same 4 wheeler out riding too. Hannah's Christmas was filled with baby dolls and accessories for her dolls. We went to Lake Bruin Christmas afternoon and ended up having to take two vehicles so Allen could bring his 4 wheeler. Today we have spent most of the day outside riding around and trying to learn how to skate.

We went to Bastrop this morning for labs and chemo. Allen's counts are high but that is expected from the DEX. He is still having some back pain, but that should go away soon (we hope). He has felt great today and not complained at all. He started a higher dose of 6MP so we hope that it doesn't have any side effects. We will get to stay home again next week and not return to Memphis until the 8th of January. Please remember Ashley Taylor in your prayers as well. She is having a lot of pain and doesn't even feel well enough to ride her new horse she got for Christmas.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week. I got a new camera for Christmas so maybe I will get to update pictures more often. Thanks for remembering Allen in your prayers.

Friday, December 23, 2005 9:58 AM CST

Well... the DEX has not been so nice to us this time. Allen has really not known what to do with himself this week. His stomach has been hurting, but he's always hungry which is not a good combination. We can't find anything to eat that he likes. He's not sleeping well either and waking up in the middle of the night crying. The good thing is that he's almost through with the DEX.

He's started to have some pain in his legs and back from the Vincristine. it doesn't seem to be all the time and for the most part it's not too bad.

Please pray that all these side effects go away and that Allen is able to enjoy Christmas like all other four year olds. I do think once the presents start coming he'll be fine! Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 20, 2005 4:05 PM CST

First of all, thanks so much to the jake owen believer who left the precious picture and message in Allen's guestbook. It made my heart melt. You are amazing!

We made it home from Memphis and had a good trip. We were able to see many of our friends and pass out holiday gifts. Allen's counts are still high so they have increased his meds by 25%. We just hope this puts his counts where they need to be without completely wiping Allen out.

Allen is on DEX this week and after only a few doses we are are already seeing the effects. I am a human jungle gym. Anyone who TRIES to talk to me on the phone knows this. Allen is just climbing the walls and me! Also,he stays hungry, BUT nothing taste good. We have cooked everything in the house today but haven't found what he's looking for yet. Allen has a Christmas party to go to tomorrow. I hope India is ready for him at her house.(ha ha) I will try to work on pictures soon.

We just got lucky in the fact that we get to stay home and get Allen's chemo in Bastrop the next two weeks so we don't go back to Memphis until after the holidays. Please pray for our friends who are inpatient right now and may or may not get to come home for Christmas. Princess Ashley is having a lot of pain issues right now which is hard on her whole family. Please remember them in your prayers, too.

Saturday, December 17, 2005 12:11 AM CST

Hope everyone has had a great week. Allen has had a pretty good week. Not much new to report. He's at the deer camp right now with his Dad and Pops. Hannah and I have been running around finishing up on Christmas gifts.

We will leave again in the morning to drive to Memphis. We have to drive this time because we are hauling so many gifts downs for the nurses and doctors. I had a hard time trying to figure out what to get everyone. What do you get for the person who is saving your child's life? Anyways, if all goes as expected we should be home again late Monday night. Please pray for all the families that have to be in Memphis on Christmas and not at home. I've heard St. Jude makes every child's Christmas unbelievable if you are there, but no one really wants to be there over the holidays. This will be some of our friends first Christmas without their child and it will be some of our friends last Christmas before they earn their angel wings. It is really hard to comprehend all this.

Have a great weekend! We'll update when we get back and hopefully I can get some new pictures up also.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005 9:53 AM CST

Sorry for the delay in journals! Since the last journal we've already been to Memphis and back. We got home last night after a long six hour day in the medicine room. We flew out Sunday and we were so happy to discover that Corbin and his mom were on the same flight. Some people might have thought we were going on vacation the boys were both so excited to be together. Heather and I decided to treat ourselves to a good dinner instead of ordering pizza which is what we do when we're at the #2 house. We called a cab and we all went out to the Outback. Great idea Heather!!!

Monday we had clinic and medicine room. Allen's counts are still high, but have fallen from about 7700 to 4400 to 2500. Dr. Pui was out of town so we will once again wait another week to see what will be done about high counts. Allen's MRI and EKG both looked great. We go back next Sunday for procedures on Monday. We are driving and have requested Daddy to come with us.

Allen should have a pretty good week. Last time he got this chemo he wasn't sick, but this morning he's moving a little slow and says his tummy hurts. He's not on 6MP this week which makes for a happy boy because he can have a bednight snack as he calls it. On the 6MP he can't eat anything two hours before or after.

Thanks to Cole Tanner for sending Allen the coloring books. They kept both Allen and Corbin busy on the trip down to Memphis. A big thanks also to Craig Huckaby who made sure that all of Allen's Christmas wishes come true. It is going to be a very exciting morning around here on Christmas.

The new commerical is on St. Jude's website. You can go to www.stjude.org and click on the Thanks and Giving link and then click on about Thanks and Giving. There are two pictures of Morgan Freeman which are the two commericals with Allen.Thanks for remembering our family. Hopefully, I'll update sooner next time.

Monday, December 5, 2005 9:41 PM CST

***Check out new pictures on photo page***

Today we were able to get counts checks and chemo in Bastrop. Allen's counts are still too high and we called St. Jude and they said they would probably adjust things next week when we are there. It is hard to be upset about his counts being too high because he feels so good when they are high. The down side is that it may be a sign that he's not getting enough medicine to keep his leukemia away.

We are just having fun getting ready for the holidays. Tonight we roasted marshmellows in the fireplace and Allen loved it! Keep Allen in your prayers as well as all our friends at St. Jude.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 7:26 PM CST

We're home after a pretty easy trip to Memphis. Allen's counts are WAY high this week, but that was expected after a week of DEX that raises the counts. If his counts are still too high next week they will increase all his meds. We went to the dentist and Allen did great! He had zero cavities. I just knew he was going to have a mouth full because he takes his 6MP in the middle of the night and that chemo just sits in his mouth. He had his MRI and we had a super sweet sedation nurse that got us an earlier EKG/Echo and we got to come home on an earlier flight instead of sitting around all day.

They have a new rule that for the MRIs the kids have to take their clothes off and wear hospital gowns. We got Allen's clothes off but he wasn't wearing that "itchy" gown. So Allen ran around the MRI room in just his Spiderman undies acting silly saying "Check it ouuuuuttt" which had everyone in there in stitches. They must have given him a big dose of sleepy medicine because he slept until we got to the airport around noon.

We are looking forward to a long stay at home and don't have to go back to Memphis until the 11th of December. Please remember all our friends, especially Ashley Taylor

Friday, November 25, 2005 8:49 PM CST

**Check out the new pictures on photo page & look at all that hair!**

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Allen did great at Gamaw's house on Thanksgiving even on his DEX. He's done pretty well with it this time around just a little rowdy at times. My sister and I spent the day today shopping until we dropped and I can't believe I'm still awake right now. We ran into lots of people who have seen us on TV or the big screen. I am going to take Allen to see Chicken Little (again) so he can see himself on the big screen.

The St. Jude family lost another precious child Thursday night, Zachary Russo; he was just a couple of months older than Allen. For every child St. Jude cures there are still those that don't make it. It is very scary and sad that we have many friends losing the battle right now. There are so many sick kids and every time we're in Memphis we see or meet a new family. Please pray for these families right now I can't imagine what they're going through.

On a lighter note, if you have called our house lately Allen has probably answered the phone. He races to it every time it rings. Tonight he raced to the phone and I heard him say, "Just take a left, then a right!" When I got to the phone it was the Johnny's Pizza guy asking how to get to our house. Needless to say we all got our giggle for the day.

We leave for Memphis again this Sunday and will return on Tuesday. We'll update once we get back!

Monday, November 21, 2005 9:53 PM CST

We made it home! Thanks so much to Michael Smith and Jim Henderson who flew us to and from Memphis this week with Angel Flight. I even got to take the wheel and fly the plane on the way to Memphis. I can now add flying to my resume of mom, teacher, nurse, and now pilot! Brad was just a little jealous. He has always wanted to learn how to fly.
Allen's counts are up again for the third week in a row. It is great because we can play with friends and go do fun things. On the other hand, Dr. Pui thinks they're up TOO MUCH! He has increased Allen's medicine. That means more DEX this week almost double what he was taking. Pray for us all!!! Allen had a big day today and is not feeling well tonight. He got vincristine today which causes joint pain and methotrexate in his spine which really knocked him out harder today than usual.
We had a fast trip and got to visit with all of our friends. Sebastian got his lined pulled today! Corbin went inpatient for his 9th round of VAC. Ashley will get to go home soon and spend precious time with her family. Please remember their family during the holidays. We go back again Sunday for chemo, MRI, Echo/EKG, and dentist appointment.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Saturday, November 19, 2005 8:24 PM CST

We've had another good week at home. Allen has been feeling super. Hannah, on the other hand, was sick this week and we had to keep them apart. Thanks to Pops and Lissa who kept Allen for us a couple of days and to my aunt who kept Hannah one day while Allen and I played. Allen and I went to Jungle Gym and he had a blast!

This weekend Allen and Brad had a boy�s weekend. They went to the deer camp and Allen had his friends Thomas and Owen come spend the night. They rode 4 wheelers, saw some deer & alligators, and basically made as much noise as possible. Allen came home today covered in dirt and we even had to wash his HAIR.

We leave once again in the morning flying with Angel Flight. We are happy to get to see Sebastian who is also in Memphis. Sebastian had scans on Friday and they were CLEAN!! He is getting his line pulled on Monday..very big day! Allen will be having procedures with chemo injected into his spine. The only part he really hates is the numbing cream on his back and not being able to eat in the morning. We have an early flight back on Monday thanks to Angel Flight. Pray for good counts so we can have a family filled Thanksgiving.

Please remember all the kids at St. Jude. This year we are very thankful for St. Jude and all they have done for Allen. We are thankful for our friends and family that have supported us this year. I have a special request for some close friends, not at St. Jude, who have just had a life changing moment just like the parents of St. Jude experience when told your child is sick. (We love you!)It has brought back so many memories of when Allen was first diagnosed and I now realized how far I have come emotionally with all this. When something happens to your child or they become sick it like you is apart of a "club" that no one should ever have to join. On the other hand, I am so grateful for the friends I have made since February.

I'll do a quick update with how Allen's trip to Memphis went once we get back.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 8:34 AM CST

We're home again after a quick trip to Memphis. Allen's counts are great again this week - ANC 2200! He got a big dose of chemo yesterday that may or may not make his hair fall out again. If you haven't seen him lately his hair looks like a very short buzz cut! He loves his hair coming back and I think he would be heartbroken if it fell out. We'll be driving down the road and he'll say, "Hey mom, guess what I've got hair!" We'll just have to wait and see. He did so good yesterday to sit still for six hours while getting his chemo. It was a long day in the medicine room. We will go back next week for procedures!

Pray for all our friends. When it rains it pours, many of our friends are having a hard time right now. Pray for Ashley (la/princessashley), she is having very important scans today and has been feeling terrible. Jake(la/jakeowen) is inpatient for another round of heavy chemo. There are so many more children who need your prayers.

Friday, November 11, 2005 10:08 PM CST

We have had such a great normal week! We have stay very busy doing everything Allen loves to do. We've played over at friends house, went to the park, ate Johnny's Pizza twice, tonight we just got back from the Neville football game, and Allen is having his first official sleep over. Cameron and Allen have taken over my bed and I'm sleeping in Allen's little bed. Brad is at the deer camp this weekend. The boys have had sooo much fun at the game, thanks to the Greggory's for the tickets. Allen feels so good right now and looks great. His hair is growing in fast and he's put all his weight back on.

I did get a slap in the face and a reality check today hearing some very sad news about our friend Sam. He has relapse and there is nothing more that can be done. It is so hard to accept that all these great people we have met my not beat this beast. I don't even know what to say except that we love Sam and his family and spent time with while we both stayed in the RMH. I hope we get a chance to make a trip to tupelo to visit sometime soon. Right now they are shocked and just trying to understand. Please pray for this family I can't imagine what they are feeling right now. They don't have a caringbridge site.

On the last link below it will take you to a movie trailer that will be playing in the movies between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Allen and I are in it, but best of all Sebastian and Sam are in too. Sam is the very last shot of the film after Marlo talks. He is absolutely the sweetest child and my heart is breaking for him. Just click on the picture of Morgan Freeman. There will be another one coming out with Morgan Freeman and six kids, but we'll let you know when that's out.

Another, friend Zach Russo, had to leave his make a wish trip early because he's be in to much pain to go on. They are hoping after they get it under control they may be abe to finish their trip. You can check out his site at wwww.caringbridge.org/pa/ilovezachary. They are going through a rough time right now.

I am so blessed to have so much good, happy, normal times with Allen. We are so lucky to have him and he is so brave and doesn't even know it. We love him so much and just take advantage of the good times.

Thanks for remembering Allen and all our friends. We leave Sunday and will be back late Monday night.

Monday, November 7, 2005 1:41 PM CST

**Check out new pictures!! This picture is of Marlo Thomas who is the daughter of Danny Thomas, founder of St. Jude.**

Counts are way up!! Allen's counts are 1900 today. I was a little surprised because he's on a much higher dose of 6MP than before. Allen is figuring all this out as far as counts are concerned. He said, "My counts are up! Can we go to the Jungle Gym, Owen & Thomas's house, and Johnny's Pizza?" He sang his little happy song the whole way home, "My counts are up, My counts are up!" He knows, as do we, to take advantage of feeling good and high counts.

Rumor is that the Oprah show will be aired tomorrow. I looked on her website and it did not say anything, but that's the word around the Jude.

Thanks for all your support for our family. We'll update if things changes, but while we're home no news is good news. We will be going back to Memphis this Sunday for treatment on Monday and planning on coming home Monday night. Please remember our friends at St. Jude... two of our friends are having a hard time right now. Please remember Spencer(visit/spencerboyer) and Madelyn (TN/Madelyn).

Wednesday, November 2, 2005 9:45 PM CST

Like Brad told you last night we're home!! It was so good to sleep in our own beds and Allen even slept by himself in his bed. Allen's counts are still low so we are trying to be extra careful. It is so hard because he wants to see all his friends.

Allen's request yesterday on the way home was to have a pizza party at Johnny's. So I got on the phone and starting calling his friends. I was so glad that Allie, Cameron, Curry, Sara Kate, Addie, Allie, Thomas, and Owen were all able to come on last minute notice! The kids had a great time dancing and acting silly. Thanks to all our friends who would do anything to make Allen happy!!

Halloween at St. Jude is pretty unbelievable and WILD. There were so many people there and trick or treating on three floors of the hospital. We only did the first floor and Allen was wiped out. As for the monkey suit, it was itchy, and he only wore it for about twenty minutes. Hannah loved her costume and wore it from 8 - 8 only to take it off for a quick nap. That night we went trick or treating at the Target House and ran into Corbin which was a great surprise. Thanks to my Aunt Kathy who made a quick trip up to help me with the kids and packing up. I am glad she came because there was no way I was going to be able to fit everything in my car.

I keep having people ask me about Oprah. We were told it would air last Thursday, but obviously it didn't. I was talking to someone at the hospital who said he talked to one of the filming people and said when it aired depended on how much editing they had to do. He said he thought it would air sometime in November. If I hear a date, I'll let you know. I am not sure if Allen will actually be on it or not. It is not a whole hour show on just St. Jude so we'll just have to wait and see. The commercial will be airing between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Look for the kid with the LSU shirt on. They told us just to come in a t-shirt and they had special shirts they wanted the kids in. Turns out they changed their mind so Allen is sporting an old LSU shirt! Go Tigers!

Thanks for keeping Allen in your prayers. We will return to Memphis on the 13 of this month. We will have to go to Memphis two Mondays in a row and get chemo in Bastrop two weeks in a row. This will be our schedule until May 2006. Please remember our friends at St. Jude especially Jake Raborn and Princess Ashley Taylor.

Tuesday, November 1, 2005 8:45 PM CST

The troops are home!!! Allen, Amie, and Hannah got in around five this evening after five and a half weeks in Memphis. We are enjoying our time home together tonight so I dont have much time to update now......but will keep you posted this week. Also, Allen's peripheral blood MRD test came back negative, so those suspect cells were not leukemia!!!

Thanks for the prayers and God bless,
Brad

Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:43 PM CST

Halloween Update: After a wild morning at the hospital trick or treating we are back resting at RMH. We didn't get any news on Allen's MRD only a don't worry it will be fine. We did get the go ahead to come home so we'll pack up and be back Tuesday. The kids are resting getting ready for round two of trick or treating at the Target House tonight.

Sorry for the delay...
We got out of the hospital yesterday and have been very busy since then. Allen's counts are trying to recover, but not as quickly as we all hoped. He stayed at zero for several days and as of tonight 300. We hoped his ANC would be as high as 500-1000 today. There is a good chance they will let us come home even as early as Tuesday. If Allen's counts were 500, I would say for sure we're coming. I am not sure about 300 and I think it is up to the doctor. His WBC is up which is good, but his hemoglobin is low and is close to needing a transfusion. We will wait and see what Dr. Pui has to say.

We are also waiting for Allen's MRD test results which we should get in the morning. Allen had some suspect cells come up in his labs. They really feel like it is only immature cells and is NOTHING. We can only hope and pray that their "gut" feeling is right. Dr. Pui says that he is not worried and that means a lot because he worries about everything.

Also, tomorrow is a big day here for Halloween. They have the hospital all decked out and each clinic has a different theme. I heard they have around 50 trick or treat stops for the kids. For those of you that don't know Allen wanted to be a monkey, so we thought it was only appropriate for Hannah to be a banana. They are going to be precious! Thank You so much to Jake's Ginn Ginn and friend Miss Reba for letting Hannah "hitch-hike" with them to Memphis today. I wanted her here so badly for Halloween!! We start our day at 8:30 in the morning and trick or treat starts at 12:00. Hope everyone has a great Halloween and I will have lots of pictures. I know it's time to change out the pictures which will be on my list of to do once we get home.

Please remember all our friends here at St. Jude. Each stay in Memphis we make more unbelievable friends that we automatically form a bond with because they do know exactly what you are going through and understand all the ins and outs of having a child with cancer.

Hope to be at our number one house soon!

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:44 PM CDT

Update:
I am asking all prayer warriors to step up tonight on Allen's behalf.....he is still doing well with no fever as an inpatient, but we have a new issue on our hands. According to Allen's lab report this morning, there were "suspect" cells in his peripheral bloodwork. Because these were "suspect", Allen was ordered an MRD (minimum residual disease) test of his peripheral blood this afternoon. Please pray for our family as we work throught this new issue and for the suspect cells to be nothing at all!!
We will let you know as we find out more info in the next day or two.

God Bless,
Brad

We have fever...
Allen woke up this morning with 101 fever so off we went. Our nurses said they were expecting us any day because of his ANC being zero. Today it is still zero and his other numbers are still falling too. That means that he is still on the way down instead of up! Who knows how long it will take, but now because of this fever and zero ANC we may be stuck inpatient for a while. It sounds like all the stars are going to have to be in perfect allignment in order for us to get out.

For the positive, Jake is also renting a room on the second floor so as long as Allen's cultures do not grow anything and he has no fever they can hang out at the juke box! Pray for Allen and Jake so they can be free once again. Now my other hope is that we are out of the hospital for Halloween. We know we won't make it to our number one house.

Sunday, October 23, 2005 3:39 PM CDT

Monday Update: Allen's counts are officially ZERO! Please pray for no fever and for them to recover quickly. Also, we are battling Allen about wearing his mask so we are stuck inside our room at RMH and can't leave the room until he puts on his mask. We will not check counts again until Thursday to see if they are still going down or on the way up.

It has been a full weekend around here! Friday, Brad and Allen were approached and ALSAC wanted to do a trailer for some movies previews with kids and dads for St. Jude. So later in the day we went back and Allen wouldn�t leave my arms so the director said,� That was fine. We�ll do it with mom!� To say the least I was not expecting to be on TV that day. Friday night they called us and asked if Allen would like to be in a national commercial with Morgan Freeman for the Thanks and Giving Campaign. Allen and five other kids got to film the commercial. It was great because it was all of Allen�s friends at the shooting who were also in the commercial. We were so happy to see Corbin and Sam there! Sebastian we were all missing you!!! All the kids did great, but it is really hard to get six three and four year olds to do exactly on cue. We also got to take pictures with Marlo Thomas and ALSAC�s photographers took pictures with Morgan Freeman. Today, they did filming for the Oprah show at the hospital. She wasn�t at the hospital, but Lisa Ling was and it will be airing on Oprah this Thursday. There main focus was the kids who were taken in by St. Jude after the hurricane. They interviewed some of the older kids. They did get some footage of Allen riding a tricycle and playing with toys in the waiting room. We don�t know if he will actually be on the footage that is aired Thursday. Will someone please tape it anyway? I would love to get a copy either way. I don�t know if the movie star life is for us. We are so tired after this weekend!

Thanks so much to Denise Williams for the awesome Batman blanket with Allen�s name on it. It is so soft! Everyone wanted to nap under it today. Thanks also to Kayla and Ashley Stites for the birthday gifts. Allen loves the puppy dog book! We have read it 100 times already!

Brad just left to come back home and Hannah is with me. Andrea is flying up tonight to help out with the kids. I am so grateful to her because I wouldn�t be able to handle both of them. Both the kids just adore her! Allen loves having Hannah here! Whenever someone asks what her name is he says, �Hannah Baby, she�s soooo cute!� It is adorable and melts my heart every time.

We have to go to assessment and triage tonight for labs and clinic in the morning. Allen�s counts are probably bottomed out by now. It is just a waiting game now until we can come to our number one house.

Friday, October 21, 2005 10:07 AM CDT

Allen had a super birthday! Our room at RMH is overloaded with toys! We had cake and ice cream for everyone in the house and then had a silly string war! The kids had a blast!

Thanks for all the cards and presents that have been sent to Allen. Joe, Allen loves his card of the tractor and can�t wait to get home and ride it with you. Thanks to the Messengers for the coloring gift, Mimi & Da for the Batman movie, and the Procell's for the Batman costume. Thanks to Stephanie Crone for the huge box of b-day toys, and Rob & Alexis for the squirrel for target shooting. I knew I could count on you Rob to get him something for his BB gun that his Daddy got him. Thanks to Pops and Lissa for all the b-day gifts you sent! Thanks for the birthday money from the Lancaster�s, Nana & Papa Joe, Grandmother & Mr. Bill, and Cathy Layfield. Allen can�t wait to go toy shopping when his counts are up. Every time he opens a card with money he says, �Wow, I can buy a lot of Icees with that!� I sure hope I didn�t forget anyone, but it was pretty hard to keep up as he opened all his presents it was like Christmas.

Thanks also to the Jake Owen Believer for the adorable picture on the guestbook. You could make a living doing this I keep having people at the RMH how to get in touch with you. I tell them it is a mystery, but we appreciate your talent and your prayers.

It was so sweet of all our St. Jude friends that called, left a message on our guestbook, or sent a card (thanks Sam and Will) to wish Allen a happy day! We have made such wonderful friends here at St. Jude.

Allen and Brad just got back from hospital and checking counts. Allen's counts are falling fast! His ANC is 300 and that is still on the DEX. Usually on DEX his counts are around 3000. Today is his last day of DEX and we are all very happy about that. Now that�s he off the DEX his counts are certain to hit zero. Then we just have to pray that they recover quickly so we can come home. It is hard to judge when that might be we have been asking a lot of people who�ve already been through this but everyone says a different amount of time. Every kid is different!

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 9:02 PM CDT

Allen's big day is tomorrow! I think we are going to have to put candles in a bowl of grits and sing happy b-day instead of his Spiderman cake. Allen has only eaten grits for the last two days nothing else. He's not feeling 100% and is just wiped out right now. We had the day off today and he asked me to take him to the hospital to get "buddy" some juice (medicine) so he could feel better.

We do have to spend the day at the hospital and check labs. We hope we don't have to get blood on his birthday. Brad and Hannah won't be in until the evening and then we will have cake, ice cream, and grits! Thanks to everyone who has sent birthday wishes to Allen.

Please pray for good counts, no DEX meltdowns, and a little pep in Allen's step for his birthday. Thanks!

Sunday, October 16, 2005 9:31 PM CDT

We're free as of about 4:00 this afternoon. Allen's counts have come up a little to 800, but the doctor told us to expect them to fall to zero maybe by tomorrow! They will for sure hit zero and then we wait and see how Allen handles it. Allen's taste buds are once again messed up and everything is stinky to him. We tried everything tonight (popcorn, corn, spaghetti-o's, pudding, brownie, honey bun, and STEAK from Outback) He wouldn't even eat steak! The only thing he actually ate more than one bite was a bowl full of cherries.

We have to continue the eye drops for two more days. He put up such a fight in the hospital we had to have three people hold him to get them in. Our sweet nurse felt so bad she went home and bought him a present (remote control helicopter) and brought it to him the next day. We were suppose to take pictures with ALSAC in the morning but cancelled because Allen has "sick" eyes. He just looks really run down not to mention the attitude because of DEX. He will be on Dex until Saturday.

I am looking to hire two big brothers for Allen. Jake's big brothers are the best and Allen has loved playing with them. When Jake's family writes how great Hunter and Hayden are it is the absolute truth. Thanks boys for taking care of Allen just like you do your bubba.

Please pray that Allen tolerates the side effects of his chemo. We know they're coming! Pray for no more fever and counts to recover quickly so we can come home soon! I really want to be home for Halloween but still not sure if it's possible. Also, please pray that Allen feels great on his birthday Wednesday! We hope to take him and friends to Chuckie, but will most likely have to celebrate at RMH because of low counts. Brad and Hannah will be coming in on Wednesday for the big day! Thanks for remembering our family!

Saturday, October 15, 2005 3:19 PM CDT

Where do I start?? We are now inpatient as of 4:30 in the morning.

Allen's counts Friday had dropped even more to 400, but Dr. Pui felt there was more of a risk not starting any chemo because Allen had been off of it for so long. So we started his high dose Ara-c at 8:00 last night. It is in four doses 8-midnight, 8- noon, 8-midnight, and 8- noon ending on Sunday. We were going to do this outpatient, but at 4:00 in the morning Allen decided to spike a temp of 102.5. Now we are inpatient and will be until Sunday night or Monday depending on fever. The doctors feel sure that this is not an infection but a side effect of ara-c.

Please pray I feel like this is a nightmare! Allen had to get stuck last night to draw blood. He also has to get eye drops in 4 times a day. Not to mention another side effect of ara-c is aggitation and to top it all off we are on DEX. Allen is very angry and upset right now. I have tried everything to make him happy but the only thing he wanted was the game Cariabo. I went to the closest place Walmart to get it while Aunt Sarah spent time with Allen. Guess what... no game! So Staci Raborn came to the rescue and got Allen the game. Thanks so much!! I will update later when I know more. Please remember Allen in your prayers!

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 9:41 PM CDT

Great news...Not so great news

Allen's MRD is finally in and it is negative!!! This means there were 0% leukemia blast. The not so great news is Allen counts were still a little low and liver functions still high so no chemo. Normally his ANC only has to be 500 to receive chemo but because this next round is soooo tough they want his counts to be 1000. Monday his counts were 900 and today down to 600. He is still not in the danger zone which is under 500 so that is good. We will check counts and try again on Friday. This has officially set us back a week as far as our schedule and coming home.

On our way home from the hospital we ran into Jake and they were on their way to "the place" which is Chuckie Cheese. So of course we couldn't resist and made what seems to be our weekly trip to Chuckie's. Tonight was the October birthday party at RMH and Allen got to blow out candles and got two presents- one was a really huge moster truck that Allen was very excited about. Turns out it was broken and Allen was a sad little boy. Miss Amanda, the night manager, made him happy again by letting him pick out two presents from the present room. Allen picked out a remote control motorcycle and a bowling game.

We have to day off again tomorrow since no chemo. The silver lining in all this is that he has more time to get the DEX out of his system before we start it again. So maybe it won't be so bad for the second round. The most important thing is that we had good test results so we know that all this nasty medicine is working and that's the only thing that matters.

Thanks so much for the cards! Allen has gotten mailed filled with candy, stickers, and some birthday money! Please pray that we are able to start chemo on Friday and get it over with. Thank for thinking of us!

Sunday, October 9, 2005 9:20 PM CDT

Update Monday:

Allen's chemo has been postponed due to border line counts and his liver functions are elevated. We will check counts and chemistries again on Wednesday to see if we can get started.

One more week down....and a few left to go!
Allen had a great family weekend with sister and dad in town for for the last few days. The weather was fantastic for playing outside and lots of time was spent on the playground at the RMH.

Allen seems to be feeling okay now, but Amie and I both think his counts have fallen because of his mood and restlessness today. We will definetely find out tomorrow with triage. Allen needs lots of prayers this next week. One prayer that he can handle his 14-month old sister in his "space" there at the RMH, and another that he tolerate this next chemo concoction he will get tomorrow.

Tomorrow Allen will recieve dexamethazone, methotrexate, doxirubacin, vincristine, and a new chemo called "high dose Ara-C". This new one is supposed to be a tough booger....and he is to get four different cycles of it over 48 hours starting Monday night. From what we are told, its effects are not supposed to kick in for a few days but their supposed to be bad. He has also had two straight weeks of vincristine with not much bone pain, so we expect a third week may put him over the edge here also. So, as you can see.....the poor kid is gonna get a major dose tomorrw and needs all the strength and spiritual support he can get.

Allen's mailbox has been full this week which makes him a very happy boy after med days. Thank you Melanie Walker for the goodie package, the Harris' for the doodle-pro, and the Alford's for the birthday cash. Making a "mail run" is definetely one of his favorite things to do at the RMH.

We are so thankful to have friends like yourself and for the motivational and spiritual support you have given us over the course of the last eight months. This is especially true when we are in Memphis and away from Chatwood Drive. I guess this site is our way of staying grounded while living by St. Jude rules in Memphis. This is especially true for Amie since she is truly in "the trenches" day in and day out. So, some of you that hesitate to leave messages...please do...they keep us moving in the right direction and we enjoy the company!!!

God Bless,
Brad

Wednesday, October 5, 2005 8:51 PM CDT

Update:
Unfortunately, we did not get the MRD results we were expecting today. It seems as if the pathologist who reads the report is stil out of the country. Hopefully we will know more news on Monday..........have a good weekend!!!

Brad

Some days I am not sure why we are in Memphis. We've had two days off and Allen feels great. His legs hurt a little in the morning, but once he gets going he doesn't complain anymore. We have been spending our time just having fun because we know next week will be a hard week.

We went to the zoo today with our friend Austin and the boys had a great time. I thought we would only be there for an hour or two, but they weren't ready to go and we stayed ALL day. Tonight we went out to celebrate with Cole and Sebastian who are both finished with treatment and on their way home home. Cole leaves tomorrow and Sebastian leaves as soon as his counts have recovered. We are so happy for them!! It is so encouraging to see that there is an end for all of this. We just happened to have the longest treatment plan. It is going to be hard for Allen to understand that they are not here anymore. They were the reason Allen loved coming to the red hospital. We wish them all the best and will miss them.

Allen's TV interview went well. The one thing I didn't know was that is was going to be live!! It was the morning news show and Allen did four segments. They are having a food drive for the RMH and were asking Allen what kinds of food he liked to eat from the free food pantry. They said do you like Mac and cheese. He said yeah as he rubbed his tummy. Do you like spaghetti? He said yeah as he rubbed his tummy. Then they said, do you like spaghetti sauce and he said no that's yuck! It was not the answer they were looking for but it was pretty cute.

We have labs and clinic in the morning. It should be a pretty short day! On Friday, Daddy and Hannah are coming and Hannah is going to stay the whole week with us!

Thanks so much for thinking of Allen and thanks for all the cards we have received. Allen gets very excited to check the mail each day.

Monday, October 3, 2005 7:29 PM CDT

Allen had a very long day today and it didn't help that he woke up and his legs felt "broken" that is code for the vincristine has gotten to him. He has had leg pain and limping and being carried around everywhere. He said he needed to get his legs "charged back up so they would start working!" The pain isn't too bad and he is now on pain meds to keep it from getting worse since he got more vincristine today. He also got his weekly methotrexate today. His labs look fine. More importantly we are off DEX until Sunday!!! Still no MRD results.

Allen should have a very easy week as long as the joint pain doesn't get to him. They want him to build up his strength back up before next week. He will get high dose ara-c which is supposed to be REALLY bad.

Allen is making new friends everyday and all his old friends are still around too. In the morning Allen is going to do a TV interview for the RMH, so please pray that he cooperates. I'm sure he will since I promised a trip to Chuckie Cheeses if he was super sweet. I'll let you know.

Thanks for remembering Allen!

Thursday, September 29, 2005 8:34 PM CDT

No MRD results yet...

Allen's results are not ready because the person who reads them is in Japan. Dr. Pui acted like there was just one person whose only job is this. He tried to make me feel a little better by telling me only 3 out of 200 have relapsed in week 17. So I guess we have to wait it out, but it should be okay. Please still say some extra prayers.

Allen is feeling okay except he's very tired and his taste buds are a mess. He has the nose of a pregnant woman and thinks everything smells "stinky." He thinks he wants something to eat but it doesn't taste good, so we try again, and again. Finally, he eats plain noodles. He has already lost some weight since we've been back. We are on day 4 of DEX and doing okay with only a few meltdowns a day! Allen is sooooo smart! He has figured out that it is the DEX that makes him feel bad or just not himself. Yesterday he started throwing a fit about taking his medicine which he hasn't done in months. He said the DEX makes his head hurt. So I told him we were going to take potassium (which is true he takes the two together) and he took it just fine. I can't say the word DEX around him because he knows he doesn't like that stuff and who can blame him.

RMH is okay, but there are no little boys Allen's age here right now. He's not used to that he's always had a best bud here with him. So today we went to the Target House to play with Cole and Sebastian. Please remember them in your prayers they are both coming to the end of there treatments and getting ready to go home-home! Cole has some important scans and Sebastian has another round of chemo before they go home.

Please continue to keep Allen in your prayers. We have four more days of DEX. Even though Allen is doing pretty good on it he has gotten a little more agressive each day. If you think about it drop Allen a card in the mail, his mailbox has been empty and he remembers to go check it everyday! Thanks for remembering our family!

Monday, September 26, 2005 2:54 PM CDT

**Check out new pictures from Allen's birthday party!**

We made it to Memphis and through our first day of reinduction 2. We drove through some pretty bad weather yesterday, but made it in enough time to go have labs drawn, dinner with Sebastian, and pick up Andrea from the airport. Andrea is going to be with us this week to help out since it's a rough week.

Allen had a great time at his super hero birthday party and had eighteen of his friends flying around with him. Thanks for braving the weather to come to his party. He now tells everyone he is four so we will just pretend for a few weeks.

Allen had a MRD (bone marrow test) and a spinal procedure this morning. He wasn't in the best mood because he was hungry and couldn't eat since he had procedures. We had his honey bun and coffee milk waiting for him when he woke up. We will probably get the MRD results on Thursday. Please pray that there are no leukemia blast. He started the dreaded DEX today and will be on it for 8 days straight then off for 4 and back on for another 8 days. YIKES!!!! This is the steroid that is hard on everyone and makes "Chucky" come out in him. His ANC today was 600 and all his other counts looked good.

We have already moved into the RMH and are in the same room as we were last stay! It is room #37. Allen loves it at the RMH but is already asking when he can go back to his number 1 house. From looking at our road map (schedule) it looks like we will be here until right around Halloween.

Thanks for keeping our family in your prayers as well as all our friends here at St. Jude.

Thursday, September 22, 2005 5:13 PM CDT

Counts are up... a little. Allen's counts are right at that magic 500. He will be able to attend his own super hero party. His REAL b-day is in a couple of weeks, but since we will be in Memphis and not sure how he'll be feeling we are pretending it's this weekend. He doesn't know the difference, but he would know if he didn't get to have a party. He is so excited about his party and we will update with pictures.

We leave Sunday for Memphis for our last scheduled long stay. Please remember Allen during this time it is supposed to be the hardest round and 90nded up in hospital with fever during this time. Monday, Allen will have another bone marrow test to make sure that the leukemia is staying away. Pray for negative blast! We also hope that the weather is not too bad for our drive up on Sunday.

Doesn't everyone have lunch or dinner plans for Chili's on Monday? 100f there profit from the day will go to St. Jude. You can even call it in and not even get out of your car!!! Did you know it cost 1 million dollars a day to run St. Jude? Everyone has to eat, so eat Chili's on Monday!!!

Monday, September 19, 2005 3:37 PM CDT

Allen's ANC has fallen again to 230 which is very low! He could not receive his chemo today or can't have his 6MP. St. Jude wants his counts to be checked again on Thursday. We need them to be over 500 so he can have his procedures on Monday and so he can go to his own birthday party this weekend. I am so upset that we won't be able to do anything "fun" this week because it's the last week before we are really confined while in Memphis. Please pray that Allen's counts come up quickly!

Sunday, September 18, 2005 2:50 PM CDT

We're home! Allen is out of the hospital and happy to be home. We are going to live like hermit crabs this week because his ANC is only 370 and we need him to have lots of energy this weekend. All of his cultures came back negative and he only had fever on Friday. We will have labs checked again in the morning and see if his ANC is high enough to have his chemo.

We'll keep you updated! Thanks for remembering Allen and all his St. Jude friends!

Friday, September 16, 2005 4:34 PM CDT

Allen has a fever and is inpatient in Bastrop. He had a fever this afternoon but was feeling great so Brad took him to Bastrop thinking it would be quicker with the help of Dr. Mike. It was faster but Allen's ANC is only 300 so Dr. Pui said he had to be admitted. We'll update when we know more from the cultures. Please remember Allen and pray that this is a false alarm! He needs to get better before his birthday party next weekend!

Friday, September 16, 2005 4:34 PM CDT

Monday, September 12, 2005 1:59 PM CDT

Chemo at home...

Allen was able to receive his chemo this week in Bastrop from Pops which was great! It took 45 minutes to draw labs, get labs back, and get chemo. Then we were done compared to a 4-5 hour day(not including the drive) if we were in Shreveport. Of course it does help that Allen has connections!! (Thanks Pops!) We will be able to do this again next week and then on the 25th we go back to Memphis for a long stay. This has been the longest we've been away from Memphis since this all started.

Allen's counts are up and he seems to be feeling pretty good. He even had a pretty good week while on DEX on a few minor meltdowns but nothing a brown icee couldn't fix. He got a chance to play with lots of his friends this week too! Jake had his surgery and needs extra prayers for a painless and speedy recovery. Thanks for your support and prayers.

Wednesday, September 7, 2005 2:51 PM CDT

Allen's counts are back up! His ANC is 1300 so we can be in public this week! Allen had a lot of meds yesterday and so far handling it very well. He is on the dreaded DEX this week and we a hoping for no major meltdowns.

We are so happy that Sebastian's scan came back CLEAN! He has defeated all odds and they may even shorten his 40 weeks of chemo to 30 weeks! Jake's surgery was rescheduled for Friday so remember him in your prayers.

Yesterday as we were driving back into town Allen spotted his "school" and tried to convince me that I needed to go to work so he could go to school. He said, "I think that would be a great idea!" I know he is so tired of being with me all the time. Maybe this week we can get together with some of his friends!

Monday, September 5, 2005 7:20 PM CDT

Hello everyone.....it's been a while since you've heard from me. I was instructed by my wife that it is "my" turn to update! So here are the goods........

We finished up a good weekend at the lake and are back home getting ready for a really big week. Allen had an MRI of his hips and knees last Friday.....and no real news....but, no news is generally good news in cancer world!! As Amie discussed last Tuesday, Allen's counts were down and continued to fall through Friday, so he had to have a small blood transfusion to help him get a boost. He seems to be feeling better, but is sleeping more than normal right now. We figure the with the low counts he is just a little anemic and this will hopefully pass soon.

Amie and Allen really have a big day tomorrow in Shreveport with a bunch of new medicine added. He will get the dreaded dexamethazone steroid, doxirubacin, vincristine, and 6-MP. And to make things a little more complicated....I have to go out of town tomorrow to South Carolina for a one day meeting on Wednesday. Please pray for Amie and Allen and hope that the dex does not kick in at least until I'm home. Also, Jake Raborn is having surgery tomorrow to remove a spot on one of his lungs. He is such a trooper and needs extra prayers tonight. Also, Sebastian has a really big week with very important scans and test.

Thanks again to Pops and Lissa....we had a wonderful weekend at the lake....you know how much the kids love it there. We definetely appreciate all you have done and good luck with "Miss Priss" tomorrow!

God Bless,
Brad

Tuesday, August 30, 2005 7:36 PM CDT

Hello from Monroe! Allen & I had a long trip Monday to Shreveport which almost became a very long day. Allen's counts are way down his ANC is 400 and his hemoglobin is 7.9. Normally, Allen would have to receive at blood transfusion if it's under 8.0. It was already so late in the day and clinic in Shreveport closes (unlike the REAL Jude) we would have had to get blood in the hospital. Thank goodness Allen was bouncing off the walls while we were there because they decided he looked okay to hold off since we would have counts rechecked in Memphis on Thursday. Allen has not had to have a blood transfusion since May so it is a little puzzling why his counts have dropped this week. Hopefully they will be back up by Thursday. His counts do affect his personality and he's so grumpy and emotional right now because he just doesn't feel like himself.

On September 26, Chili�s Grill & Bar will donate 100 percent of its profits from the day to St. Jude Children�s Research Hospital. This special day is part of Chili�s �Create a Pepper to Fight Childhood Cancer� campaign that takes place throughout September. Over the course of the month, Chili's is asking its guests to donate $1 or more for the opportunity to color the Chili's signature pepper logo that will be displayed in the restaurant. You can "create a pepper" for a $1.00 donation in honor of Allen or any of the kids�Check out www.chilis.com for more information. We hope that everyone will go to Chili's on the 26th and this includes pick up orders also.
Calling all drug reps... It would be a great day to feed a huge office! :)

Brad has to go to a meeting tomorrow in Memphis (of all places) and Allen & I go on Thursday. We will actually pass each other at the airport in Memphis. Please pray that Allen's MRI shows no deterioration of his joint from the DEX.

Also, Cole's family is from Mobile and has had damage to their house from this unbelievable hurricane. Please remember them and everyone who has been affected.

Please pray for safe travels for our family this week--Amie

Sunday, August 28, 2005 4:28 PM CDT

**See new pictures from horse riding & lake!**

Allen loved riding horses on Friday! He was all smiles the whole time. Thanks so much to Denise & Jimmy Williams for calling us. (I'll bring the rest of pictures to the RMH for you when you come in October.)It only took about 2 seconds before Allen took to everyone at the IKE. He fit right in because he rode with Mr. Allen and on a horse named Allen. Thanks so everyone who was there and so sweet to our family.

We left the IKE and headed straight for the lake. We got in the boat as soon as we got there and stayed out until dark. The boat we used at the beach is perfect for the lake. He had so much fun and Hannah loved it too. The camp was pretty full with Uncle Stu & Co. but Allen's not shy! We were going to leave early Saturday, but decided to stay to see Uncle Daniel who was fleeing the hurricane.

We're home now getting ready for a busy week. We do have to go to Shreveport tomorrow! YUCK! There was some sort of mix up and all of Allen's meds were sent there instead of half and half. Then we will leave Thursday to go to Memphis for a MRI on Friday.

Thanks for remembering our family! Amie

Friday, August 26, 2005 8:40 AM CDT

Good Morning! Sorry for the delay, but we've had a quite normal life this week. Allen is feeling great! Today we are going out to the IKE to ride horses. While we were at RMH we met a lady who was with her church group serving dinner and Allen took to her and Denise was his new best friend. She let him open all the cans for dinner and he was really happy to open the HUGE can of corn. This was at the time when all he was eating was corn. Anyway she said her and husband came to Monroe with their horses and she'd call us. Well she's here and we're going to check it out. Allen has never really been around horses so I hope he likes them.

After that we are going to run to the lake just for the night. We told Allen we were going and then plans have changed, but he wouldn't let us forget about the lake. We will go tonight and let him ride the Jet Ski and boat and head back in the morning. Uncle Stu will be at the lake also and Allen can't wait to see him.

Monday we are suppose to be able to get Allen's counts checked and CHEMO at Dr. Mike's office in Bastrop. I have to call St. Jude today and make sure that is still the plan. Keep your fingers crossed, I will be very disappointed if we have to drive to Shreveport Monday.

Now for the really good news... Corbin's surgery was a complete success and no ribs had to be removed. Also, Hallie's test and scans have come back clean so will be able to do chemo from home and not in Memphis. Ashley is recovering well from her amputation surgery and is amazing everyone once again.

Please remember our other friends- Jake is inpatient in Shreveport with the Chicken Pox; Baby Preston is still having some problems prolonging them from going home; Also remember Cole, Sebastian, Matthew, Riley, Mitchel, & Will. Our list keeps growing but there are a lot of kids that need all the prayers they can get.

We'll update again Monday. Thanks for praying for Allen! Amie

Monday, August 22, 2005 11:53 PM CDT

We're home and I can't sleep! We had a pretty easy trip to Memphis. We arrived in Memphis and went straight to the hospital for labs then to the Target House. We celebrated birthdays with Sam & "The Bastian" as Allen calls him. We got them really loud toys just because I knew they would love it and they can drive the nurses crazy. We gave them those microphones that can change your voice. Andrea & Samantha (the moms) had fun playing too!

This morning we had clinic at 7:30 and Allen was very grumpy. He takes after me and is NOT a morning person. Dr. Pui was out of town so we saw someone new which is a weird feeling on a procedure day. Allen had some problems with sedations and starting throwing up as they were putting him under. I think (just a mom's opinion) that they pushed the "sleepy medicine" too fast. It usually takes a couple of minutes for them to push it, but today they pushed it very fast and Allen got sick immediately. He woke up from procedures really grumpy which made for a long day.

After medicine room, we met up with Cole Tanner and his parents. We let the boys exchange "happys" (little gifts we had for each other) and we all went to lunch. Allen & I went and hung out with them at the Target House until it was time for our flight. When Cole took his nap we went and played with Sebastain. Guess who didn't take a nap today! The Tanner's were so nice to bring us to the airport so we didn't have to go so early. Allen had so much fun playing with his friends. It really makes it easier to go to Memphis because Allen knows he has friends there too. There is at least one good thing that has come out of all this is that we have made lifelong friends.

Our flight was pretty uneventful except for the occasional don't look at me growl from Allen. The man in front of us was coming home from the Marines and made a comment about how he and Allen had the same haircut. Allen said, "Hey, you don't got no hair just like me!" A second later Allen spotted an older man who was balding. You guessed it -- he made the same comment to him. Good thing he had a sense of humor.

Please remember all our friends. It seems as if this week and the next couple of weeks everyone has big test and scans. Princess Ashley had her amputation surgery today, Corbin's bone marrow test came back clean, Hallie had scans today and will get results on Wednesday, Baby Preston didn't get the results they were hoping for today, Sam is inpatient with fever, Austin is coming in the morning for scans, Jake will be back on the 1st for scans and Sebastian�s scans are on the 6th. Cole is doing well and they are getting close to his no more chemo party. Today was the one year anniversary of Cole getting sick and the beginning of their journey to the Jude. Allen has an MRI on the 2nd and we go back for about a six week stay on the 25th of September.

Thanks for remembering our family-Amie

P.S. - I have gotten a lot of comments about the spider on Allen's head in the last set of pictures. It was not a real spider! We made it out of pipe cleaners one day while stuck inpatient. Pretty good spider don't you think!

Thursday, August 18, 2005 9:36 AM CDT

Things are good at home. Allen is feeling pretty good other than being a little tired. He's not eating very well because I think the chemo changes his taste buds. He says he wants waffle and takes one bite and says yuck. Then we move to the next choice and do the same routine over and over until he's had about 5 bites of anything. We feel like we are short order cooks around here. The one thing he will eat is steak every time and every bite of it.

It is kind of sad right now with everyone going back to school. All my friends were off for the summer and now everyone's back to work. I am having bulletin board withdrawals! I might just have to go to teacher's mart today. Allen was going to start Preschool at Grace this year but that's not possible now.

I'll write again Monday night after our trip to Memphis. Allen will have procedures done and get chemo. We hope to get together Sunday night with Sam and Sebastian both boys are celebrating their 3rd birthday!

Thanks for everything! Amie

Monday, August 15, 2005 7:17 PM CDT

We're home from the beach and had a great time! Allen was amazed with the ocean and sand. We spent the days building sand castles, collecting shells, finding crabs hidden inside shells, laughing at me when the fish nibbled on my toes, and debating who would touch which elevator button. We had a boat (raft) that Allen & Sara Kate could sit in and ride the waves (there were NO waves). The boat had high sides so no water got in and "buddy" (his central line) stayed dry.

Keeping buddy dry and clean was a major part of our trip but Allen as usual was a trooper. I put a double dressing on it and taped it really good before going out. We also changed his dressing at lunch and dinner every day which is usually a major ordeal. He allowed me to change it without a fuss and understood that's what we had to do to play at the beach. It stayed dry and clean the whole time! Allen didn't get any sun either; poor thing was glowing from all his sun screen especially on his bald little head.

Allen loved to run just along the edge and try to run away from the water coming in. We went walking along the beach one day and ran into the Crews from Monroe. They gave us some tickets to the TRACK which is a go-kart racing amusement park type place. The kids had a blast at the track. Allen & I beat Elizabeth & Sara Kate's grandma driving by a lap. Elizabeth blamed it on their car!

I am so glad Elizabeth took me seriously when I said I wanted to take Allen to the beach because that's all he talked about. I am so lucky to have a friend like her and Allen adores Sara Kate. In the car he was saying Sara Kate is my best friend -- super sweet. They played so well together and we have so much fun just listening to their sweet little conversations they have. I am so thankful for the memories we made on our trip to Gulf Shores. We all agreed we would have to come back next year with the daddies and babies.

We got in last night and Allen & I went to Shreveport today. I thought it was going to be short and sweet but it was a pretty long day. Allen's ANC is 700 and he received three different chemos today in Shreveport. Not that you could tell he is bouncing off the walls tonight. I do think the chemo he gets affects his ability to listen to his parents. He is going through a tough phase of ignoring our request so please pray for our patience with him. We are starting him back on his pain meds for the vincristine he got today. This is the chemo that causes a lot of joint pain.

We go back to Memphis Sunday for procedures. A lot of our friends will be there next week for very important scans. Please keep all our friends in your prayers as well as Allen.

Thanks for remembering our family - Amie

Wednesday, August 10, 2005 9:54 PM CDT

We're home but headed out to the BEACH in the morning!

Allen has been so happy to be home and so excited to be with his friends. Last night we had a "party" at Johnny's Pizza with some of Allen's friends. It was wild and of course Allen had on his usual Batman attire. It was last night that we decided to go to the beach.

Allen has been begging to go and has never been before. I told Elizabeth I was thinking about driving him down just to see it and she said let's go. So Elizabeth and her daughter Sara Kate and Allen and I are going. We told the kids last night and we were more excited than them it seemed. At three in the morning Allen ran into our room yelling we're going to the beach. He is so excited he can hardly contain himself. I can only imagine how many times we're going to hear "are we there yet" tomorrow in the car.

Allen is feeling great and getting all that DEX out of his system. We are going to Shreveport this Monday instead of Memphis to get treatment. We are hoping to do a lot of treatment in Shreveport and get a break from Memphis. We do have to go back on the 21st for a spinal procedure.

Thank you for keeping Allen in your prayers. Pray for a safe trip and more importantly for no unexpected fever while at the beach. Please remember all our friends at St. Jude also.

Monday, August 8, 2005 5:26 PM CDT

Quick Update:

Allen and Amie are working their way back to Monroe as of now. They were released from clinic today and will be home around 9 pm tonight. Allen is feeling much better today and is so excited to finally get to come home......

I told you it would be quick!!!!!!!
Brad

Saturday, August 6, 2005 11:43 AM CDT

*Check out new pics on photo page! The picture on the home page is Allen with Dr. Pui.*

I can't really put into words how hard the last two days have been for everyone. Everyone tried to warn us that this DEX was bad stuff, and now we fully understand. Allen's little body is just out of control and all he can do is yell, hit, and cry about it. I have become a human punching bag and we all have battle wounds. You would only believe it if you saw it with your own eyes. Sorry to Erin who came down on one of Allen's worst days.

There is some good news and Allen is having less and less outbursts. The doctors gave us potassium pills for Allen and said some parents swear by it. Thursday, I had no faith in potassium, but after a couple of days I do think it is helping. I makes us feel better as parents to give him potassium rather that some drug that makes him like a drunk. He even said after having strong iv meds Thursday that he saw "two mommys" It is really hard to give your child heavy meds like moraphine, codine, and lorazepam because nothing else works-not to mention chemo that we have to wear gloves when giving it to him so it won't get on us. It is all very scary. Just continue praying that the potassium continues to work and for no more meltdowns. We get off DEX on Sunday night.

Please pray for all the kids here and especially the kids on DEX and their parents. Allen would start having a fit and we would pick him up and carry him to the room. Everyone we passed would just shake their head and say, I hate that DEX. Cole should be getting out of the hospital today and pray his counts recover fast. Sebastian and a new friend Will are both inpatient with a fever. Also, please pray that we do get to come home early next week. We should know Monday exactly when we can leave. We'll update again when we know!

Missing our number one house - Amie & Allen

Friday, August 5, 2005 1:15 PM CDT

Quick update.....
I am asking you guys for a few extra prayers for this coming weekend. Allen is having an extremely hard time on the new steroid dexamethazone. He is feeling horrible and is bouncing from one "uncontrollable tantrum" to the next right now. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do about the issue and the clinic has had to medicate him some to keep him from hurting himself and anyone around him. I have had to make an unexpected trip up here on Thursday night just to help Amie keep her sanity. We are both at wit's end now (especially Amie) and looking forward to coming home next week. Please pray for Allen....the poor child is not himself and doesnt even feel comfortable in his own skin right now. I also ask you to pray for Amie and her sanity.... she has been so strong over the last few months and needs a break in the worst way. I vote she gets "mother of the year" this year!!

Tired but still fighting,
Brad

Wednesday, August 3, 2005 8:35 PM CDT

We're Free!!!

Allen was let out of the hospital about 4:00 today. Our nurse unhooked him and he yelled, "I'm free!" When we got in the car and headed back to the "Old McDonald House" he said, "look mom a tree, a red-light, etc" Poor baby has not been outside the small four hospital room walls in six days. He hasn't even gotten out of bed to walk around. Now that we are outpatient wearing a mask is a big issue. His counts are still very low and has to wear his mask. He would rather stay in the room. Since we've been free he's had quite a few meltdowns. I don't know if he still doesn't feel well or just doesn't know what to do with himself. To top things off he's back on DEX for the next five days.

I gave platelets yesterday! It takes about two hours to do but it's kind of nice - two hours without cartoons and someone to be at your beckon call. As I was going in to donate I ran into Staci Raborn (Jake's mom) coming out from doing the same thing. Giving platelets here goes to a patient at St. Jude within five days. Sometimes the hospital has a shortage and has to buy them for $500- $700. Can you believe that? Our buddy, Sebastain, had to get platelets today maybe mine! Lissa tried to give this morning and had an unpleasent experience with her veins. She did try! I met a man yesterday who had donated 198 times. He doesn't know a patient or have a personal reason to donate other that he just wants to do something for these kids and the hospital. Now that I know how easy it is and I didn't pass out, anyone who comes to visit may feel pressured to donate. (That means you Karen- I know you don't deal with pain well, but you can do it!)

Allen is all caught up on his chemo as of today so we are really not behind as far as coming home. We may get to come home sometime next week if his counts continue to recover. We have clinic at 8:00 in the morning and may know more about our schedule after that.

Allen has received so many great gifts since we've been here. Yesterday, Charlie and Janet sent him a huge basket of presents all wrapped separately. It came just in time because by yesterday we had to bribe him to do anything. He was just tired of taking medicine, temperature, blood pressure, and everything else they do to him every two hours! Today when we got back to RMH he had four packages waiting for him. One was from the Nolen's and it was personalized M&M's. They are so cute! We have saved two packages for tomorrow!

Erin is bringing Hannah to us tomorrow and Brad will be back for the weekend. We hope Allen's counts are up so we can do something fun! We are hanging in and just can't wait to get back to the "number one house!"

Tuesday, August 2, 2005 10:28 PM CDT

No really juicy news today!!

Allen's counts are stable at 200 again with no new fever since last night at around midnight. Hopefully this means his counts will be trending up and they may get to get out by end of day tomorrow. Allen is feeling better and better and is getting harder and harder to control in the room. So things are looking up. Please pray that tomorrow will be the day.

Unfortunately, Amie and I have lost our new nanny for Hannah as of next week. She was fantastic and is moving out of the state with her husbands new job. We tried to get her to stay and let her husband go on without her.....but no such luck! So, if you know of anybody good who is looking for a job like that...let us know.

On a more serious note.....Jake Rayborn (www.caringbridge.org/la/jakeowen) and family need some extra prayers this week. Jake lost a grandmother this weekend and if that's not enough, the family had a very important pet scan today. As of now, I dont know anything as far as results...so there's still room for more prayer!

God Bless,
Brad

Monday, August 1, 2005 4:19 PM CDT

Not much new to report from the second floor of the hospital other than Allen's ANC is now 200. His fever is coming down, but still had it today. Lissa just got here so they are playing CandyLand. Allen is winning- of course. We'll update when we know more or something changes.

Saturday, July 30, 2005 9:01 PM CDT

Allen is still inpatient running a high fever. Today it spiked at 103.7. All of his cultures have come back negative so they think it is a virus of some sort. His ANC has dropped to 700, but anything over 500 is good for this point in his treatment. We don't really know how much longer we'll be in the hospital or if this will prolong our stay in Memphis. The good news is,if you walked into Allen's hospital room you wouldn't think he was a sick kid. He is still happy, playing, & laughing.

Thanks for all the gifts & cards we have received! Andrea (Sebastain's mom) brought Allen a goodie package and some toys to play as soon as she found out we were inpatient. I appreciate this so much because she had to go through a lot of trouble to get up to the hospital by herself with her own sick little boy. The friends we have made here mean more to us than anyone can imagine. Our friend Cole went inpatient today for another round. Also, Please remember Jake's family in your prayers. His Nana Raborn earned her angel wings last night. Thanks to everyone who went to donate at the bone marrow drive today. Thanks for remebering Allen in your prayers and all the kids at St. Jude.

Friday, July 29, 2005 11:34 AM CDT

**update- We are now inpatient as of about 2:00 today. Allen's fever had risen to 103. **

Well... we ended up having a fever last night so off to the medicine room we went at 9:00. He had 101.1 and they gave him iv antibotics and fluids. They ran cultures and sent us back to RMH and told us to check with clinic in the morning. I called clinic this morning and we had to come back for a full work up - xrays, more cultures,& test. Allen was not happy to be there and had a massive meltdown in xray even hitting a nurse. So then I'm crying too from embarassment. His xrays looked good and his ANC is 1000. They were surprised it was still high. If it would have been under 500 he would have gotten a ticket to second floor (inpatient).

For the most part he is feeling pretty good just kind of quiet for him. His temperture is elavated (99.9) but not considered fever until 100.5. So now we just watch and wait and hope for no more fever. Brad is coming to Memphis tonight without Hannah because she is sick with a bad cough and ear infection.

Thanks for keeping Allen in your prayers and all his friends also. Please remember Hallie bone marrow drive this weekend and bring as many people as you can. You can check out Hallie's journey at www.caringbridge.org/la/hallie. She is the sweetest little girl and needs a match to beat this terrible diease.

Lots of Love--Amie & Allen

Tuesday, July 26, 2005 3:59 PM CDT

***CHECK OUT NEW PICTURES ON PHOTO PAGE***

Hannah's first birthday spent at the Jude! She was here for her first Easter and now her birthday. I guess it's okay to spend your holidays here as long as we're all here together. Thanks so much to Angel Flight for helping us out! Brad & Hannah have actually left today to fly back home so Brad can work the rest of the week. They are planning to come back this weekend if Hannah can get rid of a terrible cough she has. Yesterday was Christmas in July and Santa was at the hospital giving out early presents. We got to spend some time with Jake while waiting in line.

Allen is having a good day. He had psychological testing this morning. We just have to laugh at this because Allen is in a phase where everything is very silly and he answers things wrong just to be funny. After his test this morning we took daddy and sister to the little airport. Allen was okay with this until they got on the plane and left him. He had a DEX meltdown for a little while. By the way as of today he's off DEX for 5 whole days.

As for the rest of the week, not much going on. We have a nurse visit on Thursday and labs on Sunday. This is the week he's suppose to crash so hopefully no fevers or infections this week and then it should be smooth sailing after that. They are having CAMP wishing well this week at RMH and every night there is an activity and dinner. RMH always has some church group or organization coming in and hosting activities and dinner. Since we've been here there has been something every night except two.

Thanks so much for all the cards and packages. It really makes Allen happy to go check the mailbox each day. Thanks also for the extra prayers while we're here. We miss everyone and Allen is already asking when he can go back to his "number 1 house" Please remember our friends here at St. Jude and don't forget Hallie's Bone Marrow Drive this Saturday at First Baptist in West Monroe.

Lots of Love-- Amie & Allen

Saturday, July 23, 2005 8:35 PM CDT

Hello everyone,
We definately hope it is a little cooler in Monroe than it is in Memphis.....it is unbearable here with temps right at 100 degrees. You can barely stay out more than a few minutes without becoming totally drenched!

Allen seems to be feeling really good right now. This is a surprise after seeing him a couple times after other vincristine and dexamethazone doses. Dr. Pui started him this week on Neurontin. It is a Pfizer drug for seizures (I think???), but it is doing a fantastic job at curbing any pain associated with his chemo. Honestly, he has not complained a bit since I have been here. A few weeks ago, morphine was the only pain medicine strong enough to curb his bone pain. As of now, he has not taken any narcotics!!

Allen had a really good day today. He got to spent a good deal of time with his buddies Sebastian and Sam, and really showed off his batman outfit again. We cant seem to keep that off of him! He will have a quick trip to the hospital tomorrow for more labs and a really big week starting monday. Please pray that Allen continues to do well with his chemo. He has another big week ahead of him and we are expecting to have a low ANC this next week. Infection is very possible....so pray no infection. Also, Hallie Gravelle and Jake Raborn need extra prayers right now. They are both fighting a corageous fight and are both at a crossroads in treatment now. Please keep them in your thoughts.

God Bless,
Brad

Thursday, July 21, 2005 9:50 AM CDT

MRD is STILL NEGATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so happy that Allen's test came back the way we hoped for. Now we can relax a little bit. ReinductionI doesn't seemed to be too bad. They started Allen on a new kind of pain medicine that seems to be doing the trick. For the most part he is feeling pretty good. Now we just kind of sit around and wait for his counts to "crash" and pray he doesn't get an infection. Dr. Pui said about 50f the patients get some sort of infection in week 2 of reinduction. We have a MRI tomorrow and then have the weekend off. Monday will be another 8-10 hour day in the medicine room.

I am so happy to have Hannah here with us and Allen may be happier than me. He strolled her around the hospital this morning saying "this is MY baby, see my new baby sister, my daddy bought her for me"-the last one was the best quote! I am so lucky to have a great friend like Karen come stay with us and help out. Allen loves Karen, too! (Thanks Karen!)

I wanted to thank Edwards Barham and Angel Flight for getting us to Memphis on Sunday. It was such a nice flight over. It is so much easier on Allen (& me) to fly over in an hour rather than drive for five hours. Thanks again to Angel Flight!

I almost forgot......check out the link below about the Chicago Marathon. Amy Norsworthy from Jackson, a coworker of Brad's, is running in the Chicago Marathon. She is training and running with the local chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The great thing is that she will be running in the marathon on Allen's behalf. Please take a look at the site...it's realy cool and they are collecting donations for a fantastic cause...leukemia reseach!! Take a look!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, July 19, 2005 11:18 AM CDT

Hello everyone......
Were all settled in here at the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis now. Allen had a tough day yesterday that lasted until about 7:30 pm, but he was a trooper and got through it. He had two procedures yesterday including a spinal chemo and a bone marrow aspirate for his MRD test. The MRD will tell if his leukemia has relapsed. We will probably get the results of this test on Thursday. He was started on several other meds yesterday including the dreaded vincristine and dex....so the following week should be interesting to say the least!!!

Tuesday started out fine with Allen sleeping to a "late" 8:30am. He seemed to be doing pretty well in the morning but as the day went on the chemo began to catch up with him. It is unbelievable the amount of chemical abuse his little body can take. And to have a smile on his face the majority of the time is amazing. Things like this really make you take stock of what is really important in life. The everyday "gripes" we have just dont compare to what these little guys have to go through. To be pumped with poison every day for the next three years and do it with a smile o your face.....now that is a trooper!!

A request for Allen's Army.....Please keep Allen and Amie in your prayers as they go through these tough few weeks. We will have some help, but the physical and emotion toll on both of them is going to be tremendous. I will be traveling back and forth with Hannah on the weekends and trying to juggle work in the middle of it all. Leave Amie and Allen a message on the website.....it's a real "pick me up" to see all you behind us during this trip.

God Bless,
Brad

Thursday, July 14, 2005 6:44 PM CDT

We had Allen's counts checked today and they are on their way up. He's just under the magic 500 number so we feel by Saturday it should be there. He had a great day riding the 4wheeler and tractor at Pops & Lissa's house.

Our next update will be Sunday or Monday because not a lot to report and we're going to be sooooo busy getting ready for Hannah's birthday party and packing for Memphis.

Monday is a BIG day for Allen. He gets five different kinds of chemo that day including a spinal. He will also have a bone marrow test which tells us how is doing. Please pray the MRD is negative and we continue on as planned. We will be staying in Ronald McDonald House and Allen loves getting mail while we are there! Please remember Brad, Hannah, & friends who will be traveling back and forth this month to Memphis. Our friends at the Jude still need a lot of prayers too!! Amie

Monday, July 11, 2005 8:43 PM CDT

An Emotional Day at the Jude...

We started the day just like any day while in Memphis. Our schedule was pretty quick and easy so it seemed. Allen was full of enegry and we could hardly keep up.

Allen gained one pound this week! We had to wait a long time for clinic. When we got Allen's labs I was a little shocked to see his ANC was 300. Last Tuesday it was 9400 which is too high!! They like to keep it above 500 but below 3000. Dr. Pui came in the room very emotional and upset. However he did not say a word to us and just shook his head and was breating heavy as he wrote in Allen's chart. Melissa and I just kept looking at each other and then at him-- back and forth for what seemed like forever. I had knots in my stomach. Saddly, it turns out they had lost another leukemia patient not even an hour early.

It is very hard to comprehend that another child just died from the same illness Allen has. We also know of another child who has leukemia that is expected to earn his angel wings any day. Each time I walk through the doors at St. Jude I wonder why this is happening? It seems like every time we go we learn of another child that has earned their wings and meet families that are new to the hospital. New families are easy to spot..they have a lot of family with them, the big St. Jude binder, and the child with all their hair.

As for Allen, they have lowered his 6MP for this week so hopefully his counts will recover. He is at high risk for infection so no outings this week or no friends over to play. Hannah's birthday party is this weekend (yes- she's almost one) so we will check Allen's counts again on Thursday. We hope his counts will be above 500 so he can be at the party because it is also kind of a going away for a month party for Allen. We leave the next day (Sunday) for our long stay in Memphis.

Our little buddy Sebastian is in the hospital with a fever and is just not tolerating his chemo well. He and Cole both have an ANC of 0 so please pray it begins to rise. Hallie is also having trouble getting her counts to recover and they are having to make some treatment plans. Please pray for Hallie and remember her Bone Marrow Drive on July 30th at First West in West Monroe. Corbin seems to be feeling well but his counts have been acting funny. Matthew is having some complications right now and needs extra prayers. Ashley has had new hot spots come up on her MRI and we all need to pray that it is not a new tumor but maybe a bruise or fracture. Jake is doing great!! Yeah Jake!! He will have another AFP test Tuesday. This number needs to be really low and we are praying really hard. I am a basket case right now! It just seems that everyone is having a hard time, but with your prayers I know this will turn around for the better for us and all our friends. I will list the caringbridge sites of our friends so you can drop them a note.

www.caringbridge.org/la/jakeowen
www.caringbridge.org/la/corbin
www.caringbridge.org/la/hallie
www.caringbridge.org/la/matthew
www.caringbridge.org/la/princessashley
www.caringbridge.org/al/cole
www.caringbridge.org/va/sebastian

Thanks for your love and support. We all need some extra prayers this week! Amie

Friday, July 8, 2005 8:07 PM CDT

Just a quick note to let everyone know Allen is feeling great and having fun at home. We have had lots of company and been playing Batman. Allen got a new Batman mask that he wants to sleep in too. We are just enjoying family time getting ready for our long trip back. We will go this Sunday and Monday for a quick trip then have one more week at home before our month stay.Please continue to pray for Allen and all our friends at St. Jude.

Tuesday, July 5, 2005 8:26 PM CDT

A new bump in the road.......

Allen will be getting no more asparaginase shots as of today. I talked with Amie and Allen after clinic today and was given the total rundown.

Allen's antibody bloodwork came back today and Allen is very allergic to both forms of the asparginase he gets weekly. After seeing the tests, Dr. Pui decided it would be in Allen's best interest that we discontinue the shots due to the possibility of severe reactions. They told Amie this is very uncommon this early on and it really puts a kink in Allen's higher risk protocol. It also possibly ends his participation in the research part of the Total XV protocol he is in. Asparaginase is one of the main drugs used in high risk ALL patients and the doctors do not seem to know if another drug can effectively replace it. Dr. Pui made the decision then to replace the asparaginase with some form of methotrexate. We really dont know what this new concoction changes and how and if it will change Allen's long term and short term prognosis and drug side effects. We will follow up with this and let you know when we know more.

Just keeping you posted!

Brad

Monday, July 4, 2005 9:12 PM CDT

Hope everyone had a great holiday! We had a great time at the lake. Allen didn't have the best weekend because of joint pain and just not feeling good. He tried hard to hang in there. He wanted to do all the fun lake things just in short periods of time and then he needed to rest.

We leave EARLY in the morning for Memphis and we will spend the night in case Allen has another reaction. Before we left last week they did some specialized blood test to see if Allen has a certain antibody that would cause him to react every time to the shots. If he does they may have to change the game plan as far as his chemo. If not they said they will "challenge" him one more time and premedicate him before giving him the shots. We still have 16 weeks of shots left. Allen anxiety is very high about these shots. He starts asking if he has to have them the moment we walk into the hospital. Each week it has been harder on both of us when he is getting the shots.

Please pray for no reactions, no fever, and no more pain.
Thanks for everything! Amie

Friday, July 1, 2005 2:48 PM CDT

Allen has had a great week compared to the last time he had the "bomb" week. Today, he is wearing down and a little fussy.

We went out to dinner last night with Allen to the Japanesse Steak House. Allen had so much fun watching the fire and eating "snake" Thanks to Sissy and Sydney who brought Allen a Batman cake. The whole table even sang Happy Birthday and he blew out candles. Everyday is Allen's birthday! He was so good we even made a trip to the toy store after dinner and bought another boat (so he and Uncle Stu can race) and an airplane.

Thanks so much to Cole Tanner for the package of goodies. Brad just said Allen you have a package and he leaped up out of my lap and ran. He loves it all especially the Batman car!! Cole is a friend of ours at St. Jude you can check out his site at www.caringbridge.org/al/cole.

We are headed out to the lake with hopes to cheer Allen up. Uncle Stu and Uncle Daniel will be there to help keep him occupied. We are headed back to Memphis on Tuesday instead of Monday this week. Hope everyone has a great 4th.

Love-Amie

Wednesday, June 29, 2005 8:52 PM CDT

Hello everyone,
Just wanted to drop a line and let everyone know Allen and Amie made it home yesterday okay and are doing well. Allen has tolerated all the new meds like a champ this time and has not had to be on any nausea or pain medicine as of today. He seems to be feeling good, with a little less energy than normal....but, we'll take that over the bone pain any day. He is on the steroid dexamethazone, but we have not seen too much of a change in his demeanor as of yet!!! Keep you fingers crossed!!!

As I noted earlier, Allen had to stay another night because of a reaction to his asparaginase shots. Amie said the reaction made his face swell and his lips looked like he was a male version of Goldie Hawn!!! The docs were able to get things under control quickly and medicines will be started earlier next time to prevent this from happening next time. The asparaginase is in a shot form and Allen is beginning to premeditate things a bit. He is very anxious now and knows he is getting it when he goes to the medicine room. I think he has a little "salesman" in him because Amie said he tried to negotiate his way out of the shot on Monday with the nurses. He told them he thought "tomorrow would be a good day for the ouchy"!!!! He never ceases to amaze me.......you have to find some kind of humor in these things....especially with all he's had to go through.

We hope everyone is doing well and having a good summer. We are trying to get all we can out of these next few weeks before Allen has to go back to Memphis for about a month in July. We really appreciate all the love, support, and help we have had over the last few months. Thanks to Frances Cox and the Yokum's for the wonderful meals!!!

God Bless,
Brad

Sunday, June 26, 2005 5:43 PM CDT

~~CHECK OUT THE NEW BATMAN PICTURES ON THE PHOTO PAGE.~~

Monday night...Quick Update:

Allen and Amie did not get to come back home this evening due to a allergic reaction Allen had to his asparaginase shots today. The doctors were on it in a flash and were able to get the reaction under control fairly quickly. He is having a tough time time today and is currently running a fever this evening. The doctors were not sure if it is from the reaction or some kind of bug he picked up, so they are treating it as if it is an infection. Allen was given an antibiotic to cover him through the night. I will update with more info tomorrow as we get a follow up and cultures in.

Sorry it's been so long since the last update, but in the caringbridge world no news is good news.

Allen has had a great week and we still can't get him out of his Batman suit. We called St. Jude and changed our travel plans to leave on Monday so Allen could have a full weekend at the lake. He is feeling so good right now...I hate to go back tomorrow because this is his really tough week. We are going to making a quick day trip. We leave at 6:30 A.M. and flying home at 8:30 P.M. I am not sure how this will go, but we will find out soon enough.

Allen played so hard at the lake. He rode the boat & jet ski with his Batman cape flying in the wind hanging out from the top of his life jacket. We also couldn't keep him off the trampoline. We bought him a motorized boat that had a remote control and he drove his little boat all day long. He is eating good and I can't wait to see if he has gained some of his weight back.

Please pray that this trip goes smoothly and for no side effects. It breaks our heart to see him go from being a happy normal three year old to a sick little boy so fast. The doctors say sometimes children have bad reactions one time and don't the next. Hopefully this will be the case with Allen. If he is in pain this time around at least we know how to treat it. Tomorrow he will be receiving 4 chemos along with his usual 6MP. Time is just flying and before long we will be back in Memphis for about a month. I just want Allen to have the energy to play with his friends and do anything he wants until we go back for the long stay. There is another little boy from Monroe (from Jack Hayes the school I taught at) coming to St.Jude this week-www.caringbridge.org/la/matthew. Please keep his family in your prayers as well as all our friends.

Love-Amie

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 6:10 PM CDT

We're home again! Allen had a good trip to Memphis this week. He felt pretty good as long as he could keep his batman pjs on. We drove this time and Elizabeth came to help which I had forgotten how much easier things are with another set of hands. We met up with some friends Sunday night and went to Chuck E. Cheese which is Allen's favorite place in Memphis. Elizabeth & I had fun playing skee ball too! We had fun visiting with the Tanner's and watching the kids play.

Monday was a long day, but it all ran smoothly. Allen had his procedure at 9:00 and had to wait 4 hours before getting his shots. I am so glad I had my car this time so we were able to go exploring a little to pass the time. We got in late last night only after Allen mastered the phrase, "Are we there yet?"

Thanks so much for keeping Allen in your prayers. We hope to have a great week even though his counts are border line. Next week is the "BOMB" again. The day he gets five different chemos which caused some side effects last time. We are so excited for Jake and his family they received great news yesterday- www.caringbridge.org/la/jakewen.

Have a great week! Amie

Thursday, June 16, 2005 10:02 PM CDT

Quick Update:

Allen is feeling much better! In fact he did not have any pain medicine today. His ANC is high so that helps him to feel better. Thanks so much to the Gray's for the delicious dinner.

We will be heading back to St. Jude on Sunday and come home on Monday. Allen will have spinal medicine of Methotrexate and a form of Asparaginase. They had to change his Asparaginase because he had a reaction, but this new form is not 1 shot but 2 shots each week for the next 18 weeks. Please pray for Allen's anxiety level, he knows they are coming and begins to panic once we enter the medicine room. I know this will only get worse in the weeks to come. Also, pray for no more pain for Allen or any of the children.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 5:56 PM CDT

Hello everyone!
Allen and Amie should be on their way home as I write...and Hannah and I will meet them at the airport around eight oclock. According to Amie, Allen pushed through his chemo like a champ and is doing much better this afternoon. As you read earlier, he was up for the asparaginase shot again yesterday. But, Dr. Pui decided he might have had a reaction last week when we went to the ER....so he changed the form of the asparaginase a little and Allen did okay.

As you also know, Allen has had alot of bone and joint pain due to the chemo called vincristine. Alot of children his age tend to regress back to "not walking" on this medicine if the pain is not treated correctly. So, the staff decided the codeine he was on was not enough and therefore ordered oral morphine to help curb the pain. I talked to Amie around noon today after two doses of the med and she said he was doing 100% better than the day before!!!!!!!! We are so thankful....it's tough to see him not himself and not moving, eating, or functioning like a normal three year old.

We definately appreciate all the extra letters of encouragement as Allen pushed through this past week. It's a good feeling to know we have so many people behind the scenes waiting to help in any way they can!

God Bless,
Brad

Sunday, June 12, 2005 7:25 PM CDT

All I can say is this past week has been a hard week on all of us especially Allen. He started the week with nausea and a fever. Wednesday the vincristine pain started and has not gone away yet. Allen has felt really bad and moves very slow and rigid because of joint pain. We went to the lake this weekend hoping to cheer Allen up since it is his favorite place on earth. He did perk up at times but just wasn't feeling up to it. He didn't want to ride the boat or jet ski which is not like him at all. The Tripps came with us this weekend and Cameron (6) and Curry (2) were so sweet to Allen. Cameron stayed in to watch a movie with Allen when we all knew he really wanted to be out swimming in the lake. He told his mom since Allen has leukemia we can do whatever he wants to do. They even were able to make Allen crack a smile here and there.

We leave very early in the morning for Memphis and will be going on Monday and Tuesday now every week. Allen had some kind of reaction last week and we just hope and pray it was a one time thing. We are spending the night in Memphis so we can be there in case he wakes up Tuesday morning with a fever like this past week. For whatever reason, Dr. Pui told me that 50% of the kids react on the second asparaginase shot. We will be getting this shot tomorrow. As far as chemo this is the only biggie this week. He will still be on 6MP and get the shot. I plan on talking to the doctor about what to do about all the pain Allen is in. To top things off... Allen has been on DEX (the steroid) this week. He did pretty good without TOO many melt downs. His biggest meltdowns have been in the middle of the night. We don't know why this is happening, but hope to find out if this is normal or not.

Thanks so much to the Creels for dinner Thursday night it was delicious. Allen also loved all the cards from his Sunday School class. They were so sweet. They all colored praying hands and put a band-aid on the picture and wrote that they were praying for Allen.

Also, a big thank you to the Petersons for the cd player and cds for Allen. I was just saying I had run out of ideas for quiet plane activities. We are going to try the cd player tomorrow.

If all goes as planned we will be home late Tuesday night and have a better week. Brad and I are so excited we found a great nanny for Hannah who is going to ease my mind while I am in Memphis. She starts in two weeks so Aunt Sarah has been filling in for us. (Thank you! Thank you!) We can't wait to get home and start feeling better and play with all of Allen's friends. Thanks for all the prayers and support.

God Bless,
Amie

Wednesday, June 8, 2005 9:47 PM CDT

Allen is feeling a little better. He is still not himself and very puny. We went back to the hospital this morning and they called Dr. Pui. He decided not to give him more rocephin because he didn't have fever and nothing came back from the cultures.

Thanks so much to the White's and Tripp's for dinner. It was wonderful to have home cooked meals. The way the last three days have been I am not sure what we would have eaten.

Please keep Allen in your prayers, I think he is having some joint pain because even when I pick him up or touch him he says it hurts. However, he will not tell us exactly what hurts.Thanks for remembering Allen and all the families at St. Jude.

Tuesday, June 7, 2005 8:51 PM CDT

Hello everyone,
Allen has definately had a tough one today!!! Amie and Allen came in last night on Northwest around 9 pm after the first day of maintenance therapy and four new chemo meds. The nausea set in around 4 pm yesterday and lasted the entire night. He woke up with a mild fever...but because his immune system was down, we had to take him to the St. Frances ER. Allen was treated with the antibotic Rocephin, blood cultures, urine analysis, and a chest X-ray were run before being discharged. We will have to make a trip back to the ER tomorrow for follow up of cultures and for the rest of the antibiotics.

Allen has been very puny looking today. I think the new chemo has definately taken a toll on him.After spending the afternoon on the couch watching Spiderman....Julie, Adam, Anna Grace, and Lela Hansen came by to cheer Allen up and added a new "spunk" in his step. As of right now....he seems to be feeling much better with no more nausea.

As I mentioned last night...I am very saddened to report the loss of another precious St Jude angel. Emma Grace Hampton fought her cancer for the mjority of her life and was a true research pioneer for other children to come with neuroblastoma. Please lift of her family in prayer right now...they are going through the unthinkable and will definately need a boost to get them through this!

God Bless,
Brad

Sunday, June 5, 2005 11:53 AM CDT

Just a quick update...

I just got a call from Amie a few minutes ago in Memphis with bad news. Little Emma Grace was awarded her angel wings this afternoon around 4 oclock. I do not know the specifics, but her family is in much need of prayer. Althought we did not know them well, Amie and I have grown close to them through this site and from running in to them at St. Jude. Please take a moment and pray for the family of that sweet little girl...

Brad

Hello everyone,
Just wanted to add a quick update on Allen and his treatment this next week. Amie and Allen will be leaving this afternoon to Memphis for a quick one night trip for a new chemo workup tomorrow. All starts his first day of "maintenance therapy" tomorrow and will be started on a new five-drug chemotherapy coctail. He will be started on the following:

Dexamethazone (the dreaded sister steroid of prednasone...is supposed to have a little more "bite" but is supposed to be the best steroid used with chemotherapy)

Doxyrubacin (the red chemo that makes his hair fall out)

Vincristine (can cause leg cramps and joint pain....sometimes temporarily affects children their ability to walk)

6-MP (an old form of chemo that Allen has been on every day for the last 2 months)

Asparaginase -SHOT- (the reason we are going to Memphis....it can cause stroke like symptoms in rare cases, so the docs think it would be wise to be in Memphis for this injection)

Please pray for Allen and Amie and their safe travel today and tomorrow. Also, for Allen to pull through this week with flying colors...without any major side effects of the new medicine. Emma Grace and Jake seem to be doing better, but both are still in ICU and more prayers are needed on their behalf.

We hope everyone is doing fine and we appreciate all the notes of encouragement and the food last week. Thanks so much to the Pankey's and Peters' for the wonderful meals. It is a blessing in itself not to have to think about what to cook while holding down this wild household right now.

God Bless,
Brad

Wednesday, June 1, 2005 9:39 AM CDT

Update:

I wanted to drop a quick line to everyone after checking on a few sites this evening. I am actually moved to tears right now after checking on Jake and Emma Grace's websites. Both children are in dire need of prayers over the next few days...specifically for the parents and and also these sweet children fighting with all the strength they have. So, please.....stop what you are doing and pray for these children. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer and what it has done in our lives to date. Allen would not be in such good shape if it were not for you guys out there....so thank you!

God Bless,
Brad

We had Allen's counts checked yesterday and they are down below 500 so we are having to be careful because of Allen's risk of infection. He does not seem to feel bad at all and we were surprised with his low counts. He had such a great time at the lake and went ninety to nothing the whole time with no naps. Usually when his counts are low he's real sleepy and wants to lay around and watch movies and take 3-4 hour naps. He was just so happy to be at the lake!

Thanks to the Spence's for dinner last night. It was great. Allen ate two bowls of strawberry ice cream and that's what he wanted for breakfast too! We are happy with whatever he eats as long as he's eating something!

Our little buddy Jake Raborn is having a tough time right now and is in the PICU in Shreveport. Please remember him in your prayers and you can check out his site at www.caringbridge.org/la/jakeowen. Also, Emma Grace is still in ICU at St. Jude. Her site is www.caringbridge.org/ar/emmagrace. Both of these families need extra prayers to get them through this difficult time. Thanks for remembering Allen in your prayers and all of our friends at St. Jude.

Monday, May 30, 2005 7:47 PM CDT

Hello everyone!

We hope you all have had a great memorial day weekend and will be rested and refreshed for the work week this next week. Our entire weekend was spent with family and friends at lake Bruin. We had a great time, some R&R and alot of boating and golf. This was our first trip this year and Allen had a fantastic time. He spent the majority of the time on the jet ski and driving the ski boat. What a trip!!!

Things are going well and Allen is feeling great. He and Amie will travel to Bastrop tomorrow morning for bloodwork to see where we stand with his counts. I figure they are pretty good....especially after the energy and excitement he showed this past weekend! Amie is working out the scheduling kinks for next Sunday when they go back for treatment. He will have a big week that week with four new medicines introduced including dexamethazone. Pray that the week goes smoothly and Allen tolerates all the new meds.

Thanks so much to Amy Many and her students at West Ridge Middle School. They made a quilt and donated it to St. Jude in honor of Allen. They sent us a picture and they did an awesome job!
God Bless,
Brad

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 10:12 PM CDT

This trip to Memphis has been the best yet. Allen only had to spend one night inpatient instead of three because he cleared his chemo faster this time. The St. Jude FedEx Classic is here this week and the hospital is buzzing with celebs! Monday we saw Amy Grant. Allen played putt putt Tuesday with Loren Roberts who is on the tour. This morning we met Terry Bradshaw and Bo Jackson and got pictures and autographs. Allen tried to be shy with Bo Jackson and so he was so good with Allen and tickled him and played with him until he could get him to give five. Then after getting rid of the "hook up" which is Allen's fluids he was connected too, we headed off to the St. Jude FedEx Classic with our Buddy Sebastian. They were so excited just to ride in the car together and they looked so adorable in their matching orange hats. Allen said to Sebastian, "hey, we both got no hair"--precious. At the golf tournament we saw famous golfers from a distance because we couldn't get too close to where they were teeing off because the boys were being boys- loud, laughing, chasing, and tackling each other. We had lots of people talking to us and shaking the boys hand it could have been someone really famous but Andrea and I did not have a clue. If it had not been the St. Jude event we probably would have been asked to leave. The boys had the best time just playing with each other! Then the day was not over we headed over to Chuck E Cheese to play. We stayed there for a while and then ended up at the Target House to play some more on the playground. I was sure once we got back to the Grizzles House at 7:30 Allen would crash. Not a chance!!! We had to play in the toy room and on their playground. I finally got him to bed around 9:30 and I will not be far behind him.

The down side to this trip is we received our schedule for the next 146 weeks and what we thought was a six week break is NOT! Allen and I will return to Memphis on June 6 and be here every week for 1-2 days for the next 146 weeks. He will have chemo injected into his spinal fluid every three weeks and will have two "easy" weeks of chemo and two hard weeks one of those being the dreaded DEX week. DEX is a steriod that is suppose to rock our world. I have not heard one good thing about this medicine. Parents say they don't even believe that is their child on those weeeks. I think we will call him "Chucky" on those weeks. Maybe it won't be as bad as we think!

We have to go to clinic in the morning and will catch a plane at 2:45. We are flying Northwest this time because Angel Flight did not work out. Calling all pilots these kids need you and Angel Flight needs pilots. It is a great service for these kids with low counts so they do not have to be out in the general public when their counts are low!

We are looking forward to a good ten days home and so excited for Sebastian getting to go home for three weeks! Andrea has been here since January by herself for the most part through two brain surgeries. She is SUPER mom and the best! Allen and I are so lucky to both have made super friends.

Lots of Love--Amie & Allen

Sunday, May 22, 2005 9:01 AM CDT

If you have a chance...check out the new pictures, they were updated yesterday.

What a fantastic day yesterday! The Circuit Rider Motorcycle Benefit was a success! We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in this community. Allen had a fantastic day yesterday...and that's what counts. There was never a dull moment and Allen gave the bike owners a run for their money. I bet he and the other children each rode ten different motorcycles over the course of the day.....what fun!!!

I would like to thank all the people who came out yesterday to support Allen. You know we all love each and every one of you....without your support and encouragement, this ride would be too tough! Also, thank you to the Circuit Rider Motorcycle Ministries. I have never seen such a compassionate and giving group of people. With God as your platform...you are doing great things!!!! Lisa Kay and Jimmy Piercy, you were that backbone of this fundraiser....special thanks to you. We appreciate everything. We know you spent many hours away from work and your family to get this thing together. If there is ever anything we can do to help with you ministry or any other fundraiser event...please dont hesitate to ask. Thank you!

I would like to thank Brother Bill and Warren for all the support and help with the church. Warren....I think I can see you in a leather bike jacket and torn jeans.....what do you think????

Thank you to One Way, Freddy Gilley, and Holley Middleton....the music was fantastic!

Thank you to Erin and Joel Turner, Jason Elias, Karen and Colin Tripp, and Elizabeth and Jeff Gregory...your help was much needed and is very much appreciated.

Thank you to all the others who helped out during this wonderful day. Again, we are overwhelmed with the love and support we have recieved on Allen's behalf and are so thankful for you all!

The three of us will be heading back to Memphis today for Allen's last round of chemo in the consolidation phase. We will drop Hannah off with my parents, and I will return Monday night for work on Tuesday. If everything goes smoothly, Amie and Allen will be home on Thursday sometime. We will have a better picture of what the rest of the year looks like after this trip. We really think that Allen will get a break from treatment through the month of June and will not have to go back to Memphis until mid July. We will see!

We hope everyone is doing well today and will keep you updated on Allen's progress this week.

God Bless,
Brad

Thursday, May 19, 2005 7:08 PM CDT

Hello everyone......
First of all.....for all you prayer warriors out there....Emma Grace (www.caringbridge.org/ar/emmagrace ) is having a tough time right now in ICU at the Jude. I checked their website before I began writing and things seem to have gone downhill a bit from yesterday. She and her parents can definitely use any extra prayers you can "muster up" right now. I know they are much needed!!!

Amie and I want to thank you all for the food this week. It is always nice to not have to think about "what's for dinner" when you come home from the everyday grind. So thank you Olivia and Blake, Sarah Howland, Ainslee Peters, and the Yellow House Crew!

We are all awaiting the Circuit Rider fundraiser this weekend. As I have mentioned earlier, it will be from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, May 21st. It sounds like it's going to be a blast and we hope to see everyone there. We have the "Allen's Army" bracelets in.....and will be selling them at the fundraiser. All proceeds from the sale of the bracelets will be donated to St. Jude. Hopefully this will be the first of many donations to such a great cause. I cannot put into words how thankful we are for St Jude and the people associated with it.

Allen will be heading back to St. Jude on Sunday for his fourth round of methotrexate chemotherapy. Amie and I both will probably make the trip to talk with Dr. Pui and get a better understanding of what we are getting ourselves into this summer. I "think" we will get to stay home after this treatment for several weeks before going back for reinduction therapy. This will be a much needed rest for Allen and his immune system. From what I have heard....reinduction is one of the toughest parts of his protocol and children are very succeptible to infection during this phase. It also lasts from four to eight weeks in which we must stay in Memphis during this time. Allen needs a break....no...we "all" need a break for a while! So, pray for a break!!

As far as Allen is concerned, he is doing fantastic and seems to be feeling fairly good. Smooth sailing for now....

Hope to see you all at the benefit!!

God Bless,
Brad

Monday, May 16, 2005 10:43 AM CDT

Sorry it's been so long! We get home and play so hard during the day when the kids go to bed all Brad and I want to do is veg out. Allen is feeling great and eating, which is a big deal in cancer world. We had a CBC this morning and his counts are around 650 which is better than they have ever been post chemo. He is spending the day today with Lissa and Pops riding the 4 wheeler.

Thanks so much to Everett Harris for the zoo pass. Allen can't wait! He loves the boat and the prairie dog exhibit. Also, a big thanks to Christy McCarty for the double stroller! We have used it everyday since Friday. Thank you so much!!

We are getting ready for Allen's benefit this weekend, May 21st at North Monroe Baptist Church on Finks Hideaway Road. It will be from 10-2 and tons of fun for all. They will have food, silent auction, motorcycle rides, and a band playing. We can't wait to see you there. Allen is so excited about the motorcycles! Thanks so much to everyone involved in making this happen. We appreciate everything.

We have ordered the Lance Armstrong "Livestrong" bracelets personalized for Allen and Allen's Army--his wonderful supporters. They are bright orange which is the leukemia color and they say -- ALLEN'S ARMY. We have them in youth sizes and adult sizes and are selling them for $3.00 each. We will have them for sell this weekend at the benefit. Karen Tripp also has some to sell. If anyone else wants to help sell them that would be great. If you can't make the benefit you can send your order through the mail to Allen Smith, 2603 Chatwood Drive, Monroe, LA 71201. If you see Brad around town he should have some with him to sell also. Thanks so much for being apart of Allen's Army!

Lots of Love-Amie

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 9:34 PM CDT

One more night! Amie and Allen are spending one more night in the hospital before going home tomorrow. Luckily, the trip has been somewhat uneventful....with no major problems. Allen is doing well and will hopefully be in good spirits on the way home tomorrow. I know both of them are spent!!!!!! Allen's chemo is done, and the doctors are just making sure it clears his system before being released from the hospital. We are both expecting he will come home on fluids and we will have to make a trip to Shreveport on Friday morning.

Hannah and I are holding our own here at the house and enjoying our time together. I am getting a real taste of what you "stay at home" moms get everyday.

I hope all is well with everyone right now. Please pray for Amie and Allen's trip home tomorrow.

God Bless,
Brad

Monday, May 9, 2005 10:09 PM CDT

Hannah is not really cooperating with sleep at this moment, so this will be brief tonight. Allen's procedure today went fairly smoothly. He was nauseated afterwards and was given several different meds to calm his stomach and help him rest. Allen then had a restful afternoon and hopefully Amie got to sit down for a moment or two. Allen was also started on a 24-hour chemo drip around two oclock today....so he will finish it mid day tomorrow. After another night of fluids, they should be out of the hospital by Wednesday afternoon and hopefully be home on Thursday.

Things are running smoothly at home with Hannah now, if I could just get her down to sleep. I hope all is well with everyone and will have more of an update tomorrow.

God Bless,
Brad

Sunday, May 8, 2005 9:33 PM CDT

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Allen's flight this morning went smoothly. He and Amie flew to Memphis through Angel Flight around ten oclock. Allen was so excited about the trip and we could barely contain him before boarding. We want to send out a special thanks to Philip Thomas and Henry Butler for taking the time out of their busy lives to get us to Memphis. Angel Flight is a wonderful program and we are so thankful for everything being done on Allen's behalf.

We met with KNOE Channel Four this morning before the flight and the "poster boy" should be on the evening news at ten. As I discussed yesterday, they are doing a piece on Angel Flight and the community support surrounding Allen's illness. It should be interesting to say the least. He was so excited, we could not keep a hand on him during the interview.

Amie called a few minutes ago and said Allen was started on fluids earlier this evening for his procedure and chemotherapy tomorrow. He will again get a stong oral dose of methotrexate along with a spinal (intrathecal) dose. He really is tolerating the doses like a champ....he is such a fighter!!! I am so proud of his courage....God knows if it were one of us, we'd curl up in a corner and give up. NOT ALLEN.....he just keeps going and going, much like the energizer bunny!!!!!

Please keep Allen and Amie in your prayers this week. Things are really running smoothly now and we dont want any new hiccups. I am again tackling "Miss Priss" home alone....so check in with me and make sure my head is still above water on Thursday!!!

God Bless,
Brad

Saturday, May 7, 2005 10:12 AM CDT

We now have consistent internet service...so I have no excuses anymore. Time Warner finally came and got it back up and running yesterday afternoon!

It's Saturday morning now, and we are "laying low" at the Smith household. Allen and Amie will be going back to Memphis tomorrow for a short stint, while Hannah and I hold down Chatwood Drive. They will be flying through Angel Flight this time instead of the regular Northwest out of Monroe. Angel Flight is a national volunteer program run locally here in Monroe. Local residents and businesses who own airplanes volunteer their time and equipment to fly patients and their families to and from cancer hostials all over the country free of charge. This is a wonderful program to have in our area and we definately appreciate all the people involved locally with this. I am sure we will take advantage of this service especially when we are going back and forth to Memphis for short durations of time. Also, one of the local news stations here in Monroe will be taping a special interest piece on Allen and Angel Flight tomorrow morning before our Flight.

Things are going smoothly and Allen seems to be feeling well. We had a CBC run on Wednesday which showed Allen's ANC much lower than we expected...about 350. So, Amie has really layed low with him this week. I really think his counts are on their way up now...mostly because of his increased energy and appetite on Friday and today. Allen lost the remainder of his hair this week after his last chemo round...therefore Amie and I finally broke down and chopped off the remnants yesterday! He's got a true "high and tight" haircut and looks like a marine in basic training!!!

I want to thank Lisa Moore, Jimmy Piercy, and the Circuit Rider Crew for all the hard work on Allen's benefit in two weeks. It looks like everything is finalized and it will take place on Saturday, May 21st at North Monroe Baptist Church on Finks Hideaway Road in Monroe from 10am to 2pm. There will be food, a bike show, silent auction, and a concert. It sounds like a "blast"....and we hope to see everyone there. We are so thankful for the wonderful people of this community and all that has been done for Allen. It is a very humbling experience and impossible to thank everyone.....but all you guys that follow this site...THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!!!!

Please pray for Allen and Amie with their trip next week. Also, Hallie Gravelle (www.caringbridge.org/la/hallie) from Winnsboro needs alot of prayer and support right now. Joe and Beth Anne, her parents, found out last week that there was not a bone marrow match found in the national registry for Hallie. This means they will have to look at other more risky transplant options. This is not the news they needed and will need lots of prayer and support over the next few months as they weigh out all the options.

Hopefully everything is running smoothly for all of you and have a happy mothers day!!!!!

God Bless,
Brad

Tuesday, May 3, 2005 10:00 PM CDT

Home-Home is wonderful! Being home let's us all feel
"normal" even if it's for a week at a time. Brad left today for a meeting and so it's just me and the kids. We have done everything we can do outside before we have to go back and be stuck in the hospital. Allen loves to walk, ride, or stroll over to Island Drive and feed the ducks so we have been going almost daily. He has had some of his friends come over and play. He gets so excited when company comes over. Also thanks so much for the meals everyone has brought. It helps so much and lets me spend more time with the kids. I still can't believe how big Hannah is. She is pulling up and walking along the furniture. Allen loves her so much and he thinks she is so funny. His favorite thing to do is help give her a bath.

We will check Allen's ANC tomorrow in Bastrop. It was 600 when we left Memphis and I have a feeling it has dropped. Brad will come home late Thursday and Allen and I will leave again on Sunday. We are going to fly Angel Flight this time around. Last week in Memphis Allen was in a bad mood and I think he was just mad at me for bringing him back there. We didn't really prep him last time about going back. So I have learned my lesson. This week we talk about going to the "red" hospital everyday. Yesterday he told me the "red" hospital was the best hospital in the whole wide world. He is so smart!!!

Lots of Love from Monroe!

Sunday, May 1, 2005 9:56 PM CDT

Amie and Allen got in from Memphis on Friday afternoon. Things have been very busy since then. We have made two trips to LSU Shreveport for bloodwork on both Saturday and Sunday morning. Allen came home on fluids....but was "free" of his backpack by Saturday afternoon. He has not stopped since!! He is feeling good and his energy level seems to be up. Sorry we havent been able to keep up with the journal everyday.....we've chased Allen and Hannah all day....and when they go to bed, we got to bed!!! We've still just not caught up on the sleep factor. We hope everyone is doing well and we'll keep in touch.

God Bless,
Brad

Thursday, April 28, 2005 9:24 PM CDT

It looks like they will be home on Friday. Allen had a good day today and finished his second dose of IV methotrexate around three oclock. He seems to be doing well and both of them are awaiting their flight home...which was scheduled for 2:30pm tomorrow. Amie wanted me to thank the Shaw family for all the help with all the extra "stuff" sent home with Mr. Robert. Things would have been difficult getting all that through the airport. Also, Allen really enjoyed the Ole Miss baseball team and their visit....he is really becoming a big fan of baseball. He has quite a collection now...much more than his dad ever had!!!!!

Hannah and I have really bonded over the last week. Things may have turned out differently if it wasnt for my good neighbors....the Hansen's and the Gregory's. Hannah and I have really "mooched" on them this week, therefore they have kept us fed!!!

I hope all is well with everyone and will let you know how the return trip goes tomorrow.

God Bless,
Brad

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 12:02 AM CDT

This was supposed to be an easy three to four days!!!!

As I talked about in the last entry.....our home computer is down and we have no internet access...therefore we are having a hard time updating this site now. I am sitting in dad's office in Bastrop updating now.

Things are a little crazy now, both in Memphis and at home. Amie is in Memphis alone with Allen...which I now think is a big mistake....next time she will have someone with her. Allen spiked a fever on Sunday, the day they flew out to Memphis....because of this, he had his chemo pushed back to Wednesday. He was not neutropenic, therefore they thought they could treat him with antibiotics outside the hospital. He is better now and they concluded it was a sinus infection. So, Amie and Allen are left to bum around with no car and no means of transportation for two days. What fun!!

A car was rented and they have spent the last two days killing time awaiting chemo. Allen has definately gotten his energy back and has been a "handful."

Allen had a spinal procedure this morning and will get a 24 hour dose of methotrexate starting this afternoon. Hopefully things will settle down and the hospital stay will be an easy one. I am expecting both of them to be home by Saturday....if they can catch a flight. If not, I'll go pick them up.

Hannah and I are "bonding" at home now...which has been interesting in itself. I give full credit to all you mothers out there...it's definately tougher than it looks. I have to get up an hour earlier to get things rolling in the morning with her! All things aside....We are doing well.

Please pray for Allen and his quick turn-around with the chemo. Also, pray for Amie and her sanity as she goes at it alone. Prayers are being answered for Jake Raborn and family...he seems to be beating his cancer and his tumor marker is lower than it has ever been since diagnosis!!! He is in the hospital now with fever and a suppressed immune system, so pray for his quick recovery.

Hopefully I will get this internet issue fixed....and we will be back in action here online.

God Bless,
Brad

Sunday, April 24, 2005 11:23 AM CDT

I want to apologize first for not updating the site since Tuesday.....we are having spotty internet service here at home and are waiting on a new modem to come in the mail. it's Sunday now, and we are getting things together for a trip back to Memphis this afternoon. Allen and Amie are going solo without me this time, so pray for a safe flight and a short stay! I will be tackling "Miss Priss" here at home and trying to get back in the swing of work again.

Allen will probably be started on fluids this afternoon for his second round of consolidation chemo on Monday and Tuesday. He will get intrathecal and IV methotrexate again along with an oral dose of 6-MP. Please pray that the spinal tap procedure goes smoothly and they just breeze through these three or four day with no hiccups.

We have had a great week at home this week with no major problems. Allen's counts have been low all week so we've not got to visit friends like we had wanted, but that will all come in time. Allen's last ANC was a little over 500 a few days ago and trending upwards, so I expect he will be over a thousand this evening when they do his labs. He is feeling fine and has really enjoyed his time outdoors with his sister.

Please keep us in your prayers this week, especially Amie, who is tackling this alone for once. I really believe it will go smoothly, but you never really know. Also, there is a bone marrow drive scheduled for Tuesday in Winnsboro (Franklin Medical Center) for Hallie Gravelle. If you are in the area and are interested in getting typed....they need all the donors they can get.

I hope all is well with everyone and will try to be more consistent with the updates now.

God Bless,
Brad

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 10:04 PM CDT

Quick update.....

Allen's hemoglobin is climbing, so no blood transfusion. Allen's ANC (immune system counts) has dropped to 150, so we are living like hermit crabs again until we get it back up. The doctors have stopped his oral chemo (6-MP) to try to raise his counts and get ready for the next high dose treatment next Monday. Check out the new photos....and thanks Elizabeth for the help! God knows neither one of us have the brain power to figure those kinds of things out.

God Bless,
Brad and Amie

Monday, April 18, 2005 9:49 PM CDT

Allen sure is enjoying being home again!! It's almost like he never missed a step. He remembers and makes requests to see all his favorite friends and do all his favorite things....much like we never even left in the first place. Icee runs to Chauvin Grocery and daddy's "green truck" rides are a few things we've done in repetition over the weekend. Allen also got lots of hugs from grandparents, aunts,uncles, and two of his "women friends" from down the street.

Allen and I spent the majority of Sunday morning at LSU Shreveport getting bloodwork done to check his methotrexate levels which were still a little high from last week. This high level is unfortunate for Allen's head of hair....it is beginning to fall out again and I expect within a month it will be completely gone. Once we recieved the test results from Sunday, Allen's methotrexate levels were good, but his ANC (immune system counts) had fallen from 1600 on Friday to 300. So now he's neutropenic and we have to be anal about his exposure to everyone. I feel like this will become a weekly occurance on chemo, and we'll just have to get used to it at home. It's not really a big deal when your in Memphis, but can be a little unnerving here in Monroe. To top things off, his hemoglobin has fallen to 8.1 and he may have to get a blood tranfusion sometime this week. What fun!!!

All things aside.....he "is" in great spirits and seems to have more energy now than I have seen in the last two months. We are definately enjoying being home as a family again and getting to spend some time in our old home. Even after over two months of this, we are still amazed at the amount of prayers and support we have here at home and all over. It is humbling to realize this many people care about your family and truly want to help in some way. Although I would not wish this on anyone, a catastrophy like this truly bring the best out in people....even some you never thought it was possible in....and alot you have never even met!!! We are so thankful for the support we have here and truly appreciate every one of you.

God Bless,
Brad

Saturday, April 16, 2005 9:46 PM CDT

We are home!! We got into Monroe around 7:00 pm yesterday evening after almost having to stay another night at the Jude. Allen's counts were still the same as Thursday, so they would have made us stay another day if not for the St. Jude affiliate in Shreveport. Allen and I will head to Shreveport on Sunday morning to get a few blood tests run and hope to be back by early afternoon on Sunday.

Allen seems to be feeling good and is extremely excited to see all his friends here at home. He ran so hard this morning that he took a three hour nap to catch up this evening. It's just good to be back in the old routine for a while.

I wanted to thank everyone who has helped in getting our life back in order over the last few weeks. Especially the few who have actively helped with the house, yard, groceries, and childcare...you know who you are!! I especially want to thank my parents, Mike and Melissa, for steppng up to the plate with Hannah. I know it's tough enough with such a busy schedule between the two of you, but to put your life on hold to help.....we love you and appreciate all that you have done.

God Bless,
Brad & Amie

Thursday, April 14, 2005 9:13 PM CDT

Ten steps forward...one step back! We're still here! After the absolutely wonderful news yesterday, we had it in our heads that Allen was DEFINATELY ready to come home today. But, as usual...things never are as simple as they seem. Our ten days off is dwindling fast, but hopefully we will be on the road by mid afternoon tomorrow if Allen's chemo fully clears his system.

As most of you who read know, Allen's bone marrow test (MRD) came back negative yesterday, therefore he is officially in initial molecular remission. I've had several people ask, so I'll try to explain what this means.

Leukemia is cancer of the blood and is different than alot of solid tumor cancers in the way it is treated. There is nothing to shrink, or cut out, or really zap with leukemia. The cancer cells are all over the body, in the blood, bone marrow, brain, and CNS fluid. The doctors have over the years realized that if they attack the cancer with chemotherapy very agressively in the beginning (ie...Allen's induction or first eight weeks), they can possibly deplete the number of cancer cells dramatically and give patients a fighting chance. They try to wipe out as many or all the cancer cells in the blood, bone marrow, or spinal fluid in the first eight weeks of treatment. If they think they have done this, and the MRD shows this, then they are in initial molecular remission.

This definately does not mean that Allen's cancer is gone. He is now in a phase called consolidation, and in eight weeks will move into a maintenance phase. In these different phases of chemo, the docs will try to kill off any remaining cancer cells that they missed or are in hiding. If after all this is over, and after FIVE years of no relapse....Allen will be considered a true survivor and CURED!!!! So, we still have a long road to ho!!! But, we have total faith in Dr. Pui and in God that this will be the case.

We are extremely looking forward to seeing everyone over the next few weeks while we are home. Hopefully, Allen's counts will be okay and he can spend some time with his old pals around town. We have to remember that even though his counts are currently good for a child with leukemia, they're still not "normal" and we have to be cautious with the amount of company we have. We just cant take any chances right now, infections are just too risky. So....to make a long story short, Allen cannot be exposed to any sick kids.

We truly appreciate everything that has been done and is being planned on our behalf as we get back home. We cannot thank you enough. I understand our house is better looking now (inside and out) than it has ever been while we were tackling the task!! What a treat! We have the best neighbors and friends- thanks to the Gregory's, Hanson's, Carter's, Erin,& Karen. I also want to thank everyone taking part in the Circuit Riders benefit on May 21. I have not been home long enough to find out who is associated with this yet...but we cannot thank you enough!!

Please pray for Emma Grace (www.caringbridge.org/ar/emmagrace) who is still battling dreaded pneumonia and has had new complications as of today. Sebastian, Allen's best bud, got his tests back yesterday with excellent news...they will be able to continue his protocol as hoped and he looks to be doing outstanding right now. I know his family really needed this news....God bless them, they have been such a support for Amie here at the RMH. Also, Jake Raborn is back from Orlando and both he and Staci are still under the weather. Pray that they get over the virus and will get a chance to enjoy West Monroe over the weekend.

We hope all is well and we'll see you this weekend.....maybe????

God Bless,
Brad

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 12:50 AM CDT

NEW UPDATE!!!!!!!

ALLEN IS IN MOLECULAR REMISSION!!! MRD BONE MARROW RESULTS ARE CLEAR!!! WE WILL UPDATE LATER TODAY WITH SPECIFICS....

Still no MRD results as of yet. Allen is doing fine and his kidneys are clearing the high dose methotrexate very well now. We are being sent back to the Ronald McDonald House today on fluids and will probably get to head home tomorrow if he continues to clear the chemo okay. Amie and I are both getting very anxious about getting back home. It is a little out of our element now that we have been here about eight weeks. We have two homes now....maybe since we cant afford a vacation home in the mountains or at the beach, the Jude will have to do!

I just found out earlier this morning that Ali, the little girl I asked you to pray for, was awarded her angel wings this morning and has finished her battle with cancer. As I mentioned in earlier entries, she had neuroblastoma and was the first patient in the world to undergo a special kind of stem cell transplant using stem cells from her mother. She was currently cancer free after the transplant, but had major "graft versus host" or transplant rejection complications. She has spent the last six months in the hospital battling this problem. Her parents are going to need extra prayers to get them through this tough time.

We will keep everyone updated about the MRD results coming soon and look forward to seeing everyone in the next day or two if everything runs smoothly.

God Bless,
Brad

Monday, April 11, 2005 7:24 PM CDT

"The preliminary results look good"....said Dr. Pui this afternoon. Allen had his procedure around noon today and we have been hanging out in our new room on the second floor ever since. What I mean by preliminary results is the initial bone marrow cells under a microscope, not the MRD tests I mentioned yesterday. We will not get the "real" results for a few days.

Right now, Allen is awake and resting in his bed. He was a little groggy after the procedure, the nurse said he had gotten a little fentanyl to help with the pain. His IV of high dose methotrexate was started around 5 oclock and will drip for the next 24 hours. We think we will be here in the hospital for the next two days or so, and will then get to come home. Allen must clear the chemo first before they will let us out.

Dr. Pui gave us an itinerary in clinic this morning for consolidation (next 2 months), and I was surprised that Allen will have to have chemo every day during the eight week period. This means we will have to give him oral chemo while we are home. He will be on 6-MP, which is the oral stuff, but I am not so sure how it will make him feel while we are home?? Hopefully it wont affect him too much and he will get to get back in the groove of "normal" again.

It's really going to be interesting once we get home later this week. Amie has not been home once since February 22, and I have only slept in our bed three times since then also. The few times I have been home have been spent with dad and Hannah in Bastrop. Allen has really been asking to go to our "old house" the last few days and is getting less and less patient. The poor boy is REALLY ready to come home!

Please pray for us during this transition time....we are very anxious about coming home, just for the fact that we have no major oncology support staff there that is familiar with his situation. We are also extremely excited to see everyone and be home as a whole family again...in our own house!!

There are a few friends of ours here that need extra prayers this week.

Sebastian is probably Allen's best friend still in the Ronald McDonald House right now. His mother Andrea has also been a huge support for Amie since we got here. Sebastian will have several scans tomorrow to tell whether his chemo is working or not. It is imperative that these scans come back okay, for he is fighting a very tough battle with brain cancer. Extra prayers are truly needed here!!!

Emma Grace....www.caringbridge.org/ar/emmagrace....a young girl with neuroblastoma whom is fighting severe pneumonia right now in ICU. They are close friends with the Raborn's and truly need your prayers to get her out of there. She seems to be doing better but is not out of the woods yet.

Ali.....another neuroblastoma patient like Emma Grace, we do not know her or her family personally, but she has had the same kind of cutting edge stem cell transpant (1 of 3 in the world) like Emma Grace. From what we have heard, she is not doing well now and it is only a matter of time....please pray for her family during this trying time.

We hope everyone is doing well back home and we look forward to seeing you all soon. Pray for no major hiccups!!

God Bless,
Brad

Sunday, April 10, 2005 11:54 AM CDT

Sorry it has been so long since we have updated....I came in on Friday and we've not stopped since I got in. Here's the picture....Allen went in yesterday for bloodwork and his counts are beginning to trend upwards. We will go in tonight to get fluids and a workup for Monday's treatment and procerdures. We will then go in early on Monday and be admitted to the hospital for around three days. Allen is scheduled for a bone marrow aspirate and an intrathecal (spinal) chemo on Monday morning, then he will begin a 24 hour drip of high dose methotrexate through the night and into Tuesday. The methotrexate must clear his system and his counts must be fair before we can come home!! We expect this by Wednesday or Thursday!!!

This is all fair and good, but the most important thing with his treatment right now is his bone marrow aspirate. The bone marrow is so important because this is where his leukemia originates and is produced. The test they do is called an MRD (minimum residual disease) test and he needs to have NO leukemia blast cells in his bone marrow. On day 19 of treatment, he had 0.034% leukemia blast cells in his marrow. If this happens, then he will be in initial remission and we will be on the road to CURE!!!!!!! Please pray for this....it is so much more important than coming home now, we need this more than anything.

We will keep everyone up to speed this next week, especially since we will be confined to the second floor of the Jude. We will have more of an opportunity to write there. We need Allen's Army to come through on this one bigtime, so prayer warriors...start praying!!!

We love you all and God Bless,
Brad

Thursday, April 7, 2005 8:58 PM CDT

Today was a little fustrating! Allen's counts are down and they can not start his high dose chemo until his counts come up. This will prolong our stay here a couple of days. There is still a CHANCE we can go in Monday. They are going to check his counts on Saturday just to see where he is. His counts being down also means we can not go anywhere because there is a high risk of infection. We are all stir crazy after a long day at the RMH.

Tomorrow Allen has a MRI at 12:00. This means he can not eat anything before sedation. Karen and I are going to keep him up late tonight in hopes that he will sleep late and not have to go hungry too long. I hope this does not back fire on us!!

Please pray that his counts will come up and no fever! Also remember our friend Sebastian who is having surgery (on his brain) in the morning.We miss everyone!

Lots of Love--Amie & Allen

Tuesday, April 5, 2005 10:14 PM CDT

Allen is off chemo this week and is full of energy! We had today off and tomorrow. Today we went to the zoo and it was the perfect day. The Memphis zoo is awesome and it even has rides. Allen rode every ride twice- once with me and once with Karen. He rode the carousel three times and the final time he wanted to ride in the seat and almost fell asleep. After that he said he was ready to go back to the old macdonald house and take a little rest.

Uncle Stu is in town for work and came over for dinner. Allen is now making request for toys and he told Stu he wanted a guitar. Stu pulled through with a spiderman guitar which was a hit.

Allen is doing so great, but many of our friends here are going through a tough time. Jake is on his make a wish trip and is in the hospital with a fever in Orlando, Emma Grace is in ICU, Jeramiah was just sent home on hospice, and Sebastian has surgery on Friday. Please remeber these children and their families in your prayers.

Monday, April 4, 2005 6:45 AM CDT

A quick update:

Allen, Amie and Karen are doing great and relaxing in their week off from meds right now. Allen will have clinic on Thursday and will find out if we go into the hospital on Friday or Monday. Please pray for Allen and his bone marrow test coming up, we need it to be negative to come home!!! We hope that everyone is doing well back home and enjoying the wonderful weather. Our old neighbors, the Raborns, are in Orlando at Disney right now, so pray that Jake's health holds up while there and that they have a relaxing and wonderful time with family. Also, I learned yesterday that Emma Grace, a young girl with neuroblastoma from the local area, is fighting for her life right now with severe pneumonia....please pray for her and her family... I just saw her last Monday looking good at the Target House.

The Cormier's Benefit was a GREAT success!! And what a wonderful day in the sun to have it! As you may have read from Jason's entry yesterday, there was a little under 14K made yesterday.....isnt that amazing!! We appreciate every one of you involved and cannot thank you enough. There were so many people involved that I will never be able to come up with all of you, but I do want to mention a few....

Jason and Jennifer Elias...your beginning to rival Don King as a promoter!!!

Larry, Jamie, and the Cormier's Crawfish Crew.....all we can say is thank you, you did majority of the "grunt work" and we appreciate everything...the food was outstanding!!

Karen and Colin Tripp....Karen, you and Jason should get out of the drug and education business and start some kind of marketing company...awesome job, thanks!

Chad Hayes & Rock 106...it was great having you there, without all the publicity, things would not have rolled so smoothly! We appreciate all you did over the last few weeks.

Chuck Cantwell, Kenny Estep, Ainslee and Ben Peters, Elizabeth and Jeff Gregory, Dean Mathern, Johnna Nelson, Adam Hansen and Chauvin Grocery, French Smith, Kevin Allen, Mitsi Cordell, Olivia Shelby, Kim Verhagen and the Coffee Bean, Kevin Woods, Brad Burtram, Debbie Northcutt, Chase Ambrose, and Jarrod Greene. I also want to thank some of the companies donating food and supplies...Sam's Wholesale and Sysco Foods. I know there are so many others I have left out, so thank you also!! We had a wonderful time, I wish Amie and Allen could have see it!

A little update on Allen now....were sorry we havent been on the site in a few days, Amie and Allen have had alot of company this past weekend. Allen finished his last dose of chemo on Sunday, to end his induction phase of chemotherapy. He has been on chemotherapy every day for the last seven weeks! And he took it like a champ! I am so proud of his courage, he is such a strong boy. I am also so proud of Amie and her strength as a mother. It takes a special person to do what she does...and I love you for it. Thank you Mike and Melissa...I know you have stepped on a never ending rollercoaster and hopefully things will slow down soon... we appreciate all the help and think we will have to pry hannah and Lissa apart by the time this is all over!

Allen has somewhat of a week off this week, with no new meds until the weekend. The doctors are giving his counts a chance to go up. We will go back into the hospital this next weekend for the beginning of his second phase of chemo called consolidation. As I have noted in earlier journals, Allen will have another bone marrow aspirate then and we need a NEGATIVE test! So pray for this.....if it is NEGATIVE, then we will probably get to come home after treatment for a few days!! Exactly ten days...which sounds like ten years to me right now. It would be nice to be a NORMAL family at home for once.

Again, we appreciate all that has been done for us and we could not make it through this without all the wonderful friends and support we have here. We appreciate and love every one of you!

God Bless,
Brad, Amie, Allen, and Hannah

Thursday, March 31, 2005 8:56 PM CST

Yesterday Brad went back to Monroe after staying an extended weekend. Then Lissa and Hannah flew in to help out the rest of the week and keep me sane. It was very last minute planning and today was Melissa's birthday and so sweet for her to be here cleaning, cooking, and helping with both kids. Not a very relaxing birthday to say the least. Also, happy birthday Uncle Stu!!!

Today Allen & I went to clinic and had a very early day (7:30). It so hard to start early, but then you have all day to play. The weather is beautiful here!

Tonight a group from Louisiana came to RMH to serve dinner and they had a Mardi Gras theme. They were a group of pagent girls and brought crowns for all the girls. Hannah had her first crown and well -- Allen also had his first crown. He just had to have one and he wore it proudly. We have lots of pictures. Daddy will be so proud! This group really went all out. They raised money and donated brand new TVs to all 55 rooms at the house. There are churches and different groups that come 2-3 times a week and serve dinner and play games or crafts with the kids. It is a really great service that they do!! All the parents truly appreciate not having to think about cooking dinner after a long day.

Brad is now home trying to get the house ready for our return. We are going to have to be super neat and germ freeks when we are home. If all as planned we'll be home somewhere between the 13-15 of April. Please pray that all goes well-- His counts have to be high enough for him to leave Memphis. Allen & I really need a break from the Jude. We are both getting a little stir crazy!

Overall Allen is feeling great. We will most likely need a blood transfusion tomorrow for a little enegry boost for the weekend. He is more and more like himself everyday since he's been off the steriods!

Thanks for everything! I wish Allen & I could make the benefit this weekend. We miss you!

Lots of Love--Amie & Allen

Tuesday, March 29, 2005 11:03 PM CST

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update before we went to bed tonight. Allen had a good day today with no major excitement. He had clinic for about two hours this morning and then we all went to the Memphis zoo. This was probably the last possible day to go for him right now since his counts are beginning to fall and will be below the "public" point in a day or two. He will probably be this way for a few days until he gets his break from chemo next week.

I have a request for all of you prayer warriors out there?? To start Allen's second phase of chemo and in order to come home in a few weeks, Allen must have a NEGATIVE bone marrow sample. He will probably be tested the Saturday/Sunday after next. If it is negative, which they think it will be, then he will be in initial remission and we will get to come home for a while. If it is not, then things will change and we will probably have to stay here for quite a long time. We need it to be negative!!! So there's your mission...do you accept?? You've done it once before, can you do it again???

Thanks and God Bless,
Brad

Monday, March 28, 2005 8:36 PM CST

I think we may be grooming a ballplayer here at the Jude. Allen spent the majority of the afternoon practicing with his new bat and pitching machine he got from the "easter bunny". What's interesting is that he bats as a lefty, but writes and throws as a righty....go figure....maybe a switch hitter?? I think Allen has gotten excited about baseball from all the presents he recieved over the last few days....signed baseballs and posters from Ben Sheets and Smoke Laval!! Pretty cool, huh!!

Allen is really doing wonderful right now and seems to be feeling well. His appetite is not near what it was before, but that is expected after the amount of steroids he was on.
He is still on ARA-C and 6-MP for the rest of this week and then gets a week off of chemo. The great news is, we will probably get to go home in about two and a half weeks. Allen has one more week of induction therapy which ends on next Sunday (the day of his Cormier's benefit). He will then have a week without chemo to regain his strength and counts before his consolidation therapy (second phase) begins. This begins with three to four days of intensive high dose chemo as an inpatient in the hospital and then...he gets to come home for TEN DAYS!!! Can I say that again....TEN DAYS!! We are so excited. As far as things go as planned, we will do this for the next three months...ten home and three inpatient, ten and three, ten and three!! Sounds great to me! It's really funny how your idea of "great" changes when put in tough situations.

Amie and I talked today about how much we really appeciate everything that has been done so far for us. We could never truly thank everyone properly for all the support we have received. We are really excited about the benefit next Sunday and wanted to thank a few people whom we personally know helped get this thing going. So thank you Jason, Chuck, Larry, Jamie, Kenny, Adam, Karen, Kim, and all the others whom we didn't mention behind the scenes.

Thanks and God Bless,
Brad

Saturday, March 26, 2005 9:36 PM CST

What a difference a week makes!! I dont know if it is his new med combinations or just his surroundings right now, but Allen is having an excellent weekend. His mood and attitude is so much better than last week....I am just totally amazed! He had an outstanding day today, spent with Pops, Lissa, Uncle Dan, Hannah, Dad and Mom. The whole Raborn crew is next door this weekend also, which is good to see all the families in for the holidays.

Allen has the weekend off as far as clinic is concerned. Tomorrow is also his last day of prednisone steroids...Amen, Amen!!!!!!! It has been a long hard month with this medicine, and we'll be glad to get rid of it. He has also been on 6-MP, AraC, and Cyclophosphamide for the last week with minor side effects. I actually think the other drugs added may have helped reduce his agitation from the prednisone, which is great for us. The only downfall was that he has been nauseated some and he's lost some of his apetite. Hopefully, it won't completely go away after the steroids are gone! Also, Allen has probably lost two-thirds of his hair by now.....I'd say he probably loses around a third of his hair a week since he really didnt start losing hair until about two weeks ago. He still doesnt look "too bald" since he had so much hair to begin with!! We'll see in another week....

I hope to find out specifics on when we will possible get to come home on Monday from Dr. Pui. He is on the downward side of his induction protocol now and should finish in about three weeks. A normal ALL patient would then start a phase called consolidation, but we are really not sure where we will go from here because he is so high risk. I will hopefully find out and definately let everyone know.

As I write, Amie is gathering things together for the kids easter baskets. We hope that everyone back home has a wonderful Easter and spend lots of quality time with the ones they love. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family and support group (Allen's Army) back home. We really appreciate everything that has been done for us over the last month and a half and hope to see everyone soon. I am planning on being at the Cormier's benefit lunch next Sunday, so hopefully I will see a few friends there.

God Bless,
Brad

Wednesday, March 23, 2005 9:48 PM CST

It's offical we've been a St. Jude patient for one month only thirty-five more to go! Allen had a great day. I think he is feeling much better because his counts are up!

Please continue to pray for Allen and all the other children here at St. Jude.

Lots of Love--Amie & Allen

Tuesday, March 22, 2005 6:02 PM CST

After a rocky start to the morning Allen had a GREAT day! We had a short day at the hospital. In the medicine room the nurses had hidden Easter eggs in the chairs for all the kids to find as they sat down. Our friend Riley has gone home, but today we made a new friend another family from Baton Rouge. Grant is three just like Allen and Jake.We got to play outside and enjoy the sunshine something we all needed! The rest of the week should be fairly relaxed like today.

Thanks to everyone who has bought a ticket for the jambalaya benefit. Thanks for all the cards and presets we have received! We appreciate everything that has been done for us!

Lots of Love--Amie & Allen

Monday, March 21, 2005 8:50 PM CST

We had a VERY long day today! First we had a spinal tap procedure which meant that Allen could not eat. This is almost impossible because Allen is so hungry on the steriods.We got to clinic and he had his first offical red wasp fit. Lissa and I will both have bruises from trying to keep him contained. They finally had to give him some "happy" medicine to calm him down. Lissa and I needed some "happy" medicine also. Needless to say it was a very stressful morning.

Then after the procedure we had to go to the medicine room for another round of chemo which included two new kinds of chemo. We had to stay in the medicine room for about 9 hours today. At least Allen was in a little better mood in the medicine room.

We have also started several different kinds of oral chemo today. Which sounds easy enough, but I would much rather give him medicine through his central line. He does not take oral medicine well and often throws it back up.Then you have to regive that medicine and anything else he's taken. We are trying a new invention called a pill cup (oralflo) which worked this morning. The problem with all these "tricks" is that Allen is way too smart and it only tricks him one or two times. We need prayers that Allen will accept this new medicine and not fight it everyday! He just doesn't understand that it is to help him get better. Medicine is a very stressful thing around here.

The good news is we have short days for the rest of the week. The great news we had today was Allen's counts are WAY up! This means he is less likely to get an infection. Thanks for everything you have done for us! Please continue to pray for Allen and all the other children and families at St. Jude!

Lots of Love--Amie & Allen

Friday, March 18, 2005 2:53 PM CST

We received AWESOME news today! Allen has 0.034 percent leukemia blast cells in his bone marrow as of last Monday, which is amazing for the kind of leukemia he has. Dr. Pui was really excited to give us the news and the nurses said he was dancing to see us and had us paged a million times within the hospital. The first thing he did when he came into the room was take Allen to the toy box. He said he really didn't expect his blast to be that low so we know we are on the right track. We know all the prayers for Allen hav been working! Please continue to pray for our family... we still have a long road ahead of us.

We have the weekend off and Brad and Hannah are on their way right now. We are so excited to see them!! Allen has a glow in the dark Easter egg hunt tonight and it is his friend Riley's birthday today. Monday will be another hard day on all of us. Allen has another spinal tap to inject the chemo into his spinal fluid and another round of chemo including some new kinds of chemo. I never knew there were so many kinds of chemo. I originally thought chemo was chemo! We have learned a lot since we've been here. We'll check in again later this weekend.

Lots of Love--Amie & Allen

Thursday, March 17, 2005 10:05 PM CST

No real medical news today, but Melissa and I wanted everyone to know what Allen ate today. You have to remember he is on enough steriods for a man the size of his uncle Stu. We starting eating at 6:00 and are still eating right now! He had today: pretzels, spaghettios, taco, chicken & rice, plain rice, icee, taco, fritos & cheese dip, pretzels, icee, pretzels, popcorn, mac & cheese with hotdogs, and to finish the night (at least until around 2:00 AM) chips and cheese sauce. The doctors tell us to FEED him what he wants to put on the pounds because pretty soon he'll stop eating. He can't have fresh fruits and vegetables because they are not sure if they've been sprayed with anything or have bacteria on it. Believe it or not Allen has been begging for a salad and we can't give it to him!

Wednesday, March 16, 2005 6:11 PM CST

I guess I have to take over for a while since Brad is back in Monroe. We had a pretty uneventful day which at "the Jude" as the regulars call it that is a good thing. We had clinic early this morning, but were home to watch more cartoons for the better part of the day. Allen feels better than yesterday, but still not super. He really loves all the cards and presents that have been sent. He now thinks everyday is his birthday, but that's okay with me as long as he's happy. We really miss home. Allen has been begging to go to his old house and school. He can't stop talking about his friends and teachers. He loves the poster of all his friends!
We have it on the wall and talk to all his friends everyday.

Allen has officially begun to lose his hair. Not that anyone can see that he's lost any because he has so much of it. The worst part for Allen is that it itches and he keeps telling me spiders are getting him and crawling in his ear.

We have to wait until Friday for the other test results and we have the day off tomorrow. We'll write again on Friday unless we have other news to report.

Lots of love! Amie & Allen

Tuesday, March 15, 2005 10:00 PM CST

"Quick Update"
Melissa and Amie are tackling Allen in Memphis while dad and I tackle Hannah back home in Bastrop. Allen is not feeling very well today and has spent most of the day in the hospital for checkups. They are running a few tests to make sure it is not an infection, but think it is possibly just the new chemo from Monday. We will keep you posted tomorrow with more news.

God Bless,
Brad

Monday, March 14, 2005 12:17 AM CST

Well, It's noon and were back for the day. Allen had bone marrow samples drawn from both his hips this morning to get a good sample specimen for the pathologists to look at. From what Dr. Pui said, the initial morphology through the microscope looks GOOD!!!! He said they have nothing concrete right now (waiting on MRD tests), but the initial tests look good and he will not have to have an extra week of asparaginase shots. If they thought his blast cells were more than 5% of his bone marrow, then he would have to have this and his protocol would be changed. As of right now, this is not going to happen...which is GREAT! We will know "real results" in a day or two, but right now everything looks good. Thanks for the prayers...I know they're working!!!!!!!

God Bless,
Brad & Amie

Sunday, March 13, 2005 7:39 PM CST

I was able to step away for a few minutes from downstairs and check email...so I thought I would quickly update Allen's site for everyone. Allen and Amie are downstairs as I write, getting blood because his hemoglobin is low (@7.1). Clinic is in the late evening on Sundays, and it has been like clockwork...we come in for a 15 minute checkup and we end up staying for 5 hours. Go figure!!

The weekend has been a fairly good one. Allen is so far feeling fairly good. He got to spend alot of quality time with his grandparents, which allowed Amie and I a little time off for dinner on Saturady night. This was much needed!

At the RMH or the "party house" as Allen calls it they also had an Easter egg hunt on Saturday with 3000 eggs and about 30 kids. Allen gathered up about four buckets full in less than ten minutes and then he was tired. There are still about 2500 eggs still on the grounds. They do everything here to the extreme for the kids which is awesome!

Tomorrow is a big day. We will start around 7:30am and probably not get finished until late afternoon with the medicine room. He has his bone marrow early, so hopefully we will get the results by the end of the day. We are hoping for an early remission, which means less than 1lasts (leukemia cells) in the bone marrow. This is fairly uncommon this early, but it is possible. With good news, I will probably come home tomorrow night and resume work on Tuesday. Keep us in your prayers and we will let everyone know where we stand as soon as we find out.

God Bless,
Brad

Friday, March 11, 2005 9:42 PM CST

Being a pharmaceutical rep for the last few years, I have come to take our easy access in the physician office for granted. Boy, have I forgotten what it is like to really play the "waiting game" like most patients trying to see a doc in a busy practice! It seemed like we were at the hospital forever today. The wait really took it's toll on Allen's demenor as the day progressed. His patience is probably half of what a normal 3-year old's is, courtesy of the steroids he is on.

As far as the checkup, he is doing well and we are anticipating next Monday's results. His counts are still very low, with an ANC of 100 and a hemoglobin of 8.1. Allen will get a dose of intrathecal methotrexate (injected into his spinal fluid) and IV vincristine also on next Monday. So, he will have a very long and thorough day on Monday.

Allen is very much looking forward to his Pops and Lissa's visit this weekend. He has talked about it all week and is constantly asking us..."are they bringing presents, for my birthday"! He just gets so exited with all the presents and cards sent daily....it allows him to look forward something and not worry about "ouchies" or hospital visits. We truly thank everyone for that! It is a blessing we have such great friends and support back home.

God Bless,
Brad

Thursday, March 10, 2005 7:58 PM CST

I think we have a walking food/trash compactor living in our home with us! Much like Dr. Pui said, his appetite is here and it is BIG!!! This boy has gone through a half gallon of milk a day for the last two days and it is getting bigger with each day. He has lost his appetite for sweets, and now craves milk and salty things, especially cheetos and chips. He is working on his third bag of popcorn as we speak, and I wouldnt doubt it if we make another trip to the kitchen before bedtime. Dr. Pui says it is better to feed this steroid (prednasone) binge as much as possible because before long he will lose his appetite with other chemo meds and can possibly get "rail" thin.

We did not have clinic or the medicine room today, so we spent most of the day here in the RM House. We watched Toy Story three times today, and spent some of the afternoon playing a new game called "Buckaroo" with Allen, Jake, and Staci next door. Both of the boys enjoyed it and think a friendship will build between them. His counts(ANC) are still low at 300 and therefore we are not venturing out much from home. Hopefully, things will change and we can get out for some fresh air soon.

God Bless,
Brad

Wednesday, March 9, 2005 9:52 PM CST

We had the day off yesterday as far as clinic and medicine room. So, for some of you who are diligent journal readers, I didnt have much to write about! The highlight of our day yesterday was a "driving only" trip to Germantown with the Raborn's. It's really tough when you dont have clinic to burn up your whole day. We will still be on house arrest for the next six weeks according to the docs (either in the RM House or the hospital), so doing laundry and cooking dinner tend to be less of a chore and more of an escape than usual.

Allen has been doing well lately and is tolerating his meds quite well right now. His counts are still low, but this is going to be expected for at least the next six weeks or so. He has made friends with Jake next door and has also found a little girl with ALL named Riley here he calls his girlfriend. As she walked by yesterday during dinner, Allen said; "there's my lady...she looks like a princess". Some things just havent changed!!

We have a fairly slow day tomorrow again, but things will begin to pick up toward the weekend. As of now, I am planning to come back home on Monday evening if everything goes well with the tests. Melissa will probably come here to take my place, and Dad and I will tackle "Miss Priss" at home alone. So pray for us there also!!!

God Bless,
Brad

Monday, March 7, 2005 10:17 PM CST

First, I want to thank everyone again for all the prayers and support we have recieved over the last few weeks. It is amazing to me to see how a community can join together to help someone in need. The funny thing is, you never really think you will be the one on the recieving end of the deal. Go figure??

Second, for all you prayer warriors out there...here is the deal. Next Monday the 14th, Allen will have his first bone marrow test to see how much, if any, leukemia is still in his body. This day is a very important date so mark it on your calendars. Because of the high doses and aggressiveness of the chemo in this first eight weeks (called the induction phase), some patients are able to be put in remission by this date. This is very rare, but it is possible. This "is" what we are hoping for...no,no, this is what we need!! So you prayer warriors out there...here is your mission!!

Now as far as Allen is concerned, he is doing okay. He had a platelet transfusion last night at clinic because his count got below 10 K for the first time since coming here. Most of the docs seem like this is fairly routine with chemo and not to be too alarmed unless he starts to bleed anywhere. He also had a very big day today in the medicine room and was given a big assortment of chemo agents. These include prednasone, vincristine, daunorubicin, and asparaginase. As far as side effects...he has not yet lost his hair and his nausea has subsided. But, the prednasone is causing him to have tremors in the morning and evening. As a father, this bothers me more than anything we have seen yet. Maybe because it is something I cannot "fix" or help him get over?? Also, his ANC(immune system counts) are as low as they can get now and are at zero. So as of now...we are living like hermit crabs until they go up...holed up in our room or in the hospital with a mask on. As I learn more and more about this disease, infection seems to be the biggest problem...so we are really trying to take all the precautions. So any guests planning to come this weekend, you may have to wear a mask and stay away from Allen...sorry!

As you have read in past journals, our nextdoor neighbors at the RM House are the Raborn's. This is a wonderful blessing for our family....especially to have some "local flair" to lean on from time to time. I definately think Jake and Allen will become great friends. We have also met several others here that are from the Baton Rouge area. We had dinner with them in the "mess hall" tonight, and it seems like everyone here has nothing else to do other than cook and eat if your not in the hospital getting treatment. So instead of losing weight on this tornado, we'll probably gain some!!!

God Bless,
Brad

Saturday, March 5, 2005 8:00 PM CST

It has been a busy week. I didnt get to write Friday evening because Amie and I got a break from the chaos for a few hours by my wonderful mother "Lissa". Allen's day on Friday went fairly smoothly. He had a spinal procedure first thing Friday morning. The chemo drug methotrexate was injected in his spinal fluid to hopefully kill out all the leukemia there....doesnt sound so much fun does it. Well, he is definately a trooper and it didnt seem to phase him too much. He was a little nauseated after the procedure but was able to get over it. It still amazes me how resilient children are when it comes to this kind of thing....as long as they are not pricked (while awake!!), they really tend to do great. If it was me, I would be a horrible patient!!!

It's now Saturday and we have had all kinds of company today and yesterday. Mom, Stew, Daniel, and Hannah made the trip up here to entertain Allen and give Amie and I a break for a while. Allen's clinic today and tomorrow is fairly easy..all his meds are oral. We have most of the day off tomorrow so you may not here from us till Monday. Again...Amie, Allen, and I truly appreciate all the calls, presents, emails, and support from everyone back home and all over. It really make our day brighter when we sit down and see all the response on this site. We are truly overwhelmed!!!!

God Bless,
Brad

Thursday, March 3, 2005 8:21 PM CST

First, being outpatient is a wonderful thing for all of us. There is just "so much" you can do in a 12 by 12 hospital room! But I myself was not prepared for what we got ourself into today. As you know from my last entry, we had our first day in the outpatient leukemia and chemo clinic. I was absolutely dumbfounded at the amount of sick kids that visit this hospital on a day to day basis. It really leaves you with a lump in your throat...it's just unbelievable to comprehend. The other strange thing is the amount of children from Louisiana...dont know if it is the amount of referring physicians or just something in the water?? Whatever it is, we are one of them and we made it through our first day in clinic without too much chaos!

Allen was in good spirits today. We had a little nausea this morning but made it through the day. The medicine room or chemo clinic as really neat. It's a huge circular room surrounded by chairs and IV units for children to get there daily dose of the "cancer poison". Today was also an "ouchy" day where he gets another injection of asparaginase. We think...no...WE KNOW we will be getting to know this room very well over the next few months.

We have officially moved over to the Ronald McDonald House and our neighbors next door are Don, Staci, and Jake Raborn. They pulled the strings...and we really appreciate it. We definately need the support right now and Allen has found him a new friend. Allen is asleep on the bed, and Amie and I are spent from the day....so good night and God bless.

Brad

Wednesday, March 2, 2005 9:00 PM CST

You wouldnt know he was sick if you saw him in a crowd of children. Everyone here can definately spot the "new folk" because he still has his hair. Hopefully it won't fall out...but were not holding our breath. Chemo was easy today and we are out of the hospital now. We did not make it to the Ronald McDonald House though, we have been temporarily put up in a hotel like facility called the Grizzly House. It is very much like a Courtyard Marriott and very nice and convenient. If all goes well, we will be in the RM House tomorrow and can possibly get into some kind of routine.

Allen is doing great now and watching cartoons as we speak. He should be in bed, but what do you do when he sleeps till 10am and also takes a two hour nap in the afternoon. Brings back memories of college (skipping class for that afternoon nap!!) doesnt it?? His energy level is definately down and everything runs in spurts...high, low, high, low. According to the doctors, his immune system is also pretty much gone. He wears a mask outside the room and cannot be near any major crowds. They say it will bottom out first before he starts to regain any kind of immune system again. This looks as if it will be a normal occurance at least for the next few months, so I guess we need to get used to it.

Tomorrow is our first day of outpatient clinic so pray it goes smoothly. We are starting to hear the buzz back in Monroe about some of the fundraising events being planned. This is so wonderful but we are really just at a loss on how to thank you all, so THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

God Bless,
Brad

Tuesday, March 1, 2005 10:26 PM CST

DRESSING CHANGE DAY!!!! Not a good thing! We had to hold little Allen down today for the second time in a week to change his chest port dressing. The problem is....he is as strong as an elephant and doesnt like it one bit. To add to his frustration, he had to get his first IM asparaginase shot right after dressing change. Needless to say, he went down early for naptime today!
Allen is doing great and tolerating the chemo quite well right now. We have been told we possible may be discharged out of inpatient tomorrow and will move over to the Ronald McDonald House to do outpatient chemo. This is a saving grace for Amie and I...the hospital walls keep moving in by the hour! Our new address will be:
Allen Smith
Ronald McDonald House
535 Alabama Avenue
Memphis, TN 38105

We dont have an exact room number yet, but we will post it on the website possibly tomorrow. Once again we are so thankful and overwhelmed with everything that has been done for us over this last week and really appreciate the wonderful messages...they keep us going right now!
God Bless,
Brad & Amie

Monday, February 28, 2005 10:42 PM CST

The "real deal" has begun. To get him ready for the day, Allen had to start the morning with a small blood transfusion because of his low hemoglobin counts. He was then given his first dose of the original protocol chemotherapy today around two oclock PM. For what it is worth, Allen is getting four main chemo drugs over the course of this week...prednisone, vincristine, daunorubicin, and asparaginase. Both Amie and I are both extremely apprehensive and dont really know how this is going to go over. We pray that the meds will kill what is needed to be killed and spare him from the side effects you hear about and see up here in the hospital.

On a lighter note...Allen is in great spirits and from what Dr. Pui (his main ALL physician)says, he is where he wants him to be right now. He says his next really important date will be nineteen days from today..when he gets his first bone marrow test to tell how the chemo is working. This is a date we NEED you to all to remember and pray about...we desperately need this first culture to be GOOD!!! Allen has been in a great mood today and we spent a major part of yesterday afternoon and today parading the halls of the second floor with a toy lawnmower like the one he has at home. Things like this really seem to help him cope with being away, and help his parent sanity by getting us out of his room! I hope all is well with everyone back home and we again really appreciate all the outpouring of love and support we have recieved since we got here!!!
THANK YOU and GOD BLESS,
BRAD

Sunday, February 27, 2005 10:53 PM CST

Hello everyone,
Allen starts his first real protocol of chemotherapy tomorrow morning. We ask that everyone keep him in there prayers as this unfolds...we do not really know how this is going to go over. Amie and I both want to thank all of you for everything that is being done on our behalf. It is so overwhelming the amount of support we have recieved...even from people we do not know well. It is a blessing and we thank you all. God Bless! Brad

Sunday, February 27, 2005 1:29 PM CST

Allen's parents are Brad and Amie Smith of Monroe, Louisiana. He has a 7-month-old sister named Hannah. Allen's grandparents are Dr. and Mrs. Mike Smith of Bastrop, Louisiana and Mr. and Mrs. Teddy Joe Sutton of Monroe, Louisiana. His great-grandparents are Dr. and Mrs. J. Bolling Jones, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. McConathy of Rayville, Louisiana, and Mr. and Mrs. Bill Porter of Bastrop,Louisiana. Allen's extended family includes many aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends.

Allen is a little boy who enjoys life to the fullest. His favorite pas-times are roughhousing, watching cartoons and playing games.

If you would like to help offset some of his parents' financial burdens, please make a contribution at any Bank One Location for Allen Patrick Smith (a patient @ St. Jude's Hospital).

Brad, Amie and all of Allen's family appreciate all the prayers, financial contributions and love shown by everyone.

Condition updates:

Wednesday, February 23, 2005: Allen was admitted to St. Jude's Hospital and was diagnosed with Leukemia.

Thursday, February 24, 2005: extensive testing has begun and a final diagnosis was made. Allen was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia called "near haploidy - Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia."

Friday February 25, 2005: Allen's grandparents and some friends arive at St. Jude's Allen has a good day and chemotherapy begins.
Brad and Amie are informed that Allen will need to stay for at least three months.

Saturday February 26, 2005: Allen has a good day, not much new to report except Allen's baby sister comes for a visit.

Sunday February 27, 2005: no new news as yet.

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