History

Friday, August 13, 2010 7:08 PM CDT

Yes, we are all still here and everyone is doing great! Having a wonderful summer as it starts to wind down. The kids did lots of camps this summer. They each did two sleep away camps and loved them all! Shelby did a FAME/Performing Arts week-long day camp as well and liked that--it was her second year. They finished 4th and 6th grades and are anxious to start back again this fall. Summer vacations have been good. We spent 4th of July a Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson's. Last weekend we were at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island (with my work) and next week we are leaving for a 6 night Carnival Cruise out of Charleston, SC. The kids are REALLY looking forward to that. Then we come back and one week until school starts, soccer starts back up and Shelby will do piano and jazz again. So..as you can see...life is pretty routine around here---not that I'm complaining!!!!!!

Tom is doing the Hike again with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and has raised close to $4,000. He will be hiking in Zion National Park on October 2. He's excited to do it. This will be his 4th hike with them and he's raised close to $30,000 total!!!!!

Shelby returns to the oncologist on August 31 (1st time since April). She also got her braces off and now is in retainer for a year. So..life is normal..and she's a normal kid!!!!!

Thanks for continuing to check in on us!!!!

Monday, April 5, 2010 6:40pm EST

OK..it happened again...this time it has been seven months since an update..but the good news...everyone is absolutely fine and healthy! As we inch closer to Shelby's five year off treatment mark, we get closer to putting the cancer chapter of our life behind us. Actually, since I am no longer the Camp Director of Camp Quality (really a good move)…we are leaving the cancer world behind. Even though Shelby had finished treatment back in 2006, working with the Camp, we still were faced with cancer every day through the campers, the families and their journeys. I wouldn’t trade what I have done, but I am glad that now we can move on. It was a great experience, but there are many more organizations out there that truly will appreciate my time and talents a lot more. I have enjoyed all the extra time with the kids and family. Honestly, I don’t know how I ever got it all done before!!!!
Shelby is doing well. She is in 4th grade and loves it. English is her favorite subject and math is pretty far down the list, but she does well. She is still taking jazz classes and piano classes and is still involved in Girl Scouts.
Evan is also doing well. He is involved in Boy Scouts (almost a 1st class scout), he is playing the trumpet in school and has started spring Soccer once again. So we are kept really busy playing taxi cab driver for the kids..but their activities are fun and they really enjoy them.
Shelby’s last check up was in early March. Her counts were terrific. WBC: 10.5, hgb: 13.4, RBC: 4.55, Plt: 310, Neut: 5.8 (wow a 5.8…I know current kids in treatment envy that!) So, she is a pretty normal kid. She is doing great and feeling well. She is excited for every new day and is a really fun loving kid!
Gearing up for the end of the school year and then summer. Signing the kids up for all their summer camps currently. They are going to be doing lots of different things this summer. Shelby is going to return to Camp Catch a Rainbow in June, Camp Quality in July and Evan will be going to Boy Scout camp for a week in June, then to the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for 11 days in northwest Michigan. He is excited about this and it will be a great experience for him.
Well, that’s it for us. Shelby is going to be doing the fashion show again in May with Queen for a Day..maybe I can post a new picture then…but she looks pretty much the same! (except that gap between her two front teeth is now gone, thank you braces.) THANKS for checking in to all our Caringbridge friends!!!!!! Leave a message if you were here so we know you visited!!!!

Monday, June 22, 2009 5:36 PM CDT

Time for another update. Lots has been going on. Took Shelby to the oncologist on June 15. Her counts were excellent...

WBC: 7.5
RBC: 4.52
Platelets: 279
Neut: 2.8
HgB: 13.5

"Perfectly healthy" according to Dr. Amanullah. She doesn't have to return for four months to the clinic. Then we went to the pediatric gastro doctor. He said to keep her on the Miralax but up it to twice a day. He confirmed that it wouldn't hurt her if she is on it for more than 7 days (even though the bottle says!) She seems to being doing a little better. She has something called RAP (recurrent abdominal Pain Syndrome of Childhood--realy original name, huh? Anyhow, we'll watch her and see what happens. There's not too much more the doctor can do for her..we can just keep adjusting the medicine. (Although the doctor did want to see her back in two weeks.) We'll see how she does.

Shelby had her jazz dance recital last weekend. She did TERRIFIC! She was one of the best ones out there!!!! She was very excited and we should have pictures in about two weeks. She is actually going to do the routine for the fashion show at Camp Quality!

Well, yesterday was Father's Day and how did we celebrate...by taking both kids off to camp---two seperate camps! Tom took Evan and two of the neighbor kids up to Boy Scout Camp in Lake, MI (by Clare). He will be there until Saturday. Luckily the weather is supposed to be very nice this week--but a little hot and humid later in the week. He shoud have a good time. One bad/sad thing..he didn't pass his swimming test (well he passed the beginner test, but not the "swimmer" test) so he can't do that merit badge activity. So, I don't know which other one he selected but he will be doing Archery, First aid, Photography and the 4th to be determined. We'll find out when he gets home.

I took Shelby to the American Cancer Society's Camp Catch a Rainbow over near Jackson, MI. This is her third year going. She was excited to go again. She will be there until Friday when I will go and pick her up. It sure does get easier to pack for them now that they have been to these week-long camps so often. They can actually pack most of it themselves too!

So, what are Tom and I doing while they are gone...not a whole lot. I have a dentist appt. tomorrow then on Thursday we are going up to the camp where Camp Quality is going to be to have our final sit-down with their staff to make sure they are ready for us and know everything we need! Other than that, I am just dealing with staffing issues with companions dropping out or misc. things like that. Juggling around my rooming list quite a bit..but in the end it works out.

The kids liked their first partial week of the Rochester Summer Camp. When they return next week...they don't have any camps..but Tom is taking Evan and Shelby up to their grandparents near Traverse City. They will be gone from Wednesday-Friday. I have to stick around here for camp stuff and to get all of us packed up to go. Then we will head up to the camp on Saturday, July 4 to spend the day unpacking, decorating and getting ready for all the companions and campers to arrive on Sunday morning. We ended up with 56 campers this year. That is down from our 57 last year, but we have 49 children with cancer and 7 sibs--last year we had 40 children with cancer and 17 sibs..so we actually increased our children with cancer count. I will have about 134 total people total.

Other than that, we are just rolling through summer keeping very busy. I just signed Evan up for fall recreational soccer and Shelby for piano lessons. She has expressed an interest so I thought we would try it out. She is going to do the summer session from 7/15 - 8/19 to see if she likes it. If she does, we will sign her up from Sept-February.

Thanks for checking in on us.........I probably won't update until after camp.

Friday, June 12, 2009 6:56 AM CDT

Well, Shelby has officially ended her 3rd grade year and will be moving onto 4th grade. Of course I tease her that we have to wait to get her report card. She had a terrific year. Loved her teachers and her classmates.

Evan also officially ended his 5th grade year and finished up at the University Hills Elementary school. He is VERY excited to be heading on to West Middle School for 6th-8th grade in the fall. It was a little bittersweet to send them off to school for the last time knowing it was the last time they would be walking to school together. It was always such a cute sight to see the two of them with their backpacks on walking side by side heading to school having a conversation together. Evan certainly is a good big brother and watches out for his sister.

So..today begins summer vacation. As previous entries have said, they have another full one planned.

They start at the Rochester Schools camp next Wed/Thurs/Fri. Then on Sunday, June 20, Evan is off to Boy Scout Camp for the week and Shelby is off to Camp Catch a Rainbow for the week with the American Cancer Society. They are both excited to head to these camps. I hope the weather warms up a little bit by then!

Other than that, Shelby has been feeling really good. her dance recital is tomorrow and she is very excited about that. We had rehearsal last night and she loved it! She loved being up on stage. Evan's last soccer game is tomorrow too. So we will have a little break from activities (until the fall) but they are busy with their camps.

Shelby goes to the oncologist and to the "tummy doctor" on Monday. Thought as long as we were going we would see both doctors. Her stomach aches have still been happening. Can't explain why...I've tried tracking what she is eating, etc.

Camp Quality plans are going great. We have 56 kids signed up for this year. I was a little disappointed because it was less kids than last year, but we went from 17 siblings to 7 siblings..so we actually had an 18% increase in children with cancer. That sounds bad, but it is really a good thing that we are helping that many more families. We will be heading up to the camp on the 4th of July! Spend the day setting up then the companions come at 9am on Sunday, 7/5 and the kids come at noon. Companion/staff training went really well last week. I'm really excited about the group of people we have together for this year. Should be a terrific camp!

That's about it for now...thanks to anyone that checks in on us!!!!

Sunday, May 10, 2009 5:15PM EST

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers that are reading this. We all know we have remarkable children!!!!

I added a new photo above...this was Shelby getting her picture taken before a fashion show that she participated in for Queen for a Day and Gilda's Club. She had a blast! They got makeovers in the morning and then the fashion show. I had to buy her the shirt too because she loved it sooo much. She got brown glittery flip flops too. She had a great time and looks so grown up.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009 10:27PM CDT

Well...I've done it again...another two months have gone by without an update. What can I say...we're just a normal family living an extremely busy life!!!

Shelby went back to the oncologist on March 17. Her counts were terrific

WBC: 7.71
Neut: 2.89
RBC: 4.44
HgB: 13.3
Plt: 258

Her checkup went great. She is now 73 pounds and 55 inches tall! Growing like a weed.

She is sailing through third grade and it is almost over. She is looking forward to their visit to the Stony Creek Schoolhouse where they dress up in old fashioned clothes and go to the old schoolhouse. They will be going mid-May. This is all she has talked about all school year.

The other exciting thing she is looking forward to is her dance recital coming up on June 13. She has jazz class every Monday night and really enjoys it.

Evan continues to do well too. He went on his first boy scout weekend campout and actually loved it! We were worried about what he would eat since he is so picky..but he lucked out and they had french toast and grilled cheese. He says he wants to go camping again really soon (hopefully he will since we spent a small fortune on all his camping needs.) Evan continues to do really well in school also..he gets more and more excited about going to middle school next year..although I'm not sure he really knows what to expect. The counselors are visiting his class soon and then there is a parents meeting too for us so we'll find out too.

Finally finished signing the kids up for all their summer camps. nice variety for them this year. They will be going to the Rochester Schools camp, a Survivor Camp, a Water Warriors Camp, Shelby is going to a Fame/performing arts camp, Evan is going to two seperate soccer camps, Shelby will to to Camp Catch a Rainbow through American Cancer Society and Camp Quality South with me and Evan will go a week long scout camp.....so their summer will be a little busy. They are actually going to be home a few days here and there and hopefully we can plan a family vacation for the end of August.

Tom continues to stay busy with his business. Lately he has been doing a lot of yard cleanups and landscaping..but people seem to like his work. He continues to get a lot of leads from his networking group. A few big projects on the horizon.

My job continues to be busy and of course I am busy doing camp work too. We had our first round of companion interviews last weekend. What a great bunch of people! We definately are going to be able to pick some really great companions. As far as campers, we are up to 40 so far...we can take 65. We are doing really well on counts. The program is coming together nicely too.

Well that's it for now...as I said..just a normal family living a normal, but busy, life. Thanks for checking in on us. Shelby will return to the oncologist at the end of June..eye appointments soon to come too.

Thursday, February 19, 2009 1:49 PM CST

Oh my! It has almost been two months since I have put an update on this page. I apologize to those of you that may still check in on us. One good note...everything is going great--hence the reason I haven't done any updates. We have just been a "normal" busy family trying to keep up with every day life.

Shelby has been feeling good. She did go to the doctor yesterday because she has had a nasty cough for the past few weeks.

We now officially have a nine year old and an eleven year old in the house. Celebrated both birthdays. Had the kid party (Shelby did a decorate cupcake party with a Wilton cake decorator person) and 10 friends. Then we had the family party for Shelby and Evan and then Evan had one of his friends over for a sleepover for his birthday. Both kids are still growing like weeds.

They both got their report cards and are doing really well in school. They both actually improved over last semester (and those were good too.)

We now also have an official Boy Scout in the house and soon we will have a Junior Girl Scout too.

Other than that, I am keeping busy with the camp gearing up for the 2009 camp July 5-10. Shelby has decided to come to South Camp this year so she will be going with us and Evan will still be going too--but he will go to the camp's resident camp on property that week too. I think Shelby is going to go back to Camp Catch a Rainbow too (through the American Cancer Society in June). Besides that, we still need to figure out what they are going to do this summer. Not sure of what Tom will be working so we will find out.

One big item...our downstairs bathroom is now back in functioning order!!! Maybe the threat of having the family party got Tom to finish it. Well..it's not totally finished. At least the toilet is in, the tile floor is in, the walls are painted, sink, faucet, mirror and cabinets are in. Only the shower still needs to be tiled and completed (but we still have 2 showers upstairs!)

Well..that's about it for now. This weekend we are up at the grandparents house near Traverse City and tomorrow we are heading over to Petoskey for the Camp Quality Snow Weekend. The kids always enjoy this weekend and it is nice to see all the CQ families. Evan is looking forward to snowboarding and Shelby is looking forward to skiing.

Thanks for checking in. I'll try to post some new pictures soon and try to update a little sooner. Shelby returns to the oncologist at the end of March (as soon as I make appointment)!

Friday, December 26, 2008 5:34 PM CST

Merry Christmas to everyone and I apologize for not doing any updates sooner. The only excuse I have is that it has been busier than ever. The kids are in so many activities, my work is busy and there just aren't enough hours in the day--but somehow it all gets done.

Health Update..Shelby is doing great. She saw her oncologist this past week for her normal check up and everything is great. She continues to grow like a weed and is always in great spirits.

She is doing great in school. They did end up having a snow day their last day before the xmas break..so they missed their class parties which they weren't too happy about. Shelby did really good and entered the PTA Reflections contest with a picture that she had painted at summer camp this past summer. She got 2nd place in her category and now it will go on to the state competition (and also the Rochester Schools district competition). She was very excited and it was fun to see her surprise when she saw that the top two winners moved on. She then did a very touching 3rd grade music performance at her school. Each child had to select a hero. She selected Dr. Main, her oncologist and wrote a nice letter to him telling him why he was her hero--of course that brought tears to our eyes. Then they sang a song to their heroes which was another tearjerker. That's our Shelby....the dramatic one!

She continues to take her jazz classes on Monday night and is loving them. She will get ready for her recital in June. She is still involved with Brownies too.

Evan continues taking guitar lessons and just finished karate. He will start basketball second week of January and then get ready for soccer in the spring.

We have had tons of snow lately and winter really just started. The kids have really enjoyed playing in the snow and Evan got a new snowboard for Christmas and both of the kids enjoy playing on that...although the forecast for tomorrow is 58 degrees. Only in Michigan!!!!

Tom continues to keep busy with his handyman business. He putters around and our home projects fall further down that puttering list...some day we'll get that downstairs bathroom done.

I'm getting ready to kick into high gear again with the Camp season for 2009. Second week of January the applications for campers and companions will be posted--then we wait. We are starting a big marketing blitz and have some new posters and we will have some new giveaway bags for the clinics to give to kids to build awareness of our programs. I have a sneaky feeling we are going to fill up pretty fast this year with campers and companions. Then I will have to turn some people away (hate to do that!)

As always, thanks for checking in with us. Shelby is really looking forward to turning NINE YEARS OLD! Can't believe it! I continue to remember that it was five years ago right around now that she first experienced some symptoms that lead to her diagnosis in January. You would never know it now looking at her but to those who do, they see what a strong, brave girl she is.

Take care and I'll try to update more often!!!! (I did put a new picture at the top of the page...only 2 days after it was taken...that is a record!!!)

Saturday, November 29, 2008 6:28 PM CST

Well, as they say..no news is good news. Things have been going along smoothly here in the household! Shelby has been feeling great and we are trying to keep track of all the activities and events that are going on around here! Busy, busy, busy.

Shelby is still loving her jazz class. She got to see her recital uniform last week (isn't until June) but she is thrilled. Evan is in karate, guitar and scouts. Keeping him running too! The school choir ended, but the church choir is revving up. They are scheduled to sing at an outdoor mall on 12/12 and at a nursing home and in church.

I am taking the kids next Sunday for their christmas photo. Tom and I decided no family photo this year---just the kids..plus Shelby got some new dresses that would be great to capture in pictures.

Thanksgiving turned out fine. It has been a nice long weekend to work on some long overdue projects. We did get the xmas decorations up (everything except the tree) and Tom even put some outside lights up as an added bonus.

Health update..everyone has been feeling great. I went last Friday to have surgery to remove the pin from my previous foot surgery--have a few stitches..but so far it feels 110etter. Hopefully that will do the trick and I can get back to wearing normal shoes (although the tennis shoes aren't so bad!)

That's about it...getting ready for xmas. Tom and I went out for the early Black Friday savings...but we didn't go anywhere glamorous--only Staples, Lowes and Home Depot--needless to say..none of those were super busy.

I luckily have completed about 80f my shopping now I just have to wrap it all! Lots to do between now and xmas though. There are only 4 days between now and xmas that we do not have any plans in the evening..pretty crazy!!!

Thanks, as always, to anyone that continues to check in on Shelby and our family. She returns to the oncologist on December 22 (get in one more visit with no deductible before the end of 2008!)

Sunday, October 12, 2008 12:50AM EST

I said I would update with her results of her oncologist visit...here are her counts:

WBC: 8.83
Neut: 3.90
RBC: 4.73
HgB: 13.6
PLT: 322

Great counts once again! The doctors always seemed amazed when they see her counts. This was probably the quickest visit every (probably because we were the last appointment). Gone are the days of having to hang around waiting and waiting!!!

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2008 10:42AM CDT

Again, another long time between updates. I apologize….I know I keep saying it’s because things are crazy….well they are! Not enough hours in the day (or maybe I “volunteer” for too many projects!)

First off, things are going great on the home front. Everyone is feeling good and growing bigger and bigger each day. Shelby keeps getting so tall—it is getting hard to find skirts that fit her! She is currently in a phase where she wants to wear a skirt to school..we’ll see how long this lasts!

Doctor Updates

Ear/Nose/Throat Doctor: She returns on October 17 for hopefully the final follow up appointment. She still sounds rather stuff, but is being really good about putting her cream in and the best part….NO BLOODY NOSES!!!!

Oncologist: We go this Thursday for her regular appointment. I’ll update the counts on Friday.

Gastro Doctor: She goes back this Friday for a follow up appointment. She has been on that Miralax and it seems to be working. She still does wake up with stomach pains in the morning---but now it is only in the morning and not throughout the day or in the evening like it used to be.

School Updates

The kids are doing great in school. Shelby brought home her progress report and got all “4’s” on it (that is the best). She is doing really great and loves 3rd grade. Evan is doing equally well and is excited about this being his last year in elementary school.

Trips

We survived the Camp Quality Family Weekend to the Kalahari Waterpark Resort. It was a very nice event for the campers and their families. Lots of work for me, but it turned out really nice and we have re-booked the place to return next year—but it will be toward the end of September.

Tom’s Hike in the Smoky Mountains. We survived this too—the kids did remarkably well on the 10 hour car ride (we did break it up on the way down, but on the way home we drove right through only stopping for lunch). Even that was a little too long for me. The weather was not that fantastic when we were there. Tom even go to the top of the mountain..but it was way too cloudy to get any type of view. It was brisker which was nice and overall he did have a nice hike. Not sure if he is planning on hiking next year or not. I think he is leaning toward the Grand Canyon again..but we’ll see. We might even tag along if he goes on that one..but I think that one is right when school gets out which is a super busy time for the kids, and for me with the Camp stuff. Our camp dates for next year are July 5 – 11 and training happens on June 7.

Kids Activities

Evan is loving his guitar lessons. He only has two more left then we will decide what to do next. He is really catching on well and does good (when we don’t have to fight him to practice). He never seems to want to practice when I am around..but he will do it for Tom anytime. Evan also started Cub Scouts again and he is a Webelo II. He now says he wants to move on to Boy Scouts in middle school..so we will see if he keeps saying that. His soccer team is doing great. They have won all their games except one. They have 2 more left and he has to soccer clinics that he is going to be going to. Then when soccer ends, Karate starts up and both kids are in the school choir and the church youth group choir also starts up again this Thursday.

Shelby LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her jazz classes. She is really good at it too. She loves to sing and dance and is getting very excited to see which costumes they are going to pick out for the recital in the spring. She really looks forward to going to dance class. She also started Brownies again and loves that. They have some really great things planned for this year.

I have enjoyed my little “break” from Camp stuff without any committee meetings. We have our camp reunion on Sunday, October 19 at the camp. We expect about 180 people. This should be a fun event. From 1-5, you can do activities – archery, pumpkin bowling, mountain biking, zip line, horses, etc. Then from 5-6 is my presentation and dinner than 6-7 is a campfire. Should be fun—pray for no rain!!! Then the committee meetings start back up. I am going to Houston from Thurs, 10/24-Sun, 10/27 for National Camp quality meeting so Daddy will be on his own with the kids. I’m sure he will do fine….

Well, that’s about it. Thanks, as always, for checking in on us. I will try to post more as things occur…but as you can see, we are just living a normal life that is very, very busy!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008 6:26 AM CDT

Hello! As you can see by the above picture...the school year has started! Do you think Shelby looks excited to go to school? She couldn't wait. I haven't seen her jump up and get ready so fast in a long time!

Otherwise, things are going good. Back to the busy time. Soccer has started with Evan. His guitar lessions and Cub Scouts start next week. Shelby will be starting her jazz classes next week.

This weekend, we are heading to the Kalahari Waterpark Resort for a Camp Quality family weekend. Should be a good time. 52 families from CQ Michigan are going and about 20 families from CQ Ohio. About 300 people all together! Lots to do beforehand. I have a meeting a the camp on Thursday then we will head down on Friday. The kids are excited because although we've been there before, they've never gotten to stay for two nights..so they are excited. Plus Shelby wants to get this ribbon braided into her hair that one of the vendors does and I told her she could if she finished all of her giveaway bags that she is doing for the hikers when Tom hikes the Smoky Mountains. She did finish them (surprisingly with Evan's help!) so now she can get her hair braided!!!

Shelby is feeling good. She did have her other nose surgery. Seems like the bloody noses are gone but she is very stuffy seems like all the time. Hoping that goes away sometime. She does return tomorrow for a follow up with her ENT doctor.

Other than that, things just keep rolling along. Thanks for checking in on us!

Sunday, August 24, 2008 3:30 PM CDT

I know, I know..it has been a while since an update. I have a quick second so I will do a quick update.
Shelby ended up seeing the gastro doctor – they were able to fit us in one week after her pediatrician called the specialist – so we didn’t have to wait 6 months! He said that most likely she has Irritable Bowel Syndrome which apparently affects 20f kids. He prescribed Miralax and she takes this once a day. It seems to be working. She went back last week for her follow up and will go back again in 6 weeks. I have been playing around with the dosage though because we don’t need to give her more than she needs.

Summer camps are over!!!!! (Well almost! Shelby goes to a ½ day dance camp all this week) Evan and Shelby survived the summer! They ended it on a high note with both Shelby and Evan able to go to Camp Quality North in Petoskey the week of August 10-16. As usual, they had a great time. This was their third year going. Thanks to Ian and Amy for being the kids companions for the third year. They always make it so fun for the kids. It worked out nice because Tom and I dropped them at camp on Sunday, then went to Tom’s parents house until Thursday. Then we went to Boyne Mountain and stayed there until Tuesday of the following week (picked up the kids on Saturday from camp). We had a nice vacation. It was a long time for me away from work…but I actually did relax a little – and even got a massage and pedicure at the resort!

Shelby had her left nose surgery (cauterization) this past Friday. She is doing fine. For some reason, this nose is running a lot more than the right one did…but it is clear discharge. She will return in 3 weeks to ENT doctor. But the great news is….no more bloody noses (except the self-inflicted ones from pool noodles, etc.)

I have been getting ready for the fall! All the kids are now signed up for all their activities. Shelby has decided to not do gymnastics but she wants to do Jazz Dance. So I went and waited in line (with 300 other people) and was able to get her in the class she/we wanted. So this will be the kids fall/winter schedule

Monday – Shelby Jazz Dance
Tuesday – Evan Guitar Lessions
Wednesday – Evan Soccer Practice – Shelby Brownies twice a month
Thursday – Churc h Choir for Both – Cub Scouts once a month-Evan
Then Wed & Fri – they will go to the after school program
Evan is going to do karate again too once soccer is over.

So, we will be chauffeurs for a while…but they are all activities that the kids really seem to want to do. Evan starts soccer practice this Wednesday already. Although when we got the schedule, he is going to miss 3 out of the 9 games (previously planned trips already!) He still enjoys going and will be at every practice.

The other news is that the kids got their teacher assignments in the mail yesterday. Shelby was actually waiting outside for the mail truck to pull up. Shelby ended up having the same third grade teachers that Evan had – Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Walters (it is a split class – Clark teaches language arts and Walters does everything else). Evan ended up with Mrs. Pederson. I don’t know anything about her..but all the teachers are good. They are excited about the new school year and are anxious to start. They really do enjoy going to school.

Besides that…things have been busy as usual. I have been working on our camp reunion invitations – we are having the reunion at the camp on Sunday, October 19. That should be nice for the families to do the activities their kids did when they were at camp. We are also going to have a wonderful video to show them (and give them) along with the memory books and announcing the 2009 theme. Busy, busy, busy. We are also going to Kalahari Waterpark Resort on 9/12-9/14 with Camp Quality and 50 other families for our Annual Heritage Weekend. This should be a nice event. We are going to do a hospitality suite so I am working with Gail (the other coordinator) to figure out the food. Might do a Mexican bar! MMMMM…

Then at the end of September, the whole family is heading down with Tom to the Smoky Mountains for his hike for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He has met his minimum fundraising goal (which is great) I know he is a little bummed out that it wasn’t more…but at least he doesn’t have to pay anything out of his pocket. So the kids will miss 3 days of school in September…but it is early in the year and we don’t have any other trips planned.

That’s about it for now. Thanks, as always, for checking in on our busy lives. (Even though they aren’t that exciting!) I’ll be sure to post first day of school pictures on September 2.

Friday, July 25, 2008 8:50am EST

Here are Shelby's counts from the oncologist visit yesterday:

WBC: 10.72
Neut: 6.16
RBC: 5.09
HgB: 15.2
PLT: 332

"Excellent counts" according to Dr. Jamil! She is also 53" tall and 72 pounds. She is growing like a weed. Everything they see her they can't believe how big she is! He also investigated her stomach problems and didn't recognize anything obvious. Today she goes to the pediatrician with Tom to try to get some file notes so we can get those to the pediatric gastro doctor and get her appointment moved up. I'll keep you posted. Oh great news yesterday....Evan gets to go to Camp Quality in Petoskey with Shelby from August 10-16. Apparently they had some kids drop out, so they accepted more siblings. He's super excited!!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2008 8:38am CDT

Hello! Shelby has been doing good as the summer days roll along. Can’t believe school starting up again is only six weeks from today. The summers sure do fly by. Shelby loves school though, so can’t wait for it to start up again.

What have we been doing since the last post? Lots of stuff. Shelby survived her nasal surgery on the right side..but when we went to the doctor for the re-check appointment, it wasn’t healing well enough (didn’t help that she got hit in the head in the lake with a noodle one day and it started to bleed.) So, we had to postpone the left side surgery until the end of August. Nosebleeds have really cut down a lot though.

The kids love going to the Rochester schools camp. They have fun every Wednesday because they go on field trips and on Fridays they go swimming at the high school pool. Last week, they went to the Troy Parks Sportsters camp. Each day they played a different sport and then went swimming at the Troy Aquatic Center twice each day. They had fun, were extremely exhausted and very hot (as it was 90 degrees almost every day!) This week they are back at the Rochester Camp.

We survived Camp Quality and the kids going to Camp Copneconic. They had a great time. Evan had a super time now that he has moved up to the “more fun” age group of 10-12 year olds. Shelby did end up in the med center twice—once for the bloody nose/noodle incident and then once again for stomach pains. I was able to go and see her each time.

Camp ended up really well! It was great to see the returning children as well as meet all the new ones. We started with 59 kids—ended up with 55. Four were sent home..one had a fever, one was admitted to hospital and two were siblings. Overall, it went really well. There were definite improvements over last year..but there are still things that can be done to make it even better. We have a committee recap meeting this Sunday to review everything and the survey comments and start working on the 2009 camp! The good thing was the weather cooperated…it did rain briefly for two afternoons—but weren’t total washouts and we were able to make up anything that we missed. My foot held up ok…it did get pretty swollen and it still hurts..I have been doing my stretches and walking a lot..but the top part of my foot is still “achey”. I’m going to give it until September and if it still hurts, will go back to orthopedic doctor.

Next week the kids go to Survivor Camp at Troy Parks and Rec. Shelby has been looking forward to this one. They divide the kids into teams and they compete against each other for the week—they also have a bounce house and go to the Aquatic Center twice during the week.

Then Shelby is off to Camp Quality up north. She is excited to go. She has the same companion again, Amy, which she loves! She is the only 8 year old going this year! The good thing is she will still be in the cabin closest to the bathroom! She likes that! Me, Tom and Evan will then be on vacation from Sunday, August 10 until Tuesday, August 19. We are going to visit with Tom’s parents from Sunday – Thurs then head over to Boyne Mountain to stay. I have a work meeting there from Sunday-Tuesday and we can pick Shelby up from camp on Saturday. I do have to go to the camp on Friday to work on some Heritage Weekend Stuff.

Almost done shopping for school supplies (didn’t realize I had a bunch left from last year!) The kids are excited..Evan is going to be in 5th grade and this will be his last year at the elementary. Shelby is heading into 3rd and she is excited.

Shelby goes to the oncologist tomorrow morning and I will be taking her. I’ll try to update with her counts tomorrow. I haven’t taken her in over 6 months (Tom took her last time!) Plus I want to thank the doctors and staff for referring kids to the camp!

Then on Friday, Shelby is going to the pediatrician due to all her stomach aches. I did make an appointment with a pediatric gastro doctor—but first appointment wasn’t until November 23—so they said if we get doctors notes, they can possibly move it up…so we’ll see! She was scheduled off of camp anyways for her nose surgery which isn’t happening….so now she can go to the pediatrician.

Take care and I hope everything is going well with each of you. Thanks for checking in on us!

Friday, June 27, 2008 7:15 PM CDT

Wow! I almost let a whole month go by without an update. Well actually, I did do a really long update about a week ago, but it didn't save and I didn't feel like redoing it at that time. So, now I will.

Today, Shelby had her nasal surgery--electro cauterization of her right nostril. She did really good. It is a quick procedure but they do have to sedate her for it. She woke up really quick, had a popsicle, a wheelchair ride to the car and off we went. She has been feeling great ever since. She truly is remarkable. Hopefully this will help the bloody noses. She is scheduled to get the left one done on July 25 and then hopefully this is all behind us!

Other than that, the kids are doing great. They finished school, got their report cards and did excellent! We are very proud of how well they do in school and they really enjoy it!

Now into summer. Shelby spent the first week after school at the American Cancer Society's Camp Catch a Rainbow. This was her second year here and she really enjoys it. She was gone from Sunday until Friday and boy, was our house quiet with only Evan! Evan had fun staying home with Dad that week. Then this week, they started at the Rochester Schools Day Camp. They are having fun. They will go to the Rochester Schools day camp for 4 weeks out of the summer, 2 weeks to a Troy Parks and Rec camp and then one week at sleepaway camp at Camp Copneconic and then Shelby will go to Camp Quality up north in August. Then Shelby has a dance camp the week before school starts back up. Then back to the "normal" routine. Summer will fly by!

My foot is doing really well. I am back to work full time (still wearing tennis shoes for three more months) but it is getting better and better every day. It is going to be a challenge going to camp next week...but I will have my own golf cart so that will help. I'm most worried about all the uneven ground. That is when it hurts the most.

Tom is making really good progress on our hall/mud room/laundry room/bathroom project. It is painted, partially tiled, all ceilings are in and the kids have their new "cubbies" to put things into. It is really shaping up nicely.

Camp Quality South is going to be next week. We are going up a day early on Saturday and then camp will be from Sunday - Friday. We have a record fifty-nine (59) kids this year -- we had 44 last year. It should be a lot of fun. We added one more nurse so we have three full time ones and one helper. I only have one extra bed right now! It is has been crazy getting ready for it, but I did have a really good committee this year so a lot of the stuff they took care of! We also have what seem like a great group of companions so it should go relatively well..just pray for no rain and cooler temperatures!

Well, that's about it for now. Busy, busy, busy. The boys are going to the Tiger game on Sunday--I think I might take Shelby to see that Wall-e movie..we'll see how much I get done! The house desperately needs to be cleaned, sheets changed, etc. I have been so busy with camp stuff there are just way too many piles all over. They will be gone when I get a chance!!

Thanks, as always, for checking in on us. Shelby returns to the oncologist on July 23 but she has been feeling really well and she continues to grow taller and taller and taller!!!!

Friday, May 30, 2008 8:45 PM CDT

Just a quick update...Shelby is doing fine. She is really tired though..the last few weeks really tire her out with all the things going on.

We went to the ENT doctor today. Very nice doctor. Well...apparently she has a deviated septum (which I guess is quite common), but she also has exposed blood vessels high up inside her nose and both sides are affected. Because she has already had it cauterized with silver nitrate, that is not the most effective way. So, the dr. recommended an electrocauterization. Apparently they have to put her out with a mask, it is less than a 10 minute procedure and she is ok after that. The only bad thing is that he wants both nostrils done and it can't be done at the same time. So, we are going to go ahead with the right nostril first and then we'll schedule the left. It is done at an outpatient facility. Hopefully that will help clear up the bloody noses and all the crustiness and congestion. The doctor did say this was her only alternative because unless those blood vessels are sealed, it will continue to happen. I'll update more when I have a date for this procedure.

SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2008 5:01pm CDT

Wow! Where does the time go. For the past couple of days I have been saying I need to update her webpage, then before I know it, it is too late and I don't get around to it. So, I am finally doing it now!

Both kids continue to do very well. They are enjoying their Memorial Day Weekend for sure. It has been busy for us. It started on Friday when we went over to Kalamazoo for a Childhood Cancer Walk to benefit Curesearch. They were able to get us a complimentary hotel room and then the walk was on Saturday morning. The kids had fun swimming at the hotel and then the walk was really nice. We had a Camp Quality table set up to give area families information and I was able to speak to the social worker from another hospital over on that side of the state. We also got to see Katie and her family - she was another little girl that had ALL and is doing great. We also ran into some Camp Quality companions that were there with Mackenzie's Crusaders--a team in honor of Mackenzie Smith who passed away back in February (a camper of ours last year). They were the top fundraising team.

On the way to Kalamazoo, we were also able to stop and see Beth, mine (and Tom's) former roommate in college. She lives in Battle Creek and we just don't make it over that way anymore.

Arrived home last night, then Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson spent the night as they were on their way back from Colorado before they headed up north. Then today, we headed to the Detroit Tigers game with Camp Quality. We had 150 tickets to pass out to the families. It was a great day to be at the ballpark--but unfortunately, they lost.

If that wasn't enough, tomorrow both kids are walking in the Memorial Day Parade for our city with their scout troops. They are looking forward to it. It is only a one mile route.

Then Tuesday, back to work and school. Can't believe where the time goes.

My foot is healing pretty well. It still gets really sore if I am on it too much and I don't elevate it as much as I should. There are just so many things to do! I'm still on work restrictions and only able to work 25 hours a week--which is hard because there is so much to do! I do return to the doctor on June 5 - and I am sure that he will return me to work full time then.

Picked up our new car last week..got a Saturn Outlook. It is really nice. The kids like it because we got the Captains chairs in the second row. Only had it one week and it has 750 miles on it already! Been busy!!! It is so nice to have so much more room than the Saab...and the new car doesn't hurt my back when I get in and out of it!!

Tom is still puttering around with his business and other misc. projects (which includes our house project). I wish he would just get it done. I originally told him June 1 was his deadline and he joked and said he thought I meant 6/1/09--not! The ceiling is in in the hallway and the laundry room..just has the mud room, the bathroom and then the tiling to do. Hopefully soon it will be done!

Shelby had two fantastic field trips the last two weeks - nothing like saving them until the end of school. She went to downtown Rochester for a historic tour (Tom went as a chaperone too), then they went to the zoo this last week. She had a great time. Evan took a field trip to Lansing with all the 4th graders--he had a great time and had been looking forward to it for a while.

They only have 6 1/2 more weeks of school and they are flying by! Shelby continues her gymnastics and Evan continues his soccer. Shelby is wrapping up her Brownie year with a trip to an inflatable place this week.

I also have a doctor appointment scheduled for Shelby on Friday with an ear, nose, throat doctor. Maybe they can figure out why her nose is constantly draining or bleeding. Can't find a happy medium. I'm thinking it is something with her sinuses...but we will find out. Her oncologist said it did not look allergy related. So hopefully at the end of this week, we'll have some answers.

Getting ready for camp. Thrilled to say we have 47 campers (that is 3 more than last year) and I still have a few spaces. We had lots of companions apply and had our interviewing day last week. I actually had to turn some away--which I hate to do..but I ran out of bedspace.

Great things are happening with the camp. I have a wonderful organizing committee that are burning up the streets getting lots of donations and making lots of great things happen. I am very fortunate there are so many that want to help this wonderful cause. I'm working to get all the training finished for our companion/staff training to be held on Saturday, June 7 at the camp.

Shelby heads off to the American Cancer Society Camp Catch a Rainbow on June 15 - June 20. She is excited about that. Seems really early to go camping..but she can't wait!

Well, that's it for now. This actually turned into a really long update. Hope everyone reading this is doing well and I will try to post more updates as things happen. She doesn't go back to the oncologist until July 23, so that is a nice long break!!!

Friday, May 30, 2008 8:45 PM CDT

Saturday, May 3, 2008 11:00pm EST

As you can see by the above picture, we had a BIG day in Shelby's life today. She looked as beautiful as the picture looks above. It is amazing to see how she is growing and changing every day. It certainly does move you to tears when you think back to everything that she went through--but she is a strong, happy girl!! She had a great day. We went to the church for the mass and then we had the family gathering at a nearby restaurant. We had 24 people..just family and Shelby's godparents, Kim & Steve. It was a nice time. Shelby was so behaved the entire time!!

Evan and Shelby both continue to do really well. Hard to believe that they only have 5 1/2 more week of school--this year sure did fly by. They are excited about their summer camps that they are all signed up for this summer. Shelby starts right off by going to Camp Catch a Rainbow the Sunday after school gets out (on Father's Day!) She is getting excited to go back to camp--she loves camp!

Thanks to everyone for checking in on us. I"ll try to update as things happen...it is just a busy, busy time here at our house with the work for the camp that I am working on. My foot is getting better each day. I go back to the doctor on Tuesday and hopefully he'll say I can drive. My foot is still really weak--but it is slowly getting better and better every day.

FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008 4:45pm CDT

Hello to everyone. I apologize for not updating sooner (well actually I did..but it didn't save right and I didn't feel like re-typing it all).

Things are going really well here. Shelby was back the the oncologist today for her check up and she was delcared to have "excellent counts" by Dr. Jamil. She is doing good. She is still continually stuffed up and with runny nose and the dr. didn't think they were allergies. he did say to try a decongestant for her and that might help. We get tired of asking her to blow her nose all the time.

We went to the parent teacher conferences for both Shelby and Evan. They are both doing really well. Shelby was so proud to show off her portfolio and all the things in her room that she is doing. They are both really good students and do their homework and really seem to like going to school. Can't believe the school year is almost over. It seemed to have gone especially fast this year.

The kids are continuing with choir, Evan started soccer practice, had his first game AND scored a goal the first game. Shelby re-enrolled again for gymnastics for the next session but she says she wants to do soccer in the summer. It is just hard when she goes away for three weeks of sleep-away camp (not all in a row) she ends up missing some games or practices. We'll see. I have to sign them up for the rest of their summer day camps next weeks. They are going to have a busy summer (as usual!)

Tom has decided he is going to do another hike for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is going to do the hike to the Smoky Mountains in September. Thinking of taking the kids and making it a mini vacation too (it's only 9 hours away). We'll see. We don't really have any other vacation planned this year--we are going to Petoskey in August for my work meeting/kids camp and then to Kalahari Resort in September with camp for family weekend.

How is my foot...I'm hanging in. I was able to get a walking cast earlier than I thought I would and I just moved up my appointment to this coming Tuesday to hopefully have the cast off for good. I may have to get an air cast--but at least I could take it off and on and get back to driving. That has been the worst part (and the taking longer in the shower.) Overall, it was ok. Tom was a big help and the kids tried to do their share.

That's about it for now. Thanks for continuing to check in on our family--we do appreciate your thoughts.

Sunday, March 16, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Hello! Let me start out by saying that Shelby is doing terrific. She is still growing by leaps and bounds. I swear as quickly as she gets a new pair of pants she is growing out of them! Her hair is getting really long too--in fact the other day she wore pigtails to school and she looked really cute! Today she wore her hair off to one side with a barrette in it and put a headband on..looking quite grown up.

She continues to feel good too. She has a stuffy nose again but with this weather changing...not a big surprise. Looks like spring is right around the corner.

Shelby LOVES her gymnastics class! She said she wishes it was more than once a week! Right now, that's about all Mom and Dad can handle!

I had my foot surgery this past Thursday. It was more painful than I thought it was going to be..but Tom and the kids have been very helpful in getting me around and getting things for me. Thank goodness for laptops and internet access. I have been able to stay in touch and am actually getting lots of stuff done for camp that I needed to do. I have to go tomorrow to the coagulation clinic since the doctor put me on blood thinners to stop blood clots. The worst part is that I got a plaster cast instead of fiberglass so it is an extra five or so pounds that I really don't need to be carrying around--it is really heavy. I'm hoping after the 10 days, I can get the fiberglass one. They don't take the sutures out for 20 total days--so I will probably be off of work until then. I'm already tired of being cooped up in the house. It is so hard to see things that need to be done but there is no way that I can do them. I'm learning patience!!!!

Evan continue to do well too. He had a cub scout meeting this past Saturday where they worked on his Geologist badge and he really enjoyed it.

Tom continues to work on our home renovation project. He was able to complete all the plumbing and electrical on his own. We went and picked out all the floor and shower tile last weekend so we are ready to go with that. Drop ceiling and paint colors are next. We are moving around but no estimated date of completion yet. It has been hard having to go upstairs every time I want to use the bathroom (Luckily that is only about twice a day though.) it is really giving me a workout with my upper arms pushing myself up the circular stairs.

Things on tap this week...the usual..catechism, gymnastics, Spirit Council meeting for Evan, choir practice. Shelby is getting ready for her First communion which will be on May 3rd. I reserved the restaurant yesterday. Since I will still be in a cast, didn't want to try to cook anything so this will be easier.

thanks for checking in on us.

Sunday, March 16, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Saturday, March 1, 2008 8:35 PM CST

Hello to anyone that still checks this webpage. I know I don't update it as frequently..but that is really a good thing.

We have been up to a lot, as usual. The kids had a BLAST at Camp Quality's Snow Weekend. Shelby and Evan both learned how to snowboard and to ski! They were pretty good at it! They certainly were pretty determined to do it. They can't wait until next year now! We had a nice visit with Grandma and Grandpa too (and got our laundry done!) We ended up coming home on Monday afternoon so I didn't have to take the extra vacation day on Tuesday--even though the kids were still off for mid-winter break.

The kids started back with the church choir and they really like it. Shelby had a brownies meeting, Evan had cub scouts. We also went to the High School Musicial on Ice Tour at the Palace. The kids really liked the show. Shelby also got to go on her first field trip of the year. They went to the Macomb Center for the Perfoming Arts to see a play. She really had a good time. She even watched the weather forecast the night before to be sure it would be ok for the bus to take them.

My foot surgery is coming up on Thurs, March 13. I imagine it is going to be pretty painful--but the end result hopefully will feel much better than the current throbbing, pulsating pain. I go for my pre-op appointment on Wed, 3/5 so I should know more than as far as my plan to be off of work.

Camp plans are moving right along. We have the agenda complete and applications are coming in. We are running ahead of last year in companion and camper applications...but of course I'm still worried we won't have enough. Our last committee meeting went really good. I have a really good committee working this year so things are running along very smoothly.

Things coming up...Shelby is heading to Brownie overnight camp this Saturday, Tom and I are heading to my annual work black tie dinner dance/awards ceremony (not looking forward to that--my foot is going to really hurt after helping distribute all the awards on stage.) Evan is looking forward to spending the night at Adam's. Shelby starts gymnastics on Tuesday, 3/4. She is excited to do that.

Shelby is also entering the school science fair with 4 other girls. One of their moms is helping the kids do their project. She is so excited...they are growing crystals! They are going to work on their project on Monday night.

Shelby continues to feel well..the bloody noses appear to have stopped (knock on wood). She continues to grow like a weed..she was very excited last week to get lots of clothes from her cousin, Taylor. Tom was ready to put them away because he said they wouldn't fit her...but they do!!!

Thanks again for checking in on us.

Sunday, February 10, 2008 3:18 PM CST

WOW! It's been a while again since I have updated. As usual, busy, busy, busy....but everyone is doing great.

Shelby and Tom enjoyed the Daddy/Daughter Dance. And we survived all the birthday parties. We had the family party on January 27, then the kids had a roller skating party with their friends on Sunday, February 3. A good time was had by all. You can see all the birthday people at the top of the page...Shelby turned 8, Evan is turning 10 and Tom turned 4-0! It is a lot easier having one party for all!!!

Tom was busy this past weekend working with our friend Steve on a big wedding event. Tom and Evan went to the Pistons game on Friday night which Evan really enjoyed. Even though they were really high up seats, Evan thought it was the greatest thing in the world. While the boys went out, Mom and Shelby went out for girls night out to dinner. Shelby enjoyed that.

Shelby continues to have a lot of nosebleeds. Still don't know what is causing it. We have humidifier, use cream in her nose and all the other things we should be doing. Pretty crazy.

This weekend, Shelby and I were manning a cookie booth selling cookies for the Brownies. We did pretty good. Yesterday in two hours, we sold about 30 boxes, today in two hours, we did almost 75 boxes! Much better location today! Shelby thinks this is quite fun selling cookies! (Too bad I couldn't resell some of the extra ones I had to buy in order to get her a cookie selling patch!)

My job has been crazier than usual, camp stuff is kicking into high gear (although we have a wonderful program planned out and things are moving along pretty smooth right now!) The worst news is that I have to have foot surgery--actually four procedures...a strayer gastrocnemius recession, lantar fascia release, neuroplasty Plantar Nerve and Dorsiflexion First Metatarsal on my right foot. Basically, I have a very tight nerve and tendon on the bottom of my foot...but a lot of it was caused by a genetic deformity of the boneplate on the top of my foot. So they are going to do all four procedures at once. The worst part (besides the pain!) is that it is on my RIGHT foot--so I can't drive for 10 weeks! That is going to be difficult. I do have two co-workers that live veyr close so I can hitch rides with them and Tom will be working primarily on our laundry room/bathroom/den area during that time so he can take me to work and/or pick me up. I think I'm going to go out on disability at least for the first two weeks so that will make it a little easier on me until I get the hard cast on 10 days after surgery..but I won't get a walking cast until 4 weeks after that. I have to practice with my crutches. I'm thinking of just staying upstairs in the house..that is where the office is, the bedroom and the bathroom (since Tom tore out the downstairs one!)

The other fun going on is he disconnected (and smashed up and threw away) the laundry tub and disconnected the gas lines...so no laundry! I kept telling Tom I had a TON of laundry...so he spent two hours and six loads at the laundry mat yesterday!

Things coming up for us......We are heading up north from 2/15 - 2/19. On 2/16, Camp Quality is having their Snow Weekend near Boyne. The kids always enjoy this. So we are going to stay with the kids grandparents for the weekend. It's been a long time since we have been to their house to visit too. The kids are off school on 2/18 and 2/19. Not sure if we will return on Monday or Tuesday.

This week at school, Evan is building lighthouses that really light up with circuits. He is looking forward to that and Tom volunteered to come into the class and help the children. Evan was so excited to put his dad's name down as a volunteer. Shelby is excited because the church choir is starting up again on Thursday. Tom will continue to work at our house (while he lines up a few other things he's got cooking.)

Shelby is looking forward to gymastics...I signed her up to start on March 4. She is really excited about this! She is also excited to go see High School Musical on Ice which is on Wed, 2/27 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Evan's birthday is coming up on Valentine's Day..in fact I need to go now because he wants heart cookies for his birthday treat which he is going to take in on Wednesday (since Thursday they have their class party anyways). The kids have had their Valentines ready and Shelby just finished her Valentine's box yesterday.

That's it for now. Thanks for checking in. Oh, one thing...if you could say a prayer for one of our south camp kids from last year...Mackenzie. Her tumor has come back and the doctors have told them they are out of options. You can visit her webpage at www.carepages.com Page name: Mackenzie

Thanks for checking in on us....we hope you are all doing well.

Monday, January 21, 2008 3:55 PM CST

Hello! The month of January is flying by! I took Shelby to the oncologist today for her check up (she hasn't been there since October!) Her counts were:

WBC: 7.72
RBC: 4.82
Neut: 2.73
Plt: 319
Hgb: 14.4
Very good counts. Her nose is still all yucky from the many bloody noses that she gets and she is on amoxicylin for strep throat from last week and they told me it is still red looking. So, we'll see. She is feeling good and still growing like crazy.

After that, I took the kids to lunch then grocery shopping. Then we stopped by the roller rink to double check that the kids party was reserved for Feb. 3 and they were having open skate, so the kids wanted to stay. They did and had a great time.

What else have we been up to?? Lots. We did the Pinewood Derby for the Cub Scouts. Evan ended up tying for 1st place in his den and then got 6th place overall out of 38 kids. He did great--but of course he was upset because he didn't get one of the $5 trophies! (Last year he got 3rd overall so he felt he did worse.)

Shelby is getting ready for her first communion at church. It will be in May. She is really excited to do all the prep work. I am excited because I got a wonderful dress for her for only $9!!!!

This past Thursday, we took the kids to the Kalahari Water Resort near Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. This was our fourth trip there. They are now officially the largest indoor water park in the US. It is pretty big. The kids had a great time. We had a really nice room--it was actually a condo that you can buy! Not a bad deal for a $99 grand opening special!

Things coming up: This Friday is the Daddy/Daughter dance with the brownies and girl scouts so Shelby is looking forward to that. Then on Sunday, 1/27, we are having the family birthday party to celebrate Shelby's birthday and Evan's coming up. Much easier when there are 24 people to just have one party on one day and the kids are fine with that.

The kids also worked on addressing all their Valentines for school this past weekend--so that is one less thing we have to do (super organized Mom!)

That's about it. Pretty boring, actually. I am pretty busy with my camp stuff kicking into high gear, Tom is staying busy with his projects. (Still waiting for laundry room and bathroom to get started. We did go and buy the sink top, faucet and new toilet--maybe some day it will get installed.)

The kids are looking forward to the Camp Quality Snow Weekend which is 2/15 - 2/17 up north. Also, the kids report cards are expected by 1/29. They both assure me they will be good.

Thanks for checking in on us.

Saturday, January 5, 2008 8:19 AM CST

Hello to everyone! Just time for a quick update before I get going on my numerous projects for today. Everyone is doing pretty good. Evan had some pretty high fevers this past week--we even took him to urgent care, they put him in the ER and then sent him home saying it was viral. He seems recovered now. Shelby went through some stomach problems...but I think she is ok now.

Both kids were VERY excited to get back to school (for the whole two days then the weekend). But, boy, they were tired!

Evan, Tom and I ended up going to the Motor City Bowl game at Ford Field after Christmas. Shelby stayed home with Grandma Mary Ann and had a good time. The game was really good. Unfortunately, Central Michigan lost. I did get to see two of the photographers from our summer camp that were there taking pictures for CMU. We also had third row seats on the 30 yard line so it was a good game.

Finally was able to get the Christmas stuff down and put away. I didn't even put up 1/2 of my stuff and it still seemed like a big chore!

Things coming up...Shelby is "Celebrity of the Week" this next week, which of course she is thrilled about since it is also her 8th Birthday tomorrow! Can't believe it! She is so grown up (and time really does fly!) She is all excited. Today we are going to make her a cake just for us to eat tomorrow--but she wants to help make it, bake it and decorate it. Can't wait to see how it turns out! Then, of course, she will get her dinner out--not sure if we will go tonight or tomorrow though.

Next weekend is the big Pinewood Derby with the Cub Scouts. Evan and Tom have been working on his car. He is making it a "Home Depot" car--he painted it bright orange and has stickers to put on it. It's lots of work for Tom and I, though, having to run the whole event. Today I have to do all the preliminary stuff (stickers for cars, preparing medals, ribbons, programs, etc.) Thursday night we take the cars at check-in, then Friday night we set up and Saturday is the event. Evan also starts basketball practice that afternoon--so he is going to be busy (and tired!)

On Sun, 1/13, Shelby has her Rite of Enrollment Mass at church to get ready for her First Communion...then I have a meeting with my companion/camper recruitment committee for Camp Quality. Now that 2008 is here...it's time to really focus again on getting enrollment for the camp. I have 2 campers, 4 siblings and 1 companion app already! Camp is less than 6 months away!!! The next few months will be busy..but it is very rewarding and fun to work on it. I had two 14 year old sisters that did a game/book drive and donated close to 50 things for the camp so the kids can have something to do on hot or rainy days. We took a picture and I sent it out to the local newspapers along with our plea in our search for campers and companions so I'm hoping someone will publish it! The Observer and Eccentric is also going to be doing an article on us. So, there are quite a few things cooking.

On the 17th, we are going to the Kalahari Water Park Resort in Sandusky, OH (the US's largest waterpark hotel). We have been there about three times before, but they just completed a double expansion..so the kids are very excited.

I found out I have to go to Charlotte, NC for ONE DAY! (My boss said I could spend the night, but I can catch a 6:45 flight home, so why). So, on 1/23, I am flying to Charlotte at 10am and will be back at 8:30pm. You'd think they could video-conference it!

Shelby is also looking forward to the Daddy/Daughter Dance that is going to be on January 25 with her Brownie troop. She wasn't able to go last year! Then, I finally got the birthday parties figured out....Going to have the combined family birthday party on Sun, 1/27 where we will celebrate Shelby's birthday (late) and Evan's (early--his is 2/14). Then we are going to have their "kid" party on Sun, Feb. 3 at the roller skating rink--that is what they wanted. I think there are 18 kids on the list. So, we'll see!

That's about it for now......things just keep rolling along. Not much free time in our lives..but we enjoy keeping busy and doing things with the kids.

Thanks to everyone for checking in on us. I'll update more as things happen!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007 5:26 PM CST

Merry Christmas to everyone and thanks, as always, for checking in on Shelby and our family! We had a very nice Christmas. The kids are worn out and received lots of wonderful presents.

Where to begin what we have been doing the last few weeks. There is always so much going on around our house! Shelby and Evan did a lot of things with the church choir they were in. They went carolling and then the rehearsal and pizza party for their big Christmas Eve "pageant". The highlight was that Shelby got to be a "soloist" cantor for one of the communion songs. She did a WONDERFUL job at the podium with the microphone. I was so proud of her. To see her standing up there singing almost four years to the day when we were told she had cancer.....words cannot describe it. We are so fortunate that Shelby made it successfully through her treatment and she is feeling and doing so well. We are truly blessed!

On Sunday, 12/23, we went to Uncle Tim's house to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family. As usual, the kids had a great time...it is so nice now to see all the kids go off and play and they aren't constantly tugging at one of us! On Monday, 12/24, we went to the church at 3pm, stayed for the Christmas story and then the children's mass, then over to Aunt Jeanette's for christmas with the Stimpson family.

Today, we went over to my cousin Kim's house after Santa present opening. Evan was super thrilled because he got the skateboard that he's been wanting. Shelby was a little disappointed she didn't get the Barbie dream house that she wanted...but she sure did get a lot of other things...and her birthday is only 11 days away..we'll see what may arrive!!!! We also have the big "joint" birthday part to plan for Shelby and Evan. They want to do a roller skating party so we will probably plan that for end of January some time.

Tomorrow night we are going to the Motor City Bowl at Ford Field. My work, AXA, is one of the sponsors so we got really good seats and a pre-game reception activity. Then on Thursday night, we are going to cousin Taylor's birthday party. Friday night..we are free! Then on Saturday, we are getting together with Steve and Kim (our friends since college). Then New Years should be pretty low key. Tom's parents have been staying with us since this past Saturday. Then we roll into 2008 and we have lots of stuff planned then. It is pretty scary to open up the January calendar already and see all the things penciled in there! There are only about 5 free days right now! Evan is going to be starting basketball too and the big Cub Scout Pinewood Derby is on January 12 that Tom and I do the running of the track and awards.

Shelby returns to the oncologist on Monday, January 21--but she has been feeling really good. She has been quite stuffy but that is normal for this time of year.

Thanks again to everyone that continues to check in on our family! Take care and please sign the guestbook letting us know you were here!

Thursday, December 13, 2007 2:10 PM CST

Time for a quick update. Things are going great. Shelby is feeling great and we are all just trying to get through this very busy time of year (especially for Moms out there--you know what I mean!)

Last night we went to the hospital clinic Christmas party. The kids had a BLAST. We couldn't get Evan out of the laser tag and Shelby climbed the rock wall, did the trampoline and played mini golf and still had time for arcade stuff. It was a fun time...and to see some of the families we haven't seen in a while.

Tonight, Shelby AND Evan are going to choir practice for the church choir. Shelby has been selected to do a solo as part of the Christmas Eve service (although Shelby says she is going to be the cantor!) It is so cute. so, of course, we are proud of her for this and excited that Evan decided to join the choir too.

Both kids, of course, are getting excited about Christmas. I finally went out and finished buying all the stuff to make cookies this year..now just have to find the time. Actually this weekend - Saturday especially, is going to be cookie baking and gift wrapping. I have done more online shopping this year (how can you resist with free shipping). Although I do feel sorry for the UPS man..and we have a new stock in cardboard since so many packages have been delivered to the house. I keep a list on the counter of which packages are coming so Tom will know what to watch out for! It is pretty crazy..but very efficient!

In between, I am trying to work on camp stuff. I have two manuals that I have to get done and in my mind the due date is the end of the year. Somehow it all gets done!

The kids are off school for a long time--from Fri, 12/21 through Tues, 1/2 and Tom is with the kids. We'll see what they do.

Well, gotta go...but we are all doing great. Thanks for checking in!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007 10:00pm EST

Just returned from a once in a lifetime event.....I took Shelby to see....Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers at the Palace! The hospital called today about noon to ask if we would like two tickets. By some strange fluke, Tom was actually here to get the call and he went and picked up the tickets. They were even in a SUITE! Shelby had a great time! She was singing and dancing and clapping and...screaming! She had a wonderful time. I also just purchased tickets to opening night of High school Musical on Ice which will be on February 27!

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2007 1:00pm CST

Vacation Update...sorry I'm a day late in putting this on..one thing led to another last night and I decided to go to bed instead of doing the update!

Vacation..where to start....
Thursday, Nov. 15
We left home as soon as the kids got home from school. They were super excited. We got to the airport and found out our plane was delayed. It started to look like we might now make our connection in Chicago...but we did take off on time. We landed in Chicago and had FIVE minutes to make our connection - two terminals over. I sent Evan ahead to the gate (because he runs so fast) and he told them we were coming. No time for a bathroom break! But...we made it! Then hoped that our luggage did too! (It Did!) The plane ride went pretty smoothly. I was hoping the kids would sleep and they finally did fall asleep. We landed in San Diego about 9:50pm California time. We headed to rent our car and headed to the hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt Mission Bay. Beautiful hotel that was "supposed" to be done with their renovation. NOT! The hotel rooms were gorgeous and the kids loved the balcony right on the bay...but the pools weren't close to being done, the lobby area was not done and the only restaurant they had available was like a bar. So, I arranged to move up the road to the Hyatt LaJolla for Sat-Tues morning.

FRIDAY
We got up and headed over to Sea World. Really nice, only a 2 minute drive from the hotel. We had a nice day. It was surprising that everything was EXACTLY the same as the one in Orlando! Same shows, exhibits in the same place. It still was fun.

SATURDAY
We got up and packed up our stuff to load up the car. Then we headed to the San Diego Zoo. That was a nice visit also. The kids loved seeing the koalas and the pandas. The bus ride around the zoo was very good too. Certainly better than the Detroit Zoo. After we left the zoo, we headed up to the Hyatt in LaJolla. Very nice hotel...but very upper class. But..they had a pool and it was open! So the kids hit that when we arrived.

SUNDAY
Legoland day. The day the kids had been looking forward to. We arrived at the gate about 30 minutes before they opened. The kids were excited to be first in line. They had a really great time. Over 30 million legos in this park and to see some of the things that were made out of Legos was truly phenomenal. The crowds were very light and the kids were able to do the rides two and three times if they wanted.

MONDAY
We returned to Legoland. It was nice knowing we had two days to do Legoland, so we weren't rushing to make it through in one day.

TUESDAY
Checked out of the Hyatt and headed up to Anaheim. Along the way, the kids stopped and were able to run in the Pacific Ocean. They had fun doing this. We arrived at the Anaheim Marriott Suites just in time to do LAUNDRY! We were able to check in by noon so laundry could get done and get unpacked. We then headed over to Disneyland and arrived around 4pm. We were able to see all the nighttime activities - Fantasmic and the fireworks. We also were able to go to quite a few of the normally really busy rides--it's a small world, driving cars, new Nemo sub ride and Indiana Jones and Jungle Cruise. The waits were not bad at all.

WEDNESDAY
Headed to Universal Studios for the day. Not a problem heading up there, but we got to experience the wonderful LA traffic on the way home. There was never an accident, just lots of congestion. Both kids fell asleep in the back seat on the way back to the hotel which was good because of what was to come later......Universal Studios was nice. The back lot tour was very interesting..the rest of the park was not that exciting. The City Walk area is very nice.

That night, when we arrived back at the hotel, Shelby got sick and started to throw up. She threw up about 7 times through the night..then Evan started throwing up. Shelby was really good about making it to the bathroom--Evan was not. Finally about 3am, they both were asleep.

THURSDAY - Thanksgiving
We woke up and Evan felt really bad. Shelby said she was cured. So I headed over to Disneyland with Shelby and took her to Princess Land in the park. She had a great time, saw the princess show and got her hair all done in an updo (see picture above). She had a great time. Then around 1pm, we hooked back up with the boys and went to California's Adventure Park. That was a nice park. The kids liked that park and the shows. The Aladdin show was wonderful! (A lot of the things the kids didn't want to do - Playhouse Disney) We just took it kind of easy. Then we ended up in the hotel restaurant for a Thanksgiving buffet which Tom and I enjoyed but the kids didn't eat anything.

FRIDAY
Our last day...Evan woke up and said he was cured! We headed to Disneyland for our last day around 9am. Boy, they were BUSY this day. Everyone finally appeared on this day and I was very glad it was our last day! We only did a few things and hung out at the parks until about 4pm. Then we went back to hotel and Tom took the kids swimming while I packed up our stuff. That night, we went out to dinner.

SATURDAY
Left for airport at 6:30am for our 9:30am flight. We went from LAX to Dallas and then home. Our flight in Dallas was delayed and we finally got home around 9:30pm Michigan time.

Overall, the vacation was very nice. It was a lot of "togetherness". I don't usually spend 24 hours/7 days a week with my kids! They were really well behaved overall. I just got tired of saying "don't touch that", "get your hands off the railings", "hold my hand", "don't run ahead", etc., etc.

Now...back to reality. The kids were excited to get back to school yesterday and are back in the swing of things. I returned to work and didn't have too much stuff piled up (which was nice) and Tom is back working on some other projects--which I wish one was my laundry room renovation.....still waiting.

This week is devoted to choirs! Evan has his final choir practice tomorrow morning and his big choir concert is Wednesday night. Shelby has her church choir practice on Thursday, then on Saturday her choir is singing at another church and then on Sunday she is singing at church!

I have my Camp Quality Committee Training meeting this Sunday and also another planning meeting. No more time off for us.....somewhere in between hoping to get the Christmas decorations up and some shopping done and wrapping..then there are those Christmas cookies that I always say I am not going to bake and then end up doing. Who knows.....

Other than Shelby's throwing up episode, she is doing and feeling really good. Knock on wood...she didn't have one bloody nose the entire vacation trip!

Thanks for checking in on us and on our vacation....have to start thinking of what our vacation in 2008 will be!!!! Maybe a cruise....hmmm...don't know right now.....I'll update as updates occur and thanks again for checking in!

Monday, November 26, 2007 9:53 AM CST

We are back from vacation. Nine days of fun, tiredness, sickness, lots of walking, resting, family bonding time. Yes it was all that rolled into one! We had a really nice time. I will update more later tonight...But wanted you to know that we are back and wanted to share some of the pictures. The one on the top of the page is new. Shelby wanted to get an updo hairdo at the Princess Faire land at Disneyland so we did and she had to get the tiara too--but she didn't have a mini one yet, so that is what she got. If you click on view photos, you can see some other photos from the San Diego Zoo and Legoland. We had a good time with everything we did. I'll update more later.....

Sunday, November 11, 2007 6:26 PM CST

Hello to everyone. We've been going, going, going crazy since the last update just with the usual stuff. Now we are getting ready for our vacation! We leave this Thursday right after the kids get out of school. They are getting really excited. I actually managed to get everyone packed up today--figured it would be the easiest to give every one their own suitcase. We have a couple busy days right before we go..but somehow it all manages to get done. Tom and I were able to get the house cleaned too..so one less thing to worry about!

Shelby is doing ok. She had a little cold this past week, was really stuffed up and very chapped lips. She seems to be doing a little better now.

I went to Evan and Shelby's parent/teacher conferences and they are both doing wonderful! Both teachers said how much they enjoyed them in their classes!

Tom has been working on a big painting job and is trying to get it done before we leave, plus one other small job! I'm still training a new employee at work and hopefully everyone will survive when I am gone. Tom will be taking his laptop so I can still check my e-mails and not be totally out of touch--9 days is a long time!

That's about it...just letting you know we are all doing great! Thanks for checking in. Next update.....vacation memories....stay tuned.....

Monday, October 29, 2007 6:40pm EST

Hi! Wanted to update you on the visit to the oncologist today. Everything went really well. (Other than the fact that Shelby had to be poked and prodded by two residents--then the real doctor!)

WBC: 9.91
Neut: 3.88
RBC: 4.74
Hgb: 14.1
Plt: 288

She is doing great! She is now 52" tall! Growing, growing and growing. She also gained 2 pounds--she said it is from all the pizza she eats!!!!

SUNDAY, October 28, 2007 7:02PM CDT

Hello...time for another update. I apologize for such a delay between them. My usual excuse...busy, busy, busy!

What's been going on...Evan just finished his fall soccer today. His team ended up 5 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie..not too bad. He says he wants to do spring soccer but it conflicts with Little League..so he'll have to decide what he wants to do.

Shelby is doing great. She has developed a little cough and stuffiness. We go to the oncologist tomorrow to get her counts checked. We haven't been there since August 6--so it's been a while. Interested to see what her counts are. She is still growing tall by leaps and bounds and her hair is getting really long. I'd love to post some new photos---but Daddy has misplaced the camera so we are currently searching for it. Last time we remember seeing it is when we took the picture at the top of this page.

School is going great for both kids. They are doing really good. We are scheduled to go to conferences on Nov. 7 so that will be interesting to see what the teachers have to say because all of the papers they bring home from school have stars and stickers all over them.

We took the kids to the elementary schools Fall Family Festival this past Friday where they had a costume parade, games and entertainment. They had a good time. Yesterday, the kids went to a Halloween Party that the church youth group puts on. They had a really great time there. (I was able to go to the grocery store without kids in tow!) In case you were wondering, Shelby is dressing up as Sharpay from High school Musical and Evan is a samarui (a red one this year.)

Tom surived with the kids while I was in Omaha last weekend. I must say, I never dreamed I would visit Omaha. We had a nice time. We were in meetings a lot of the time..but did enjoy the visit to the zoo--if you are ever in Omaha, I would highly recommend the zoo! We also had a docent that gave us a tour..so that would be the preferred way to visit!

Today I had the 2008 Camp Organizing Committee kick-off meeting. 14 people attended! I was pretty excited and they are very excited to come up with the programming and ideas for the camp. Our theme is going to be the Wild, Wild West so it should be really nice.

This week, lots going on. Shelby has "pocket day" tomorrow at school so she had to pick out an outfit that had a lot of pockets--she came up with 6 pockets--that was the most! Tuesday is picture retake day (for Shelby) and Wednesday Shelby has brownies. Thursday, Shelby has church choir and Evan has Cub Scouts. Then on Saturday, we have the Camp Quality North Reunion Lunch at Central Michigan University. Then this Sunday is Shelby's first time to sing with her choir at church. She is looking forward to that!

We are looking forward to our vacation! We leave on Thursday evening, Nov. 15 and will return on Saturday, Nov. 24. I still have to sit down and figure out where we plan on going each day. We fly from Flint to San Diego then on Tues, 11/20 head up to Anaheim and then home on Saturday. The kids are only going to miss 2 days of school the way their schedule worked out--but we will be gone for 9 nights.

Tom is keeping busy with his business. He keeps getting calls and people are referring him (which is good!) But..things at our house are getting neglected.

Thanks for checking in on us. I'll report more as it happens. I'll try to update about her doctor visit tomorrow! I have to be home by 3pm to get them after school, then race down to the doctors office, then home!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 10:24 AM CDT

Hello...just wanted to put a quick update in. Everyone is doing great. Shelby survived her pediatrician visit. Got the corn off (which was actually a wart), but she survived the freezing process and it appears to be healing well. Also got her nose catorized...was doing good, but had a small nosebleed last night..so we'll see. She said Dr. Chung must have missed one of the cuts! She is so cute!

They are both doing really well at school. All their in class work that they bring home always has stickers and stars on them! They get through their homework really well too. Evan is "Star of the Week" this week so he was excited to make a poster and bring in stuff to share. On Friday, he is going to bring in special cookies.

Shelby is waiting for her turn to be special person of the week.

We enjoyed the very warm weather earlier this week (broke a record of 90 on Monday), but today the high is supposed to be 50--we are back to fall. Shelby said that was fine with her because they are talking about fall in school.

Evan continues to do really well with soccer. His team is now 6 and 1. At their game this past Saturday, he scored 2 goals and one assist and they won 4-0. He is doing great!

Shelby joined the church choir and LOVES it! She really looks forward to practice on Thursday night. Not sure when their first performance is. Apparently they sing the first Sunday of every month at the 11:30 mass. We are supposed to be getting a schedule.

I spent last weekend cleaning out all the books from Shelby's closet. I ended up with two boxes - and she ended up with two empty shelves! She didn't want to part with some of her books, but when I explained that she can read harder books than ones with only one word on each page, she understood! I've been putting off pulling out the fall clothes--but I think I"ll have to do that now. I didn't want to put all the summer stuff away because we are going to need some of it for our California trip in November.

Tom is heading up to Harbor Springs for today through Sunday to powerwash/stain a log home. This is the same home that he has done tile work at. So, it's just me and the kids. We have things planned though. So, hopefully the time will go fast. Then next Thursday, I am heading to Omaha, Nebraska for Thurs-Sunday for a National Camp Quality meeting with all the Camp Directors from the US. The agenda looks interesting...plus I can share stories and get ideas from all the other people that have been doing it for so long!

Oh...tooth story....Shelby has two teeth - the ones on either side of her two front ones that were loose. The left one was really loose and hanging there...finally it fell out on Monday night. Then she started wiggling the right front one. It was loose--but not as loose. Well, she bit on something last night and IT FELL OUT! So, that was two teeth...she was more excited because she now has lost 8 teeth too--just like Evan! I look at it like she'll have spaces there longer because you can't see the other tooth coming down behind it. Of course I still wonder what effect all those chemo drugs had on the teeth too.

The kids are all set for Halloween. Evan is going to be a ninja and Shelby is going to be Sharpay from High School Musical. I think she bought the costume more because she likes to play dress up in it--that's ok...get more bang for the buck that way. She puts the dress on and then pretends she is doing a concert. Too cute.....

Shelby goes to the oncologist on Monday, October 29. She's been feeling fine. I try to get them to bed at a reasonable hour every night.....

Thanks for checking in and sorry our updates are so boring...

Monday, October 1, 2007 6:54 AM CDT

WOW! A new journal update!!! It isn't that this webpage is not important to me anymore..it is finding the time to sit down, think of what to write and then typing it. Even though I can type 130 words per minute, it still is hard to find the time to sit down and do it.

I know it's been a while since I last wrote...but things are going good. It is always so busy when school starts back up getting the kids (and their mom and dad) back into the swing of things with all the school activities and routines.

Shelby is back in Brownies. They meet every two weeks. They went horseback riding this past Saturday and Shelby had a great time. They are going this Wednesday to a place called Dream Dinners where the kids get to make their dinners (part of one of their Try-It badges/cooking). So, I will meet her there after work and get that done (we'll have dinner for that night!) That is the only "extra curricular" activity that Shelby has going on because her brother.....

Evan is in Cub Scouts once again, and is playing soccer, and is in the school choir and on the school Spirit Council. So, it's a lot of juggling but they are doing things they enjoy.

This past weekend was quite eventful! Friday night, I stayed at work a little later and didn't get home until 6pm. Tom was called over to his sister's house to help her get her dog in the car so she can take him to the emergency vet (because she can't lift him--golden lab) Anyhow, next thing I know, at 6:50pm, I get a call from Tom that he went to the vet with her. Then it was downhill. Evan and Shelby were playing in the backyard--I was upstairs working in my office. Next thing I know, Evan runs inside and yells, "Mom, I got stung by a bee." (He was stung two weeks ago too--just swelled up bad, but he was ok). So, I went downstairs and got the ice pack. He then started itching his neck and said he wanted to take his sweatshirt off. When I went to lift up his sweatshirt, the bee must have stung his neck then gone down the inside of the shirt, because it was stinging him around his belly button. So, we got the shirt off, then the bee was in the house! I got Evan calmed down and sat him down with the ice pack and told him to alternate it between his leg and his neck. He said he was ok. I went back upstairs. Ten minutes later...he came upstairs to go to the bathroom. I called him into the office and I almost flipped out when I saw him. He definately was having a reaction to those stings. Looked like hives ALL over his body - head to toe. Terrible! He kept asking for water..so I thought his throat may be closing up..(it wasn't, he was able to drink it). But, we headed to urgent care anyways..after we called Tom to tell him--he stayed with the dog until about an hour after we were at the hospital. In the end, Evan was fine (after an IV, steroids and benadryl).

One cute (or sad) story, depending how you look at it. Shelby overhead the nurse say that Evan would need an IV so she started telling Evan about it. Of course, Evan was scared so Shelby said, "it's ok, Evan. It will only hurt for a minute. They are going to take a stretchy thing that is blue, then they will poke you--but it will only sting for a minute." The fact that a 7 year old is telling a 9 year old about this is pretty crazy. But, now Evan feels like the big man because he survived an IV!

So, that took up my Friday evening when I was supposed to be getting things ready for our Camp Reunion Lunch on Saturday. In the end, I got it all done, but I felt a little more frazzled than usual.

The Camp Reunion lunch was great! We had it at a farm that we exclusively rented. We had about 145 people there. It was great to see everyone again and I think everyone had a great time. There were animals, pony rides, hayrides, food and lots of great people to talk to!

Now we are done with camp events (oh..North camp reunion in November). But we won't see our campers or companions until February - if they come to Snow Day.

Saturday evening, Evan and Shelby went and spent the night with Aunt Michelle. Tom and I went to the CArds for Kids Euchre tournament benefit where proceeds went to Camp Quality Michigan. It was a great event and they think they raised about $13,000! That is fabulous!!!! It is amazing to see people spending $100, $200 on raffle tickets! Amazing!

Shelby is going to the pediatrician today for head to toe treatment! She has a nasty corn on the top of one of our toes that no matter what we do, it isn't going away so she needs to get that taken care of...and she continues to get lots of bloody noses from her left nostril. So, we are going to have her left nostril cotarized (she had the right one done before and have not had any problems since.) She doesn't return to the oncologist until the end of October.

Thanks for checking in on us. We do appreciate everyone that checks in on our boring lives!!!!! Take care and please sign the guestbook if you can so we know who was here!!!

Saturday, September 15, 2007 4:10 PM CDT

Time for another update. Lots has been going on...but just the usual family stuff! Shelby continues to do great. She really likes 2nd grade and is doing wonderful! All the papers she brings home have smiley face stickers on them! She has only had homework one night...but it look slike more is on the way.

Evan is also doing great in 4th grade. He only had math homework one night so I'm hoping he gets more to do soon too!

Evan started his soccer with the local recreation league and is doing great. So far they have won one game and lost one game. They play again tomorrow. They only have one practice during the week and games on Saturday and Sunday.

Shelby isn't in any activities this fall--too busy with the other things. Evan is back in Cub Scouts and Shelby will start up with Brownies again this week. On the 29th, Shelby is going horseback riding with her Brownie troop so she is looking forward to that.

It's been busy with school back in....it isn't hard to get the kids back into their routine, it's just crazy making the lunches and packing up the snacks for either the class or the afterschool program--then remembering to remind the kids whether they walk home or go to the afterschool program. Pretty crazy sometimes.

We had a great time at the Sterling Inn last weekend with the Camp Quality Family Weekend. There were over 300 people there and it was nice to see all the families having such a great time and many of them talking to each other either sharing experiences or getting advice. Camp Quality really is such a wonderful program and obviously has changed the Stimpson's families lives!

Getting ready for the Summer Camp Reunion which is going to be held on Saturday, September 29. We have rented out a farm/petting zoo/hayride place and will have it catered. We expect about 150 people. Should be a great time. Then that evening, Tom and I have to go to a Camp Quality fundraiser called Cards for Kids. It is a Euchre tournament and they have a silent auction too. Another exciting thing happening next week, Channel 7 and Carolyn Clifford (the noon and 5pm anchor) want to do an interview and story regarding Camp Quality. They are going to come over on Wednesday to talk to me and Shelby about Camp Quality. That should hopefully help us spread the word and increase awareness of our programs. Then my Camp Organizing Committee for 2008 will kick into full swing with our first meeting being on Sunday, October 28.

Tom continues to be busy with his business. He is finishing up at his sister's house and has quotes out for a bunch of other projects. He is taking the Builder's Licensing Class right now so he can become a licensed builder.

My job is pretty busy right now. Lots of planning for 2008 events going on plus I have three people doing part of my job that I used to do so I am their "team leader" so I need to spend some more time with them.

That's about it. Shelby does not return to the oncologist until the end of October. This week is another crazy week with activities and school. It is nice to be so busy, but the weekends then are spent cleaning the house and catching up!

Thanks for checking in on us....please leave us a note so we know who stops by!!!

Tuesday, September 4, 2007 7:52 AM CDT

Well, another new chapter in the Stimpson household...Shelby is now a 2nd grader and Evan is a 4th grader...as you can see by the above pictures. Sure wasn't hard getting them out of bed this morning. They moved to quick and were ready to go way before we needed to go! I am glad that they are so excited about going to school. We'll see if we can keep the excitement going. They only have a 1/2 day today, so they will be back home by 11:30 (what is the point, you ask?) Who knows...the teachers need their "development time". Tomorrow will be their first full day.

Me, I'm off for a root canal and crown. How exciting! Been in pain for over a week so will be glad to get it over! Then I'm going to drag myself into work. Since it is a short week, there is still lots to do.

We had a nice Labor Day Weekend. Didn't do too much. It was just a relax and take it easy weekend. The inlaws were down and stayed with us so we had an impromptu dinner on Saturday night with Jeanette and Denise and their kids. Tom made some awesome baby back ribs! Sunday was my catch up day and I got through a lot of piles on my desk at home--trying to get ready for the new year. I also worked on the Camp Quality stuff for this weekend. We are heading to the Sterling Inn Water Park for the weekend and Saturday night we will be going to the Tigers game. There are about 63 families expected to attend. Should be a nice event. I had to get the welcome packets, brochure, nametags, bus passes etc. all put together along with the master lists. Then yesterday, we went to the Peach Festival Children's Parade in the morning and Evan and Shelby ended up being in it with their Cousin Adam. He decorated up his gokart and Evan rode next to Adam and Shelby walked next to it. They loved being in the parade. Then we went back to Aunt Michelle's house and the kids went swimming. Pretty lazy weekend. But it was nice and relaxing--don't have too many of those!

Well, that's it. Thanks for checking in. I'll add more as more happens. We have a pretty busy week this week....today, Tom and the kids have dental cleaning appointments this afternoon, then Evan has soccer practice. Tomorrow Tom and I are going to the Tigers game and Grandma Jackie is going to watch the kids. Thursday NOTHING then this weekend is the big waterpark weekend!

Monday, August 27, 2007 6:12 PM CDT

Hello! Nothing too exciting going on...just through I'd post an update. The kids are doing great. They are enjoying their last week of summer. Today they "did nothing" with Daddy all day! Well they played outside, played games, went for a bike ride. Of course, I got home and saw all the same piles where they were when I left this morning. Good thing there aren't too many stay home with Dad days! Mom would go crazy!

The big news...the kids got their teacher letters. Shelby didn't get the teacher she wanted, but we have her excited none the less. Evan did get the teacher he wanted, but now he hard from one of the neighbor kids that had the teacher last year that she can be "mean". We will see. They got their backpacks and pencil boxes all loaded up and ready to go. They are really excited. They get to go on Wednesday this week to meet their teacher and see their rooms. Shelby is excited because in 2nd grade you get a desk - no more sitting at those tables! Now the big mystery is what number cubby are they going to be. They usually float between the 18 and 21 number (based on last name!)

Tomorrow is another day home with Daddy too! It is going to be a whole week with Daddy. They did say we will probably get out of work at noon on Friday so that will be nice. No big plans for Labor Day. Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson are coming down for Saturday-Tuesday. Not sure if we are going to go to the annual Peach Festival Parade in Romeo or not. The parade is so full of fire trucks, election people and bands--but cousin Kaitlin is marching in the band, so I need to check with the kids.

I have Heritage Weekend stuff to work on for Camp Quality. Sept. 7-9 we are going to the Sterling Inn Water Park Hotel for the weekend. There are over 300 people coming (65 families). It should be a really nice event. Time sure is flying though. Can't believe September is already this Saturday!

Evan and Shelby are loving doing their "chores" now. I found a great website..www.paypaljr.com It lets you print out chore charts and keeps track when they do something and adds up how much the parents owe them. They are finally starting to grasp that they can earn real money for doing things..they are now doing things like loading the dishwasher, setting the table, vacuuming, dusting, Evan changes his sheets and Shelby is actually doing a better job of picking up her own toys!

Oh, yeah...a special Happy 5th Birthday to JP. (www.caringbridge.org/visit/jpo) JP was a camper at CQ this year (our youngest one!) and his Mom is a wonderful asset to CQ! She helps with all of our computer/CD/DVD stuff and she is WONDERFUL at getting donations for the camp!

Well, that's about it. Thanks for checking in. Things are pretty quiet on the homefront (which I'm not complaining!) Both kids are feeling good...we are working at getting their bedtimes moved back closer to 8pm because I know they will be really tired when school starts. Evan starts his soccer next Tuesday night also. Be sure to say "hi" in the guestbook.

Sunday, August 19, 2007 10:00 AM CDT

Well, the kids are back from attending Camp Quality's 20th camp in Petoskey! They had a blast. They just woke up after a 12 hour sleep each! For Evan, that is really unheard of! They were so tired. The last night at camp, they were out until after 11pm at a dance/fireworks celebration at a city park then up early on Saturday and the ride home. Then we went to Aunt Alicia's surprise 40th birthday party and the kids went swimming. So if they weren't tired enough...they got even more tired! So, they slept and slept and slept. (Of course had to watch High school Musical 2 first!)

There were 60 kids at camp. A great crowd and a wonderful 20th celebration. I ended up spending the day on Friday at the camp and was able to meet with Gail about the upcoming Camp Heritage weekend to be held in September. Still working on the camp reunion lunch details too. They had some wonderful activities for the kids and as usual, Shelby came home with bags and bags of artsy things she had made and gifts from her companion. Evan enjoyed being with Ian again but was a little sad that they weren't able to blast off the rocket that they made together. Once again, I was in awe of the companions and staff that come together for this week to spend it with and for the children! They are truly awesome people!

Tom finished up his projects up north and is now back working at Aunt Jeanette's kitchen again trying to get that finished before they come to install her kitchen cabinets. Guess he doesn't get a day to rest! I did ask him to run around and clean the bathrooms which were a week overdue before he left and he did get that done!

Today is do lots of laundry day. I'm on my third load and there are probably 4 or 5 more to do. Then we are going to tackle putting away all the camp goodies so it won't take 6 months like last year! I don't even have a clue what is in half the stuff they brought home!

This week is the kids last week at day camp with Troy schools. It is "Kids Choice" week so they are excited. The last day, they go to the roller rink so they are looking forward to that. Then, next week, they are home with Dad all week! There are no camps! On Wednesday, it is World of Welcome day at the school so they can go up and meet their teacher and see their classroom then school starts the Tuesday after Labor Day for a 1/2 day. Shelby is extremely excited about 2nd grade and Evan can't wait for 4th grade. Although they have their hopes set on a certain teacher..I hope they get...but they are all good!

Shelby survived camp without too many bug bites==so that was relief. The last two sleep away camps she has been at, the bugs have really eaten her up bad and she swells up bad. It was cooler up north so maybe that kept the bugs away! Good think Camp Quality gives the kids sweatshirts--everyone was wearing them!

That's it for the update. Everyone is feeling good..just tired. Today it is a rainy day so I think it will just be a lounge around and get caught up kind of day. I have mounds of paperwork I have to also get done! Thanks for checking in on us. I'll update as things occur!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007 8:38 AM CDT

Hello! Well, both Evan and Shelby are away at the Camp Quality Camp in Petoskey! We drove them up on Sunday (along with 4 other kids that needed rides!) Tom is also up there staying at a house in Harbor Springs that he is doing some tile work and painting at. I am heading back up on Thursday afternoon--have to stop by Boyne to check out some meeting space for a meeting next year. Then I will be spending all day Friday at the camp. It is nice to see everyone that I know from last year or some of the people that helped out at the Fenton camp.

The kids were SUPER excited to go to camp--but it is a long way away - almost 4 hours! They had fun with the other kids because they were able to tell them about all the fun they were going to have. it was a little crazy when I was dropping them off--I had all the other kids medical forms and they had to be matched up with their companions. Teh camp runs through Saturday then we'll head home.

But, I rented a car to take the kids up--I actually rented a Taurus, but they were out and gave me a Durango. That was nice, but a gas guzzler. Anyhow, it worked out cheaper to rent the car than to put the miles on my car and expense it to the camp--besides my Saab is a lot smaller! Anyways, when I got home, I broke out in this terrible rash. All down one arm from my wrist to my elbow then all over my face and on my stomach. I think it was from the rental car--some cleaner they must have used or something..my hands were really sore too--so from resting my arm on the arm rest to holding the steering wheel--then touching my face! When I woke up yesterday morning, my throat was starting to close up and my one eyelid was almost swollen shut. So I went to the clinic. The doctor freaked me out. She told me to get right to the drug store, get the medicine and go right home. If it doesn't get better in the next 3 hours to go to the ER. Well, I went home, took the medicine and then slept for 4 hours. The swelling has gone down and I am feeling a lot better. I didnt' go to work yesterday (which I never miss work) but I am back today--especially since I am off at 11am tomorrow and off on Friday!

The bad news, I am renting another car tomorrow to take up until Monday--I am going to clean the car myself with cleaners I know won't aggravate me!!!

Other than that, I am excited to see the kids at camp on Friday! I am going to be meeting with Gail, who is helping organize the Heritage Weekend from Sept. 7-9 at the Sterling Inn in Sterling Heights. This is a weekend for current and new Camp Quality families to come together. They get the weekend at the hotel free and tickets to the Tiger game! After that, the next event is the Reunion Lunch to be held on Saturday, September 29.

In between, the kids start back to school on Tuesday, Sept. 4. Shelby is excited to be going into 2nd grade and Evan will be going into 4th grade. I have all their school supply shopping and school clothes done too. Thank goodness!

Well, that's about it. Shelby continues to feel really good. her counts are excellent and things are going great! Thanks for checking in on us!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007 7:30pm EST

As promised, I would post an update when she returned from her oncologist visit. Well, as expected, Shelby is doing great! Her counts were terrific!

WBC: 10.45
Neut: 4.25
RBC: 4.50
Hgb: 13.5
Plt: 269

She continues to do really well and the office couldn't believe how much she has grown! The onc told us to come back in two months, but we will be going back on October 29. She is doing fine!!!! Thanks for checking in.
Oh big news....she has grown 3 inches since her May check-up. What a weed!!!

THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2007 4:19pm CDT

Hello! Time for another update...although our lives are somewhat calm. Which I'm not complaining...just living a "normal" life like most people and not committed and pulled in tons of different directions. (Well, actually I am still committed to a bunch of things...just on hold from them all right now!)

The kids have been going to two different camps this week. Evan is at the Sportsapalooza camp again this week where they do sports in the morning then visit the wave pool in the afternoon. Lots of fun for him....but super hot this week. Shelby is back at the Troy Care Company, which she likes. They went on a field trip to the Sloan Children's Museum in Flint and she had a great time. (Even after saying she didn't want to go over and over and over.) Dad even gave her money for souvenirs and she bought a mood ring...but it was missing a few things....whiney, crabby, bossy (according to Evan!)

Tom is busy working on renovating Aunt Jeanette's kitchen. It is now totally gutted to the studs and he is putting a new sub floor down. They have a deadline before the new cabinets and appliances come and he is going away for a week to do a tiling job up north when the kids go to camp.

Tom and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary this week (wow, I feel old!) We actually were able to go out for an adults only dinner (thank you Aunt Jeanette for watching the kids!)

Tom also picked up his new truck this week (he got a Chevy Silverado). The truck is BIG! I don't know if I can drive it or not. Pretty hard to go from a Saab to a truck!

Plans changed a little bit when the kids go to Camp Quality in Petoskey next week. Turns out there are three kids that live near us that need a ride to camp. So I am renting a car for the week and driving up 2 of them and then Tom will take one more and our kids up next Sunday. Then I will return home on Monday and then go back up on ?Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Pretty crazy...but I wouldn't want the three kids to miss out on going to camp. It is such a wonderful experience. I continue to get great comments from parents that sent their children to the CQ camp in Fenton. That was a great time and I am looking forward to planning for the camp next year. I am in the process of getting the committee together that will plan it next year.

Well, that's it for now. Not too many big plans this next week. Both kids are at the Troy camp next week. Shelby does return to the oncologist on Tuesday (first time since May 17--seems like an eternity) Tom and Evan are supposed to go to the Tigers game on Wednesday night, we are going out to dinner with Shelby's first grade teacher/Evan's Little League coach and their two kids on Thursday and on Friday, Tom and I have tickets to go see David Spade--but not sure if we are going to (they were free). Then I have to pack the kids up for camp. This is getting pretty easy. This will be the third time for Shelby this summer--she can pretty much do it herself!!!

Thanks for checking in on us and caring about our family!!!!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 8:17 PM CDT

We just returned from the Hi-5 show. Pretty nice--5 minutes from parking lot to home--we should stick to kid concerts! Shelby had a good time. She was dancing in the aisles and knew every song. Even most of the parents knew the songs--you can't help but get to know them. Now we just have to get her to wind down and go to bed. Another day tomorrow at Survivor Camp. Her and Evan had fun at the camp today--they went to the Troy Aquatic Center and on the water slides. They had a blast!

Thanks again for checking in on our boring lives....but boring can be good sometimes......it is going to get crazy again once school starts up!

MONDAY, JULY 23, 2007 9:59pm CDT

Hello to everyone - things are still going really well at our house. A lot calmer now that camp is over. We had our final camp "recap/wrap" meeting this past Sunday and reviewed what went right, what needs to be improved. The good news is that there isn't anything that can't be fixed! Now we just wait to find out when next year's camp will be...I'm shooting for later in July so it isn't so close to the 4th, but we'll see what the campgrounds say!

Shelby is doing great. She is really enjoying summer camps this summer. She told me the other day she wants to go back to all her sleep away camps next year. This week, her and Evan are at a Survivor Camp in Troy. The kids are broken into teams and given challenges each day and then points are given to the winning teams. The highlights of the week are the rock climbing wall and two trips to the aquatic center.

Evan is doing good too. Tom and Evan went to the Tigers game yesterday for Scout day with his cub scouts. They were in a parade before the game on the field and they actually had seats in the shade for the whole game! Evan is getting excited to start 4th grade and is a little glad that summer is 1/2 over. It sure is going fast!

Tom is also staying busy...he finished a big job last week and is doing a tiling job the next two days and quite a few other projects out there quoted. He is supposed to be going to look at a new truck since we can pull ahead our lease on the Terraza.

Shelby returns to the oncologist on August 7 for her regular check up. She hasn't been there since May--so it seems like an eternity...but she has been feeling absolutely fine and still growing like a weed.

Well, that's it for now. Shelby and I are going to see "Hi-5" on Wednesday night at Meadowbrook Music (they are Discovery Channel and TLC). She wanted to and I got some reasonably priced tickets so we're going to go--besides it's less than 5 miles from home! Other than that, the rest of the week is very tame! Glad that the days of running all over the place are behind us for now!

I have started forming my camp organizing committee for next year. We will get people in their spots and in October we will have our first meeting.

Thanks to you for checking in on us and our boring, calm, relatively normal lives. Please leave us a note so we know that you were here!

Saturday, July 14, 2007 11:59 AM CDT

Camp Quality 2007 is over and...it was a huge success! Everything was wonderful. Of course there were some behind the scenes stuff that happened, but overall, all the campers and companions had a wonderful time! Our camp photographers took over 6000 pictures, so we are going to be going through those and getting our memory book published.

Thank goodness the weather cooperated. Although Sun, Mon, Tues were extremely hot--Wed, Thurs and Fri were very nice (even a little chilly at times).

Evan and Shelby spent the week at Camp Copneconic's resident camp. They had a great time. Tom and I would occasionally seem them walking from one activity to another and we always saw them in the dining hall (we all ate together for our group meals).

We are all exhausted. Shelby and I both slept 12 hours last night and I am really dragging now. Tom and Evan slept about 9 each. It will be another early to bed night tonight. Not to mention the endless amounts of laundry. I did 4 loads last night and 2 so far with about 3 more to go (all those sheets, towels, pillows). Four people going to camp is a lot!

Next week it is back to normal. The kids are going to the Care Company day camp in Troy for the week. Tom has a project he is starting so he will be working the whole week. I can only imagine what is waiting for me back on my work desk!

Thanks for checking in. We are all doing great--just really tired!!!! Shelby received about 30 mosquito bites and her leg swelled up from all the bites..good old Benedryl!!!!

Saturday, July7, 2007 9:30am EST

Just time for a quick update. Shelby is doing great and feeling great and really excited about going to Camp Copneconic tomorrow. Both Evan and shelby have been having fun at their day camps. Today, Shelby packed up her stuff super fast---you think she has camped before ? ? ? ?

Anyhow, we'll be off at Camp Quality and the kids at Camp Copneconic next week. I'll update more next week. Thanks for checking in.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2007 6:22PM CDT

Hello to everyone (and anyone that happens to still read this!) Things are plugging along here. What happened this last week in the Stimpson household?

Tom returned from his hike and from visiting his brother in Colorado. Had a great time and has some pretty great pictures. The bigger news...Shelby returned from the American Cancer Society's Camp Catch-A-Rainbow on Friday. She had a terrific time. She said it was better than Camp Quality! I think she'll change her mind after she goes to her next camp! But, she won the "Camp-O-Holic Award" for being the best camper. Her counselor said she was the most helpful and helped all the other 7 and 8 year olds that were scared to go on the ropes or try anything else. Shelby did return home with a lot of bug bites! And she was red and puffy from a lot of them! Now I know to pack lots of bug spray for her next camping adventure.

Evan finished out his Sportsapooloza camp and had a great time. He is looking forward to going to it once more at the end of July.

This week has been a little more tame. Well, besides my computer crashing...which luckily was fixed two days later..thank you to Derrick! Now was not the best time for the computer to crash with all the camp work to get done! Anyways, it is back up and working now so I can finish up all my work that needs to be done. Actually, I am pretty organized and I think ready for camp. There are always those last minute thoughts like the what-ifs. We ended up with 44 children on our list to come and then with staff and companions, we have 104 people that are going to be part of Camp Quality. Then for Tuesday, when my AXA employees are coming to help at the camp, there are 50 people that have signed up. It is going to be crazy keeping track of everyone! Tomorrow night, I'm having my committee heads over just to do a final run through of everything. Glad camp is coming soon...the living room is starting to get a little over run with things. Even though we have a van, it is going to be packed to the gills..because I also have to take 4 suitcases, 4 pillows and 4 people's camp stuff. I even had to go out and buy some more twin sheets for camping (no way am I sleeping in a sleeping bag in July!)

Yesterday, we had the "big" presentation with the Mayor of Rochester Hills to receive the Family First Award. We got to meet the committee that selected us and received a nice honorary plaque, along with a prize package with a lot of nice gift certificates to local restaurants and stores--and the kids favorite..a roller skating party for 8 people including pizza! We'll have to see when we are going to do that--maybe for a birthday party! Maybe when life settles down...when would that be?

The kids returned to Care Company this week. That is where they went to preschool and they love going there for their Summer Sensation programs. Today they went to an orchard and picked strawberries. They had fun--but it was hot..then a nice rainstorm came through and cooled it down.

Tomorrow night we are going to the Rochester Hills fireworks. Almost 1/2 million people come to it and the Mayor invited the kids to be up on stage and help with the countdown at 10pm since we are the Family of the Month. The kids are excited--but they are going to be super crabby on Friday after staying up so late...I think I'll have Tom take them to the camp!!!

Next week is actually looking a little tame. I'm sure I"ll be running around doing last minute camp stuff. I am off for the 4th and my sister, Michelle, is going to have a BBQ (Evan loves Uncle Brian's famous hamburgers--but won't eat ours off the grill!) Then next Sunday morning, we leave for Camp Quality! We need to be there about 8:30, the committee comes at 9am, then the companions at 11am then the campers at 2pm and all the fun starts.

Shelby's health update...feeling and looking great. She looks really good. She is growing like a week. I actually went and got new pictures taken of Evan and Shelby together which I will pick up next week. Hopefully I can get one scanned and put on this website because they are growing and changing so much! Shelby returns to the doctor on August 7.

They both received their report cards and are moving up to the next grades. They were both really good report cards. We are very proud of them!

That's it for now. Thank you so much for continuing to check in on us (even though our lives are pretty boring!) But that's ok...we like it that way!

Tueday, June 19, 2007 9:30pm EST

Oh my gosh! Two updates in one week--feels like old times! Things are moving along here. Evan and I took Shelby to Camp Catch-A-Rainbow last Sunday. She was so excited to go! She was thrilled that she got a top bunk bed to sleep in. We helped her make her bed and then we were on our way. I must say, it is pretty quiet around the house without her. Maybe because it seems like she is always around! Not that that is a bad thing..but she is always pretty near me. I have enjoyed the Mommy and Evan time that we have had. I actually have not been working too hard after work these past few days either. I guess that's how "normal" people do it when they get home from work...they relax! New thing for me!

I'm even more excited now...42 campers! We are full! There is no way I can take anymore. I don't have enough companions. That gives me exactly 100 people that I am responsible for. Only 19 more days until camp. I am looking forward to it. Today, Evan and I went and bought two new rolling duffel bags because we have to pack all four of us up for camp and all four of us are going to different cabins! Pretty crazy..but what an adventure!

Tom returns from Yosemite and Colorado Springs tomorrow night. Evan has been really enjoying his sports camp this week. I go on Friday to pick up Shelby from camp at 4:00pm. Then on Saturday, we are going to the "other Shelby's" off-treatment party. Sunday, Shelby has a birthday party to go to. Then next week, the kids return to Care Company (their summer camp they have been going to since Shelby was 2 1/2). Miss Elizabeth is running it and they love her!

Next Tuesday, June 26, is our presentation of the Rochester Hills Family of the Month from the mayor or Rochester Hills at 3pm. Then on Thursday, June 28, the mayor invited us to the Rochester Fireworks to be his honorary guests..we will miss some of the pre-ceremony stuff because I have my final committee camp meeting, but we will be there long before the fireworks--then we'll just have to deal with two very tired kids the next day!

That's it from here. Thanks for checking in....say hi in the guestbook so we know you were here!

SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 2007 10:15pm CDT

Hello. Sorry it has been a while since the last update. Busy as always (sound like a broken record!) Well, the kids finished school, we are now the parents of a soon to be 4th grader and soon to be 2nd grader. Although, Shelby says she wants to stay in first grade because she loves her teacher so much! The last week of school was pretty much a waste..lots of movies, extra recess and field days. But, the kids are glad to be done.

Tomorrow, Shelby heads off to the American Cancer Society's "Camp Catch-A-Rainbow". It is held near Jackson, MI. I didn't think she was that excited at first, but talking to her more today, she is really excited. I told her to take a journal and maybe she can write down the things that she does at camp and then can tell me all about it when she gets home. She will be gone from tomorrow until Friday when I pick her up at 4pm. Evan will be going to the Oakland County Sportzapolooza camp--every day is something different and he is excited about that. It is a one week day camp.

Tom left for Yosemite and his big hike this past Thursday. He actually called today half way through his hike. He said it was a little more grueling than they thought it was going to be...but spectacular none the less. They did the hard part in the morning, so the afternoon wouldn't be as hard. They will have a big celebratory dinner tonight then tomorrow they all leave. He will be going from Fresno to Colorado Springs to spend a few days with his brother, Ron and his family. Then Tom will be back on Wednesday night.

Today was a heart breaking day for Evan. His Little League team, the Sand Gnats, ended up losing in the playoffs. Evan was sad and said he doesn't want to play next year. We'll see...when we have to sign up in December what his feelings are then. As of today, he doesn't want to do any sports at all. We'll see...tomorrow will probably be a different story.

I am thrilled to say that we have forty (40) campers for Camp Quality! The camp is being held July 8-13. If you want to check out our website, please do and see all the wonderful programs we have going. www.campqualitymi.org
It's been really busy getting things ready. I was ready to pull my hair out when I was trying to figure out the rooming list for everyone. Because we match each camper up one to one with a companions, there are actually 97 total people going to be there. We will have our final committee meeting on Thurs, 6/28 just to review everything so we are all on the same page.

I was able to go today and take the kids to get pictures of just the two of them. They are going to be really cute. We also went and got our family portrait done for the City. We are scheduled to meet the mayor on Tuesday, June 26 at 3pm. Then on June 28, the mayor invited us to the Rochester Fireworks--so we are going to go.

I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks with my weeknights being free. Now that baseball and school is over...more time to get things done. It will be nice to have some bonding time with just Mom and Evan from Sunday afternoon until Wednesday night too. I know Evan is looking forward to that.

Tom's business continues to keep him busy. Just when he starts to slow down, he gets more projects. I think he has 3 or 4 to do when he returns. There is always our big project to do too..remodeling the laundry room, downstairs bath and back entry hallways. He did go and pick up all the cabinets the other day, but they are stacked in the garage. Some day......

Shelby has been feeling great. She is really just a normal, happy, healthy kid. It is still weird to remember everything she went through..but she is such a strong, brave little girl. It truly is a joy to watch her blossom and grow and try so many new things. Shelby doesn't go back to the oncologist until August 6.

Thanks for checking in. Please say hi in the guestbook so we know you were here.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007 2:45 PM CDT

Hello to everyone. We/I am still running 500 miles per minute and doing way too much--but enjoying it.

Shelby is doing great. She is also doing lots of things...staying really busy. She is excited that the school year is winding down and looking forward to her summer camps. I asked her what she was going to miss about first grade and she said "Mrs. Lovell"--her teacher. She said she would like to stay with her. But I told her she couldn't stay in first grade forever. She said she could be her helper! It was cute.

Today was their Outdoor Olympics at school and we actually had beautiful weather for it. After school, she has her final Brownie meeting when they were going to go to a local hotel and go swimming and have a pizza party. She, of course, is looking forward to that.

Evan is doing well too. He's still keeping really busy with baseball and his homework. I know he is looking forward to his summer camps. He gets to start right off with a sports camp on Monday, June 18.

Tom is getting ready for his hike to Yosemite. he leaves on Thursday, June 14. The actual hike is on Saturday, June 16. He ended up raising just about $8,000 this year.

Things with Camp Quality are going good. We have 34 campers confirmed so far. We are doing better than I had hoped. There is a lot of administrative work to do with the camp. We have our staff/companion training this Sunday all day.

That's about it. Sorry the update is so short...but we are all doing good and things are great! Thanks for checking in.

Saturday, May 26, 2007 3:45 PM CDT

Hello to everyone that checks in on us (if anyone does!) I know there are a faithful 4 or 5! Thank you to you! Time has flown since the last update and things continue to happen. Sometimes I wonder how everything gets done--but somehow it does.

Shelby is feeling good. Other than a HUGE bug bite on the back of her head, she is doing good. I swear, it looks like something imbedded itself into her head. We are keeping a close eye on it.

Shelby had her Brownies meeting and they made beautiful flower pots that look just wonderful in my front yard. Shelby had her last gymnastics today and did great. She loves it--but we really can't fit it in the summer, so we will try again in the fall.

Today, I drove to Portage (about 2 1/2 hours one way) for the Hometown Heroes Walk to benefit Curesearch (pediatric cancer). I was able to talk to about 30 families about Camp Quality and hopefully some of them will sign up as we are still low on the camper count. We are doing the camp no matter what, but I would rather do it with more kids than just a few--especially after everyone's hard work!

Tom continues to train for his hike. He leaves on June 14 (the kids last day of school). He will be gone until the following Wednesday. This Saturday coming up will be their really long hike and he has to drive to Pickney to do it!

Evan continues on in Little League. His team only played once last week and they lost 12-6. But, Evan got the game ball. That is all he has talked about and he was awarded it for trying the hardest. He was so excited. He slept with it by his bed and he took it to 3rd grade to "present".

BIG NEWS...The Stimpson family has been selected as the June Family of the Month by the City of Rochester Hills, Michigan. The Mayor called and told us the news. One of the Cub Scout Leaders nominated our family. This is quite an honor. We have to go and get a formal portrait taken which will hang in city hall for a year, then we get it. There is also a $500 prize pack of goodies from local merchants. Plus there will be newspaper and cable coverage. I'm hoping to promote the Camp too! Good timing!

Busy week coming up...Evan has Baseball on Wednesday, Shelby has her first grade music program, on Thursday, I am taking off work to go up to the Camp to go over final details with the camp people and my programming person. On Thursday and Friday, Evan goes to the Stoney Creek School house to attend school like they did in the old days. I have to come up with some type of "old" clothes and a tin for his lunch--no plastic allowed! Friday night, Tom and I are going to a black tie Discovery Ball by the leukemia and Lymphoma Society at the Ritz Carlton. On Saturday, Tom has his hike early and Evan has a 9am baseball game. On Sunday, I have to go the Lady Bikers fundraiser for the camp to do a speech at 10:00am. Then at noon, we have to leave for an autograph session with the Detroit Lions/NFL Alumni who is doing a golf outing on Monday, June 4 to benefit Camp Quality. Then on Tuesday, June 5, we have our family photo, on Wed, June 6, Shelby has her last Brownies meeting at a local hotel with swimming, on Thursday, Evan has baseball, on Fri, June 8 Tom has his final hike BBQ, on Sat, June 9, Evan has his last "official" game before baseball playoffs, then on Sunday, June 10, I have my all day training for the staff and companions for the camp. Just a little busy over the next few days. Thank goodness for calendars!! Somewhere in there, I will fit in my real work and cleaning the house, laundry, etc., etc., etc.

Thanks for checking in on us. I'll update as things happen and when there is spare time!!!

Thursday, May 17, 2007 8:10pm

Had visit to the oncologists office today and Shelby's counts were wonderful. As the doctor said, she is a "normal" child (He obviously doesn't know her that well!!!) Just kidding. Her counts were:

WBC: 9.5 (4.5-13.5 is normal)
RBC: 4.46 (3.91-5.2 is normal)
HgB: 13.2 (11.4-14.5 is normal)
Plt: 269 (150-450 is normal)
Neut: 4.1 (1.8-5.3 is normal)

So, she is doing great. The other big news is that she is 4 feet 3 inches tall and 64 pounds! She sure is growing tall! She is doing really well.

Tonight we went to the Open House at the elementary school. First we visited Evan's 3rd grade classroom, then he wanted to go and see the 4th grade rooms that he could potentially go to next year. Then we went and saw Shelby's room. She was so proud to show off her chimpanzee project that she had been working so hard on. It was nice to see all the work they are doing. Thanks for checking in....I'll update again next week.

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2007 5:30pm CDT

Hello and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! Hopefully everyone had a nice day. We had beautiful weather here in Michigan--not too hot and a great day to do all our front landscaping...which is what we did. After our visit to Bordine's yesterday and spending close to $700--our new front walkway looks wonderful. There is still a little more to do, but it is shaping up. Evan and Shelby were even out there is morning for about two hours helping move some of the landscape rocks and then Tom would cut out some sod and Shelby wanted to push the cart to the side. She is very strong! There were pieces that Evan didn't/couldn't lift--but Shelby did! We are going to go out to dinner tonight--probably just for pizza, as it is getting late.

Other things that have been going on...Shelby's art was selected to be in the school district art fair. She did a picture of penguins. She was so proud to go to the Center for the Arts and show us where it was!

Evan continues in his Little League. They are now 2 and 4. He keeps saying he doesn't like baseball..but he still goes. I think he gets discouraged when he doesn't play well. Yesterday, he got hit with a pitch in his leg. He is fine..just stung a lot! Then he was walked around the bases and home.

Shelby had a fun time with the Brownies. Two weeks ago, they went horse back riding then this past Wednesday for their normal meeting, they went to a bank and were able to make change and got lots of free goodies.

Tom is continuing to train for his upcoming hike in Yosemite on June 16. It gets in the way on Saturdays--but he enjoys it so I rush around taking the kids to their activities.

Shelby is doing well in gymnastics. She wants to take a summer session--but with all her sleep away camps, it isn't going to work out. Maybe we'll sign her up in the fall again. She really seems to enjoy it.

Things on tap this week..Evan has baseball games on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. Shelby has her oncologist appointment on Thursday and the elementary school has their Open House on Thursday evening. It will be another busy week.

I continue to work on the Camp Quality stuff. We are still in search of campers. I have talked to quite a few people that say they are sending in their applications, I just wish they would! I would hate to turn away any companions that have volunteered due to lack of campers.

Well, that's it for now. I'll update on Friday with Shelby's counts from her visit. Anxious to see what they are. It's been 9 weeks since we have been there!

Thanks for checking in. Please be sure to leave a note in the guestbook so we know you were here!

Sunday, May 6, 2007 5:23 PM CDT

Hello! Thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family. Sorry I haven't been doing as frequent of updates...but that is really good news! Shelby is feeling really well. We had a little scare when both her arms and face broke out in this really red rash but I think it was just the really hot sun. She is fine.

The kid have been really busy. Shelby had a Brownie outing where they went horseback riding. She was really excited because she was able to make the horse go and stop all by herself! Evan has been busy with Little League. His team has won one and lost two so far. He is doing pretty good.

Today, I had my Camp Quality inteviews for companions. We had 28 people show up. They were all really great! We really have a wonderful bunch of people that have volunteered to come. We are still in search of campers! I would hate to turn away companions because we don't have enough campers. That will be our focus over the next month, among the many other things going on.

Other than that, same old stuff going on around here. Looks like the weather is finally going to stay warm(er) so we can get cracking on that landscaping that needs to be re-done. We were able to get to Home Depot last night and get all of our cabinets ordered for the laundry room. But, my brand new washing machine (only one month old) is on the fritz. It just did. So waiting for repair man to come out tomorrow--of course it was right when I had to wash Evan's white baseball pants. Please tell me why they give a boy white baseball pants? Do they think any boy is going to come home without one dirt or grass stain on them. Pretty crazy!

Anyhow, Shelby is doing great. She goes to the oncologist on May 17. Until then, life is normal. Thanks for checking in. Check out the camp's new website if you get a chance...www.campqualitymi.org

Saturday, April 28, 2007 8:48 PM CDT

Hello--Shelby continues to do well. It was another busy week here at the Stimpson household. We had Evan's conferences this week, Evan had baseball practice, Shelby had Brownies where they went to the Humane Society and Shelby had a field trip to a local place. Then Evan had his first little league game today. They lost 8-7, but it was a good game. Evan got two hits, two RBI's, one walk and one strike out--not bad for the first game. Shelby went to gymnastics and then we had to meet Dad and Evan at the game. (Daddy skipped his training hike today). It was too hard, Mommy couldn't be in that many places because Evan had a bat-a-thon and he had to get his baseball team pictures done this morning.

Other than that, things are relatively calm. Shelby has been acting and feeling just like a normal child. I'll tell you, you certainly appreciate not having to give your child any pills after going through what she went through! Next visit to the oncologist is scheduled for May 17. Then I think we are going to wait until the beginning of August. I have read on other people's websites that in the second year off-treatment, they only go once every three months and since I have to pay $90 every time we go, and since her counts have been fine, we might do that.

That's the only update. Busy week for Mom this upcomign week. Lots of camp activities. On Monday, conference call after work with nursing and medical staff, on Wednesday, I am having the companion committee over to the house for a meeting, then on Sunday, we have all the interviews with the people that have signed up to be a companion and my committee meeting at my office. Busy, busy, busy. But it is fun. It is very rewarding to see all the people that have volunteered and to know that we can help so many children!

The kids have school off on Friday, but Shelby has a Brownie outing where they are going to go horse back riding. She is excited about this! Then Evan has a 9am baseball game on Saturday--that means another early up day!!

Well, take care and thank you for checking in on our family. Sorry we don't have anything more exciting to report.

Saturday, April 21, 2007 4:00pm EST

Shelby continues to do great and feel great. Doing everything a 7 year old girl should do! This past week we all did our usual, busy stuff. The highlight of the week (especially for Shelby) was her parent/teacher conference on Thursday. She got to sit in the teacher chair and tell us her ratings of herself. She is doing wonderful in 1st grade. She is such a wonderful reader and writer--those are definately her strong skills.

Today, she went back to gymnastics. She loves going there. She now says she likes gymnastics better than dance.

Not too much on tap for next week...Shelby has a field trip on Friday at school, a Brownies meeting on Wednesday where they are visiting a Humane Society and then on Saturday, she has gymnastics again and Evan has his first little league game and team pictures.

Thanks for checking in on us. Going outside to enjoy the beautiful weather here- 74 degrees!

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2007 2:46pm CDT

Hello to all of you! Hopefully everyone had a nice Easter. It was nice hear--although cold. It was pretty weird having snow for Easter, but not for Christmas this year! Only in Michigan!

The week flew by. The kids ended up going to Spring Break camp for four out of the five days and they had a blast! They came home very tired every day but loved all the activities and arts and crafts projects. (Evan even did a craft project--which is rare!)

Evan had two little league practices, although it is cold..but his games start on April 28 so they have to get their practices in. He says he wants to be catcher so that is the position he has been doing!

Today, I took Shelby up to the outlet stores in Birch Run and we met up with Amy, Shelby's camp companion from Camp Qualtiy last summer and who she wants to have again this summer. Amy took her to a movie, while I went and shopped. Then we met back up at Dairy Queen. Shelby always enjoys seeing Amy.

Other than that, same old stuff. Shelby is feeling well and growing like a weed. She is adjusting to her new glasses. She says they do help when she is reading so she can see the words better. We have to get used to telling her to put them on when she needs them too!

This week, we have the usual stuff, catechism, Evan baseball practice. The kids are off of school again on Friday so they have a Cub Scout Den Meeting at a local newspaper. Tom is going to take the kids to that. We also have Shelby's 1st grade conference on Thursday night and a Cub Scout Banquet to go to on Tuesday night where I am getting a Volunteer award from the Pack. Shelby has gymnastics again on Saturday and Tom AND Evan have a hike on Saturday for cub scouts.

Things are rolling along getting ready for Camp Quality. So far, we have 9 campers and 29 companion volunteers. I am working hard with the hospitals trying to get them to refer some children/campers to us so we can fill up. We have a wonderful program planned and I spent a lot of time last week updating/improving our website..which is now fully functional. Check it out at www.campqualitymi.org

Well, that's it. Thanks for checking in with us. Shelby doesn't go back to the oncologist until May 17 so no counts to report. Please sign the guestbook and let us know that you stopped by!!! Thanks!!!

Saturday, April 7, 2007 12:21 AM CDT

Hello to everyone. Sorry it has been a while since I have updated. As usual, we have been busy, busy, busy. But, things are going great here.

Big news--Shelby got her new glasses! She only has to wear them for up close work so she will be taking them in her backpack to school and using them in the classroom. We'll see how this works out. The good thing is that she loves them! They are Barbie glasses and they came with the coolest glass case--it, of course, is pink, and it has handles so it looks like a little suitcase! She loves it!

Evan finished up his basketball season and they won their last game. Now, it is into Little League. But, all this practices this week were cancelled due to our lovely Michigan weather. Today they are having an indoor practice at a baseball facility and a professional coach is going to give them pointers. He is excited! Then hopefully it will start warming up because their games start on 4/24 and they need some practices or who know what they are going to play like!

Tom was busy this week finishing up a big project. Then it's on to some more next week. But, the kids are off school all next week. I did enroll them in a Spring Break camp for Mon, Wed and Friday so that way Tom can still get some work done and the kids won't drive him totally crazy!

Shelby is excited because next Sunday we are going to the outlet malls in Birch Run to meet Amy, her companion from Camp Quality last summer. They are going to go to a movie and have ice cream. She is excited. I can go and do some shopping too!

Our Easter plans changed slightly. We went from having dinner for the four of us to dinner for 14! Tom's two sisters and their families are coming over and Tom's parents are coming down today to stay with us. Everyone is bringing something, though, so I only have to do the potatoes, set the tables, bring up the chairs, put the leaves in the tables, clean the house, get the dishes out, get the beverages. Somehow the list still is long if you don't have to cook! It will be nice. Evan and Shelby are looking forward to looking for eggs. All this week, Evan has been telling Shelby that she doesn't get a head start anymore because she is bigger now (we used to let her start earlier because Evan is so fast!) We'll have to see!

Please say an extra special prayer for our friend, Terry and her son, JP (www.caringbridge.org/visit/jpo) He has been in the hospital since last Saturday with what started as a fever. (He also has leukemia). We are hoping they can be home for Easter.

Take care, everyone have a great week and I'll write more as things come up!!! Thanks for checking in. Be sure to sign the guestbook so we know you were here!!!

Friday, March 30, 2007 6:25pm EST

Well, we survived Castaway Bay near Cedar Point in Ohio. The kids had a blast. Of course it is one of those nerve racking places for parents just trying to keep track of your kids and trying to keep them out of the arcade. But all in all, it was a fun time. We were very proud of Evan--he actually tried two (2) water slides that were rated a "5" (which means aggressively fast). One he even did by himself! The kids are really tired but at least we still have Saturday and Sunday to recuperate!!! The kids liked it because we ended up getting upgraded because there was some mix up at the front desk--so we ended up with a 2 room suite that had bunk beds in the kids room and their own TV. They like this--it reminded them of the room they had at the Nickelodean Hotel in Florida.

Tomorrow is gymnastics for Shelby, last basketball game for Evan and if the weather holds out--our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. I haven't told the kids about this one--so maybe we can skip it!!!

Thanks for checking in on us......

Monday, March 26, 2007 6:31AM CDT

Well, I am happy to report that Shelby is back to her old self. A few sniffles here and there--but thankfully the fevers are gone and she is feeling great. A lot of rest and taking it easy cured her.

Shelby was so excited this past Saturday. She started her eight week gymnastics class. Just basic tumbling. So, she was trying on her leotards that she has still from dance class and it was so cute. As soon as she put one on, she started jumping around saying "this outfit makes me feel flexible". Don't know where she comes up with this stuff! So, she went to class. There are only 4 other kids in the class and they are all two years older. The class was for 7-10 year olds. Luckily Shelby is taller so she looks like she fits in and it doesn't bother her. She says she can run faster than them all!

Evan had another basketball game and lost. So, they have only won one--but he is enjoying doing it. They only have one more next week. It has created a challenge because her gymnastics and his games are on the same day. Luckily, one of Evan's friends Mom's takes Evan for me.

Evan is about to start Little League. Tomorrow is the parent's meeting and practices will be on Tues and Saturday. He's excited--although he doesn't know anyone on his team.

This week, the kids don't have school on Friday (end of marking period), so we made a reservation at Castaway Bay near Cedar Point (a waterpark hotel) for Thursday night. The kids are excited. So, we will leave when school gets out on Thursday--it is only a 2 1/2 hour drive.

Tom is continuing his training for his Hike in Yosemite in June. He's doing really well with his donations--up over $7000!! (He had to get $4100 or else had to pay it himself!) We booked his airline ticket this past week. he is going to go out on Thursday, 6/14 and then the hike is on Saturday. Then on Sunday he is going to go to Colorado Springs and spend Sun-Wed with his brother and his family. We'd love to go too--but the kids are just finishing school on that Thursday and Shelby is going to go a resident camp from Sunday-Friday of that next week and I signed Evan up for a sports camp for that week.

Things are steadily rolling along getting ready for Camp Quality this summer. We are still working really hard to find companions and campers. Lots of paperwork and mailings to do...but things begin to happen. I'm trying to keep my organizing committee focused--because it seems like we have been working on it for so long and now we need to re-visit some of the things that have worked and maybe re-contact some of the newspapers, etc.

Tom's keeping busy with his home business. It is amazing how many people need just little things done! I guess the home improvement business was a smart move for him. Now he is eyeing trucks that he can buy...I keep telling him to work on his organizational skills--it is pretty scary!!

Other than that, it looks like spring has finally sprung. Lots more projects to get cracking on. We did make it to Home Depot to get the "plan" done for our laundry room. The new washer and dryer arrived and Tom was dreaming of when he can start destruction!! We also have to get going on re-landscaping the front and side of the house where the new brick pavers were put in last year. Want to make sure I put the "right" stuff there so it doesn't need to be changed again and then the company that put the bricks in said they would deliver more of our landscape decorative rocks that we already have there--just need to fill in.

Well, that's the update on our somewhat tame lives. Thanks for checking in. Please sign Shelby's guestbook and say "hi" so we know you were here!!

TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2007 9:52am EST

Shelby health update: Well, we ended up in the emergency room last night. Shelby continued to get fevers up to 102 on Sat night, Sunday during the day and then when I picked her up after school on Monday, it was 101.7. So, we went to the pediatric after hours clinic at Crittenton hospital. Well, when I told them her symptoms (and she had diarrhea at lunch time), they sent us over to the ER (which was right next door.) She was hooked up to an IV and given fluids (1 1/2 bags of fluid!) and blood work, flu test, strep test, etc., etc., were all done. Of course, it all came back saying it was VIRAL but to watch her closely over the next couple of days. So, we were there from 6:45pm - 10:30pm. Late night for Shelby! This morning when she woke up she looked a lot better. Those fluids must have done the trick! We'll see tonight if the fever comes back. She did have a field trip with first grade today--a field trip to the local fruit market--she was excited about that.

The weird thing was that her counts were done at the oncologists last week and her WBC was 9.26 and in our labs last night, her blood count was 7.2. I always thought when your body was fighting a virus, the WBC count goes up--but it went down. Weird.

Of course, Shelby was really scared. She kept saying she didn't want to stay and when they put the hospital wristband on her and then made her put on a hospital gown and get into bed, she got even more scared. I told her we would be going home. She was a champ when they had to put the IV in. The nurse was pretty good at doing it.

So, we'll see what happens. There are so many weird bugs going around. Thanks for checking in. Say "hi" in her guestbook if you get a chance.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2007 2:30pm EST

Happy St. Pat's Day to those of you that are Irish. I must say, when I looked in Shelby's closet this morning, green is just not one of those colors that she has any of! If someone said Pink, then we wouldn't have a problem at all! Anyhow, hope it's happy.

Today was a busy day. Shelby went to a birthday party for one of her friends. It was so cute..it was called "Cooking with Karlyn". When they arrived, they all got chef's hats, then they made mexican food, decorated cakes and had a chocolate fountain. When they left, each girl was given spatulas and wooden spoons so they could continue cooking at home! There were 15 girls there! One courageous Mom!!! Shelby had a great time. While that was going on, I took Evan to his basketball game. They lost again---they have only won one game this year--but he says he still has fun. During this, Tom was out hiking--they did a 3 hours and 40 minute hike today. He actually said he was sore!

Got a little worried last night, Shelby spiked a 101.6 fever around 7pm. Not sure what was causing that. She said her throat hurted a lot too. Gave her the magic Tylenol and she was able to sleep through the night. This morning she seemed better. So, we'll see how the rest of the weekend goes.

Today is "plan the renovation for the bathroom/laundry room/back hallway". How fun!!! I have to empty it all out--then Tom is going to make his "master plan" of how it is going to be done. This is one area that I REALLY want to get done and finished. It is really annoying and not very "workable" with all the coats, boots, laundry, shoes, etc. I need something more bearable so the first thing we see when we come in through the garage is not a lot of junk everywhere!!!

TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2007 3:35pm EST

As promised, I said I would post Shelby's counts from her visit to the oncologist today.

WBC: 9.26
Neut: 3.98
RBC: 4.67
HgB: 13.9
Plt: 272

She is doing wonderful! These counts were almost identical to what they were two months ago. She is feeling great and the nurses couldn't get over how tall she has gotten. They didn't believe her when she said she was in 1st grade only!!!

One other special thing I would like to mention....those of you that visit us faithfully to check on our family may have noticed "Karen" stopping by and leaving guestbook messages often. Karen was Shelby's angel from a wonderful organization called Cancer Warriors. What you do is sign up to be an angel to a child. The committment is until they are off of treatment for one year. Well, sadly, that time has come. Karen sent a beautiful note and final gifts to Shelby telling her that she "graduated" from the Cancer Warriors program. Of course, this is a happy time, but also a somewhat sad time. Shelby has enjoyed every package or card that Karen has sent. To see her face light up when she realized there was a package in the mail for her--was great. Karen was so thoughtful and so creative...near her birthday, Shelby received a birthday box filled with cake mix, frosting and decor things...one time she sent a family movie box with a blockbuster card, movie candy and popcorn. She even sent gifts for Evan and Tom and I throughout her treatment. Karen and her family live in California. Although we have never met, we are honored to have known her and we sincerely thank her for all that she did to make Shelby feel so special!!! Special kudos to you, Karen!!!

SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2007 7:35pm CDT

Hello to everyone! I apologize for not updating sooner. I think this is the longest I have gone without an update. But, don’t worry—we are all doing great! We have been extremely busy but hopefully things will calm down a little more now!

One big milestone was passed this weekend. On Saturday, Shelby passed the one-year off treatment mark. Only four more years to go until we can say she is “cured” from the leukemia. Every day is a milestone for her. Just looking at her and remembering everything we went through…..she truly is a survivor!!

Tom and I survived our trip to Maui. We had a wonderful time. The days seemed really long and of course, the weather was perfect every day. We did some fun side adventures..we went whale watching, we went on a guided hike and we did a tour bus to the Road to Hana. All were really fun. We also were guests of one of our agents at their condo on Maui. Beautiful 4 million dollar condo on the Pacific! We went with 124 people and everyone had a great time. Although it was a long flight, we all made it there! We went from Thursday – Tuesday night and returned home on Wednesday. Then we had the wonderful spring ahead this weekend—so I am further behind on my “catching up” rest! Maybe next weekend!

Evan and Shelby did great while we were gone. Aunt Jeanette and Aunt Michelle watched them for us. They were very well behaved! We did talk to them every day and Shelby had a hard time understanding how we were just finishing breakfast and she was eating lunch (Hawaii is 5 hours behind Michigan time!) Before we left, Shelby instructed us that she wanted a souvenir, but “not a pen, not a t-shirt and not a pencil.” She ended up getting a decorated cookie that looks like a beach sandal, a beaded necklace and a book about whales. Tom also brought the kids some black lava rocks (they like rocks for some reason!) These souvenirs were a hit!!

Yesterday, I spent the day with Shelby at her Brownie Encampment at Camp Copneconic. I was interested in going because this is the same camp that is going to host Camp Quality in July. It was nice to see the staff interact with the kids and to sample the food first-hand. Everything was wonderful! Shelby had a great time. Her whole troop went (there were 11 girls there). They did some wonderful activities—although the sun was out, it was extremely muddy and all the girls had wet feet and very muddy boots and snow pants. But, they survived and all had a great time! We were there from 7:30am until 9:30pm, so it was a long day.

Today, I had a Camp Quality Committee Meeting at my office. Tom stayed home with the kids. Things are rolling along with the camp. So far, we have 6 campers and 7 companions signed up. Our goal is 50 campers and 55 companions. We are concentrating on ways to get more campers signed up.

Tom and Shelby went out for a walk before dinner. Then after about an hour, they came home and Shelby was all excited because she said that she and Daddy went jogging. She then proceeded to tell me everywhere they went when they jogged. She said it was a lot of fun!

Things on tap this week…..The kids and Tom have dentist appointments on Tuesday, then Shelby goes to the oncologist for her checkup. She hasn’t been since 1/19 so I’m interested to see what her count are! Then she has a Brownie meeting this week. Evan has basketball practice and another game this Saturday. This Sunday is the first Sunday that NOTHING is planned (pretty much for the last three months!) I am looking forward to that. Maybe I can get caught up on some things. My home office looks like a bomb went off in it. But…the laundry is all caught up from the vacation!!!

I still have to get Shelby in some time to pick out her new glasses…and she needs a hair cut….all on the “to-do” list. They will all get done eventually. Shelby is going to be starting a gymnastics class on March 24. She is looking forward to this.

Well, that’s it for now. I will update again either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning with her counts from her visit. Thanks for checking in on us….

P.S. just a reminder...if anyone is looking for a great donation...please click on the Hike for Discovery link at the bottom of the page. Tom is hiking again this year for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. he is going to hike in Yosemite this year in June! Thanks!

Monday, February 26, 2007 10:03 AM CST

Time for another update. Well, I made it back from Kansas City (although my other two travel partnerse did not--they got stuck in Kansas because they were connecting in Detroit to Traverse City). I felt bad leaving them--but I wanted to get home!! The camp technology meeting was very informative. It was nice to meet others from the other Camp Quality's around the country too.

When I woke up the kids this morning for school, Shelby was so excited to see me...I got the biggest hug ever! She said she wished I didn't have to leave again so soon (for Hawaii!) But I got her over that quickly by telling her I would bring her a present from Hawaii--when she promptly said she did not want a t-shirt!)

The other big news last week..the kid went for eye appointments. Evan checked out fine..but Shelby needs glasses. Her prescription is pretty minor (-.75), but the doctor said if she wears them for reading, and computer work, they might not get as bad. What I was really happy with is that she is totally fine with it (maybe because she likes the Barbie frames that she saw--I swear, those marketing people these days!) But, I need to take her back to actually buy a pair--Tom took them to their appointments so we will return after we get back from Hawaii. I figured what difference does two more weeks make. So, she is actually excited to be getting glasses. Of course, I am happy about that--but then again, we figured our kids were doomed since both Tom and I have terrible eyes!! I think I"ll blame the chemo drugs for causing this. Actually, I did read an article over the weekend that says Prednisone (those nasty steroid pills) can affect eye health! Hmmmm....another wonderful side effect of leukemia.

Anyhow, busy this week....we fly out Thursday morning so in between I have to get the kids all packed up, and us and get the house cleaned somewhere in between too! We'll be gone from Thursday until next Wednesday! We are looking so forward to just doing nothing and enjoying the warm weather!

Shelby is feeling fine. She was excited to get back to school today after their mid-winter break. Thanks for checking in on us. Shelby goes back to the doctor on March 13. Take care and everyone have a great week! I'll update after we return from Maui. ALOHA!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007 6:59 PM CST

Ok..I know it seems to be getting longer and longer between updates...but we just keep getting busier and busier. But....things are going well on our end. Everyone is feeling fine. We have just had a busy week. What did we do last week.....

Well, after the snow day on Valentine's Day, the kids went back to school on Thursday. After school, we headed up to Grandma and Grandpa's house up north for the night. It was a nice, but quick, visit. Then on Friday morning we headed over to Boyne City. I met with Eleanor about Camp Quality stuff and Tom occupied the kids. Then Friday night we headed into Petoskey for the Camp Quality Snow Weekend. It was a lot of fun. Of course, the kids were excited about going swimming so that is the first thing we did. That night, we were able to meet up with Ian, who was Evan's companion at Camp last summer. It was nice to see him again. Then on Saturday morning, we headed over for breakfast with Camp people, then we headed over to Challenge Mountain where snow activities were all day. Shelby only wanted to go sledding down the big hill, but Tom and Evan wanted to try the snowboarding. Well, Evan was a pretty good snowboarder---Tom gave up after a little while. It was nice because there were people there to help you and show you what to do. Evan did really well! Although, for the next three days, he was pretty sore after having used muscles that he normally doesn't use! Then on Sunday, we left really early, around 8am to head home. On the way, we picked up Evan's birthday cake and had to stop at the Pepperidge Farm store to get Evan's favorite cinnamon bread. Then we arrived home about 1:30. At 3pm, 8 of Evan's friends came over for his birthday party. Boy, the house was noisy. But it all worked out and they had a good time.

Monday, the kids headed off to school and I had the day off for President's Day. Tom and I went and bought our new washer and dryer and a small refrigerator for the laundry room. We won't have them delivered until first week of April, as soon as Tom re-does the entire laundry room. We then went and picked out our new cell phones. Then I headed in to work to do some catch up stuff.

The kids are off of school today until next Monday for "Mid-Winter Break". Pretty crazy--who needs a break? No big plans for them. They both have eye doctor appointments tomorrow that Tom is taking them too.

For Friday-Sunday, I am heading to Kansas City for a Camp Quality Technology Meeting. I'm looking forward to meeting some of the other Camp Directors and exchanging ideas too. Tom will be on kid-watch this weekend. Although he is going to go hiking on Saturday morning so they are going to spend the night at Grandma Jackie and Grandpa Tom's house so Tom can make it to his hike really early.

Then, next Thursday through Wed, 3/7, Tom and I are headed to Maui. Looking so forward to that so we can re-charge!!!

It seems like forever since Shelby has been to the oncologist...could life be normal? She last went on 1/19 and won't go back until March 13. She seems to be feeling and doing really well.

Well, that's about it for now...I have to go to finish a booklet for our Hawaii trip for our dinner celebration on the Polo Beach Lawn at the Fairmont Kea Lani while watching a luau...oh sorry....not trying to make you envious!!

Hope you all have a wonderful week and as always, thanks for checking in. Click on sign guestbook and leave us a note so we know you were here!!!!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007 7:25pm EST

Just time for a quick update. Today is Evan's 9th birthday! And to celebrate....they had no school! Snow day! We had probably 7 inches of snow so the kids were both home today. Evan took his birthday treat in yesterday so it wouldn't get mixed in with the Valentine Party! So hopefully they will have their party tomorrow.

Tomorrow after school, we are heading up north. We are going to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson tomorrow night. Then on Friday, I am going to meet with Eleanor at the Camp Quality office. Then we are heading to Petoskey for the Camp Quality Snow Weekend. Should be fun. The kids are looking forward to swimming and sledding! What a combo! We'll be back on Sunday. Then Mommy has Monday off of work, but the kids have school. (Although I will probably go into work!) So, we are off. Happy Valentine's Day to each of you and thank you for checking in on us!

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2007 2:18pm CST

I apologize for not updating earlier. Life is pretty crazy lately--but everyone is doing (and feeling) fine!!

Well, we survived the Pinewood Derby with the Cub Scouts and....Evan finished 3rd out of 47 cars. He was SO excited. After two years of getting 3rd and 4th's in his den--he ended up with 3 first places and 1 3rd and then 3rd place overall. It was so cute too because Shelby was at the races with us and when she saw Evan's car winning, she leaned over and said "I am so proud of Evan!" She also gave him high fives when his car one each race. It was so cute. I am so glad that they get along so well!

Another cute story...we are trying to impress upon Shelby the importance of brushing her teeth really good--and her molars are coming in so her teeth are bothering her. Well, she had really bad breath...so we switched her toothpaste and now she brushes her teeth a lot. She also has really dry hands from the winter, so she has her "own" bottle of lotion in her room. The other night, I was waiting for her to pick out her story to read and she comes out of her closet where her bookshelf is and says, "you know, Mommy, I have a lot of problems." I asked her what she meant and she said "I have bad breath and dry hands." I just laughed and smiled at her and said we can deal with those problems. I thought to myself, heck, this kid survived cancer--I think we can handle bad breath and dry skin!!!

Another anecdote to share. I was listening to the radio today and they were having a radio-thon for St. Jude. Just when you think you have this "cancer" stuff behind you...it comes back and smacks you in the face. On one had, it is nice to know that Shelby survived...on the other hand, it could have been so much worse and there are families out there that have and are going through worse things. We are so thankful every day that Shelby got the cancer that is the "most treatable" at this time. Of course we wish it never happened...but we dealt with it and continue on with our lives.

On to happier things....this past week, Michigan experienced some of the coldest weather ever. They actually cancelled school on Monday and Tuesday. It was so cute because Shelby called me at work on Monday and asked why she couldn't go to school. The wind chills were near 25 below zero. It was pretty cold. I was glad that Tom was able to be home with them. I keep remembering his 'working" days and I would have been the one to have to figure something out. And, with me being so busy at work right now, that would have been a challenge!

Evan played his first basketball game last Saturday. We weren't able to see it because we were running the Derby--but they lost 33-4. So, the coach has arranged an additional practice for tomorrow night. he has another game this Saturday.

This Saturday, Tom and I are one of the host houses for the neighborhood Progressive Dinner. It should be fun. We are supposed to do appetizers and finger foods---so we are going to do a mexican fiesta...quesadillas, taco/nacho bar and chicken fajitas. Should be nice and hopefully easy!! Then on Sunday, the cub scout Blue and Gold Dinner..then another week of stuff next week. But, the good news is that three weeks from today, Tom and I leave for MAUI! Can't wait. Looking so forward to relaxing! But, before that, we have to get through our snow weekend next weekend, and my trip to Kansas City the next weekend and regular work in between. As I always say, somehow it all gets done.

Speaking of getting done, Tom sent out all of his letters asking for support again for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for his Hike for Discovery to Yosemite this year. So, hopefully everyone will be as generous as they have been and he will reach his goal.

Shelby doesn't return to the doctor until March 13. I actually spaced her appointments out a little more because with our insurance this year, we actually have to pay for her appointments until we meet our deductible. She was due to go to bi-monthly visits anyways in March--so we are really just missing February. She has been feeling fine and her counts are great...so I'm not too worried.

That's about it for now. I do have some new pictures I will try to post. I have to get them in to get the "professional" pictures done.

Thanks again for checking in on us. Remember, if you are from Michigan and no of anyone have may want to help us with Camp Quality or knows a potential camper, please share the following: www.campqualityusa.org

Thank you so much. Everyone's support and caring for our family means a lot to us!

Monday, January 29, 2007 1:56 PM CST

It's another Monday and time for another update. First off, Shelby is doing great. We are getting close to her one year off-treatment date (only four more years to go until we can say she is cured). She is feeling well. We had a really busy weekend.

Last Thursday, Shelby went with Tom to the Leukemia & Lymphoma's Hike for Discovery Team Kick-Off meeting. Shelby is going to be one of the Honored Heroes again for the Hike to Yosemite taking place in June. Tom signed up to hike again this year and is getting his fundraising letters in the mail this week. He hopes to raise $10,000--but he only has to raise $4,000 to go. Mommy took Evan out to dinner and shopping so we had some special one-on-one time.

On Friday, Mom took the kids out for pizza--Daddy was working doing a tiling job. The kids had fun. Shelby also had her class bear, "Beanz" home for the weekend and with it came lots of homework. So, she worked on that---plus dragged "Beanz" everywhere we went.

On Saturday, Evan had basketball practice and then a birthday party for one of the kids in his class. That evening, we set up the pinewood derby track--stretching all the way from our dining room, through our kitchen..into our family room (over 30 feet) so we could practice the cars and more importantly, make sure all the elecronics and computer connections worked so when we do it this weekend--everything will work. Evan was happy--his "new" car for this year is faster than any previous cars! That is good news. We are hoping for more than a 4th place finish!!

Sunday, we went to Camp Copenconic - the site of Camp Quality 2007. We had a programming meeting there so the programming committee people could see the camp and we could decide in what location things would be held. it was nice to see the camp again. Evan and Shelby also went with us so they could see it and decide if they wanted to spend a week there in their resident camp--and they do! So, that will make it easier during camp week--we won't have to drive back and forth to get them. They will be at the camp--just on the other side.

This week, once again is busy. Today is Tom's birthday--holding at 39!! We probably will go out to dinner tonight. On Wednesday, Shelby has a Brownie meeting, then on Thursday, Cub Scout pack Meeting where we will check in all the derby cars, then Friday night, we have to set up the Derby and then Saturday is the actual Derby. And, Evan has his first basketball game during the derby...so we are going to have another Dad take him and hopefully he will make it back before their cars race down. I will slow the derby down if I have to!!!

We are getting ready to kick off our downstairs bathroom and laundry room renovation and back hallway (which is really a mud room!) I was able to sell my washer and dryer so now we can buy the front loading stackable ones that we want which will free up a lot more room and we can now design the room.

As always, thanks for checking in on our family. It is nice to not have to report "bad" things that are happening and we just go about our "normal" lives.

Two heavy notes.....two children that we had been following through their web pages passed away this month.
www.caringbridge.org/in/babydonovan - lost his battle with leukemia - he was 2
and
www.caringbridge.org/visit/katehrischuk - just lost her battle with a brain tumor - she was 6. Shelby and Kate had been cabin mates at Camp Quality this past summer.
If you have a minute, visit their webpages and read their remarkable stories.

Friday, January 26, 2007 8:23am EST

Sorry I didn't do a "real" update this week--but I did two last week! Things are going great. Another busy week. Last night, Tom took Shelby to the Hike for Discovery kick-off in Southfield. All the people that have signed up to either hike the Yosemite or the Grand Canyon hike were there and they wanted to introduce Shelby as their "honored hero" again this year. Again, Shelby didn't talk--but people still like to see the faces of children that have been affected by cancer.

Things are going fine at our house. Shelby is doing great. She's looking forward to next week. She is "special person" in first grade so she has lots of fun projects to do this weekend to get ready for that. I'll update more next week!!!!!

Friday, January 19, 2007 7:25pm EST

Just time for a quick stop and update. Shelby is doing wonderful! She was at the oncologist's office today and her counts were:

WBC: 9.53
Neut: 4.00
RBC: 4.90
Plt: 269
Hgb: 14.4

She is feeling really well. Today was also her "friends" birthday party. She had four friends that came over (and believe me, that was enough!) Boy, are they loud when they all get together. Now I know why I haven't done kid birthday parties before. The girls had fun, they did some craft projects, pin the tail on the monkey, musical chairs, and then Shelby had one of those barbie cakes with the barbie sticking out of it. She loved it. I thought for sure she would have had a pink dress on it--but she opted for blue. I'll post a picture soon. She got some nice gifts and had fun with her friends. On Sunday, is the family "double" party to celebrate Evan and Shelby's birthdays. More things to do tomorrow to get ready. I was just checking my calendar and my next free day is Sunday, 3/11---so if anyone wants to plan anything with me, check now...or I'll be booking into 2008 very soon!!!!

SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2007 2:39PM CST

Hello to everyone and thank you to the faithful that continually check in on us...just to find out we are up to just "normal" family things. But, that is ok...the alternative is a lot worse to think about.

Well, this past week was quite busy. The week started with celebrating Shelby's birthday on Saturday the 6th (her real birthday!) Her choice was Build a Bear, so Evan and Shelby both got to build a bear and then we went out to dinner. She had a really nice time. Then on Monday, she was able to bring in her birthday treat to her 1st grade class. We made chocolate chip star cookies and wrapped each one in cellophane and tied them with a ribbon. She felt so special passing them out (and these were a little different than just regular cookies, which is all they are allowed to bring.) Then yesterday, Amy came down to visit with Shelby. Amy was Shelby's companion at Camp Quality this past summer. Amy goes to college in Saginaw so she came down and brought Shelby some great gifts and took her to the movies and out to lunch. Shelby kept talking about it all week...how many more days until Amy comes, is it tomorrow yet, etc. She was so excited. This meant a lot to her. Today is pick up the house day, do the laundry, get ready for Shelby's friends party to be held on Friday. The kids are off school on Monday for Martin Luther Day and on Friday because it is end of the second marking period. Shelby has a doctor appointment on Friday and a Brownie field trip to the area recycling center then her friend birthday party from 1:30-4pm. I am going to try to make the Barbie doll cake. Hopefully it will turn out. I am going to the cake supply store tomorrow to get the ready made flowers for her dress--there is no way I am going to make all those flowers and wait for them to dry. Not enough hours in the day! Evan has been doing good too. He is looking forward to his basketball starting next Saturday--although last we heard, he didn't have a coach for his team. I tried to talk Tom into it, but he has signed up for the Yosemite Hike for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society again and their hikes start on Saturday, January 27 (the hike is June 16). Tom was busy all week working on jobs and has a big one lined up to start for the next two weeks. I've been busy working on Camp Quality stuff, as well as the Cub Scout stuff--getting ready for the Pinewood Derby and the Blue and Gold dinner. Now I have to prepare a huge presentation at work for presentation at three of our detached offices in February. I guess when it rains, it pours..but somehow, it all gets done.

Now time for the serious reflection....It was just about three years ago that our lives changed forever. It was January 16, 2004 that Shelby was "officially" diagnosed...or we officially heard the words that our daughter had cancer. Of course that date will be forever etched in our memories. But, we are so proud of our daughter (and our family) because we have been through so much during that time. Shelby has gone from a cancer "victim", to a cancer "survivor". Tom and I have become involved in causes that we would have never dreamed we would have (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Camp Quality). I know they always say that things happen for a reason, and maybe the reason was for us to all be able to utilize our talents more to help others. They also say that God doesn't give you more than you can handle...and we sure did have a lot heaped on to us. But, due to having such a remarkable little girl, we all made it through. Am I glad it's over...you bet. I wouldn't wish those treatments on anyone. To see what my 4, 5, then 6 year old went through...she went through things that are unimagineable to many of us. She never complained and always kept smiling and laughing and enjoying life. She still looked forward to going to preschool or kindergarten every day, even if she was feeling yucky. I'm sure her memories will fade as time goes on and she enjoys a lot more during her life, but having "cancer" will always be a part of her life, a part of her past. Yes, it is sad and unfortunate that Shelby was affected, but for now, we are just very thankful that she is in remission, has finished her treatments and can look forward to tomorrow. Yes, there are lots of unknowns...what other effects did those nasty chemo medicines cause, will the leukemia ever come back.....but we really can't focus on those. Our focus is to just live life one day at a time and make sure that the kids have a happy life! Of course we hope one day that children will not have to suffer as they do...but until that day, I hope everyone has such wonderful supporters as we had throughout Shelby's treatment. Thank you to each of you (you all know who you are!)

OK, I'll get off my soap box now....wishing each of you a wonderful week. They are talking that Michigan will get some snow tonight...that would be great..the kids are dying to use their sleds and their snowman maker and their snowball maker...and heck, just to wear their snowpants!!! Take care and thanks again for checking in!

Saturday, January 6, 2007 9:12AM EST

Today is a major holiday--why it is Shelby's birthday, of course. She woke up this morning very excited and ready to plan her day. She was given the choice of going to either Chuck-E-Cheese or Build-A-Bear about two weeks ago and she hadn't decided. So, this morning, when I asked her, she finally decided...it will be....Build-A-Bear! (We are happy about that--for some reason, when adults go to Chuck-E-Cheese, they always come out with a headache...and it is no wonder why they have a license to sell beer there--the parents need it!) So, we will take the kids to Build-A-Bear to add to her collection...I think she already has 7 or so, but what's one more? Then we are going to go to Red Robin for dinner. That is actually where we took her last year for her 6th birthday on the actual day. They give the kids balloons and the birthday person gets a special ice cream sundae!

Plans are made for her "kid" birthday party. It will be on Friday, Jan. 19 in the afternoon. The kids are off of school so we are going to do it from 1:30-4pm at our house. She has already picked out the cake with the barbie sticking out of it...I'm sure you have all seen that. So, I am going to try to make it...it doesn't look as hard as the castle cake I made last year. She invited 9 other girls so we'll see how many come. Then the family "joint" birthday party will be on Sunday, 1/21 where we will celebrate Shelby's 7th and Evan's 9th birthday with my family and Tom's family. I'll figure out what to do later about that one! Then Tom's birthday is on 1/29--but he will probably get nothing! Heading into February...I am going to be s-u-p-e-r busy between Pinewood Derby, Blue and Gold Dinner, regular work, getting ready for Hawaii trip at work.

That's the update for today. I'll do my usual update on Monday and fill you in on all the birthday celebration!!!

P.S. Thank you to Angel Karen and family! You are always so thoughtful and get the best gifts! Shelby LOVES her watch. She received it yesterday and immediately put it on. When she went to bed, she put it carefully back into it's case and right on top of her headboard. Then, this morning, when she woke up..it was back on her wrist! Thank you!

MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2007 10:20am EST

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH OF YOU! Thank you for stopping by and checking on our family. We wish each of you a wonderful 2007. We are excited because this is the first year since 2002 that we won't have to face the cancer demons this year! But, we ask that you stop by and visit:

www.caringbridge.org/visit/katehrischuk

She is a 5 year old girl, with a twin brother, that went to Camp Quality with Shelby and has an inoperable brain tumor. They are praying for a miracle as they keep fighting.

It has been a busy week for us! After the Christmas partying, we are trying to get back to normal. Yesterday we finished putting away the Christmas things (except the window clings--those will come down today!) That is such a big job--why is it always more fun putting them up than taking them down?

We went to the New Years Eve party last night at the Community Center. The kids had a blast. They love to go swimming and Evan loved playing basketball. Shelby found a hoverdisc and was playing with that on the basketball floor. Shelby bounced for a long time in the inflatable castle too! But, they were hard to get out of the pool. They had thrown intertubes, noodles and floatable fish into the water, so the kids were taking the intertubes and then using the noodles as paddles to have a race. This pool also has water slides, dumping buckets and lilly pads to go across. So, the kids had a great time.

Other than that, Christmas vacation has been pretty low key. I took the kids to the library on Saturday (that was one of Shelby's wish list items to do over break!) Shelby picked out no less than 20 items--she loves to read! I took Evan to the store so he could buy the paint and decals for his pinewood derby car (Dad only has one month to work on it with Evan!) Tom did take the kids to go see Charlotte's Web earlier this week. They both loved the movie and loved their special one-on-one time with Dad. The kids last day off is tomorrow and then back to "routine" on Wednesday. It's going to be hard for the kids to wake up. Even Evan who normally wakes up like clockwork at 7am has been sleeping in until at least 9am! We'll see.

I tried all weekend to find out from Shelby and Evan what they want to do for their birthdays. After going back and forth...I think they decided to have parties for their friends at home-then we can do one family party toward the end of January (Shelby's bday is 1/6 and Evan's is 2/14). It's hard to get the family together two seperate times. Now we have to make the guest list for the kids parties!

This week, Shelby has a Brownie meeting on Wednesday and Tom has his alumni Hike for Discovery meeting. Yes, he is going to sign up again to hike in 2007. This time, he is going to do the Yosemite hike in June. Then the big day this week is SATURDAY!. Shelby's 7th birthday. Can't believe 7 years have gone by and she has been through so much in those 7 years. But, she is a happy, healthy, loving little girl!!!

Well, that's it for the update. Sorry our lives are so uneventful. Thank you for checking in on us and for thinking and caring about Shelby! Wishing each of you a wonderful week.

Don't forget...if you are in the Michigan area and reading this and you know a child who has, or had, cancer, ages 4-18, please send them to the Camp Quality website (www.campqualityusa.org) and they can submit an application for the 2007 camps. They are filled up on a space available basis.

We also are looking for companions, age 18 , that would like to spend the week helping these children. Please help spread the word!!!

Friday, December 22, 2006 8:45AM EST

So sorry I didn't update yesterday after the doctor appointment. If I take a day off of work--it seems to fly by and I get out of my normal routine. So, before it gets crazy again today, I am going to update......

Her visit was WONDERFUL! She is doing great. In fact, her oncologist said her counts are better than a normal adults!!!!

WBC: 8.56
RBC: 4.85
Neut: 4.07
HgB: 14.5
PLT: 251

She is doing really well! She is 52" tall and 62 pounds (but she was wearing jeans!) Everything checked out great.

So much different than three years ago at this time when this awful, nasty, terrible disease struck our family. But, we have all come through it and I think everyone is stronger because of it. There have been so many wonderful people that have come into our lives because of it and we will continue to do great things to help out the pediatric cancer world (Tom will do his hike again in 2007 and I am working on the Camp Quality stuff). Thank you to each of you for everything that you have done for us! We wish you the best Christmas!!!!!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2006 8:15AM EST

EVEN BIGGER NEWS...another tooth lost! This time it was the other front tooth! Very big news! She was at school again and she said all of a sudden it just started bleeding, so she went to the office and they yanked it out. (They must be professional tooth yankers--Shelby said it didn't hurt at all.)

Because that was the second tooth this week--the tooth fairy left $5!! Shelby was so excited when she woke up this morning and saw $5. She proudly proclaimed that she now has $11 just from teeth!! So, she keeps singing all she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth. She hasn't figured out it takes a while for them to completely grow in!!!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2006 8:55amEST

BIG NEWS---Shelby's bottom tooth finally fell out! She went to bed last night at 8:30. I hear her at 9:15 calling out for me. I went up to see what was the matter and she said her tooth was really bothering her. I asked her if she wanted to try to get it out...she said yes. So, the next 45 minutes were spent twisting the tooht, twirling the tooth, sawing the tooth with dental floss and even talking to the tooth. "Tooth come out now" Shelby said to it. And, finally it did!!! of course, the tooth fairy made sure she got a little extra for that tooth since it was so much work to get it to come out!!!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2006 5:55PM CST

Hello to everyone. Time for another update, but I am going to do it on Sunday night instead of Monday--because I fear I will get way too busy at work tomorrow morning and I have promised the kids I will stay home in the morning to take them to school--which will put me behind at work! Anyhow, thing are going great. We are definately in the swing of the holidays! (I especially know it after making seven different kinds of cookies today!) Yesterday was the endless laundry, general picking up of house and wrapping of presents. I am happy to say that all presents that "need" to be done are wrapped. Those special ones that Santa is bringing.........later......

Shelby had a great week. We didn't too many exciting things. Shelby still has two loose teeth. The other front one is really loose and one of the bottom front ones is extremely loose! It is so loose--it won't stand up straight. She spent over 1/2 hour last night with some dental floss trying to wrap it around it and pull it out--then she finally said "I'm ready to give up". I don't know how she is eating and stuff---it is really freaky. I am afraid that she is going to swallow it!

Shelby had a great time at her Brownies meeting this past Monday. They had "adopted" a 7 year old needy girl, named Amanda, and all the girls donated things for her. They had tons of presents that all the kids helped to wrap, and cards that they had made. They earned their caring try-it badge for doing this. One of the other Brownie moms gave all the girls elf hats too because they were Santa's helpers that day!

This week....busy for Mom! Monday...I have meeting after work with camp people..Tuesday...free night (did I say free night?) Wednesday, kids last day of school--so Dad has to take the presents to the teachers and the food donations for the class parties. I am going out with my friend Amy for dinner. Thursday--Daddy home with kids all day...Mommy is off--but I will take Shelby to the doctor in the morning, then I have a camp meeting in the afternoon. Then I am going to a work christmas party. Friday, I am off again (have days to use up!) Aunt Carol and family are coming into town and we will start getting the food ready for Saturday night.

Shelby was so excited...we got a postcard in the mail that Disney on Ice..Princess Dreams is coming to the Palace of Auburn Hills February 28. I was able to go online and buy second row seats. She is thrilled! (That is the night before Tom and I leave for Hawaii..but I know I'll be packed..not so sure about Tom!) For once, we don't have an early morning flight...the flight will leave at noon--so we'll have some time in the morning. I'm sure Tom will use it!

Then on Saturday, Aunt Michelle and family, Uncle Tim and family, Aunt Carol and family and Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jackie will all come over for dinner and gifts. On Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson, Aunt Denise and family, and Aunt jeanette and family will come over. On Christmas Day, we are going over to my 2nd cousin Kim's house--we usually do this every year. Then, I have to go back to work on the 26th. I really don't mind--almost everyone else is off--so it will be a great week to catch up on things.

The kids have already made a list of things that they want to do over Christmas break. They want to go see Charlotte's Web, Shelby wants to go to the library (great kid!), they also want to go to the Cranbrook Institute of Science. I set up a playdate for Evan and one of his friends. I'm sure Tom will go crazy with them home. They are off from Dec. 22-January 3. Long time! no day camp this time like previous years! But, we are saving money! Shelby also wanted to go to Build-a-bear, but Tom said "he doesn't go there." So, maybe I can sneak it in with her.

Then, Shelby's big 7th birthday is not too far behind (January 6) so I have been trying to figure out with her what to do. She keeps saying she wants to go to Chuck E Cheese (yuck) but I think she is getting too old for that. We might compromise and just Mom/Dad and Evan go there with her. Trying to find out if she wants to do a friend party or not. Don't really want to do a big blow-out...we'll have to figure that one out next week!

Well, hope everyone has a wonderful week...and if you don't check in again before I update again....from our family to yours...we wish you a wonderful holiday season! Enjoy your families...give everyone big hugs and kisses!!

Monday, December 11, 2006 2:22 PM CST

Nine Months Off Treatment and Counting…….

I can’t believe it is Monday again and time to update. Either we have to get some more exciting lives..or time needs to go a little slower! It is getting harder and harder to put these updates in because we have such boring lives!

Shelby continues to do great! She is a normal, 6 ½ year old that you would never know looking at survived this terrible disease! The biggest news from last week was her front tooth falling out. I will post a picture tonight, hopefully, so you can see the toothless Shelby! She loves not having her tooth there! The other one is really loose too and should fall out shortly.

Last week was pretty uneventful. We went to the Beaumont Hospital Christmas Party for the clinic patients. The kids had fun. Shelby was able to wear her fancy Christmas dress and they had lots of crafty projects the kids could do. Shelby did four painted things—so we will wait for them to be fired and return to us. They also gave out “family” presents this year, so we now own a Smore’s Maker! That certainly is something I would never buy, but it is a neat gift. So, immediately the kids were bugging me to get graham crackers and chocolate. I finally did yesterday, but we haven’t had time to make them. I know I’ll get pestered every night until they are made! Friday night, we watched Cousin Madison (she’s three). Shelby always has fun with her. We finally put the draping over Shelby’s bed (it is one of those netting things that has purple feathers on it). Tom tells Shelby that in the “old days” they used to use that to keep bugs off of them, but Shelby wasn’t buying it. She loves it now and has to make sure her pillow is right in the center of the bed every night so she can pull the mesh around her. Funny how such little things amuse them! I ended up taking Friday off of work so I could get some more stuff done around the house. I also got some last minute shopping done and more wrapping. Saturday, the kids helped me make some Christmas cookies. Their favorite, Snickerdoodles (which isn’t really a Christmas cookie) was their funniest to make. They rolled all the balls in the cinnamon and helped make them. We also did cut out sugar cookies—but didn’t frost them yet—we’ll do that later. Sunday, we went to the Nature Center for a winter program. They talked all about evergreens, we took a short hike, and then the kids both got to make lots of things to hang on the trees to attract the animals. They made fruit kabobs, pinecones, strung cereal and cranberries and put peanut butter and seed on dog bones and also did suet holders. We have things all over the back yard. We will probably attract half the forest by the time we get home. The kids had fun doing that!

Things on tap this week….the usual, Shelby Brownies, catechism, Evan Cub Scout Den Meeting, on Thursday, Evan has a cartooning class to learn how to draw cartoons. Life just continues on….

Shelby returns to the doctor next Thursday (I made the appointment so she doesn’t have to miss school). They only have school Monday through Wednesday next week then they are off until January 3. Tom will probably go crazy with them at home that whole time!! The joys of being Mr. Mom!

Thanks for checking in on our family. Hopefully the Christmas cards will go out sometime this week. I finally got the family letter written, now just the addressing/stuffing part! Maybe I can enlist the kids to help…hmmmmm.

P.S. If you want to check in on another child that needs some prayers and special thoughts, go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/katehrischuk She is a little girl that was in Shelby’s cabin at Camp this past summer. She has a terminal brain tumor and they live right by us. She needs your thoughts!

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

BIG NEWS.....Shelby's front tooth finally fell out! And with Shelby being our Shelby..it had to happen dramatically. She was able to hang onto it almost the whole school day until gym class time. Then she said she was jogging laps and it just fell out....across the gym floor. So, everyone had to stop and try to point out Shelby's tooth!! Good thing it was one of the front ones so it was larger. When I went to pick her up from the after school program--she had this big smile on her face without opening her lips! She was so thrilled. She was more excited because she got to the get the special tooth box from the school office. Of course the tooth fairy had to be extra special too! She was surprised!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2006 7:37am CST

Nine Months Off Treatment and Counting…….

Another week gone by and time for another update. These sure are getting boring…but that is much preferred to having to update on how much medicine she has taken, how many pokes, and what her counts are.

She is doing great. She spent the whole week waiting for her front tooth to fall out (this will be her third tooth to lose). It just won’t come out. It is pretty much just hanging there right now—but she really wants to lose it at school because they have “special” containers for their teeth. I’m surprised it isn’t bothering her to eat. But, she won’t take it out. I’m hoping today when I pick her up after school, it will be gone!!!!

Last week was pretty busy for Mom! Lots of meetings. Cub Scout Committee, PTA Meeting, Camp Quality Organizing Committee Training Meeting and in between got some presents wrapped and all the Christmas decorations up. Our house looks really nice. We now have three (3) trees! (Actually 4 if you count Shelby’s Barbie tree that is 12” high!) We have the 4 ft one in the foyer, the 6 ft one in the living room and the 8 ft one in the family room. I always forget how many Christmas decorations I have. Tom was in charge of doing the outside stuff so that is all done. Everything looks really nice. I was also able to sketch out the menus for the Christmas dinners. We are having my family over on Sat, 12/23 (18 people) and then Tom’s family over on 12/24 (15 people). Should be nice. It really isn’t that much harder to have both families—all the stuff is already out and set up—just turn them over for the next day.

Evan and Shelby are getting so excited for Christmas. They were thrilled when they came home from school on Friday and I had a bunch of presents already wrapped with their names on them. They love carrying them from where they were wrapped and then putting them under the tree. (After they sort them into piles and figure out who has more!) Of course Mom is careful to keep the numbers even!

Tom and I were able to resurrect our bedroom and the upstairs on Friday when I had the day off. The floors that were refinished look really good. We moved around the furniture a little bit. We have a lot of heavy furniture! Hope I don’t have to move it again any time in the near future. Still have to do some thorough cleaning of all the dust…but I will get to it. All of my clothes are still on Evan’s bed—which I need to get back in my walk-in closet. But I have a whole new hanger system and I don’t want to put anything in the closet until I switch the hangers—or else I may never get it done. Hopefully one night this week I can get it done.

Things on tap this week….not a whole lot….the usual catechism and then on Wednesday night, we have the Beaumont Hospital Christmas Party for the clinic patients. That is usually a nice time. Shelby wants to wear her really fancy Christmas dress—so I probably will let her. She was going to wear it yesterday when we were supposed to go for our annual Christmas family picture—but the portrait studio had a fire. The kids are off of school on Friday for a Teacher Development Day so I took the day off also. Tom is puttering around this week..he has a few projects in the works.

Thanks for checking in on our family. As you can see, we are doing really well—just a normal family now, who has conquered great things!!!! Thank you for your support.

Monday, November 27, 2006 8:36 AM CST

Hello to everyone! Shelby is feeling wonderful! She had a terrific Thanksgiving. Of course it is one of her favorites—she loves turkey. She even had two plates full! More than I thought she would eat…but she loves it! We spent the day at Aunt Michelle’s house with my family. It was a nice relaxing day. Then on Friday, Tom started refinishing the master bedroom floors. Dusty! (Well, part of the reason is that Tom “forgets” to close the doors, so the dust goes everywhere!) So, we moved all the furniture and clothes (I have way too many clothes) and set up temporary quarters in the other bathroom and bedrooms. I am sharing Shelby’s room with her (she has a queen size bed) and Evan and Tom are downstairs on the pull out couch. Evan thinks it’s cool! Hopefully by this weekend, we’ll be back in our own rooms. I do have Friday off so I can help resurrect the house!

As I mentioned last week, Shelby’s clinic visit went great. She is doing really well. She even opted to have her flu shot in her arm instead of her leg, which the nurse was very surprised. She returns to the clinic on December 20. There is the hospital clinic holiday party on Wed, December 8 so she is looking forward to that.

The rest of Thanksgiving weekend was pretty lazy! Tom actually did the Black Friday shopping in Friday morning. He went to Home Depot and Ace Hardware and was able to get all the things he wanted (even though he overslept!) I did not see anything that would warrant me getting up that early and standing in line that early! Besides, I have most of the kids presents already bought—now just have to wrap—oh, that is another thing on the agenda for this Friday! I was able to get two of the three xmas trees up this weekend. The 4ft and the 6ft and the furniture was moved in the family room for the big one. Tom is in charge of doing all the outdoor decorating and the Michigan weather has been unseasonably warm (high 50’s). So, I saw lots of people putting up xmas lights—but they will be regretting it in January when it is time to take them down!!!

On tap this week…tonight..nothing. Tomorrow, the kids have catechism and then Evan has his choir concert at school. Wednesday, Shelby has brownies and I have a cub scout committee meeting. Thursday, there is a Cub Scout Den meeting. Friday, nothing planned. On Saturday, we have our Camp Training Meeting from 10am-2pm at my office and then at 4pm, we are going with the Brownies and Cub Scouts to the Oakland University basketball game. Supposedly it is a fun time! We’ll see! Busy, busy, busy. It never ends—but somehow it all gets done!!

That’s the update from the Stimpson clan! Thanks, as always, for checking in. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006 7:20PM EST

Here are Shelby's counts from her monthly check up at the oncologist's office. We were happy to see Dr. Jamil. Her counts were:

WBC: 10.3 (normal 4.5-13.5)
RBC: 4.82 (normal 3.91-5.29)
Hgb: 13.9 (normal 11.4-14.7)
Neut: 4.1 (normal 2.4-7.3)
Plt: 266 (normal 150-450)

So, she's a pretty normal girl. She has grown taller too! All signs point to a normal, health, happy girl! She did have to get a flu shot though, which she wasn't too thrilled about..but better safe than sorry! So, she is doing great! She is happy that they don't have school tomorrow so they have 5 days off!!!

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2006 12:47AM CST

Another week gone by and thank you for faithfully checking in on us. We had a slow week. Tom was up north the whole week doing a ceramic tile job (from Saturday to Thursday). The kids and I had a good time. We went out to dinner a lot! The kids had their conferences and they are both doing really well in their classes. Last Friday, we went to see the Santa Clause movie and the kids loved it. They were looking forward to it all week and couldn't wait to go. After that, we had dinner with Steve and Kim and baby Ashley. She is growing fast (she is 3 months old already!)

Things on tap this week....Monday, Evan has choir in the morning and we have an appointment with the CPA regarding Tom's business, then on Tuesday, Shelby has her monthly oncologist check up (I'll post on Wednesday her results) and then the kids have catechism. On Wednesday, the kids are off school and I am going out to dinner with my friend from high school, Amy. Then on Thursday for Thanksgiving, we are going to Aunt Michelle's house with our family. Then that weekend, Tom is going to be re-finishing the hardwood floors in our master bedroom. It is going to be messy--but nice when it is done. So, we have a pretty busy week on tap.

I was able to go out and get some Christmas shopping done--in fact I am pretty much done with Evan and Shelby which is great! When I was cleaning out my closet, I found a lot of stuff tucked up there that I had forgotten that I had bought!! Good for me!

Thanks again for checking in on us. I'm still keeping realy busy with the Camp Quality stuff and finishing up the class t-shirts for the elementary school and getting ready to do the invites and stuff for the Cub Scout Blue and Gold dinner. It never ends...but I like staying really busy! Somewhere in between, the laundry gets done and the house gets clean!!

Hope you all have a great week. I'll post more on Wednesday with her blood counts!

Monday, November 13, 2006 8:27 AM CST

Hello to everyone! Shelby is still feeling really good. I caught myself in one of those “moments” yesterday. She was in the neighbors backyard playing with one of her classmates and they were dancing on the patio. It was nice to just stop and say thanks that she is doing so well and able to do those things. Unfortunately, there are many children that do not feel as well…and were not as lucky as Shelby to make it through treatment.

Things are rolling along at our house. They are just about finished with our brick paver project. Not only did we end up getting brick pavers on the front walk, the side of the house and the whole back patio…but we are now getting a new cement driveway poured. He was giving us such a good deal..we would never be able to do it for that price again..so we decided to go ahead. A lot of the driveway was cracked around a manhole cover and it has bothered Tom since we moved in—so now the outside will be totally done (except for the landscaping in the spring.) But, I am not going to spend any more money on the outside of the house!! Have inside projects to finish. So, other than the inconvenience of not being able to park in the driveway for the next two weeks, it looks really nice. It was almost 1000 square feet of pavers…that’s a lot---but they did an excellent job.

Shelby is doing great in first grade. We go to hers and Evan’s conferences this Thursday night. Can’t wait to hear what the teacher has to say about her. She came home last week with a letter that she had written that kept saying “I love school” (although in her words, it was skol”) over and over.

This week is actually pretty calm. Nothing to do at all after school or at night this week for the kids or for me! Steve and Kim and baby Ashley are going to come over on Friday night (Steve was our best man in our wedding and they are Shelby’s godparents.) We haven’t seen them in a while, so it is going to be nice. Tom is up north doing a ceramic tile job at a vacation home of one of my co-workers. He is expected back Wednesday evening. The kids are enjoying the mommy and me time.

Had another Camp Quality Committee meeting yesterday at the house. Things are moving along. We decided on a Hollywood type theme…Stars of the Future..or something along those lines. Now that we have a theme, we can start thinking of ideas to go along with it. We are also still working on getting the word out about Camp Quality and on finding campers and companions that are interested in helping out. The dates of the camp are July 8-13 at the Fenton camp and August 12-18 at the Petoskey camp.

Other than that, trying to get ready for the holidays. Tom is going to be redoing the hardwood floors in our master bedroom and closet…so I spent a good part of the day trying to empty out the master bedroom closet. This is the catch-all for gifts throughout the year. I was able to find a lot of things that we can use as Christmas gifts, though so that was good!

Thanks for checking in on us. Shelby returns to the doctor next Tuesday just for a check-up. But, she is feeling good!!!

Sunday, November 5, 2006 2:45 PM CST

Time for a “normal” update. What do I mean by normal---no more vacation journal entries….just our normal everyday day-to-day stuff. It was a busy week, this past week with Halloween thrown in there. Shelby has been feeling pretty good. She still has a really bad cough and a lot of congestion..but she refuses to blow her nose. Trick or treating didn’t help get rid of that either. At least now she is sleeping through the night and not coughing a lot.

They survived Halloween! They actually got to wear their costumes three times. First to the elementary school’s Fall Family Festival on Friday night. Then on Sunday, they got to dress up for the neighborhood Halloween Parade and event and then the official trick or treating. Aunt Michelle, Uncle Brian, Kaitlin and Adam came over on Halloween night. Kaitlin stayed at our house and passed out candy so we were all able to go walking with the kids. We walked over one mile and a half through our neighborhood. I don’t know what the kids are going to do with all their candy. This is particularly a challenge for Evan—as he doesn’t really care for chocolate! (That is why all the kids always want to trade with him.) Shelby was Elina from Mermadia with the large wings (pink of course!) and Evan was a white ninja. Easy costumes and it is what they wanted. We had bought them right around October 1 so they had first choice of the costumes and we were done.

Evan also had a pack meeting this past week for his Cub Scouts and was handed out his pinewood derby car. Maybe Tom and Evan will get an earlier start on it before the February 2 race…I’ll keep you posted. Evan was already sketching out what shape he wants his car to be. We’ll see—may just be the initial enthusiasm. I thought Tom and Evan might get it done and then we could hook up the track (since we have it!!)

This past Saturday, we all went up to Kawkawlin (near Bay City) about 1 ½ hours away for the Camp Quality Reunion Dinner. This was a nice event. It was our first time going to it. All the campers, companions and their families are invited back. There were just about 200 people there. They had a nice catered lunch, a magician, gifts for the kids and a memory book and CD of pictures. It was really nice. Afterward, we stayed around for the Organizing Committee Meeting for the camp in Petoskey. Things are moving along.

Things on tap this week….a lot of doubling up on a day this week…Tuesday, the kids don’t have school—end of marking period and Election Day. Evan has a Cub Scout Den Meeting and they are going on a trip to a local farm so Tom, Evan and Shelby are going to go and do this one. Then Shelby has to go to the pediatrician to get all of her five year old shots that she was supposed to get before she started kindergarten—but got a waiver since she was still in treatment. Then she has catechism. Wednesday, Evan has choir before school, then Shelby has another Brownie meeting, then Evan and Shelby are going to a Magic and balloon animal class in the evening. Then Friday night, Cousin Elizabeth and Kendall are coming over so we can watch them. Saturday, Tom and Evan are picking up canned goods for the Cub Scout Scouting for Food in the morning then Tom is going to be heading up to Harbor Springs to work on a ceramic tile job for one of my co-workers at his vacation home. Tom should be there until Thursday, 11/16 and then he’ll be back for the kid’s parent/teacher conferences.

I have my second Camp Quality Organizing Committee meeting for our group this coming Sunday. We are going to be working on what we want our theme for the camp to be. Then in December, we are going to be having our training by the national office.

Don’t know if I mentioned it or not…but Shelby’s holiday drawing was selected by the Children’s Leukemia Foundation for one of it’s 10 holiday cards. You can see it at : www.leukemiamichigan.org Hers is card #9. We are so proud of her. The Observer and Eccentric newspaper also did a story on the holiday cards in today’s newspaper and it featured Shelby and quotes from me. If you want to read the article and see her card, you can go to: www.hometownlife.com and then do a search for Stimpson. It will come up.

Shelby returns to the oncologist on Tuesday, November 21. So, we’ll post her counts then. She has been doing really good.

That’s about it for the update. Busy at home organizing things. Tom took up our carpet in our master bedroom and is going to refinish the wood floors over Thanksgiving weekend. My challenge is to get the closet all cleaned out so he can do that wood floor too—that is a B-I-G project..but I’m hoping to get it done. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Well, got to run. Have to work on the elementary school’s class t-shirts, have some Camp mailings to do while finishing the laundry and thinking of something for dinner. Luckily, the sheets and grocery shopping were done early this morning!!! Hope you all have a wonderful week and as always, thanks for checking in on us!!!

Sunday, October 29, 2006 5:00PM EST

Ok..I’m back for more updates…in case anyone was waiting with baited breath…..

CONTINUATION OF DAY FOUR – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2006

The ship docked at 7:15am—I know that because I, along with Evan, were on the balcony watching the ship back into the island, after we saw the sun rise. It was truly amazing! Evan thought it was pretty neat too! We all got up, put our suits on and went up to have breakfast at the buffet. We then were headed off the ship by 9:00a.m. The kids had decided they wanted to go to the kids club on the island..so we headed there to check them in. They were excited for their fun filled day. Then, Mom and Dad headed for Serenity Bay—this is the adults only beach at the far end of the island. It was nice. There weren’t too many people where when we first got there…but it started to get crowded. We stayed there until about noon, had lunch there, just the two of us (a rarity) and then headed back to pick the kids up from the kids clubs. We picked them up and they wanted to swim in the “salt water”. So, we headed to the family beach and the kids got to swim in the ocean. They had a blast. Then they had fun playing in the sand and even buried all of Evan (except his head) in the sand. We stayed until about 2:30pm, then it was way too hot—so we headed back to the ship (you had to be on board by 4:30pm anyways). We all took showers, and I started some laundry on the ship. Normally, I wouldn’t have cared..but since we were still going to be gone for another 6 days, I needed to wash some things—plus a lot of things were sandy from the beach. So, that was an adventure that I would not recommend to anyone! Finally after four drying loads and losing my money twice…the clothes were done (even though all had to be washed on hot because you couldn’t change the cycles!) I even had to hang clothes around the stateroom so they could continue drying. But, it all worked out. We headed down to dinner at 5:45pm (and I had to run back once to pull out remaining laundry.) It was the pirate themed dinner so everyone got bandanas for their heads and the wait staff was supposed to do a show, but the music was not working right in the dining room—so we didn’t get to see it. The kids went back to the kids club after dinner and Mom and Dad headed up on deck for the pirate party. Pretty loud music, characters jumping around and then they lit off fireworks from the ship. That was pretty neat! Then around 11pm, we went back to get the kids—they were conked out. Shelby was sleeping curled up in a bean bag when we picked her up. Evan was still raring to go.

DAY FIVE – WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2006

Day Five was a day at sea. This was going to be a l-o-n-g day on the ship with everyone! We got up early and went to breakfast. Then the kids went to the kids club. We did get the kids out occasionally to go and see a show or something—please don’t think we left them there all the time! We pulled the kids out in the afternoon so they could go swimming—they ended up eating chicken tenders by the pool (not that they complained!) Then that was the day they had the Disney University graduation celebration. Any child that had been in the kids club on the ship participated in the big show room and they went up on stage. All the parents were in the audience. Each child was given a t-shirt and a mortar cap (with mouse ears, of course.) It was cute to see them. They did a slide show of all the events they did during the kids club.

After this, it was time for our last dinner on the ship. The kids wanted to stay in the kids club and go to dinner with them (more kid friendly—and it was our turn to eat in Triton’s more seafoody.) So, Tom and I went to dinner by ourselves. It was nice. After that, I went and picked up Shelby and her and I went to see the Dreams show in the big theatre. It was an award winning musical. It was really good. Evan stayed in the kids club and Tom went and “rested”—doing nothing makes you tired! After that, we picked up Evan and headed back to the stateroom. Luggage had to be out by 11pm. I tried to pack the suitcases so two of them we wouldn’t need for our further journey.

DAY SIX – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2006

We woke up early—we had to be at breakfast by 7am. We were. We ate and then got immediately off this ship. This was the best part—no sitting around like on other cruise lines waiting for them to call your number or color. We got off the ship and immediately found our luggage—it is arranged by stateroom! We immediately hopped onto the hotel shuttle bus and were back at our rental car and on our way by 9:00a.m. Then the dilemma…we were heading to the Nickelodean Hotel for that night—but check-in was not until 4:00p.m. So, we decided to go and visit Give Kids The World. Some of you may recall that we were scheduled to stay here back in August, 2004 during Shelby’s Make A Wish trip, but due the hurricane, they lost their power and tree damage, so they relocated us to the Polynesian Hotel. Well, we never did get to see it and everyone has always said how “magicial” it is—so we wanted to see it. We arrived there about 11:00a.m. It really was a magical place. The kids were able to ride the carousel, we saw the gameroom, we saw the theatre, the kids and Tom took a train ride, we played a round of miniature golf on probably one of the best courses I have ever been on. When the balls went in the holes, the dinosaurs were animated and made sounds. It was really neat. Then we went to the Ice Cream Palace where they serve ice cream all the time and enjoyed some! Then it was into the Great Hall. Shelby was able to put her star there and they were going to hang it up. On the ceiling are stars from all the other wish kids that have been there. Each star has a bar code on it…so if we ever go back, they can look up her name and they can tell us where it is on the ceiling. It was a fun afternoon.

Then we headed over to the Nickelodean Hotel. It was about 2pm, but our hotel room was ready. So, we unloaded our stuff and then we had to go and eat lunch. We headed over to the Mall area where all the restaurants were and also made reservations to go to the Nick Show that night and also for the character breakfast the next morning. (Like we hadn’t seen enough characters? At least these were Nick characters—Dora, SpongeBob, Blues Clues, Rug Rats). Then, off to the swimming. They actually have two pools, but the smaller one was closed for maintenance. So, the kids immediately hit the water slides. They had a good time. It was pretty crowded, though. They also had a mini golf—so they played that too. Then we had dinner and went to the Nick Show. It was a good show. They did the Nick challenges and used a lot of people from the audience. Then we went to bed. The next morning, we checked out of the room and headed over to the Character Breakfast. It was a nice breakfast and the kids were able to get a lot of the autographs and pictures. After breakfast, the kids went swimming once again. We stayed there until about 1pm and then we headed on to our next destination….the Hyatt Grand Cypress Resort.

DAY SEVEN – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2006

We arrived at the Hyatt and even though we had requested check-in at noon, our room was not ready. So, we did a pre-register and then headed over to the Disney Marketplace (which was right around the corner.) The kids were able to go to Lego Land and the World of Disney. Didn’t spend too much—so that was good. Shelby even picked up some cookies for her class to take back as a special treat. Evan got about 7 different lego things and he was really excited. The hotel then called us and let us know our room was ready. We headed back and got our room keys. We had a two room corner suite—so we had nice views of the pool area—and we could even see Epcot and Magic Kingdom so we could see the fireworks shows at night. I thought the kids would be mad they had to sleep on a pull out couch, but they didn’t mind (they were so tired.) We immediately headed to the pool. They have a wonderful pool, with two water slides and three jacuzzi’s. There never was hardly anyone swimming. After that, we decided to just order a pizza for dinner (after the cruise, we were all so tired of eating!)

DAY EIGHT – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2006

Today was Magic Kingdom day. We decided to take advantage of the motorcoach service that the hotel provided to the parks, so the bus left at 10:15a.m. So, we got up and ate a leisurely breakfast and then took the bus over. Boy, it was already so hot at 10:30am in the morning! We hit the castle show right away and Tom went over and got fast passes for the Buzz Lightyear ride. We made really good time and made it through most of what we wanted to see. We did the Buzz Lightyear ride, the Time Traveler ride (Shelby likes this one), the Stitch’s Great Adventure, the kids drove the little race cars, then we had lunch. Then we did the Dumbo ride—waited in line thirty minutes for a 1:28 ride! Then we saw the big screen show, then did It’s A Small World then we did Pirates of the Caribbean. Then it was time to head over to the Contemporary Resort for our dinner reservations at Chef Mickey’s. This was really nice. The buffet was good…they even had lower stations for the kids and all of Shelby and Evan’s favorites. It was nice because almost all of the characters came right to the table, Mickey, Chip, Dale, Goofy, Donald. Minnie Mouse and Pluto you had to wait in line for. The kids had a nice time. Then it was 7:15p.m. Shelby wanted to go and see the Light Parade and Tom wanted to watch the Detroit Tigers game—first game of the World Series. So, Tom and Evan decided they were going to take the 8:45pm bus back to the hotel and they would watch the game in the hotel bar until then. Shelby and I hopped on the monorail and headed back to the parade. Well, when we got back to the park—it was still 88 degrees and humid—there were so many people there..it was crazy. Shelby was getting tired. We did see the first 7 or 8 floats and then Shelby decided she wanted to go back to the hotel and go to bed. I wasn’t going to argue with her. We did plan on staying and watching the fireworks—but she wanted to go. So, we ended up on the 8:45pm bus with Evan and Tom back to the hotel.

DAY NINE – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2006

MGM Studios day. Again, we took the shuttle bus at 10:15a.m. over to MGM studios. We immediately headed over to the Car Stunt Show. That was really good. It was well worth going to. We then did the Star Tours ride and then it was time for our lunch reservations at the 50’s Prime Time Café. This was pretty good. The kids liked it—they got special drinks with glowing ice cubes. We then got a front spot on the street for the Stars and Cars Motor Parade at 3pm and then we went to see the Animation Studio and then to the Beauty and the Beast show—then on to Fantasmic to wait until it started. The show was good. After that, we headed back to the hotel. The kids were really tired—but somehow they managed energy go to swimming one more time!

DAY TEN – MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2006

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:50am, so we left the hotel and stopped for breakfast on the way to the airport. The flight back was really smooth and we arrived home by 3:00p.m.—after stopping for milk, juice and bread.

Our family truly had a wonderful vacation. Even though I say I need a vacation from the vacation. It really was a trip designed with the kids in mind. But, Hawaii is coming up on March 1—that will be the trip for Tom and Julie!

Thanks for reading out about adventures. Now back to our “normal” lives. Stay tuned…..

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2006 9:05pm EDT

Here goes with the trip update…….

PART ONE – DISNEY CRUISE

We left on Saturday, October 14 at 5:15am and headed for the airport. We where headed to Orlando and we were going to be staying the night at the Radisson at Port Caneveral so we would be close to the ship leaving the next day.

We arrived in Orlando by 10:30am and rented our car and headed to Port Canaveral. The kids were really excited. We stayed at the Radisson at the Port. It was a nice hotel. Of course the kids wanted to go swimming right away, so we did. Then we just stayed in and ordered a pizza for dinner—because the Detroit Tigers were playing the Oakland A’s and Tom had to watch it! (Evan enjoys the baseball game too!) We also wanted to get to sleep early as we were getting up early on Sunday.

DAY TWO – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15
Woke up that morning and went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. We then had the 10am shuttle reserved to take us to the ship. (We had bought a cruise parking package and it was actually cheaper to rent the car for the entire time and leave it at the hotel then to rent it for only a couple days). So, we arrived at the cruise port ready to go. The weather was forecasted to be beautiful. At 10:30, the gates were opened and we were able to go into the main pre-boarding area. One neat thing…when I booked the cruise (way back in April, 2005) I booked a Category 12—the most inexpensive, inside cabin..hoping they would upgrade us. Well, they did! When we first got our cruise documents, they had upgraded us to an 11 (wow!) But, one week before, I was online filling out documents and they had switched us to a category 5 – an outside deluxe stateroom with verandah on the 7th deck. It was a terrific room. Very roomy! So, we were excited to see what it looked like.

We checked in and around 11:30am, we were in the second group that was allowed to board the ship. Of course they send you right up to the buffet to eat first, so that is where we headed. The kids already had their bathing suits on because the pools were our next stop. (They said the staterooms usually weren’t ready before 1:30pm.—but they may be ready earlier.) The Disney Wonder had just returned from dry dock..so we were the first passengers back on it (I knew this before I booked and figured it would be cleaner and fresher!) So, the kids then went swimming. They really wanted to go in the “Mickey pool”, but when they filled it back up with water, apparently there was a lot of dirt in the water slide, so all the dirt came down the slide into the pool…and they had to drain it again so it was going to be a few hours before it would open. We then went to check out the Oceaneer Lab and the Oceaneer Club where Evan and Shelby would spend there time. I must say, that is certainly one area where Disney Cruise Line excels…in the kid clubs. These areas were wonderful. Then, it was onto our stateroom.

When we came off the midship elevator, all we had to do was go around the corner and there was our room. It was in a perfect location—two floors down from pools and food and two floors up from the kids clubs. When we arrived at our stateroom door, there was a Bon Voyage big circle magnet with Mickey and Minnie on it on the door. There was also a welcome aboard note from the Captain of the ship. (I had e-mailed Disney a few months earlier and wanted them to know that going on the Disney Cruise was actually Shelby’s Make A Wish..but her oncologist wouldn’t let her go because she had her medi-port in when we did her Make a Wish trip….so her parents told her we would take her when treatment was ended. Disney replied that they would make it extra special. Read on to learn more special things!

So, there was a cake inside the stateroom and a banner saying Bon Voyage and a few more decorations. These were actually ordered by our travel agent (Linda at Volare Travel—I also use her for all our work trips.) The stateroom was really nice. It had a king size bed, a pull out sofa and one pull down bunk. I thought the kids would fight over who would sleep there..but Shelby immediately said that they would take turns switching every night (and they did!) They were actually so tired, I don’t think it mattered much to them! One thing that makes the Disney Cruise nice too is the bathroom arrangement. There is actually a split bath..so there is a tub and mirror in one room and in the other is the toilet and sink. There is also a dressing table with mirror where I did most of my getting ready. So, we were ready to unpack and make ourselves at home. The verandah was neat and the kids liked going out there and watching the water. Then our adventure continued……….

The kids spent a lot of time in the kids clubs. Evan hardly ever wanted to leave. He even ate two lunches and one dinner with the club. Even though all he ate was chicken tenders—he had a great time. Shelby did end up eating one dinner and one lunch with the club. She was a little more choosy about what activities she wanted to be checked into the club for. Each night before bed, we would go through the navigator to find out which programs they wanted to do. Evan’s answer always was “everything”. We did pull them out to go to the big shows in the main theater and for meals. But he always sat at dinner saying, “when can I go back to the lab?”

The entertainment the first night was pretty good. He was a magician/ventroliquist. He actually got used a lot on the cruise. The did the first night shows, then he did a ventriloquism/magic training seminar that Mom and Evan went to, then he did a family show another night and an adults only event. (Not a lot of variety on the ship!) So, we went to our dinner first (we had early seating) and our first restaurant was Animator’s Palate. This is the restaurant where you go in and the room is all black and white and then with every course that is served, the room starts to become more colorful until it is very colorful. The kids had a good time. Then we went to the show at 8:30pm and then we went to bed early. The kids were tuckered out (and there really wasn’t that much to do on the ship.) We decided to rest up for the second day.

DAY THREE – MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2006

This was the day that we were going to arrive in Nassau (YUCK!) We woke up early (the drapes wouldn’t totally close—I think purposely designed this way so they can get the staterooms cleaned). So, we went down for a family breakfast buffet. It was nice. Too much food, though and nothing had a whole lot of taste. Then, we ended up docking at 9am. Mom was up in the spa getting a much needed and deserved pedicure and Tom took the kids up on deck so they could see the ship pulling into dock. The kids got a kick out of this. Then both kids wanted to be checked into the kids clubs. We didn’t have a problem with that, since we didn’t plan on parading the kids through the streets of Nassau. And, since we are not a water sports family..there really weren’t any other excursions that we wanted to go on. The Atlantis Paradise Island would have been neat..but Tom and I had been there before with one of my company’s work trips, so we didn’t really want to go. So, Mom and Dad had a leisurely lunch on board in the nice sit down restaurant. Then we felt like we should get off the ship, so we headed off and went to Senor Frog’s just for an appetizer and drinks. Then we headed back to the ship and picked up the kids so they could go swimming finally in the Mickey Pool. They had a good time. But, it was really hot. It was pretty deceiving up on the pool deck though because it was so windy…but it was really hot. The rest of the day, we just lounged around (Isn’t that what you are supposed to do when you are on vacation?) That night, there was a Hercules show in the big theater. Mom, Dad and Shelby went to this—but we left after two songs…it was terrible. Shelby wanted to go to the kids club and Evan was already there. So, Mom and Dad just went up on deck. Then we picked up the kids around 11pm and put them to bed. They were tired.

DAY FOUR – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2006

This was going to be a good day. Castaway Cay day (Disney’s private island). Looking forward to seeing the island after hearing great things about it!!!

Stay tuned for more update…..I have to go and do the nightly jobs..make lunches, pack backpacks, put out clothes, etc.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2006 9:36PM EDT

Shelby's visit to the oncologist for her monthly check-up went really well. She got the all clear for her ears so the infection cleared up after the antibiotics. Here were her counts:

WBC: 9.79
Neut: 5.05
RBC: 4.51
Plt: 291
HgB: 13.6

Her highest counts ever! Wow! You'd never know she ever had leukemia. She has pretty normal counts. The doctor said she is doing great.

Both kids enjoyed their first day back at school (after missing six due to the vacation). They both had a lot of homework to make up--but they love doing it. They were glad to be back with their friends today--but it sure is cold here!!! It's hard going from 92 degrees to 35 degrees!

I was able to post some new pictures--please click on view photos if you'd like to see them!

I promise I will try to do an update on our vacation by the end of this weekend when I have some more free time! Thanks for checking in..keep checking in...I will update!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2006 7:36PM CDT

WE ARE BACK! We survived our very long vacation. We have never been on a vacation that lasted 10 days before (except for our honeymoon) and we survived! The kids had a wonderful time! Shelby is feeling great...and it was a terrific family vacation.

As I am in the middle of four loads of laundry and unpacking right now, just wanted to give a quick update. I have downloaded all 175 photos and will pick out some to post on this site.

Shelby is also off to the doctor tomorrow for her monthly check-up, so I will post more tomorrow night with more details from trip. Thanks for checking in on us!!!

Sunday, October 8, 2006 6:41 PM CDT

Wow! I'm actually updating the webpage early! Actually I have so much to do at work tomorrow--didn't think I would get a chance to do it and I know there are a few faithful few who wait for our updates. So here goes...

Shelby is doing well. She is a little congested and coughing a little--but who isn't with this weather change all the time. 75 degrees today and they say snow by the end of the week...well, this is Michigan! She is doing fine, though. She has been sleeping in this weekend trying to get caught up on her sleep and get ready for our big trip!

Last week went by pretty smoothly. They both had a terrific time at soccer. They only have one more week and they are starting 1/2 hour earlier since it is getting dark so early. Boy, that is a long hour and a half when I am sitting there with them (and cold!) Last week, I fortunately took along some letters and brochures that I was able to sit and stuff while they were practicing. Then we did our traditional visit to Baskin Robbins after. The kids get such a kick out of that.

Saturday, we went over to some friends from work for dinner and the kids had a great time and we watched the Tiger win...go Tigers! Sunday, I had my first Camp Organizing Committee meeting for Camp Quality (www.campqualityusa.org) I was really excited that 12 people showed up. We are starting to organize the camp to be held July 8-13, 2007 at Camp Copneconic in Fenton. Things are starting to roll along.

This week is going to be a little busy again! No doctor appointments scheduled. Shelby has Brownies again this Wednesday and now she is ready..has the vest, has the shirt, has the socks, has the tights, has the headband. She is ready to go. She is excited because they get to wear their uniform to school all day then they meet after from 3-5. Evan will have choir on Tuesday and Wednesday morning this week...then their last soccer on Friday and Saturday at 5am we will leave for the airport. Somewhere in between, Mommy will have to find time to do all the packing. Somehow, it will all get done!!

Shelby's Disney countdown chain is really small now. She is getting really excited. I don't really think either one of them really knows what to expect on the cruise. They have seen the video and the pictures...but until they really see it up close. Can't wait! Video camera, camera, etc. will all be ready! I picture a few extremely tired kids coming up next week that will just want to keep going! We'll see. I'm looking forward to getting away too..although I can't remember when I have taken six days off (in a row) from work. It has been a long time. I won't be looking forward to returning to work!

I have been busy with the Camp Quality stuff. I have a mailing going out to over 80 hospitals, doctors, social workers to help get the word out. I'm not so worried about finding campers..I think the companions is going to be harder. To find someone who is willing to give up one week of their life to spend with a child. Hopefully all my committee members will be able to help find them too!

Tom's business is rolling along. We did all the financial stuff--setting up the corporation, getting the software, etc. He is starting to study for his builders license which he hopes to take in November sometime. He seems really excited to be doing this new "venture". He certainly is more relaxed and has more time to spend with the kids (in fact, he is quite the Mr. Mom making sure the kids get to school). That has really helped out because I have been really busy between work, home and the camp stuff and the PTA stuff and the Cub Scout stuff. But, somehow, it gets done.

Well, that's about it. Don't know if I will update again before we leave. We will be gone from Saturday, 10/14 until Monday, 10/23. If you stopped by to visit, please leave a note in Shelby's guestbook. She loves to hear the messages--and thank you to those faithful ones that always stop by to see what we are up to!!!

Sunday, October 1, 2006 8:32 PM CDT

Hello to everyone! Doing the update on Sunday evening this week instead of Monday morning--have lots to do at work this week!

Shelby is feeling great. She had a nice, relaxing weekend. Played with a lot of her dolls. In fact we had to take the Itty Bitty Twins with us out to dinner tonight. Shelby even made sure they were strapped into the seatbelt in the backseat of the car. The rest of the weekend, she spent playing "hairdresser" to her dolls. She had the squirt bottle, the combs, the hair ties and everything. It kept her occupied a long time!

The kids had a great week last week. Shelby had her first Brownies meeting of the year and she is so excited. Originally she only wanted the brownie vest...now I have to go and buy her the entire Brownie outfit--$70! Oh well, she will wear it for 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade so she will get her use out of it--every two weeks they have meetings. Of course I keep asking her...are you sure.... Friday night was soccer and they had fun, as usual. They seem to love running around and doing drills for 90 minutes every Friday night while Mom or Dad sits on the sidelines in complete boredom!! Saturday night, Tom and I went to our first Camp Quality fundraiser and I had to do my first public speech about the Camp. This isn't really so hard when you believe in it as much as I do. Plus, having a daughter with cancer...really adds a lot of credibility to the speech and makes people listen. This was called CARDS FOR KIDS and it was the 1st Annual. It was a Euchre tournament. There were probably about 100 people there (not all played cards--but they had to pay to be there). I think they raised at least $6,000. A lot of people bought a lot of raffle tickets and they had some wonderful prizes that were donated. They also had beer, wine, pizza, subs and a chocolate fountain that were all donated. It was a really nice event. I was able to get some volunteers signed up too who are interested in helping with the camp.

Things on tap this week...not too much. The usual...Evan has choir (which he loves), catechism, Evan has Cub Scout Meeting, soccer on Friday and the school is having their Fun Run to raise money. On Saturday night, we are going over a friends house for a BBQ and then on Sunday, we are having our first Camp Quality Camp Organizing Committee meeting at our house. Not sure how many are going to show up...but we are going to start brainstorming about the camp and different ideas. I am really excited! Somewhere in between all this I hopefully, will find time to start packing for the Disney Cruise and trip. Lots to think of. I'm going to try to pack everyone two sets of luggage--one for the cruise (Sat-Thurs) then after the cruise (Thurs pm-Monday). Pretty crazy. The kids are counting down the days. They get so excited when they get to take a link off of their Disney chain!

Other than that...things are rolling along. Busy as usual but we are all getting by. Life is really back to normal. It still amazes me every time I look at Shelby and remember everything that she went through. She truly is an inspiration and such a happy child!!!

Well, hope everyone has a great week. Will update more as things happen.....thanks for checking in.

Monday, September 25, 2006 12:05 AM CDT

Day 198 Off-treatment

We just returned from the normal monthly clinic visit. Shelby’s counts are excellent:

WBC: 7.27
Neut: 3.10
RBC: 4.85
Hgb: 14.3
Plt: 266

She is doing wonderful. We got to see Dr. Main, who is the head Oncologist and we haven’t seen him in over six months. He is always nice to talk with. She is doing really well. She is really tall and really skinny now—amazing what not having to go steroids every month will do for you!

The kids are off of school today for Teacher Development Day and it is a beautiful day outside. I came in to work this afternoon and Tom is home with the kids. Before I came to work, I had to take Shelby to her favorite restaurant for lunch…Noodles. She only gets mac and cheese—but she says it is her favorite!!!

Last week was busy…I had something every night after work. Evan’s curriculum night went really well. It is always neat to see where they sit and spend their day and hear about the things they will be doing. Friday night, the kids had their soccer. Of course, it was drizzly and yucky outside and it was my turn to take them. Yuck! But, the kids had a great time and we went out for ice cream on the way home. Tom’s hike on Saturday was cancelled because we were supposed to get really bad storms—and then it was ok to hike. Oh well, he was able to get some more projects finished around the house. There are always lots of those. On Sunday, we went to Cousin Elizabeth’s 9th birthday party. The kids always have fun with all their cousins.

Tom finished a bathroom tile job last week for one of my co-workers. She loved it! So, now he is drumming up new business and things he can work on. So many things to do when you are setting up a business. It is nice now that we have turned the 4th bedroom into a “real” office. So I can do my camp things and Tom can do his business things there and it is a dedicated area. Just have to keep it clean and things filed away (hint to Tom!)

Things on tap this week…tonight Elizabeth and Kendall are coming over, tomorrow, the kids start catechism in the evening, Evan has Choir in the morning (he wanted to sign up), I have to go to Shelby’s curriculum night tomorrow night. So, I will finally get to meet her teacher. I have talked to her on the phone, but have never meet face to face. I am looking forward to that. On Wednesday, Shelby starts Brownies for the year, can’t remember right now what Thursday is and then on Friday, the kids have soccer again. Pretty crazy. Always lots going on—but the kids are having lots of fun doing everything! Saturday night, we are going to a fundraiser for Camp Quality called Cards for Kids. It is a Euchre tournament in Southfield. Should be nice. I think there are over 75 people signed up. This will be first “official” speaking engagement as Camp Director. I love sharing the message of this camp though, so it is not hard.

Other big news….only 2 ½ more weeks until we leave for our Disney trip. We will be leaving on Saturday, 10/14 and then the Disney Cruise is Sunday-Thursday. Then on Thursday, we will be staying at the Nickelodean Hotel and then Friday-Monday we are staying at the Hyatt Grand Cypress. We are going to try to visit Give Kids the World (www.gktw.org) if we have time on Friday since we never got to see it during her wish trip due to the Hurricane. Then on Saturday, we will visit Magic Kingdom and on Sunday, we will visit MGM. The kids are looking forward to dinner at Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary Resort on Saturday night (right before the parade and fireworks.) Shelby has a Disney chain where she takes off one link for every day until we get there. She is so excited!

Shelby doesn’t go back to the doctor again until Tuesday, October 24. Thanks for checking in on us and reading out our mundane life. Please leave a message if you get a chance! Shelby loves it when I read them to her.
Thank you go Angel Karen for always leaving your messages too!!!

Monday, September 18, 2006 8:56 AM CDT

Day 191 Off-treatment

Another week gone by (and where did it go??) Shelby continues to thrive in First Grade. She enjoyed her calendar person job and this week…snack bin helper job. She is so excited. The littlest things excite them! With only 18 children in the class and I think there are 6 or 7 jobs—she will probably get one a week.

Health update…she continues to feel really well. As long as she gets her rest..she seems to be doing ok. She constantly amazes me at her strength and determination in life!!!

Busy this past weekend. Friday night, the kids had their soccer from 6pm-7:30pm. Tom ended up taking them because I had a jewelry party to go to. They had a great time. Then on Saturday, I spent most of the day packing up my desk in the downstairs den to get ready to move it upstairs. Then I helped Tom carry the desk up stairs. It is a big desk that comes apart into about 7 pieces—and really heavy. Carrying that up a circular stairway was not fun! Only one ding the wall though—so we did pretty good. Saturday night, Tom went to his 20 year high school reunion (last minute decision) so I took the kids out to eat and then I brought the kids to work with me and let them play computer games (they were in heaven!) Then I worked on moving my stuff at work into an office (after 11 years!!) The kids were very helpful at plugging in plugs and climbing behind the desk. Shelby even helped me shred a whole bunch of stuff. She was really good at it—my little helper! Sunday, more work continued unpacking the desk upstairs. We actually ended up with over 7 bags of garbage…why we saved a warranty from 12 years ago and we don’t even have that item anymore is beyond me! At least I had good systems at one point!!! The upstairs “office” looks really nice now. A few more things to get..one more lamp…but it is getting there. Waiting for cellular shade and valance to arrive. Tom is now “resurrecting” the downstairs den to make it “his” room. He promptly made sure the TV was set up and his chair was in the right space. Evan and Shelby made a big fort in the entire living room over the weekend. They used all the dining room chairs and covered it with a sheet—and Shelby insisted it had to be a sheet with elastic corners!! Then she brought down over 50 stuffed animals. Shelby then proclaimed it her “Game Boy/DayCare/Tent” place for her and Evan. It was cute…but it kept them occupied.

Things on tap this week…tonight the brick paver man is coming over to have us sign final papers to do the front walk, side of the house walk and back porch area. Tomorrow night, I have a PTA meeting, Wednesday night we are going to our friend Steve’s open house for his floral company, Thursday night I have curriculum night for Evan’s 3rd grade class and then Friday night—soccer. Saturday is our first free day—but Tom is going on a hike with all his friends from his Grand Canyon Hike. So, it is a pretty busy week—something going every single night—that’s our life!

Big news…Tom has decided to start his own home improvement business. He assures me he can make it work and he is really good at doing it. He certainly had had a lot of practice! So, we’ll see. It definitely would allow him more “at home” and “family” time that he missed a lot over the past years working so many hours in the retail business. So, we’ll see how he does. He already has put out a couple quotes and done a few little jobs here and there. So, we’ll see!! We are working on getting the name and setting up the S Corp.

Still working on the Camp Quality camp. Thank you to Terry Ornsten—her son was recently diagnosed and she has offered to help. You can visit her son’s website at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/jpo She has been very helpful in digging up volunteers. Please visit the camp website and let me know if you know of anyone that may want to help or can recommend anyone for the camp. www.campqualityusa.org I finally received all my business cards and letterhead so now I can start contacting hospitals and other organizations and start spreading the word. I have a conference call next Thursday to firm up the final details of the camp location then I’m off. First committee meeting will be on Sunday, 10/8 at our house.

Shelby returns to the doctor on Monday, September 25 (the kids have no school) and Evan is supposed to have a Cub Scout Den meeting that day. Shelby is just going for a regular check-up. That’s it for now…I’ll post more as more happens…but we sure are just a normal family lately! That is nice!!!!

Monday, September 11, 2006 10:14 AM CDT

Day 184 Off-treatment

Time for a pretty uneventful update (which isn’t necessary bad!) Shelby is REALLY enjoying first grade. She is super excited this week because she gets to be the calendar person for the whole week in first grade. She was so excited! So, we’ll see how her week goes! Health update…she has been feeling great. You know your kid is almost normal again when she cuts her finger and you don’t have to wait forever for it to stop bleeding! She cut her hand on a ceramic bank that she accidentally broke. She didn’t even know she had cut it until she looked down and there was blood.

This past weekend we were busy around the house doing “clean up” activities. On Saturday, I thought the kids were going to kill each other. It was a rainy day so they were forced to do inside activities. They sure don’t expend enough energy doing indoor activities! Got a lot done though. Family room was cleaned out and worked on cleaning out downstairs den getting ready for move upstairs. On Sunday, we took the kids to get their Halloween costumes. Always try to get a jump on it before they get too busy or sold out of things. Shelby was super excited to find the costume that she had found online! Elina from Barbie Mermaidia. Evan is going to be a ninja warrior. The only bad thing was when Shelby got her costume home, it was missing the wings! So, I have to go back and exchange it! Can’t be a fairy without wings. That didn’t stop Shelby from wearing it around the house yesterday! After the costume outing, we took the kids to the cider mill. We just went to Yates (which is close to our house.) Reason being, every time we drive by it in the winter, the water wheel isn’t turning and they know it isn’t open. So, when the wheel starts turning, they want to go. So, we went and had our usual cider and doughnuts. They really need to do something about all those bees that love to congregate at cider mills! Otherwise, it was nice. It certainly was a fall day for this activity.

Tom finished painting the upstairs den. He installed crown molding and finished painting it. So, last night, Tom and I put up the wallpaper border. It looks really nice. I am going to go today to buy the pleated shade. Tom wanted to move the desk and stuff today—but I told him to wait until next weekend so I can pack up the desk stuff—it is really messy now.

Kids started their Fab Fridays soccer program this past Friday. It is six Fridays from 6pm-7:30pm. They love it! They break the kids up by ages and they work on skill development then finish with a quick scrimmage and the coaches do some fun tricks at the end.

Things on tap this week….I have a MEAP meeting on Wednesday night, Evan has his first Cub Scout Pack meeting on Thursday night, soccer on Friday night. Tom is getting together with his Hike For Discovery pals on Saturday for a hike and then on Sunday, I am hoping to come into work to move around my furniture in the office I am moving into. Need Tom to help! In between, laundry will get done, house cleaned, etc., etc.

I have been busy working on the Camp Quality camp. Getting committee organized and meeting schedule set up. If you know of anyone that has or had cancer, age 4-18, please have them go to website www.campqualityusa.org and they can connect with the local camp in their area. Please help spread the word..this is such a great program!

Shelby returns to the doctor on Monday, September 25 (the kids have no school—those darn professional development days). This is just a regular check-up.

Tuesday, September 5, 2006 7:05 PM CDT

Shelby's first day of school (well a 1/2 day) is over! She survived her first day as a first grader. She was so excited to get to school. She left proudly with her backpack--homework done and her bag of school supplies and we walked her to school. She was so excited to take her place at her desk in the classroom. I was excited to learn that there are only 18 children in her classroom! She was very happy to learn that Katherine, her friend from kindergarten, K-Club and SAC (School Age Care) was sitting right next to her. The morning got even better when it was time to find out where their cubbies were to hang their backpacks, coats and stuff. She was #18 out of 18 so she got the last cubbie---and doesn't have to share with anyone. She was so excited. You see, as kindergarteners, they don't get cubbies...so this was a big thrill for her.

When I went to pick her up, she had the biggest smile on her face from ear to ear with excitement from her first day. She was so happy. I hope this excitement lasts. When I just put her to bed tonight, I asked her if she was going to bounce up tomorrow morning like she did this morning. She said yes! But, I reminded her that she wanted to go to morning SAC at 7am when they open--so she would be getting up at 6:20am for time to eat breakfast. She said she would.

After her 1/2 day today, we went to the dentist for our 65 month cleaning appointments. As usual, Shelby did wonderful! She thought she only had two loose teeth, but the hygenest found two more--so that is a total of FOUR LOOSE TEETH in Shelby's mouth. She was so excited. But, then it was Evan's turn...and he found out he had two loose tooth and they were looser than Shelby's. So, he was happy about that! Evan was able to get flouride today--last time it was a disaster and he couldn't keep the trays in. Today, he tried...but the hygenist finally just painted the flouride on. Better than none at all!

After the dentist, we took the kids to the Pizza Hut buffet. They always love going here. On Tuesday nights they also have a balloon man that makes balloon animals. Tonight, Shelby got a horse and Evan got a bow and arrow. (The little things that get them excited!)

Shelby only has three days left of our Bactrim. This is the antibiotic that is intended to boost her immune system. She has had to continue it for six months since the end of her treatment. She takes 1/2 pill morning and night---so on Friday morning--she will be all done taking pills!! (Except for her vitamins which she proudly picked out at the store last week since she can now take them.) I also had to tell her that she has to go back to the pediatrician to get her five year old shots that she couldn't have when she was on treatment. So, I have to make that appointment for her. They also will need to test her to make sure her original shots are still intact. Sometimes the levels of chemo can destroy their effectiveness.

The rest of the week...they will continue school--full days. Friday night, they both start their WAZA Fab Friday's Soccer Club. This is a development soccer session. It is six weeks for 1 1/2 hours each Friday with kids their own age. It should be fun. Evan did it two years ago and loved it.

No big plans this weekend. Continuing to work on the house. Tom was able to finish the wood floor in the fourth bedroom (or the up-den as we are calling it). This will become our office upstairs so Tom can turn the downstairs den into his entertainment room (some day!) It looks really nice. It was painted in a color called "Wine Tasting" and now the wood floors are re-done. Today I went and ordered some wallpaper border for it. The border looks like a french street scene. Should be really nice. Just have to order the pleated shade and Tom has to install the new closet door. Then we can move the furniture, computer, etc. and get it ready.

I continue to work on Camp Quality (www.campqualityusa.org). Things are rolling along. I have my Camp Organizing Committee just about in place and we are going to arrange our meetings. I need to finalize the budget numbers and get the contract for the camp. Looks like camp will be July 8-13, 2007 at Camp Copneconic in Fenton, MI. It should be lots of fun. We have a fundraiser to go to on 9/30. For any of you in the Michigan area...check it out at http://campquality.squarespace.com for more information on how you can help. Tom and I will be attending this event on behalf of the camp.

That's about it...I'll post more as it happens. Shelby has been feeling great and looks and acts like any normal child. Please sign Shelby's guestbook and let us know you stopped by!

Saturday, September 2, 2006 - 1:59PM EST

Shelby survived another clinic visit yesterday and Tom took her! (Probably only about the 5th time through the whole diagnosis!) She did great. Her counts were:

WBC: 6.69
Neut: 2.76
RBC: 4.86
HgB: 14.4
Plt: 263

One potential scare, the dreaded word "blasts" showed up next to her neutrophil count reading. But the doctor told Tom that it was probably wrong because the counts were so high. Even so, they have to take a drop of blood and make a microscope slide and look at it to be sure that there aren't any blasts there. (For those of you that may not know, blasts could indicate the leukemia returning.) So, we didn't get a call back....so everything should be fine. Shelby is doing great. I took both kids to Olan Mills this morning to get some really cute pictures done. They will be back on 9/20 so I can post them then! Today we are going over to Uncle Tim's house for a pool party and BBQ (even though it is only 70 degrees outside and gray.) The kids will still swim! Tom is working on refinishing the wood floors right now. He is doing our 4th bedroom upstairs--which is going to be an office and he is also doing one of Aunt Jeanette's bedrooms. So he is taking the equipment between houses. So far, so good. The sanding is almost done, then he will do the clear coating. It looks really nice so far. It is a big project though. After this, we just have our master bedroom to do..but that will be another time. The rest of the weekend, nothing "official" planned. I have lots of organizing stuff to do and the kids are excited to get their backpacks packed!

MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2006 10:54AM CDT

Day 170 Off-treatment

Loose tooth update: Shelby has her two front teeth loose. No action over the weekend. As I mentioned before, she doesn’t seem as obsessed with her loose teeth as her brother always is. She just smiles when you ask her if her teeth are still loose.

The kids finished their Day Camp last week at Troy. They were sad to see it end but I know that they are excited that school is starting. They had a wonderful time at the roller rink. Today they are at a 3 day Mad Science camp from 9am-3pm. I took them at 9am and then Dad is going to pick them up at 3pm. I was a little mad when I got there because I had gone on-line as soon as the course was announced (back in MARCH) and I signed them up and paid. And we got there this morning and they weren’t on the list!!! Luckily, the lady in the office pulled up our registration and they were fine. So much for trying to be efficient!! On Thursday and Friday this week, they will be home with Dad! Aunt Denise is going to come over with the kids on Thursday and rag roll our upstairs den (which is going to be our home office). The downstairs den was getting too cramped—when at times four of us were crammed into this room! So, she is going to do it in a nice burgundy color and then Tom is going to refinish the wood floors this weekend. He is also going to do Jeanette’s wood floors in Elizabeth’s room.

The weekend was pretty uneventful. The weather was just horrible so the kids were inside most of the weekend. We were able to get out for a big on Saturday—we went out in search of Halloween costumes—but there were not very many out yet—again, I try to plan ahead and it doesn’t work out! We did end up at Kohl’s and got some school shopping done. They didn’t need too much, but Shelby got three pairs of pants and two tops and Evan got three tops and two pants. And they tried them on the at the store and assured me they would wear them. We’ll see! They seem to change their minds when they come back from the wash after the tags are off! I went and checked out two possible camp locations for Camp Quality yesterday. Today I have a conference call to make more plans.

Shelby returns to the doctor on Friday, September 1 for her monthly check-up. Daddy is going to take her (why not..he has only taken her about 5 times to the doctor!) That way I can save one of my vacation days!!! I think Tom is a little nervous—but there isn’t anything to do—she only has to get a fingerpoke, get an exam and then she is done!!

The kids start school on Tuesday and they have a ½ day. I am going to take the day off so we can all take them to school and then the kids and I have a dentist appointment. No big plans for this weekend. Tom is going to work on the floors—I have lots of “piles” I need to get cleaning up!! Hope everyone is enjoying the summer as it fades away. As always, thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family!

Friday, August 25, 2006

Loose tooth update: Shelby not only has one loose tooth...but two of them and.....they are her two front teeth! When Evan found out he asked Shelby why he always has to copy him (because he currently has no front teeth.) We'll keep you posted.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2006 8:25AM CDT

Day 164 Off-treatment

I apologize again…another late update this week. As I mentioned, it was going to be a crazy weekend again. Here goes….on what we did.

After a busy two days home without the kids (filled with Cub Scout Committee Meetings and then on Wednesday, our best friend in the world, Steve (and his wife Kim) had their first baby, Ashley Marie…so we were able to go over and visit them in the hospital.) we headed back up north to Harbor Springs on Thursday afternoon. Tom and I dropped Denise and the kids off at the grandparents house then headed back up to the house in Harbor Springs for Thursday night. Friday, we arrived at the camp by 9am and spent the whole day (until 9pm) at the camp observing the activities and seeing all the fun things that were going on. I had a lot of time to speak with Eleanor to gain more insight on my new job as Camp Director for Lower Michigan. On Saturday morning, we returned to the camp by 9am and then the kids were able to leave by 10:00a.m. After loading up all the stuff they had. Unbelieveable how much the accumulated and all the things that they made are were given. A huge thank you to Amy and Ian, Shelby and Evan’s companions for the week. They truly are special people to give up a week out of their life to dedicate 100f their time to our children. They really made the camp special.

Some of the things Shelby did were….ceramics, archery, fishing, swimming, crafts, she did the zip line, she climbed the rock tower (indoor and out), she went horse back riding and out for a boat ride. Evan enjoyed the archery the most. In fact, every time he would hit the target, he would get a bead..he was so proud he accumulated 21 beads. The arts and crafts ladies helped him make it into a necklace that he wears proudly. I can’t wait to get going on arranging the camp down here and finding campers and companions for next year. It is such a worthwhile effort. I am currently recruiting people that want to be on the Committee with me. So, if you are reading this and you have any interest at all, please e-mail me and let me know!! You can check out the camp information at: www.campqualityusa.org

On Saturday, we headed over to Alden to see the grandparents and all the cousins and aunts and uncles. We spent the day there and then on Sunday, we all had brunch at the Grand Traverse Resort. Uncle Ron came in from Colorado to surprise MaryAnn. Then Ron was going to be staying up north until Wednesday, so Tom decided to stay up there (he didn’t have to come home to work—so why not!) It isn’t often that he can do that. So, I drove home with the kids on Sunday evening and the fun part began (not!) All the mounds of laundry. I couldn’t believe all the sand. And then, the worst part, I went to find my bleach to return their socks to white…and I was out. Luckily, my next door neighbor had some I could borrow. Saved and the stuff is white again!

Loose tooth update: It is still loose. It’s still wiggling..but she isn’t as obsessed with her loose tooth as Evan gets with his! Evan also has another loose one on the bottom and his two front ones that fell out are slowly reappearing. Maybe by Christmas he’ll have his back.

This is the kids final week at the Troy Care Company camp. Shelby was super excited because today and tomorrow are BOX DAY at camp. So I have been saving all sorts of boxes for the past month and today is the day she gets to make something out of them. She mentioned something about a robot…but I had to remind her it has to fit in the van! They are excited to go on their final field trip this Friday to the roller skating rink. Evan is a good roller skater and Shelby has been practicing so we will see how that goes.

Next Week, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, they are going to a 3 day Mad Science camp where every day is a different theme. Then on Thursday and Friday they are home with Daddy. No camps left---getting ready to start school the following Tuesday. I am going to be taking Tuesday off to get them off to school.

Shelby returns to the doctor on Friday, September 1 for her monthly check-up. I think Daddy is going to take her (why not..he has only taken her about 5 times to the doctor!) That way I can save one of my vacation days!!! We’ll see.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer as it fades away. As always, thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006 8:00 AM CDT

Day 156 Off-treatment

First off…to those of you that faithfully check in on our family on Monday mornings…I apologize for taking a little longer to get the weekly recap of our lives up there! We have been super busy. The kids finished out their week last week and it was a long week. Then I had to do the packing for them to go to camp. I couldn’t believe how much stuff they had. It wasn’t so back until I had to make room for the beach towels, shower towels and washcloths. Pretty packed. But, we made it all fit! (Pillowcases work well for stashing things too!)

Shelby received a phone call from her companion on Thursday. Her name is Amy. Shelby had a lot of fun talking to her on the phone. She lives in Houghton, Michigan and attends Saginaw Valley. She had been working at another summer camp all summer and now was heading over to Camp Quality. She was actually a camper at Camp Quality for 10 years and now has been a companion for the past three. That is so neat!! So, Shelby enjoyed talking to her and made her a lot more excited to go.

We headed up on Saturday. One of my co-workers owns two houses in Harbor Springs, so he let us stay at one of them. He invited us over for dinner at his other house since they were also up north that weekend. That was nice. They also have two children, so the kids played croquet and we had dinner, then went for ice cream in downtown Harbor Springs.

On Sunday morning, I arrived at the camp at 7:45a.m. All of the staff and companions were to arrive early to have a staff training, recap of the week to come and to do initial set-up. It was truly fascinating. Eleanor West, the current director for the north Michigan events, introduced me to everyone as the new director for the lower Michigan camp. I had to give a speech and tell people our plans. Then I stayed the rest of Sunday and part of the day on Monday to observe what goes on at Camp Quality. It was amazing to walk around and speak with the campers and the companions…to find out how they became interested in Camp Quality and why they keep coming back each year. Every person I spoke with..was more amazing and more inspiring. I am in total awe that these individuals will give up a week of their life to spend the time with these amazing children. It is a big commitment too! As a companion, you do everything with your camper..you are glued to them. If the camper wants to swim, the companion has to go in the lake with them (even though there is a lifeguard), if the camper wants to rest, the companion rests and at 10:00pm, it is lights out for everyone. The companions sleep in the top bunks and the campers are in the bottom bunks. I was also surprised to see the age range of companions from 18-80! It was truly inspiring and amazing. I am so fortunate that I can become involved with this camp. I am so excited about the opportunities and I can’t wait to really make a difference in so many people’s lives.

So on Sunday afternoon, I returned to the house to pick up the kids. All the way back to the camp (it was about a half hour drive) Shelby kept asking if we were there yet. It was so cute…I was so glad that they were so excited. When we arrived at the camp, the first stop was the welcome/check-in tent. There they reviewed all the forms and got medically checked, pictures taken and goodie bags given. Their companions were there to meet them and from that point on, they were with them. Evan met Ian and seemed a little shy at first, Shelby met Amy and immediately was quite talkative. Usually Shelby acts really shy around people but then she opens up. This was not the case with Amy. I think it really helped that they had “met” on the phone previously in the week. It took away a lot of the apprehension. So, their journey began!!

It was so neat to see the kids. I tried to stay in the background and let my kids be normal campers. I went among the arts and crafts activities, visited the archery range, saw the pottery, rock building. Everyone was having so much fun! I know the kids are going to have a wonderful experience. And the neat thing is that Evan will do totally different things from Shelby…..although Shelby had signed up to go fishing and to get a Reiki massage! Pretty crazy..my little adventurer!!!

We are heading back up on Thursday afternoon. We are going to drop Denise and the kids off at the grandparents house then head back up to the house in Harbor Springs for Thursday night. Friday I was going to spend most of the day again at the camp. Then Saturday morning, we have to pick up the kids at 10:00am. Then we are going to head over to Grand Traverse Resort for the one night. On Sunday morning, we are going to have Brunch at the hotel with Tom’s parents and his family to celebrate his Mom’s 70th birthday. Then we will head home on Sunday with our loads of laundry!!

Loose tooth update: It is still loose. She is having fun wiggling it…but I think it will take a while longer before it falls out!!!

So, that is what is going on. Here I thought I would have lots of free time with the kids gone…but on the way back on Monday, we stopped at another camp to check out for a location for next summer’s camp, then I worked on Tuesday and on Tuesday night, had a cub scout committee meeting to plan the whole year (that was 2 hours) then tonight we have a meeting with our insurance guy and the brick paver man is coming back with his final quote. Then tomorrow, I am going to work a ½ day and then we are heading up north. So much for any “free” time-I don’t think I got anything done around the house!! Oh well…it is so much more important to be a part of this camp and see everything that is going on so I can do my best to make a great camp for Lower Michigan.

Thanks for checking in on all of us. The kids will return on Sunday, then they have one more week of summer camp in Troy and their final field trip will be roller skating next Friday. Then the next week for Mon-Wed, they will attend a Mad Science camp where they can be inventors for the week. Then they will be off on Thursday and Friday and school starts on the Tuesday after Labor Day.

Please sign the guestbook so we know you were here! Hope everyone is enjoying the summer!!!!

Tuesday, August 8, 2006 6:00pm EST

Just returned from clinic visit. Shelby is doing really good. Her counts were:

WBC: 7.21
Neut: 3.19
RBC: 4.60
Hgb: 13.6
Plt: 231

Everything checked out well and she's off the hook for another month. Once again, the oncologist wasn't concerned about her bruising--even though she clearly had more than 8 all over her legs. She's just a rough kid!

Other big news today...Shelby's top front tooth is loose! This would be her third tooth (she already lost and grew back the bottom two!) I feel bad for Evan because as soon as he loses one, Shelby is right behind him--he never gets his moment to shine!

Excitement building at our house for the kids to go to Camp Quality on Sunday. They are so excited. Shelby's companion called tonight so we are going to call her back so the two can talk! I'll post more next week.

MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2006

Day 147 Off-treatment

Shelby’s health update…she’s doing pretty good. There are lots of bruises all over her legs and the doctors keep telling me it is just her normal activity because the bruises are only on her legs. We’ll see. She returns to the clinic tomorrow (Tuesday, 8/8) for her monthly check. I’ll post her blood counts on Wednesday.

The kids had a great final week at the Rochester Day Camp. They liked the Sloan Museum and their space camp theme was a lot of fun. Shelby made some neat projects. Evan of course, continued to pick Gym and Game Room for his choices—heaven forbid he try to do a craft that he might like!!

The kids had fun at Evan’s last baseball game (while the game got called off due to high heat index) but they still had a pool party at the coaches home. It was a nice time. Glad to have baseball over. It became a lot to have two games per week for all of June and July. Evan has expressed interest in doing Little League next year—so if he does, that starts in April-June.

Shelby had her last cheerleading class and the “show” for the parents. It was nice—quick. She did really good. They also did some tumbling too. Of course, Shelby was the loudest cheerer!!! It was cute and of course we had to go out to dinner after to “celebrate” her wonderful cheerleading!

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. We celebrated my birthday last Friday (the “big” one!) But—age is a state of mind!! We went out to dinner, but the dinner was actually awful and they ended up paying for the dinner plus giving us $20 in gift certificates to come back again! On Saturday, I took the kids over to visit with my cousin Kim and her new baby, Grace. She also has Gage and Kailyn (who are Evan and Shelby’s age). It was nice visiting with her. You forget how little babies are!!! She was a cutie! Then after that, we went to Aunt Michelle’s house. Cousin Adam had been collecting large rocks for me from the field next to him. We ended up making a rock circle under our other maple tree in the front yard. So yesterday, I spent the afternoon moving the landscape rocks out of there and making the rock circle and getting dirt and mulch. It looks really nice! It looks more uniform now (since the other big tree also has a circle under it.) I also made it to the grocery store, which I hadn’t done in a long time—and I finished the school supply shopping for the kids. So, it was a pretty productive weekend!

The kids are back at the camp in Troy this week. It is the space theme there..but they are excited because their field trip is to Pump It Up…this place that has nothing but inflatables. They are also have a chalk drawing competition and sponge tag on Friday (with sponges and water bottles.) Oh what fun to be a kid. They also have pizza day for lunch tomorrow and ice cream man comes on Thursday (they missed this while they were at the other camp.)

The good news….NOTHING TO DO THIS WEEK AFTER WORK! All kids activities are done!! Yeah!!! We are going to spend some time starting to pack the kids for their sleep-away camp. We will leave on Saturday and the kids have to be at the camp by 3pm on Sunday. Evan did hear from his camp companion last week. His name is Ian and he has been volunteering at the camp for 10 years! Evan talked to him for a little while and Evan is really excited to get to camp! Shelby is waiting to hear from her companion but she is excited too!

Other news…I am going to be the Assistant Camp Director of Camp Quality to help them start a camp in Lower Michigan. So, I have begun that process. I am searching for a camp for June, July or August, 2007 right now and hopefully I will find one in the next two weeks. Then I have to fill the Camp Organizing Committee spots. If anyone out there has any interest in doing a great volunteer effort, please call me and we can figure out how you can get involved! It is a fantastic opportunity!! Wouldn’t require much work—only quarterly meetings and then monthly meetings for the three months prior to the camp. Let me know. You can also check out Camp Quality at http://www.campqualitymi.org/ Then the next part will be to visit hospitals and social workers and get the word out that we are opening a new camp down there (it has been run in Northern Michigan for the past 19 years—so we are going to market off of that and do a big 20th anniversary blitz and announce the new Lower Michigan camp). It is going to be fun to help make such a difference in so many children’s lives. The camp is for any child who has, or had, cancer, aged 4-18 and it is completely free of charge for them to attend the camp. There are also other events held throughout the year. Please consider becoming involved!

So, we are going to go up on Saturday. I have to be at the camp on Sunday at 8am to see what happens before camp starts. Then the kids will come at 3pm. Then I will stick around for Sunday evening and most of Monday to see what happens. Then Tom and I will head back on Monday afternoon. We will then go up next Friday after work to Traverse City then drive up Saturday morning to pick up the kids (by 10am). Then we are heading over to the in-laws house to celebrate Mary Ann’s birthday. Jeanette and family and Denise and family are all coming up. Then we will come home on Sunday—but more on that next update.

Thanks again for checking in on us—please take a minute and sign the guestbook and leave your thoughts!

Monday, July 31, 2006 9:01 AM CDT

Day 145 Off-treatment

Shelby’s health update…she is feeling fine. No major complaints. She still sleeps a lot (more than most kids) but the dog days of summer may be wearing on her!

The kids are at day camp in Rochester this week. They LOVE going to camp and all the different activities every day. This week, they are going to the Sloan Museum in Flint on Wednesday. I think they think kids like museums? Or maybe because it is easier to keep track of them then taking them to say a waterpark?? Their theme this week is SPACE. They are excited about that. It is their last week at the Rochester Camp. Next week, they will be at the Troy camp, the week after away at sleep away camp at Camp Quality and then back for one more week in Troy.

Evan’s last baseball game is tonight. It is a make up from a rain out earlier in the season. So happy this is the last one! They are going to have a pool party at the coaches house after the game (like my kids didn’t swim enough over the past weekend?) Tomorrow night is Shelby’s last cheerleading class and her final presentation to the parents so we can see what they have been working on. She is excited—she loves to do shows!!!! I’m going to make Daddy and Evan go too so they can see what she has been doing.

This past weekend was a lot of fun too. We went up to the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City. I had a work meeting (our Educational Conference) from Friday night until Sunday morning. We had two group dinners on Friday and Saturday and a business meeting from 7:30am-12:30pm on Saturday morning. (Unbelieveably, everyone showed up!!!) We ended up getting up there on Thursday about 3pm. Of course the first stop was the pool. They had an indoor and an outdoor pool. So, I took the kids to the indoor pool while Daddy went to the spa for his massage. That night, we just ended up ordering room service and the kids ate in the room. They were whipped from swimming. Friday morning, I got up and went to the spa for a pedicure then to my morning planning meeting with the hotel staff to review the weekend’s activities. After that, we spent the day at the pool. Then from 6-9pm, we had our dinner outside under the pavilion tents. It was nice, but a little warm. Very high bar bills that night!!! Saturday morning, I went to my meeting in the morning and Tom took the kids over to Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson’s house (it is about 20 minutes away). It was actually Alden Days in their town so they went down to the children’s festival. The kids had a great time and they were back at the hotel by 1pm when I was done with my meeting. We then went out miniature golfing. The kids did really good. Evan is way too competitive and Tom was out to win too! It was pretty crazy. They also had bumper boats and go karts there so the kids had fun doing that. After that, it was back to the hotel, a quick swim, and then our other banquet dinner. It was a “Sock Hop Theme” so there was a hula hoop contest, bubble blowing contest, limbo contest and karaoke plus popcorn, hot pretzels, ice cream and lots of food. It worked out really well. Yesterday, we got up later, packed up, ate breakfast, kids had a last swim, then we headed home. We did stop at the outlet stores just to go to the Peppridge Farm store-Evan and Shelby LOVE their cinnamon bread. So we loaded up—tastes great from the freezer. We then had late lunch/early dinner and got home around 5:15pm. Just enough time to get all the laundry caught up and unpacked.

Then today, back to the real world!! The kids were excited to get back to camp this week. It was so cute this morning, Evan’s alarm clock went off and Shelby jumped up too. She said Evan’s clock was too loud and it woke it up. This is a rarity—I usually have to drag her out of bed in the morning because she still wants to sleep—but I think she was anxious to get back to seeing her friends.

Shelby returns to the clinic on Tuesday, August 8 (not the 3rd as previously reported!). Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. They are expecting over 100 degree days today and tomorrow—nice and steamy too! YUCK! Hope everyone stays cool and thank you for taking the time to check in on Shelby and our family! Please leave a short note in her guestbook so we know that you were here! Thanks for checking on us….

Monday, July 24, 2006 9:58 AM CDT

Day 138 Off-treatment

Shelby’s health update…she is feeling fine. No major complaints. She continues to grow really, really tall!!!

The kids are at day camp in Rochester this week. They LOVE going to camp and all the different activities every day. This week, they are going to the Detroit Science Center on Wednesday. They are only going Monday-Wednesday this week, as we are heading up to Traverse City for Thursday-Sunday.

Evan has two baseball games this week. Last week, he played catcher and caught a foul ball and made an out—he was so excited. The other big news…his other front tooth FINALLY fell out over the weekend. We are excited about that—were pretty tired of him having his hands in his mouth all the time! Shelby will also have her cheerleading on Tuesday night—next Tuesday is their big performance!!!!

The past weekend was a lot of run. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Southfield and spent the weekend with Camp Quality. There were probably sixty or so families there and we met a lot of nice people and some of the staff that will be at the kids sleep-away camp coming up August 13-19 in Petoskey at Camp Daggett. We arrived on Friday evening and the kids went swimming. Then we had dinner next door. Saturday morning, we headed to Greenfield Village. The kids actually had a great time. We spent the whole day there and arrived back at the hotel around 5:30pm. Then of course, the kids went swimming again and then we just had pizza in the hotel. Tom went to a party with his hiking buddies and then came back to the hotel. On Sunday morning, we got up and had breakfast..then…went swimming again..then headed to the Tiger game. The kids had a great time. The weather was absolutely fantastic for the weekend. Both days were spectacular..not too hot and a great breeze blowing.

Last night we went to a banquet for Mrs. Becking…she was actually my babysitter from age 5-10!! It was a surprise 70th birthday party. There were probably 75 people there. It was a nice event.

This week…we are heading up to the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City for my work meeting. There are close to 320 people expected from our company. We are going up on Thursday—though our “official meeting” doesn’t start until Friday evening. That way we can have one whole day to ourselves as a family! Then we have a dinner on Friday night then I have a morning meeting on Saturday morning from 6:30am-12:30pm then dinner on Saturday evening. On Sunday, we will head home. Monday is Tom and mine 14th wedding anniversary! Wow…time flies!!!! Don’t think we’ll do anything special—Evan has his last baseball game. Then baseball is over!!! Yeah…it seems like it has gone on forever!!!!!

Shelby returns to the clinic on Thursday, August 3rd. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and as always, thank you so much for taking the time to check in on Shelby and our family! Please leave a short note in her guestbook so we know that you were here! Thanks for checking on us….

Monday, July 17, 2006 9:49 AM CDT

Day 131 Off-treatment

Shelby’s health update…she is feeling fine. No major complaints. She does have a lot of bruising all over both of her legs—but can’t tell if that is normal six year old stuff or what. (Plus she has that birthmark on her left leg so that always looks like a bruise!)

The kids are at day camp in Rochester this week—and their friends from their school are back on the list this week so they are excited to see them again. They are enjoying camp. They were a little sad last Friday when I went to pick them up. They are supposed to go swimming at the high school pool on Friday mornings and apparently they drained the pool! I thought they might have pulled out sprinklers or water balloons…but they didn’t do anything—so the kids spent the day in their bathing suits (with clothes over!)

Evan had his two baseball games and did wonderful at Monday’s game. As I said before, he made all three outs in one inning! He did really good. At their Wednesday night game, they got killed by the other team and hardly anyone got on base and Evan’s team did not score any runs. He was a little sad. Shelby’s cheerleading class is going good. It it hectic picking them up, getting dinner and getting there on time, but we make it! She will have her final performance on Tuesday, August 1 with a show for the parents. She is excited. It is cute to listen to them…she is the most vocal when they are cheering and you can pick out her sweet voice.

Worked on getting estimates to remove the trees in the backyard and replanting. We are also going to put a retaining wall in there. One more estimate tonight and then we can make our decision based on the five estimates. It should make a big difference. We did get the freezer repaired and the good news…as I was digging through my old mortgage documents looking for a copy of our property survey so we know where property lines are, I found my receipt from all my appliances from when we moved into the house three years ago and…I bought a five year warranty on the refrigerator! I was so happy…I thought they would make me use their vendors…but when I called them they said to just use whoever I wanted and then send them the receipt and they would reimburse me. That was great—since it was a $450 repair!!

Things on tap this week….Baseball on Monday and Wednesday and cheerleading on Tuesday. Thursday is free again. This weekend, we are heading over to the Hampton Inn in Southfield to spend the weekend with Camp Quality. We are hoping to get to meet a lot of the people that will be at their sleep-away camp coming up August 13-19 in Petoskey at Camp Daggett. This weekend, we are going to Greenfield Village with the group on Saturday and then on Sunday, they are giving us tickets to the Detroit Tigers game. Should be a lot of fun…plus the hotel has a pool so the kids can go swimming. I hope the heatwave goes away!!

Shelby returns to the clinic on Thursday, August 3rd. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and as always, thank you so much for taking the time to check in on Shelby and our family!

TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2006 8:01AM EST

Even though this is "Shelby's webpage"..wanted to share some great news about Evan. Last night at his baseball game (recreational league), he make all three outs himself in one inning and got 4 hits for the night! he was playing third base and was so excited! Big news!!!!!!

MONDAY, JULY 10, 2006 7:15AM CDT

Day 124 Off-treatment

Shelby’s health update…she is feeling fine. No major complaints. She is still really tired…but it is probably just her schedule. Her counts were all really good last week. She still sleeps a long time at night—but maybe she’s just a kid that needs a lot of sleep.

The kids are back at the camp in Rochester this week—although when I went to sign them in this morning, I didn’t notice any of their friend’s names on the lists. People must still be out of town. Oh well..they’ll still have fun. They will be here until August 7 now then back to Troy for one week. I think they like going to the different places—although Evan was a little sad this morning when they had a sign that said No Gameboys! Troy lets them have them at rest time only and now Rochester won’t at all. I did tell him to leave it at home this morning so we could see—I guess Mom’s know best!

This past Saturday was a busy day. We went to Cousin Jack’s 8th birthday party. He had some friends from school there. It was a nice party. As usual, Aunt Denise went way overboard and had everything all done up. It was a water party so the kids played in the yard. Then we went to Aunt Michelle’s house for a 4th of July celebration later (this seems to be her tradition!) The kids had fun…they swam in the pool and then they had fireworks later. Shelby got really brown from being outside and she had lots of sunscreen on. It was pretty warm…but breezy so deceiving. Sunday, we just hung out around the house. Shelby spent close to three hours playing with her new Itty Bitty Twins from American Girl. She has so much fun with them.

This week, we are back to the crazy (hectic) schedule. Tonight and Wednesday, Evan has baseball games at 6:00pm—so I have to pick them up quickly and get home, change and leave right away. On Tuesday night, Shelby has cheerleading. Thursday is the first night off and I have to try to get the freezer repairman back out because our parts our in (ice maker went on the fritz and blew out a condenser tube or something). I also need to get a tree man out to get an estimate for removing about 10 trees in the back yard along the properly line and then replanting some. Just have to find the time.

Last week, we delivered $1000 in donations to the Beaumont Clinic along with lots of gas and phone cards and 145 beanie babies. They seemed really excited to get them. Kohl’s is also sending an additional $500 to Beaumont too—since the employees “volunteered” to help at the party, the corporation donates the money. They were really a big help! They ran all the kids crafts for me. There is no way I could have done all that!

Well, have to get to work….thanks for popping in and checking up on us. I’ll update as things happen or as usual on Monday mornings!!! Wishing everyone a great week.

Wednesday, July 5, 2006 8:09 AM CDT

Day 117 Off-treatment

What a super long weekend! I ended up getting out of work on Friday at noon—so knowing that my darling children did not want to leave camp that early (I even asked them and they said they wanted to stay because they were having bubble gum blowing contests and hula hoop contests---even though they can’t do either) I hit the stores! I went to Oakland Mall and did four hours of shopping (or wandering!) Had fun then picked up the kids for the long weekend. We didn’t go back to work until today, Wednesday. I was ready to come back. It is hard to be out of the normal routine. It was nice to sleep in for four days straight and I know the kids appreciated being able to stay up late and sleep in. I did enjoy not having to make lunches every day…although it seems when we are home, we just get done with breakfast and then it is time to make lunch! The weather in Michigan was wonderful—only a few drops of rain. I actually was able to get our family room and den carpets cleaned and they sure do look better. Now I am trying to get the kids to come in the house through the garage door instead of right through the family room---it is really hard.

Shelby’s health update…she is feeling fine. No major complaints. She is still really tired…but it is probably just her schedule. I know we were all tired after her party. She goes back to the clinic tomorrow (Thursday) for her monthly off-treatment checkup. I will post on Friday morning her results. See if they changed at all—they have been the same for the past two months.

This week is the kids last week at the camp in Troy (where they also went to preschool). Then they will go to the Rochester camp for five weeks—then to Troy for 2 ½ more. That kind of breaks up their summer and they love the activities going on at both of them and they have friends at both camps.

Nothing planned for the rest of this week, except Shelby’s doctor appointment. Saturday, we are going to Cousin Jack’s 8th birthday party at 10:30am, then Aunt Michelle is having a post-July 4th BBQ at 2:30pm at her house on Saturday. Then, next week…the normal activities (baseball, cheerleading) resume.

The rest of July is pretty busy..the weekend of July 21-23, we are going to event put on by Camp Quality over in Dearborn. Camp Quality is the camp that Shelby and Evan are going to in August. This is called their “Heritage Weekend” and is put on so you can meet the people that are going to be at camp. We are going to meet at a hotel in Southfield and stay there on Friday and Saturday night. On Saturday, they are taking us to Greenfield Village and then on Sunday to the Tigers Game! Then we have a surprise birthday party for my former babysitter. It is a dinner from 5pm-10pm. Then the next week on Thursday, we are heading up to the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City from Thurs-Sunday for my work’s Educational Conference. There are about 300 people going—should be a fun time. Then the kids go off to sleep away camp from August 13-19 at Camp Daggett near Petoskey.

Thanks, as always, for checking in on Shelby and our family (even though some of our adventures are pretty boring). Please sign her guestbook and leave a little note so we know you were here. Thank you!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 8:10am

Update...thank you to everyone for all their generous donations! We were able to raise $1,500 to be donated to the Beaumont Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Scholarships and $250 for the Children's Leukemia Foundation of Michigan and over 800 stuffed animals, beanie babies and unwrapped toys!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2006 9:15AM CDT

Day 108 Off-treatment

Whew! The big celebration party is over! It was a smashing success! There are lots of memorable moments from that day. But I am relieved! It is a lot of work planning a party like that! One thing we are really thankful for is that the weather was spectacular. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day! We had over 200 people come through the party. It was so cute to see the kids running up to their parents saying “look, they have cotton candy, sno cones and popcorn…and it’s free.” The magician was also a big hit with the kids with a lot of kid interaction. I think the kids really enjoyed the crafts/activities too…they had face painting, tattoos, cookie decorating, pom pom puppets, paper puppets and finger puppets..and of course, a moonwalk. There was also a playground right there. It was the perfect place for the party.

THANK YOU to everyone who came and to everyone who donated money or toys! We ended up with a huge box of toys and over $1,300 in donations to the Beaumont Foundation which will be used for pediatric cancer scholarship funds. Thank you also the volunteers from Kohl’s in Shelby Township that came out to help—they did all the crafts and helped with the set-up. Also, to the Henley family..Mary, Tim and Jerry…they are the best concession stand runners around!! Plus they loaned us their generator and tents and Mary made the cutest little hamburger cookies—they were the first dessert off the table.

Shelby had a wonderful time. She was so cute at the start of the party. She had a cute little red jumper on and a Hello Kitty cowboy hat and then she had tied three balloons (one red, one white, and one blue) to her wrist and she was running around. It was so cute to see her. Evan had fun too…my kids were occupied all day trying to play with all their friends that were there. I think there were close to 80 children there—at least 50 of them stayed for the magic show.

A special thank you to the Hausman family..Amy, Kevin, Katarina and Christian. They drove in from Illinois to celebrate with us. Katie also was afflicted with leukemia and happily finished her treatment this year too! You can visit her at www.caringbridge.org/il/katarina Throughout our daughters’ treatments, we had shared e-mails and occasional phone calls…but we had never met. So, it was truly wonderful that they gave up their time to come to our party and it was great to meet them in person—although I felt like I knew them already!

It is so nice to see that so many people care out our Shelby and our family and came out in support of us. There are so many good, caring, thoughtful people in the world and we have been so fortunate to have known them. Tom and I also feel very blessed that we have been able to take something so terrible as this diagnosis and turn it around and be able to do so much good for others. We are honored to have been able to help out the Childrens Leukemia Foundation of Michigan, the Leukemia & Lymphona Society, the American Cancer Society, and the Beaumont Foundation. It makes me wonder though….and I know that had Shelby never been diagnosed…we would not have been such active fundraisers. I don’t think Tom would have gone and hiked the Grand Canyon!! So, even though something so terrible has affected our family…I think we have turned it into something positive and along the way have hopefully helped a lot of people and educated a lot of people about this terrible disease.

So…..thank you to each one of you that has ever said a prayer, sent a card, signed her guestbook, donated money, etc., etc. on behalf of Shelby and our family.

OK..back to the “normal” website updates. Things on tap this week…..tonight, Evan has a baseball game. Mom, Dad and Shelby are going to the Indianwood Golf Course. The Children’s Leukemia Foundation is having a golf outing and Craig Wiklund and David Bond (two of our AXA agents) have graciously sponsored a hole and Shelby is the featured child on the hole so they have a story and her picture on one of the holes. As part of this, they want the family to come to the dinner too—so we will be going there for dinner and the presentation. Tomorrow night, Shelby has her cheerleading class – which of course she LOVES! She has even been doing her homework! Wednesday night, Evan has another baseball game and the hopefully by Friday…we can relax and finish cleaning up the party stuff.

Shelby returns to the doctor on July 6 (next week) to check her counts. She has been feeling really good. Her and Evan are both loving camp that they are going to. They are making lots of crafts and having lots of fun with their friends.

Thanks, as always, for checking in on Shelby. Please sign her guestbook and leave a little note so we know you were here. Thank you!

Monday, June 19, 2006 7:07 AM CDT

Day 101 Off-treatment

Summer has officially started at our house. Busy week last week. First up..Shelby health update….she is feeling really good. The rash appears to be finally gone and she is feeling great! She bounces out of bed in the morning and can’t wait for her day to start.

Evan and Shelby started their summer camp in Rochester last week (Wednesday-Friday) and of course, they love it. Shelby is in a room called “The Critters” which is future first graders. Evan is in “The Tumbleweeds” which is all future third graders. They do get to interact throughout the day. It was really hot so they didn’t play outside a whole lot but they did a lot of crafts. They did get to go swimming at the high school. They will do this on every Friday when they are in the Rochester camps.

This week they started at the Troy Camps. This is where they both went to preschool previously so it is fun to see old teachers and former friends. They will go to Troy for the month of July. They are excited to go there too. Here they are in a room with all future kindergarteners through third graders. I’m sure they will have fun here too. Their highlight here is the ice cream truck comes every Thursday. At both camps, they go on field trips on Wednesday to different places. This week they are going to Blakes Apple Orchard. They should have fun doing that.

Last week, Evan had a baseball game on Monday and he got two hits! He really is doing well this year (and we haven’t even practiced!) Wednesday he didn’t have a game (their week off.) This past Saturday, we went out sailing with the Children’s Leukemia Foundation and the Albatross Yacht Club. They had called and asked if we would like to go out sailing, have a BBQ and then the kids could swim in the marina. It turned out to be 94 degrees but it was beautiful out on the water. Of course, the kids were saying they didn’t want to go—but when it was over, they had a great time. I think there were 20 families there and 14 sailboats that we all went on. Everyone appeared to have a great time! For Father’s Day we didn’t do much. Tom worked on priming the staircase getting ready for the paint. It is a hardwood stairs—so the backs of the stairs and the runner needs to be primed so it can be white. Big project. Then we went out to dinner.

This week…Evan has baseball games on Monday and Wednesday. Shelby starts her cheerleading class on Tuesday (it is a six week class for future first graders.) it was just something that she could do and she seems excited about it. We’ll see. Evan isn’t too excited to have to go and sit with Mom on those nights (that is the night that Daddy works!) But, he’ll get over it. Shelby has sat through plenty of Evan’s things up to now!! Then, Sunday is the big day…Shelby’s Off Treatment Party!! We have almost 170 people confirmed to come! We are praying for no rain. Right now they aren’t forecasting any. Everything is pretty much done—it is almost too scary to think that there aren’t that many things left to do. I guess my job as party planner at work is paying off! I am so organized! We are going to be taking cash donations for the William Beaumont Pediatric Cancer Scholarship fund and toy donations are going to be given to the Children’s Leukemia Foundation—as we asked for no gifts for Shelby because she has more than she needs! She is such a fortunate child.

Shelby doesn’t return to the doctor until July 6. She is feeling good though and acting like a normal kid, loving life! Thanks for checking in our her and us and reading our boring family updates! Please sign her guestbook if you get a chance and let us know that you stopped by!

Sunday, June 11, 2006 4:40 PM CDT

Day 94 Off-treatment

Summer is in fully swing. Evan has finished two baseball games (one one and lost one) but the good news is that he has gotten on base every time he has been up. Go Chicago Cubs! So, we will stay busy every Monday and Wednesday untilt he end of July.

The kids finished school last week. Yeah! They are so excited for summer camp to start. Camp will start on Wednesday this week. They are going to flip/flop between the camp in Rochester and the one in Troy throughout the summer. They know kids that are going to both of them. They are really excited because every Wednesday they will go on field trips and on Fridays at the Rochester camp, they will go swimming at an indoor pool.

Pretty uneventful weekend. We did go to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life this past Friday night in Rochester. Supposedly Rochester has one of the biggest events in the state. It was pretty large—although we went for the Survivor lap and the Ice Cream Social and then left and people were still setting up. Shelby was happy because she got her nails done with a donation that we made! She even got nail polish that changes color in the sun!

We finally were able to spend about two hours down in the basement picking it up. I cannot believe how many toys are everywhere down there—plus Tom’s project stuff mixed in…it is a total mess. We did make a dent..but there is more to do!

I also was able to get some more stuff done for the party. Organizational stuff. Of course the biggest work will be the day before and day of (that morning!) Have to think it all through. We are up to 130 people confirmed as coming (although there are another 100 we haven’t heard from!) Just pray for wonderful weather for us, as we know it will be a fabulous event!

Not too much going on this week…Evan will have baseball, then they will go to camp on Wednesday-Friday. We have nothing planned for next weekend either (kind of nice!) But somehow, there are always things to do!

Thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family! It means a lot to us that you care to check on us!! Please take a minute and sign her guestbook and let us know that you were here! If by chance you are reading this and you didn’t get an invite to her party on Sunday, June 25 and you wish to come, please e-mail me at the address below and I will send you the details!!

Thursday, June 8, 2006 11:05AM EST

Quick update..returned from clinic..all of Shelby's counts are great--they are almost exactly to what they were five weeks ago!

WBC: 5.03
Neut: 1.73
RBC: 4.66
HgB: 13.9
Plt: 245

She is doing wonderful! All the nurses remarked how tall she is getting--she's growing like a weed!

And...the biggest news...Shelby is a kindergarten graduate as of yesterday! She is done with school! She is so excited to be heading to first grade after Labor Day!

Today is Evan's last day as a second grader and he is equally excited.

We are heading out later for a celebratory lunch, then haircuts for the two of them! Next week, I think we are going to go to the water park on Monday. We'll see if this gorgeous weather holds out!

I was able to get 10 dozen cookies made yesterday to freeze for Shelby's party (while I multitasked and did a conference call from work at home!)

Thanks again for checking in on Shelby and us! We do appreciate it! Hugs to all!

MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2006 8:04AM CDT
Day 87 Off-treatment

Another week gone by and it is June already! Where does the time go?? It was a busy week, once again. As you can see from the above picture, Shelby is now officially a Brownie and she is so excited. Evan is now officially a Bear too in Cub Scouts and he keeps teasing Shelby saying his Bear is going to eat her Brownie—then she gets upset. (It is kind of cute, though!) I also went to Evan’s Luau on Friday at his school. All the second graders were appropriate dressed and did a cute song and dance and then had snacks. It was nice and I know that Evan really loved having me there!

Soccer tournaments went great. Both kids got trophies. Shelby was really excited as this was her first trophy she ever got! So, she carried it around with her all day! Now we have a break from soccer until the fall.

Big news…Tom finished his hike! He did have the time of his life. One other great thing…he was the #1 fundraiser for the Hike for Discovery program. They made him stand up to be recognized at their dinner the night before the hike. He also received a plaque for being a “fundraiser over-achiever”. He brought home some fabulous pictures and some great memories—and lots of red clay on his hiking boots that may take a while to get out! He seems to want to do it again next year…but you have your choice of the Grand Canyon or Yosemite. He’s thinking Yosemite. But, we have to check the dates and see if it fits in our schedule. Maybe we can tie it in with our trip to Disneyland that we were planning for next June when school gets out!

Another crazy week this week. Evan has his first baseball game tonight—they are the Chicago Cubs! He has games on every Monday and Wednesday until the end of July. Shelby’s last day of school is Wednesday, June 7 (1/2 day) and Evan’s last day is Thursday, June 8 (1/2 day). They are excited to move on to the next grade. It is pretty much a wasted week for them—as most of the teachers stuff is packed away already!

Shelby returns to the oncologist on Thursday, June 8 at 9:00a.m. for her monthly check up. She has been bruising a lot, so I’ll bet she still has low platelets. I am taking off Wednesday and Thursday this week and Monday and Tuesday next week to be home with the kids. Then next Wednesday, they will start their summer camps. I am hoping to get some more stuff done for the party—I want to make some displays of Shelby’s things.

Thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family! It means a lot to us that you care to check on us!! Please take a minute and sign her guestbook and let us know that you were here!

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 6:34 AM CDT

Day 80 Off-treatment

OK..now I am going to be off all week. Since it feels like Monday and I am doing this update! Hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend. It was very hot and humid here in Michigan. The kids, or course, had a blast—between the slip and slide, the bounce house, sprinklers and swimming in Uncle Tim’s pool.

Shelby health update: She is feeling good. Her face seems better—but we realized she seems to be having really bad reactions to the sun again this summer. Her face gets beet red. So, back to hats all summer. She was so cute yesterday…she dug out all her hats that she owns (about 30) and decided to have a “hat sale” for her Mom and Dad. She laid them all out and put price tags on them all, then she gave us play money and we got to go shopping! (But she didn’t give any change!) It was funny and kept her occupied for over an hour!

This week should be pretty busy, as well. Tonight nothing, tomorrow, Shelby has her bridging ceremony from Daisy’s to Brownies and then right after that, Evan has his baseball pictures. On Thursday, Tom leaves for Arizona for his HIKE FOR DISCOVERY—the hike into the Grand Canyon. The actual hike is on Saturday morning—so think of him early that day when he is out on his seven hour hike. He is getting all his stuff ready. The only hard part is that all of his hiking gear he has to take in a carry on bag—and there is a lot of it between his boots and his hydration systems. He seems to be excited to go.

Friday night, Evan has his cross over ceremony for Cub Scouts where he will go from a Wolf to a Bear. Then on Saturday, they have their final soccer tournaments and on Sunday, I have a baby shower to go to and the kids are going to Aunt Michelle’s house for a little while. So, it will be a little busy, once again and school is wrapping up. Shelby’s last day is Wednesday, June 7 and Evan’s last day is Thursday, June 8. They are excited to move on to the next grade.

Shelby returns to the oncologist on Thursday, June 8 for her monthly check up. She has been bruising a lot, so I’ll bet she still has low platelets.

Thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family! It means a lot to us that you care to check on us!!

Monday, May 22, 2006 10:10 AM CDT

Day 72 Off-treatment

Shelby health update: She is feeling good. We did go to the dermatologist appointment and he said that she will probably continue to have breakouts over the next year—just the body adjusting to coming off of steroids and since they were stopped abruptly (which is part of the normal protocol.) He did prescribe a cream to use when she has the breakouts to use. Now just waiting for her father to remember to bring it home (good thing he works in a pharmacy to save time—NOT!) Other than that, she is feeling good. I have finally cut out the naps on the weekend and she seems to be faring pretty well. She is getting a little old to still have naps, but when she was still on the chemo drugs, I really think the naps were helping her body recover. But, since first grade is right around the corner and no rest time available—she has to get used to not having them! We can have earlier bedtimes though!!!

Soccer over the weekend was fine. Halfway decent weather. Both kids won both their games. No goals for Shelby this week. She kept waving her hand that she wanted to be substituted because she was tired—so I think she spent more time on the sidelines—but she still is the team’s best cheerleader. Evan scored a goal (although they were playing an all-girls team!) He still was excited!

Tom went out and did his seven hour hike—17 miles! He was a little tired. We then joined him at the park for a picnic with all the hikers. They are all excited about their hike in the Canyon. Tom will leave on Thursday, June 1 and stay in Scottsdale then on to Sedona for Friday night—then early Saturday morning, June 3, they will head into the canyon and then return home late on Sunday. He will pick up all his travel documents this Thursday so we will know more and he will find out which trail he is actually going to be hiking. They don’t have a team hike scheduled for this holiday weekend and Tom is going to work on Saturday anyways.

The cub scouts had fun at the bottle rocket launching yesterday. I thought they might have to postpone because it was extremely windy—but it worked out great. I think about 60 of the boys showed up and had a great time. They take 2 liter bottles, attach the rocket fins and then they are pressurized and they go off. It was neat to see them—and see the ones that broke apart as they hit the ground.

It should be a very quiet week at our house and then a nice LONG weekend. (I could have used another day off this week). This morning, I went into the kindergarten class to help out for an hour. Shelby is so excited when one of her parents comes in. If it wasn’t so hard to juggle with work—I probably would go in more often. Evan has baseball practice tonight and that is ALL we have scheduled this week. Can’t believe it!

Shelby returns to the oncologist on Thursday, June 8 for her monthly check up. Still working on Shelby’s BIG party. We are now over 105 yes responses! It is going to be crazy—just pray for good weather for us!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week and a terrific Memorial Day holiday!!! I’ll update next Tuesday!!! Thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family!

Monday, May 15, 2006 8:01 AM CDT

Day 65 Off-treatment

Shelby health update: She is feeling good. We have a dermatologist appointment scheduled for 5/17 just to see if there is anything we can use on her face. It is 80% better—but it still has occasional breakouts. We’ll see what they say.

It was a pretty quiet week. We had fun (not!) in the rain on both Friday night and Saturday morning. I was so glad that both kids had their games at 10am on Saturday—so it was only one hour in the rain instead of two. It wasn’t just rain—it was downpour. I couldn’t believe they played in that—but everyone knows the rule…no lightning…they play! I can understand if it is sprinkling…but torrential downpour??? Shelby was so cute..on Friday after practice when we got home, she said “I never want to play soccer in that again!” Then on Saturday morning she said the same thing! The weather has been so crappy—but Shelby still scored another goal and both teams won. They both played really well.

Mother’s Day was fine. The kids both made really cute crafts at school and gave me cards. Shelby brought home a really nice plant from kindergarten and they made soaps in the after school program. It was pretty uneventful. We did go out to dinner last night to a new Mexican place right by our house and the kids actually like it. We have another new restaurant we can add to our repertoire (well, of course Evan had a hamburger). Shelby actually tried (and liked) a soft taco rolled up!

Tom did his seven hour hike on Saturday and then on Sunday he was able to get a coat of polyurethane on the stair railings, as well as paint our bedroom ceiling and the hallway ceiling and the house ceiling fan. It looks nice…slowly things are getting done. Tom has one more “practice hike” this weekend out in Pickney and then they have Memorial Day weekend off—then they leave on Thursday, June 1 for the Grand Canyon. They are having a BBQ after their hike this Saturday and Tom wants me to bring the kids over – but it is an hour away..so we’ll see—we’re not even sure what time they’ll be done hiking and with the way our crappy weather has been..we’ll see.

Other big news last week…Tom got moved to a new store. He was at 12 Mile/Rochester and now he is going to be at 21 Mile and Hayes. It is about the same distance—but rather than going south from our house—he will go east. The good thing is that he goes the opposite ways of traffic in the morning and at night. He “says” he shouldn’t have to work as many hours—but we’ll see! It has been getting a little crazy at the other store. He was at the old store for 2 ½ years—which is very uncommon—but he was doing a great job!

Things to do this week..not much! Yeah! Evan has baseball practice, Shelby has her dermatologist appointment and then soccer on Friday and Saturday. I have a Cub Scout committee meeting on Thursday and then on Sunday, the cub scouts have their rocket launching activity. This is always something Evan looks forward too. They take 2 liter bottles and pressurize them and shoot them off at the school!

Shelby returns to the oncologist on Thursday, June 8 for her monthly check up. Worked on Shelby’s off-chemo party plans over the weekend making diagram of where to put tables, chairs, food, games, etc. Big undertaking…but it is so worth it knowing what Shelby has gone through and what a trooper she is! So far, we have 85 yes responses! (We invited over 300 people!)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Mother’s Day and thanks for checking on Shelby! Please leave her a note in her guestbook if you get a chance! I know lots of you check on her—but you don’t all leave notes!

Monday, May 8, 2006 7:41 AM CDT

Day 58 Off-treatment

Shelby health update: Her rash appears to be getting slightly better (although I don’t want to jinx us by saying this!) We do still have an appointment scheduled for 5/17 with another dermatologist that I will probably keep. I think she still needs some type of cream.

It was a busy week last week. Shelby had her Daisy meeting last Wednesday at our house. There are ten girls in her troop. They had a tea party in the dining room, then they worked on a mothers day craft and had a little meeting where the leaders told them about what to expect when they become Brownies next year.

The big news from last weekend was Evan’s First Communion. He did really well! The group ceremony was very nice. All the food ended up getting done…but it was a harried morning. Shelby had a soccer game from 10-10:45 then we had to quick shower/change to get to church by 11:15—but we did it! Of course Evan protested that he had to wear a tie, but once he got there and saw all the other boys, he was fine. Oh…Shelby scored ANOTHER goal! (I think it helps that they don’t have goalies!) It was a little chilly in the morning..but then it warmed up slightly. The dinner turned out nice—and everyone was actually on their way by 4pm—then I had time to clean up. We actually ended up going out to dinner to celebrate with Evan!

Tom was able to get another project done….he installed the crown molding in the kitchen and the base molding. It’s starting to come together…slowly. Now I just have more primed, but not painted woodwork in the house! It’s still progress!!

The kids are getting anxious for school to be over so their summer camps can start. Yesterday, they both played outside all day and I was able to get all my flowers planted..I only had to buy two flats..they went a long way! Busy times at school between now and the end of the year.

Shelby doesn’t go back to the oncologist until Thursday, June 8 for her monthly check up. That is also Evan’s last day of school (Shelby’s is on Wednesday). Now that the communion is behind us, we can get back to working on the plans for Shelby’s big off-treatment party. Most of the stuff is done…just have to firm up a couple of other things.

Things on tap this week..Evan has baseball practice tonight, I have PTA meeting. Tuesday..Evan’s last catechism, Wednesday..NOTHING, Thursday…NOTHING, Friday..soccer practice, Saturday..soccer games and Cousin Luke’s birthday party. Can you believe there are actually some days with NOTHING? Unbelievable!! Of course I never do NOTHING!!!

Hope everyone has a great week, and as usual, thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family!

Monday, May 1, 2006 10:02 AM CDT

Day 51 OT (Wow! Almost two months off of treatment!)

Another week gone by. BREAKING NEWS……Shelby scored her first ever soccer goal!!!!!! She was so excited! She came running back down the field with her arms in the air. Her smile was from ear to ear. She was so thrilled to score a goal! She immediately wanted to call Daddy (who was on his hike). She did and her words were…”Daddy, I scored a direct hit!” Where she got those words, I don’t know!. Anyhow, she was excited. Then after that, at Evan’s game, he scored two goals! So he was happy too—although his team ended up tying their game. (Shelby’s won!) They are really enjoying soccer. It is a little wearing on Mom though—being at practice from 6-8 on Friday night and then games on Saturday mornings. Luckily it ends the first weekend of June. Then, to top it off, Evan is starting his baseball practice tonight. Luckily those games don’t start until June on Monday and Wednesday’s.

Shelby health update: Her rash got progressively worse since the last update…due in large part to a new antibiotic cream that a new dermatologist gave her. After two days, her face was red, swollen and very warm to the touch. So, we discontinued that cream..and needless to say will never return to that dermatologist. I do still have an appointment scheduled for 5/17 with another dermatologist that I will probably keep—although her face started to look better over the weekend—although it always seems to do that. I think the Bactrim that she takes on Wed/Th/Fri helps to clear it up—but by Mon/Tues/Wed, it is back in full force. Who knows….at least it isn’t bothering her.

Things on tap this week…Evan is making his first communion on Saturday at 11:30—so he has catechism class on Tuesday night, then practice for two hours on Thursday evening then Saturday is the big day. We are just having immediate family over and we finally nailed down the menu this last weekend. For the first time, we are actually going to cook something!!! Other than that, Shelby has her Daisy meeting on Wednesday at our house. They are going to have a tea party and make a Mother’s Day craft. Daddy has an eye doctor appointment and then a hike get together on Thursday evening. Then Friday night is soccer—never a free evening!

Tom worked on re-staining the Rainbow Play system in the backyard yesterday. It looks really good. He also got a coat of stain on the stairway banisters (finally…it has been two years since they were put in!) They look really good. He has to put one more coat of the urethane on it once it dries. We also were able to get to Home Depot—finally so we picked up some more stuff for more projects. He bought all the crown molding for the kitchen and other miscellaneous stuff. Slowly we are starting to get some more things done (in our little spare time!)

Shelby returns to the oncologist on Wednesday, May 3. It will be interesting to see what her counts are doing now!! I’ll update on Thursday after our visit with a short update to let you know how she is doing.

Thanks, as usual, for checking in on Shelby and our family. Please sign her guestbook if you get a chance! I was able to finally make up a HUGE binder for her with all her journal entries so far and all her guestbook entries. It is really neat to sit down and read through them. Unbelieveable to read what we went through. I guess when you are going through it---you just do it without thinking….but looking back, it is hard to believe everything Shelby went through!

Trivia question…I added up how many pokes she had through her treatment and came up with……173!! That didn’t sound like a lot to me…but it is!!!!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Here is a really cute poem I ran across that Shelby had given me for Valentine's Day.

WHAT CAN I GIVE YOU?

If I were a kite, I'd give you a ride.
If I were a giraffe, down my neck you would slide.
If I were a bird, I'd sing you a song.
If I were a clown, you'd laugh all day long.
If I were a tree, I'd give you my shade.
If I were a baker, you could eat what I made.
If I were the sky, I'd always be blue.
If I were the sun, I'd shine down on you.
But I am just me, not the sun up above.
The best I can do is to give you my love!

MONDAY, April 24, 2006 2:48pm CDT
Day 44 OT

What a week. As I mentioned last week, the kids went to a Care Company camp all week. The theme was “Animals Everywhere” and they had a blast. They couldn’t wait to go back each day. They were so sad when it was Friday. I had to keep telling them that they only had 7 more weeks until summer camp. I’m glad they have so much fun!

Shelby’s health update: She is feeling really good and the great news…her hair has stopped falling out (finally!) Maybe now it will get more normal. The rash you are wondering…is still there. I thought it was going away over the weekend (of course..now that I have the dermatologist appointment set up for 5/17)..but this morning, it came back in full force. It looked really bad this morning. I guess the good thing is that it doesn’t itch her—it just looks like a really bad breakout.

The kids started their soccer. Shelby loves it. It was so cute…their age bracket plays 3 on 3 without a goalie. Her final games score was 10-1. It was so cute to see her running after the ball yelling “get it”. I told her she had to get it! Then she got home and asked if she could soak her feet in warm water. Wasn’t sure if she was tired or the cleats hurt her! Evan did really well too—although his team lost!

The kids loved going for a ride in Daddy’s new car. I call it Daddy’s little matchbox car because it looks so small next to Mommy’s mini-van in the garage. Dad loves driving it and the kids love riding in it! They think it is cool! Mom’s is still cooler because I have the DVD player!

On Saturday afternoon, Mom and Shelby went out summer clothes shopping. I realized I didn’t have any more summer clothes packed away for Shelby..so now she is all set. She was pretty cute to see in the fitting room…she had to try everything on herself and then come out and model it for me. It was a looooong shopping excursion. Yesterday, the kids helped Dad clean off the play structure. Dad is going to re-stain it so it needs to be cleaned first. The Magic Eraser by Mr. Clean works wonders! It cleaned off all the rungs and monkey bars. It is amazing how it works! The kids of course were a total mess from “helping”—but they had fun!

Today, they returned to school. Shelby was excited to get back and Evan didn’t show much emotion (as usual.) We spent yesterday finishing up the stuffing of the invitations for her off-treatment party. We are finishing up tallying up the donations for the Hike for Discovery for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Tom ended up raising just about $16,000! We did extremely well! The hike is planned for Saturday, June 3.

Shelby returns to the oncologist on Wednesday, May 3. It will be interesting to see what her counts are doing now!!

Thanks, as usual, for checking in on Shelby and our family. I’ll update more next week

Monday, April 17, 2006 7:53 AM CDT

Day 37 OT

Good morning to everyone and we hope you all had a nice Easter! We had a nice “family” weekend. I was home with the kids on Friday so we had a lazy morning and then we went bowling in the afternoon. I didn’t realize how much they both liked to bowl! Shelby bowled a record high 92! She beat Evan and he was a little upset!! Evan had a project from school where he made a paper man that he had to take somewhere during his Easter break so he decided to take him bowling. We, of course, had to take a picture of it that he can take to school. After that, we met Daddy at a pizza place for dinner. On Saturday, we went to Uncle Tim’s house for Madison’s 3rd birthday party/Family Easter celebration. Tom had to work (mandatory work day for managers) so just Mommy took the kids. They had a great time. Uncle Tim had hidden a lot of eggs in his backyard all around his pool. We had to watch all the kids to be sure they didn’t fall in! They had a great time. Madison also had a princess castle cake but the bakery had messed up so the cake was actually collapsing! Unbelieveable. Sunday, was a pretty calm day. The kids enjoyed their egg hunt. Shelby couldn’t believe that this year the bunny hid the eggs outside! They had fun collecting all of them. Then they came back inside and thought they were done and didn’t even think twice about looking for their Easter baskets. Finally, after a little prodding they found them on the dining room table. Shelby loved hers! My kids are not normal—they don’t really like the candy—so they got books! Shelby got a book on how to tie your shoes and some activity books with Barbie and Ariel and some new pom poms. She wants to take a cheerleading class this summer which I am going to sign her up for. They both got new water/squirt guns too. The rest of the day, we just relaxed around the house. Then we went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. (Not your normal Easter dinner!) It was good and I couldn’t believe how much the kids ate! They really loved their chicken fingers!

Today (and all this week) they are going to a Care Company camp in Troy. This one is right down the road from my office. Today I took them into the school and there are only 12 kids scheduled to come. Tomorrow they expect 45. So, Shelby walked in and kept hanging on to me saying, “there’s nothing to do.” Even though I saw a computer, pictures to color, blocks, books to read, etc., etc. Finally she started to color an Easter picture. They have a lot of fun crafts planned and their favorite snacks so they will have a good time! Their friends from preschool, Lainey and Alex, are also scheduled to come all week so they will know someone!

Other than that, nothing too exciting planned on the homefront this week. It is our last calm week before the spring activities break loose. The kids will start their soccer practice on Friday night..then Saturday is their first game already! The nice thing is the practice and the games are right at their elementary school (at the end of our street) so we can walk back and forth! Tom is picking up his new car tonight. He ended up leasing a SAAB 9-3 and we traded in his Rendezvous. He is really excited. The kids are too—Daddy promised them a ride in his new car tonight.

Shelby has been feeling pretty good. She still gets tired a lot easier than other kids. The rash is still there on her face. I did take her to her pediatrician last week and he said to try Benadryl and gave me some more cream for her face. The Benadryl seems to help a little bit—but it makes her tired. The cream doesn’t seem to do anything. I think we’ll wait one more time for the oncologist and if that doesn’t work I will make a dermatologist appointment for her. Her next clinic visit is Wednesday, May 3. She doesn’t have school because it is a ½ day so the PM kindergartners go in the morning.

Thanks, as usual, for checking in on Shelby and our family. I’ll update more as news happen (luckily it is a slow news time now!!!)

Monday, April 10, 2006 8:02 AM CDT

Day 30 OT – Wow! One month off Treatment!

Shelby is doing pretty good. Except for that really weird rash. We did ask about it at the doctors office and they said to wait another month and by then..hopefully the drugs are all of out of her system. It seems to be getting worse. I watched it really close this weekend and it seems to be worse in the morning right after she wakes up or if she gest upset when she is crying—it seems to flare up. Hmmmm..trying to figure this out. I might end up getting an appointment with a dermatologist. We’ll see. If it is only the drugs…maybe it will just go away.

The family had a nice weekend. On Saturday, I took Evan and Shelby for their Easter/spring pictures of the two of them together. They are going to be so cute! I took an “unofficial” one of Shelby in her Easter dress which is at the top of this page. She is getting so big!!! After that, we went to the Easter Egg hunt for our neighborhood. There were over 100 kids there. The kids had a great time. Evan said that he didn’t want to take a basket to collect eggs so he didn’t. Shelby did. But when they said the hunt should start Evan started to cry because he wanted to do it—so Tom went out with him and helped collect the eggs. They ended up having a great time—they did some cookie decorating and egg decorating too. It was a nice outing. On Sunday, we went to see Barbie Live in Fairytopia at the Fox Theatre. Shelby had a great time! It was actually a nice show. The costumes were beautiful. After that, Shelby played in the year because the weather is finally getting nice!

This week is actually a slow week! YEAH! No activities planned all week and I will be home with the kids on Friday since they don’t have school. On Saturday, we are going to Uncle Tim’s house for Madison’s 3rd birthday party/family Easter combined. Then on Easter Sunday, we can just relax as a family. Next week the kids are off from school all week—but they are going to a camp here in Troy. Two of their friends from preschool (Alex and Lainey) are going so they know they are going to have fun!

Hope everyone has a great week. Check back again next week as more updates occur. Shelby’s next doctor appointment is on Wednesday, May 3.

Friday, April 7, 2006

Quick update on Shelby's visit to the clinic yesterday. It was her first "off-treatment" visit and she is doing great. She was so excited to only have a finger poke. In fact, right after the poke--she said "piece of cake". Her counts were good and are slowly rebounding:

WBC: 6.38
Neut: 3.31
RBC: 4.43
HgB: 13.6
Plt: 278

They said about one more month and things should be heading more toward normal. I did ask about the rash on her face and they said to give it one more month too. Other than that, the week is rolling along. I'll update more on Monday.

MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2006 8:59AM CDT
Day 23 OT

Shelby is feeling great! She sure is acting like a totally different child! She is bouncing around and happy—although I firmly believe her body is going through steroid withdrawal. I did talk to another parent whose daughter has recently finished treatment and she has that weird rash too. She took her daughter to a pediatric dermatologist and she was prescribed some hydro-cortisone and some other stuff. I am going to ask Shelby’s doctors this week when we return. First off-treatment visit is this Thursday at 2:00pm. Shelby is so excited that she is only going to have a finger-poke!
The funny thing is..how many children do you know that are excited they only need a finger-poke…only my Shelby. She truly is one of a kind!

She is doing well. Her incision from her surgery is healing really well. We bought some of that scar reducer cream and put that on twice a day and it is making a huge difference. It looks a lot better than the first time she had the incision there. Hopefully they were able to fix the first incision since it healed so badly. I was so impressed by Shelby on Friday night. She had to remove her steri-strips and she did it all herself and only flinched a little bit. She is so brave (can I say that any more??) I am so proud of her!

This past week went really well. Both kid’s school conferences went really well. They are both doing really well in school. Saturday we spent the day running around doing errands. We finally made it over to the Rainbow Play store to buy a new disk swing/rope for the playset in the background. The other one was too low and couldn’t be adjusted because the rope was all warped. So, we got a new one…the kids both got their hair cuts and Shelby picked up all the stuff she needed to start playing soccer. She was so excited…she got a pink soccer ball, pink shin guards and black soccer cleats with pink shoelaces! Couldn’t believe it—but whatever makes her happy! She has been out practicing already and it was really cute—Evan set up the orange cones and was showing Shelby how to dribble the ball between them.

On Sunday, Evan and Shelby had Lainey and Alex over (their preschool friends) for a playdate..although Shelby wasn’t the best playdate. But we survived..then we went to Evan’s Blue and Gold Cub Scout dinner. It was really nice. The kids then worked on their homework and went to bed early. It is harder with the time change to get them to go to bed!

This week is pretty tame….PTA meeting tomorrow, Evan has catechism—Daddy has a first aid seminar he has to go to for his hike, Wednesday..Shelby has her daisy meeting. They are going out to see a horse mounted police officer and visit the stables. Thursday is Shelby’s dr. appointment and then this Sunday…we are going to see Barbie in Fairytopia Live at the Fox Theatre. I got tickets from work in a suite so we are taking Aunt Jeanette, Cousin Elizabeth, Cousin Kendall, Shelby, Mom and one of Shelby’s friends from kindergarten. She is SO excited! Of course Evan and Dad gladly volunteered to stay home!

Hope everyone has a great week. I’ll post more after her doctor visit. Interested to see how much her counts have changed!!!! Thanks for checking in on Shelby!

Monday, March 27, 2006 3:25 PM CST

Day 15 OT

Shelby (and family) had a very nice weekend! We started out by having Shelby’s medi-port removed on Friday. After that, we went to a bowling fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation that some of Tom’s fellow hikers were putting on. It was a very nice event. We bowled three games, had pizza and pop and…..Shelby won one of the raffle prizes. She was so excited! It didn’t matter to her that they were CLASSIC ROCK CD’s!!! She didn’t care…and insisted on listening to them on the way home in the car. It was the cutest thing. (Tom on the other hand liked them!) It was a late evening for the kids—but they had a great time.

On Saturday, Mom took them grocery shopping (while Dad was out hiking his 16 miles—leaving home at 6am!) I keep forgetting why I don’t take the kids with me shopping---needless to say…not a very pleasant experience—but we survived it. Then from 2-4 pm, we went to a Literacy Festival that a local school was sponsoring. Evan was giving me grief that he didn’t want to go…but wouldn’t you know, once we got there—I think he had the most fun. They had a room where you could do Origami and he sat down and wanted to make every paper animal that was on display! And he did!

Then Saturday evening, Mom and Shelby went to see Stars on Ice at the Palace of Auburn Hills. We had upper level seats—but to our surprise, when we arrived, where our seats were was blocked off by a big black curtain! So we had to wait and actually 300 other people too—had to be re-seated in a different area. We were more center –but higher up. Didn’t matter—Shelby had a great time! She was dancing to the songs while she ate her licorice, popcorn, hot pretzel and I-cee! Unbelieveable. Of course the minute we returned to the car, after staying for the entire show, she zonked out! She had a great time.

Then…Sunday, Grandma Mary Ann came down and did the tea party for her granddaughters. All the girls had a great time—then all the parents and other grandchildren came over and we ended up getting pizza and Chinese for dinner.

Today, back to school.

So, how is Shelby feeling, you’re wondering? She is doing really good. I had to laugh because on the hospital discharge instructions it said limited activity for 7-10 days—the surgeon must not have known Shelby! She has probably done more in the past three days then ever. But she is doing good. We have developed our own “pain monitor” where 3 is it hurts a lot, 2 is it hurts a little and 1 is it doesn’t hurt. She was mostly 2’s and then back to 1’s this morning. That nasty rash came back with a vengeance this morning so I slapped on the steroid cream and I definitely will be discussing this with the doctors when we go next week for our first off-treatment visit blood count. Her hair is also falling out a little—but maybe it is just all the nasty medicines coming out of our body!!

This week…we have Evan’s school conference tonight, Shelby’s is on Thursday. Other than that…nothing. We have Evan’s Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet on Sunday afternoon the whole family will go to. But, I am hoping for a tamer week. It has been way to crazy. I am working on pulling Shelby’s off-treatment party together (Sunday, June 25) and then Evan’s First communion is on Saturday, May 6. Tom’s hike is June 3—then there is the Disney Cruise/before/after stuff to plan for October….it never ends……..hope everyone has as great week!

Friday, March 24, 2006 4:09 PM CST

DAY 12 Off-Treatment

Shelby is port-free! And….she was able to keep “Charlie”. We asked Dr. Morden if she could and he gladly had it washed up and put into a jar and labeled with her name and removal date. Kind of a strange souvenir…but when Shelby and Evan and Tom saw it…it really was quite amazing that that tiny device was able to administer her chemo drugs over the past 26 months! It was a part of her journey for the past 26 months. Shelby has steri-strips over the incision and the dr. said that he tried to repair the scar that was left from the insertion surgery. He said no matter what, she will have a scar there…but they didn’t have to cut the neck again like they did for the insertion. The whole procedure was only 15 minutes top---I think it took longer to sedate her and wait for the operating room to be ready. We were told to be at the hospital at 9:45 am for an 11:15 surgery---this was after I called to confirm on Thursday and they told me she wasn’t scheduled for surgery. Of course, I quickly called the surgeons office and they managed to find a place for her. The minute we got to the hospital, they immediately told us they were running 30 minutes behind. Little did I know…she would not get into the operating room until 1:25pm (2 hours behind!) We were finally able to leave by 3pm and of course, Shelby was starving since she hadn’t eaten since 8:30 last night. She wanted to go to (of all places)…not Noodles….White Castle! She loves their chicken rings…so she ate 7 of them and one hamburger. Unbelievable!!

I can tell she is a little sore but she won’t admit it. She is one tough cookie. I was a little upset that they didn’t let me see her until after she was already awake and sitting up in a chair. I wanted to be there when she woke up. She did enjoy the wheelchair ride out of the hospital.

Tonight, we are all going to a bowling outing at a local bowling alley to raise funds for the Leukemia Foundation. Since Shelby is the “honored hero” they wanted her to be there. Not sure if she will bowl or not..we’ll see how she feels.

Tomorrow night, Mom is taking Shelby to see Stars on Ice at the Palace. She LOVES ice skating and is looking forward to this.

Sunday, she has a “tea party” with Grandma Mary Ann and all the girl cousins. She is looking forward to this too.

Then Monday, back to school. She does have to take it easy for 7-10 days….but knowing my Shelby she will act like her normal self!

Thanks for checking in…please sign her guestbook if you get a chance. We don’t return to the doctor until Thursday, April 6 for her one month off treatment blood count check. I’ll still post weekly posts (in case anyone cares!)

Monday, March 20, 2006 9:26 AM CST

Week 1, Year 1 – Off Treatment

Well, we survived the first week off treatment. Shelby is doing pretty good. She has had quite a few unexplained nose bleeds and last night she was crying a lot because she said her ear hurt---but this morning, she woke up and only had a nose bleed and said her ear was fine. One interesting thing I did discover…..all along, I thought she had gotten her facial rash from the mercaptopurine (6-MP). Well, I think we were wrong. Reason being….she stopped all medications this past Sunday (3/12) and the only thing she is still taking is the Bactrim which is an antibiotic given to help boost the immune system. She takes this on Wed AM, Wed PM, Thurs AM, Thurs PM, Fri AM and Fri PM. Well, wouldn’t you know, by Thursday morning, that rash was back all over her face and above her eyebrows! Yuck! I’ll have to ask the doctors if there is an alternative medicine when we go back because I don’t want her face breaking out every week. Some people ask if she has the chicken pox because it looks so bad!

Shelby had a great day on Saturday at her Queen for A Day at Gilda’s Club in Detroit. Evan of course, was horrified when he walked in and saw about 20 girls and their Mom’s and no boys in site. They of course were very accommodating...but then the director of the club came up and asked if Evan wanted to go to Noogieland (a children’s play area in the basement) because there were two volunteers there to go with him. He of course jumped off that couch and headed down there. He had a good time playing checkers and then playstation with them. Shelby was able to get her nails done, cookie decorating, made a pinwheel craft, did tattoos and then there was a musical performance. She also got her picture taken with a Queen sash and a genuine tiara (these tiaras are donated by former beauty queens) that was hers to keep. She was so excited about that. After this event, we went to Pizza Hut (the kid’s favorite place these days!) On Sunday, Evan and Shelby went over to Alex and Lainey’s house for a playdate (friends from preschool/summer time). Other than that, Mom and Dad just worked on picking up the house—Tom actually made a dent in the fourth bedroom which he has turned into the junk room! I made a dent in my home office desk that just has piles all over!

This week is actually a slow week. Evan is done with karate, catechism is off this week so it will be nice to not have any activities to run to after school. Cousin Abby is coming in from Colorado to visit and the kids haven’t seen her in a long time so they are looking forward to that. Grandma MaryAnn is coming down on Sunday to have a “granddaughter day” so Shelby is excited about that too!

We don’t return to the clinic until Thursday, April 6 so Shelby will just enjoy not taking pills every night. She will joke with me and say, “Mom, you forgot my pills” but she knows she doesn’t have to take them.

Hope everyone has a great week. Thanks for checking in on us!!!

Monday, March 13, 2006 3:13 PM CST

SHELBY IS DONE!!!!! HIP HIP HOORAY---CHEMO WENT AWAY!!!!!

Shelby is officially done taking chemo medicine!!! The two years and two month treatment plan officially ended with her final bone marrow aspiration and spinal tap/lumbar puncture to make sure all fluids were clear. This was the date that we have wished for since we were given this awful diagnosis back in January, 2004. It was a little surreal to get the phone call from the doctor telling me that the bone marrow was clear and she was still in remission!! I told Shelby the great news and she just said “yeah” and continued playing with her Barbies.

As usual, Shelby came through both procedures with flying colors. She woke up after only 30 minutes and was raring to go. She was looking forward to going out to lunch—her favorite place, Noodles, to have macaroni and cheese. And, she was sooooo hungry because she just finished steroids on Sunday morning and then had to be without food or drink the entire morning until about 1pm when we made it for lunch. She survived! I think the IV fluid filled her up a little though, because she didn’t eat as much as she thought she would!!!

NOTE: Shelby is never considered “cured” from the leukemia. The leukemia can still “lurk” in her system, but hopefully her body has been re-trained to zap any bad leukemic cells that may emerge. IF her immune system can’t zap the cells, and they begin to multiply, that is when a relapse would happen. The vast majority of kids never elapse. The ones who do, almost always relapse in the first two or three years.

We will continue to the clinic for monthly visits to run blood counts to monitor what is going on. Dr. Main performed her final bone marrow and Nurse Karen was there also. It is kind of strange…they were the ones that did the original procedures too. Dr. Main indicated that if Tom and I wanted to come in to discuss the end of treatment, to let him know. I felt kind of strange asking him if that was really necessary..but we really didn’t have any questions at this point. If we did have questions, we would just ask at the clinic visits. As Shelby moves into the off-treatment phase, of course, it is a huge relief. There are, of course, a whole bunch of long-term effects from all these medicines that we just don’t know what effects they may have on her.

To refresh everyone’s memory, Shelby was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on January 16, 2004 at the age of 4. She was treated on CCG-1991 (a protocol treatment) Arm B and finished treatment on March 12, 2006. Shelby was one of the lucky ones that seemed to breeze through treatment with very few complications. Yes, there were a few hospitalizations for fever and neutropenia (low counts), but as usual, she was a trooper and sailed through those. She had the usual side effects that most kids experience…hair loss, steroid effects, tons of pills to swallow, multiple clinic visits, etc. She, luckily, avoided most of the nausea that most kids on chemo can experience. Thank goodness for Zofran—a wonderful anti-nausea drug.

A few other things I learned today….chemo kids are prone to osteoporosis (soft, weak bones). Not unexpected, this happens to most kids after chemo. With a healthy diet and exercise, this should reverse itself over time—but watch out for increased risk of broken bones in the meantime.

Her taste buds might be permanently altered. Every child is different.

Sometimes, chemo can permanently alter a person’s metabolism. Two of the chemo drugs she has been getting nightly for the past year and a half, 6MP and Methotrexate, actually serve as a counter-agent to the weight gain caused by the steroids. The dr. did say it is extremely common, in young girls, for them to experience significant weight gain after treatment is over.

Because Shelby’s immune system is still weakened, she will continue to take Bactrim (a prophylactic antibiotic) for the next six months. Although not necessarily at a greater risk for getting sick, if she were to get sick with a respiratory infection bronchitis, sinus problem, etc. she would be at a greater risk for it to turn into something more serious.

Every day I look at Shelby and I am so proud of her. She’s a bright, beautiful, sweet, compassionate and loving girl. She had to endure more over the past two years than most people have to face in a lifetime…and she always came out of it with a smile on her face pretty much saying “no big deal.” I consider myself very lucky to have her as my daughter. I envy the way she looks at each day as a great day and I know there were days when she was feeling not so good, but she still got out of bed and headed to school. Not because I made her go…because she wanted to go and she didn’t want to miss school.

There are so many children affected by this horrible disease, and not all of them have happy endings as Shelby. We consider ourselves very fortunate that Shelby’s treatment did go as smoothly. (Although if you ask some people, Shelby had a rough time—I guess it is all the perspective that you use to characterize her “treatment.”) I consider us fortunate that we, as her parents, had the necessary coping skills to make it through this horrific diagnosis and our family is still intact. It certainly can place a lot of strain on the family dynamics. Please visit some of our friends if you wish to check out their stories:

www.caringbridge.org/mi/travisn
He finished treatment and is doing well
www.caringbridge.org/il/katarina
She is almost done with her ALL treatment
www.caringbridge.org/mi/keegan
He is still in treatment..but doing good
www.caringbridge.org/mi/shelbyb
One of Shelby’s friends who is still in
treatment

Thank you to everyone for checking on this website to find out what was going with Shelby. I know some of you are lurkers and don’t always leave messages. Please take a moment and sign her guestbook as I hope to make a permanent book out of all the journal entries and the guestbook messages. I want Shelby to know how special everyone has been in her life and how many people have said special prayers for her throughout her treatment. Of course, there are a lot of EXTREMELY SPECIAL people (you all know who you are) that we will be forever thankful and grateful to for their assistance on this journey.

I will continue to post updates on our family to this website. We have a HUGE off-treatment party planned…a down home BBQ…but we are going to have it on Sunday, June 25 (wanted to wait for a little warmer weather!) We will send out invitations soon………

Things on tap this week…..tonight is Evan’s last karate….then it’s almost time for him to start baseball and Shelby and Evan are both going to be playing soccer. Tuesday, the kids have an assembly at night about authors and a PTA meeting. On Saturday, I am taking Shelby to Gilda’s Club for the Queen for a Day celebration. She is looking forward to that. She will get some pampering (manicures & Hairdo’s), arts & crafts, cookie decorating and music.

Tom continues to train for his Hike to the Grand Canyon (scheduled for June 3). He has raised $12,500 so far and the money continues to come in. Thank you to all that have been so generous….This weeks training hike will be at Orion Oaks Park. He really is enjoying it…I think he likes buying all the special apparel and gear that he needs!!!!

Thanks again for checking in…hope you have a great week!!!

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

Shelby survived her final chemo injected into her mediport. Hopefully she will breeze through her last week on steroids. It sure does seem every time she goes on steroids, the effects are worse and worse. I am so glad that this will be it! Her counts from her doctor visit today were:

WBC: 3.31
RBC: 4.11
HgB: 12.9
Plt: 245
Neut: 1.87

She is doing really good. She still is really tired all the time, place and gets a lot of bruises (all the symptoms of leukemia when it is diagnosed). But, I am probably just over-analyzing everything!

No big plans for this weekend. The weather forecast is to be in the 50's so hopefully we can get out there and the kids can ride their bikes and Evan can ride his roller skates.

Monday is the big day...we have to be at the clinic at 9am and then the bone marrow aspiration and spinal are scheduled for 11am. It has been so long since Shelby has been sedated for these procedures (since she does them awake at the clinic) I almost forgot that she can't eat prior to the procedure. This is not going to be fun..a child finishing a week of steroids not being able to eat? Pray for us on Monday morning!!!!! Hope you all have a good weekend.

I'll post more on Tuesday morning once we know the results and hopefully that is the end of her treatment!!! WAHOO!!!

MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2006 9:19AM CST

Week 69 of 69
Six (6) more days—WOW!

Truly Unbelieveable! Only six more days for Shelby. Funny story…last week, I was telling Shelby that soon she wouldn’t have to take so many pills and she said “it doesn’t matter”. I told her it did. Then she said that it is a “piece of cake” taking the pills. What a trooper! On one hand, that is really great that she has such a good attitude, but on the other hand…it is sad that it has been her way of life.

Last week started off busy (as they all do!) Evan had Karate and Shelby had her Daisy meeting. She had a wonderful time. Then on Wednesday night, when I went to pick the kids up from school, I noticed a nail in my front tire. So I had to go and get that taken care of. (Not what I needed before our trip—but it was taken care of—got an oil change and tire rotationt too!) Aunt Jeanette came to get the kids about 8:30 and then due to the impending freezing rain, Tom and I decided to go to the airport and spend the night there—since we had to be at the airport by 4:30am anyways. So, that worked out! But, boy, it was a sheet of ice when we were leaving the hotel on Thursday morning. The flights to St. Thomas were pretty uneventful. We did have a connection through Newark which was very quick—but luckily all 31 of us plus our luggage made it. We stayed at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort. It was nice. I wouldn’t say it was the nicest place we have ever stayed..but you can’t beach the ocean, the beach, the great weather and the views. We got an oceanfront, two-room suite so it was really nice. We could look down and see people snorkeling by or boats heading out for their excursions. It was a nice get-away. We went with two other people and rented a Jeep and drove all over St. John island on Saturday. That was really nice as we went places I am sure the regular tourists don’t get to see. That island is truly beautiful. On Friday evening, our group (60 people total) rented out Villa Sunset and had a truly spectacular dinner. We arrived prior to sunset and watched the sunset, while drinking champagne and hors’doeuvres. There was also a nice band and then a five course meal followed by cigar and cordial bar. It was truly an event to remember.

We made it back home by 1am last night. Aunt Michelle kept the kids until this morning and then I got to see them as we dropped them at school! They both looked really tired, as I am sure they had been staying up late the last couple of nights—but I am sure they had a good time. Now, the mounds of laundry await me…I am off tomorrow because I have a foot dr. appointment in the morning and then I am going to pick Shelby up at 11:30 from school and then she has a 2:00 doctor appointment. This will be the last time chemo is injected into her medi-port. How exciting!!!!! Then a bone marrow aspiration in the PICU is scheduled for Monday, March 13. I’ll post more on Wednesday with her counts from the Tuesday visit. Thanks for checking in on Shelby..please leave a note in her guestbook.

Monday, February 27, 2006 8:19 AM CST

Week 68 of 69
Thirteen (13) more days—WOW!

Unbelieveable! Only thirteen more days for Shelby. I can sense that she is starting to understand that she won’t have to take so many pills for that much longer. As I mentioned before, she will still take her Bactrim for six months (1/2 pill Wed, Thurs and Fri AM and PM) but all the rest will go away. I think she is more excited that the rash will hopefully go away that is on her face. We think it is a side effect from her mercaptopurine that she takes nightly.

Another busy week over. The kids were off the whole week for mid-winter break. Mom stayed home with them on Monday and Dad stayed home with them on Friday. They went to a camp on Tues/Wed/Thurs. They had so much fun at the camp that they were said they weren’t going on Friday. I took the kids to their new pediatrician for their well check-ups. Evan is in the 50or height and weight and our little darling, Miss Shelby, is in the 95or height and weight. That is great about the height—but I can hopefully blame the steroids for the weight part! Otherwise, they are both doing good. They like their new pediatrician. I ended up taking them out to dinner and to buy their new favorite CD, “High School Musical”, the Disney movie that all the kids are into. It is so cute to see Shelby and Evan singing all the words to all the songs. We also have taped the movie so they have watched that at least 10 times!

Saturday night, Mom had her annual black tie awards dinner. So, the kids went to Aunt Denise’s for a sleepover. I dropped the off around 10am and then went to get my hair done. Tom headed out for his 10 mile hike and then we hooked back up at home around noon and then headed over the hotel. We had to stop and pick up some “hiking essentials” for Tom ($150 worth!) Then we set up the event. The event turned out really nice. There were about 275 people and looked like everyone had a great time. We stayed at the hotel that night and then went back and picked up the kids on Sunday morning. Aunt Denise had given both kids badly needed hair cuts. Then we stopped and bought a new garage door opener and Daddy spent the day installing that. It is so much nicer than the old one and the garage door opens so much faster!

I took the kids to Build A Bear yesterday afternoon. Shelby had gotten a coupon for a free bear in the mail and she had a gift card left from her birthday so both kids went and got new things. Evan got the St. Patricks Bear and named him Clove and Shelby got the new Brown Sugar Puppy and named him Sugar. They had a good time.

Today, it is back to school for them. This week, Evan has karate tonight, tomorrow he has catechism and on Wednesday, Shelby has her Daisy meeting right after school. Then that night, they are going to go to Aunt Jeanette’s house. Mom and Dad will leave around 3:30am for the airport to head to St. Thomas. We will be in St. Thomas from Thursday until Sunday with my work trip. There are about 60 people going. Should be a nice trip. Jeanette is going to keep the kids Wednesday night and Thursday night. Then Aunt Michelle is going to pick the kids up after school on Friday and keep them until Sunday. Then Grandma Jackie is going to bring the kids from Michelle’s house back to our house so they can sleep in their own bed. We will probably be home around midnight. Mom has lots to do before we go—it is hard to pack two separate suitcases for the kids and then our stuff too. But, somehow, it all gets done.

Tom’s hike preparations are going well. As I said, he went on their mentor hike this past Saturday morning. It was 10 miles! He’s breaking in his new hiking boots and is getting all the other stuff together that he needs—hydration system, special clothing, etc., etc. Donations are coming along really well! We now have over $11,500! Unbelieveable! Everyone is so generous. April 30 is our cut-off date for accepting donations. The hike is scheduled for June 3 to the Grand Canyon. If you are interested in donating to the “Hike for Discovery” Program through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society..please visit Tom’s webpage at:

http://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=hfdTStimps

Shelby returns to the doctor on Tuesday, March 7 for counts and for vincristine in her mediport. I’m sure we’ll get more instructions then about “the end!” A bone marrow aspiration in the PICU is scheduled for Monday, March 13. I’ll post more next Monday and give you an update!!!! Take care.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 7:59 AM CST

Week 67 of 69
Nineteen (19) more days—the end is really in sight now!

Another week down….not too many more to go on treatment. The kids had a busy week finishing up school before their week off for mid-winter break. This past Sunday, we had Evan’s birthday party for the family. Everyone had a nice time. On Monday, Mom was off of work due to President’s Day so I stayed home with the kids. We went shopping together so the kids could spend some of their gift cards. Of course, they always enjoy this.

Shelby’s Health Update: She is still feeling well. She looks really pale and seems to tire real easily…but with all the viruses and flu that are going around, she has managed to avoid them so far. Only a few more weeks then fevers won’t be so much of a concern! Evan and Shelby are going to a new pediatrician on Friday for Evan’s 8 year check up and Shelby’s 6 year check up. It’s always interesting to see where they fall in the “growth curves”.

Things on tap this week: The kids will be going to Camp Have S’More Fun! (Isn’t that a cute name?) They will go here on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Thursday, Shelby, Evan and Mom all have dental cleaning appointments. Then on Friday, Dad is going to stay home with them. Then on Saturday, Mom has her black tie dinner dance at the Hyatt Dearborn for work so the kids will be going to Aunt Denise’s for a sleepover. Daddy continues to train for his Hike in the Grand Canyon and we continue to fundraise. We are happy to report that we have raised over $9,000! We have such generous family, friends and co-workers! We will continue taking donations until April 30 and the hike is scheduled for June 3. I thought Tom might think twice when this past Saturday, their team hike left at 8am and with the wind chill outside, it was -7 degrees. He had a water bottle in his coat pocket and it froze! It was cold—but they did their hike! Not exactly replicating Grand Canyon conditions!

We hope each of you have a wonderful week and I’ll write more next Monday!

Right now, I don’t want to offend anyone for only thanking one family. There have been numerous individuals who have made a big difference in Shelby’s life since she was diagnosed, but I want to take a minute and try to express our sincere gratitude to one very special family—The Staab Family—Karen, Brian, Katelin, Janessa and Abigail. Karen signed up with the Angel Network to be an “angel” for a child that has been diagnosed with a life threatening condition.

If you would like to be an "angel" for someone, please visit: www.cancerwarriors.org and click on angel network on left tab. You can be a Christmas angel, a birthday angel, a regular angel or a card angel.

As luck would have it, Shelby was assigned to Karen. Karen and her family sent cards and gifts to Shelby (and to Evan and to Tom and to Julie) on a regular basis. She even took the time to come up with theme gifts. Shelby cheerfully “volunteered” to get the mail every day hoping she would have a package from her “angel”. Words cannot express how much these little care packages helped lift everyone’s spirits. They didn’t have to be large gifts, just a note or picture helped to brighten Shelby’s days. She looked so forward to receiving these.

I cannot believe what a giving family the Staab’s are. I tried to find out if I could send the family something as a very small token of our appreciation and Karen actually said she did not want anything. She wanted her children to know what it was like to be able to be a giver and not necessarily have to receive anything. I was so touched by these words. It is so rare that you run across anyone like that that truly just wants to give and not receive!

Karen faithfully checked Shelby’s website for updates and left notes in her guestbook very often. Shelby’s face lights up whenever I read her the messages in her guestbook. Even though we are many miles apart (they live in California—we’re in Michigan) we cannot begin to thank them for everything they have done. My husband and I only hope that they know how special they truly are and what a difference they have all made in our lives. The world is so lucky to have people that care as much as they do and we are so fortunate that they were chosen to be “linked” to us. Even though it took something so horrific as leukemia to bring our families together—it definitely was a positive experience. So, THANK YOU to Karen and her entire family from the bottom of our hearts! You truly are all angels and very special people!!

P.S. Don’t forget..if you are interested in donating to the “Hike for Discovery” Program through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society...please visit his webpage at:

http://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=hfdTStimps

We are happy to report that our original goal was $4000—then we upped it to $6000—but due to the overwhelming support, our new goal is $8000—and I think we might have to make it $10,000!!!! Fundraising continues until April 30.

The Love of Children
Let's not take for granted,
the life of a child,
whether naughty or nice,
complacent or wild.
Just continue to nurture,
to love and to mold,
for there's nothing more precious,
to have and to hold.
Just when you feel,
life's too unruly,
they'll look up at you, and say,
"I love you truly".
Then all of your troubles,
somehow melt away,
with those few little words,
which brighten your day.
Then when you think,
you've got it all sewn up,
You turn around,
and there stands a grown up.
No more messy rooms,
no more dirty dishes,
No more skinned up knees,
or endless Christmas wishes.
Then all you have left are your fond memories,
of the way they climbed mountains,
and swam cross the seas.
Though you know in your heart,
'twas the sand pile and lake,
what you wouldn't give for one more double take,
of the children who grew up,
too soon and too fast,
So let's not take for granted,
and thank God memories last.
---Dawn Summit

Monday, February 13, 2006 7:54 AM CST

Week 66 of 69
Twenty Six (26) More Days of Treatment
Long Term Maintenance-Off Treatment: March 11, 2006

Shelby’s health update: Shelby’s cough is still hanging around. It is a really deep cough—but she only does it about twice a day. Of course her chest feels clear. Last night was a little scary. She was walking around saying she was so hungry and when was dinner and she requested spaghetti. So I made it. When she came to the table to eat, she filled up her bowl and then started to say that she didn’t feel well and how her tummy hurt. She went to lay down on the couch for a while. I asked her if she wanted to get her pajamas on and go to bed and she said she couldn’t without eating. So she came back to the table and at least ate some noodles. I just thought that was so weird----Shelby on steroids…not eating! Strange phenomenon!! This morning, she woke up and she seemed fine.

Evan was so excited to get to school today. He is the “Celebrity of the Week”. Lots of fun things planned. He had to make a special center for his classroom, Daddy made Snickerdoodles with Evan and Shelby on Saturday night for his birthday treat for tomorrow (yes he’s a Valentine’s Day baby!) and he had to make a timeline from birth to age 8 with pictures, he had to fill out a special book, he had to bring in part of a collection and on Thursday, he has to read his favorite book to the class. He is so excited.

Our big event from the weekend was the kids got to get their new Game Boy Advances! They were so excited. Shelby picked out the pearl blue one and Evan got the graphite one. It was so cute to see them talking about “linking up” to play their games. Evan is going to get a couple more games for his birthday too.

Daddy and Shelby went to the Daddy/Daughter dance last Friday night (put on by the Girl Scouts). She had so much fun—there were over 400 people there. We even got Shelby a wrist corsage and she wanted me to curl her hair. She looked so cute—although she was really tired. The dance was from 7pm-9pm on Friday when she is usually wiped out from the week. We took her out to dinner beforehand and I know she felt really special. She got her picture taken with Daddy and said she loved dancing.

Wanted to thank the Womens Auxiliary of the Rochester Veterans for the beautiful Spinoza bear that Shelby received. They had us as their special guests last Thursday night so they could present Shelby with the bear. They also had a barbershop quartet come and “serenade” Shelby for Valentine’s Day. Of course, Shelby was all embarrassed, but we did manage to get a few smiles out of her for the pictures. I think the members really enjoyed seeing her. The bear is really neat. Check out www. Spinozabear.com for information on it. It is also an educational toy. The tapes that he plays are really nice—they have a song on them and then a message in the story. The other night, Shelby let Spinoza do her bedtime story.

This week’s plans…Monday..Evan has karate and Mom and Shelby are going to the Family Games Night at the elementary school. Tuesday is Evan’s 8th Birthday! He has catechism and then we are going to go to the Pizza Hut Buffet (they have a balloon man there on Tuesday’s!) On Wednesday, the kids have a ½ day of school, so I am taking the afternoon off and we are going to go and see Curious George—Shelby really wants to go and see it. Thursday night, Evan has a Cub Scout Den Meeting and Friday, the Cub Scouts might go tobaggoning. Saturday, Daddy has a hike to go on and Sunday we are going to have Evan’s family birthday party at our house. When I asked him what he wanted to eat, of course he said…pizza. Easy for Mom! He even said he wants his cake like the one he had for his friend’s party a couple weeks ago. My easy child!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week. It is so nice to say we can see the end. Shelby is even starting to ask how much longer until she is done taking her pills. She does know she will have to continue taking her Bactrim pills (1/2 pill AM and PM on Wed/Thurs/Fri) for six months after…but that is nothing compared to the other ones.

We return to doctor on Tuesday, March 7 for vincristine and blood count then back again on Monday, March 13 for her final bone marrow aspiration.

P.S. Don’t forget..if you are interested in donating to the “Hike for Discovery” Program through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society...please visit his webpage at:

http://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=hfdTStimps

We are happy to report that our original goal was $4000—then we upped it to $6000—but due to the overwhelming support, our new goal is $8000!!! Fundraising continues until April 30.

Wednesday, February 8, 2006 6:35AM CST

Update on clinic visit yesterday------
After Shelby had a quick nap and had her favorite macaroni and cheese at "Noodles" for lunch, we headed to clinic. They were able to draw blood from her medi-port (yeah!) It has been stubborn lately. So they did the counts from there and administered her vincristine into her port. Her counts came back really high! Crazy Mom left them at home (so many things going on) but her WBC were over 4.5 and her NEUTs were 3.6. Pretty high and..she started steroids last night for a week so her counts should go up higher. This morning she did wake up and say that her legs hurt already (side effect from the Vincristine) and she is complaining her front tooth hurts. She has been saying this for a while..don't know if it is just loose or what. That's it for now...will update more next week.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2006 10:31AM CST

Week 65 of 69
Thirty Three (33) More Days of Treatment—Five More Weeks!
Long Term Maintenance-Off Treatment: March 11, 2006

Shelby’s health update: Shelby still has that nasty sounding cough—but not as often now . It is just a really deep cough. She took a really long nap yesterday which I am sure she needed just to rest (since she hasn’t taken a weekend nap in two weeks!) I had to wake her up at 5pm because it was getting so late and I wanted her to sleep last night (she did go back to bed at 8:45pm)

Survived another busy week. Evan had his karate, Shelby had her Daisy meeting—they went to a pizza place and had a tour of the restaurant and then got to make their own individual pizzas and have root beer floats. Then we raced home to pick up Evan, then headed over to pick up Daddy from work and then went to the Hike for Discovery kick-off meeting where we got to meet everyone that will be hiking and they got to meet Shelby, who will be one of their “Honored Heroes”. Friday we did the set-up for the Pinewood Derby from 6pm-10pm (so the kids were extremely tired), then on Saturday, Daddy got up and went out for his first group hike at 8am and the rest of us went to the Derby from 9am-3pm. It turned out really nice. I think all the boys had a great time. There was a great turn out—52 scouts showed up and their parents and some even brought their grandparents. Evan’s car, however, did not do so well. Each boy races their car four times down each of the four lanes. So their potential is four ribbons—1st through 4th place. Evan ended up getting four fourth places. He was pretty sad. But, he did get a lot of votes for favorite car or best looking—so we were able to cheer him up. We let him pick a restaurant to go to for dinner too so he got over it. Sunday, we just hung out at home and tried to resurrect the house from two weeks of neglect. Shelby decided she wanted to see how much money was in her piggy bank….but after putting it out on the floor, realized she only had $28 in dollars and the rest was change. So she proceeded to want to make coin rolls….well after collecting all change she could find (and taking Dad’s coin holder) she ended up with $98.00. So, she now wants to go and buy her own Game Boy. We’ll see! Her and Evan used to share his, but he is also getting a new one—so I think we will be a two family gameboy home soon.

This week’s plans…Monday…Evan karate, Tuesday, Shelby goes to the doctor for CBC, Vincristine and the start oif steroids. Mom has a PTA meeting in the evening. NOTHING for Wednesday, Thursday, we are going to a dinner at the American Legion hall as honored guests. Two years ago, I signed Shelby up for a talking teddy bear that kids affected by cancer can get. However, they are really expensive and they wait for someone or some organization to sponsor it before they will present it to the child. Well, the Rochester Veterans wanted to sponsor Shelby’s bear. So, they received it and wanted us to come to a dinner so they could present it to her in person. So, Mom, Evan and Shelby will be attending. Dad has to go to a hike meeting. This weekend, nothing planned. It is actually nice to say we have nothing to do. It will probably be a challenging weekend since Shelby will be finishing her steroids. We’ll see. Wait for next weeks update to see how we all survived!

P.S. Don’t forget..if you are interested in donating to the “Hike for Discovery” Program through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society..please visit his webpage at:

http://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=hfdTStimps

Monday, January 30, 2006 8:58 AM CST

Week 64 of 69
Forty One (41) More Days of Treatment
Long Term Maintenance-Off Treatment: March 11, 2006

Shelby’s health update: Shelby has developed a nasty sounding cough—but not nasal stuff. So hopefully it is just this weather change—hot/cold/hot/cold that we are having that is making these effects.

This past week was once again busy. Evan started his karate class back up and it is amazing how much better he is not paying attention to everything—plus he has a green belt and everyone else is just starting out so that makes him feel special. The kids had so much fun at the Book Fair. I never thought kids would enjoy picking out and buying books as much as mine did. But, the school takes the classes down during the day and lets them pick out books that they want. Then they send the list home—so it makes the parents feel back if the kid doesn’t get to go and at least get a book. $50 later..we walked out…but the kids classrooms also got books.

Mom and Dad survived their trip to Cancun and the kids survived their stays with their Aunts and Uncles! Thank you to Uncle Tim/Aunt Alicia and Aunt Michelle/Uncle Brian. The kids had fun at their “sleepovers”. Shelby was a little said that we didn’t call—but we tried to on Saturday but couldn’t get the hotel phones to work, the cell was hit or miss with the network and the international calling card didn’t work either. We struck out all three tries! The kids were fine though. Evan also developed a runny nose—but you could tell they were glad that we were back home. We ended up going out to dinner last night since it was Tom’s birthday so the kids enjoyed that and they were in bed early (they were really tired!)

The hotel was nice. It was nice having the all-inclusive. We didn’t pay for anything. The weather was 82 and warm—but it was really windy at the hotel so that was a little deceiving. We were only out in the sun about 5 hours total—enough to turn into lobsters! Tom’s back is really red!

This week, again, is busy…Monday…Evan karate, Tuesday..Mom has dentist appointment, Wednesday Shelby has a Daisy Meeting, and then we have the kick-off party for Tom’s Grand Canyon Hike and Shelby has to go since she is going to the “honored hero” for his hikers. Thursday…nothing and then Friday is the set-up of the Pinewood Derby and run throughs. Saturday is the Pinewood Derby and then Sunday, nothing planned. Will be a crazy week!

Shelby returns to the doctor on Tuesday, February 7 for a CBC and vincristine. Hopefully a quick visit. Until then, we hope everyone has a wonderful week!

P.S. BIG NEWS! Tom has signed on to the “Hike for Discovery” Program through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He is part of a group of 45 people from Michigan that will be doing their inaugural hike into the Grand Canyon on Saturday, June 3, 2006. He is trying to raise $4,000 for this event. Watch your mail…we will be sending out letters for donations very soon! If you want to visit his website, here is the link…… http://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=hfdTStimps

Wednesday, January 25, 2005 8:00am

Update...kids got their report cards yesterday for the second marking period. They were both wonderful! Evan even got a special certificate. He was so excited. The funny thing was Shelby's kindergarten teacher stopped me on my way out from picking her up from school and she said she was so surprised when she was filling out the report cards, because out of her entire morning kindergarten class, Shelby was the only one that had perfect attendance for the second marking period. Unbelieveable....she has this terrible disease...yet she is at school every day. What determination and will our little girl has!!!!

Monday, January 23, 2006 8:11am CST

Week 63 of 69
Forty Seven (45) More Days of Treatment
Long Term Maintenance-Off Treatment: March 11, 2006

Shelby’s health update: The after-effects of steroids have kicked in. I was tempted to get the Valium out this past weekend—but she was over tired and over excited with all she had planned too. Her facial rash came back with a vengeance this time as soon as the steroids were gone. The steroid cream seems to help a little, but of course she hates it when I put it on. Other than that, she is feeling good. She is just really tired. It’s been pretty easy getting her to bed at night!

We survived another busy week. (Boy, I seem to say that about every week). It sure would be nice to post something like…we had a boring, quiet weekend. Do those really exist???

Tom and Evan enjoyed the MotoCross show at the Palace of Auburn Hills last Friday evening. Cousin Adam and Uncle Brian went too and of course, Evan loved being with his older cousin! Shelby’s birthday party that she went to on Saturday was fun, but she had a melt down when she couldn’t sit by the birthday girl. Luckily her Mom helped arrange it so Shelby could. Then, the big event….was Evan and Shelby’s “joint” birthday party this past Sunday. The kids had a blast. Shelby had 12 friends and Evan had 11. I think everyone had a wonderful time. All the Moms were commenting about how great it was to be able to swim for an hour, then have pizza and cake. I have never seen kids so hungry after they swam. They gobbled up all the pizza. Evan and Shelby each had their own birthday cake so that made it a little easier for crowd control. A few of the Moms stuck around so they helped serve and cut cake, drinks, etc. When we returned home from that, of course, the kids wanted to tear into all their gifts. I swear it was like Christmas all over again (the disadvantage to having birthdays so close to Christmas!) I was so tired after all that! Got the kids to bed and actually went to bed early myself. I was so glad that I didn’t have to clean the house (only pick it up) since the cleaning lady was coming this morning! So excited.

This week…..tonight Evan starts karate class again. He is doing the Sanchin-Ru Karate. He took two classes of this before and then took a break, but now he wanted to do it again. Tuesday, Evan has catechism and Wednesday, there is a Book Fair at the elementary school by Scholastic that the kids want to go to. Then Wednesday night, they are going over to Uncle Tim and Aunt Alicia’s and will stay with them until Friday night. Then Aunt Michelle is going to take them from Friday night until Sunday when we return. Mom and Dad are off to CANCUN on Thursday morning (we have to be at airport at 4:30am!) There are 56 people going all together. Should be a nice time. We are going to stay at the Riu Palace Las Americas and it is an all-inclusive place. Our travel agent has also arranged a car to take us to the Mayan Riveria on Friday for a hotel site tour and lunch and shopping. Other than that, the plans are just to relax and take it easy (see if it can happen!) We return on Sunday about 3:30pm. I was able to have some time to get the kids clothes packed up for this weekend and my stuff prepared. Now, as usual, just have to wait for Tom to pack his stuff!

Shelby returns to the doctor on Tuesday, February 7 for a CBC and vincristine. Hopefully a quick visit. Until then, we hope everyone has a wonderful week!

P.S. BIG NEWS! Tom has signed on to the “Hike for Discovery” Program through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He is part of a group of 45 people from Michigan that will be doing their inaugural hike into the Grand Canyon on Saturday, June 3, 2006. He is trying to raise $4,000 for this event. Watch your mail…we will be sending out letters for donations very soon! If you want to visit his website, here is the link…… http://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=hfdTStimps

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 5:59 AM CST

Week 62 of 69
Fifty Four (54) More Days of Treatment
Long Term Maintenance-Off Treatment: March 11, 2006

Shelby’s health update: She continues to feel really well. Of course, steroid week helps! This time through she was a fruit addict. Couldn’t believe it. But that is good!

We survived another busy week. But it was a nice get-a-way. Shelby’s doctor appointment last Wednesday was pretty eventful. It was nice to have it be her last un-sedated spinal tap! She will have a final one when she gets her final bone marrow done on March 13 but she will be put under. It seemed like the end was really near when I was able to schedule that final bone marrow. After those results are in, I can then schedule her medi-port removal which I a hoping to happen on March 24—we’ll see.

We left on Thursday morning for the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City. The kids had a great time. It was not very crowded at all so the kids were able to do everything they wanted to do. We were even able to get Evan on the one of the “faster” slides. He only went once—where Shelby must have gone down twenty times. She’s a little daredevil! Friday morning, Grandma Mary Ann came over to the hotel to see us. Then we checked out and headed back to her house. Before we went there, she took us to the bakery where she buys the famous ‘cinnamon bread” that she brings to us. Evan got a kick out of this. He is a cinnamon bread addict! Then we hung out at the grandparents. The kids enjoyed the high speed internet and were able to play lots of games (educational ones, of course!) Evan and Dad also had time to sculpt their Pinewood Derby car. Now they just have to paint it! (Derby coming up on February 4). Mommy had some time to work on some work that needed to be done without distractions. It was a nice visit. We then returned home on Sunday. On the way back, we stopped at the outlet stores and loaded up on more cinnamon bread at the Pepperidge Farm store and Shelby also was able to get a new pair of boots and a new pair of tennis shoes at the Stride Rite store. Yesterday, Mom and the kids were home because of Martin Luther King birthday so we just hung out—Mommy caught up on laundry, Evan went on a play date and Shelby worked on lots of coloring pictures. Dad, of course, went to work! We were able to get the van in for service too—apparently there was a defective valve and that was causing the check engine light to come on! We also had a recall on the car which we didn’t know about! But, now that is fixed!

Shelby doesn’t return to the doctor until Tuesday, February 7 for a CBC and vincristine. Hopefully a quick visit. Until then, just the normal stuff. Thursday night, I am hosting the Cub Scout Committee at our house (about 12 people) for a meeting, then on Friday, Dad and Evan are going to the MotorCross show at the Palace. Saturday, Shelby has a birthday party to go to and then on Sunday, the kids have their dual birthday party where they will swim for an hour and then have pizza and cake. Somewhere in between all this, hopefully the house will get clean. We’ll see!!!

Hope everyone has a great week. I’ll update again next week with the update from the big dual birthday party! Thanks for checking in on Shelby. Please be sure to leave a quick message in her guestbook!

Wednesday, January 11, 2006 1:30pm EST

Shelby was such a trooper at her clinic visit! She didn't even cry during the un-sadated spinal tap or charlie (medi-port) poke or finger poke. She got the works today and she came through with flying colors. We are so proud of her! Her counts were:

WBC: 2.71
Neut: 1.87
RBC: 4.33
HgB: 14.2
Plt: 271

Really good counts and she is growing, so they added another 1/2 pill of her mercaptopurine to her dosage--so that will make 74.50 pills for this next week! WOW! But, she is a trooper--or as she says, "piece of cake".

We are off for our trip tomorrow morning--I'll update again next week. Take care and thanks for checking in on her.

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2006 9:14AM CST

Week 61 of 69
Sixty One (61) More Days of Treatment
Long Term Maintenance-Off Treatment: March 11, 2006

Shelby’s health update: She continues to feel really well. It took a lot out of her to go back to school after the holiday break and not have as long of naps—but she will survive. We make up for them on the weekend.

Well, we survived the big event….Shelby’s 6th birthday was last Friday. She was 6 on the 6th in 2006! How exciting it was. It felt like the whole weekend was “Shelby’s weekend”. The cupcakes in the kindergarten class were a success and then that evening we took her to Red Robin for dinner. After eating a huge bowl of spaghetti, the wait staff came over and brought her a huge ice cream sundae and sang happy birthday to her and gave her two balloons. She was so excited! Then on Saturday, we got ready for the party. Sunday was the “family” party with all the aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents and her godparents, Kim and Steve. Shelby had a wonderful time. The kids made their own pizzas and then the adults ate while the kids played games, organized by cousin Kaitlin, in the basement. It was nice to a have a peaceful meal. Then we did cake and presents. Shelby loved everything she received! She couldn’t wait to open all of the gifts.

Next up, the kid dual party on Sun, January 22. Then Evan’s family party sometime in February. It just keeps going!

Shelby had a good time last week at her Daisy meeting. They went to the Whole Foods Grocery Store and were told about healthy eating and given samples throughout the store. I couldn’t believe Shelby actually tried all the stuff. Her favorite was the blueberry maple sausage. Couldn’t believe it—I have never given her sausage before! Both kids ended up have a great time at the Cub Scout Veggie Racing event—the pre-event to the Pinewood Derby that is planned for Saturday, February 4 that Tom and I will be running.

This week will again be busy. On Wednesday, Shelby has a doctor appointment, Evan has a half day of school. Then on Thursday, Tom and I both have dentist appointments in the morning, Evan has a ½ day of school and then we are heading up to Traverse City to the Great Wolf Lodge so the kids can have fun on the water slides. Then on Friday, we are going over to the grandparents house. Not sure if we will be coming home on Saturday evening or Sunday. Tom and Evan want to spend some time using Grandpa’s tools working on his Pinewood Derby car (so maybe it will do better than 4th place from last year!) Then on Monday, the kids are off of school and I am off of work for Martin Luther King Day. I’m sure we’ll be playing catch up from being gone!!

Shelby returns to the doctor this Wednesday, January 11 for a CBC, spinal tap and vincristine in her port. This will be her last spinal (without sedation!) This will be her 20th spinal all together on this journey.

Hope everyone has a great week. I’ll update again next Tuesday! Thanks for checking in on Shelby. Please be sure to leave a quick message in her guestbook!

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 10:00 AM CST

Week 60 of 69
Sixty Seven (67) More Days of Treatment
Long Term Maintenance-Off Treatment: March 11, 2006

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! As you may have guessed, 2006 is going to be great year for our family. This is the year when Shelby will finish her treatment. Although she will still have monthly doctor visits over the next year, at least she will be done with the chemotherapy drugs!

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year. The kids had a wonderful holiday break from school and were very excited to get back to school today. It really was time—I think they were getting tired of playing with just each other!

Fun things we did over this past week included a visit to Build-A-Bear, where Shelby got to make a new bear with a new ice skating outfit. Evan made a Husky but opted for no clothes (smart boy!) We also went out to eat a couple of times and went and saw Cheaper by the Dozen 2 with the whole family! That was a nice treat! The kids really liked the movie. Shelby laughed a lot during the show while munching on her big bag of popcorn! I was able to find a binder (not just any one—the right one!) to hold all the journal entries and guestbook entries from this website. I wanted to find a nice binder that I could “preserve” all of these in so when she is older and understands more, she can read through her journey and read by herself all the comments people have written for her. Now I just have to find that spare time to put it together!!!

All the Christmas stuff was put away yesterday. That is such a big project but now the house is clean once again! The basement also was reorganized and Daddy moved the DVD player, VCR and TV down there so the kids can watch their stuff down there. Shelby got the Bella Dancerella DVD and Evan go the Karate Kicks DVD so now they can lay out their mats down there and do it. Shelby is also getting a dance mat for her birthday so that can be another thing in the basement. I don’t like toys all over the house—this way they can all stay down there. I also bought a new toy organizer so that is helping!

Shelby’s health update: She has been feeling pretty good. She has been taking really long naps and sleeping at least 10-11 hours each night. I really believe letting her body rest really helps make her feel better. There were a few nights that she wouldn’t go to bed because she had such a long nap. We have been fortunate there have not been any fevers! We do still take her temp a lot because in the past, those fevers would just spike for no reason!

Biggest news…Shelby’s 6th birthday is this Friday. She will be 6 on the 6th in 2006! How exciting! She is excited. She has decided to take cupcakes to kindergarten on Friday and is determined to carry them herself in the pan with the carry handle. Then on Sunday, we are going to have the Aunts/Uncles and Cousins and Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jackie over for lasagna and kids make their own pizzas. She is so excited! More presents (just what she needs—not!) I swear I know when her birthday is, but it seems to creep up on me right after Christmas. Evan’s birthday is also coming up on Feb. 14—so I have convinced the kids to have a “dual birthday party” on Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Community Center. They are going to swim from 3-4pm and then have pizza and gifts from 4-5 pm. Shelby has invited 12 girls and Evan has invited 10 boys. (NOTE: Shelby’s list was cut down from 24 girls—after I explained she didn’t have to invite everyone in her class!) This should be fun! They spent the day yesterday hand addressing their invitations. Shelby’s are cute—they have who they are going to then the return address simply says “Shelby”. They both insisted on writing out all the addresses and putting the stamps on them.

This week will be a busy one. On Tuesday night, Evan has a Cub Scout Den Meeting, on Wednesday, Shelby has a Daisy Meeting at a grocery store for a tour and discussion then on Thursday, Evan has a Cub Scout Pack Meeting where they will be doing veggie racing getting ready for the Pinewood Derby. Then Friday is Shelby’s birthday—if I can convince Daddy—we will probably hit Chuck-E-Cheese (even thought that place is such a germ infestation—the kids love it!) Then Shelby’s party on Sunday. Busy, busy, busy. We don’t ever really slow down!

Shelby returns to the doctor on Wednesday, January 11 for a CBC, spinal tap and vincristine in her port. This will be her last spinal (without sedation!) This will be her 20th spinal all together on this journey.

Hope everyone has a great week. I’ll update again next week! Thanks for checking in on Shelby. Please be sure to leave a quick message in her guestbook!

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 7:06 AM CST

WEEK 59 of 69…..11 Weeks Left – 74 More Days
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE – The end is in sight!!!!

Only 74 more days of treatment!

Well, the holidays are over! Whew…they sure were busy (as I’m sure they were for everyone!)

Shelby’s Health: She is feeling really good. Still has a little lingering cough and she is getting lots of sleep (she took a three hour nap yesterday!) I don’t mind—she always seems to feel a little better when she gets more rest. We return to the clinic on Wednesday, January 11 for vincristine, CBC and spinal tap.

Last week, of course, seemed to fly by. We had a wonderful Christmas. On Friday, Uncle Tim took all the cousins bowling during the day so Mom was able to finish all the last minute stuff that needed to get done. Then at 5:30pm, Mom and Dad went over to Uncle Tim’s house for the Muller Christmas. This was a wonderful evening and everyone had a nice time. Then on Saturday evening, we went over to Aunt Denise’s house for Christmas with the Stimpson side. This was also nice. Had dinner and opened presents. Then on Sunday, we opened the Santa gifts. Then we went to my cousin Kim’s house. This was also fun. There were a lot of kids there so the kids basically “got lost” and played with them. It is always nice to see the other family members that we don’t get to see that often.

The kids were so excited on Christmas morning—but they did sleep until 8:30am and waited for Mom and Dad before they went downstairs to see the presents. Santa overdid himself again this year—but the kids enjoyed all their gifts. I don’t think they got one gift that they didn’t like (well Evan did say he didn’t like the Guiness Book of World Records book because it had some “yucky stuff” in it.) Shelby said she loved everything she got!! Shelby’s highlight was the scroll that Santa left thanking her for the gingerbread cookies that she decorated. She thought it was so neat to untie this and read it (even though she can’t read!) Evan helped her!

The new picture on top of course is of her with one of her “most favorite” gifts. One thing that was interesting, she did not get any dolls! She got Barbie’s, but no baby dolls. She said that was ok because “my birthday is very soon!” (January 6!)

That’s about it for the update. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!! We are looking forward to 2006—a new beginning for Shelby and our family—leukemia free after 3/11!!!!

Monday, December 19, 2005 8:08 AM CST

WEEK 58 of 69…..11 Weeks Left – 82 More Days
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE – The end is in sight!!!!

Only 82 more days of treatment!

Well, the holidays are here—we all know what that means…busy, busy, busy!! It sure is at our house. There are so many things going on and this morning, Shelby wakes up coughing really bad and stuffed up. I hope she doesn’t get her Christmas cold! I had some time to get more presents wrapped this weekend (thank you to Shelby’s friend for inviting her to his birthday party on Saturday!) It was much easier to wrap gifts without worrying about Shelby bouncing up the stairs saying “what’s you doing?” There are still the Santa gifts to do—but those will get done! Almost have all the cards out—the last batch will go out tomorrow. Sorry for the last minute! It has been crazy! But, hey, at least I get them out!

The kids have been enjoying sledding in the snow and even going down the tiny hill in the backyard. Shelby was a little sad on Saturday because she was all set to make a snowman, but then quickly discovered she couldn’t even make a snowball—it wasn’t packing snow! Maybe next time—we know we’ll have other opportunities.

Last week was pretty uneventful—but nevertheless, it flew by. The “low light” of the week was on Wednesday. Evan and Shelby usually do not go to the after school program on Tuesday or Wednesday. However, back in November, I had signed them up to go on Wednesday, 12/14. Well, Shelby went to the afterschool program but…Evan didn’t. He ended up walking home, opening up the garage, closing it and going in and sitting down and watching TV. When the adults figured out he wasn’t there (partly because Shelby was running around yelling…where’s my brother? He’s supposed to be here.) They called our house. And to my surprise, Evan answered the phone! They told him he was supposed to be at the after school program. So he put his snowpants back on, grabbed his backpack and walked back to school. (He did leave the wood front door open and a few lights on in the house). For those that don’t know, we are only 5 houses away from the school at the end of the street. So, on one hand I was happy that he was so responsible—on the other hand, I was really mad because anything could have happened to him—they should have gone and picked him up. Then when I arrived to pick them up at 5:30pm, the adult didn’t even have the decency to come over and tell me what happened! Couldn’t believe it.

Yesterday, we went to Cousin Kendall’s 6th birthday party (her and Shelby are only 19 days apart!) It was a nice party. Shelby had just taken her last steroids and I think they kicked in because she was not her “normal” self.

This week….quite a few things on tap. The kids are in school until Thursday, 12/22. Tonight, we are going to Steve and Kim’s house for dinner (they are Shelby’s godparents and Tom’s college roommate). Nothing tomorrow, Wednesday night, Mom is going out for a girl’s night out, Thursday nothing (of course it is never nothing—just nothing on calendar—there are plenty of things to do!) Friday, we are going to Uncle Tim’s house for the Muller family Christmas. Saturday, we will be at Aunt Denise’s and on Sunday, we are going over to my cousin’s house. So, it will be busy and Tom will work through all of this (except Christmas day!)

No clinic visit planned until January 11 when she will have a spinal. I hope her cold stays away and her cough clears up—although it has been really cold!!!

Take care and everyone have a wonderful week and a wonderful Christmas! I’ll do an update next Tuesday and let you know how the kids enjoyed all the gifts!!!! Take care!

Wednesday, December 14, 2005 7:08 AM CST

WEEK 57 of 69…..13 Weeks Left – 3 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE – The end is in sight!!!!

Only 86 more days of treatment! They are flying by—especially now during the holidays! I honestly don’t think Shelby has any clue that one day she will not have to take pills. Unfortunately, she just thinks that is the way it is. This morning, Shelby was taking her steroid pills and Evan announced “I don’t think I’ll ever be good at taking pills.” I thought to myself, I hope not! But, then again, I thought how lucky we are that Shelby can swallow pills all on her own—or this journey would have been a horrific one!

Sorry I didn’t do my normal Monday update. Busy, busy, busy. I actually was in the kindergarten room helping out on Monday morning then ran into work. Yesterday, Shelby had a clinic visit to get a CBC and vincristine in her medi-port. She is doing great. She is up to 55 pounds! WOW! Her counts are great---WBC almost to 4.0 and neuts are at 2.6. The only thing a little low is her platelets—which is why when she had a bloody nose this morning it took almost a whole box of Kleenex to get it to stop—(or maybe because one drop of blood and Shelby feels the need for a new one?)

Anyhow, things are going well. Really busy getting ready for Christmas. My challenge this week is to get the holiday cards out. I was waiting for Tom to bring home the picture cards from Walgreens (you would think there was a benefit to having your husband being the Store Manager there---not!) I could have gotten them done quicker as a regular customer—now I know for next time!

I have gotten some holiday gifts wrapped. Evan and Shelby love to take the wrapped gifts down from upstairs and sort them under the tree. Shelby was amazed at how “large” her presents were. Once again, I overbought for them. Although it is the one time of the year I get to spoil them. But, I am doing like I usually end up doing—splitting the pile into Christmas and then birthday gifts. I guess another way to look at it is I finished my birthday shopping early!

Last week flew by again. Shelby had tons of fun at her daisy meeting. They made cards to mail and then they made scarfs. Then she got her “official Daisy pin” and her first petals. She loves Daisy. So much for the 2nd grade field trip last Friday. It ended up being a snow day—but I guess it was good because I was already scheduled to be home. The kids had a good time. We went shopping and out to lunch. Actually the roads weren’t even that bad. We are forecasted for four more inches of snow tonight into tomorrow morning—and the field trip is rescheduled for this Friday. I am taking off this Friday again to go because Evan practically begged me to go! Should be fun going on a bus with 65 second graders and a couple of Moms!

Other than that, things are rolling along. Tom is working at least 13 hour days and will only get worse over the next week. We’re used to it—I feel like a single Mom sometimes! Oh well, I hope everyone has a great week and we’ll check in again next week.

Monday, December 5, 2005 7:32 AM CST

WEEK 56 of 69…..14 Weeks Left – 3 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE – The end is in sight!!!!

Big news…..she only has less than 100 days of treatment left! Actually 96 days! The countdown has begun!!! It is hard to believe that when this all started, we were looking at 785 days of the protocol treatment. Ninety six still sounds like a lot, but believe me compared to those days at the beginning, this time should fly by. When I think back about everything she has gone through—Intensification, Consolidation, First Interim Maintenance, First Delayed Intensification, Second Interim Maintenance, Second Delayed Intensification, Long Term Maintenance---whew!!

What does this equate to in terms of what Shelby has to do for these last 96 days?

Only 98 more pills of the Methotrexate (she takes them every Monday night, seven at a time)

Only 126 more doses of the Mercaptopurine (or 6-MP in cancer lingo). Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday she takes one pill, Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday she takes 1 ½ pills of this medicine.

Only four more doses of Vincristine into her medi-port---so only 4 more port accesses (barring any complications or unexplained fevers).

Only 84 more ½ pills of the Bactrim medicine (oral prophylactic antibiotic). She actually will stay on this for six months after treatment ends, as a preventative measure—but only 84 more right now.

The best part, only 100 more little yellow pills…those wonderful (not!) steroid pills!

Only two more spinal taps—one un-sedated and one under sedation in the PICU.

Only one more final bone marrow aspiration done under sedation in the PICU.

So…for those of you counting, only 408 more pills over the next 96 days that she will have to take----wait until I add up total number of pills that she has taken through this treatment—should be a phenomenal number! (But a sad one too—knowing that she has taken all of those and kept that beautiful smile on her face!) How many other kids have ever (or will ever) take 408 pills in their lifetime and this is only 3 months of treatment out of 27 total months. How sad—ok..I’ll stop writing things like this!

Then the surgery will be scheduled for the medi-port removal hopefully at the end of March, 2006.

Back to the family update news from the past week….

The Hospital Clinic Christmas Party was fun. We had a family picture taken with Santa and the kids got gift cards—Shelby picked a Toys R Us Gift Card and Evan picked a Target gift card (don’t know why—he has only been there once in his life—must be power of advertising taking over here!) They had a wonderful face painter there that I got their card for any future parties we may have!

My Holiday Open House party was a success. Everyone had a great time. Ended up having 23 people show up. I think everyone had a great time. I have to pick out my “freebie” hostess stuff now. How fun! It was nice to see everyone!

The kids went to the Troy Nature Center this past Saturday for a clinic about Deer (Reindeer) and to visit with Santa. Shelby actually went on a “personal” stroll with Santa and she had her picture taken by a newspaper (I guess she was the cutest of them all!) I won’t dispute them!

Then on Sunday, Tom and Evan marched in the Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade with Evan’s Cub Scouts. They were #40 out of #116 entries. They had a lot of fun. It was actually kind of neat—since they were only #40—they were done and home before the parade was over. It was also broadcast on our ABC station—so we got to see them! Shelby and I actually stayed home—didn’t think she needed to be out in the cold and I sure didn’t want to either. This way, she got her nap and I got the house picked up!

Shelby is feeling really good. She still has that rash that comes and goes. I did pick up some new cream that appears to be making a small difference. She was so excited to go back to school today. She is always excited about Monday’s because they get new “jobs” in kindergarten and she still needs to be weather person and line leader! We’ll see if she ended up with anything when she gets home!

We return to the doctor on Tuesday, 12/13 for blood counts and vincristine in her mediport. Hope everyone has a great week and you are all getting your holiday shopping done. I’m having no problem getting the shopping done, it is the thought of wrapping it all. I better do some soon, because the piles in my walk-in closet are about ready to topple over!!!

This week…not too much planned….Shelby has her Daisy Meeting on Wednesday where she will get “pinned”. Then on Friday, Mom is going with Evan to the Henry Ford Museum with Evan’s second grade class. Later that evening, Evan and Shelby are going back to the Nature Center for a “Nature Escape”. It is from 6-9pm and they have a brown bag dinner there (and Mom and Dad get to go out for a real grown-up dinner!)

Hope you all have a great week—I’ll write more next week.

Monday, November 28, 2005 9:49 AM CST

WEEK 55 of 69…..15 Weeks Left – 3 1/2 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Ours was really relaxing…we got a lot accomplished in the morning…all the Christmas decorations were taken down out of the attic and the trees were put up. This was nice since last year with the whole kitchen demolished and the kitchen in the family room and laundry room, we only set up our little Christmas tree. It was nice to get all the things back up again. I had a little more motivation because I am having a Holiday Open House on Wednesday night with Southern Living at Home, Tastefully Simple, Designer Purses and It’s Personal Jewelry (my sister-in-laws the rep). So I have 27 people confirmed to come from 6pm-8pm. It will be busy. I was cooking and baking yesterday for that and I have Wednesday off to finish the rest—plus the kids have a half day of school.

Tom, Evan and Shelby had a great time at the Monster Trucks. Of course Shelby was saying she didn’t want to go—but she was the one that was talking the most about it when they got back! Tom said it was good that they had the ear plugs!! Other than that, I did get out to do a little shopping—but I had the kids with me almost the entire weekend and most of the shopping I have to do is for them so I can’t take them with me.

Tomorrow night, we are going to the hospital clinic Christmas Party. Last year, the kids had a wonderful time so we are looking forward to going again. We are going to pick Tom up at work and then head over—it is from 5:30-8:30p.m.

On Saturday, the kids are going to the Troy Nature Center for a Nature Escape to learn about reindeer and to meet Santa. Should be a good time for them. It is only two hours long, but they get to have fun and I can squish in a little shopping too!

Shelby’s health…she is doing really good. We did get a call that strep throat was going through the school again, but no signs of it. She still has a really bad rash all around her mouth and nose that supposedly is caused by the Mercaptopurine (6-MP) medicine that she is taking. It comes and goes and does get worse on the nights she takes higher doses of this medicine. I do put hydrocortisone cream on it and it does get a little better, but she hates the cream. Other than that, she is feeling good. She is still sleeping a lot but the rest is good for her!

We return to the doctor on Tuesday, 12/13 for blood counts and vincristine in her mediport. Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Monday, November 21, 2005 12:26 AM CST

WEEK 54 of 69…..16 Weeks Left – 4 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Well steroid week went fairly well. Shelby was so cute….she went up to Tom one night and said that she was “allowed to eat because she is taking those little yellow pills.” It was so cute! Her appetite really wasn’t that bad last week. Her stomach did inflate again and we had to pull out the bigger size pants and she was more tired than normal, but other than that, I think we survived really well.

One really cute story….on Friday, the kids didn’t have school all day so I signed them up for the daycamp at their school. They both went and they both had to take brown bag lunches. Well, at the first snack time, a couple of the kids started eating their lunch—so Shelby ate her entire lunch (remember she was on steroids). So, when lunch time came, Shelby had no lunch. Evan saw this and he gave her his sandwich and his cookies. That was the sweetest thing! Of course, Evan was really hungry when I picked them up around 5:30—so I took them out to dinner and let them have whatever they wanted. I thought that was so nice of them. It really makes a parent feel good when you’re kids looking out for each other!

The weekend flew by. We went out to dinner on Friday night. On Saturday, Daddy went to work, while I picked things up around the house. Saturday night, I went into work from 4pm-10pm. I got so much done with no interruptions! On Sunday, we went for our annual family Christmas photo and Evan had a Cub Scout Den Meeting.

This week, not very much planned at all. The kids have school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, we are going to my Dad’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Friday, Tom will work (of course—busiest retail day of the year!). Saturday, Tom, Evan and Shelby are going with the Cub Scouts to see the Monster Trucks at the Palace of Auburn Hills. One of the den leaders is getting them all ear plugs! Smart! Other than that, we are going to just plug away and get our house decorated for Christmas.

No doctor visits scheduled until December 13th. I’ll still post weekly updates. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Counts in from clinic yesterday:

WBC: 3.61
Neut: 2.38
RBC: 3.88
HgB: 12.5
Plt: 238

So, very good counts. She has the "6-MP" rash again all around her mouth. It looks really bad and she says it itches, but other than hydrocortisone cream, there isn't much we can do. She had a fun day--I picked her up after kindergarten (which was a treat since she usually goes to K-Club) then we went out to her favorite place for lunch, Noodles--where she has their mac and cheese. I'll update more next week. Thanks for checking on her.

MONDAY, November 14, 2005

WEEK 53 of 69…..17 Weeks Left – 4 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

I couldn’t believe it was Monday when I looked at the calendar. Another time to update….and I don’t know what to put down! I guess for a Mom of a kid with cancer, that is good news!!! But I will give your our “family update”.

Shelby is feeling well. As I have mentioned, she is still really tired all the time. I try to make sure she gets at least 9 hours of sleep every night and we try to make up for it on the weekends. Although this past weekend, she didn’t have any naps! Her Cousins Elizabeth and Kendall came to stay with us on Saturday and Sunday (their parents went to Las Vegas!) Shelby had a great time playing with the other girls. Evan didn’t have too much fun, but they included him.

Well, this past week, the kids did get to go to Pizza Hut for the lunch buffet which they of course loved! It was so cute to see Evan and Shelby up there serving themselves. Everyone tried to help them, but they did it all by themselves! Then we went to the library and the kids loaded up on books that they wanted to read!

On Sunday, we went to the Ringling Brothers Circus. The kids had a wonderful time. Their father hung out inside the suite and watched the Detroit Lions game and I dozed off—but the kids had a wonderful time! We had the suite to ourselves too—no one else showed up!

Other that that, not too much more happened. I have been busy trying to get house tidied up so I can get the holiday decorations up. We are looking forward to having them all up this year—last year we had just demolished the kitchen so we only had our little tree up. This year we are going to “deck the halls!”

Tomorrow, Tuesday, Shelby goes to the doctor at 1:45 for her blood count and vincristine in her mediport then….steroids. Yuck! She had a few “episodes” over the weekend that I know the steroids aren’t going to help. It may be a rocky week. We’ll see—it will give me something to report next week!

Wednesday night, Daddy is alone with the kids. Mommy is going out with two friends from high school for dinner. Other than that---can you believe we have nothing planned. I can hardly believe it—after months of being so super busy that it has finally calmed down—but there is holiday shopping to do, gifts to wrap, etc., etc., etc.,

Thanks again for checking in on Shelby. Please take a minute and sign her guestbook so we know you were here! Hope everyone has a great week. I’ll post her counts on Wednesday and let you know how she did at the clinic!

Monday, November 7, 2005 10:12 AM CST

WEEK 52 of 69…..18 Weeks Left – 4 1/2 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Time for another update. Boy it seems like the weeks fly by and it is time to do another update (or our lives are so busy…maybe I’m on to something!)

It actually was a pretty uneventful week! Shelby loved her Daisy’s meeting and I know she will thoroughly enjoy being involved in that. It is pretty selected—there are only 10 girls in it with a waiting list.

I actually had some time to start some Christmas shopping—two gifts down. It was nice to have a weekend without having to run somewhere. I actually made it to the grocery store too!

Shelby has been feeling well. She is still really tired and continues to take 2-3 hour naps on the weekends. At school, she only gets a 45 minute rest time so that is probably why she is so tired when she gets home.

On Tuesday this week, the kids are off due to teacher professional development, so I am taking the day off to stay home with them. We have a few “projects” lined up. One of Shelby’s is to clean off the fireplace—she must have 40 different toys/misc. things laying there that are in one big pile. I told the kids if we get our jobs one, we can go to Pizza Hut for their lunch buffet (they love going there!) Not that I believe in bribes, but cause and effect does work!

This weekend, the Children’s Leukemia Foundation sent us tickets to the Ringling Brothers Circus in a suite so we will be going on Sunday. Cousin Elizabeth and Cousin Kendall are coming over to stay at our house Saturday until Sunday because their parents are going to Las Vegas so we are all going to the circus on Sunday. That should be a good outing.

Exterior house painting is coming a long…he should finish it up today or tomorrow. It looks really nice. If I can, I will post some before and after pictures—if I can figure out our scanner at home!!! It looks really nice and it is so much nicer now not having the whole house white. Tom and my brother, Tim, hung the new shutters yesterday (in the 60 miles per hour wind). But they look great!

Thanks again for checking in on Shelby. Please take a minute and sign her guestbook so we know you were here! Hope everyone has a great week.

Next doctor appointment….week of November 14 for CBC and vincristine in her mediport. I’ll update next Monday. Have a great week.

Tuesday, November 1, 2005 7:17 AM CST

WEEK 51 of 69…..19 Weeks Left – 4 1/2 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Another week gone by and not too much to report (which I guess is good!) This last week was busy (as usually). We survived the Fall Family dinner at the elementary school. There were over 400 people (195 last year). It was a really busy night—my kids were wonderful (considering their Mom and Dad were occupied all night). They just found some friends and played the games and then watched the show. They were great. Evan’s last soccer game on Saturday was great. They won 7-1 and Evan got a goal assist! He was so excited…then he got a medal too for finishing the season. He was really happy—although it was a little frosty playing that morning—frost all over the grass, the ball, etc. But it was nice having the game at 9am then we still had the whole day. That afternoon, we went to our subdivision Halloween Party. It was nice—they did a costume parade from the school down to the commons area and then they had lots of kids game and tractor/hay rides. I think Shelby went on the hay ride about 7 times. Don’t know what the obsession was! Then on Sunday we headed to the Kalahari resort again with Aunt Michelle and family. (Daddy stayed home because he had to work on Halloween—retail business!) Although before we left, Evan woke up and was throwing up and had a really high fever. We gave him some Tylenol and he said he was feeling better—so we went. He was fine the whole day at the water park and then that night, the fever came back again. So on the way home yesterday, we stopped at Shelby’s doctor and then took Evan to the pediatrician. Evan only has a “virus” and hopefully the fevers are gone. Shelby’s counts are up..which is good!

WBC: 4.18
Neut: 2.32
RBC: 3.90
HgB: 12.7
Plt: 281

She is still coughing a lot and has a cute little raspy voice—but of course, her lungs are clear. She is also very tired after about 5pm so she is getting lots of rest and taking long naps when she is home with me.

One cute thing from the waterpark, Evan and Shelby had just finished going around the Lazy River where you float on intertubes and I told them to come over and go in the hot tub. They did for about ten minutes and then Shelby said she wanted to go back on the Lazy River. I told her we had to go and she stood up..put her hands on her hips and said “we were relaxing and you interrupted us.” She sure is growing up…..couldn’t believe it. It was so cute.

Trick or treating was pretty uneventful. Daddy and Evan and Shelby hooked up with Uncle Rich and Cousin Elizabeth and Kendall and they stayed out almost the whole two hours. They both had huge bags of candy. I was able to hold them off until today to sort it out (it actually is one of Shelby’s homework papers to sort her Halloween candy). It was too late last night to do it.

So, this week….we have hardly anything going on. Shelby is starting her Daisy’s at school on Wednesday afternoon—I guess there are 10 girls that are going to do it (it is pretty selective—they had to limit it to 10 people). It works out good because it is going to be on Wednesday’s and on Tuesday and Wednesday I pick the kids up at 3pm so we can do afterschool activities and still have a night. Other than that, no other plans. Just trying to relax and recover from the busy October. Very glad all kids activities are now over!! Have to shift into Christmas gear and start buying gifts. This time last year I had a lot of gifts already bought—I don’t have any yet. Have to get moving……

Thanks again for checking in on Shelby. Please take a minute and sign her guestbook so we know you were here! Hope everyone has a great week.

Next doctor appointment….week of November 14 for CBC and vincristine in her mediport. I’ll update next Monday. Have a great week.

Sunday, October 23, 2005 3:35 PM CDT

WEEK 50 of 69…..20 Weeks Left – 5 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Time for another update…..boy the time sure is flying now…along with the leaves off the trees!!! Shelby did pretty good this last week. She sure did get lots of medicine last Monday. You could tell she wasn’t “herself” this past week, pretty tired and out of it. Did a lot of lying on the couch..but she was really looking forward to her end of the week activity…her first field trip and her first ride on a school bus to the apple orchard with her kindergarten class. She had a great time. They got to pick apples from the tree and pick a pumpkin from the patch and have cider and donuts (I think she was most excited about the cider and donuts since it was a steroid week!)

Then on Saturday, we went to Evan’s soccer game and then to a Halloween Party at the church for the kids. Evan and Shelby had a great time. She LOVES dressing up! Party #1 over—3 more to go. Other than that, we didn’t do anything special. Cleaned, laundry, etc. Mommy was getting ready for the Fall Family Dinner for our elementary school this Thursday night—we are up to 305 people coming! I was running around buying all the paper products and stuff. My garage is full of stuff I have to take over to the school when we set up on Thursday. I am taking off on Thursday to get ready!

Eyes are still on Shelby—she still has the raccoon eyes and looks really tired. She has been getting a lot of sleep—but it seems like the drugs are really taking a toll on her more and more…thank goodness the end is in sight!

Plans this week..Monday-Shelby has her last Sports for Squirts. Tuesday-Mom has a Cub Scout Committee Meeting, Wednesday—the kids have ½ day of school and Evan has soccer practice, Thursday—Fall Family Dinner, Friday-NOTHING, Saturday-Evan’s last soccer game and subdivision Halloween Parade/Party, Sunday—off to Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio, Monday—return home and trick or treating. So, we do have a lot planned…keep your fingers crossed Shelby stays well. Some days that is easier than others when it seems everyone around her is coughing and blowing their nose. We will see…………

Thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family! Hope you all have a great week! I’ll post more on November 1!!!

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 6:50 AM CDT

WEEK 49 of 69…..21 Weeks Left – 5 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

What a weekend! But, first, the medical news. Shelby went to the clinic yesterday for “the works”. It was Day 0 of her next three month cycle. She had a finger poke and filled two vials of blood, then she had her spinal tap, then her “Charlie” poke then a flu shot. If you can believe, out of all of those, she cried the most during the flu shot! I could not believe she didn’t cry at all during the spinal tap—or as her father refers to it…a poke in the back with a 6” needle that takes out spinal fluid and then injects poison (methotrexate) into her spine. She is such a brave little girl—I would be crying!! Her counts were:

WBC: 2.3 Normal 5.0-15.0
RBC: 4.35
Hgb: 13.9
Neut: 1.2 Normal 2.5-7.4
Plt: 277

Her neutrophils (immature white blood cells) are pretty low. So we are going to keep a close eye on her. The good news (or not so good) is that she is on steroids again as of yesterday—and they increased her dose by one pill—you might think that one pill isn’t that much—but believe me, it can have far reaching effects. So, I’ll keep you posted! After her doctor appointment, we did a little running around, then she got to have lunch at her favorite place—Noodles. She loves their macaroni and cheese. Then home and she took a two hour nap! Then Evan came home from school—then it was time for her Sports for Squirts—they did soccer last night. I don’t think running around that much helped her legs a whole lot—they were sore from that shot—but she is a determined little girl.

Dragon Tales last Friday night was really nice. It was actually a really good show (from an adult’s perspective!) We had complimentary suite tickets and it included a dinner buffet. It was really nice and the kids had a great time. On Saturday, Tom and Evan went to the Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp for Kids. They were able to bat on the field and field and throw balls. They had a great time. Well the boys were doing that, Mom and Shelby went shopping. Shelby needed some long sleeve shirts for winter—so we hit our favorite store…Kohl’s! She got about 7 new shirts and promised to wear all of them. We then went to Chili’s for lunch—just the girls. Then went home and Shelby took a nice long nap. Sunday, Shelby had catechism and then Evan had a soccer game (they won!) The rest of the weekend was just doing laundry, picking up house, homework, etc., etc., etc.

Getting ready for the round of Halloween parties….they begin this week….Saturday they have a children’s party at our church, then next Thursday is the Fall Family Dinner at school, then next Saturday is our neighborhood Halloween Parade and then on Sunday we go to the Kalahari resort where they are supposed to take their costumes and then finally on Monday, they can go trick or treating! It is going to be crazy.

This weekend should be a little calmer—nothing planned except for one soccer game for Evan on Saturday. Hopefully nothing else will come up! I have a lot to finish planning for the Fall Family Dinner next Thursday (since I am the Chairperson!) Lots of last minute running around. We are up to 210 people so far that are coming—we are just serving pizza/mostaccioli, bread and salad and pop.

Well, that’s it. We’ll keep a watch on Shelby and hope the steroids boost her up and help get her through this slump where she is feeling “out of it”. Pray her counts rise and we can avoid a hospital stay!

Monday, October 10, 2005 7:53 AM CDT

WEEK 48 of 69…..22 Weeks Left – 5 More Months
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Well, of course I will update you first on the highlight of Shelby’s weekend---the Disney on Ice: Princesses at the Palace. It was a wonderful show. It was so much fun to see the delight in Shelby’s eyes and watch her eyes sparkle. She wore her Cinderella dress (luckily I talked her out of wearing her princess slippers) and she wore her crown that we had bought in Disney World—it is one with a veil and it has princess pins that clip on the top. We must have had close to 20 people come up and ask us where we got that crown! Shelby was loving it! The show was really good too. You definitely could tell it was a Disney show by all the merchandising and all the souvenir stuff. I highly recommend this show to anyone that has little girls that love Princesses!! While we were at the ice show, Tom and Evan went over to Aunt Jeanette’s house to have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Ron and Cousin Vincent who were visiting from Colorado.

Saturday, Evan had a soccer game at 2pm. It was very cold! The wind was cold and on the soccer fields there isn’t anything to break the wind. That night, we just went out for pizza and to Home Depot to order new shutters and a beveled glass door for our den entry.

Sunday, Shelby went to catechism (which she loves!) and then we went to the cider mill. The kids have been asking to go—Evan loves their donuts! Shelby drank five big glasses of cider! Evan also “published” his first book in 2nd grade so the notes said to have a celebration—so we called the visit to the cider mill the “celebration” so he felt really special! Other than that, we didn’t do too much—puttered around the house. Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson left early on Sunday morning to go over to Aunt Denise’s house.

This week is a little calmer…we have Sports for Squirts with Shelby tonight—she is doing indoor bowling—she’s excited! Tuesday night, I have a PTA meeting, Wednesday night, Evan Soccer, Thursday—nothing! Friday we are taking the kids to go see Dragon Tales at the Fox Theatre—my work has suite tickets that we got for free. Saturday, Tom and Evan are going to The Detroit Tigers Batting for Kids. This is a chance to go on the field and get pointers from former Tiger players. Cousin Adam and Uncle Brian are going to go to (again this was arranged through work—no charge!) That’s about it. Then it is almost time for all the Halloween parties to begin. So far, they have 4 parties lined up—they definitely are going to get use out of their costumes.

Shelby has been feeling pretty good. She still doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of energy sometimes and just wants to lay on the couch—but I guess if I were taking all the medicine she was taking, I would feel yucky sometime too! Overall, she is doing really good. She loves school so much and is having a great time.

We go back to the doctor next Monday, October 17. She will get her second to last spinal tap, vincristine in her mediport and a blood check. I am taking off the whole day to spend with Shelby so that should be fun. We will probably go to her favorite place for lunch—Noodles—and maybe to Build a Bear again so she can get more clothes for her bears!

Take care everyone and have a great week! I’ll update next Tuesday after her doctor appointment –unless something happens before then!

Monday, October 3, 2005 7:58 AM CDT

WEEK 47 of 69…..23 Weeks Left
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

It must be Monday morning—time for another update. Time for another week of busy, crazy, kids activities. We survived the weekend. Evan is feeling 200etter and running around like crazy. So far, Shelby has escaped the strep throat. She does look really run down, though. I’m sure it is just side effects from medicine. Tonight she takes her methotrexate—which makes her even more run down.

We had a fun weekend. Saturday, Evan had an early soccer game that we went to, then we went out for pizza dinner with the whole family! Sunday, Shelby started her catechism (which she loves!) then we went bowling! Aunt Michelle and Uncle Tim also went with their families. The kids had a great time. Evan and Shelby both rolled a 78 for their first game (with bumpers!) That was pretty neat that they tied! They had a great time and then Uncle Tim treated them to Dairy Queen after. It really was a lazy weekend—but I felt like I was running like crazy. I have volunteered for too many things! I am the chairperson for the SpiritWear (logo items for elementary school), I am chairperson for Fall Family Dinner—on October 27 and also activities director for cub scouts. So, lots of things to do—but somehow, it all gets done!

This week—same activities…Monday—Shelby sports for squirts, Tuesday—Evan starts catechism, Wednesday, Evan has soccer practice, Thursday, Evan has a Cub Scout Pack Meeting that we all go to. Friday……Mommy and Shelby are going to see Disney on Ice: Princesses. We couldn’t let this event come to town and not take “our” little princess. She is so excited—she can’t wait. Then the weekend brings two soccer games for Evan.

I am going to be making reservations to go back to the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio for Sunday, October 30. Aunt Michelle and Uncle Tim are going to be going to. Daddy will be staying home (Halloween===retail store manager—not possible!) The kids loved it when we went back in September and they will have lots more fun with their cousins! The kids are off school on Monday, October 31 anyways so this way we can hang out there on Sunday and then come home on Monday and go trick or treating. Shelby found her costume…she is going to be a Barbie Witch—pretty much a witch costume—but it is pink and black. I think she picked it because she liked the hat! Evan is going to be Obi Wan Kanobi—but I had to buy his costume online because it is so popular I couldn’t find it in four stores!

Well, that’s it…no doctor visits planned until Monday, October 17 when she will have a spinal tap and vincristine and the first time she will have to miss kindergarten.

Thanks again to everyone that consistently checks in on her!

WHEN TIME STANDS STILL
By: Debbie Hilton-Kamm

It starts with news impossible to hear
It conjures up your every fear
It’s when they say your child is ill
That’s when time just stands still

In that moment, that suspended time
A thousand thoughts run through your mind
Will she ever laugh and play?
Will I see her wedding day?

All the planning, the hopes and dreams
Are put on hold – just what does this mean?
Her bed is empty, her toys alone
For now, the hospital will be her home

This is a place where time stands still
Where the void’s too large to ever fill
For in a hospital’s intensive care
Children lie, some unconscious, some aware

And time is measured by a new yardstick
Every second marked by a monitor’s tick
Noting every breath the child takes
And every beat her tired heart makes

Just a moment of watching a child writhe or strain
In sedated confusion, or fear or pain
Or pleading for a drink to which you can’t oblige
Seems like far more than an entire lifetime

And the children who live far too long
In hospital gowns, trying to be strong
They have old souls, that’s what they say
Because in each moment they’ve lived a thousand days

For those who say time goes by too fast
Sit with an ill child, and see just how slowly time can pass.

Monday, September 26, 2005 1:04 PM CDT

WEEK 46 of 69…..24 Weeks Left – Only 6 months more!
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

UPDATE - Friday, September 30, 2005
Evan was diagnosed with strep throat last night! Yuck! He was running a 102.9 fever. He is on antibiotics now--and we are hoping Shelby is not going to get it. Should be an interesting weekend watching her--no fevers!!!

Not too much new with us. The kids had a wonderful week and weekend. Shelby’s highlight was having her best friend, Lainey, and her brother, Alex (who is Evan’s age) over for a playdate yesterday. They went to preschool together for 2 ½ years and now go to different schools. So, she had a wonderful time! It was great to see her so happy. Then we went to the Detroit Red Wings pre-season game in a suite. The kids had a blast! They asked when we could go back!

Shelby is feeling pretty good (well as good as can be expected). She has been complaining that her tummy hurts and that her legs hurt (don’t know if that is the vincristine that is injected into her port, or the side effects from the steroids.) But, she really is a trooper.

This morning, was one of those moments. I dropped both of them off at school in the car drop off lane. I asked Evan to wait and walk with Shelby, which of course he didn’t—he ran ahead. So she put her backpack on her back and walked up to the cross walk, looked both ways and then walked across. By that time, I had pulled around and was pulling out of the school, I looked back to check on her and she was waving and blowing kisses. I almost started to cry. She is such a wonderful little person and a wonderful daughter. It is so sad sometimes to see all she is going through and all the medicine that she is putting in her body…yet she continues to remain happy and continue on. We truly are blessed to have her!!

This week, we have the usual stuff…Monday night..Shelby has Sports for Squirts—they are going to play flag football, Evan has a Cub Scout Den Meeting, Tuesday—nothing, Wednesday, Evan has soccer practice, Thursday, Mommy has a Cub Scout committee meeting, Daddy has a dentist appointment then Saturday and Sunday Evan has soccer games. It will be busy again.

Thank you to all of you for continuing to check in on Shelby. She loves it when I read her the messages of encouragement/support!

Shelby doesn’t return to the doctor until Monday, October 17 for a spinal, vincristine and CBC. I’ll keep posting every week to let you know what’s going on!

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Update from clinic visit--a record visit--only 25 minutes!

WBC: 3.97
Neut: 2.42
RBC: 4.19
HgB: 13.3
Plt: 253

Overall, everything looks great. Her counts are really high--especially her neutrophils--which is good since it seems like everyone around her is sniffling! And, the best part, we don't have to go back to clinic for four weeks! Unbelieveable! This will be a first!

Monday, September 19, 2005

WEEK 45 of 69…..25 Weeks Left – Only 6 months more!
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Time for another update. Boy, sometimes it seems like Monday’s roll around so much faster and I am challenged once again to come up with stuff to put on the website. Update on Shelby’s hair falling out…it seems to have stopped. It did thin a lot (especially in the back) so we will see. The bad part is that she is going to the clinic this Wednesday and getting the Vincristine medicine which causes hair loss. We’ll see what happens. The good news is that I asked the principal if she could wear hats if she needed to and she actually said yes (here I was all prepared for a fight!) She said they may just have to address it with others in the class as to why she could wear them and no one else could.

Curriculum nights went really well. I sent Daddy to Kindergarten and Mommy went to 2nd grade. It amazes me how many “choices” the kids have to make in their classes as far as what they want to work on when. Times sure have changed and kids are a lot more independent now!

I did go and get the kids pictures taken just the two of them. They are so cute. I will pick them up next week then scan and put on website. We actually went out and bought a new printer/scanner/fax/copier for home (we hit the big time!) No, actually our printer broke so we thought might as well go all out. So I will try to put more pictures on the website now and more often. I’ve been bad—just not enough time!

The weekend was filled with soccer games. Evan won both games and Shelby had fun watching him play. They also had their soccer team pictures. We also went to Cousin Elizabeth’s 8th birthday party at her house. Tom and Evan went to a bird watching event at the nature center. They took a hike and checked out bird feeders then they were able to build their own bird feeder. So, while the boys were doing that, the girls headed over to the mall. I took Shelby to Build A Bear so she could buy some new outfits for her two bears. She has one brown one and one white one. She was in heaven! She bought a ballerina outfit, a bride outfit and a new pair of pajamas and shoes. They even gave her a wardrobe box to carry and she insisted on carrying it around! Then we headed to the Disney store and she got more stuff! She got the new Princess Sing A Long songs DVD and a new lunchbox with her own water bottle with of course, princesses on it. She had a great time. She insisted on carrying that bag too. She was in heaven! She was so happy and kept saying thank you to me for letting her get all those things. She had a riot!

Today was back to school day. Today was also the one day a month that I volunteer to help in the kindergarten classroom. Of course, Shelby was ecstatic that I came in. She was so happy to tell everyone HER Mom was there today. Tonight, Shelby starts her “Sports for Squirts” program. It is from 6-6:45 for six Monday nights. They are going to do a different indoor sport every week. Evan took the same program when he was in kindergarten and we told her she could take it when she got to kindergarten and of course, she remembered!

Wednesday, Evan has a ½ day of school and Shelby has no school, so I scheduled her dr. appointment for that morning. That evening, I am going to a meeting at the local Gilda’s Club where they are discussing late effects of childhood cancer and the kids can go because they have a big play area there and special activities planned. Evan also has soccer practice Wednesday night. Thursday night, Evan has a Cub Scout meeting and we are going to watch Cousin Elizabeth and Kendall. Then the weekend comes again and there are NO soccer games this weekend! That will be nice! Don’t know what we’ll do yet, but I’m sure it will be filled up fast with activities.

I’ll post her results from the doctor visit on Thursday morning. Thanks for checking in on her!

Monday, September 12, 2005 12:52 AM CDT

WEEK 44 of 69…..26 Weeks Left – Only 6 months more!
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Another week gone by and I’ll try to just list our highlights and not too many “low lights”! So much for feeling like the “normal” family as I said in my update last week. I jinxed us. Shelby came home from school on Friday evening and her hair has started to fall out again. This time, I think it is harder on her. She was getting so excited because it was starting to just get long enough for barrettes. I keep telling her that she knows it will grow back because it grew back so nice this last time. I wish I knew why it was falling out, though. It is pretty frustrating. She has not had any medication changes lately unless it has finally built up. I did read something though that said that the chemo drugs are given to destroy cells—and this time it was the hair cells. I’m praying that maybe it will just thin and not totally fall out! We’ll see. I’m already pumping Shelby up about wearing hats if she has to—but then I’ll probably have to fight the school about that one too!

Evan’s first soccer game went really well. He now says he “loves” soccer. I just keep remembering when he was four and we signed him up for a soccer class and all he did was sit in the corner because he wanted to play with the red ball and if someone else took that one, he wouldn’t play. He has come a long way. Their team won 3-0. So much for having no plans for the weekend….I ended up getting a cold and a really bad headache on Saturday (almost crippling!) I feel better today, just still a little congested.

Thank you to Shelby’s angel, Karen. Shelby loved the Strawberry Shortcake puzzle. In fact, she took it to Evan’s soccer game and assembled it there. (Thank you for the activity!) She loved it. You are always so thoughtful!

The other thing was that Tom decided to go and rent a power rake for the yard. So, after 23 bags of grass—the lawn looks really good. Tomorrow, he is going to rent the overseeder and will put new grass seed in the whole grass. Originally this was just going to be a front yard project—but it blossomed. Hopefully it will all look good! He also fixed some sprinkler heads. It just turned out to be a bigger project—and I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t think women were made to rake—so I didn’t do too much (I did the stuff in the shade!)

That was about it…it was a pretty uneventful weekend. But that is ok…after the last two when they were so busy!

This week is busy again---is that my normal statement? Is life every slow for us???

Tonight, Mom and Dad have to go to curriculum night and of course Kindergarten and 2nd grade are on the same night—how are you in two places at the same time? Tom is going to the Kindergarten one (I already sat through that with Evan and I think it is important that one of us be there in case any of the other parents have any questions about Shelby). I will be going to the 2nd grade one. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jackie are going to come over and watch the kids. On Tuesday night, I am taking the kids for pictures of the two of them—haven’t done since Easter—it’s time! Wednesday, I am going to lunch and the Detroit Tigers game (afternoon game) as part of our work staff outing and then Evan has soccer practice. Thursday-----nothing planned! Friday, the kids have school pictures and Mom and Dad have a surprise birthday party to go to so Aunt Jeanette is going to watch the kids. Saturday, Evan has soccer and we are going to Cousin Elizabeth’s 8 year old birthday party then on Sunday, Evan has another soccer game—then the week starts over again!

Shelby’s next doctor appointment is scheduled for Wednesday, September 21 for vincristine in her mediport and a CBC. Evan has a half day of school and Shelby doesn’t have school, so we will drop Evan off then head to doctors then make it back to pick him up by 11:40.

Thank you for checking in….please sign the guestbook if you get a chance. We know you are checking in because the number at the bottom goes up. Shelby really enjoys when I read her the messages in the guestbook. Have a great week…

Tuesday, September 6, 2005 12:09 AM CDT

WEEK 43 of 69…..27 Weeks Left
Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Just time for a quick update. We have actually been feeling like a “normal” family—although we still have our ongoing battles. I sort of hate to say that because the other shoe might drop! Last weekend was busy, but we all had a great time. We are going to the doctor this afternoon (after school) so I will post her counts tomorrow morning. I am interested to see what they are since she has been flirting with a fever over the past week. A few days she was so pale looking I would have sworn she was going to get sick. But so far so good. There have been fevers and strep throat and fifths disease at the school already. It really is scary when you are aware of all the illnesses floating around the school!

We all went to the dentist—the kids sailed through their appointments with no cavities! Evan has one tooth that is barely hanging on by a thread—but he refuses to have anyone pull it out—even though you can see the other tooth right behind it! On Friday, we went to the Kalahari Water Park Resort near Cedar Point in Ohio. We had a great time. Shelby was going down waterslides I never would go down. In fact, Tom went down one and Shelby went down the other and Tom said he would never go on it again…Shelby said she was a little scared, but had fun. They spent four hours in the water doing all the different things, then we had dinner and went to the family movie night. Then the next morning, got up and went swimming again and they also had a large soft play area that the kids enjoyed…and of course, an arcade. It was really nice—we will definitely plan on returning there sometime (if we can talk Daddy into taking more time off of work!) I wouldn’t want to go when it is crowded and it was perfect. Sunday, I went to the craft show at the Annual Peach Festival with my sister and Evan went out to Cousin Adam’s house for a sleepover. On Monday, we went to the Peach Festival Float parade (although I don’t know why it is called a float parade—there were only about 5 floats in it!) But, the kids like going. They had front row seats and got lots of candy thrown at them! Tom worked on Labor Day so his assistants could have the day off (and he hates parades—so we didn’t mind!) Then today, back to school. We had a great weekend—although we sure have been packing a lot into our weekends.

This week, hopefully, will be a little tamer. Tonight we have doctor appt. at 3:45, then I have a PTA meeting at 7pm, then tomorrow Evan has soccer practice, then Thursday, Cub Scout Meeting. Saturday is Evan’s first soccer game on his team “Galaxy”. He seems excited about it. Other than that, we have no other plans for this weekend (should be nice!) I know the kids miss being at home and playing with the neighbors even though they have fun doing whatever we have planned.

No house painting outside yet. Still waiting….still waiting for kitchen to be finished too. Tom is working on the molding—at this point, I told him to just get it up and we can always paint it later! Oh well, the joys of owning a home and remodeling!

Hope everyone has a great week and I’ll post more as more happens!

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
Count Updates

WBC: 3.40
Neut: 2.06
RBC: 3.96
HgB: 12.9
Plt: 298

Almost identical counts to two weeks ago--which is good--maybe Shelby is finally going to get consistent counts??? Otherwise, she is doing fine. Will return to clinic on Wed, 9/21 for Vincristine and CBC.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005 6:31 AM CDT

WEEK 42 of 69…..27 Weeks Left – Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Another week gone by…where does the time go. Shelby is feeling really good and settling into school. She LOVES kindergarten. She sure does come home tired through. She has a busy little day. On Monday, I drop them at school, on Tuesday, Tom drops them at school, then on Wed, Thurs and Fri AM, they will go to the childcare at 7am before school. Then she goes to kindergarten until 11:30, then off to K-Club (which is childcare for only kindergarteners—there are 22 of them!) then on Mon, Thurs and Fri she will go to afterschool childcare with Evan. So far, they are both loving school. Of course, it hasn’t been too hard yet. The hardest thing has been getting the school to send home the letters to the children’s parents asking them to please notify us if there are any bad illnesses in their families. This went home Friday to Evan and Shelby’s classes and hopefully they are going to give it to the daycare families also. The real bad part is going to be Oct-Feb time when the windows are closed and germs are flying around. Maybe it will be a good winter for us (unlike last year!)

We all had a great week last week—although busy! Friday night, the kids went to the Nature Escape and had a blast! Shelby even had two kids from her former preschool there (the ones she just said goodbye to!) They had a great time. It was from 6-9pm. They watched a movie while they ate their sack dinner, then they went on a nature hike, then they did crafts—Shelby made a leaf rubbing book and Evan painted leaves and then stamped, then they watched another movie. They had so much fun, I signed them up for it again on December 9! It’s a great way for them to be exposed to nature and they both love it so much! Mom and Dad enjoyed their dinner out also!

Saturday, Aunt Michelle had a BBQ at her house because Aunt Carol came into town with Cousin Olivia, Dale and Wade. It was nice to see the whole family—but Tom had to work because someone was on vacation. After the BBQ, we went to Uncle Tim’s house to see how his reconstruction is coming after the black mold. It is looking nice. Mommy then went out to dinner with Aunt Carol and Aunt Michelle. Daddy kept the kids at home (they don’t like Chinese food anyways!).

On Sunday, we went to the neighborhood “end of summer picnic”. It was really nice. The kids had a blast. They had one of those Velcro climbing walls and Shelby loved that. It was so cute to see her hanging on the Velcro wall. Tom was helping lift her up to the top because all the lower Velcro parts were worn off so Tom would lift the kids up higher and they stuck up higher. Of course, Evan was scared when he did it! They had a really good time.

Then Monday, back to school and our usual routine! Upcoming this week…..get through school until Thursday. Thursday afternoon, Julie, Evan and Shelby have dentist appointments. Then the kids are off school on Friday and Monday for Labor Day. We are going to the Kalahari Water Park Resort that just opened this past May near Cedar Point in Ohio for Friday night. Hopefully it will be nice. One of my co-workers went there a few months ago and said it was wonderful. I guess it is over 80,000 feet of water inside and outside and there is an indoor miniature golf park too with restaurants. It should be nice and I know the kids will have a blast. Then it is the Annual Peach Festival in Romeo so I am going to try to go to the annual craft fair with Aunt Michelle maybe on Sunday. There is also the big float parade on Labor Day—we might go—I think Tom is going to be working—so it might be something to do. Other than that, not too many other things planned.

Hopefully the outside of our house is going to get painted starting this week. We have been waiting—a friend of my brother’s is going to do it—he is giving us such a good deal that it is worth the wait—but now I am wanting it done. The other big project is going to be re-seeding the entire lawn. Tom has not been able to get the grass “perfect” like he likes, so he is going to aerate it, all new top soil, then re-seed the whole thing. Should be a fun?? Project!!!

We return to the clinic on Tuesday, Sept. 6 just for a blood count so we can monitor her. I really wish we could get on the monthly visit plan at the clinic, but on the other hand, I like knowing what her counts are in determining whether to send her to school or not. Her counts have not been all that stable and have never really had a “normal” range—so I don’t mind going every two weeks with her and she doesn’t seem to mind. Hope everyone has a great week and I’ll write more next Tuesday. Have a great Labor Day Weekend for everyone and enjoy the end of summer!

Wednesday, August 24, 2005 7:41 AM CDT

WEEK 41 of 69…..27 Weeks Left – Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

First off….Good news….no spots. We’ve been watching—the 21 day incubation period is up this Thursday. We’ve been looking….Busy week just completed….but we can proudly say we now have a kindergartner in the house!!! First medical news….we did go to the clinic yesterday and Shelby’s counts are really good.

WBC: 3.36
Neut: 2.05
RBC: 3.88
HgB: 12.6
Plt: 241

So, we are happy her counts are so high. She has been looking really pale and actually threw up last week one time (this is really rare for her!) But it is good to know her counts are o.k. Yesterday, they tried to draw blood from her mediport and they got enough for the flushing, but not enough to test for the counts, so they needed to still do a finger poke. Good thing she doesn’t mind pokes! So, we don’t return until Tuesday, Sept. 6 just for counts. Other recap from the past week (which was really busy!)

Last week, Evan was invited to a campfire get together at one of his friend’s house. It was nice—there were about 12 boys there and their parents and the Mom went all out—read scary stories, did organized games and even did skits. The kids had fun (Shelby was a tag along that was allowed to participate too!). Then on Friday, it was Shelby’s last day of preschool. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Her three teachers that have been with her since she was 2 ½ (3 years) were all very sad. They have seen her grow up and really took such good care of her through her illness. They will be missed. We exchanged addresses and will keep in touch for sure! I told them they would all be invited to her off-treatment party too next June!!

Saturday we watched Cousin Madison for a while so her Mom could paint some of the house. Madison wasn’t very happy though and cried when they left! So, it was a long couple of hours. Shelby even said that she “didn’t want to play with Madison unless she stopped crying.” I can’t say I blame her!

Sunday we went to the Detroit Tigers game vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. This was an event put on by the American Cancer Society so we were given parking passes, tickets to the game, goodie bags for the kids and lunch beforehand with free ferris wheel rides and got to meet players and have face painting done. Shelby was made to look like a tiger—I couldn’t believe she got that done! But it was actually a good game (they won!) and the kids had a great time—they had so much junk food—all their favorites…frozen lemonades, slushies, hot pretzels, etc. Daddy enjoyed the game too. Lots of home runs. I think the score was 17-6 by the time it was over!

Monday was the World of Welcome Day at their elementary school. This is the day that you can go and see the classrooms and meet the teachers. Tom and I were also doing a booth on the playground where we were selling the school logo wear. It was pretty successful. Shelby is so excited to start kindergarten. She ended up getting Miss Nietzel who is the teacher that I worked with on the playground committee—so that is good. She is familiar with me and with Shelby. I had a separate meeting with the principal and with Miss Nietzel to review Shelby’s “condition”. I didn’t want to scare them, but I wanted to educate them so I provided them with copies of all the drugs she takes and when and all their side effects. Luckily, Shelby doesn’t experience most of those side effects, but it is a good thing to know. The school did agree to send home my letter to the parents also just informing them that Shelby was now in the school and to notify us if there were any “bad” illnesses going around.

Tuesday brought the first day of school. First day of kindergarten for Shelby and first day of Second Grade for Evan. (can’t believe he is in 2nd grade already—time flies). They had a blast. Shelby acted like she was right at home. It was so funny when we went to pick her up after the ½ day, she was the first kid in line—she loves being the line leader. She also wore her pretty pink dress to school and looked so grown up. Today will be the real test. She had morning SAC, then kindergarten, then K-Club (the afternoon childcare for kindergartners only) then afternoon SAC. I’m sure I will have two very tired kids this evening! She really looks so grown up when she has that backpack and it is filled with stuff. She wanted this special one that is a rolling one, but it isn’t that large—and of course it has the three princesses on it. We’ll see how long that lasts—she does have a My Little Pony one as a backup!

Upcoming things this week…on Friday night, I enrolled both of them in a nature escape at a local nature center. It is from 6-9pm—so Mom and Dad are going to have dinner out while the kids have fun and take lots of bug spray!!

On Saturday, Aunt Carol and the family are coming over and Aunt Michelle is having a BBQ for everyone. That will be nice. Carol hasn’t been home since Christmas—although we did see her at kings Island in June.

Then on Sunday, we have our annual subdivision “end of summer” party (rescheduled from last week). So,we have a busy week on tap…plus all the usual stuff.

As always, thanks for checking in on Shelby and our family! Please take a minute and sign her guestbook if you get a chance and check out her new pictures!

Monday, August 15, 2005 9:34 AM CDT

WEEK 40 of 69…..29 Weeks Left – Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Another week gone by and it was pretty uneventful. No sign of chicken pox yet—it is day 12 and the incubation is 10-21 days so we keep checking for spots—we are on “spot patrol”. Shelby keeps saying “Mommy, I don’t have any spots.”

What did Shelby do last week? Well, it was a pretty busy week. Daddy was in Las Vegas from Monday-Friday so we had our nightly call to him before the kids when to bed. Shelby thought it was fun because she got to sleep in Mommy’s bed the whole week! I didn’t want to argue with her and it got her to fall asleep faster!

Tuesday night was her last Tap and Toes dance class. After their warm-ups, Mom and Evan were allowed in to see them “perform”. She did really good. I think she does better on the ballet part than the tap part. We are going to take a break from dance for the fall—Shelby has decided she wants to take a “Sports for Squirts” program, which is right at our elementary school. It is a 8 week class and every week they do a different sport. Evan actually took the same class when he was in kindergarten and it is a good overall class to try the different sports. She really wants to take gymnastics, but I am still a little leery until she gets her mediport out—besides a lot of the classes are for 6-8 year olds and she’s not 6 yet (even though she acts like it!) So for the fall, Evan will do Cub Scouts and soccer, Shelby will do Sports for Squirts and Daisy’s (if they start it in Kindergarten—I’m sure they will—I know a lot of the kdg. Moms that will probably sign up to do it!) That will keep Mom busy enough! I’m trying to talk them into swim lessons, but they aren’t really buying them. We’ll see.

Wednesday through Friday, the kids were kept at camp until about 5:30pm so Mommy could get caught up on her work at work! Busy time. The kids didn’t mind. A lot of the time the complain if I pick them up too early—even though they get there by 7:30 each morning. This week is their last week of camp. Evan’s last field trip is to the roller skating rink on Friday. He is looking forward to that now because he now knows how to skate better—he has been practicing at home! Shelby seems sad to be leaving her preschool (she has been there since she was 2 ½) but she is SSSSSOOOOOO excited about starting kindergarten!!

On Saturday, all of us just kind of “vegged out” and didn’t do a whole lot of anything at home. Then on Sunday, we went to a place called CJ Barrymore’s. It was fun. The kids got to play miniature golf (Shelby and Evan each got a hole in one!), Evan and Dad did laser tag and all of us rode on go-karts as well as played in the arcade. Shelby and Evan like the skee-ball game and they won lots of tickets! They had a really good time. After that, we stopped at the tile store and did returns from last years purchases—extra kitchen floor tile, as well as brought home some samples for our kitchen backsplash and we found a tile for the laundry room/hall/bathroom area also. We weren’t looking for it—but it sure will save time now that we have found it. That is our next project once the kitchen is finished.

No clinic visits planned this week. Shelby does go back next Tuesday after her first day of kindergarten for blood counts and for vincristine and then it’s steroid week again!!! This weekend we have a neighborhood “end of summer” party on Saturday and then the Detroit Tigers baseball game on Sunday sponsored by the American Cancer Society so we are going down for lunch, game and kids stuff. Should be a lot of fun. We did this last year on our own and the kids loved it.

Thanks again for continuing to check in on Shelby and our family for updates. Please continue to check and pray for Shelby’s continued good health and progress.

Monday, August 8, 2005 10:26 AM CDT

31 Weeks Left – Off Treatment Date: March 11, 2006
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Hello to everyone and thank you for checking in on Shelby. We went to the clinic this morning and here were her counts:

WBC: 2.47
Neut: 1.40
RBC: 4.14
HgB: 12.9
Plt: 299

She had a great week last week. It was the week “after steroids” so she ate a little more than usual—so she is now 52 pounds!!! We did have a little scare last week. Last Thursday, one of the boys in her preschool class was diagnosed with chicken pox. So now we are on the little red bump watch. We are hoping that she won’t get it—and she did have the chicken pox vaccine way back when—but who knows if the chemo knocked out her immunity. Her neutrophils are a little low too—so we are praying she won’t get it. If she does, she would have to be hospitalized and put on an IV antiobiotic for 10 days. So we will pray that doesn’t happen—and in the meantime, every little spot on her is being scrutinized—hard to tell with all the mosquito bites that she has too!

She had a good week last week. She had her dance class (tomorrow night is her last one with the show for the parents). Other than that, she didn’t do too much. The summer camp is really exhausting for both kids and they really just want to “veg”. They have so much fun at their camp. They do water activities every morning, they have carnival activities on Mondays, beauty shop day, lots of movies to watch, special lunches and even hot dog cookouts. In between they put in craft activities and painting stuff. Evan’s camp class also has fun…they do lots of science activities, they let him play Game Boy at rest time and they take weekly field trips. This week they are going to the Detroit Zoo—hopefully it won’t be super hot on that day! He already has so much sun on his skin!

This week, Daddy is headed to Las Vegas for the Walgreens Store Managers Bi-annual convention. He will be gone until late Friday evening. It actually works out pretty good because he will still be home for the weekend and the kids are so busy during the week—he won’t miss much. Tomorrow, Mommy has knee therapy, Shelby has her last dance class—dinner on the run, Wednesday Mommy has a ½ day to go to orthopedic doctor and an eye appointment, then Thursday, Mommy has therapy again and by Friday evening, we’ll all be tired and ready for the weekend!

Thanks again for checking in on Shelby. She still has 31 weeks left of treatment and hopefully they will be smooth months. She is really excited about starting Kindergarten on Tuesday, August 23. Of course, I am afraid of the additional germ exposure…but we will muddle through! Shelby’s next clinic visit is after her first ½ day of kindergarten on August 23.

Hope everyone has a great week and I’ll post more as things happen and I’ll try to get some updated pictures up there—Shelby’s hair continues to grow and is really wavy in the back and really thick!! (Must get that from Daddy!)

Monday, August 1, 2005 7:10 AM CDT

Week 38 of 70 – LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Hello to everyone and thank you for checking in on Shelby. She continues to do well. She is a happy, energetic little girl that you would need to look really hard to see that she even suffers from this terrible cancer.

Shelby had a fun weekend. As I said before, Daddy and Evan went up on Saturday morning to Grandma and Grandpa’s boat for a trip and won’t be back until Tuesday evening. So, that left just Mommy and Shelby to have a girl’s weekend. She was so excited to just be with Mommy. We spent Saturday afternoon shopping…we hit all the fun places, Home Depot, Kohl’s, dinner, ice cream and grocery store. It was so cute at the grocery store—they had little carts for kids that had a little flag that said “Customer in Training”. She, of course, wanted to push the cart—I let her since we only had about 10 things to get. She had so much fun! Then Sunday rolled around and she slept in until 9:30am! Then she took a nap at noon—then it was time for more fun! We went to Wal-Mart to get all the school supplies that we need for Shelby and Evan. Never thought someone would have so much fun buying glue and scissors—but she did. I then took her out for dinner again and then it was…..spa night! Shelby got a manicure and pedicure—thank you to Angel Karen for sending the pedicure kit—she loved it—she ended up with pink on her toes and blue on her hands (she wanted to do a pattern—with every other nail a different color—but I talked her out of that!) She had so much fun. In fact, when I asked her this morning what her favorite thing was that we did…she said getting her nails done! Although she did end up with a new dress, two new skorts, a new pair of school shoes, new underwear and lots of school supplies!

She is feeling really good. We survived the steroid week last week and she only puffed up a little bit. It does seem like every time it does get a little worse when she does take them—but she pulls through.

One of the cutest moments of the weekend was when Shelby was talking to Evan on the phone on Saturday on his way up north. Evan was crying when he was leaving the house saying he didn’t want to go and we kept telling him how much fun he was going to have…he could go swimming and go on the boat. So, when Shelby was talking to him, he told Evan that she wished she could go because he was going to have so much fun. I don’t know why Evan thought Shelby and I were going to be doing something much more fun—didn’t think boys liked shopping! It was so cute seeing Shelby convince Evan that he was going to have a good time.

Shelby’s next doctor appointment is Monday, August 8 just for a blood check. I’ll post more after we return from that doctor visit.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005 8:22 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Week 37 of 70

Hello to all! Yesterday was a long day at the clinic. Lots of delays in getting medicine and waiting around and they were extremely busy. Anyhow, here are Shelby’s counts:

WBC: 2.46
Neut: 1.43
RBC: 4.2
HgB: 13.1
Plt: 289

She is doing good. She received her spinal tap with intrathecal methotrexate along with the vincristine in her port and a finger poke to check her liver functions. Everything is going well. Since it was the start of the next three-month cycle, her medicine was once again adjusted. She ended up getting ½ more per week of the 6MP and ½ more of the methotrexate. She is doing really well---the Dr. was a little concerned that her neutrophils were a little low and I thought she looked really pale and dark circles under her eyes, but she did start steroids yesterday too—so hopefully that will boost all her counts!

We had a pretty uneventful week last week. Except for Mommy----I blew my knee out. I wish I had a better story but I went to pick up my dry cleaning in the morning and as I lifted up the hatchback to the van, I knelt inside to pull down the hook to hang it up and something happened. I didn’t hear anything pop—but I was paralyzed for a few minutes wondering how I was going to drive. After about five minutes, I was able to drive and got back to work. I kept walking around for the rest of the afternoon and it was getting more and more sore. By the time I picked up the kids (and had to walk all the way out to the playground) and then got home, I could hardly walk into the house. What had happened, I found out later, was that all the blood was accumulating above my knee, which was making it too hard to put any weight on my knee. Bottom line, I ended up in the ER—worked out pretty good—Tom dropped me at the ER and took Shelby to dance and then picked me up on the way back. I then went to the orthopedic doctor, got MRI and saw orthopedic surgeon yesterday. After lots of pain pills, a full leg brace and crutches (which I can’t use), I’m now back to no brace and try to walk on it as much as I can—even though it is still extremely painful. The ortho dr. did drain it yesterday and was going to give me cortisone, but when he drained it, it was 75lood so he didn’t want to put the cortisone in it. Instead, I am going to go to therapy twice a week for a month and go back and see him in two weeks. I guess my “condition” is called Chondromalacia Patella which is basically softening of the cartilage on the knee cap. It’s pretty much a genetic condition and ultimately will need knee replacement. Oh well, I’ll get through therapy and take it from there. The doctor did recommend I buy a ranch house so I don’t have the stairs! Not going to happen—we love our house! So, now I just endure the pain!

Other than that, we didn’t do a whole lot over the weekend. The kids played outside. We did have some friends over for dinner on Saturday night that was nice and we continued working on the kitchen. What a difference molding makes on the floor and around the cabinets! Tom is slowly working on finishing up. I continued to move some more things into the kitchen.

Tom and Evan are going up north this weekend (Saturday-Tuesday) to go on the boat with Grandpa Jim. Evan is going to the first mate. They are going to meet Jim in Detour and go through the Soo Locks. Mom and Shelby are going to be staying home (originally we were going to go visit Aunt Carol and go to Michigan Adventure—but knee damage changed those plans). I’ll have to think of something fun for just the girls to do!

Other than that, life is pretty normal—just really busy. I’ll post with any more updates that occur, but Shelby will return to the doctor on August 8 just for a blood check.

Thanks for checking in on Shelby! We are getting close to the 10,000 visitors mark!!!!

Monday, July 18, 2005 7:18 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Week 36 of 60 (175 more days to go of pills)

Hello to everyone. Shelby had a wonderful week this past week. It has been very hot and humid her in Michigan and she prefers to stay inside a lot (as Mom does!) But, she is having a great summer. She really enjoys her summer camp. They do an excellent job with all the different activities that they do. Last week, they had a bike wash and bike parade so she got to put all these streamers on her bike and ride around for all the other kids to see. She enjoyed it. She had her dance class last week and is doing really good—I still continue to ask her if she likes the ballet part or the tap part better and she hasn’t really made a choice yet.

Saturday was a total wash-out. We had very heavy rains which apparently were remnants of the hurricane. So much for getting our aluminum siding repaired on Saturday. Hopefully he will come today. The kids spent the day indoors and luckily Mommy had been to the video store, so the kids had lots of movies to watch. We also were able to finally get the basement cleaned—it really was a disaster area—toys everywhere!

Sunday was nice. We went to a picnic sponsored by Candlelighters of Michigan. This is a branch of the national organization. This was their first annual picnic and it was really nice. The kids had a great time. The usual stuff was there—moonwalk, sno-cones, popcorn, ice cream man and a game where if you hit the target, you could get a water balloon dropped on you! Of course my kids liked being the person to sit under the water balloon—so they were drenched. But…they gave us Candlelighers t-shirts, so we had a spare shirt to change into. The kids had a great time.

Tom finished all the tile in the kitchen/dining area and foyer! He finished grouting last night. It looks really nice. It was a such a large project—but it seems like those never end around our house! Now he will move onto the molding around the cabinets and around the floors and doors. Then we have to pick out the tile backsplash for the kitchen. If we could only stop working and do all these projects—but we know they will get done in time!

Not much planned this week…the only kid activity is Shelby’s dance. Evan finished his baseball season and only has his party next week. The siding guy hopefully will come today and the exterior paint guy is supposed to show up on Wednesday. We’ll see. These independent contractors can work whenever they want to and they really don’t stick to much of a schedule.

Shelby is scheduled for a clinic appointment on Monday, July 25 for a spinal tap, intrethecal methotrexate and vincristine. I’ll update more next week after that appointment.

NOTE: Another mom (Kim at www.caringbridge.org/ca/andrew) had this on her website and I wanted to share some of it with you because it really helps explain our story. On at least a weekly basis, I have people that are surprised to find out that Shelby is still on “chemo” meds. They think she is all done with her treatment.

It has been nearly 19 months since our journey started and I constantly think back to all she has gone through during this time. For those of you that see Shelby, she looks perfect! You would never know that this terrible disease has afflicted her (and our family). While we are thankful that she is getting better, we also know that she is not out of the woods.

Many people are surprised to learn that Shelby is still on a regimen of 3 different chemos, (6-MP, Vincristine, Methotrexate) and he takes chemo pills every single day. She still gets nauseated sometimes and has side effects, but she has special medications to help those symptoms.

Leukemia, being cancer of the white blood cells, "infection fighting cells/immune system", is different than tumors.

With a tumor, someone is considered "in remission" when the tumor is gone. With leukemia, most kids get a "technical remission" by the first week or so (if not, they would not survive, as ALL has a survival rate of only a few months if left untreated.)

So, what does it mean that Shelby has been in remission since the first week? That is pretty quick in the cancer world, yet childhood leukemia has the longest treatment plan. What the heck is up with that??? Even adult leukemia typically only has 1 year of chemo, why do girls end up with 2 or 3 years of treatment?

Well, when they check his blood for cancer cells, they are usually only checking 100 cells. If less than 5 of them are blasts (the immature leukemia cells) than they are considered in remission. But in reality, doctors know that there are still leukemic cells circulating throughout the body...they can’t check all of his blood...so they check a sample. Research shows, that if they don’t continue treatment for 2-3 years, that one little leukemic cell that may be hiding will begin multiplying, bringing back the cancer.

Additionally, childhood leukemia is treated differently than adult leukemia. There is much more research for adult cancers, and so most of them have a determined plan of action. For kids, however, they are less certain about the treatment, and most of the kids are on clinical trials, such as Shelby.

It is true that the survival rates have improved tremendously over the past decade....but the long term side effects are the price. We are just now seeing lots of kids surviving into adulthood, and for the first time doctors can monitor what 2-3 years of chemo does to a child's developing body. In Shelby’s case, she was lucky that she has not had radiation and only chemotherapy. She may still suffer long term effects, but we are hoping they will be minimal.

The list of potential problems are pretty horrific; cataracts, hearing loss, heart problems, brain damage, stroke, brain tumors, adult leukemia, brittle bone disease (and other bone issues), and more....

While we are thankful that Shelby is doing so well, we also know that we have a long road to go. Lots of people ask me when Shelby will be cured.

First, Shelby must continue chemo until March of 2006. After that, we wait and see if it will come back. B-Cell ALL has a high risk of relapse in the first year or so after chemo ends.

Even after Shelby is years away from ALL, she would be at a higher risk of developing AML as an adult (another type of leukemia), and brain cancer. This is because the chemo that is making her better now, can CAUSE CANCER.

As you can see, there still is a huge need for more research, so that leukemia can be cured without destroying the person in the process. Shelby is still battling a very frightening disease that for now, it appears she is winning!

Every so often, we are thrown back to remembering when she was going through the most difficult parts of treatment. We will see a picture of her when she didn’t have all her hair, we will remember her dark circles under her eyes, Evan will start coughing and we have to wonder what horrific effects it may have on Shelby—but through it all, Shelby’s determination and never ending spirit kept on. She truly is a gem that we treasure and as her parents, are very thankful for. She truly has brought joy into our lives and will continue to do so.

Thank you to everyone that consistently checks in on Shelby through this website. It is too hard to thank each one of you….but those of you know who you are that deserve extra special hugs! Have a great week!!!

Monday, July 11, 2005 8:53 AM CDT

WEEK 35 of 60 LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Another week has gone by and it was pretty uneventful. Shelby had a great time at her summer camp last week. She goes to the same place she went for preschool, it just turns into summer camp—so they don’t do as many learning activities and more fun activities. Today, since it is going to be 90 degrees, they are going to do sprinklers and water balloons and it is also “Let’s Pretend” week (that is their theme) so it is all decked out in princess stuff—dress up clothes, castles to play in, etc. She is going to have a blast.

Last week, we didn’t do too much-just the usual…Evan baseball, Shelby dance. This past weekend Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson came down and stayed with us for one night. So, Shelby gave up her queen size bed and her and Evan wanted to sleep in the tent in Mom and Dad’s room. They had a lot of fun (although I don’t know how much rest they got). We ended up having a BBQ at our house with Aunt Denise, Uncle Rich, Taylor, Jack and Luke coming over. It worked out nice. The kids enjoyed jumping in the bounce house and playing on the swing set. Daddy and Evan went down to the All-Star Fan Fest at Cobo Hall. Evan didn’t really want to go but after he returned, he didn’t stop talking about it! Sunday brought about hanging out at home day. I worked on finishing the landscaping area around the back patio—put the black edging and the mulch around the bushes. Daddy worked on the tile in the kitchen, Evan played with the neighbors and Shelby took a 3 ½ hour nap! I couldn’t believe it. Then when she did wake up, she didn’t want to go out and play with her friends. Of course, being a cancer mom, I immediately start wondering what is wrong with her. But she seemed ok, just a little tired. Although it was really hot yesterday too—so, we’ll see.

We did get our new air conditioner and the aluminum siding man came out to give us an estimate on doing a few repairs that we want done before the exterior of the house is painted next week. Seems like the projects never end…always something to do. Our house is going to be really nice once it is all fixed up!! The tile in the kitchen is looking really nice—but until the final base molding and the crown molding go up---that is the finishing touch! I am back using the kitchen like normal—there are just tools to step over, etc. I am so glad that I am so patient.

For this week, it should be somewhat calm. Shelby has dance Tues night, Evan has baseball on Tues and Thurs night. On Sunday, we are going to a picnic that is sponsored by an organization called Candlelighters. That should be fun for the kids. It is over in Clinton Twp at their city hall.

Shelby returns to the clinic tomorrow at 11:45am. She is excited it is a lunchtime appointment because I told her I would take her to Noodles for lunch. That is her favorite place that has her favorite…macaroni and cheese. So I will take her to camp in the morning then pick her up about 11:20—go to clinic just for blood check, then do lunch and take her back to school. Hopefully I can do it all in less than 2 hours! I’ll post tomorrow afternoon with her counts. Two weeks from now, she is scheduled for a spinal tap.

CLINIC VISIT UPDATE - Tuesday, 7/12
Shelby's counts were:

WBC: 4.06
Neut: 2.22
RBC: 4.31
HgB: 13.0
Plt: 289

Everything is looking good. I got a little scared when they handed me the blood results printout. Off on the right hand corner there are boxes that are filled in when counts come out looking strange. Next to the neutrophils line it said the dreaded word..."BLASTS". Blasts are what are in the blood first when leukemia is found and of course it makes a mother cringe. So, Dr. Jamil said that whenever a blood count says blasts, they immediately make a slide of it and it has to be examined under a microscope. So, to ease my mind, he went in the back and checked the blood smear. He then came out and said everything looked fine. So, we are back on track--you can't imagine the thoughts that raced through my mind at that moment through and her counts weren't even that high. The bone marrow truly can do weird things. Anyhow, we are set for an appointment on Monday, 7/25 at 9:00a.m. for her spinal tap in the office. I'll put another update on next week. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Tuesday, July 5, 2005 6:59 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

WEEK 34 of 60 (182 more days of chemo!)

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July. The weather here in Michigan was beautiful every day (it did rain last night but the rest of the weekend was absolutely gorgeous). We didn’t do too much—just stuck close to home. Saturday I trimmed bushes around the house—we are getting the exterior of the house painted next week and they were a little monstrous to be able to paint behind. Daddy had to work on Saturday (so some of his managers could have some time off!) The kids played outside all day with the neighborhood friends. I also set up the bounce house for them—so that was three hours of just watching them making sure no more than two or three people got in at one time. Sunday, the kids once again just played outside and that evening we went to Cousin Jack’s 7th birthday party. Aunt Denise had it at a local park so it was nice. The kids played on the playground; we had a BBQ and just hung out. The kids were exceptionally tired when we got home (even though Shelby took a nap!) On Monday, the kids were over at their friend Jacob’s house almost the entire day. They had a little pool set up and were running through sprinklers. Other than coming home for lunch, they were there the whole day. That was nice for me! I was able to get the whole house cleaned and Daddy was able to get the two new exterior doors in the garage installed. The original ones were from when the house was built and the frames were all rotting away. Good thing we replaced them—now the painter will just paint them for us when he does our house. We also are getting a new air conditioner put in next week. Ours still works—but it is so old (1982) that we are afraid if we don’t get it replaced when we want to—it may be an emergency fix! This way, we’ll get a new one and it will last as long as we live in the house—we plan on staying until the kids are out of high school at least! Especially with all the work we are doing to it. I finally was able to move back into the kitchen! I actually put plates and glasses and silverware into the drawers and cabinets. There is still work to do—tile on floor, molding around cabinets, but I am so tired of being in the laundry room! Tom did get the tile grouted in the foyer and it looks wonderful! Amazing how different tile looks before grout and then after grout. It looks really good.

Kind of a quiet week planned for us—Shelby has dance class tonight, Evan has baseball on Thursday—that’s it! In between, I am going to try to get the kids to help me clean up the basement—it is really, really messy!

Medical update…not much to report. Evan’s rash seems to have gone away and we haven’t seen any signs of it on Shelby. She is feeling pretty good. She did wake up this morning and said her back and her legs hurt—but she had that nasty methotrexate last night, which always makes her feel bad the first days of the week. Shelby returns to the clinic next Tuesday at 11:45 just for a blood count.

STATISTICS SINCE THE START OF TREATMENT

Days on Steroids 114
Number of Spinal Taps 17
Number of Bone Marrow Aspirations 5
Number of Inpatient Hospital Days 40
Number of Blood Transfusions 8
Number of Platelet Transfusions 1

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 11:25 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

WEEK 33 of 60

Medical update first…went to the clinic this morning and Shelby’s counts are wonderful!

WBC: 4.20
Neut: 3.16
Hgb: 12.6
RBC: 4.10
Plt: 254

So, on the medical front she is doing good. However, last Friday I did take Evan to the pediatrician because he still has some swollen lymph nodes and I thought he had an ear infection because he kept picking at his ear. Well, he didn’t have an ear infection, but he does have fifths disease. (Doesn’t that sound horrible?) Well, apparently it isn’t—but it is a bigger risk to Shelby. Apparently if Shelby gets this virus it can cause her RBC and HgB counts to quickly drop which would make her anemic for a long period of time and could result in blood transfusions. So I was a little relieved to see how high her counts were this morning so if she were to catch it, at least her counts are higher to start right now. Apparently it is a virus that once you get it—you are contagious before you break out in a rash which gets worse with the heat (thanks Michigan for being so hot and humid lately!) But, once the rash appears you are not contagious—although Shelby’s dr. said today you can still be contagious for up to 10 days after the rash comes. So, who knows. Shelby will go back in two weeks and get her blood count checked. They could have done an antibody test today to see if she had it, but then we would just know she had it—which wouldn’t really mean much. A blood count is the most accurate way to monitor her.

Onto other news. We had a fabulous weekend. We left on Saturday morning very early for Kings Island planning on spending the day at the waterpark at Kings Island on Saturday. We finally arrived about 2pm at the waterpark and boy, they were crowded. It was 95 degrees and extremely humid—so the water was great. The kids had a fantastic time. They had three wonderful kid areas and a lazy river ride (that Shelby proclaimed to be her favorite!) I have some wonderful pictures that I took that I will try to combine and post later this week. On Sunday we spent the whole day at the park – Mom had to spend the day in Kiddie Land! Again, the kids had a great time. Shelby said her favorite ride was the kiddie roller coaster—she had never been on one before but she went on this one four times! It was also fun spending time with all their cousins! Aunt Michelle, Uncle Brian, Aunt Carol, Uncle Lon, Uncle Tim and Aunt Alicia all went. Only Daddy stayed home to work on our tile. He did make some progress—he just picked out a really hard pattern to do (similar to cobblestone) so it is going a little slower. Daddy also decided to put the tile saw in the middle of the kitchen and not tarp off any of the rest of the house so there was tile dust everywhere when we got home yesterday. So I spent the rest of Monday cleaning the house and doing the laundry. Anyhow, it was a nice break and the kids had a really great time. They were really excited to get back to summer camp this morning!

I’ll try to update the pictures later this week and next week I’ll post another update. Thanks for checking in on Shelby and please sign her guestbook if you haven’t recently. We are getting close to 10,000 visits (although Mommy probably made 2000 of them doing updates!)

STATISTICS SINCE THE START OF TREATMENT

Days on Steroids 114
Number of Spinal Taps 17
Number of Bone Marrow Aspirations 5
Number of Inpatient Hospital Days 40
Number of Blood Transfusions 8
Number of Platelet Transfusions 1

Wednesday, June 22, 2005 7:16 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Week 32 of 60

Slowly but surely, the time is ticking away toward end of treatment. This maintenance phase sure is "long term" so it is named appropriately.

No news is good news. Things are moving along. Shelby is feeling really good. Sometimes she'll complain her back hurts or her legs--but she really isn't much of a complainer. She actually had a big week--had another haircut (2nd one since her hair came back). Funny how we don't complain about having to take her for haircuts now! She also lost that first tooth and now anxiously is awaiting her permanent tooth to come in. She keeps asking when it will be there.

Last night, Shelby started her summer dance class of Tap and Toes again. Although she told me last night she would rather just do TAP--we'll see what happens. When the wind blows, she changes her mind and says she likes ballet! Typical 5 year old!

No clinic visits until Tuesday, June 28 after we get back from our weekend trip to Kings Island. The kids are really excited about going to the water park. There is one right in the park so we are going to the water park on Saturday and then the park on Sunday and return home on Monday. The kids were actually a little disappointed they were going to miss one day of their camp--but I assured them they would have more fun with all their cousins. My two sisters and my brother and their families are all going with us so it should be fun--8 kids--7 adults. Tom is going to stay home and hopefully get a lot of the tile down in the kitchen and foyer--at least the parts that we constantly walk on so it has time to set. Don't want to mess that up!

The kids LOVE their summer camps. Every day it is something new that they did. I am so glad that they have somewhere to go during the day that they love going to and I don't have to drag them there!

Well, I keep you updated. I'll post another update next Tuesday after our trip and her visit to the clinic. She needs to get a CBC done and her vincristine and those dreaded steroids start again for one week!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far!!!

Monday, June 13, 2005 12:02 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Week 31 of 60

Shelby was at the doctor this morning and Daddy took her! (That is a rare event!) Anyhow, her counts were:

WBC: 2.93
Neut: 1.58
RBC: 4.04
Plt: 323

She is doing really good. She doesn't go back until two weeks from now on Tuesday (we are going to Kings Island that weekend so we have to have appointment on Tuesday instead of Monday.)

Anyhow, I am in Atlanta right now in training so I don't have lots of time to update...the kids had a great weekend. Shelby went and saw Dora the Explorer live on stage at the Fox Theatre and then went to her cousins dance recitals that afternoon.

I will be back home late Tuesday night and hopefully the house is still standing! I'll update more on Wednesday--but for those faithful webpage checkers--I wanted to get an update in!

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2005

Finally some time to add more of an update…although not much more to add. I made it safely back from my training class in Atlanta. I thought it would be a nice break away, but we really didn’t have any “free time”. On Monday, we were in training from 7:30am until about 10pm – had meetings through dinner and drinks after the meeting too! They want to make sure they use every minute we are there.

Tom survived with the kids and the house was still standing, the kids had taken showers and everything appeared fine. Of course, Tom didn’t talk much on Tuesday night when I returned home, but when I woke the kids up on Wednesday morning, they were non-stop talk about what they did when I wasn’t home. They were so excited that Daddy took them to Burger King—with a play land for one dinner and picked up a pizza for the other. They also were going on and on about their new summer camps. They love them! Evan has been coming home exhausted because he is having so much fun there. Shelby also has quite a few new kids in her class and she is having a great time.

Shelby returns to the clinic on Tuesday, June 28 for her vincristine and blood count. We are planning on going to Kings Island on Saturday, June 25-Monday, June 27. Aunt Michelle, Aunt Carol and Uncle Tim and their families are also going with us so it should be a nice time. Tom is going to stay home because he promised he would work on the ceramic tile in the kitchen and foyer area and he assured me he can get so much done without worrying about the kids walking on it while it is drying. Hopefully a lot will get done!

Evan continues to do well in baseball, getting hits every time he bats. He has games on Tuesday and Thursday’s until the middle of July. Shelby will start up her Tap and Toes Dance class next Tuesday, 6/21. She is excited to do this again—but it was nice having a break. Evan finished his soccer clinic and I don’t think we’ll sign him up again until the fall when he says he wants to play on a team. I’m just waiting for the registration.

Uncle Tim and Aunt Alicia are having a pool party this Sunday at their house so that should be nice. They keep calling us and asking us to come over, but we have been so busy that we are planning on it this Sunday.

Hope everyone continues to do well. Please take a minute and sign the guestbook so we know that you stopped by! Special thoughts going out to Ryan and Keegan (www.caringbridge.org/mi/keegan)….hoping their counts rise so they can continue on in their treatment. Also to Shelby B (www.caringbridge.org/mi/shelbyb) who is in the hospital right now due to a bad infection in her mediport. Our thoughts are with them.

FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2005

Update! Shelby lost her first tooth! She was so excited! She woke up and found $5.00 under her pillow. (The tooth fairy pays well for the first tooth!) When it fell out last night, she was so excited. She said she couldn't wait to show all her friends at camp! Then she promptly went to sleep to wait for the tooth fairy!

Tuesday, June 7, 2005 11:25 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Week 30 of 60

We are to the half way point of Long Term Maintenance. Boy it seems like it is taking a long time. Shelby is doing pretty good though. We just got back from a wonderful weekend. We had a whirlwind Friday, we had our normal day, then we went to Evan’s soccer clinic from 6-7:30 then we headed up to Traverse City. I never thought my kids would be eating a McDonald’s hamburger at 9:30 at night—but they did—then promptly fell asleep until we got there.

We stayed at the Grand Traverse Resort on Friday and Saturday night. I went for a Customer Advisory Committee Outing where they had 15 event planners. It was a nice weekend—truly first class. They had great meals and lots of goodies they gave us. The kids had a great time. They got to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson on Saturday and then Grandma brought them back to the hotel that night. Then on Sunday morning, they got to go swimming with Daddy while Mommy went to a breakfast. Then we went back over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for lunch before we headed up to Boyne Mountain to check out their new Mountain Grand Lodge and Waterpark. We stayed there for the night. For those of you that are wondering…I am looking for a location for my work’s 2006 Educational Conference for 300 people for end of July, 2006. Anyhow, it was a fun weekend.

The kids had a wonderful time. They felt really special because they got to swim in three different swimming pools. Plus, they got to go to the playground and have ice cream with Grandma! And…to top it off…when we returned home yesterday, we set up their new bounce house and they had a wonderful time (them and 4 of the neighborhood kids!) We are going to be the fun house to be at this summer!

Other than that, Shelby is continuing her medicine. She goes back to the doctor next Monday (Daddy has to take her). We are going to see Dora the Explorer at the Fox Theatre this Saturday (in a suite) and then on Sunday, Mom has to go to Atlanta for Sun-Tuesday evening. Dad will have to be Mr. Mom and take care of all the details (he can see what it is really like!) I am going to have to leave really good notes of everything that needs to be done.

Shelby has her end of the year show tomorrow at 4:30—she is excited because they also have a hot dog cookout. Evan’s last day of school is on Thursday and on Friday he is going to spend the day with Aunt Jeanette. On Monday, he goes on a field trip to the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum and then on Tuesday he and Shelby both start their summer camps (at the same place Shelby goes during the school year.) Yeah, Mom will only have to go to one place to drop off and pick up! The kids are looking forward to the summer—they have lots of great activities planned.

Tonight is Evan’s second baseball game at 6pm. So it is a race to pick them all up, feed them dinner and get to the game. Someone needs to think a little harder before they schedule this. It is hard on the working Mom!!! Last week in his first game, he got two hits and one RBI. He was so excited (not that we’re keeping track!) There is also a huge playground at this school so Shelby has fun playing with the other girls (sisters of baseball players!)

That’s about it. I’ll update more as things happen. Life is pretty normal now, I just have a daughter that takes a lot of pills at night! Hope each of you have a great week!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2005

Today, Shelby graduates from preschool! Finally! After three years of full-time preschool! She has her last show tonight and she gets to do a solo! She is so excited. She wanted to get all dressed up today (even though it is going to be 90 degrees!) She has had a wonderful time at the TOTS program and will miss all the teachers and friends she made. She will still go there this summer for summer camp and probably for future summers too. I'll try to post some pictures from her show!!

P.S. Evan got three hits at his baseball game last night and threw from the pitching mound to first base to get an out. He was so excited!

Tuesday, May 31, 2005 9:49 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Week 29 of 60

Wow—another week blew by—where does the time go—where does the month go. Today is the last day of May and I don’t know where it went! Anyhow, we returned back to clinic this morning. Wanted to get the first appointment—so we were in and out super quick (thank you Nurse Diane, Nurse Norma and Dr. Main for being so quick!)

Counts from today were:

WBC: 2.98
Neut: 1.86
Hgb: 12.0
Plt: 364
RBC: 3.77

So, her counts are back to “normal” for a chemo kid! We are happy about that. She must have been battling some viral thing last week when she had that nasty cough. Happy to report that has almost gone away completely. She still has a little runny nose—but who knows if that isn’t just allergies. She did develop some strange rash on her tongue last Friday. It looks a little like ulcers on the sides of her tongue when she sticks it out. I did call the doctor Friday night to check it out (of course her tongue was worse because she had just had her favorite spaghetti for dinner and too much acid makes it redder!) The Dr. said as long as she was eating and drinking to not worry about it and she was still doing that. Today, Dr. Main looked at it and said to just watch it. I have a feeling it will get better because she is on steroids this week. We’ll see.

Weekend update: it was a pretty laid back weekend. Kids got a lot of playtime in with their friends and neighbors. Evan had a playdate with a new girl from school that just moved here from Utah. He had a great time. Shelby took two hour naps each day. Daddy ended up having to work from 7am until 1am on Saturday. One of his managers decided he wasn’t going to work so Daddy has to cover the whole day. But he did take Sunday and Monday off.

Monday we went to Aunt Michelle’s for a BBQ. It was nice. The kids even took a dip in her pool—it was only 67 degrees! Needless to say, it was a quick dip—then they headed for the hot tub! The kids were exhausted when they got home and fell asleep by 8:15! Mom and Dad watched a DVD then (a rare treat!)

Finished getting all the planting done and took out two bushes and planted some new daisys. Hopefully they will grow! We are still deciding on what color to get the exterior house painted. It is supposed to be done at the end of June sometime. We are leaning toward light silvery gray on top, whitish gray on bottom and then midnight blue shutters and front door—leaving the existing gutters white. We’ll see, could change our mind again.

This week, lots to do with Evan…he has a doctors appointment tonight, he has a bunch of swollen lymph nodes that look really odd—Dr. Main (Shelby’s dr.) said it is probably just something viral, but I want to get it checked. Then tomorrow, he has baseball practice, Thursday he has his first baseball game, then Cub Scouts right after—when he bridges over from Tiger Cub into Cub Scout—Wolf. Then Friday is soccer clinic for him from 6pm-7:30 then we are heading right up north that night. We are going to be staying at Grand Traverse Resort for Friday and Saturday night and then at the Grand Mountain Lodge at Boyne on Sunday night. Mommy is checking them out for a possible meeting there in summer 2006. We are going to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson too on Saturday.

Shelby returns to the clinic on Monday, June 13. Daddy will have to take her! Mommy has to go to Atlanta from Sunday, 6/12-Tues, 6/14 for a work training so Daddy will be in charge. He hasn’t taken her to the clinic in over a year so this should be interesting! He will have to drop Evan at his field trip that morning, take Shelby to dr. by 8:45, take Shelby back to school and then head to work. He can do everything I normally do!

Thanks to everyone for checking in on her. Please sign her guestbook if you stopped by so we can see who has been checking up on her!! I promise I will take some more pictures this weekend and post them!!!!! Hope everyone has a great week!

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2005
Update on Evan's dr. visit. Evan had five swollen lymph nodes around his neck, one at the base of his skull and three in his groin area. The pediatrician said most likely it was from a bug bite--although I don't see one anywhere. He said to just watch for other symptoms and if it is still like that next week, to return. He did check his spleen and liver to see if they were enlarged...because swollen lymph nodes are a sign of leukemia--just freaking out a little. But, hopefully they will get better and everything will be fine.

One cute thing.....I ordered a inflatable bounce house from QVC the other day! It is 13 feet by 8 feet and inflates in one minute. The kids are so excited. They saw that the UPS man had delivered it on our porch yesterday. I had gone inside and all of a sudden I hear Evan yell "oh my gosh, it's here...Shelby come look". Shelby then went over and you hear her say "wow! It's so big..it's here!". It was the cutest thing. Of course the rest of the night they wanted me to set it up, but I had to put them off and tell them not until next weekend. We had baseball practice last night, Evan has a baseball game and cub scouts tonight and then tomorrow we are heading up north. So our next chance would be next Monday night. We'll see. I told them Daddy had to help Mommy do it (they believed me!)

Monday, May 23, 2005 9:47 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Week 28 of 60

Another week gone by. It was pretty uneventful. Shelby has developed a nasty cough with lots of congestion. It reminds me of a croupy cough because she will wake up at night and have 15-20 minutes of coughing “fits”. Hopefully it is nearing the end but I feel so bad for her.

Counts from today’s clinic visit:

WBC: 8.19
Neut: 6.60
RBC: 4.05
HgB: 13.3
Plt: 204

Very high! Of course, it can be a double edged sword. I asked Dr. Main if high counts can signal “bad” things and of course, they can. He said she could be fighting some type of viral thing and that is why the counts are so high. So, we are to watch her and watch that cough and if it gets any worse to go in and they will do a chest x-ray. Today they didn’t hear anything other than the real bad nasal congestion.

Glad that we are back on 100% chemo now—it is hard to break the pills into ¼’s and ¾’s! Straight dosing is much easier and less pills for her to take. Funny thing..the other night, I was reading Shelby a bedtime story about a sick dinosaur that goes to the doctor and he doesn’t take his pills well—he spits them out all over or throws them across the room. She proudly sat up and said “I take my pills really good.” She sure does and that is one thing that we continue to be very thankful for is that she is such a good medicine taker. This journey would be so much harder if we had to fight her every night to take those pills.

We had Evan’s Open House for his end of the year in the first grade classroom. Shelby was so excited to go (there was also an ice cream social!) We took her to visit the kindergarten rooms as well as the K-Club room (afternoon childcare for kindergarteners). She approved of their toys so I think she will be fine come the Fall!

Evan had his soccer clinic on Friday night and since Mom got home later from work, we hit the KFC drive through, got the two kids kids laptop meals and had a picnic on the soccer field before his clinic. They thought this was the greatest thing! It is so funny how the littlest things excite them.

Saturday the kids and I hit the grocery store together (a rare event—I hardly ever take them.) They were extremely well behaved—maybe because I bribed them with the Star Wars lightsabers that they wanted? Then they played outside the rest of the day until Dad got home and we went to Red Robin for dinner. A new one opened up by Mom’s work. The kids loved it—they want to go back soon. The only downside was that each kid got a balloon to take home. When we got home, Daddy told them they should release them into the sky so see how long the kids can see them. Of course, Evan wanted to do this. Shelby asked Dad if the balloon would come back and Dad lied and said Yes! So, both kids let go of the balloons—well as soon as Shelby realized hers wasn’t coming back, she had a total breakdown and lots of “I hate Daddy’s”. (Can’t say I blame her!) So, Mom came to the rescue and calmed her down. Cute story from Saturday…when it was time for Shelby’s nap, Evan said he would take her up for her nap. Shelby decided she wanted to sleep in Evan’s bed, so Evan laid down with her (in his twin size bed) and was rubbing her back. Next thing I knew, he came downstairs and said she was sleeping. Can I get him to do this at night with her??? He is such a good brother!!!

Sunday was just another lay around and be lazy day (for the kids). Mom and Dad never do that—too many projects to do! Our latest project we are undertaking…we are going to get the exterior of our house painted. Just trying to decide colors. Have to keep projects moving. We have painter lined up for middle of June—we’ll see—probably won’t happen until July. Tom has to put on two new exterior doors going out of the garage to the side of house and backyard. Mom was able to do the winter to summer switch-over in the kids closets. It is amazing how many clothes these kids have (that’s what Mom gets for shopping the clearance stuff at Kohl’s.) I think Shelby has over 20 pairs of shorts and Evan has close to 50!!

This week should be pretty tame. We are excited that school is winding down. This week, just baseball and soccer on tap for Evan. Shelby will return to clinic next Monday. She is set to do dance again, but it doesn’t start until June 21. She is getting her new dance leotards ready!

As always, thank you to everyone for checking in on Shelby periodically. Please sign her guestbook if you get a chance.

Thursday, May 19, 2005 2:00pm EST

Just quick update...week is rolling along. Shelby has been really congested and has a "croup-y like" cough at night that keeps her awake. Last night I did give her some Pediacare Cough stuff and that seemed to let her sleep for four hours. Her body is fighting something.

On Wednesday morning, the woke up about 5am and came to my bedside and said her tummy hurt. She then went into the bathroom and threw up a little (just stomach gases). I then was able to get her to take a Zofran (anti-nausea pill) and she laid back down. She also had a 99.9 fever. Then around 6:45am, she woke up and said she wanted to go to school. I told her I thought she should stay home with Daddy (he was going to be home to get new counters!) but she insisted on going to school because it was Miss Sui's baby shower (a teacher is having a baby.) So, I got her ready, she ate a big breakfast, temperature was normal so I took her to school--pretty much expecting to get a call during the day to come and get her. When I picked her up at the end of the day, the teacher said she had a great day and felt good. Once again, resilient Shelby appeared. I cannot believe how much strength she has and determination to do the things that she wants to do!

Monday, May 16, 2005 11:30AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE – Week 27 of 60

Another week gone by and another trip to the clinic this morning. It was a very L-O-N-G visit. We arrived 20 minutes before our appointment hoping we might be seen a little earlier, no such chance….it was one hour later that they finally realized they didn’t check us in right. Anyhow, we are back…here are her counts.

WBC: 2.59
Neut: 1.09
RBC: 3.83
HgB: 12.1
Plt: 335

So, she is now on 75f her chemo—so the 6-MP pill I have to cut in ¾--fun! They also ran another liver panel and I have to call this afternoon for results. We’ll see. The onc did say that they typically don’t hold the treatment unless the liver results are 10 times over normal. We’ll see. I’m hoping they went down since she was only on 50f her chemo last week. We shall see. I’ll update later today.

OK..enough medical talk. Now I can update you on the really big news….Shelby has her first loose tooth! The funny thing is that it is the same one that Evan just lost (his first!) So, she is really excited about that! We’ll keep you posted with all the details!! She was so excited, she even told her doctor!!!

Weekend update…on Friday, Evan had his soccer clinic. He got to play for an hour and then they had to call it due to dark clouds and lightening. Evan was so sad, I think he was going to cry—but they said they will add another half hour on next week. Saturday morning, we left home around 8:15am to head to Okemos/East Lansing for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. We got there around 10am right around the time it was starting. Right after we got there, it started raining for about two hours—nasty rain—but it didn’t deter the kids! Shelby was running around with one of those big golf umbrellas. She had a great time. So, the rain finally stopped around noon and then it dried up—but it remained cool. Luckily the kids were dressed appropriately. They had a great time running around, playing with the clowns, Shelby got a beautiful face painting flowers. It was also neat to see the kids just take off to go walking around the track. I guess the event we were at raised almost $100,000—it was fun. THANK YOU to everyone who sent in a donation. The group we were with was working the concession stand so there was lots of food available also! It was a long day, but it was nice to just sit for a while and enjoy the kids having so much fun! We got home right after midnight. The kids slept in on Sunday until 10:00a.m.

On Sunday, another day. While Mom caught up on the laundry and Dad did some more work in the kitchen, the kids had “pajama day” for a while. Then they took their showers and Mom and Shelby headed off for our “Day of Beauty”. A group called Allie’s Angels here in Michigan sponsored this with Lynn’s Salon right in Troy. Shelby had a great time. At 4:30 she had a manicure and pedicure appointment and then she got a hair cut. She also got a goody bag, a tiara, a feather boa (Pink, of course), a new brush, comb, mirror and nail polish and a poloroid picture of her covered in feathers. She had a wonderful time. The staff there was wonderful and really made the kids feel like princesses! They took lots of pictures (I forgot the camera—actually I didn’t forget it—Dad forgot to buy film!) Anyhow, they said they would e-mail some, so if they do, I’ll post some on the site.

Well Shelby and Mom were at Beauty Day, Dad and Evan went to the Cub Scout activity—bottle rocket launching. They had a blast. Even though it was pretty cold outside. They made rockets out of 2 liter bottles and used water to launch them. Evan was so excited—he is really into science!

So we had a really busy weekend—but it was fun—even though the weather was cold! This week is a little more tame….Nothing Monday or Tuesday after work—Wednesday Evan has baseball practice and Mom and Dad are actually going out to dinner with friends and Uncle Tim is going to watch the kids! Thursday, Evan has an Open House at his school so we can go see all the great things the 1st graders have been working on, along with an Ice Cream Social and then Friday is Evan’s soccer again. On Saturday, we are scheduled to go to Gilda’s Club to hear Dr. Main speak about childhood cancer (while the kids can go play in the play area).

So, I’ll post as updates occur. Thanks for checking in on Shelby and keeping her in your thoughts! Please sign her guestbook if you haven’t in a while!!!

UPDATE: liver results from Monday afternoon--AST and ALT counts are coming down. One is still higher than normal, but they are going down!

Monday, May 9, 2005 10:43 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE – WEEK 26 of 60

Back from another trip to clinic after a weekend of constant temperature monitoring and handwashing!! Good news!!! Her counts are up!!!

WBC: 3.35
Neut: 1.19
RBC: 3.79
HgB: 12.0
Plt: 370

She was so excited she can now eat fresh fruit!!! She also returned to school today and was so happy when she walked back through the doors of school! Shelby is back on 50f her chemo meds as of tonight and we will return to clinic next Monday to see how counts are going. The clinic also did a full hepatic blood panel to check out the liver functions once again, but those results won’t be in until later this afternoon—I will call to get.

One funny thing over the weekend....Daddy called on his way home from work on Saturday and asked what Shelby was doing. I told him she was out back playing with her neighbor friend. He asked if she should be outside with all the fertilizers and stuff. I told him she was fine. Then, about an hour after he was home...there he is out there with the dandelion spray on our grass!!! Crazy!!!!

This week is pretty busy at home. Tonight, Evan has his 1st Grade Music Program—he has a solo! Wednesday, Evan has baseball practice and Friday Evan has his soccer class. Then Saturday is the Relay for Life Walk for the American Cancer Society. We are happy we raised $1,360! Thank you to those of you that contributed! The kids are looking forward to going and then Sunday is Shelby’s Day of Beauty! She is so excited about this!!!!

Kitchen update…..Silestone countertops are going to be installed on Wed, May 18!!! Progress!!!!

I’ll update more as more happens. Thank you to all of you for your special prayers for Shelby and our family!!!

UPDATE - 3:30pm....I called the clinic to check liver function counts..They were as follows:

AST: 82 (Normal 20-45)
ALT: 259 (Normal 5-25)

Last Friday, her AST was 58 and her ALT was 268. So they are still elevated. Next Monday, they are going to run the hepatic panel once again (boy I could get a medical degree!) We'll keep you posted.

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2005

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE
(Still) Week 25 of 60

Sorry for late in the day update...crazy day between getting Evan to school at 7am, then working 1/2 day then bringing Shelby lunch and I just finished giving her a third dinner! (Steroids!) She is having fruit cocktail for her second dessert right now (and it is only 7:10pm--it may be a long night!)

Counts from today were not too much improved from yesterday:

WBC: .8
RBC: 4.01
HgB: 11.7
Plt: 220
Neut: <0.1 (still not measureable)

So, not too much has changed. I am a bit surprised that the counts are not higher since she is on steroids this week. Tomorrow morning they are going to re-run the entire metabolic panel for her blood test to check everything else. Two of her liver tests, AST and ALT were pretty high--the drs. told me this is normal considering the medicine she had on Monday injected into her spine, but we want to make sure. It is pretty scary when the counts are ten times higher than a normal persons should be! I did ask Nurse Karen if they would release her tomorrow even if her counts were exactly the same and they did say yes--we would just have to do really good handwashing--or end up back here again. I reminded Nurse Karen to be sure we are the first ones they check on (and out) in the morning so Shelby can make it to her preschool in time for the big event! But I already told her she can only go to the lunch and then we are going home--well actually for an oil change, grocery shopping, library. Then Evan has soccer practice tomorrow night that hopefully Daddy can take him too! Then Saturday, Evan has a friend's birthday party to go to from 1-4 and then cousin Luke's birthday party is at 4pm. The kids should have fun. Sunday will then be just a relaxing day hopefully for Mom! (Not likely---there will be a house to clean and laundry to do and get ready for another week!) As I said earlier, it seems to never end!!! (Somewhere in there Evan and Mom need hair cuts too!)

One more highlight for Shelby to look forward to.....next weekend, we have the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. That will be an all-day event. We are happy to report that we raised almost $1,300!! Thank you to everyone that contributed. Then on Sunday, the clinic gave her an invitation to a "Day of Beauty" at a local salon. So, Shelby is going to get a hair cut and style, followed my a manicure and pedicure! She is so excited--this is on Sunday, May 15. Of course, I'll post information and hopefully pictures. I have been a little neglectful with posting pictures lately--I'll try harder!

So, I'll try to post more later---but unless you see another entry---it will be safe to assume that we are home and we return to clinic on Monday morning at 9am for blood count so I can post after I return to work!!!

We wish every mother a Happy Mother's Day! Thanks for checking in on Shelby!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2005

Well, as predicted--Shelby is inpatient. Those lack of neutrophils sent her fever skyrocketing. It was 101.9 when she was admitted last night at 8:30pm. Before the antibiotics even started, the fever broke--but we are still here for the mandatory 48 hours while they wait to see if the blood culture grows.

Counts when we arrived last night were pretty low:

WBC: .6
Neut: <0.1 (hard to measure)
RBC: 3.96
Plt: 234
HgB: 11.8

So, she is really neutropenic. But, overall, she is feeling well. This morning she ate froot loops, a pop tart and part of a cinnamon roll! (Hope they don't do a glucose test!)

Anyhow, she will be here until at least Friday morning. Grandma Jackie is going to come around lunchtime today so Mommy can go to work. Then Daddy has the night shift tonight and Mommy will come back tomorrow at lunch time and stay until Friday. Shelby really wants to get out on Friday so we can make it to her school by 11:30. They are having a special Mothers Days Lunch that she made special gifts for and she really wants me to go with her. She has been looking forward to it.

Tonight Evan starts his first baseball practice so Mom will take him to that. It seems like it is never ending at our house--but somehow, we make it through.

Thanks for checking in on her. I'll post more as I find out more. Please leave her a message in her guestbook--she loves it when I read them to her!

MONDAY, MAY 2, 2005 1:20PM CDT
LONG TERM MAINTENANCE
Week 25 of 60

Well, another clinic visit this morning and I was shocked when we saw her counts!

WBC: 1.15
NEUT: .22 (less than .30 she shouldn’t leave the house!)
RBC: 4.07
Hgb: 13.0
Plt: 255

So, she is neutropenic (no fresh fruit for her!) She was still able to get her spinal tap with intrathecal methotrexate as well as her vincristine in her port—and a finger poke to check other things (liver, etc.) She is such a trooper! No tears at all and she did great! We were there a little longer today – 9am-11:30am, but considering everything she had done and how busy the clinic was, we got out of there relatively fast!

This past weekend was pretty uneventful. We started the weekend out by going to Evan’s soccer clinic on Friday night. Shelby played soccer on the sidelines as the temperature plummeted. It got cold—but she had fun! Then on Saturday, Mom went to lunch with Aunt Jeanette, Aunt Denise and Grandma Mary Ann to celebrate Aunt Jeanette’s 40th birthday. Daddy was supposed to be home from work by noon to stay with kids—but his assistant manager decided not to come into work so Daddy got stuck there until 4pm. So, the kids went to Uncle Tim and Aunt Alicia’s house (THANK YOU!) The kids had a great time over there.

On Sunday, Grandma Mary Ann watched the kids so Mom and Dad could go and do some much needed shopping at Home Depot! The kids played outside since it was fairly nice (a little chilly!) The rest of the day, Daddy worked on the kitchen some more. All the overhead lights are now in! Nice to not have electrical wires hanging everywhere!!! We are just waiting for countertops to show up! Hopefully soon!!!

So, we will be on fever watch this week. All of Shelby’s medicine is on hold until another clinic visit next Monday to check her counts. She will still take her steroids this week and…..they upped her dosage! She now has to take 5 pills in the morning and 5 pills at night. Tomorrow we also have to give her one pill called Leukevorin which helps her maintain her counts after her medicine today. We’ll keep the website updated!

Monday, April 25, 2005 9:45 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - Week 24 of 60

No clinic visit this week. Shelby returns next Monday, May 2 at 9:00am for spinal tap, intrathecal methotrexate, vincristine in her port and blood count and.....steroids start again!!!

Not too much happened this past week. Good news! I booked our 4-day Disney Cruise for September, 2006. It is a long way away, but it is after Shelby is done with treatment and it will give the kids something to look forward to. For those of you that may not know, it was Shelby’s original Make-A-Wish to go on a Disney Cruise. But the oncologist veteoed this idea because she has her medi-port. If anything had happened, she would have to be airlifted off the ship—so we did Disney parks instead.

On Saturday, the whole family went to Shelby’s last dance class. The parents were allowed in to see what they have learned. I must say, I was impressed with how much she really did learn. Anytime I would ask her what she learned, she would never show me, but she did really well. She wants to sign up again so I think I am going to sign her up for the summer session, June 20-August 8. I would love for her to do some kind of sport, but with her mediport still in place until at least February next year, I think we’ll hold off and do the safer activities!

After dance class, I took Shelby to the library and three bags later, we returned home. One thing I did pick up was a flyer for a soccer instructional clinic that starts this Friday for six weeks so I signed Evan up. He has suddenly developed a HUGE interest in soccer. I remember back when he was four years old and I put him in a soccer clinic for 4 year olds and he hardly even participated. Somehow, I think this time will be different. So, I took him to the store and we bought him a new ball and cones and shin guards. He’s ready. Plus, his Coach/Pitch T-Ball league is supposed to start practices May 1 with games on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Mom will be busy driving her mini-van this summer!

Other than that, not too much going on. Tom was able to work in the kitchen over the weekend. I now have a working dishwasher, microwave and oven! It’s amazing how you really appreciate these things (especially when you don’t have them!) Of course, we will only have plywood on the kitchen floor, so I won’t be using them that often. In time….it is getting done. I’m hoping by the end of May it will be done!!!!

Wanted to share a poem that I received on a card that I love!

Little Instructions for Happiness

Stay loose – learn to watch snails.
Make little sign that say “yes.”
Make friends with freedom and uncertainty.
Cry during movies.
Giggle with children.
Swing as high as you can.
Do it for love.
Take lots of naps.
Laugh a lot.
Hug trees.
Write letters.
Celebrate every gorgeous moment.
Read every day.
Do it now.
Listen to those older than you are.
Entertain your inner child.
Believe in magic.

John C. Fitts (Adapted)

P.S. Thank you to Shelby's angel, Karen and her family. They sent a wonderful envelope with a Blockbuster gift card, microwave popcorn and candy! What a great idea! She's the best (and so thoughtful!)

Monday, April 18, 2005 2:21 PM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE
Week 23 of 60

Another week gone by and it was pretty uneventful. Shelby was at the clinic this morning and it was a record time visit! Blood drawn at 8:55 and we were walking out of the clinic at 9:15am. Things are going good. Her counts are really high. We return in two weeks for a spinal tap with intrathecal methotrexate injected, along with vincristine in her port and then steroids again! Her counts today were:

WBC: 4.83
Neut: 3.48
RBC: 3.80
Plt: 292
HgB: 12.0

Overall she is doing great! She had a fun rest of the week. The weather here has been fabulous and she has enjoyed playing outside as often as she can! We though last Saturday was going to be Shelby’s last dance class…but there is one more week since one was cancelled due to snow. So, this Saturday it is parent’s watch day. She is excited!

Not too much planned for this week—just taking it easy! One scare over the weekend….Friday night….a child with a fever came into our bedroom at 1:30am…..it was EVAN! He had a 102 fever and said his legs hurt. I immediately gave him some Advil and the fever went away and did not return for the whole weekend. I have no idea what that was. But, it really makes you stop and think how lucky you are to have a well child---if that were Shelby, we would be heading to the hospital!

I’ll post more as more happens! Everyone enjoy your week!

Thursday, April 14, 2005 8:04AM EST

Just a quick update....Shelby is doing great. We wet to see Beauty and the Beast last night at the Fox Theater. It was a really nice show. Two things that made yesterday really special......

1) Watching Shelby sing along in the audience with Belle. (She knows practically all the songs!) At one point, she was really loud. But, I just let her do it--oh well if she bothers anyone---she deserves it!

2) Watching Shelby brush her hair in the morning. It is amazing how you can take it for granted how great it is that you have your hair and you are healthy.

OK, enough of the sappy stuff. We return to the clinic on Monday just for blood counts. This weekend is supposed to be in the 70's for Sat and Sun. Lots of playing outside for the kids! Have a good rest of the week and if you get a moment, please sign the guestbook!

Monday, April 11, 2005 7:51AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - Week 22 of 60

Another week gone by and Shelby continues to feel really good. We had a fabulous weekend--the weather was wonderful (72 on Sunday!) The kids had a great time playing outside. It always amazes me each year how as soon as it gets warm, the neighbors houses open up and out come all the kids. At one point, we had over 15 kids playing on our play set! Shelby also met a new friend that lives behind us--they moved in last October. Her name is Harley and she is also 5 and will be in kindergarten with her in the fall. Shelby was so excited!

Other than that, Shelby went to her Tap and Toes dance class. She has one more left. She won't be doing any recitals because honestly, Mommy doesn't have time! I want to wait to see if Shelby is really "THAT" interested into it. I might sign her up for one more this summer. Although they only have two to pick from that are after 4:30pm. Unfortunately our home town caters to the stay at home Mom.

Lots to do this week. Tonight I am taking Shelby in for her five year checkup with the normal pediatrician. Even though she has her oncologists as her "normal" doctors, I still want her to get a normal checkup. The oncologists are trained to only check out certain things, not the whole person. So, we'll see. Then on Wednesday night, Shelby and Mom and Aunt Denise and Taylor are going to see Beauty and the Beast at the Fox Theatre. It should be nice and of course, Belle is one of Shelby's favorite princesses.

We made a lot more progress on the kitchen. Glad the drywalling is almost done! It is a mess. I finished painting the foyer--it looks really nice. Slowly but surely it is getting done.

Shelby returns to the clinic on Monday, April 18 just for a blood count check. I'll post more as it happens.

Monday, April 4, 2005 10:52 AM CDT

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - Week 21 of 60

Back from a long visit to the clinic. Shelby's part was quick--but there were delays getting her medicine and delays getting her blood counts. Her counts today were really good:

WBC: 3.4
RBC: 3.71
Hgb: 10.9
Neut: 2.7
Plt: 352

She is doing really good. She is growing like a weed - 44 1/2" tall--even Nurse Karen commented how much she has grown (she hasn't seen her in six weeks). Overally, she is feeling great. She did start her week of steroids again today--9 1/2 pills every day. Tonight is her "big pill night". She has to take 11 1/2 pills! She is already figuring out how many crackers she needs to take to get them all down!

The clinic did run a metabolic panel (after I asked them too) Especially since her potassium and calcium levels were too low last time she was admitted. I got the results and they are fine. Good to know!

Shelby has been extremely happy lately! Really a true joy! Maybe the weather change has affected her! It is a little harder to get them to sleep at night while it is still light out--good thing for blackout shades in her bedroom! She still needs her 10 hours of sleep each night!

This past week was pretty uneventful. Evan went to a day camp and Shelby went to her normal school. It was nice to not have any "after school activities" since it was Spring Break! But, today, reality set back in--Evan has karate tonight, cub scout dinner tomorrow night, Thursday I have kindergarten round-up for Shelby and Evan has cub scout meeting then Saturday is Shelby's dance class again and Sunday religious ed and the cycle continues.

We booked our summer getaway for June 25-27 to Kings Island Park in Ohio. Not too far away, but the kids should have fun. It is not only an amusement park, but also a waterpark inside. Hopefully we'll have good weather. We will also plan a trip up north. To be determined....I'll post more later.....

Monday, March 28, 2005 9:08 AM CST

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - Week 20 of 60

Hoping everyone had a nice Easter and enjoyed spending time with family! Our family had a great time. Shelby has been feeling good. Last Friday and Saturday, she was fighting something--her fever kept coming and going, but her body was able to fight it and by Saturday afternoon, she was back to her happy little self! Mommy stayed home with Evan and Shelby on Friday so it was a nice extra long weekend! The kids were a little tired this morning when it was time to head back to school (Shelby's preschool is open this week and Evan is going to a camp the whole week). The kids woke up yesterday morning at 6:30am to look for eggs and the Easter Bunny had left some IN their beds! So, they were pretty excited. The Bunny brought them each one toy, one DVD and some books. I never thought I would see kids so excited over books--but that is a good thing! Evan was excited to receive chapter books because he loves reading them!

Other than that, things are moving along. House update....oven is in the wall--main breaker is not back on yet, but I could be baking this weekend!!! Dishwasher is in kitchen--just not attached to water yet. They are coming tomorrow to measure for the countertops. Over the weekend I went and finally firmed up all the colors and bought the paint. We are going to colorwash the foyer and up the circular stairs. It should look really nice.

Shelby returns to the clinic next Monday, April 4 for her vincristine and blood count check. I'll post more as it happens. Thanks for stopping by and checking on her!!!

Monday, March 21, 2005 9:41AM EST

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Shelby is home! We actually were able to "sweet talk" the resident into letting us come home last night instead of this morning after they read the 48 hour blood test and as long as it was negative. After Friday night, her fever never returned and she was acting perfectly fine.

We got home on Sunday night at 8:30pm. Shelby took her shower and went right to bed. Mom got a little scared because about 10:30pm, Shelby's temp was 100! I couldn't believe it--we did not want to head back to the hospital. Then at 5:30am, Shelby woke up because she had a really bad nosebleed--but no fever. We finally got it to stop bleeding and she came into Mommy's bed. Then Mommy got up to get ready for work and Shelby woke up with another nosebleed. We were able to get this one stopped too. So, off to school and work. Mommy told Shelby's teacher to just check for fever and watch the nosebleeds and call me if they get worse. So far, haven't heard from them. I know Shelby was excited to get back to school today. On the way home from the hospital last night she said "the kids are going to be so excited that she's back at school." Like she only missed 15 minutes of school on Friday afternoon. It still was really cute!

We aren't scheduled to return to the clinic until Monday, April 4, unless.....obviously we'll be watching Shelby pretty closely! Thanks for checking in on her. I'll update as things happen!

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2005 10:00AM EST

Well, just when we think things are going along so smoothly...whammo! At 3:30 yesterday, Shelby's teacher called and said her cheeks were all red and her temperature was 101.5. I, of course, called the clinic immediately and I knew their answer "automatic admission". So, I went to pick up Shelby and then we went home to pack up things and headed to hospital. By the time we got to hospital, her temp had soared to 102.6. She looked really bad. They did the normal, accessed her mediport, took blood, then also took a blood draw from her arm. The readings came back as:

WBC: 2.9
RBC: 3.05
HgB: 8.7
Neut: 1.9
Plt: 186
The weird things were that her potassium came back at 2.8 (should be 3.5-5.2) and her calcium came back 6.2 (should be 8.6-11.0) So, along with the antibiotics she was given an IV with potassium and another with calcium throughout the night and her levels came up and the fever went away. The doctor did say that the low potassium and low calcium would not cause a fever--but the low potassium could cause an erratic heartbeat so she was also hooked up to a heart monitor all night (another thing that could just beep at night along with the IV). So, Mom stayed last night--Dad came today at noon with Evan and then Mom took Evan home and then to his birthday party for his friend at the bowling alley from 2-4, did some laundry, took a shower, picked up the house--while Shelby took a nap at hospital. Then Mom and Evan returned to hospital at 6pm and Dad and Evan headed home and Mom had to stay at hospital again. We are crossing our fingers we are able to go home tomorrow night (although they usually don't do too many night releases!) Otherwise Monday morning. The good news is her fever has gone away and all the cultures have been negative so far so it is termed......a viral illness.

Shelby was a little disappointed because she missed her dance class today and we also had gotten complimentary tickets to the Stars on Ice show at the Palace that Evan and Shelby were really looking forward to. We were able to give the tickets to Aunt Michelle so they could go. There's always next year! That's the bad thing about this nasty leukemia--can't really ever make concrete plans!

We'll keep you posted....more to come.

Tuesday, march 15, 2005 11:30PST

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - WEEK 18 of 60

Just a quick update. Mom and Dad are in Vegas and having a great time. We saw David Copperfield last night and tonight our group is going to see Danny Gans and a group dinner. We are having a great time at the Bellagio and Shelby and Evan are having a great time with Grandma Jackie. We are so grateful that they are watching them. Shelby is feeling fine! I'll update more when we return!

MONDAY, March 7, 2005 10:35am EST

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - WEEK 17 of 60
(Steroids return!?!?!)

As of today, there are only 369 days left of treatment--scheduled to go off treatment on March 11, 2006!! We'll keep counting down!

Shelby had pretty uneventful weekend. We did get her 5 year pictures taken and one with her brother. They are so cute. I'll post once I get! She went to dance class too and Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson came to stay with us for Sun and Mon night. The kids had fun with them.

We went to clinic this morning. Shelby got her blood drawn and received Vincristine in her port and...she started her five days of steroids. Her counts were good (back to normal for a "chemo kid")

WBC: 2.16
Neut: 1.43
RBC: 4.10
HgB: 12.6
Plt: 205

So, we are going to return in two weeks just for a blood check. She is doing pretty good. Still has runny nose and cough (but who doesn't!) So, we'll see. Nothing special planned this week. Mom and Dad head to Las Vegas on Sunday (thank you to Grandma Jackie and Grandpa Tom for offering to watch kids!)

I'll post more as it happens. Thanks for checking in!!!!

Thursday, March 3, 2005 9:25AM CST

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE – WEEK 16 of 60

Happy to report that Shelby is doing terrific! She is so happy and has been such a joy the last couple of weeks. But….that leads me to today’s journal entry. Even though she may look so great on the outside, we have to remember that she is still child that was diagnosed with cancer. She is still in treatment and will continue to be until March, 2006. I wanted to take some time to outline her treatment protocol that she is currently following.

Shelby’s long term maintenance treatment plan is 28-day repeating cycles of chemotherapy.

Every night she takes one pill of the chemo drug Mercaptopurine (6-MP); except for Friday, Saturday and Sunday when she takes one and one half pills. 6-MP is an anti-metabolite that replaces part of the backbone of DNA. Common side effects include low blood cell counts and loss of appetite.

Every Monday night, Shelby takes six Methotrexate pills, an anti-metabolite that replaces nutrients in the cancer cells, causing cell death. Common side effects include low blood cell counts, sun sensitivity, diarrhea, fatigue, skin rashes and headaches.

On Wednesday AM, Wednesday PM, Thursday AM, Thursday PM, Friday AM, and Friday PM, Shelby takes 1 tsp. Of liquid Bactrim, a prophylactic antibiotic used to prevent pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP). Common side effects include GI upset, skin rashes, sun sensitivity, ad low blood cell counts.

For the first five days of each 28-day cycle, (starting next Monday), she takes the steroid Dexamethasone; five pills in the morning and four and a half in the evening. Common side effects include mood changes, increased appetite and thirst, indigestion, weight gain, fluid retention, sleeplessness, nervousness, hyperactivity, hyper-sensitivity and extreme irritability.

Once a month, Shelby gets Vincristine, an IV chemo drug in her port (the device implanted in her chest) at the clinic. Vincristine is an alkaloid that causes cells to stop dividing. Common side effects include constipation, bone and joint paint, foot drop (child has trouble lifting front part of foot), numbness or tingling in fingers and toes, muscle weakness, and hair loss.

Last, but not least, once every twelve weeks, she has a spinal tap (i.e., lumbar puncture) where the doctor pushes a long needle between two vertebrae into the space where cerebrospinal fluid is found. A small amount of fluid drips out the needle and into the container, so it can be checked for cancer cells. Then she receives additional methotrexate in her spinal column to hopefully prevent a central-nervous system relapse, since the systemic drugs can’t cross the blood-brain border.

That’s the maintenance portion of Shelby’s treatment protocol. The first ten months of therapy were considered “intense”…this maintenance portion is less harsh, but will last until March, 2006—so two years and two months total. If she were to relapse, we would either be looking at a bone marrow transplant, or the chemo would start all over with a harsher protocol.

So, that’s what our darling Shelby has to endure (and has been enduring). Please take a minute and sign her guestbook if you haven’t lately. She loves to hear the entries!

Shelby returns to the clinic on Monday, March 7 for Vincristine and a CBC. I will update with her counts on Monday. Have a great rest of the week and weekend and thanks again for checking on Shelby!!!

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 7:49 AM CST

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - WEEK 15 of 60

Shelby was at the clinic yesterday just for a CBC since they raised her 6-MP medicine two weeks ago. Her counts were:

WBC: 6.75
NEUT: 5.65
RBC: 4.35
HgB: 13.2
Plt: 304

I couldn't believe the counts! They were so high. Of course fears of relapse appeared. The Dr. said that it was because she just finished the steroids--but that was 9 days previous and she had never had counts this high before. I asked him if the counts could be higher because she is fighting something and he said probably not. It really seemed like he was putting me off. But, we return in two weeks for another CBC and Vincristine in her port. We'll see. She still has a really bad cough--but the dr. said the usual "lungs sound clear". She has also been sleeping a lot more and her temperature does seem to rise about two degrees every night before bed. Who knows...we just keep watching her. More than likely with her counts this high, she shouldn't catch anything, but we'll see--there is so much going around.

Yesterday, Evan and Shelby had a snow day (so much for Mommy's day off without kids!) We had a good day. We all went to the doctors then I took the kids shopping and they picked out some new clothes that they assured me they would wear (Shelby got a new pair of Lee jeans with cute flowers stitched on them--up to now, she hardly ever wears jeans--but she promised she would wear them.) She did wear them to preschool today. Then we went out to lunch, Shelby then took a 2 hour nap because "she was sleepy" and Evan went out sledding with the neighbors. Meanwhile, Mommy cleaned all the wood floors and did seven loads of laundry and cleaned off the office desk.

Kitchen renovation progress...it is getting there. Tom has all the lower cabinets installed. Now we need to cut out the hole in the wall between the kitchen and family room so when we order the countertops it can all be the same. We were able to get out Saturday night (thank you Aunt Jeanette for watching kids) to pick out the lighting and get countertop samples and go out to dinner. We are going to go with the Silestone. We were thinking granite, but the colors are too dark and it really is too glossy. It takes 3-4 weeks to get it installed, so hopefully by sometime around Easter we may have counters installed. We'll see--then there is tile to put down, walls to paint, door frames to put moulding on. The list goes on and on. I'm just hoping Tom finishes it before summer because then you have grass cutting, etc., etc., etc. It will be gorgeous when it is done though and I know that Tom is enjoying doing it. He is so handy!

Evan had his birthday bowling party (7 yr party) this past Sunday. He had a great time. He was so excited. He invited all his cousins and had a great time bowling and having pizza.

Well, that's about it. I will post more as it happens. This weekend is Evan's Pinewood Derby (Cub Scouts) and Shelby's dance class. Please take a moment and sign her guestbook. She loves to hear the messages!

Monday, February 14, 2005 10:46Am EST

WEEK 14 of 60 - LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Another week has gone by and Shelby is doing great! She survived another week of steroids and it was very uneventful. She had a wonderful time at her Valentines show. Only Mom was able to come--Dad had to work and Evan was at his afterschool camp. (Besides, they sing 5 songs and it is over in less than 10 minutes!) It was cute! One of the songs they sang was "Let me Call You Sweetheart!" You can see her pictures from that day. She is doing really well. Over the weekend, she had dance class on Saturday morning, Evan had cub scouts right after then they went to Aunt Michelle's for a sleepover because Mommy and Daddy had to go to Mommy's work annual awards dinner (black tie event for 250 people). This year we held it at the Henry Ford Museum. It turned out really nice. Everyone had a great time. So, on Sunday,we just kind of laid low and reenergized. Shelby was really tired out from Saturday so she even took a nap!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone and today is Evan's 7th birthday. We actually had him open his presents last night, his birthday dinner will be tomorrow night and his family birthday party (a bowling party) is going to be this Sunday. He is really excited. We have tried to make his birthday really special to divert some attention away from Shelby--he has been such a good big brother. Evan is off of school all week--mid-winter break (why do they need a week?) Anyways, he is going to a day camp the whole week at his same elementary school. It is called the Boot Kicking Camp and they have different things going on all day. Today they are making puppets and decorating cookies--and having his favorite for snack--pop tarts! Evan did go in for his 7 year physical last week and he is doing great. He is at the 25-50or weight and the 50-75or height.

Not too much else planned for this week. Luckily, Shelby's runny nose and cough seem to have subsided a little bit. We are just hoping the flu stays away (they say it is expected to peak in Michigan this week). Other than that, Shelby will return to the clinic on Monday, 2/21 just for a blood count. Mom has the day off--but Shelby and Evan have school. Mom has said she is NOT going to work this holiday (first one in five years!) Anyhow, hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day. Hug everyone you love!!!!

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2005 2:10pm CST

WEEK 13 of 60 - LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Just time to enter quick update. The clinic visit today was fine--although a 2 hour visit turned into 4 because one of the doctors was sick. Anyhow, here are her counts:

WBC: 3.65
Neut: 2.50
RBC: 4.28
Plt: 336
HgB: 13.1
Excellent counts! Her liver enzymes were fine also. They did increase her Mercaptopurine(6-MP to us) to 1 tablet 4 times a week and 1 1/2 three times. We will return to clinic in 2 weeks to check her counts. Today she had a spinal tap (without sedation) and methotrexate injected into her spine, followed by vincristine injected into her port. She is such a trooper! (I think she was more excited to get out of there and go to lunch with Mom before returning to school!)

Shelby is still really congested and has a really bad cough--but we got the same answer..."lungs are clear". So, we'll see. Hopefully it won't develop into anything.

I'll post more later. Tomorrow is Shelby's Valentine show at her preschool--so I'll try to take some pictures to post!

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2005 9:23am

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - WEEK 12 of 60

Well, we survived another week. Mom and Dad went off on their Western Caribbean Cruise and the kids had a wonderful time. A huge thank you to Aunt Michelle and Aunt Jeanette for watching them for us. They had a great time at their "sleep overs". Shelby is feeling fine. She still has a runny nose and a bad cough (same one she has had since October). But, she is feeling fine and she did a great job taking her medicine while we were gone.

Mom and Dad had a great time. We sailed from Miami to Key West and Cozumel with 48 people from work. It is definately more fun going with a group of people. The travel agent upgraded Tom and I so we had a nice verandah room with a balcony on the 11th deck. Very nice! We even got 2 bottles of champagne, one platter of chocolate covered strawberries and another platter of chocolate concotions. We had a nice time. We didn't do too much--just relaxed and enjoyed our free time! Mommy was able to get a facial in the spa and Daddy got a peppermint massage! Very relaxing! We didn't have much luck with the slot machines or the bingo--but we had fun.

Shelby's next doctor appointment is on Monday, February 7 when she will get a spinal tap with intrathecal methotrexate into her spine, she will also get vincristine into her port and the wonderful steroids will start again for five days. We will have the valium on hand also (last time she got the spinal she was horrible with her behavior). We'll see this time. We are ready!

Other than that, we wish you all a great week and I'll do another entry next Monday after our clinic visit.

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2005 12:01pm

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - WEEK 11 of 60

Had clinic visit this morning just for a CBC. Shelby's counts are great!

WBC: 3.20
Neut: 1.90
RBC: 4.10
HgB: 12.6
Plt: 357

The drs say that her neutrophis should be between 1.0 and 2.0 during LTM, so she is right there. This is good because if her counts stay stable, they won't increase her medicine. I don't think we could handle an increase in the steroid dosage!! Now we don't dread steroid weeks--we dread the week after she takes them!!

Other than that, we had a fun weekend. Mom and Dad went to the black-tie dinner and the kids had a sleepover at Aunt Denise's house. They were good and had a great time. We got about 12" of snow so they had fun jumping into that on Saturday morning. Shelby went to her preschool friends birthday party yesterday at a gymnastics center and it was the funniest thing to see her swinging on a rope across the room into the foam pit! She had a wonderful time.

Our next return to the clinic is Monday, February 7 for a spinal tap. I won't post another entry until the middle of next week since Mom and Dad get to go on the cruise on Thursday-Monday (since Shelby's counts were good!) Hope everyone has a great week!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2005 9:15am

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - WEEK 10 of 60
Wanted to post and entry and let you know that Shelby is doing fine. She had a few post-steroid episodes last night and this morning, but we made it through them without the valium. It seems to be a pattern one week AFTER she stops taking the steroids she acts this way. It has been pretty cold here in Michigan and it seems like everyone is sick. Shelby's cough is returning and she has a runny nose she can't get rid of. Mommy has been sick too--heavy congestion--dr. says it is viral. We'll see.

We haven't been doing too much. Some days it seems like a lot by the time I get to work after getting kids ready and doing the two drop-offs! I'm exhausted before I get to work! Time for a vacation! Tom and I are going on a 4 day Carnival Cruise to Key West and Cozumel that leaves next Thursday--this of course dependent on Shelby's blood counts which we will get done on Monday. This is a work trip--there are 48 people going from my work and I am the "group leader." (It's a tough job...someone has to do it!) I am looking forward to getting away from the everyday routines and just relaxing (if I remember how!) Aunt Jeanette is going to watch the kids Thurs/Fri and Aunt Michelle Fri night until Sun night then back to Aunt Jeanettes for Sunday night. We'll be back on Monday night. I have Grandma Jackie and Uncle Tim on standby as "hospital runners" if, God forbid, she has to be admitted. She has been feeling good, but as with anyone on chemo, a weird virus can strike at any time and cause a fever and that means automatic hospital admission.

Mom and Dad are going to a black tie dinner this Saturday at Zehnders in Frankenmuth. It is being put on by the hotel/restaurant students at Northwood University (both of our alma maters). That should be fun. Thank you to Aunt Denise for volunteering to watch our kids!!

Other than that, Shelby is thoroughly enjoying her Tap and Toes dance class, Evan is loving Cub Scouts and Karate and they are still enjoying all their Christmas presents (and Shelby's birthday presents) from everyone that were so generous toward our kids.

One bad thing happened this week...one of Mommy's co-workers (in an upstairs office) found out this past week that her five year old son has leukemia. Exact same diagnosis as Shelby (and ironically exactly one year to the date of Shelby's diagnosis.) I went to visit her in the hospital and shared a lot of the information that I have gained through my experience. A lot of the stuff were things I wish I had known way back in the beginning. I hope they find them useful.

I'll post another entry on Monday after we find out her counts. Hope everyone has a great week.

Oh...if you haven't recently, please be sure to sign her guest book. She loves it when I read her the messages!

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2005 9:34AM CST

Another "cancer mom" sent this to me and I wanted to share it with you.

The Strength of an Egg

Parents of children with cancer, or really any serious condition, are often referred to or viewed as having strength "like a rock." Albeit flattering, it isn't quite true. It is more like the strength of an egg. An egg, you ask? Yes, an egg. If you think about an egg, you'll see the point I make.

An egg has a polished smooth outer appearance with no cracks or weak spots visible. It seems almost inconceivable that the inside might not be as smooth and solid as the outside. Most children, at some point in their lifetime, are shown the famous egg trick. An egg set at just the right angle can withstand enormous amounts of pressure and cannot be cracked nor broken. Yet that same egg, tapped gently at an even slightly different angle will break. The contents once so neatly concealed inside, will come spilling out, and the no longer perfect shell will be crushed. Then the shell looks so fragile that it seems inconceivable that it ever held any strength.

That's where parents of children with cancer are more like eggs than rocks. A rock is solid all the way through. If you tried to break a rock, it would be almost impossible. If successful, one would find that there was nothing inside but more rock. It takes a lot more than pure hardness to hold the hand of hope. These parents are not solid all the way through. They hurt, they fear, they cry, they hope. It takes a very careful balancing act to keep the shell from being shattered. Balancing an egg while running a household, going for doctor's visits and hospital stays, working full-time, keeping the family together, and holding on to the constantly unraveling ties of your sanity can be very tricky indeed. Occasionally, the angle will be off and the shell will break, shattering hpoe and the neatly secured appearances of a truly fragile existence. Unlike Humpty Dumpty though, parents of kids with cancer will pick themselves up and put themselves back together again.
--Author: Juliet Freitag

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2005 9:55AM CST

Well, we are back into another week after a fun weekend for Shelby and great counts to report.

WBC: 3.31
Neut: 2.11
RBC: 3.80
HgB: 11.7
Plt: 298

She is doing great! Shelby received her vincristine in her port and had her blood test done. Today we also started the dreaded steroids. We'll see how the week goes--keep your fingers crossed she reacts ok. (The Valium is standing by....) We don't have to return to clinic for two weeks (it's like a vacation!) She even gained some weight since last week (must have been all that birthday partying!)

She had a wonderful birthday. We had our family birthday dinner at Family Buggy and Daddy surprised her with a cake and the waitstaff all sang to her. Then since she had a snow day a her preschool, she took her My Little Pony cake into her school on Friday and had another celebration there. Then on Saturday, Shelby started her Taps and Toes class (Tap and ballet). She LOVES it! She is the tallest one in there! It goes for 12 weeks on Saturdays. She wore her ballet outfit all day she loved it so much! Sunday brought her party at Bulid-A-Bear. Only one word can describe it for them...exciting! They had a such a good time! I will post some pictures shortly. It was so cute, Shelby had 8 of her cousins and then 5 girls from her preschool. All the girls picked the same bear and dressed them the same! It was so cute! Shelby named hers Sara (don't know why!) Anyways, she had a great time. Then today, back to school.

Not too much planned for this week...Evan starts Karate again tonight and he goes to some camps on Thurs afternoon and Friday (since his school is closed!) We did get our stairway done! It looks wonderful! For those that don't know, we had hardwood steps--but a metal railing. Now the metal railing has been all replaced with new railing, new balusters and a whole new stringer down both sides. It really makes the whole entryway look wonderful. We hope everyone enjoys their week and I'll post pictures soon!

Friday, January 7, 2005

WEEK 8 OF 60 WEEKS IN LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Shelby had a wonderful birthday! Thank you to everyone who signed her guestbook and to all her "angels" that sent her gifts. I have never seen so many presents! She truly loved all of them. She really is such a lucky little girl, even though she has this terrible "thing".

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. Shelby's birthday celebration continues on with her party with her preschool classmates today and the "My Little Pony" cake complete with plates and napkins that all match. On Saturday morning she starts her Tap and Toes class. She is so excited she has new black patent tap shoes and pink ballet slippers. Then Sunday is the big Build-A-Bear party with all her cousins and five preschool classmates. I know Mom is going to be birthday'd out--although Shelby so deserves it after everything she has been through!

Check back Monday for medical update!

Thursday, January 6, 2005 8:06AM CST

Today is Shelby's 5th birthday. Or, according to her she "is a whole hand full!" She was so excited this morning when she woke up. She couldn't wait to go to school with her 1/4 sheet cake decorated in My Little Pony. Then, we found out--snow day for her and Evan! So, Aunt Jeanette graciously agreed to take them for the day. This morning we opened some of her birthday presents. Thank you to her two birthday angels for making her birthday extra special. She loves and appreciates all the gifts.

Daddy and Evan were supposed to go to a cub scout meeting tonight, but since school is closed, I don't think they will be having it. So, I asked Daddy to come home from work early (since he went in at 5am--I think he can!) Then I asked Shelby where she would like to go for dinner. She said "Family Buggy". It is this local restaurant that she loves and they actually have really nice kids meals--they get jello, bread, their entree, a drink and then an ice cream sundae and a little toy. The LOVES their mac and cheese. So, I guess we are going to go there. When we were waking up Evan, I told him that Shelby got to pick where she wanted to go to dinner and he should guess where she picked...he said "KFC" and I said no. Reason he said this is that Shelby always wants to go there and Evan doesn't really like it. So he was pleasantly surprised that she didn't pick that.

I could tell Evan was getting a little jealous of all the gifts that Shelby has been receiving. Good thing his birthday is right around the corner (Feb. 14) so Mom and Dad will have to get him lots of good stuff!

Shelby is feeling fine. Her cough has come back. I don't know why it won't go away. It seems to get worse whenever she takes her Bactrim medicine again--which is three days a week. Who knows. It is this yuckky weather!

Shelby returns to the clinic on Monday, January 10 just for a blood test. Hopefully her levels are rising!

Thanks to everyone for checking in on Shelby. If you have a moment, please click on View Guestbook and leave her a note. I can't wait to read her all her birthday wishes!

Monday, January 3, 2005 9:17 AM CST

Another clinic visit down and we are happy to report Shelby's counts have rebounded!!!

WBC: 2.83
Neut: 1.45
RBC: 4.43
HgB: 13.2
Plt: 248

So, she is on 75f her chemo pills until her counts totally rebound. We return to clinic next Monday for counts and vincristine injection through her port.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2004 1:30PM

WE ARE HOME! Shelby was so excited to come home and finish out 2004. Shelby's counts today were:

WBC: 1.7
RBC: 3.91
Neut: .7 (ANC 700)
Plt: 283

Her WBC dropped a little but she was able to go home. We still need to watch her closely for a fever because she can't fight anything. We are hoping the triple antibiotics she has will carry her through. We return on Monday, 1/3 to clinic for blood count and check up. Happy New Year to everyone!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2004 5:00PM

Update for today. Shelby is still in the hospital and will be until at least tomorrow morning. Her counts this morning didn't change a whole lot, but her neutrophils dropped to .6 (600 ANC). Dr. Amanullah said if they drop to .5 they will have to hold the chemo until her counts recover. Otherwise, she is having a good day. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Jackie were able to come over for a while this afternoon so Mommy could go in and do some work. Daddy is coming back to spend the night tonight while Mommy goes home to get Evan. Evan and Mommy will come back on Friday morning and wait until they discharge Shelby. Then, hopefully, we will all be celebrating the New Year together at home! We wish all of you a Happy New Year. I know we are hoping 2005 is a lot better than 2004 was!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2004 10:11AM

Well, we survived Christmas! The kids had a wonderful Christmas. It was a busy time shuttling between houses. But, we are very thankful that Shelby made it through and didn't end up inpatient.......but....that is where we are now!!!!

Yesterday, Tuesday, 12/28, we went to the clinic for her normal check-up. Her counts were:

WBC: 1.6
HgB: 12.7
Neut: .8 (what?) Why so low?
Plts: 290

Dr. Jamil thought she had the start of an ear infection so he prescribed an antibiotic and she generally looked really bad. She is still battling the nasty cough and now the stuffy nose has returned. He even made a comment that too bad she didn't have a fever at the clinic, he would admit her. I told him not to jinx us! Well, later that afternoon, her fever did arrive! It hit close to 101 so around 7:30pm I called the doctor and he wanted to admit her. (I knew he would--I just waited to call.) This time, I wasn't going to try to stay home because I knew she looked really bad and with hardly any infection fighting ability, I knew she probably wouldn't get better without the antiobiotics. So, we checked in last night. After three antibiotics, a nose swab, a urinalysis, blood tests, throat culture...we wait 48 hours for results. So, we are here until at least Friday morning. But, this morning she already looks 100etter and her appetite has returned. So, we sit now and watch TV and she plays computer games. Dr. Amannulah came through on rounds this morning with Nurse Norma and he was so happy to see Shelby and Mommy. He said he likes talking to Shelby's Mom because "she always knows whats going on!" I'm hoping Daddy will relieve Mommy tonight and Grandma Jackie and Grandpa Tom are going to come on Thursday afternoon. Aunt Jeanette has Evan today and overnight and tomorrow (she was already going to be watching both kids since school is out for the holiday.)

Shelby's counts this morning were:

WBC: 1.7
HgB: 10.7
Neut: .7
Plts: 251
*Plts and hemoglobin generally drop a little due to dilution from the drugs and fluids

So, her neutrophils are still low which means her body is still fighting something. So, it is good that we are here. She also needs to catch up on sleep from the holidays.

The kids had a wonderful Christmas. They received lots of great gifts---thank you to all her "Angels" and the Childrens Leukemia Foundation that helped brighten her day by sending presents.

Of course, the BIG event is right around the corner--Shelby's 5th birthday--January 5. She is going to Build-A-Bear on Sunday, January 9 with some of her preschool friends and her cousins.

We'll keep you posted on our journey here. But, hopefully she will get out on Friday and then we can start 2005 on a much better foot than 2004!!!!!

Tuesday, December 21, 2004 3:41 PM CST

Hello everyone and I hope your holiday seasons are not finding you too busy! Wanted to post an udpate. Not too much has been going on. Shelby continues to feel pretty good. She survived the week of steroids without any outbursts like originally. I am beginning to think that it is tied to the methotrexate injection that she gets in her spine once every three months--we'll see when she gets that. Last Friday, Shelby did wake up and threw up and then got a fever. Her fever hit 100.7 (if it gets to 100.4 you have to be admitted). So, I called the dr. and he said to bring her down to admit her. I asked him if we could get the "fast track" because more than likely it was just something viral. He said a minimum of 48 hours (of course Mommy was being selfish because there were so many more things to do to get ready for holidays!) So, I convinced the dr. to let us wait one more hour and I could monitor her temp. Then....her temp went away (down to 99.3) so we avoided "the big house!" Around 4pm that afternoon, Shelby was bouncing around like her old self and even proclaimed, "I'm ready to go to school!" Mommy ended up going in to work that night from 7pm until 1:30am to get caught up on stuff. It is truly amazing how much you can get done when no one else is around to ask you questions when you are sending a fax, or stand by you when you are making a copy, or hang around your desk making small talk! People mean well, but sometimes, they just don't have the same volume of work that I have to do!

Saturday we went to Cousin Kendall's 5th birthday party. Kendall wasn't feeling too well though, she said her head hurt. Then on Sunday, Mom had to go to the funeral home for Albina Fonk (Ciocia Bi). She was my great-aunt. My mother always reminded me of her and it was sad to have her leave us--but we know she is making breaded pork chops in heaven, hopefully cooking up a feast with my Mom! Uncle Rich Jordan watched the kids for me and they had a ball. Monday was the funeral and then on Tuesday, Mommy got the flu! Was up all night throwing up and actually went in to work in the morning on Tuesday, but then came home to get some sleep. Now luckily the vomitting has stopped, but the headache lingers.

Shelby is scheduled for a clinic visit on Tuesday, December 28 just for blood counts. Daddy is actually going to take her and then bring them back to my work. Our plans for the rest of this week include:

Thurs, 12/23 - Aunt Jeanette is going to watch Evan (his school is out), Shelby has her last day then that night we are going to let the kids open the presents from Mom and Dad (so we don't have overload on Xmas morning!)
Friday, 12/24 - Aunt Michelle is having Xmas Eve dinner so we will go there around noon. Then at 6:30pm, we are going to Aunt Jeanettes for the Stimpson Christmas. This will leave us open on Christmas Day, but we are going to go over my cousin Kim's house to see the family. Evan and Shelby are the same ages as her two kids so they will have fun playing together. On the 26th, we have a 40th surprise birthday party to go to so Aunt Michelle is going to take the kids overnight (since there is no one to watch them on Monday I can still go to work!) Then Daddy has Tues AM and I will do Tues PM, then Wednesday and Thursday next week, Aunt Jeanette has graciously offered to watch both kids so I can go to work. Of course, Tom is super busy. He is constantly restocking the floor--the more stuff he can pull out of the storeroom and get onto the floor, the more likely it is going to sell and clear out that storeroom.

Well, that's about it. We wish you all a very happy Holiday and enjoy the time with your families. Give them all big hugs and kisses!

Wednesday, December 15, 2004 6:55 AM CST

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - WEEK 5 of 60 WEEKS

Well, we had a busy week last week--but we survived! Shelby had a clinic visit this past Monday. She received a CBC and also got the vincristine in her port. We also started a steroid week again--but happy to report, the Valium is working and we have not seen any "episodes" yet! Her blood results were:

WBC: 5.54
Neut: 3.98
RBC: 3.89
PLT: 371
HgB: 12.0

So, everything is normal! Her WBC and Neut are a little higher than they would like, so they may adjust (Increase) her medicine. She returns to the clinic on Tuesday, December 28 for another blood check.

December 14 marked the one year mark since the first symptoms appeared. One year ago, Shelby was hospitalized with the flu and what they thought was Coombs Disease (mimics leukemia). It wasn't until January 16 that the leukemia was confirmed. It has been a really LONG year, but we are very fortunate that Shelby has done so well with her treatments. We are hoping 2005 is much better for our family!

Shelby had a wonderful time at the North Pole. It really was a nice outing. We actually boarded a a Northwest Airlines jet from Gate 68 and returned back to Gate 32. In between, we had lunch on the plane, sang Christmas Carols, the kids got to visit the cockpit. We went out onto the runway and I swear, it felt like we were taking off (except the plane did not get the incline like it was going up.) The engines revved, the wing flaps made noises. The kids really believed! It was a nice time. Shelby had a great time. There was even a magic show back at the party and she was the magician's assistant!

The Cub Scout meeting at our house went fine-we had 22 people in our basement! It worked out good because the activities they worked on were arts and crafts things so they stayed at their tables!

The weekend was pretty uneventful. Mommy tried to get some presents wrapped with Shelby's help--but one package ended up with almost a whole roll of tape on it! So, that didn't last long. Mommy was able to go out late night shopping Saturday night and almost finish the gift buying. Now just all of Evan and Shelby's gifts have to be wrapped. Only 9 more days to get it all done! Somehow, it does get done! Christmas cards went in the mail today--so that was an accomplishment!

Hope everyone has a great week. I'll post more next week--if anything happens. Such a busy time for everyone!

STATISTICS SINCE START OF TREATMENT

Days on Steroids: 74
Spinal Taps to Dte: 13
Bone Marrow Aspirations: 05
Inpatient Hospital Days: 32
Blood Transfusions: 08
Platelet Transfusions: 01

Current medicine she is taking:

6MP-one pill per night for five nights, then 1.5 pills for two nights
Methotrexate-six pills every Monday
Dexamethesone: 9.5 pills every day
Bactrim: 1 tsp twice per day for three days

Monday, December 6, 2004 8:54 AM CST

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE - Week 4 of 60

Time for an update. It seems a little strange not going on as often to update her blood counts. (That is good news, though!)

Shelby has been doing pretty good. She still has a really bad cough and congestion. She was wheezing a little last week, but that seems to have gone away. Shelby and Evan have been having a great time (Mommy and Daddy are going crazy trying to do so many things--but it is worth it for the kids!)

They had the clinic Holiday Party last week and had a wonderful time. Shelby even did a solo of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the karaoke! She was so cute. She is supposed to be in the hospital newsletter--the photographer thought she was adorable. They had a really good time. They were able to roll pretzels, make aprons, go on a scavenger hunt and we had a family photo taken with Santa. They even got Toys-R-Us Gift cards! And..the food was from an outside source--no hospital food! Although they did have mac and cheese from the cafeteria and as I started to put some on Shelby's plate, she immediately said, "Yuck, that is from the hospital."

This past Saturday, the kids went to a party at the church. It was also really cute. They arrived and had to follow the elves footprints into the classrooms where each room was a different activity..xmas card making, cookie decorating, story time, fishing for stars, ornament making. then they had a pizza party and got to visit with St. Nick. They had a great time--but Evan couldn't figure out why his name wasn't in the raffle. It was, he just didn't understand why it didn't get picked! Then that afternoon, we went to cousin Adam's 10th birthday party--which of course they had fun at. They like Aunt Michelle's house!

Sunday was another busy day. It was Evan's turn to be in the Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade with his Cub Scout Pack. He had a great time and their float won first place in the youth division and the Grand Marshall 1st place award! They were all very excited, they got a big plaque and a huge trophy! The excitement on Evan's face when he saw us in the crowd was priceless!

We were also able to get up our little (4 ft) Christmas tree. Since the kitchen is all torn up and the living room is currently filled up with our new kitchen cabinets, we put the tree in the family room. I had forgotten how much fun Shelby has playing with the nativity set.

Thank you also to Shelby's "angel" Karen for sending the holiday packs to Shelby and Evan. They were filled with books and activities for the kids. They LOVE them!

Wednesday this week Shelby is scheduled to visit the North Pole! We are supposed to go to Detroit Metro Airport and board a Northwest plane and then taxi around and end up in a hangar that is the North Pole. I'm waiting for more details from the clinic. I'll keep you posted. Thursday night, Evan's Tiger Cub den is coming over (11 boys and their fathers!) They are all going in the basement and working on three craft projects. Hopefully they will be contained down there since the rest of the house is a mess!

Thanks for checking in on Shelby . We are going to try to enjoy the last week of steroid-free. Shelby is supposed to start them again next Monday morning, as well as return to the clinic that morning. Hopefully this dose will be smoother than the last one (we do have the Valium now which we will start on Sunday evening, just in case.)

Have a good week and again, we appreciate everyone taking the time to check in on Shelby!

Tuesday, November 30, 2004 2:40PM CST

Back from a clinic visit that took almost two hours and we left without even getting the blood results. Apparently they were short a lab tech so the blood had to be sent to the hospital and it was taking super long. Anyways, her counts are excellent! (First time we have heard that in a long time!)

WBC: 6.2
Neut: 4.0 (ANC 4000)
HgB: 11.2
Plt: 340

I asked if there is a "normal" range for long term maintenance and Dr. Jamil said that they like to keep the neutrophils between 1.0 and 2.0 and the platelets above 100. He said they may increase her 6MP medicine in order to bring her neutrophils back down a little because they are so high--but he said it could still be some after steroid effects. So they are going to wait until her next appointment on December 13 to see if any adjustments are needed. Shelby is a little congested in her lungs so Dr. Jamil suggested Pediacare for her. So, we will just wait for daddy to bring it from his store tonight. I asked him to be home by 7pm before she goes to bed. We'll see.... thanks for checking in. I'll update again as things occur. Tomorrow night we are going to the clinic Christmas Party. Evan is excited because he gets to go too!

Saturday, November 27, 2004 2:48PM CST

Hoping each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a nice one. Pretty quiet. Shelby has been feeling really good. It is nice to see "our old Shelby" back--although the thought of another week of steroids looms beginning 12/6. We'll just take one day at a time. Shelby goes to the clinic on Tuesday, 11/30 just for a blood count. It will be interesting to see what her counts are. I'll post those on Tuesday afternoon. I made a lunch time appointment so she can go to her new favorite place for lunch, too...Noodles. She loves their macaroni and cheese!

I wanted to share a story that I found on another Mom's website. A lot of it is stuff that I am thinking, but someone else has put it in writing for me.

Our World as Parents of a Child With Cancer....
by Katie's Mom

"She's a very sick little girl. She has leukemia." We can't explain the immediate shift in priorities that took place when our child was diagnosed with cancer. Our complete and total focus became the survival of our child. Nothing else mattered!

Now, we watch our kids suffer through treatments, being held down while nurses show needles into them. We help our children through hair loss, droopy eyelids, joint and back pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle spasms, nausea, vomiting, uncontrollable mood swings and insatiable appetites from steroids. We're constantly begging them to take their daily meds. We rush them to the hospital with every fever.

Our hearts break when strangers tare or kids poke fun at their bald heads and swollen bellies. We contantly worry that they may "catch something" when they are around other kids and pray that they can make it through another day without a fever. We thank God for every moment we have together and beg God to give us just one more day. We do this day in, and day out, 24/7, for years and years and years, knowing that when their treatment ends, our worries will remain.

We've been told that Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is "the good kind of cancer." Some kids still die from it! Many do survive, but it takes YEARS of torturous treatments. Some children will sail through their treatments unscathed, while others will relapse and endure even more intense treatments, radiation or bone marrow transplants. Many kids will develop serious long term emotional and physical side effects, heart problems or secondary cancers as a result of the years of chemotherapy. There really is no "good" kind of cancer!

The survival rates are much better than they once were for children with ALL (4 An 85urvival rate today sounds pretty good, huh? That means that 15 out of every 100 children will die within five years of diagnosis!! When you hear of survival rates, how long do they really mean? 5, 10, or 20 years? Let's see...that means that a child diagnosed at 2 could live to 7, 12 or 22 years old. That's not good enough!! We want our children to have the same chance at life that every other child has.

When our children were diagnosed with cancer, we became part of a club. A club that none of us wanted to join. We share each other triumphs and pain. We share each others dreams that one day our children will be cured. We understand each other. We support each other. We share the fact that our lives are forever changed and we can never return to the "normal" we once knew. We wake each and every morning hoping it was just a nightmare, wishing we had our "normal" lives back again, and praying that our child will be one of the lucky ones. Then, we take a deep breath, take our children by the hand, and go on -- one day at a time.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004 7:20 AM CST

Well, we are moving through Week 2 of Long Term Maintenance--by the way, there are 12 week cycles in long term maintenance and Shelby has to go through five of them! So the journey is just beginning.

The weekend was pretty good. Luckily, Shelby's moods have evened out and I see a glimpse of our wonderful Shelby returning. Last night we did not give her the valium and she was fine. I am convinced now that it is just the steroid weeks that she will need to take the Valium. So, she takes steroids Mon-Fri so I will give her the Valium Sunday evening until Sunday evening. I did get a few messages from others ALL Moms that could relate. One Mom even said her son became violent from the steroids and she was glad that we had discovered the Valium. (We are too!) Even though I still do not like giving her more drugs than I need to--it made a HUGE difference in her behavior.

We broke out the new winter coats for the kids over the weekend. Shelby is so excited to have her new coat. Of course it is PINK and it has fur around the collar. She loves it. I'll try to post a picture of her in it--she looks adorable.

Evan continues on in his karate quest--has orange belt--heading for green belt. He is also busy with his Tiger Cub Scouts. They are working on a float for the Rochester Christmas Parade on Sunday, December 5. He is excited to ride on the float.

Not too much progress made on the kitchen remodeling. I must say, I am getting a little comfortable having to cook in the laundry room. The worst part is having to handwash dishes. Our staircase should be worked on next week. We have hired a carpenter to remove the metal railing and he will install an oak one on the bottom and the curved top and all new balusters. I know it will look really nice.

We picked up our new car last night. Shelby went with Mommy to pick it up. She was so excited she got to be the first kid in the car and she got to start it (it has remote start!) We got a Buick Terraza. Finally, I got a minivan back! (I had a Trailblazer and hated it!) Of course, the kids love having the DVD player back. In honor of the new car, I got Shelby a new Strawberry Shortcake DVD--not the same one from the hospital--we have seen that one more than enough times. We got the Cardinal Red one with cashmere interior. It is really nice. There aren't too many of them on the road right now. The dealer said they are only shipping 2 or 3 to each dealer in the country since they are limiting production. So, I am getting some strange looks on the road!

Other than that, we wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving! We are looking forward to having a whole day as a family together. We are going over to my sisters house for dinner (since we don't have an oven to cook!) Then we probably won't see Daddy for a while--I'm sure he'll be working 20 hours days over the weekend. Life in retail!

Shelby goes back to the doctor next Tuesday just for a blood count. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 18, 2004 9:45PM CST

Shelby is hanging in there. The last few days since long term maintenance started have been......trying (to say the least!) Shelby has been experience SEVERE mood swings. On Tuesday evening, she was up until 11:30pm, after screaming for 2 hours solid. Last night, the screamed for Daddy and got so worked up, Daddy was afraid her heart was going to stop beating. Then she gets so worked up, she starts throwing up and we then wonder if all the pills she took stay down. This morning was the icing on the cake. I woke her up at 6:20am. She proceeded to scream from 6:21am until about 8:30am. Needless to say, I was late to work, she was late to school and a massive headache for all for the entire day. The only thing I can think is that the chemo drugs have cumulative effects and once she started them up again, something happened inside her brain. She is literally uncontrollable. She throws herself down and kicks and screams, she hits us, she's mean to Evan. Poor Evan is the "innocent bystander" and tries to help, but Shelby just gets mad at her. Tom did call the doctor today to see if there was any advice. (For those of you that know Tom, he is a pretty calm guy--and for him to say "call the doctor", you know it must have been pretty bad.) The doctor recommended Valium. I, of course, do not like giving Shelby any pills, but I have NEVER seen her act like this. So we tried it tonight. We only gave her 1/2 pill, but she was much calmer. I know she doesn't mean to act the way she is but we are hoping this works. I think we will try it for a few days and see. She seems to be ok while she is at school, but she knows it is so structured she can't "act out" while she is there--plus she gets a nap in the middle of the day. We will see.

Other than that, no progress on kitchen this week. Tom was helping build the Cub Scout float for the Christmas Parade in Rochester on December 5. (If Dad's don't help, sons can't ride on it!) Hopefully this weekend, more kitchen progress. The dumpster will be hauled away on Monday, so we will concentrate on filling it up this weekend! Next doctor visit...Tuesday, November 30.

Monday, November 15, 2004 1:21PM CST

SHELBY MADE IT TO LONG TERM MAINTENANCE! Finally! It has been a long five weeks worth of delays getting her there. Today, her counts were REALLY high:

WBC: 5.90
Neut: 2.99 (ANC of 2990) WOW!! (From .5 last Wed)
RBC: 4.14
HgB: 12.3
Plt: 491

So, today she had a spinal tap with methotrexate inserted, vincristine into her port and tonight she will start her five days of steroids and her 6-MP (one pill for five days and 1 1/2 pills for two days). Lots to keep track of. The good news is that none of this is new to her. She has been on all of this at one time or another. We just have to wait and see how her body reacts to it. We will go back to doctor in two weeks to do a blood count to see how well her body is tolerating the medicine. They want to get the medicine at levels that will keep her counts high enough, but not too high so that the medicine is effective.

On the homefront, the kids had a nice weekend. Evan had a playdate and Shelby hung out with Mom. Daddy and Uncle Tim tore apart the kitchen and the front entry way right down to the original boards on the floor. We are now allowed to wear shoes in the downstairs of the house! We rented a dumpster and put all the flooring and all the kitchen cabinets in there. It really didn't take that long to rip it all up--but, boy, the kitchen does look big. I have set up a "makeshift kitchen" in the laundry room--complete with laundry tub for dishes, toaster oven, microwave and pantry. The only thing missing is a stove, but I am going to pick up one of those single burner ones, just in case.

Well, that's it for now. I will post more as things change. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers during all of Shelby's delays.

Oh....her official off-treatment date is: March 11, 2006.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004 7:59 AM CST

Well, Shelby is going to be discharged today (as soon as the doctors come around and do their rounds.) The 24 hours cultures were still negative. They say she is supposed to stay 72 hours, but I begged them to let her out this morning.

Shelby is unable to start Long Term Maintenance today because her ANC DROPPED to 400 (from 800 the day before). I couldn't believe it. You would think it would go up with all those antibiotics in her system. The good news is that her monocytes and lymphocytes are all high which normally means the ANC and WBC will go up higher very soon. We will see. Daddy is with Shelby at the hospital right now and will handle her discharge and return to school. She will have blood drawn again this morning so we will see what her counts are. I think she is tenatively expected to return to the clinic on Monday, November 15 and if counts are high enough, she will start long term maintenance.

Counts from this morning were:

WBC: 2.5
RBC: 3.61
Hgb: 10.5
Neut: .5 - ANC 500

That's it for now. I will post more as things occur! Thanks for checking in on Shelby!

Monday, November 8, 2004

Guess what!!!! (Not to hard to guess by now!) We are inpatient again---arghhh! Shelby had a really good weekend--didn't do too much, just hung out around the house and went out to dinner on Saturday night. Then last night at 6pm, Shelby came up to me and said "I think I feel hot and need to go to the hospital." Wouldn't you know, her temp was 101.0. So I called the dr. I begged him to let her stay home. He said to check her again in 30 minutes and call back. Her fever went down to 100.8 but rather than risk a 3am ride to the hospital, we went in anyways. Besides, Tom was going back to work to work all night and all day on Monday--so I didn't want to have to worry about what to do with Evan at 3am. Evan ended up going to Aunt Jeanettes house (they are lifesavers!) so he could still go to school this morning, Tom went into work and Shelby and I came to our second home, the hospital. So, here we are. Shelby's fever did go up a little more through the night, but since about 3am, she has been fever free. The doctors just came through and said we would probably be here until Wednesday morning. If her counts come back up, they said they would do her spinal tap here at the hospital and then send us home. That would be the start of her long-term maintenance (which will last until March, 2006). Her counts last night when we came in were:

WBC: 2.8
RBC: 3.64
Hgb: 10.7
Plt: 259
Neut: .7 (ANC=700)

The neutrophils are the low thing and that is why she is catching this virus, or whatever it is. They did do a chest x-ray, nose and throat swab too last night and everything has come up negative so far. Her neutrophils need to get to 1000 in order to start the next phase of treatment. Keep your fingers crossed they get there! I think Shelby's body is just tired of all this medicine and it is taking her a long time for her body to recover. This, hopefully, will do it. She now has new blood, new platelets and lots of antiobiotics over the last four weeks! I'll post more later. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts.

Friday, November 5, 2004 9:00 AM CST

We survived the blood transfusion this past Tuesday. Although why it takes 12 hours for the whole experience is beyond me. We were through the clinic and into our hospital room by 10:15am--but the first batch of blood didn't come up until 1pm--then it was three hours, wait an hour, then do the other three. So, it was a very long day. Shelby did really good. She normally gets really rosy cheeks and seems really energetic--but after this transfusion, she didn't seem to bounce back as quickly. I think that DI #2 really beat her down and it is taking her a long time to recover. The good news is that her crankiness seems to be getting better. She hasn't had as many outbursts--although it is still a struggle to get her to go to bed when we know she is over tired. Hopefully she can catch up on some sleep this weekend (as well as the rest of us!--although I think Daddy plans on working a lot trying to get his store set for Christmas.)

Today, we just returned from another clinic visit and here are Shelby's counts:

WBC: 3.03
Neut: .40 - ANC 400
HgB: 12.5 (thank you blood donor)
Plt: 191 (rising!)
RBC: 3.95

So, besides the extremely low neutrophil count, she is doing pretty good. We are on big time fever watch again this weekend. She also has sniffles and a cough, once again (although what child doesn't with this weather changing!)

We'll see what happens. We don't have any big weekend plans--just lie low and try to recover from the past couple of weeks. Need to clean up the Halloween stuff and I think Tom is ready to start ripping up the floor in the kitchen and entry way -- continuing the kitchen demo. Fun, fun, fun!

We'll keep you posted. Be sure to check out the Halloween pictures if you haven't yet and sign her guestbook. She loves hearing the entries read to her!

Monday, November 1, 2004 1:06 PM CST

Well, we survived the weekend and Shelby's mood swings! Hey, I think I figured out why she is such a demon child. Two weeks ago when she had that blood transfusion, someone really mean must have donated that blood. Well, she is going in tomorrow for another blood transfusion--so hopefully the new blood will be better personality wise!

We were at the clinic this morning and Shelby's counts were:

WBC: 1.79
Neut: 1.11 (Anc 1110)
RBC: 2.45
Hgb: 7.3
Plt: 78

So, she is going in for a transfusion. They wanted to do it today, but they do it in two batches over three hours with one hour in between and I didn't want to be there until 10pm and I had nothing to read or keep me busy or Shelby--so we are going in at 9:30 tomorrow morning. Aunt Jeanette is going to watch Evan for the day since he doesn't have school. Daddy will be busy at the store (what else is new!) They are converting Halloween into Christmas and their delivery truck comes tomorrow night. Tom is trying to find time to go and vote too!

Halloween was fun. Aunt Michelle, Uncle Brian, Aunt Alicia, Uncle Tim and cousins Kaitlin, Adam and Madison all came over and we had a pizza party and then they went out trick or treating. Shelby did really well--although you could tell she was getting tired as she continued on. She was out for about 40 minutes. It was really cute to look over and see Cinderella in her beautiful dress come running down a driveway. Again, I say, she is such a trooper--you would never know she was sick--she wants to do everything any other kid is doing.

I have put some pictures in the photo section. Enjoy!!!! I'll update after her transfusion tomorrow--and pray for no fevers during it!!!!

Friday, October 29, 2004 11:45 AM CDT

Well today was quite a harried morning. After waking Shelby up she was not very pleasant. She started crying uncontrollably and wouldn't get dressed, eat, come downstairs, etc. Finally, I got her downstairs and we had to take Evan to school. So I put her in the backseat of the car and put her shoes and coat in there hoping she would put them on. As I was backing out of the garage, trying to swerve around the garbage and recycles at the end of the driveway, Shelby had not put her seatbelt on and leaned forward just as my elbow went backwards. Needless to stay, she got a bloody nose. I didn't know it was bleeding until we stopped to let Evan out. Finally, we got back home (after about 20 Kleenex) we went into house. At this point, she had blood all over her clothes, it was just flowing out. Finally, after I calmed her down and about 6 cloths later and her pinching her nose--it finally clotted and stopped. Remember, her platelet counts have been really low so it takes a lot longer to clot (45 minutes). We then went to her school--but all along I didn't think she looked so good. She looked really tired to me and anemic and pale. I went into work, but I still felt like there was something wrong with her. So, I called the clinic to see if I could get her in for a blood count. We went, and the counts were:

WBC: 2.76
RBC: 3.03
Neut: 1.99
Hgb: 9.3
Plt: 52 A little low considering she had transfusion
So, the doctors did agree that she looked bad--she is anemic, lymphopenic and thrombocytopenic
So, we wait and see. The worst part is her behavior is just terrible! I try to have patience with her--but she gets so upset over the dumbest things. Today she lost it in the clinic because she wanted to hand her insurance slip to the secretary. So I gave it to her to hand it to her and she kept screaming she wanted to put it by the window. Or, I will get out of the car before her and she screams that I have to get back in. The topper is in the morning if Evan gets dressed before her, she will make Evan take his shirt off until she gets dressed--then he can get dressed. I swear she is psycho child sometimes. Although I really can't blame her--everything she has been through, it is really trying on the patience. I even stopped at Daddy's store and told him he had to arrange to get home early because I cannot deal with her for another night with her acting like that.

Oh well, enough venting from Mommy (although I think I'm entitled to sometime!) Kids are looking forward to Halloween. Aunt Michelle and Uncle Tim and their kids are coming over for pizza party and trick or treating on Sunday. Shelby is excited to wear her Cinderella costume once again and Evan is going to be the Blue Power Ranger.

Happy Halloween to all!

Tuesday, October 26, 2004 11:11 AM CDT

Good news! Shelby is out! She has been feeling pretty good since about 4 hours after she was admitted and that fever went away. Her blood counts this morning were:

WBC: 1.0 (slowly climbing)
RBC: 3.52
HgB: 10.1
Plt: 87
Neut: .3 (or ANC of 300)

So she is still neutropenic and can't eat any fresh fruit and we have to be consistently monitoring her temperature for at least the next week. Her counts are starting to go up slowly so hopefully we are out of the woods.

When she was released today, she really wanted to go to her preschool because today at 4:30 is her Halloween show and "she is the best singer" according to her. So, I took her back there and ran here into work and then I'll go the show, pick up Evan, go the elementary school playground dedication at 6:30 and then probably collapse on the couch! I'm exhausted. Mommy stayed with Shelby the last two nights because the Christmas delivery trucks were coming to Tom's store on Monday and Tuesday.

We are supposed to go back to the clinic on Monday (if not before due to fever--hopefully not!) Then the next week she should start long term maintenance if her counts rebound!

Sunday, October 24, 2004 8:10 PM CDT

Well, at the risk of sounding like a broken record.....Shelby is back in the hospital. Tom was working extra long Saturday night and got home at 4:00am. He happened to feel her head and her temperature was 101.9-which meant automatic 48 hour admission. So, she was admitted. Her counts upon admission were:

WBC: .4
RBC: 3.76
HgB: 11.4
Platelets: 25
Neutrophils: .03 (Anc of 30)

She is extremely susceptible to any type of infection at this point and unable to fight anything off--so the hospital is probably the best place for her (but a little claustrophobic).

They did give her one unit of platelets via transfusion and started the normal antibiotics. Her fever went away quickly and now we are just hanging around watching every kids VHS and DVD out there! She should get out on Tuesday and hopefully her counts will start heading up since she only has one more dose of medicine to take tomorrow night. We'll keep you posted.

Friday, October 22, 2004 12:15 AM CDT

Another day gone by and Shelby's temp is still normal! We are pretty much living hour by hour lately. We went to the clinic this morning and her counts were:

WBC: .59
RBC: 3.81
Hgb: 12.2 (a record high--especially lately!)
Plt: 49 (continue to drop)
Neut: .27

So, she hit all four things again..neutropenia, lymphopenia, leukocytopenia and thrombocytopenia! Which basically means, keep a close eye on her for fevers because she is susceptible to anything.

Shelby did return to school this morning. She was SO excited to be back and all the kids were giving her hugs. I know we take a risk taking her there---but her well being and state of mind is what is getting her through all this horrible treatment--so we will take our chances.

Shelby has another appointment on Monday morning for another complete blood count. I'll update more later. Not sure what we are doing this weekend yet. There is a neighborhood Halloween party tomorrow which would be nice to take the kids too--but we'll have to see how the weather is and how Shelby is feeling.

Thursday, October 21, 2004 10:10 AM CDT

Well, we're getting sprung today! After counts dropping yesterday, they did the blood transfusion. Even though they normally wait until 7.0 or less (she was at 7.9) they figured she would need it today anyways---so they did it yesterday. How often do drs. do things proactively? In this case, we are glad--it saved us probably one less day here in the hospital. Her counts this morning were:

WBC: 1.1
RBC: 3.87
HgB: 11.6 (normal!)
Plt: 55
Neut: .9

They are going to keep an eye on the platelets and see if she needs a transfusion. We are back at the clinic in the morning for the last dose of ARA-C chemo so they will check her blood count again then. We're just waiting for the discharge orders then I am taking Shelby back to school. This may sound bad--but she threw a really bad fit this morning because she is out of her "normal" routines. Besides, if I take her before noon, they will be laying down for their naps and she could use one! If we go home, she won't take one.

Thanks for checking in on Shelby. I'll post again tomorrow with tomorrows blood results. We are still on fever watch at least for one more week--remember the chemo effects are cumulative and usually take 7-10 days to hit her.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004 10:16 AM CDT

Well--guess what!! We are inpatient again! But, this time, we were admitted at 7pm (no middle of the night runs--although with the traffic, I think I might prefer those!) It was a little bad when we got here--nursing shift change. Shelby didn't get her IV's started until 10:15pm and she was exhausted.

Shelby had a great weekend--Aunt Carol and Cousins Olivia, Dale and Wade were visiting home (first time since Christmas), so Aunt Michelle hosted a "Halloween Party" for all the cousins. They had a great time. Cousin Kaitlin organized all sorts of games for them to play. Then on Sunday, Shelby went to a home party with me briefly then we just hung out while Daddy and Evan went to a Detroit Pistons pre-season game (Tiger Cub outing).

On Monday, Shelby went to school with thermometer in bag. They called me right before lunch to tell me that her temp was 99.5. I asked them to wait a half hour then take it again. They didn't call, so I called them back and it had gone back down to 98 and they said it stayed there the rest of the day. I went to pick her up at 4pm and she was out on the "new" playground. She was having lots of fun. We got in the car and I don't know why, but I asked her to take her temp. It was 99.5. We went and picked up Evan and as soon as she got home she wanted nothing more than to lay on the couch covered up. I took her temp again and it was 100.6--then 20 minutes later it was 101.9. So, the call to the oncologist. Dr. Amanalluh called back at 5:30 and I asked if it was ok if I waited until around 7pm. He said not a problem. Might have sounded selfish on my behalf, but I had just put a load of delicates into the dryer and I had to get Evan's backpack all packed up for his 1st grade field trip to the Apple Orchard today and Evan had to be fed dinner and head off to karate with Daddy. What would my life be if I wasn't multitasking! Anyways, we made it down here at 7:15pm. As I said above, we weren't exactly greeted with smiles and they aren't even that busy. With the new hospital wing, they are still getting used to things and the nurses aren't too happy that they now have stations, or "pods" as they call them right outside the patient rooms where they sit and enter information on the computers--so they don't have the central "nurses station" anymore where they can congregate and gab about what they did all day.

Anyways, Shelby's counts upon arrival on Monday evening were:

WBC: 1.1
RBC: 3.03
HgB: 9.0
Plt: 101
Neut: .7

Her fever spiked up to 102.6 around 2am so we did give her Tylenol and that knocked her out for four more hours. Her eyes are all glassy and she looks terrible. The drs. were in this morning and they said more than likely it is just ARA-C induced--chemo drugs destroying all her counts. They did run all the normal cultures and we are waiting for results. So, she is on the normal three antibiotics--Vancomycin, Pipperacillin and Tobramycin. Soon she will get her Zofran (anti-nausea medicine) and her #5 of 8 doses of Ara-C. Then tonight, Thioguinne and her Bactrim. How much medicine can one little body take? She is a trooper, as usual. She is sitting watching "The Wiggles" right now singing and dancing on the bed. The drs. commented today that even when she is feverish she never really looks sick.

Counts just in from this morning:

WBC: 1.1 Same as last night
RBC: 2.88 Dropped a little
HgB: 8.5 Dropping - transfuse at 7.0
Plt: 95 Dropping - transfuse at 20
Neut: .8 Going up--but she is still neutropenic

So, we wait...and wait...and wait. They said she may be here until Thursday (but I think they might be doing that out of convenience--because with all the drugs she is on, we could get home and two hours later be heading back due to another Ara-C induced fever. And, if we are already settled, might as well stay. Daddy is going to come up tonight so Mommy can go and get Evan from school and then Grandma Jackie (our lifesaver) is going to come and sit with Shelby tomorrow morning so Daddy can go and open the store while Mommy goes to work for the morning--then will be back at the hospital.

Please pray that Shelby makes it through this week and next week. These, hopefully, will be the last hardest weeks. She continues to be in high spirits and doesn't mind being in the hospital--although she doesn't like hospital food (I told you she was smart!)

I'll update as I learn more or if we are released. Until then, we just keep bringing books to Shelby to keep her entertained and thank goodness for TV!!

If you have a minute, please sign her guestbook--I can read her the messages here in the hospital.

Friday, October 15, 2004 11:56 AM CDT

Another clinic visit down, another dose of ARA-C down--4 more to go. Shelby is doing good. She really is a miraculous child!!! She went to school at 7am--I picked her up at 9:45--we went to clinic and she was back at school by 11:15--happy as a clam!!! Now we don't return to clinic until Tuesday.

Wanted to share some facts with you. Just reading them they might not seem like a lot, but imagine being four years old and having to go through this much. Shelby is so strong and such a good sport!

STATISTICS SINCE START OF TREATMENT - 1/16/04

Days on Steroids: 64
Spinal Taps to Date: 12
Bone Marrow Aspirations to Date: 5
Inpatient Hospital Days: 22
Blood Transfusions: 4

I'll update again as more things happen (or hopefully won't!) We are definately on fever watch!!!! Everytime I pull out the thermometer, Shelby says, "not again, Mom!" But, she does it all by herself under her tongue!! When it beeps, she hands it to me to read.

Thursday, October 14, 2004 10:38 AM CDT

Shelby is home as of yesterday! She was discharged at 1:30 after she was able to keep some food down. We have been lucky through the whole treatment--this was the first time in 9 months that she has vomited. Maybe it was the 7 different medicines she had in 24 hours? anyways, she was discharged and wanted to go to preschool so she could play on the new playground. It was a nice day yesterday so I did take her. She was there from 2pm-5pm and when I went to pick her up, she came running into my arms from the playground and was so excited to show me all the new things. (This with her port accessed and an IV tubing hanging on her chest). She truly is an amazing kid!!!

Today we went back to the clinic for dose #3 of 8 of the ARA-C. Her counts have rebounded a little, they are:

WBC: 1.91
RBC: 3.48
HgB: 10.9
Plt: 193
Neut: 1.33 (The highest in 4 weeks)

Shelby also got her flu shot today. They will give them to anyone in active treatment. Since she was hospitalized last December with the flu, the doctors thought it was wise to do it--I don't know if right now was the best time because her immune system is so low--but we will see.

Other than that, Shelby is doing pretty good. She ate a really good dinner last night for me and she slept almost 12 hours. Being in the hospital makes her tired!

One great thing--when Shelby got home from the hospital yesterday, we had gotten her music CD in the mail from Songs of Love.org This is a great organization! They write and record songs for medically ill children. I found them on the internet and you just fill out an information form about your child's hobbies/interests/likes/dislikes/family members, etc. Then the song is recorded and sent to you. IT IS A WONDERFUL SONG! Shelby listened to it at least 20 times last night before she went to bed. If I can figure out how, I will try to put it on this website as background music. There is a link on the bottom of this page to their website--it is a great organization. Please share it with anyone you know that might have a need for it.

We go back to the clinic tomorrow morning for dose #4 of 8 then not again until next Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri. I'll post more later.

Monday, October 11, 2004 10:18 AM CDT

Well, we are inpatient once again! We were scheduled to be here anyways at 9am this morning for bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap and last round of DI #2 treatments--but Shelby spiked a 101.7 fever at 2:30am--so Mommy and Shelby made the trek to the hospital for the mandatory 48 hours antiobiotics and blood cultures (which are all negative so far). But, the good news is the bone marrow biopsy was cancelled because her counts had increased so much. Her counts today were:

WBC: 7.4
RBC: 3.56
Hgb: 11.1
Platelets: 227
Neutrophils: 4.6 (WOW! Last week they were .6!)

The one dr. said that sometimes when the bone marrow kicks back into production that can spike a fever. Maybe that is all it was. Shelby was perfectly fine the rest of the weekend.

On Saturday, Mommy took Evan and Shelby to the library because now Evan has his own library card (took a field trip with 1st grade there last week). The kids had a blast picking out books on tape and their own books. We then went out for a nice lunch.

On Sunday, the kids went to catechism (which they both love) and then to Home Depot with Mom and Dad to put the final order in for our new kitchen cabinets. We then took the kids out for mexican where the kids had chicken tenders and were entertained by the magician making balloon animals.

So, the schedule for this week is:

Monday--hanging out in hospital--should have fun in recreation room--it is Queen for a Day celebration where she can make a tiara, get her nails done and pose for pictures!
Tuesday--Spinal Tap and Cyclophosimide with 24 hour hydration and first dose of 8 Ara-C
Wednesday am--Second dose of ARA-C and hopefully sent home
Thursday am-Visit to clinic for third dose of ARA-C
Friday am-Visit to clinic for fourth dose of ARA-C
Next Tuesday/Wed/Thurs/Fri--Visit to clinics for fifth-eighth doses of ARA-C.

Hopefully she won't spike any more fevers---as ARA-C is known to do this.

I'll keep you posted on how she is doing. Thanks for checking in on us and if you have time, please stop and sign her guestbook--she loves it when I read her the entries!

Monday, October 4, 2004 9:35 AM CDT

Another update.....and....another delay! We were at the clinic again at 9am this morning and on our way back home at 9:30am. Instead of her neutrophil count going up--it is going down. Her counts were:

WBC: 2.83
Neut: .65 (needs to be at 1.00)
HgB: 12.0
Plt: 374
RBC: 3.80

All of the other counts are great--except for those darn neutrophils. So, once again, Mommy has to go home and unpack our overnight bag and wait one more week for the treatments to continue.

Good news---it will definately happen next week. She is scheduled for a bone marrow biopsy and a spinal tap in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit next week at 11:00am. They said if the counts went back up they would not do the bone marrow--but she would still be put to sleep for her spinal tap. (Usually she does them without sedation--but if we are being admitted anyways, might as well just do that.)

Shelby's spirits are fine. She is bouncing around like nothing is wrong at all and she is feeling fine. She has been more difficult to get to sleep at night because she says she isn't tired--yet I know that she needs rest. At the clinic today, she told the nurse that she knew her counts were going to be bad because she wanted to go to school--it was hot lunch day!!

We managed to have a nice weekend. Tom spent all day Saturday and 1/2 day Sunday helping to build the new playground at Evan's elementary school. It looks really nice. The kids are going to love playing on it. It was nice of Daddy to give up his one day off to help to this. While Daddy was doing that, Mommy took Evan and Shelby to see "Shark Tales". It was an ok movie. Shelby really enjoyed it. Evan enjoyed his hot pretzel more than the movie, I think. Then yesterday afternoon, we returned to Home Depot to finalize our cabinet plans for the re-do of our kitchen. They will do final measure this week and we will order them next week.

So, check back next week--I will probably post update on Tuesday afternoon. Daddy is going to have to stay at hospital overnight because Mommy has a big meeting on Tuesday--breakfast and lunch meeting.

Monday, September 27, 2004 10:01 AM CDT

Well, another week has gone by and Shelby's counts have not risen enough to continue part two of DI #2. This, of course, is a little disappointing as we would like to just finish up this treatment and get on to Long Term Maintenance. Oh well! Another week of no medicine! Here were her counts:

WBC: 2.57
Neutrophils: 820 (need to be at 1000)
RBC: 3.53
HgB: 11.2
Plt: 271
All the other counts are great--just those darn neutrophils (immature white cells)

Even so, since last week, Shelby has had a great week. She continues to LOVE school and is learning so many things. Unfortunately, a lot more of her hair has fallen out--but as evidenced during interim maintenance #2, it can grow back--so hopefully, when this is all over, maybe by Thanksgiving it will have grown back and then should not fall out again (we hope).

We went to see Disney On Ice at the Palace this past Saturday. Someone Mom works with had a suite and invited us. We had a great time. What more could Shelby ask for--a private box seat and catered food! She loved it. Evan had a great time too. It is nice to be able to do things with all of us as a family! Other than that, we just hung out and relaxed. Evan experienced his first "big" bike accident. He was riding it down a grassy hill that ended up on blacktop at the school and the bike tires went through some sand and he went down. His elbow has a nasty scrape on it and his knee--and his left side is all bruised--even his cheek has a bruise on it. He is hurting a little--but he is a tought guy. He got right back up and rode away. My kids go from Monday-Friday so Saturday and Sunday are the times that they can "vegetate" a little.

We are scheduled to go back to the clinic next Monday at 9am--so we will see. I am guessing that her counts will be fine--they only have to climb another 180--I think she can do that! I think it is harder on Mom when she is delayed trying to rearrange all the plans that were made with Shelby's school, the insurance company, Evan's childcare. Oh well, at least the kids are feeling really well. Check in next week and hopefully, we are in the hospital and continuing Shelby's treatment.

Monday, September 20, 2004 11:38 AM CDT

Well, back from the clinic (once again) and.....we are in our first delay of her treatment. Shelby's counts were as follows:

WBC: 1.42
Neutrophils: 410 (need to be at 1000)
RBC: 3.89
HgB: 12.3
Platelets: 187

So, she continues to be neutropenic, lymphopenic, leukocytopenic and now we can add monocytosis (not sure what all of these are!) So, we are delayed one week. We will go back to the clinic next Monday and do bloodwork once again to see if we can go forward. The Dr. did say that they only will let it go two weeks before they either start the next round or do something else.

When we went last Tuesday, Shelby's neutrophils were only at 380 and now, almost one week later, they are only at 410. So, they aren't moving too fast. Shelby has also developed a nasty cough, a little runny nose and a really bad rash on the top of her head. The Dr. said the rash is caused by her hair falling out and the hair follicles are irritated, so she has lots of red bumps all over her head--which are aggravated even more when she wears her hat. Of course, we are still on fever watch many times a night--talk about living life on pins and needles. But, Shelby is a trooper and continues to go to school. Technically,s he shouldn't be at school because her immune system is shot, but she is so much happier when she is there. We just take it day by day. I feel so sorry for Shelby because I know she feels lousy--but she is such a trooper and gets up and goes through every day.

Yesterday morning, we noticed her beautiful hair that had just filled all in was once again coming out. Shelby was brushing her hair. But, she said "it's ok Mommy, my hair is falling out, but it will grow back. I will just wear my hats." I wanted to cry--but it is so amazing that she can understand and listens to me when I tell her things. I have tried throughout all her treatments to make sure she knows what is going to go on and which drugs she is getting. I think that helps her not be afraid.

Today, Shelby is all happy because we went shopping over the weekend and her brother needed new tennis shoes, so of course, our little princess got to get some too. She loves them! They are little pink shoes with purple and green flowers on them--she loves them!

Please check back next week--I will update then. Please take a moment and sign her guestbook too--she loves it when I read her the entries.

Tuesday, September 14, 2004 12:41 AM CDT

Back from another clinic visit. We weren't supposed to go for one this week, but because Shelby's counts were so low last week, they wanted to see her back just for a count check.

WBC: .05
Neutrophils: .38 (or 380) anything above 300 she can go to school
RBC: 4.08
HgB: 12.6
Platelets: 226

So, once again, she is neutropenic, lymphopenia and leukocytopenia.

She is doing pretty good. Over the weekend, it was a little touch and go. The steroid rages were back in full force and she has the chipmunk cheeks and the puffed belly. She did tell me yesterday morning that she looked in the mirror and "it's ok if my cheeks are puffy, it will go away." It is nice to know that the things that Mommy says to her actually sink in.

We are scheduled to go to the clinic on Monday, September 20 and if her neutrophils reach 1.00 (1000) she will be admitted for the cytoxin and cyclophosimade. But, based on her counts today, it doesn't look too favorable that she will make her counts next week. So, that will delay it until Mon, 9/27. It's not that big of deal, but it is hard to coordinate all of our work schedules for an overnight stay and coordinate someone making sure Evan is picked up from school.

I'll write more next week.

Wednesday, September 8, 2004 11:35 AM CDT

Back from another clinic visit this morning. As expected, Shelby's counts are nose-diving since she is in the middle of delayed intensification #2:

WBC: .73
Neutrophils: .08--she is neutropenic
RBC: 3.86
HgB: 12.0 (really high!)
Plt: 219

So, everything is spiraling downward (as it is expected to do!) She received her last dose of doxorubicin and vincristine. We will return next Tuesday just for a blood count. Of course, we are on fever watch (whenever she is neutropenic, there is a higher risk of fever.)
Then if things go ok, she will be admitted to hospital on Monday, September 20 just for one night to receive "super hydration" and her dose of cyclophosmide and the first dose of eight of ARA-C. (That's the one that really makes the counts dive!) To top it off, Shelby has gotten some mouth sores. We have some special rinse to have her gargle with. Up to now, she hasn't had any so she has been lucky. Some kids have them throughout their treatment. Her spirits are good. She is really enjoying her new preschool year. She is learning lots of stuff. Yesterday she learned the state tree (white pine) and the state flower (apple blossom). She even learned how to spell apple blossom!

Evan is doing a little better in first grade. I did meet with his teacher and she admits he is a bright boy--I think he is just settling into first grade and is tired of reviewing kindergarten stuff. He wants to learn something new.

So, that's it for now. Things continue to be super busy with things planned almost every night.

Wednesday, September 1, 2004 12:51 AM CDT

Shelby had another visit today for some more IV Chemotherapy. Today she got her 24 hour dose of Zofran, along with Doxorubicin and Vincristine through her port. Her blood counts look great (steroids will help that)

WBC 3.28
Neutrophils: 2.50
RBC: 4.12
HgB: 13.2
Platelets: 347

She just finished a seven day pulse of steroids (double doses). Shelby did really well with them and they really didn't effect her until the last 48 hours. She doesn't seem to get as hungry as she used to in the beginning, she is a little calmer abou it--but she does get really moody and impatient and wants things now. This morning at the doctors office she said she wanted Doritos. I went and got her some from the little cafe stand. I brought them to her and she had a meltdown because she wanted Fritos--not Doritos. So I went and got her some and she was all happy again. So, she went back to school---was there about one hour and the teacher called to tell me that Shelby had gone to the bathroom and her urine was red. Shelby had told them that---but the nurses had already told Shelby that "Charlie" (her port) was going to get a drink of red Kool-Aid (the doxorubicin). So she knew it was only that--but I didn't tell the teachers, so they were a little concerned. I, of course, found it a little comical.

Otherwise, things at home are really busy. Evan is trying to settle into first grade and is having a little difficulty. I think he is just bored. He was bored and not challenged in kindergarten, now they are spending three weeks reviewing kindergarten! All his papers he is bringing home have stars on them and are all completed . I have a meeting with his teacher tomorrow morning to make a "plan" for Evan. Although, I have spoken to two other Mom's in his class and they both said their sons are having a hard time adjusting too. But, add the fact that Evan has a sister with cancer---he has a right to be a little bad sometimes!

I promise I will try to post our recap of our Make A Wish trip to Disney this weekend. I haven't even finished unpacking our suitcases yet (and those that really know me, know this isn't like me!) I have just been super busy! Check back next week. Shelby returns to doctor next Wednesday.

Thursday, August 26, 2004 8:15 AM CDT

Hello there! Sorry for such a long time since the last update. Things have been really, really busy. Evan and Shelby are both doing great. We were able to go on Shelby's Make A Wish trip to DisneyWorld. We just got back earlier this week. Then Evan and Shelby started at school. Things have been crazy. And, Shelby has now started the final phase of her treatment--Delayed Intensification #2. This is the same treatment that she had back in May/June--the roughest months. So, here were her counts from yesterday:

WBC: 2.23
Neutrophils: 1.09
RBC: 3.93
HgB: 12.7
Platelets: 288

Her neutrophil counts were a lot lower than last time when she started this treatment, but she only needed to be at 1.00 to start. So, she got a spinal tap with methotrexate, vincristine injected into her port and also doxorubicin injected into her port. She will go back on Friday this week for her Peg-Asparinase shots (one in each leg) then again for the next two Wednesdays for Vincristine and Doxorubicin again.

Shelby was really tired last night--she even fell asleep on the couch, didn't eat dinner and went to bed for the night at 7:30pm and slept all night. This morning she didn't want to eat either. I think her stomach is a little nauseated, but she doesn't tell me that. I did give her a dose of Zofran (a wonderful anti-nausea pill--which costs $30 per pill). That seems to help her. I think part of her tiredness is still from the trip too. It is all catching up with her.

So, I will post more later, as well as share some pictures from the Disney trip. We all had a wonderful time--although it was quite humid there! Check back later!

Wednesday, August 11, 2004 9:24 AM CDT

Another visit to the clinic this morning and Shelby is doing great! Counts were as follows:

WBC: 1.98
Neut: 1.21
RBC: 3.54
HgB: 11.4
Platelets: 345

She is lymphopenic and leukocytopenia with Plt Flag, RBC Flag and WBC Flag----but...this is all normal and indicates the medicine is working!

She is full of energy! It is so nice to see here bouncing around so happy and doing everything that she loves to do. The only drawback is that I know 8/25-10/20 will be rough once again on her.

Shelby and Evan are super excited about the Disney trip. We leave on Tuesday, August 17 and will return on Monday, August 23. Then the kids both start school on Tuesday, August 24. Since we were just at Disney last September, this trip we are going to try to take it a little easier and not spend full days in the parks. From what I have heard, the place we are staying, Give Kids the World, www.gktw.org, is fabulous and enough to do right there. We can't wait to go. I hopefully will get my cast off on Monday right before we go. That would be five weeks since the injury--I hope so--it would be nice to swim with the kids. The kids are excited about the limousine ride to the airport too!

I found this poem on another persons website and I found it especially touching and wanted to share it with everyone.

Just for this morning, I am going to smile when I see your face and laugh when I feel like cyring.

Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear, and smile and say how perfect it is.

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not ell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing chlidren, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.

And, when I kiss you good night, I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask him for nothing, except one more day......

Monday, August 2, 2004 7:13 PM CDT

Well, another week has gone by and Shelby is feeling great! Interim Maintenance #2 is going as smoothly the second time as it did the first time. She has a lot more energy and is happier and enjoying the summer. Shelby's blood counts at her visit on Wednesday, July 28 were:

WBC 3.11
Neut: 1.92
RBC: 3.46
HgB: 11.2
Plt: 242

She had a spinal done and vincristine into port that day. She did really well. The next day we left for Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island. The kids had a wonderful time! They wanted to go to the kids club so they did on Fri and Saturday. They took them to the Butterfly House, Arch Rock and the Fort and on a nature walk. This allowed Mom to do the work that needed to be done for the work meeting Friday night, Sat morning, Sat night and Sun morning. The kids got to go swimming, on a carriage ride and eat lots of sugar! We got home on Sunday evening.

Our next adventure will be Shelby's Make A Wish trip scheduled for Tuesday, August 17 through Monday, August 24. They are really excited about this. I am hoping that it is not too crowded as most people will have headed home to get ready for school starting. We will see.

Next doctor visit is on August 11--just for a complete blood count. I'll write more then.

Thursday, July 22, 2004 12:21 AM CDT

This has been a good week. Shelby is back to her old self. She is feeling really well and having a great time at camp. She just needs a little help getting going in the morning--it has been taking us more than a 1/2 hour to get her downstairs in the morning to eat her breakfast which sometimes turns out to be three waffle bites and a glass of milk.

The kids are looking forward to our Mackinac Island trip next Thursday-Sunday for my work meeting. Then on August 17 we will head to Disney. Then summer is over. Why does it fly by so fast? Maybe because we have been to so many doctor appointments?? Dispensed so much medicine?? T-Ball, Dance, etc., etc., etc.??

I got my cast put on last Friday. It is a lovely rose color. Didn't realize casts came in so many colors. The good news is I don't have to have any surgery or pins, but the bad news is that it has to be on for six weeks. Yuck! I guess I never realized how much you use your left hand to do things! Just very glad it is my left and not my right hand.

Shelby's next doctor visit is on Wednesday, July 28. At that time she will get a spinal tap, vincristine and a complete blood work up. She also will start a steroid pulse for five days.

I saw this list of over 400 reasons on www.squirreltales.com, but I picked out the best 30 that I felt applied to us! Enjoy a chuckle!

30 REASONS YOU KNOW YOU'RE THE PARENT OF A KID WITH CANCER
1. You can sleep anywhere, and anything that reclines more than 15 degrees looks "comfy"
2. You enjoy the drive at 3L00am to emergency because there aren't any cars out
3. You hear a truck backing up and you think it is an IV
4. The nurses stop responding to the IV alarm, nowing you can silence it yourself
5. You correct the nurses spelling on the chemo meds
6. You have more prescription medicine in your cupboard than food
7. You can read your duaghter's chart better than the nurses
8. You have been asked by more than 25 friends and family members, "So, when is her next treatment?"
9. Your daughter has more Beanie Babies in her room than at the store in the mall
10. Your child takes more pills than you
11. When your child asks for a Happy Meal you don't say, 'Wait until we get home to eat." You say "Great, you have an apetite."
12. The "CK" on your t-shirt stands for Chemo Kid, not Calvin Klein
13. When you are thankful for steroids because there won't be any leftovers
14. When your 4 year old is happy to see blood returns from her port!
15. When you can whip up a seven-course meal in minutes for a 4 year old feeling the full effects of the steroids
16. When your child has done all the puzzles in the playroom at the hospital
17. Your child has her own website to keep people updated because repeating the report over and over is tiring
18. When asked which kid on the playground is yours, reply "the one losing her hair"
19. You're happy that your child woke you up at 2am wanting mac and cheese
20. Your 4 year old can take their own temperature.
21. When, at home, you try to dial "9" to get an outside line
22. At the restaurant, your child circles his meal selection and hands it to the waiter (like the hospital)
23. When your child would rather stay inside and play rather than going outside
24. The ten minutes it takes to go to the cafeteria for a lemonade is your break for the day
25. When daddy has more hair than his daughter
26. You put a plate of food on the table and your 4 year old shouts "this isn't what I asked for!"
27. You know the hospital's phone number by heart
28. Waiting for an hour for someone doesn't seem long compared to doctor appointments.
29. The parents have seen all the movies on the list at the hospital
30. You have to vacuum your childs pillow when her hair starts falling out

Wednesday, July 14, 2004 9:53 AM CDT

Shelby went for her scheduled doctor visit this morning--only a CBC. Her counts were great!

WBC: 3.22
Neutrophils: 1.52
RBC: 3.70
Hbg: 11.8
Platelets: 230

Everything looks great and she is feeeling a lot better after her last blood transfusion. She has noticeably more energy! Her next dr. visit is Wed, 7/28.

Other bad news to hit our family--I broke my left hand! I play co-ed softball with our work team and I was heading to first base and I could see the ball coming toward my heart, so I cupped my fist toward my chest and it broke the fifth bone on the side of the hand. It hurts a lot and is really bruised. The Vicodin doesn't work very well. I can't get a real cast until Friday. I guess I really need to slow down more and Tom needs to help out a lot more! We will see!

I saw this list of over 400 reasons, but I picked out the best 30 that I felt applied to us! Enjoy a chuckle!

30 REASONS YOU KNOW YOU'RE THE PARENT OF A KID WITH CANCER
1. You can sleep anywhere, and anything that reclines more than 15 degrees looks "comfy"
2. You enjoy the drive at 3L00am to emergency because there aren't any cars out
3. You hear a truck backing up and you think it is an IV
4. The nurses stop responding to the IV alarm, nowing you can silence it yourself
5. You correct the nurses spelling on the chemo meds
6. You have more prescription medicine in your cupboard than food
7. You can read your duaghter's chart better than the nurses
8. You have been asked by more than 25 friends and family members, "So, when is her next treatment?"
9. Your daughter has more Beanie Babies in her room than at the store in the mall
10. Your child takes more pills than you
11. When your child asks for a Happy Meal you don't say, 'Wait until we get home to eat." You say "Great, you have an apetite."
12. The "CK" on your t-shirt stands for Chemo Kid, not Calvin Klein
13. When you are thankful for steroids because there won't be any leftovers
14. When your 4 year old is happy to see blood returns from her port!
15. When you can whip up a seven-course meal in minutes for a 4 year old feeling the full effects of the steroids
16. When your child has done all the puzzles in the playroom at the hospital
17. Your child has her own website to keep people updated because repeating the report over and over is tiring
18. When asked which kid on the playground is yours, reply "the one losing her hair"
19. You're happy that your child woke you up at 2am wanting mac and cheese
20. Your 4 year old can take their own temperature.
21. When, at home, you try to dial "9" to get an outside line
22. At the restaurant, your child circles his meal selection and hands it to the waiter (like the hospital)
23. When your child would rather stay inside and play rather than going outside
24. The ten minutes it takes to go to the cafeteria for a lemonade is your break for the day
25. When daddy has more hair than his daughter
26. You put a plate of food on the table and your 4 year old shouts "this isn't what I asked for!"
27. You know the hospital's phone number by heart
28. Waiting for an hour for someone doesn't seem long compared to doctor appointments.
29. The parents have seen all the movies on the list at the hospital
30. You have to vacuum your childs pillow when her hair starts falling out

Saturday, July 10, 2004 5:16 PM CDT

Well, we finally got released at 4:15pm on Thursday afternoon. The blood tranfusion went fine and Shelby had no reaction to it. Her hemoglobin count on Thursday morning went up to 11.2 (normal for once!) Her neutrophil count was 1.20 So, she is home now. The funny thing is that now she has color back in her cheeks so I keep thinking she is flushed and running a fever. I guess I got used to the colorless Shelby--but I prefer the one with color in her cheeks--she is happier and has a lot more energy. We return to the clinic on Wednesday, July 14 just for a CBC. I'll post more then.

Shelby did return to school on Friday and did great. She is excited because they are moving her to the "big kids" room (5 year olds) starting Monday. This the class she will be in for the fall anyways and she knows the teacher and everyone in there. She is really excited!

STATISTICS SINCE START OF TREATMENT
Days on Steroids: 45
Spinal Taps to Date: 9 (5 without sedation)
Bone Marrow Aspirations to date: 5
Inpatient Hospital Days: 19 (5 times)
Blood Transfusions: 4

Wednesday, July 7, 2004 1:48 PM CDT

Well, we are back inpatient once again! After having a great 4th of July weekend, last night, Shelby was getting her pajamas on and I felt her head. She felt warm. I took her temperature and it was 100.0. So, over the next half hour while I was reading her stories, I kept taking her temperature. When it got to 100.6, I called the doctor. Shelby had fallen asleep and he said to wait another half hour then to call him again after taking temp. After a half hour, it was 101.0. So, off to the hospital. We got to the hospital in 15 minutes--the quickest ever! I think I only got stopped by one light and I even got to park in the physicians parking lot! Anyways, we got settled in her room. Then the nurse proceeded to access her port (Charlie--as they call it!) It took them three tries. The first two, she wasn't getting it in the right spot so when they tried to put the saline flush in it, it just started to inflate her chest. So, Shelby was a little needle shy, plus tired--not a fun experience. They also had to take blood out of her arm so they could test to be sure it wasn't an infection throughout her body or maybe just in her port. They then started the IV antibiotics (three different ones) while we waited for the blood results.

This morning (Wednesday), the doctor came in and asked that another CBC be ordered because he was worried about her hemoglobin. It was 7.8 when we came in last night and when the results came back today, it was 7.1. They usually transfuse at less than 7.0, but since it was clearly dropping, they decided to do the transfusion today while we were here. Of course, I am glad--will save us a return trip. So, we are still waiting for the blood to come up (it has already been 3 hours). And, it is going to take seven hours to do the tranfusion. Just like two weeks ago! They are going to do half of it over three hours, then wait one hour, then do the next three hours. Hopefully she won't spike a fever. The last two tranfusions she has had, she has gotten a fever--don't know if it was related to blood transfusion or not. They are going to give her Tylenol and Benadryl before, just in case. We are praying for no fever. If she remains fever free from now until tomorrow morning, we can go home! She hasn't had a fever since about 4am this morning. The antibiotics are working--or it was just something viral. We'll keep you posted.

Shelby's doctor did just pop his head in and say that Shelby was the "healthiest" looking child on the pediatric floor. She does not look sick at all. Between watching TV and playing the Barbie or PBS Kids game on the computer, she is having a good old time. Keep Shelby in your prayers. She is a little upset she is going to miss her dance class tonight--but she has 6 more to go.

Friday, July 2, 2004 8:24 AM CDT

F O R S A L E
One, 4.5 year old female child, about three and a half feet tall, mostly pleasant. Reasonable offers considered!

Of course, I am kidding---but anyone that wants to have this child on steroids can have her! She is uncontrollable this time. Last night, we got to Evan's T-Ball game and she refused to get out of the car until we parked in a different place. Of course, her father gave in to her and moved the car. Then 20 minutes later, they finally arrived at the game and then she wanted to go to the playground. Mommy took her to the playground and she was, of course, very happy! Then we got back to the game and "psycho child" returned. So, Mommy and Shelby left the game early. Then we got home and Shelby was as pleasant as could be. She had three snacks (hunger from steroids returned) then we headed up to take bath. Then it was downhill from there. She didn't want to take a bath. She was filthy from school, playground, suntan lotion, etc. Mommy put her in bath quick and did her hair then took her out. She was screaming, "I didn't have enough time." We put her back in and then out again and she said she wanted longer. At this point, Mommy was frustrated so I went downstairs and watched my TV show while Daddy tried to calm her (if you can believe it, Evan actually fell asleep during all this!) She screamed for over an hour--luckily the air conditioning was on and windows closed so we wouldn't be charged with child neglect! Finally about 9:30pm, I went back upstairs and she was sitting (naked!) with Daddy watching TV still being a little grumpy. We had to calm her down so she could take her six pills that she needed to take without choking on them. Finally, about 10:00pm, she took her medicine and I let her lay with me in our bed. Then, the Rochester fireworks started so all we heard was loud booms! Finally, about 10:30, Shelby fell asleep.

Then Friday morning came. Of course, she didn't want to get out of bed. After four different clothing changes, we were able to leave. We got to her camp and she lost it again. She didn't want me to leave, she started screaming again. After about six hugs and kisses, I was able to leave her, after promising to call her once I got to work. I stopped at the window and waved to her and blew kisses. When I got to work, I immediately called. Of course, I called her and she sounded like the happiest kid around! Hopefully the weekend will go a little smoother--especially since she is on the steroids until Sunday and then they stay in her system for a while.

Wednesday, June 30, 2004 1:42 PM CDT

Great news! Shelby made counts to start Interim Maintenance #2 today! Her counts were:

WBC: 2.96
Neutrophils: 1.02 (needed to be at 1.00 to start)
RBC: 2.82
HgB: 8.5
Platelets: 380

So, she is doing good. She had a spinal tap today (without sedation--what a trooper!) and then methotrexate injected, then vincristine injected into port and blood counts. So after a four hour clinic visit, she wanted to go back to school---to go swimming with the kids! Of course, we had to go to Wendy's for chicken nuggets first. So, we are happy--she is getting closer to maintenance.

Make A Wish Update: We had to change our dates to go. We are now going to Give Kids the World on Tuesday, August 17 and returning on Monday, August 23. We haven't gotten Evan's start date confirmed yet for 1st grade--but we have an inkling that it will be on Tuesday, August 24 and he can't miss four days of first grade--like he would have if we left the trip the way it was. We got Shelby's calendar today and if she stays ok throughout this, she will be off all medicine that week and when we return, on 8/25 she will start Delayed Intensification #2 (what she just completed!)

Overall, she is doing great. Shelby started dance lessons last week and LOVES them. She asked me if she could go back tomorrow. When I told her she had to wait a week, of course, she was disappointed. But, tonight, she gets to go again. Tonight, also she goes on steroids again for one week. Hopefully she will sail through and now big outbursts!

The other good news...no clinic visit until July 14! We will definately enjoy the two weeks off from the clinic (after going to Beaumont for 20 out of 30 days in June!) I have Crooks Road memorized in my mind from driving her!

Friday, June 25, 2004 9:58 AM CDT

Back from another clinic visit. Today we had to return for a CBC and blood culture to re-test the blood from her port-a-cath to be sure any bacteria that was there is cleared out. Her counts were:

WBC: 1.23
Neutrophils: .32 (still neutropenic)
RBC: 2.63
Plt: 269 (back to normal)
HgB: 7.8 (dropping again--hope it goes higher)

So, overall she is doing great. Considering she is neutropenic and anemic--she is acting pretty good. Of course, she is really tired at the end of the day and she isn't eating too much. She has lost 2.5 pounds in this past week--but that is all expected. Shelby will return to doctor next Wednesday, June 30 to hopefully start Interim Maintenance #2. Her neutrophils need to be at 1.0 in order to start. No big plans for this weekend--just let the kids play and have a great time.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004 11:36 AM CDT

Since release from hospital on Sunday, Shelby has been feeling pretty good. We are still on fever watch, but she has been fine. She has beena little more tired than normal but she is off all medicine now until she starts her next phase of treatment. Her body needs some time to recover from all the harsh stuff she just went through.

Shelby had a clinic visit this morning to do a CBC/follow up from her hospital stay. Shelby's counts were:

WBC .76 WBC Flag
Neutrophils: .22 Neutropenic (they usually want above 1.0)
RBC 3.12
Hgb 9.1 (thank you blood donor)
Plt 84

So, once again she has all the flags--neutropenia, lymphopenia, monocytosis, leukocytopenia, anemia, turbidity/HGB interf and thrompbocytopenia (what 75f those are--I have no clue!)

She will be returning to clinic on Friday morning for a blood draw from her port to make sure the bacteria is no longer there. Based on her counts then, it will determine if we can schedule visit for next week to start Interim Maintenance #2. Her neutrophils need to be at 1.0.

Shelby and Evan started their summer camps this week and they LOVE it. I can hardly get Evan to go home at the end of the day. Yesterday I literally had to pull him away from the playground with Shelby in the background saying, "don't worry, Evan, you can come back tomorrow." Today was pizza day for lunch so it was important that Shelby get back from the clinic in time (we did--with one minute to spare!) It is refreshing for Mom to only have to go one place for drop off and pick up. They will continue going here through August 20--then off to Disney.

Sunday, June 20, 2004 8:17 PM CDT

Yeah! We are home! Have been inpatient since Thursday when Shelby spiked a fever during her blood transfusion. Then on Saturday evening, the doctor said that bacteria cultures had grown in the blood taken from her port. So, we would probably be in another 7-10 days for antibiotics. Well, luckily, the wonderful infectious disease doctor came in to work on Sunday (and Father's Day) to check on Shelby. He sent us home! He said that because the bacteria had taken over 20 hours to grow, it was slow moving. He thought the fever was from the blood transfusion--not from the bacteria. Anyways, he said to send us home and to monitor her closely for fever. In 5 days, he wanted to do another blood culture from her port. So we were relased and home by 2pm today! Shelby was so excited to have "Charlie" unhooked after being accessed since last Monday during the ARA-C shots. The minute we got home she was on the swing set and right before her bath, she was on the sit and spin. I can't believe her. There's no stopping her!

Counts as of this morning:

WBC: .3 Still low
RBC: 3.20
Hbg: 9.4---still rising after transfusion (yeah!)
Plt: 42
Neut: 0.00 (still very susceptable to infections)

Evan had a good time visiting his sister (especially with the Playstation in the gameroom!) He asked if Shelby is in the hospital again if he can visit her! Overall, it actually was not that bad of a hospital visit this time. On Saturday, there were only four (4) kids on our wing the whole day. Made it easy on the nurses and they were very attentive! Tom ended up staying Fri and Sat night and I covered the days. Thanks to Grandma Jackie for covering Friday afternoon so I could go to work for 1/2 the day and pick Evan up from his camp.

I'll post again later. We will visit clinic on Tuesday for CBC and then the port blood draw probably on Friday.

Friday, June 18, 2004 12:05 AM CDT

Well, sorry to report, Shelby has been hospitalized--but she is doing fine. We went to the clinic yesterday morning for her last dose of ARA-C and her blood counts were really bad:

WBC .1
RBC 2.18
Hgb: 6.4
Platelets: 73
Neutrophils: couldn't read

So, she was given her ARA-C and then we were sent over to hospital for blood transfusion. They said they were going to go half the blood over three hours, then wait one hour,then do the remaining half of blood over the next three hours. Well, right in the middle, Shelby developed a 102.9 fever--which automatically bought her a 48 hour admission to go on antibiotics. As of now, her last fever was on Thursday at midnight. So, if she remains fever free, she should be able to leave Saturday evening at 6pm. We'll see.

Blood work done this morning showed:

WBC .1
RBC 3.04
Hgb: 8.8 (thank you blood donor)
Platelets: 42 - dropping--may be heading for a platelet transfusion
Neutrophils: <0.1 Extremely low. She is very susceptible to any germ floating around.

I'll update more later. Keep Shelby in your thoughts. She is a tough little girl. One reassuring thing is that this is all considered a normal part of the treatment--so we aren't that worried. Her little body will turn itself around!

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 12:11 AM CDT

Well, we are continuing on part two of Delayed Intensification #1 where Shelby is getting daily Ara-C injections and Zofran (anti-nausea medicine). We went to doctor yesterday (Monday) and they gave her the medicine and took her counts. Her counts were:

WBC: .40 WBC Flag
Neutrophils: .13 Neutropenic
RBC: 2.8
Hemoglobin: 8.1
Platelets: 144 Platelet Flag

So, once again, Shelby is neutropenic, lymphopenic, leukocytopenic and anemic. Her Neutrphils are really low and they think she may need a blood transfusion by the end of the week. (P.S. this is all normal stuff that they expect to happen--it means the medicine is working--but they need to monitor the medicine to make sure it is not to toxic for her system.)

We went back to clinic this morning and they are still having a hard time drawing blood from her medi-port. So they were going to try to set up an x-ray--but they couldn't get an appointment. So, they injected some "drano" as the nurse called it into her port which is basically an unclogger. We then had to sit for 45 minutes while it worked. Then, luckily, blood did draw once again! We were very glad. I am hoping they will do counts again tomorrow so we can monitor her. Right now, we just need to watch her very closely for fever. When her neutrophils are that low, she has no ability to fight off anything. So, we are on temperature watch.

We go back to clinic tomorrow at 11:00am for more Ara-C and Zofran then again on Thursday morning. I'll post more on Friday!

Wednesday, June 9, 2004 1:41 PM CDT

Well--so far so good! Shelby went to the clinic on Monday, her counts were as follows:

WBC: 4.31
RBC: 3.92
HgB: 11.3
Neutrophils: 1.9
Platelets: 396

So, she was able to continue on with her Delayed Intensification #1-Part B (as I call it!)

So, she was admitted to hospital to be flushed with fluids. She received a spinal tap with methotrexate inserted. Then she received Cyclophosphamide through IV at night time. She also began the first of 8 doses of Cytarabine (or Ara-C). This is given as a shot into her IV (Charlie). So, they accessed her port (Charlie) on Monday and it will stay accessed with a bandage over it until Thursday afternoon. Then we go back on Monday again, it is accessed again and left until Thursday. This keeps the risk of infection lower and saves on pokes!

Overall Shelby is doing great. She had a great time in the hospital--played on the computer - Barbie games and started making a bead necklace with the Child Life Specialist. Every time she gets a procedure done, there is a different color bead that she is given and she can make necklaces. Sorry to report though, she already has one necklace complete filled up with lots of beads. It is a neat activity for her to do, but it is sad as a parent to think of what each of those bead represents.

So, she went in hospital on Monday and was released on Tuesday after the second dose of ARA-C. Then this morning we went back for her third dose of ARA-C and tomorrow she will get her last dose this week.

After the clinic visit this morning, Evan and I went to Shelby's preschool final show. It was really cute. Shelby was the best singer--and the loudest. It was really cute. Daddy couldn't go--had a work meeting--but we videotaped it and will have a viewing tonight.

Tomorrow I am going to the kindergarden graduation with Evan and then we are taking Shelby to the clinic again.

Things to watch for are fevers, rash, nausea, etc. The usual things--now we are just more obsessive about her.

Make A Wish Update: The trip is confirmed! We will go on Saturday, August 21 and return the following Friday. Shelby is really excited because she gets to have breakfast with Cinderella on Sunday morning at the castle in the Magic Kingdom!

Friday, June 4, 2004 1:57 PM CDT

Shelby is having a great week. Her hair is thinning a lot more now--but she still has some! She is wearing hats a lot more often now - especially since the sun is shining and all the rain is over! We go to the clinic at 9:30 on Monday, June 7 and as long as her counts are good, she will stay in the hospital overnight and get her new medicines (part two of delayed intensification).

I found a poem by Erma Bombeck which I found fitting to put on this web page.

The Chosen Mothers, by Erma Bombeck

Most women become a mother by accident, some by choice
and a few by habit. Did you ever wonder how mothers's of
children with life threatening illnesses are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hoveirng over earth selecting His
instruments for progagation with great care and
deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels
to make notes in a giant ledger.....

"Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint Matthew"
"Forrest, Marjorie, duaghter, patron saint Cecilia"
"Rutledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint Gerard."

Finally, He passes a name to an angel and says,
"Give her a child with cancer." The angel is curious.
"Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God, "Could I give a chlid with cancer a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But, does she have patience?" Asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she will handle it."

"I watched her today," said God. "She has that feeling of self-independence that is so rare and necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has its' own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But Lord, I don't think she believes in you," said the angel. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't seperate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is the woman I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take anything her child does for granted. She will never consider a signle step ordinary. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them."

"And what about her patron saint" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid-air. God smiles and says..."A mirror will suffice."

Thursday, May 27, 2004 9:49 AM CDT

Another week gone by and another clinic visit this morning. Glad to report that Shelby's counts have gone back up! Of course it is probably attritable to being on steroids for the week--but that's ok.

White Blood Cell Count: 3.66
Neutrohpils: 1.92 (were .59 last week)
Red Blood Cells: 4.46
Hemoglobin: 13.3
Platelets: 352

So, we are happy with her counts! The other good news is that she is off all medicine until the second half of her delayed intensification which will start on Monday, June 7. She will be admitted to the hospital that day for an overnight stay and then be given Cytoxin and Cyclophosomade (ara-c) through her IV. It is the clinics policy to admit the kids so they can stay on a 24 hour IV. So it will be a crazy week. Shelby has to be in the hospital for Monday/Tuesday and clinic visits on Wednesday and Thursday for more IV's. Plus, it is Evan's last week of Kindergarten and Shelby's year end preschool show--so Mommy will be hopping that week (and making Daddy help out). He is already signed on for the night shift at the hospital!

Shelby's week was pretty uneventful. Of course, we were watching her more carefully since her counts were so low. She was on the steroids for the week and by this past Monday they kicked in! For breakfast, she was eating a whole chicken breast! This morning she had three bowls of chicken noodle soup, then a bagel then some crackers and cheese! Being a cancer mom, we have learned to let her eat whatever and whenever she wants, because there are plenty of meals where she doesn't want to eat anything.

The rest of the family is doing well. Evan's first T-Ball game is Tuesday night. He will have games every Tuesday and Thursday night through the middle of July. Shelby will be starting dance class on 6/24 and both kids will start their summer camp (at the same place!) on 6/17. Tom has been working lots at his store. Yesterday, he worked from 7am-5:30pm then went back in at midnight and worked all night and will work the shift today. He's crazy!

Oh well! Won't report another entry until June 7--assuming everything goes ok!

Friday, May 21, 2004 10:04 AM CDT

Time for another update. We went for clinic visit yesterday and the last doses of Doxorubicin and Vincristine for this phase of the treatment. Bad news was her counts were steadily dropping.

White Blood Cells: 1.01 White blood Cell Flag
Red Blood Cells: 4.22 Red Blood Cell Flag
Hemoglobin: 12.9
Platelets: 322 Platelet Flag
Neutrophils: .57
So, Shelby is neutropenic, lymphopenic and leukocytopenic. She got all three this time! The doctors said to keep her away from a lot of people, good handwashing, etc. Except, they did say that she could go to school. So, I got a lot of double talk. She is looking really bad though. Probaby the worst since the beginning of treatment (other than when she ballooned up from the steroids.) She is really pale and dark circles under her eyes. I asked her if she wanted me to stay home with her from school today and she being the trooper she is said no. She wanted to go to school for cookie day. She didn't want to miss it! Shelby has the most determination I have ever seen in a 4 year old. It keeps her going!

We got some other good news yesterday that quickly turned into bad news. Shelby's Make a Wish Disney Cruise was booked for August 21, but then we were talking to the doctor and he said they would not approve it because in the event of an emergency, it would be too hard to airlift Shelby to the nearest hospital. They said she could still do her wish--just land based. So, after talking with Tom, we are going to try to still go to Disney but stay at "Give Kids the World". Check out their website at www.gktw.com. It is a place for children with life threatening illnesses and they give you three day Disney passes, Universal and Sea World passes and all your meals. We will plan to take the Disney Cruise in 2006 when Shelby is done with her treatment. Stopping to think a 7 day Disney Cruise might have been a little too much Disney for the parents! We will shoot for a four day one maybe in June, 2006. So, hopefully it will all come together and we can still go that last week in August before Evan starts school again. We'll keep you posted.

We are off to Grand Haven tomorrow for the night to visit with Aunt Carol and also go to the Kite Festival on the shores of Lake Michigan in the State Park. We are looking forward to it. They also have a large children's activity tent which the kids will enjoy.

At this point, I am just going to treat Shelby like any other kid. I can't put her away in a bubble--I want her to experience all the things any other child her age would do. If she ends up with a fever, so be it, we spend some time in the hospital. I don't want her deprived or missing out on anything.

Well, gotta go. I will post updates as they occur. Next scheduled clinic visit is Thursday, May 27 just for blood work. Then she is scheduled to be admitted to hospital on Monday, June 7 for one night.

Friday, May 14, 2004 8:41 AM CDT

Shelby had clinic visit yesterday and her counts are at the highest point they have ever been. (This is probably because the increased dose of steroids that she just finished.) Her counts were:

White Blood Cells: 10.29
Red Blood Cells: 4.12
Platelets: 387
Neutrophils: 6.18 (WOW!) No infection should get to her!

She did really good. She had a CBC, exam, injection of Vincristine and Doxorubocin. The Doxo is red so the nurses tell Shelby that it is "Kool-Aid" that they are giving "Charlie" a drink. For those of you that are wondering who Charlie is--it is her mediport that was inserted. The doctors and nurses always refer to it as "Charlie".

This morning, I was expecting Shelby to wake up with body aches and she jumped right out of bed and asked where her clothes were because she had to get ready for school. I am convinced that her mental state is making her feel so much better. She is so excited and motivated to go to school that I don't think she is always telling me the truth about her aches and pains.

Shelby is off medicine until next Thursday when she will have one more week of steroids. I can't believe she takes 15 pills a day. I don't even crush them--she swallows them. Although, she did discover that Pringles don't make very good "goo". You are probably thinking, what are you talking about! When Shelby takes her medicine, she usually takes Cheez-Its and starts to chew them until she gets "goo". Then she sticks at least two pills in there to swallow them. She has found she likes Cheez-Its or those Graham Cracker Sticks. They both work--but Pringles don't!

Last night, we went to Evan's Open House at his kindergarden class. He is doing really well. He is already doing first grade work. We are so proud of him! School is almost over for the year and both kids are really excited and looking forward to summer camps that will start June 17.

Shelby's next doctor appointment, next Thursday, May 20.

Monday, May 10, 2004 8:01 PM CDT

Well, Shelby survived the first dose of her doxorubicin from last Thursday. Didn't have too many side effects. Now she is experiencing rosy red cheeks as a side effect from the steroid. Her appetite hasn't increased too much. A lot of times, she says she is really hungry then when we give her something to eat, she says she doesn't want it. I think she may be a little nauseated but doesn't know how to explain it.

Today, we returned to the clinic for the Peg-asparaginase shots. These are two needles inserted into the muscle in each leg for about 1 minute. The doctor did one leg and the nurse did the other leg--both at the same time. Needless to say, giving shots should be left for the nurses! After the shots, we had to stay around for an hour to make sure she didn't have any reaction at the injection site. She did not. So, we went home, once again.

We will return this Thursday to the clinic for another dose of Doxorubicin and Vincristine and a complete blood count. We should only have to stay about an hour now after to watch for reactions. In my reading, I have discovered that 10 days after the first dose of Doxo, her counts should drop dramatically--so we will be keeping a careful eye on her.

Friday, May 7, 2004 8:56 AM CDT

Well, Shelby survived the start of the next phase, Delayed Intensification #1. We went to the clinic yesterday for a four hour visit. She got a physica lexam, liver tests and then three chemo drugs, Vincristine, Methotrexate via spinal tap and then the new drug, Doxorubicin all through IV. The Doxorubicin is the one with all the bad side effects. I looked up what the drug does and it actually helps to reconstruct the DNA in the cells. Pretty nasty stuff--especially for a four year old. Anyways, she didn't get sick in the clinic, althought they gave her a 24 hour dose of Zofran, an anti-nausea drug. She also has started her steroids again for 7 days. Last time, she had to take 9 pills per day--this time she has to take 15 per day. This morning I think she was a little nauseaous, but she wouldn't take any of the Zofran that I have. She wanted to go to school. It was Mother's Day Breakfast so she was excited!

We have another clinic visit on Monday to get the Pegelspar shots (One shot in each leg). This will be a one hour visit. then we go back the next three Thursdays for blood counts and more Doxorubicin. They did tell us that in about two weeks, all of her counts should begin to drop dramatically, that is why they want to monitor her more closely. It also puts Mom and Dad on a higher alert status.

Her blood counts yesterday were:

WBC: 3.93 NEUT: 1.65 RBC: 4.34 HGB: 13.4
Platelets: 249
The Platelets are dropping a little low--they are at the lowest point ever for her. If they get too low, they will do a transfusion.

Otherwise, things are going well. She is such a trooper! She is so good natured and such a happy child!

Friday, April 30, 2004 4:55 PM CDT

Another week and another clinic visit. Since Shelby's counts were a little low last week (her neutrophils--infection fighting counts), we had another clinic visit yesterday. Shelby's counts were:

WBC: 3.29
RBC: 4.05
NEUT: 1.75
Platelets: 324
So, overall very good. She still has a WBC, RBC and Platelet flag but they are better than last week. Shelby is feeling really good. She is now on the last week of Interim Maintenance #1--that means she has NO pills to take after tonight until next week! She is really excited! They are trying to build up her body before she gets all the bad stuff starting next Thursday.

Next Thursday, May 6, she will start Delayed Intensification #1. Next Thursday, she will get a Complete Blood Count (CBC), liver panels done and then a spinal tap with Methotrexate injection. She will also get Vincristine put into her port and she gets to go on steroids for seven days. She will also go back and get a PEG-asparaginase shot (one in both legs). She had this once at the very beginning--not too much fun. She will also get a new drug called Doxorubicin into her port. This is the drug that has a lot of bad side effects. She will continue on DI #1 until June 24, as long as her counts hold up.

Make-A-Wish Update: We were visited by a volunteer from Make-A-Wish who wanted to meet the family and, of course, Shelby. He came to our house last night and, of course, came bearing gifts. He asked Shelby what her wish was and she again said the Disney Cruise. As we began talking, I of course thought it would be the three day cruise so I offered to pay the extra money to make it a four day. The volunteer said he thought it was the seven day, but he would check. Well, he called back today and said it was, in fact, the seven day cruise! Can you believe it? We had to give him possible dates to go and it looks like we are shooting for Saturday, August 21 - Saturday, August 28. If it all works out, this would be right at the end of Interim Maintenance #2 (the same point we are at this week)--so Shelby would be off medicine for a week. It would push her next Delayed Intensification #2 back by about four days, but that shouldn't be a problem. So, we'll see. They did say you can cancel at the last minute if her health is an issue. I'll post further updates as we hear. The "Wish Manager" is going to be contacting me next week sometime. I guess they only do three wishes per month and right now, no one is scheduled for August, so that month looked good.

Evan is also doing really good. He had a great week at school. His K-Club had a lunch for parents on Wednesday and today he had to dress up like a letter. He was "Mr. Lemon Lollipop". He pinned the letter "L" to his shirt with "Lollipops" too and he took suckers for all the kids. I guess they did a letter parade through the school. He is definately ready to move on to 1st grade. He needs more challenge.

I'll post another update next week and let everyone know how her next appointment goes. Keep Shelby in your prayers.

Thursday, April 22, 2004 11:24 AM CDT

Today was another clinic visit--just to do a complete blood count (CBC)--or in Shelby's words, "just a finger poke". She did great. Her counts today were:

White Blood Cells: 2.78
Red Blood Cells: 3.95
Platelets: 248
Neutrophils: .91

What does this mean? The neutrophil count is a little low. Usually anything under 1.0 is beginning to get a little dangerous and she should not be around sick children--her immunity level is really comprimised. The doctor said today they will monitor it because her toxicity levels may be getting too high and they may have to cut the medicine dosages down. Bottom line, she has to go back next Thursday for another blood count. (We were supposed to have the week off from doctors!)

Shelby is doing really good. She is having a great time at school. The nice weather has really lifted everyones spirits. We are counting our blessings that she continues to do so well and is able to keep going to school every day.

Evan continues to do really well also. He is getting excited about starting T-Ball at the beginning of May and the fact that he is getting closer to starting 1st grade. I actually started playing again with the AXA Softball Team--we had our first game this past Monday. Surprisingly, I did well. Maybe I have a few frustrations to take out on a softball? Why would I?

Tom continues to work a lot. I guess being the manager of your own store will do that. He is averaging about 14 hour days. In between, I have him working on house projects. This week, we are getting the kids bedrooms floors refinished. We found gorgeous wood floors under the carpet. Next week, we will get the upstairs hallway and the winding stairs re-done. It will gorgeous when it is done.

I'll put another posting next week regarding her counts. Please continue to keep Shelby in your prayers.

Thursday, April 15, 2004 8:11 AM CDT

Time for another weekly update. Hopefully everyone had a nice Easter. Shelby was so cute Easter morning. As soon as she woke up, she wanted to put on her new Easter dress--even though we weren't leaving until 3:00pm. So, she put on her new dress, her tights, her Easter bonnet and her white shoes (or her tap shoes, as she calls them) and was extra careful all day until we went. She even put a bib on when she ate her lunch.

We did not have any "scheduled" doctor visits this week, however, Tom ended up taking Shelby in on Tuesday because she had developed a very bad raspy, seal-sounding cough on Sunday night. She would cough for two hours before she would fall asleep and then again in the morning. During the day she was a little better. But, because her immune system is suppressed, we don't want to take any chances. They did blood work and her counts were great. They then did the nose swab and it came back that she has Influenza Type C--which is basically a mild upper respiratory infection--viral. The doctor said to just watch her and see. But, we are happy to report she is already doing much better. I think the nice Spring weather and being able to play outside is helping.

STATISTICS SINCE START OF TREATMENT
Days on Steroids: 26
Spinal Taps to Date: 6
Bone Marrow Aspirations to Date: 5
Inpatient Hospital Days: 13

Trivia...listed below are a listing of the medicines Shelby has either taken, been injected with, swallowed or is currently taking...
Dexamethasone / Vincristine / Pegaspargase / Methotrexate / Mercaptopurine / Lidocaine / Zofran / Zantac / Bactrim.
In May, she will start Cytarbine / Doxorubicin, Cyclophosphamide / Thioguanine

Don't know who ever invented these words--but I am learning more about medicine then I ever wanted to.

Shelby continues to be a star! Another article was recently published about my companies $7,000 donation to the Children's Leukemia Foundation with her picture. She loves to see herself in the newspaper!

Shelby also got good news that she has been "medically approved" for her Make-A-Wish trip. She wants to go on a Disney Cruise. So now we will wait for a volunteer to come to our house to "interview" Shelby to find out exactly what she wants to do. She also has to draw pictures of her first wish and her back-up wish (in case they can't do the first one!) We also will tell them preferred travel dates too. So, we will see. A lot will depend on how well she does during her May/June treatments. The good thing is that as long as May/June go ok, July/August should be a repeat of March/April (good). Although I have been reading that the medications can start to build up in her system. So, we'll see!

Evan is doing great too. He is at a Spring Break Camp through Troy Schools and he loves it! I think he prefers playing with kids older than him!

Hope everyone has a good week. Shelby returns to the doctor next Thursday, April 22, just for a routine blood draw and physical exam. I'll post again then!

Friday, April 9, 2004 11:13 AM CDT

Shelby was in the clinic yesterday and admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for a spinal tap and bone marrow aspiration--normal parts of her protocol that were scheduled.

Her blood counts were wonderful...

Hemoglobin: 12.2
Red Blood Cells: 3.90
White Blood Cells: 4.18
Neutrophils: 2.88 (this is the infection fighting one--anything above 1.0 is great!)
Platelets: 342

She had an injection of Vincristine through her IV, then she received a spinal tap with Methotrexate injected into spinal fluid, then the Bone Marrow Aspiration was done. On top of that, she startd her Dexamethason (steroid pills) again for five days. So she has 16 pills to take in one day--and like a trooper, she took them all by mouth without crushing!

Called the doctor this morning for test results and the bone marrow test indicated she is still in remission and the spinal fluid continues to be clear. This is wonderful news!

Shelby will be back on April 22 just for a blood count then an all day clinic visit on Thursday, May 6 when she will start her next phase--delayed intensification #1. This is the rough part that most kids get sick going through. We'll take one day at a time and hopefully she will do great.

Thursday, April 1, 2004 1:16 PM CST

Another week has gone by and luckily and thankfully, Shelby is continuing to do really good. She still has not thrown up or gotten sick at all through the treatments. Her hair is actually growing back a little and she is doing good. She will continue doing this until she goes into Delayed Intensification #1 which will begin on April 22. We don't have a doctors appointment this week--she goes next week into the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to be sedated to get a spinal tap and bone marrow aspiration along with another chemo drug (Vincristine) into her port. Should be a long day. I keep telling people that it is hard to realize she has this terrible disease...or as he father says, it hasn't really sunk in yet. I think a lot of that is because she is doing so good. We are very fortunate.

Funny story #1...this morning I was telling Shelby that she didn't have to take any medicine in the morning. She cheered. Then she asked how many she had to take tonight. I told her six little yellow pills and one big white one. She said, and I quote, "piece of cake" with a big smile on her face. I thank God every day what a little trooper she is. She is truly amazing and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter (and of course my son, Evan, is equally wonderful.)

Funny store #2....I found an organization based in Illinois called "SuperSibs". It was designed to offer support to siblings of children aged 3-18 diagnosed with cancer. You sign up the sibling and they send a welcome kit with ribbons and buttons and an official membersihp card. Then every so often, they will send sticker packages and other stuff. Inside the first package was a list of "25 things to help your sibling". One of the things was to help them take their medicine. So one day, I mentioned to Evan that Shelby needed her "SuperSib" to help her take her medicine. That morning she was taking her Bactrim medicine--used to prevent pneumosystic pneumonia--we call it the "Grape medicine". It is a liquid. We put it in a medicine dosing cup and she uses a straw. Now when she takes the medicine, Shelby will say she needs her "SuperSib". Then Evan will say, "I need to hear a slurp." Then Shelby will hurry up and take it through the straw and make a really loud slurping sound. It is quite effective and fun to watch the two of them. Evan has been very supportive of his sister and very nice to her so far.

Wanted to share some statistics with you....

Total days on steroids: 21
Spinal Taps to Date: 5
Bone Marrow Aspiration to Date: 4
Inpatient Hospital Days: 13

Wanted to share a column that another parent on an e-mail list that I subscribe to has written for her local newspaper--Kim Sprague. It is really touching and I believe any parent can relate to it.

For many parents, having a child, and raising them into their own person, is something they have always dreamed of, always looked forward to doing. As a parent, you have hopes and dreams about your child's life. Your joy is not based on personal satisfaction, but that of your childrens. The smile of your little girl as she meets her favorite Disney Preincess for the first time, outshines any treasure you could purchase. Watching your son kick his first goal in soccer, makes your more proud than accomplishing your own goals. To be there to help your baby grow, develop, and reach their milestones, is like creating a work of art. To support that child as they flourish and bloom, is like painting a masterpiece. And for many parents, raising their children is similar to a painter and his creation.

You begin with the child, a crisp, white canvas. Pristine, clean, ready to absorb all the colors the world will offer. The artist selects a palette that will be most pleasing, as the parent selects the foundations that will most benefit their child; the right schools, a nice home, good parenting.

Parents imagine what their child will become; happy, successful, likeable, intelligent, a doctor, a teacher, a parent themselves. In the same way, the painter dreams of the image he will create.

Imagine if you will, that after much preparation, you are about to begin a great work. You have taken art classes, learned the techniques, observed the masters, and are excited to put forth your own creation. As you sit down at the easel, you envision your picture....a glistening turquoise lake, nestled against rolling green hills, the beams of a bright sun highlight vivid flowers, then SPLAT!

Someone has dumped black paint on your empty canvas.

No problem, go get a new one. Well, in life, you only get one canvas.

So what do you do when your paint smears, or spills, and seems to ruin your most treasured work? As a parent, these may appear as the realization that your child is not living the life you had prepared for them. Everyone has shortcomings, weaknesses, and inabilities, and then there are mistakes, accidents, and failures. Even the most well prepared child may hit bumps in the road. How do we learn to take what life gives us, even the black spots, and incorporate them into our work of art?

It is a challenge to make the most of bad situations, to find the strength to continue, when it seems as if all you have hoped for has been ruined. It is particularly painful when that giant blotch of ink is on the image of your child. But things aren't always as they seem. It is hard to look at the big picture, when you are focused on a particular problem or circumstance.

If you step back and look at your canvas, you may realize, that there can be no depth to a picture, without shadows. The dark markings on a tapestry bring definition and contrast. The brightest colors are those against the deepest backdrop. In the end, sometimes the darkest strokes create the greatest masterpiece.

Enjoy your week! I'll post another update next Friday. If you haven't posted a message yet, please do. I have been sharing them with Shelby and Evan.

Thursday, March 25, 2004 11:02 AM CST

We just returned from our visit to the doctors for Shelby's check-up. She is doing great.

White Blood Cells: 3.37
Red Blood Cells: 3.66
Hemoglobin: 11.5
Neutrophils: 1.18
Platelets: 555
*The neutrophils are lower than her usual count--but anything above 1.00 is considered fine

She is doing great. I was kidding the doctors and nurses saying that sometimes you have to stop and remember that she does have leukemia--because she is acting and feeling so well. We are really lucky!

This week, Shelby and Tom came into my work with me to have their pictures taken. During the month of February, our office raised money for research to support the Children's Leukemia Foundation. The office was able to raise $7,000! So we had a check presentation to the Leukemia Foundation and they wanted Shelby in the picture. She did so good! I will post a picture soon to this site. Thank you to all my co-workers that donated money. I know the money will be put toward a good cause.

Next doctor visit for Shelby is in two weeks on Thursday, April 8. She is going to be admitted to the Pediatric Intenstive Care Unit for a bone marrow aspiration, a spinal tap and injection of chemo, and another drug, Vincristine injected, along with a liver enzyme check and complete blood work. It will be an all day event.

Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:12 AM CST

How was Shelby diagnosed?
People have been asking how we determined Shelby had leukemia. Since this website was set up after, I thought I would put the story here in the journal history.

On December 14, 2003, Shelby developed a really high fever. Evan also had a fever so I took both of them to the pediatric clinic on Sunday at Crittenton hospital. Evan checked out with just an ear infection. The doctor ordered a complete blood panel on Shelby since she looked so bad. I, of course, being her Mom felt about 1" tall wondering why I couldn't tell that she looked so bad. The doctor even made a comment that he couldn't believe that she was able to walk in to the hospital because she was so weak. The doctor prescribed ear infection medicine and sent us home since we had waited over 4 hours and the blood results weren't back yet. We went home to have dinner with Evan and Tom. No sooner had we walked in the door, the doctor called and said we needed to come back because there had been a "machine error" and he wanted to re-do her blood tests. So, I took Shelby back to the hospital and Tom stayed with Evan (even though Tom was supposed to be going to work!) We had more blood taken and they rushed the results.

The results came back and the doctor walked in with two nurses and closed the door. He said that Shelby most likely had leukemia and would need a bone marrow aspiration and a blood transfusion right away. He said Crittenton Hospital did not have any Pediatric Hematologists/Oncologists and I would have to go to either William Beaumont-Royal Oak, Childrens Hospital in Detroit or U of M Hospital in Ann Arbor. Of course, being Sunday evening at 7:30pm, we opted for Beaumont in Royal Oak. So, the wheels started turning...my brother took Evan for the night and then was going to take him to school the next day, Tom and I headed down to the hospital. The doctors at Crittenton told us the emergency room would know that we were coming and that we should be immediately admitted. Well, we weren't. We were down in ER until 2am then we finally got into her own room. She did get her own room with her own private bathroom with bathtub--but we were exhausted. By this time too, because Shelby was so anemic, her heart rate was so elevated because her heart was trying so hard to pump so little blood. You could see the vein in her neck just pulsating continually and her fever was now 103.5. They finally gave her some Tylenol and she got a little relief. Of course, being admitted on a Sunday night, you don't get much done. They did, however, contact the Pediatric Oncologist and he said that because her white blood count and her platelet levels were still high--it couldn't be leukemia. They did further tests and determined she had the "official" flu and then the doctor determined it was TEC--transient erythroblastopenia of childhood--which is basically a virus that messes up your blood counts. Because Shelby's counts were so low, she had to get a blood transfusion. It took until Monday evening to find a blood that was compatible with her--she is A Positive, but because her levels were so low, her own blood cells were eating each other--so they wanted to make sure that any new blood they transfused into her, was not going to just get eaten up. So they did the transfusion very slowly over a 6 hour period.

Shelby ended up being in the hospital from Sunday-Wednesday. Then the every other day visits to the clinic to monitor her blood levels. She kept going to the clinic until 12/19. Then she didn't go back until 1/6. On 1/6, she went back in for her CBC and her counts had nosedived once again. At this point, I was getting upset. I finally called back and ask if they would schedule a bone marrow aspiration to determine if it is leukemia. The first doctor still wanted to have the "wait and see" attitude, but I called back and got a different doctor, and he finally was able to schedule it for Thursday, January 15.

On January 15, that of course, was a long day. She was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for the bone marrow aspiration. She was put to sleep for it. We were there from 9am until about 6pm that day.

The next day, on January 16, I had the kids in the car ready to take them to school and I was just about to pull the house door shut and I heard the phone ring. It was Dr. Main from the hospital. He said they received the results back and wanted to know when Tom and I both could meet with him. I asked him how long he would be in the office and his response was "until you get here and we talk." Of course, my heart sank. I immediately knew that my worst fears had come true. They always say a mothers intuition is right. So, I dropped Evan at school, took Shelby to her school and then went and picked Tom up from work to go meet with the doctors.

After meeting with the doctors and finding out that she had Pre-B ALL with 50% of her bone marrow impacted, the best thing to do would be to admit her that day and begin the chemotherapy treatment. So, I went home packed things for Shelby, Mom, Dad and Evan--since Aunt Michelle was going to take him for the weekend (thank goodness for all the wonderful family members we have to help us out). I then went and picked up Shelby at school. That was really hard--she had no idea where she was going or why--or that she wouldn't be back at school for what turned out to be three weeks.

And so, treatment began.................and our lives were changed forever......

Thursday, March 18, 2004 8:54 AM CST

This past week has been pretty uneventful. Our little trooper did wonderful taking her medicine this past week. This morning she was so excited because she did not have a doctor appointment and there was no morning medicine to take!

Yesterday morning, when she woke up I asked her how she was feeling....she said, "Actually, Mommy, I am feeling pretty good today." Then she had this big smile on her face. Another fun anecdote, last night I was trimming Evan's hair and she sat in the chair and said she was next. We then made a joke that she didn't have very much hair and she laughed and said "just kidding, Mommy!" It is moments like this that we treasure and are so thankful to have her in our life.

Every day I feel like the bad person giving that little body all those strong "cancer drugs"--but every day she does some small thing to amaze us. As they say, children are so resilient.

Next doctor appointment, next Thursday, March 25--just for a complete blood cout (CBC) and liver enzyme tests. Tonight she will take her methotrexate (6 pills). Will file another update next week. Thank you to all of you that continue to watch Shelby's progress.

Saturday, March 13, 2004 2:10 PM CST

Shelby had her regular doctor appointment on Thursday, March 11. Her blood counts were the highest they have ever been. It was nice to receive a result printout that didn't have any flags or warnings printed on it. Shelby's counts were:

HgB: 12.0
WBC: 6.4
Neutrophils: 3.95
RBC: 3.86
Platelets: 400

She was cleared to begin the Interim Maintenance #1 phase. This phase will continue for 56 days then if all goes smoothly she will move onto the Delayed Intensification #1 phase. The current phase will include taking the following medicines:

1) Methotrexate--6 pills every Thursday evening
2) Mercaptopurine--or 6MP--One pill every evening
3) Dexamethasone (steroid)--will take for seven days
4) Vincristine - injected by needle into the catheter one time--which was done on Thursday.

Shelby is feeling really good. Of course, I ask her a million times a day if anything hurts or how she is feeling. She is such a trooper--very strong willed and a tough little girl.

Shelby is still going to school every day--although two days last week she kept saying she hated school. But she was just tired and those nasty steroids were taking their effects. The mood swings are terrible!

The rest of the family is doing well. Mom and Dad, of course, are being run ragged and Evan is continuing to be a little trooper too. He even encourages Shelby to hurry up and take her medicine at bedtime!

Next doctor visit--Thursday, March 25 (two weeks!!) Then she will have a bone marrow aspiration done on April 8--this will be good to know if all this treatment is still keeping her in remission.

Saturday, March 6, 2004 3:50 PM CST

Welcome to all of you that are just finding Shelby's webpage. We hope you will visit often and keep up to date on Shelby's progress.

Thursday, February 5, 2003

Shelby went in for her bone marrow/spinal tap with injection of Methotrexate. She was put to sleep in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. She did really good. The hard part is having to lie with her head lower then her feet for three hours afterwards--to assure spinal fluid s redistributed and that she does not get any headaches.

Thursday, February 12, 2003

Shelby went for her normal doctor visit and Complete Blood Count (CBC) with a spinal tap/bone marrow to inject Methotrexate into spinal column. She did really good. This was the last time that she is going to be put to sleep for the spinal tap. We are going to try doing it with just an anesthetic. Going to the pediatric intensive care unit is very time consuming. The nurses think she can do it--she has handled her "pokes" to her port-a-cath very well with just the numbing cream. We will see. First one, next Thursday.

Saturday, March 6, 2004 3:16 PM CST

Shelby went to weekly doctor visit last Thursday. Her counts were really good. She has one more week left in the consolidation phase.

Shelby's choices for further treatment in the clinical study were:

ARM A Standard Treatment, oral medicine and one delayed intensificaton phase
ARM B-Oral medicine and then two delayed intensification phases
ARM C-Escalating medicine by vein with one delayed intensification phase
ARM D-Escalating medicine by veing with two delayed intensification phases.

ARM B is the one we were randomly selected for. This is the phase that has oral medicine and then two delayed intensification phases before maintenance. We are going to try the first interim maintenance and then delayed intensification. If she has a lot of side effects, we will opt out of study and go right to maintenance. We will see.

Shelby went to school all week. She was really excited yesterday because it was "banana day". Each child had to bring in a banana and they had banana splits and they had to taste test a green banana, a freckled one and a yellow one. She had a great time. She was also special person of the day.

Next doctor visit will be next Thursday for vincrinstine put into her port-a-cath and then she will start a new chemo drug, as well as going back on steroids for one week only.

Thursday, February 26, 2004 11:20 AM CST

Hello! Wanted to update you on Shelby. On Thursday, February 19, 2004, Shelby went to clinic for normal spinal tap/Chemo treatment. After bloodwork, he had low hemoglobin levels. Therefore, she was admitted to hospital for blood tranfusion. It was completed and she was sent home that night.

On Friday evening, February 20, 2004, Shelby began running a fever. She was then admitted to the hospital thinking it was some sort of "viral" illness. She was treated with four different antibiotics.

On Thursday, February 26, 2004, after another spinal tap/Chemo treatment, Shelby was sent home.

Thursday, February 26, 2004 11:15 AM CST

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