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Wednesday, June 10, 2009 5:27 PM CDT

It's been a while. There really hasn't been much going on here. Michael and I have been keeping busy with work and of course, Everything that needs to be done around the house.

The dogs are good. Jessie sure is a Dad's girl. Sometimes we think she has a crush on Michael. Every time Michael tries to hug or kiss me, she's trying to weasel her way in the middle of us. She really makes us laugh. Laser, well what can I say about him. He's just goofy.

Not much more going on around here. Thanks for checking in!

Hey Anthony,
Not a day goes by that we don't think about you or tell a funny story to someone about you. We miss you so much!

Love you with all our hearts!
Mom and Dad

Sunday, May 10, 2009 12:58 AM CDT

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms.

Everything has been going pretty well here. We've been busy with spring finally upon us. This was one of Anthony's favorite times of the year. The Tulips are blooming at Grandma's house (his favorite flower, especially the purple ones), along with all the other flowers. Anthony would run through Grandma's Tulips and swat them. He would look at Grandma and give the special grin he had. The one that you just couldn't get mad at him. Of course, than he would just start to laugh. Then he would run into the house and ask Grandma if he could pick some Tulips for his Mom. So Mom got some Tulips too.

I hope that everyone has a great day and enjoy every minute you can with your children.

Thank you for checking on us and don't forget to sign the guest book. We love to hear from all of you.

Anthony,
Missing you bunches on this Mother's Day. I know that your with us today and you always will be.

Love you so much and miss you even more!
Mom and Dad

Sunday, April 12, 2009 8:36 AM CDT

Happy Easter to all!

It's so hard to believe that our precious Anthony has been gone 3 years today. He loved Easter so much. Because of his love for Easter, it was very fitting that when he passed 3 years ago, it was Holy week then too. It still seems like yesterday when he was running outside, riding his bike and playing hockey in the drive way. We miss you so much Anthony. You are a very special boy and that's why God needed you in Heaven. You now have much work to do from Heaven, as you had so much work here when you were alive.

We LOVE you so very much Anthony. We hope you have a wonderful Easter in Heaven!!

Love you and miss you lots,
Mom and Dad

Thank you for checking in on us. If you haven't gotten to read the guest book, please do. There is a story from Anthony's friend Brittany Block. She wrote this for a speech class. Anthony will never be forgotten by the people that he touched the most! Thank you Brittany!

Sunday, February 8, 2009 10:03 AM CST

HAPPY 12TH BIRTHDAY ANTHONY!!

It's so hard to believe that you would be 12 years old today. The day is beautiful and going to be in the high 30's, just like the day you were born. I'm sure your Birthday Celebration is Heaven will be a glorious one!

We miss you so much and love you even more.

We love you Sweetheart,
Mom and Dad

P.S. thanks for coming to me in my dream last night. It's always such a treat when I get to see you.

Sunday, December 28, 2008 10:58 AM CST

Happy Holidays to everyone!!

We have been so busy with the Pond Hockey Tournament. We are now 2 weeks away. Things are going very well. We are starting to get a lot of teams signed up. The silent auction items are amazing. To give you an idea of some of the big items we have received are: a Pittsburgh Penguins Ryan Whitney signed jersey, a team signed jersey from the Anaheim Ducks, a signed baseball from Willy Mays and there are many more items. The tournament is being held on Lake Washington by Westwood Marina. The date is January 10, 2009. The proceeds will be going towards scholarships for MAHA (to help kids play hockey) and to Therapeutic Advances in Childhood Leukemia.

We had a good Christmas. Michael and I went to the Peds ward at the hospital in Mankato. We took them some PS2 games and a couple of wireless controllers. There were a couple of babies on the ward, so we also took some Christmas stuffed animals and of course, Jessie. We had a visit with one little guy and his face lite up when he saw Jessie. He was around a year to 18 months old. He pet Jessie and just smiled. His Mom was so thankful for us being there. She told us that we made their whole Christmas. Now that is what Christmas is all about. When we were leaving the hospital, there was an older gentleman that couldn't get his car started, it was bitter cold here on Christmas Eve. Michael and I helped him to get that started and he was also very thankful. It's so amazing how God puts you in the right place at the right time.

We wish all of you peace and joy through this holiday season and a very Happy New Year to all of you.

Thank you for the continued support and remembering Anthony.


Anth,
We are missing you lots this holiday season. We love you very much.

Mom and Dad

Saturday, October 11, 2008 7:33 AM CDT

I wanted to give everyone an update of what Michael, myself and the Anthony Ford Committee have been working on. We will be having the 1st Annual Anthony Ford Memorial Pond Hockey Tournament on January 10, 2009. It will be held at Westwood Marina. It will be a huge and fun event.

For those of you that don't know why this committee has been formed, I'll give you a little background. Everyone knows that Anthony's favorite sport was hockey. Well, we have formed a non-profit fund (with the help of Mankato Area Hockey Association, AKA MAHA) to help kids to pay for playing hockey, who normally can't afford to play or purchase equipment. I will also help kid go to hockey camps. We also would like to help with pediatric cancer research by donating some of the funds. Our long term goal is to eventually build another sheet of ice with a dry ice facility in Anthony's name somewhere in the Mankato area. We are working on getting a website and as soon as that happens, I will put that address on here so all can check it out.

I again would like to thank all of you for all the support you have given and continue to give us. It has been a tough 2 1/2 years, but it would be much tougher without all of you.


Hey Anth,
We really miss you. I'm sure you're getting super excited about the hockey tournament. We can tell already that you going to help this be a big success!!

We love you buddy!!
Mom and Dad

Thursday, September 11, 2008 5:50 PM CDT

Sorry it's been so long. Haven't really had anything to update. It's been a real struggle lately. I miss Anthony and the life we had so much!! It really doesn't get any easier. Some days I'm so angry and others, well, you get by.

Hopefully will feel like updating more soon.

Thanks for checking in on us.


Anthony,
I love you and miss you so much. My heart just aches!
Mom

Friday, July 4, 2008 7:19 AM CDT

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

We hope that everyone is doing well. We have been very busy doing some landscaping, house work and we had a garage sale.

Of course with it being the 4th, we have been having a lot of Anthony moments lately. He loved the 4th. He loved the celebrations, the family time, the picnics and of course that Mom and Dad would get a few days off. Michael and I were just remembering our first 4th after we moved into our house. We had a few people over in the afternoon-early evening. One of those was Anthony's friend Brittany and her family. Anthony played basketball, taught Brittany about hockey (he went in the goal so she could shoot the puck at him), and they set off some fireworks. That was the first time Anth ever did anything like that. He really loved helping to set the fireworks off. The excitement in his eyes, the smile on his face, he thought it was the best thing ever. He couldn't get enough of it. It made you feel so full of joy to watch him. I guess that's another one of those things that we really miss, the joy of watching him experience new things.

Well, we hope that everyone has a happy and safe holiday. Thank you for the continued support. It makes Michael and I feel so good that you haven't forgotten about our son and the wonderful little man he was.


Hey Anth,
Happy 4th sweetheart. We'll be thinking of you tonight as we watch the fireworks!
Love you so much and miss you too!
Mom and Dad


Whomever continues to keep entering obscene journals on this site, we would appreciate it to stop. It's hard to believe that people have no respect for the living or the deceased. Thank you.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 9:15 PM CDT

The summer events are starting, graduations, weddings, and all around out door activities.

Anthony always loved the spring. He would be outside throwing the football with his dad. Boy, was Anthony a great football player. He could throw a football like no other kid his age. He loved to ride his bike. We would take family bike rides when we lived in Rapidan. We would ride up to highway 66, have a water break and ride back to town. Once in a while, we would take the trail. That was really fun. I remember when Anthony first learned how to ride his bike. He would ride around and around the house on the side walk. The back side walk had quite the down slope. Anthony sure would pick up speed on that. If I go back even younger, Anthony had a little red fire truck. He would start on the high end of the side walk and really get fly to the end. Of course, he was so young he was still in diapers. Which brings me to the funny part, he would ride this fire truck in nothing but his diaper. All you would see is a flash go by you. He would have his feet in the air and laugh so hard. At that age, he had a little skretch that was just halarious. What memories. I'm so glad we have them. We even have the pictures of Anthony riding his fire truck, just as I discribed it.

Michael and I have been really thinking about Anthony a lot. I think most of it has to do with the time of season. We did so much outside this time of year.

I hope you all enjoyed the little Anthony story. Memories are such a wonderful thing. Some days I get worried that I'm going to forget, then something happens and I remember something else. Thanks for the help with that Anthony.

Thank you to everyone for checking in. We so appreciate that you haven't forgotten about Anthony. We hope that he will forever be in your hearts. He sure will be in ours.

Hey Anth,
Thanks for all the great memories. I wish you could still be here to make more of those great memories. I know that now you'll be making them from Heaven instead.

We love you sweetheart!
Mom & Dad

Sunday, May 11, 2008 11:16 AM CDT

What is a Mother? A mother is someone who will comfort you when you cry. They make the hurt go away. They give you unconditional love no matter how bad things get. They cook your favorite meals, do your laudry, help you with your homework, encourage you when you don't think that something is possible, will stand up for you, and always be there in any and all situations. Mother's see things in their children that no one else can see. Being a Mom is the most wonderful thing in the world, even though it is a 24/7, 365 days a year job. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I sure do miss Anthony today and at the same time I have so much joy in my heart knowing how extremly lucky I have been to have him as a son. I couldn't have asked for a better son. His caringness, his wittiness and all around charisma.

There are so many good memories of the Mother's Days with Anthony. Going out to Old Country Buffet for breakfast or when we camped out on our living room floor the night before and waking up to Anthony and Michael making me breakfast. Anthony made me pancakes with strawberries on top. Yes, Anthony did make them himself. He actually served me in bed! Every Mother's Day Anthony wouldn't let me do anything (when he was old enough to know what the day was about). He had his dad cook every meal and do all the things that I would do on a normal day. Anthony and I would spend the day playing games and hanging out. The other thing we really loved to do is go on a picnic to 7 mile creek. How Anthony loved that park. I miss all the fun things we use to do.

I hope that you enjoy your children on such a wonderful day and I especially hope that your children appreciate all you Mom's out there and the things you do for them. Not just today, but everyday. It really does take a special person to be a Mom. Happy Mother's Day to all of you.

Thanks for checking in.

I love you Anthony!
Mom

Saturday, April 12, 2008 7:53 AM CDT

Hey Anthony,

It's so hard to believe that 2 years ago today you left us hear on earth to be with your Father in Heaven. We miss you so much! You are a Hero to so many people. The strength to never give up, the positive attitude, how much you cared for everyone you met and the love for life that you had shown everyone to have, this is what you are about. You really lead by example.

I long to see you smile and hear you laugh just one more time. To hold you and to hear you say "I love you". My heart aches, I miss you so much! It's still as hard as it was the day you passed away. One thing that makes it a little easier is remembering the smile on your face when you went to Heaven. That makes me wonder how wonderful it must be.

I know that you are always with us and I know you for sure you will be here with us tonight celebrating. What a great celebration it will be. A celebration of how you lived your life, a celebration of you.

Like Chad's songs says, your the Hero I see in everybodies eyes. Don't worry buddy, someday we will be there.

I love you sweetheart!!
Mom and Dad

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 7:22 AM CDT

This week is turning out to be tougher than we thought it would be. How we miss Anthony! It's like you re-live every event of the week that Anthony passed away. We sort a feel like time bombs waiting to go off. We could break down any minute.

Last night Junkers had a private party for their closing. That was hard, especially for me since I worked there for a very long time, 9 years. Chad Brownlee is in town, so the Junkers had him singing. The entire night was very emotional for everyone, but it sure was a good time. We will miss Junkers Grill and Bar very much!

Saturday is approaching fast. We are getting excited about the Jersey party, Anthony's most known for party. It will be this Saturday, April 12 at 5:30. We will be watching the NCAA championship game at 6:00 p. m. So if you have a jersey and want to join us, feel free.

We would like to thank everyone for all the support we have received this week and for the past 2 years. There are days that we would not get through with out all of you! Thank you!

Friday, March 28, 2008 5:08 PM CDT

Wow, it sure has been a while.

We've been thinking about Anthony a lot the past couple of weeks. Last Friday was 3 years since he had his transplant. He actually received his transplant on Good Friday 2005. So, Easter weekend was pretty tough. You still have those thoughts that go through your head, the what if's.

We are soon coming up on the 2 year anniversary on April 12. It's so hard to believe that Anthony has been gone for 2 years. It seems like yesterday that he was born. Not a day goes by that we don't think about Anthony, shed a tear or laugh about all the funny stuff he used to do.

The hockey season has come to a close and what a very disappointing ending for the Mavs. Anthony would have loved the last series against the Gophers, though. It was exciting and lots of action. Anthony also would have been giving his Mom a really bad time. I actually had blisters from ringing his cow bell so much. The only thing left for this hockey season will be the 3rd Annual Jersey Party. We have decided that it will be on Anthony's Anniversary, April 12. We fingured that is when Anthony would want to have it.
More details later on the party.

Spring is almost upon us. It's finally starting to get into the upper 40's during the day. What a heat wave!! It's been a very cold winter.

Jessie and Laser are doing good. You sure can tell when Jessie misses Anthony. She sits and looks at Anthony's picture. Sometimes it really touches my heart the way she looks at the photos. I often wonder what is going through her head.

Michael and I would like to thank everyone who continues to check in on us. Please sign the guestbook, especially if you haven't in a while. We love hearing from you, I know Anthony would to.


Miss you and Love you even more Anth!
Mom and Dad

Thursday, February 14, 2008 7:27 AM CST

Happy Vaelentine's Day Sweetheart!

Miss you and Love you so very, very much! You are my Valentine forever. We love our Anthony.

I Love you more, (remember the games Anth?)
Mom and Dad

Friday, February 8, 2008 7:19 AM CST

HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY ANTHONY!!!!!

We will be doing a few of Anthony's favorite things this weekend. We are going to Mazatlan for dinner tonight (Anthony's favorite restaurant). Then we will be heading to watch the Mavericks take on Alaska Anchorage. There couldn't be a better team that the Mavs could be playing on Anth's birthday. His all time favorite trip was to Anchorage. Tomorrow we are having a pre-game get together and off to watch the Mavs take on Anchorage again. Anthony would love what we have planned for him.

We love you and miss you so much. We all hope you have a wonderful birthday in heaven.

Love you lots,
Mom and Dad

Saturday, February 2, 2008 9:20 AM CST

Well January was a really busy month. I did a lot of traveling for work. I was gone 13 of the 31 days in January. Boy was Laser mad at me for being gone so much. When I got home and finally put my suitcase away, he wouldn't leave my side. If I sat down, we would jump on top of me. He walked so close to me that I would trip on him. He's getting better now. Of course, Jessie was really happy to me, but she's had more experience with me being gone for a week at a time.

Michael been doing well. Both of us have had a round of colds this season. We have been lucky though, it hasn't been as bad as what a lot of people have gotten.

It's now 6 days before Anthony's 11th birthday. I think we may have a little get together to celebrate.

I've really been missing him lately. It all started when I went to Florida. I saw a dad and his son playing in the pool. It reminded me so much of Michael and Anthony when we were at a hotel. Anthony would stand on the edge of the pool with Michael in the water and Anthony would jump right in. Michael would then carry him around the pool while Anth would pinch his checks or splash water on me as they went by. We would laugh so hard. Those days I miss so much!!! When we lived in Rapidan, we had a fairly large pool (about 4' deep) in the back yard. We would spend hours in there. Anthony would wear his blow up arm floaties. He would chase us in circles, trying to splash us and giggle.

Not much more going on. We will be getting ready for the 3rd Annual Jersey Party after the hockey season is over. We are also working on a Fundraiser for The Anthony Ford Memorial Fund. I'll post the information when we have a date set.

Thanks to all of you that continue to check this site and give us your continued support. Without all of you, some of the days would be really hard to get through. Thank you!!


Hey Little Man,
Hope you've been enjoying the last few hockey games. Can't wait to celebrate your birthday. If there's anyting special you'd like us to do, let us know. We love you sweetheart! Miss you everyday and can't wait to spend time with you again.

Love you lots,
Mom and Dad

Tuesday, January 1, 2008 2:43 PM CST

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope everyone's holidays went well. Michael and I didn't do much over the holidays. Christmas Eve, Michael, myself and Jessie met up with Larry, Ellen and Brain Wild at the Peds Unit at ISJ (the hospital in Mankato)to visit any kids that were stuck in the hospital over Christmas. To our suprise, there were no kids in the hospital. Michael and I had taken a PS2 with a couple of games for the Peds Unit. The PS2 is from the Anthony Ford Memorial Fund. Since there weren't any kids in the hospital, Michael and I took Jessie down to the Hospice/Cancer unit to visit the patients. They were so happy to see us and even more excited to see Jessie. That was worth the trip to put a smile on the patients faces. Christmas day was pretty low key.

We did nothing for New Year's. Michael and I both had to work on New Year's Eve, so we were pretty tired when we got home. I've also been battling an ear infection. This is the second one in a month. Today we aren't doing much either. It's very too windy and cold. I guess this is what Minnesota winters are suppose to be like.

I guess I don't have much more to write about for now. Thanks to everyone who continues to check in on us. We appreciate every one of you!! God bless you in the New Year.

Hey Anth,
I bet you had a great time bringing in the New Year in Heaven. Again, Mom couldn't stay up til midnight. I can hear you giving me a bad time about going to bed early. We love you sweatheart! Missing you every day.

Mom and Dad

Saturday, December 22, 2007 7:47 AM CST

Christmas is fast approaching. This is one of the hardest journals for me to write. This is the time of year that Anthony loved the most. The twingle in his eye and the smile on his face everytime we did or said something that had to do with Christmas. He always looked forward to his Christmas programs at church. He was so excited about Santa. I remember the year Anthony got to meet Santa at our house on Christmas day. Thanks Sis for making that happen for Anthony. Then there was our last Christmas together. It couldn't of been more perfect. Chirstmas Eve we went to church with the Leberts and out for lunch to Bandana Brewery to play some pool, which thanks to Anth has become a tradition. As we came home, we had to take a priceless picture of Anthony, he had a pair of jeans on. Anyone and everyone who knows Anth, knows he lived in wind pants, grandma pants or sweat pants. Uncle Mike sure gave him a bad time when he found out and saw the pictur we had taken. That evening as Michael, Anthony and I opened our presents, it was the most wonderful time. Athony received a Patrick Roy (Anthony's favorite goalie from the Avalanche) plack with all the stats of his career and a picture. He opened it up with the biggest smile on his face, looked at Michael and I and said, "You shouldn't have". Christmas morning, I wake up to Anthony's face about 2 inches from mine at 3:30 in the morning. Anth had gotten up to use the bathroom and immediately came to wake me up. He just knew Santa had come. Anthony was more excited than I had ever seen him. So, Michael, myself, Anthony and even Jessie headed down stairs where Anthony's and Jessie's stocking were hung. Yes, Santa had been here. He opened everything that Santa brought for him and even Jessie received some special gifts. We were up for about 1/2 an hour when we decided it was time to head back to bed. What a wonderful Christmas that was. Memories like the ones of that Christmas will always be close to our hearts.

We hope that all of you have a safe and wonderful Christmas. Anthony always reminded us what the true meaning of Christmas is. It's not the hustle and stress that we put on ourselves shopping and cooking, it's about the birth our Lord Jesus Christ. As you are with your families this holiday season, thank God for giving us his wonderful Son, Jesus and all the miracles He proforms on a daily bases.

Merry Christmas and God's blessing to all of you.


Anthony,
Merry Christmas little man. Have a spectacular Christmas with Jesus. Love you so much and missing you even more.
Mom and Dad

Thursday, November 22, 2007 8:28 AM CST

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The last couple of days have been rough. We miss Anthony so much. Michael was cleaning out the truck the other night and found a couple of Candy Land game pieces stuck under the seat. There are so many memories of trips we all went on, listening to Anthony sing and raddle on about anything and everything. Like usual, we start out crying, but end up laughing. Like Michael said, the strangest things will creep up and side swipe you. I would expect quite a bit of it the next few months with the holidays and Anthony's birthday coming up.

Michael has been really sick since his Dad's funeral. He has had a sinus infection and now it's moving into his chest. He went back to the doctor yesterday and they put him on more antibiotics. I hope this will kick it. I have been feeling pretty well. I sure hope I don't get his cold.

The dogs are good. Yesterday I got home from work before Michael and was greeted at the door by Jessie. I looked at her kennel and the door was wide open. I'm thinking she had a little help because someone wanted to play. Laser was having a fit since he was still in his kennel. When this happens, we just have to laugh and ask Anthony if he had fun playing with her. I think Jessie has been missing Anthony alot the last few days. The other day she was sitting in the chair next to Anthony's Urn staring at it. She would look at his pictures we have by it and it almost looked like she was crying. It really breaks my heart when she does that. It just goes to show how much she really loved him.
Which brings me to a story. When we got Jessie, we adopted her from the Humane Society. The day we got her Logan (Anthony's best buddy) was with us. We all held her to see how she would respond to us, well, she peed on Logan. Anthony laughed so hard. After Jessie got a little older, Anthony would pick up her front paws and dance with her. At that moment, I often wondered what was going through her head. I think Jessie was the best thing we every got for Anthony. He really loved her.

Well, I best be get back to cooking for Thanksgiving. Again, we would like to wish everyone a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks to all of you for checking in on us and for all you continue to do for us. We appreciate everyone of you.


Hey Anth-
Wish you were here to watch the parades with me today. We love you so much.

Mom and Dad.

Thursday, November 8, 2007 7:23 AM CST

We had a pretty fun Halloween. We had 40 kids and it was really fun to see all the costumes. Since then, we haven't been up to much. Michael has been working a lot.

We received some bad news Tuesday night. Michael's dad passed away unexpectedly. So far, Michael has been doing okay. He knows that Anthony was there to meet Don when he crossed over. Please remember Michael and his family in your prayers.

Not much more going on right now. I'll try to update after we get through the funeral and everything. Thank you for all the continued support.

Anthony,
We love you! Take care of Don for us and show him what fun Heaven can be!!
Love you and miss you buddy,
Mom and Dad

Sunday, October 28, 2007 11:37 AM CDT

Wow, how time flies.

Michael and I have been getting revved up for hockey. We made our first road trip last weekend. We went to the U. P. of Michigan (Michigan Tech). Very interesting place, or might I say boring. We now know why the guys hate making this trip. It was still nice to get away since we hadn't been able to all summer.

Halloween is just about apon us, so I have an Anthony story to share. It was the Halloween before Anthony had passed. He really didn't know what he wanted to be. We thought and thought, when Jane (Logan's Mom) came up with that Anthony could be President Bush. Jane had all whole outfit from the suit, tie, to the Bush mask. Anthony thought that was a good idea. The night of Halloween, Chad Brownlee and Austin Sutter came over for dinner and decided to go Trick or Treating with Anthony and I. Boy what a great time we all had. Anthony would walk up to the houses in our neighborhood, along with Chad and Austin. I stood back and laughed, Chad and Austin looked like Anthony's body guards. The comments Anthony received were halarious. He really pulled a good one over Kelsey (Kissio's old girl friend) that night. She could figure out who that was. The other person he really pulled a good trick on was Mark Hinz. He went up to the door, rang the bell and hid in the bushes. He did that about 3-4 times. Mark was getting a little irritated. Finally Anthony jumped out and told Mark he wanted candy or he would raise his taxes. The funny thing about it, Mark is Canadian. Anthony had the time of his life that night. I really miss his humor, his smile and that laugh. Anthony always brought so much joy into our lives. Only to have that feeling again.

Thanks for checking up on us. Everyone have a save and happy Halloween. Please sign the guest book, we love to know who is stopping by.

Hey Anthony,
I'm sure this year for Halloween, you will be the brightest and most wonderful Angel in Heaven. We love you Buddy and miss you so much!!
Mom and Dad

Saturday, September 8, 2007 11:55 AM CDT

Sorry that's it has been a while. I really haven't felt like updating lately.

We haven't been doing to much. Michael celebrated his birthday in August. We had a little get together for that. We golfed in the Carlson Craft Golf Tournament the last weekend in August. We even took first place in our flight. That was a complete shock to us, Anthony must of been there helping. He really liked to golf. Actually, this was the first time Michael had ever went golfing. He must of liked it, because him and I went again last weekend.

We've been hanging out at home quite a bit. Counting down the days until hockey season starts. We have 5 weeks until we make our first road trip. We can't wait. The only bad thing about hockey season being so close, that means the cold weather is getting closer.

Jessie and Laser are doing good. They have been really lazy lately. Lazer loves to be outside when it is so cool out.

We've been thinking about Anthony alot lately. He seems to constantly be on our minds. We are missing him so much!!

Well, not much more going on. Thank you for continuing to check in on us. We are so blessed to have so many great friends and family.

Love you Anthony and missing you so much!
Mom and Dad

Saturday, August 4, 2007 7:09 PM CDT

I know it's been a while since the last update. Sorry about that. I've been having a hard time lately. I miss Anthony so much. The Relay brought back so many memories, it was like reliving everything all over again. I'm finally starting to come back around. It's hard to believe that something so simple could hit me like a brick.

I would like to thank everyone who helped with Anthony's Army by donating their time and those of you who donated whatever you could to help fight Cancer. The team did so much to honor Anthony and it really was an amazing night. Logan was the real trooper of the team. He did almost every lap in honor of his best bud. He finally crashed around 4:00 a. m. No wonder why Anthony and Logan got along so well, both of them always staying up until they just couldn't stay up any longer. You're amazing Logan!!

I've been trying to think of an Anthony story to write since I haven't done that in a while, but there are so many, I don't know which one to write. I guess since the Vikings are in town, a good one would be when he got to meet Michael Bennett and Moe Williams. The picture on this page is when Michael took Anthony cruising in his Hummer. Bennett wanted to buy Anthony some lunch from Culver's, which Anthony politely said "No thank you". Now this totally shocked me since Culver's was one of Anthony's favorite places to go. The next night, the Vikings had a scrimmage that Anthony was given tickets to. When Michael and Moe were coming off the field, they saw Anthony and Michael Bennett yells over, "Hey there's Anthony". Michael and Moe come up and gave Anthony five. Chris, Jimmy and Debbie Clark were with us. Of course Chris couldn't believe out of all the people that were there, they called out to Anthony. Anthony had so much fun that training camp. I will charish those memories forever.

Thank you to everyone who checks in on us and for the continued prayers. God's blessings to all of you.

Missing you and loving you Anthony.
Mom and Dad

Sunday, July 15, 2007 12:11 AM CDT

We've been keeping pretty busy. We had an awesome 4th of July. We had a few friends over and watched the fire works. Otherwise, we haven't been doing much, but yet we seem like we are always on the go.

The Relay for Life is this Friday (July 20) at Ray Erlandson Park. There will be lots of fun stuff going on. At our campsite, we will be selling trail mix, having a slap shot game and we will be doing a Chuck-A-Puck into the tennis court. We have a couple of prizes for the Chuck-A-Puck. We will giving away a Knee Hockey set and a MSU Men's Hockey sweat shirt. We also will be having a silent auction at our campsite. We will be auctioning off Nick Canzanello's away hockey jersy. I hope you can make it. The Relay will be a really fun time.

Thank you to all of you for checking in on us. Please sign the guestbook so we know you stopped by.


Hey Anth,
Hope you will be joining us on Friday. Mom will take a lot of pictures, so I hope we see you in some of them. We miss you sweatheart and love you so much.
Mom and Dad

Friday, June 29, 2007 3:34 PM CDT

What an amazing day!!! Former MSU Men's Maverick Hockey player, Ryan Carter, was in Mankato today with the Stanley Cup!! It was so amazing you can't even put it into words. I only wish Anthony would have been here to see it. Anthony would have so excited and had a smile from ear to ear.

Everything here has been going pretty well. We are keeping busy. We are already planning our travels for this coming up hockey season. We can't wait for it to start.

The garage sale for Relay for Life went very well. Now we will be getting things together for the actual Relay. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks what our camp site games and prizes will be.

Not much more going on. The dogs are doing fine. Jessie loves the heat and Laser, well he doesn't care for it too much. Right now Laser has decided that it's nap time. He's on his back with all fours in the air. Looks pretty humorous. Laser has a birthday next week. We are looking forward to that. We are hoping that the "puppy" in him will start to tame down.

Thanks to everyone for all your support. We hope everyone has a great 4th of July. Stay safe.

We miss you Anthony. The only thing that could have made this day any better would have been to have you here. We love you sweetheart!

Mom and Dad

Saturday, June 9, 2007 4:07 PM CDT

We've been doing pretty well. We have been having a few Anthony days lately. We miss him so much. I had one of our friends ask us if it really gets better over time. My response was NO!! The hurt, empty feeling, the loneliness for your child and all the around sadness that your child is gone is a reality that we face every day. It doesn't get easier, it's just longer between the break downs.

We've been keeping ourselves busy. Yard work, cleaning the house, all the everyday stuff. We've been spending time with friends and family. We went to Tanner's graduation party last night. That was pretty fun. It was great to see my nephews, since we don't get to see them much. We also got to see quite a few people that we haven't seen in a long time. It was nice.

How about those Anahium Ducks? It was awesome to see Ryan Carter playing. Of course, Michael and I were very excited when they won the cup!!

We've been busy with The Anthony Ford Memorial Fund. I don't think Michael and I realized what a long process this was going to be. We have been making some real progress in the last month. Hopefully things will be up and going soon and then I can give all of you more information on it.

The Relay for Life is going well. Things are also coming together for that. We will have a big suprise for the Relay also. I will let you know what that is when the time get closer.

Thank you to everyone who is still supporting us. Words will never be able to express the gratitude we have towards all of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!



Hey Anthony,
We love you so much. We really miss your smile, laugh, hugs and kisses. We really miss hearing you say how much you love us. Miss you buddy!
Mom and Dad

Sunday, May 27, 2007 10:25 AM CDT

May 30:
Anthony would want me to let everyone know that today is Jessie's birthday. She turns 2 today!!


We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend. Ours is pretty low key. We are doing a little yard work (planting flowers mostly), house cleaning and over all relaxing.

It's been another tough weekend for us. This is one of those weekends that Anthony would love to "camp out". Well, to Anthony, camping out (if it was too yukky to be outside in the tent or if we didn't feel like setting it up) is putting the air mattress out on the living room floor. We would stay up to all hours of the night watching strange T. V. shows, laughing and having fun. I told Michael last night that we should "camp out". We didn't, but it was fun talking about all the memories we have of when we did.

One of Anthony's camp out nights, he wanted to set a record on staying up. He saw a commercial for Beat The Clock. He really wanted to watch that. It was on at 4:30 in the morning. Well, he made it and when it came on, it was in black and white. He looked at Michael and said, "I stayed up for this?"
Then he told Michael, "Let's go to bed." In the mornings after camping out, I would make a big breakfast. It would consist of Anthony's favorite. PANCAKES! He would love to use food coloring to make his pancakes different colors. Who in the world would want boring cream colored pancakes? We would have purple, blue, yellow, red, green or any color he could come up with. I can remember one day we had grey pancakes. Boy, that was appetizing. We had so much fun making them.

Sometimes it's so hard to express the empty feeling we have.
We go somewhere and we feel like we have forgotten something. Those days are so hard.

I am very excited about the Relay for Life this year. We have some really fun things planned for our campsite. Lots for the kids!!! We will also be having a Garage Sale/Bake Sale June 22 & 23. I will list more details when the time gets closer.

Thank you to all of you who keep checking in on us and the continued prayers and support. Please sign the guestbook. We still love hearing from all of you.


Anthony,
We love you sweatheart and miss you so much!!!

Love forever,
Mom and Dad

Saturday, May 12, 2007 4:08 PM CDT

Happy Mother's Day!

The fundraiser for Anthony's Army went pretty well. It was a lot of fun. I know Logan, Tyler and Alec had a blast. Thank you to all of you that helped and came to give your support.

This has been another long week for Michael and I. I, especially, have had a tough time later in the week. I thought I would do okay with Mother's Day this year, but I have really been missing Anthony, not to mention all I do is think about him. Last night Michael and I started to talk about him and I just started to cry. How I miss my son! Sometimes it gets so frustrating, you think you are doing okay and BAM it hits you all over again that he's gone.

We've had a few sad moments in the last week in half, Kurtis, Lucas and Chad have left to go back to Canada. Michael and I have done quite a bit of reminiscing about when we first met these guys. How wonderful they have been to Michael and I and especially Anthony. How Anthony loved to spend time with them and how they were more like big brothers to Anthony. We have quite the stories that made Michael and laugh. We are certainly going to miss them. Michael made the comment that now we know how their parents felt when they left home to come here. On a better note, Chris is still here.

We are puppy sitting tonight. We have Laser's brother, Monty, staying overnight. Those two are something else together. They are so funny. Jessie runs the other way. She doesn't want any part of what those two conjure up.

We would like to thank all of you for your continued support, prayers, visits and phone calls. Please sign the guestbook so we know you've stopped by. We love hearing from everyone.

Anthony,
Thank you for saving the purple tulips for me! You know exactly where they are, since tulips were your favorite. Thanks buddy! We love you so much and miss you even more.
Love you Anthony,
Mom and Dad

Saturday, May 5, 2007 8:53 AM CDT

This week seemed extremely long and some what tough. We have really missed Anthony this week. Anthony loved this time of the year so much. He loved the flowers (Tulips are his favorite), the trees blooming, the excitment of playing catch in the yard and the picnics we would go on. We planted a Crab Apple tree in front of Anthony's window last spring, it is blooming like crazy and is so fragrant! It's beautiful. I know if Anthony was still here, he would have loved sitting in his room looking at it. When we look at it we wish Anth could be here to see it. How we miss the little things we did with Anthony and how he appreciated and embraced everything he did. What an amazing child!

I would like to remind everyone about the fundraiser at Culver's on Madison Ave. on Tuesday, May 8 from 5-7 p.m. Culver's will donate a percentage of all the sales in that time to Anthony's Army/Relay for Life. We hope to see all of you there!

Tonight we will be going to watch Chad Brownlee sing at Junker's. He will start around 8:30.

Tomorrow is the MSU Academic Banquet. We will be attending with Jimmy and Debbie Clark. Chris will be receiving an award. We are so proud of you Chris!

We have also been busy working on Anthony's Memorial Fund. Things are now moving right along. We didn't realize that it took so much time and paperwork to get things going. We have a great Board of people working with us. Without them, I don't think we would be as far as we are. I think Anthony has been giving us guidance throughout this project.

Not much more to write for now. Thanks to all of you that keep checking the site and signing the guestbook. We love hearing from everyone. Also for all the continued support and love that you give us.

Anthony,
We love you more than words can say. Hope you're enjoying your spring in Heaven!
Love forever,
Mom and Dad

Saturday, April 28, 2007 11:27 AM CDT

The "jersey party" was a great success. Fun was had by all!!

Last weekend Chad Brownlee played at Junker's. We went and listened to him. He is amazing. If anyone would like to see him play, he will be at Junker's again the night of May 5.

Last night we have a few people over for the 1st summer party. It was such a beautiful evening. We played games outside and of course, Michael, Chris, Logan and Tyler had to be some hockey in the drive way.

Today Michael and I went to some garage sales. Didn't find much, but had a great memory of Anthony. We stop at a house that had some collectibles. They had a ceramic windmill. Michael and started to laugh. When I would say something that didn't make sense or I didn't quite understand what Anthony or Michael would be talking about (I would say this would be caused by selective hearing most of the time), Anthony would take his index finger of both hands and make circles on the side of his head and tell me that I was a windmill. Needless to say, Anthony gave me the windmill sign a lot! I told Michael that if we got that, Anthony certainly would be laughing at me.

I would like to let everyone know that we have put a team together for Relay for Life. Our team is Anthony's Army. We will be having a fundraiser May 8th at Culver's on Madison Ave. Culver's has offered to donate a percentage of the all the sales they make from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Please spread the word.

We would like to thank everyone for your continued support. We are so blessed to have such a great family and friends!

Anthony,
We want you to know how much we Love you and miss you. Thanks for all the special things you do to remind us you're still around. Love you more every day.
Mom and Dad

Friday, April 13, 2007 8:52 PM CDT

Yesterday was full of tears and laughs. It is so hard to believe that Anthony has now been gone a year. We talked a lot about the memories we have. Everytime we start to tear up, we think of something Anthony would say or do and we start to laugh. He was always the comedian and trickster in our house. Well, his Dad did teach him everything he knows, or maybe it was the other way around??

We are gearing up for the "Jersey" party tomorrow night. Once again, it will be a grand celebration of Anthony's life. I'm sure Anthony will make his presence known tomorrow night.

Thank you to everyone for all your support, prayer, phone calls, and e-mails this week. It really means so much to Michael and I that Anthony still lives on in your hearts.

Hey Anth,
Celebrate good times, come on! It's a CELELBRATION!
We love you Anthony!!!
Mom and Dad

Sunday, April 8, 2007 1:13 PM CDT

Happy Easter to all!!

We haven't been up to much. Michael and I have been working and taking care of the dogs. We are ready for the warm weather so we can get outside and some yard work.

We are fastly approaching the year anniversary of Anthony going to Heaven. It doesn't really seem possible that it's been a year already. We still come home from work and think Anthony will be here to greet us with his wonderful smile and his little giggle. Not to mention, the big hugs and kisses he always had waiting for us. How we miss you little man!

We will be celebrating his life next weekend, April 14, with the 2nd annual "Jersey" party. Last year,11 days before Anthony passed away, he woke up on a Saturday morning and decided he wanted to have a party. Not any party, a HUGE party and it was going to be a theme party. This is where the "Jersey" party came from. We put the party together in 6 hours and ended up having about 50-60 people here. The next morning, Anthony was already planning this years party. Since Anthony had such a fun time, we thought what better way to celebrate him, the fun he loved to have, than have another party in is honor! I do believe that this may be a yearly event from here on out. I do know that Anthony will be here to celebrate with us.

Thank you all for the continued support and prayers. There are days with out all of you, that Michael and I wouldn't make it through. Thanks for being part of our lives and our family.

Hey Anthony,
We hope that this year's "Jersey" party is everything you dreamed of and more! We miss you and love you so much.

We LOVE you sweetheart!
Mom and Dad

Saturday, March 10, 2007 8:29 AM CST

There hasn't been much going on with us. It's been a little quiet since we got back from vacation. We are finally back on our time zone. We both were pretty tired for about a week.

I have another funny story about Anth. Last night Michael and I were listening to the Mavs on the radio (they are playing the Fighting Souix in ND) and going back and forth on T. V. between the boys high school hockey tourney and Alaska Achorage against U of M when all of a sudden I just start laughing and say, "this is your time, play your game". Michael & I started to laughed so hard. That was the famous Herb Brooks line from the movie "Miracle". Anthony also Loved to use this famous line. It was the spring of 2005, he was playing for the Stanley Cup on PS2. He was always the Colorado Avalache when he played PS2. Michael & I were in the kitchen and we hear, "Play your game, play your game". Anthony was telling his Colorado Avalache on PS2 to play their game so they could win the Stanley Cup. You would have thought that he was really the coach. Then Anth started to giggle and what a giggle he had. We all started laughing. What an imagination and we never knew when things would come out of his mouth next. How we both miss that! Thanks Anthony for putting that thought into my head. Things like that keep reminding your Dad and I you're still with us.

We are only a few weeks away from the 1 year anniversary of Anthony going to heaven. It's so hard to believe that it's been that long already and we have been with out him physically here that long. It really seems like yesterday. There are days you can hear his laugh and see him sitting on the couch playing PS2 or even chasing Jessie up and down the hall. How he loved to torment Jessie, but he also loved to cuddle with her. Anthony really loves Jessie!! You can see it in her eyes sometimes on how much she really misses Anthony. She will walk into his room and lay on the floor. She will jump on his bed to lay on his pillow or even lay in the spot on the couch just like when he was here. We miss him terribly!

Thank you for the continued support, prayers and everyone checking up on us. It's so wonderful to have such an amazing family and friends. Please sign the guestbook to let us know you have checked in. We love hearing from everyone!

To my little man,
We know it is coming up on a year, but we also know that you are happy, well and having the time of your life. We miss you so much every day. We only wish, at times, that we could hold you, kiss you and tell you how much we love you just one more time! Please know that you are always in our thoughts and hearts. We love you more than words can say.
Love you buddy,
Mom and Dad

Monday, February 26, 2007 7:15 PM CST

Anthony's birthday was a great success!! Thank you again to everyone who shared the day with us. Anthony would have loved it! As a matter of fact, I know he loved it.

We have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks. Michael and I went on a vacation to Alaska. That was one of Anthony's requests, he wanted Michael and I to go there and enjoy it like he did. That is exactly what we did. It was so wonderful to get away from it all. Anthony would have loved the trip. There were times that we could feel him around us. I know for sure he was there when I bit it in the snow. All I could hear in my mind was, "Mom, you're such a loser!" and him laughing at me. We got back on Tuesday last week and Wednesday I hopped on another plane to Fort Lauderdale. This trip was business. It still was fun and very warm! Michael had a ball with the dogs. They really missed us even though they had a great time with Lars while we were in Alaska. I think having Laser around cured Larry of wanting another dog anytime soon. Yes, Laser can be a pill and has a mind of his own. Last night Michael and I laughed so hard at Laser. He fell asleep under the end table with his head on one of his bones and he had his paw around the other bone. What a dog! Jessie is doing well. She just puts up with Laser's shananigans.

Laser sure does love all the snow we had over the weekend. He jumps head first into it, literally! It really makes us miss Anthony when it snows. He would love to make snow angels and forts. Oh yeah, I can't forget the sledding.

Not much more going on. Hockey season is about to the end. I think it will be hard for us when it is. We won't be as busy and that's when things get tough, when we don't have much to do.

Thank you for checking in on us, for all your continued support and prayers. We so appreciate all of you!

We love you Anthony! Hope you having an awesome time in heaven.

Miss you lots buddy,
Mom and Dad

Thursday, February 8, 2007 7:04 AM CST

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY LITTLE MAN!!!

We hope you enjoy the birthday celebration we have planned for you tonight and all weekend long. I'm sure you will be having a grand celebration in heaven too. Cuz we all know how much you love a party!! I positive you will be right in the middle of all the fun.

I know that Anthony really appreciates all the birthday wishes and everyone who is helping to celebrate his birthday with Michael and I. Thank you to Chris, Chad, John, Matt and R.J. for coming over last night. A very special thanks to our family and friends who will be with us tonight and this weekend. We couldn't do this with out all of you!!!

Words can't express how much we love you and miss you Anthony!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Love you lots,
Mom and Dad

Tuesday, January 30, 2007 5:36 PM CST

I thought with the Super Bowl just around the corner, I would share a very cute but funny story about Anthony. Anthony also like to watch and play football. He was 5 years old when he and his dad would play football in the living room. Yes, I said in the living room. Well, Michael would sit on the floor in front of the couch and Anthony would run at him with the football. Anthony would need to jump over Michael on to couch to make a touch down. One day I was doing laundry and dropped a bounce sheet. Anth thought that would make a great "flag" for penalties. Now a penalty would consist of Michael tickeling him or stopping him in some way or another from jumping onto the couch. Anthony would pick up the bounce sheet and throw it to the floor. Okay, knowing Anthony, he went one step further on one of his touch down plays. Anth and Michael were arguing if Anth made a touch down. Anthony thought there should be a challange on the play. Anthony walked over to the love seat arm, put his hands around his face and looked into the arm. This was where he was review the play. Of course, it took Michael and I a minute to figure out what he was doing exactly. Anthony looked in the arm of the love seat for about 1-2 minutes. He then turned around and said "after reviewing the play, the call stands. TOUCH DOWN." Michael and I laughed so hard. What an imagination that kid had! Anthony always had a way to make everyone laugh. We really miss that.

Next week we have another mile stone. February 8 will be Anthony's 10th birthday. I'm sure that will be a very hard day for all of us.

Otherwise, we haven't been up to much. I went to Orlando for work a week and a half weeks ago. Brought home a cold. That's been really fun. I wish it would hurry up and go away. Michael has been taking in a lot of hockey, Mankato East, Mankato West, U10 girls team, Logan and Tyler. The dogs are doing great. They are inseparable. Laser is getting big, but Jessie can still take him. Laser loves the snow. He will barrel right in, while Jessie, on the other hand, tip toes through the snow. Not much more going on here. Looking forward to some warmer weather, at least warm enough to be outside.

Thanks to all of you who continue to check up on us and support us. We appreciate everything all of you do for us. Please sign the guestbook, we love hearing from you. Remember to tell your kids how much you love them and give lots of hugs!!

Missing you and Loving you Anthony! Hope your having a blast in heaven!

Thursday, January 11, 2007 7:35 PM CST

We've been having a hard time lately. I think with the holidays done, we've really had time to think about Anthony. How we miss him.

We were talking the other day about Anthony and all the funny things he would do and say. I would like to share a couple of those things. When we lived in Rapidan, we lived in a two story house. When Anthony was about 4, he would get up in the morning, go to the bathroom and all of a sudden we would hear "my knee hurts". Well, this meant he didn't feel like walking down the stairs and wanted someone to carry him. Yes, he got carried down to steps to the couch. Then he would jump up and run to his play room. So much for his knee hurting! This just didn't happen in the morning, but anytime he was in the bathroom and didn't want to walk back down the stairs. As a matter of fact, it would even happen when he didn't feel like walking up the stairs. What a kid!

Last night, Michael was looking up hockey stats on the computer. I told him that if Anthony was here, he would have booted him off the chair and said to him, "Dad, just let me do that". Any time Michael or I were on the computer and we were going to look up something that Anthony really liked, he would kinda push your arm and say "I'll do it" or "Just let me". He thought he was so smart, well he was! Sometimes too smart. That kid knew stuff about computers that I will never know. One of Anthony's other favorite pass times on the computer was when he was at his Aunt Rhonda's. He would go the weather bug and play trivia. He would stump his Aunt Rhonda a lot. He didn't miss many of the questions. When you asked him how he knew that, once in a while he would say "I just guessed". I don't believe that for one minute.

Well, thanks for letting me share a couple of memories of Anth. We have more and we will share again soon. Those of you who really knew Anth's sense of humor will get a kick out of it.

I would like to thank all of you for your continued support. It really helps get through those tough days, which seem to be more right now. Give your kids, nieces, nephews and even friends hugs. Everyone needs them now and then.

Missing you everyday Anthony, Loving even more!!!

Monday, January 1, 2007 10:05 AM CST

Happy New Year!

We hope that everyone has had a wonderful holiday season.

We made it through our first Christmas and New Year's with out Anthony here physically thanks to family and a lot of friends. Although, he was never too far from our minds or hearts. It was still really hard, but having everyone around us helped. At times, it didn't really feel like Christmas. Anthony was always so excited about everything that had to do with Christmas. We really miss that. Right from the start on Christmas Eve morning, Anthony would be bouncing off the walls. He loved going to church with his best buddy Logan and hanging with them afterwards. Yes, Michael and I did do that. I think going to church was the hardest part of the whole day for us. Anthony so loved going to church on Christmas Eve. Michael and I tried to enjoy the rest of the day. Like I said, if it wouldn't been for family and friends, we wounldn't of made it. Christmas day was so different not getting woken up at 4:00 a.m. to see if Santa came. Michael and I didn't really do anything Christmas Day. We slept a lot, which I think was okay.

Last night we stayed home. Since we got 10" of snow yesterday, we didn't feel like being out on the roads. We had a very nice night. We talked a lot about Anthony, watched T. V. and we made a very nice dinner. Anthony's favorite dinner that we would have every New Year's Eve (steak and crab legs). The only thing that was missing was Anthony's wine (sparkling cider). Michael and I laughed for quite a while about Anthony's wine. What a kid! I was suprised, both of us even made it to midnight. It wasn't long after, we were both in bed sleeping.

There really isn't much going on here. We have been really missing our little guy. His laugh, smile and witty remarks, but yet it seems like yesterday when we had all those things. We wish everyone a very Happy New Year.

A special Happy New Year to our little man in heaven. I bet it was awesome to be spending it with Jesus. We love you and miss you so much Anth.

Remember to hug those kids!

Friday, December 15, 2006 0:02 AM CST

We have a special prayer request. Anthony's friend Chassity (her site is below) has had a long battle with Cancer and she has now conquered it. She earned her wings on Monday, December 18. Please pray for her family and her friends. Thank you!




It has been a while since we have updated the website, I guess this is time of year turned out to be hard than we expected. We miss him so much now that Christmas is right around the corner, it just isn't any fun shopping without Anthony to buy presents for, he was always such a good kid all year that Santa was very good to him. We have bought a few things he would have liked for his room, but that's about it.

Robin and I went to Denver this weekend to watch the Mavs play and to get one more step towards Anthony's wish for us to go to all the WCHA hockey rinks, and the Pepsi Center in Denver. We have new pictures for you from our trip, and we like to thank the mavs for their support. The flight there was full of delays, but in Denver it was 65 degrees so it was worth the wait.

Laser got a haircut(I call it a buzz job) but he does look really cute(for a boy, so much for the spiked collar for his Christmas present).

Anthony's foundation is a slow going process, but I think in the end, we will be happy with the results of our efforts. We have some very big plans for the hockey community but we need to find out if this can become a reality before we start getting too excited. We want to get a website going for Anthony's foundation, but what you see is basically all the computer knowledge I pocess(any help out there?).

Robin and I have our days, but we seem to be handling the approaching holidays quite well. Anthony has been on our minds alot lately, the memories never fade, they seem to only get stronger. We miss most of all the simple times were we would all be hanging around talking, just being a family I guess.

Thanks for hanging in there, we still thank you for your support and prayers. This is the time of year were your children shine, don't be afraid to stand in their glow, and watch them with a smile on your face. Be safe this holiday season, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Friday, November 24, 2006 2:35 PM CST

Yesterday was hard not having Anthony here. I miss him so much. The day just seemed to go by, with not much excitment.
It isn't the same with out him here. Watching the parades on T.V. Anthony and I would watch them as I would be making the turkey with all the fixings. Anthony would flip back and forth between the parades and ESPN. He had to keep up on the football games that would be on after the parades. He would be telling me who would be playing and who was injured. It really is the small things that you miss so much! He was always excited about Thanksgiving, he knew that his favorite holiday, Christmas, was right around the corner. After dinner, he would go through all the news paper ads and circle everything he would like to have. That would determine if Mom would be getting up at 4:00 a. m. to go Christmas shopping.

I was going to go do some shopping this morning, but I don't have it me to go. Both Michael and I don't have the ambition to go. This is very tough for us! We did start putting up some of the Christmas decorations. We put up the lights on the house and our yard decorations. We have put a few decorations out in the house. We thought about not putting up a tree this year, but we decided we would. That is what Anth would want. All of this brings so many mixed emotions.

Well, we hope everyone had a great Turkey Day. Thanks for checking in on us and all of the continued support. Don't forget to love those kids up everytime you see them.


LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU ANTHONY.

Thursday, November 16, 2006 6:09 PM CST

We have been busy with a lot of different things these days, dogs, Anthony's foundation, ROBIN'S 40TH BIRTHDAY! Mostly trying to go through life as normal as possible.

We threw a surprise party for Robin Saturday night after the hockey game, I pulled it off great with the help of Ellen Wild and Angie Nolan, Thanks guys! We all had a fun time and we even got to bed a little earlier than we thought.

Laser went under the "LASER" yesterday so he is feeling under the weather, sore I would say. He's a tough guy so I think he will recover in no time.

Thanks for dropping in, I know we are slow at updating but our main goal is Anthony's foundation now, we really have a lot of work to do and timing is everything.

Monday, November 6, 2006 7:09 AM CST

Sorry it's been a long while, but last week was really busy for Michael and I. Where do I start? I guess with the biggest event, no celebration that we've had since Anthony's funeral, the MSU Hockey game this weekend. I don't think we can even put into words how we felt. Michael, myself and Logan (Anthony's best friend) went onto the bench to watch a slide show while Chad's song "The Hero I See" played. Chad wrote this song for Anthony before he passed away. It really came from the heart and lets us know how all who knew Anthony especially Chad felt about Anth. It's a truly amazing song!!
After the song and slide show, Anthony's number was unveiled on a banner that said "Anthony Ford, One Team One Goal, with Anthony's #99 and the Mav Logo. It will forever be hung in the Midwest Wireless Civic Center under the score board. I was and am so proud of my son for the way he touched so many lives. What an incredible boy he was and is!

We really would like to thank everyone that helped put this together, to everyone who came to support us and honor Anthony, and to our family and friends who traveled long distances to be here for Anthony. A very special thank you to a very special person, Carol, who has really helped us through the tough times.

Thank you again for your continued support. We appreciate all of you so much. It really is hard to find words for how we feel sometimes. Love your kids as much as possible, keep hugging them.

We love you Anthony and thanks to you for being an "AWESOME" kid and teaching us so much!!

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 7:14 PM CDT

There really hasn't been much going on. I've been fighting a pretty bad cold for a little over a week. I'm starting to feel somewhat better, but I still have a runny nose and I'm still really tired. Michael has been trying to get as much rest as he can so he doesn't get this aweful cold.

Michael had some training in the Cities last weekend. I didn't do much. I tried to go to the Mall for a very brief time. That didn't last long, I got really tired. Otherwise, we have been laying pretty low.

I would like to share something with you. It's a little something that Michael gave to me. Of course, he had a little help from Anthony.

Dear Mom,

I watch you while your sleeping
And remember when you held me.
I'm lying right beside you
I'm just hard for you to see.

All the books you read to me
Right here in this same spot.
Our special time, just me and you
It really meant a lot.

We laughed, we cried, we shared our thoughts
And fears of the unknown.
You gave me very special gifts
My soul will always own.

You carried me through thick and thin
(Along with "Blue" and "Snowball")
You tried so hard to cure me
When there was no hope at all.

You were my nurse, my doc, my hockey fan,
My friend, and even brother.
You were always what I needed most,
But mostly, you were my Mother.

Although I left, I am close by
And send you hints I'm here.
The Love you feel within your heart,
A scent, a song or ringing ear.

It's great up here in Heaven
AWESOME! I used to say.
The days are always sunny,
the skies are never gray.

The only thing that Heaven needs,
Is the Mom I left on Earth
Who showed me love and tenderness
From the moment of my birth.



I hope all of you enjoy this as much as I do. How I miss you little man, even though I know you are near. Thank you so much for all the signs letting me know you are here. I love you with my whole heart and miss you even more. One day we will be a family again. Until then, my son, I bid you peace and joy! I love you Sweetheart!!!

Thanks to all of you that continue to check the site. Thanks for all the encouraging words. Don't forget give those kids hugs and kisses. Let them know just how much you love them!

Friday, October 6, 2006 4:58 PM CDT

Sorry, it's been a while. Sometimes we just don't feel like updating. Things have been going fairly well. We really miss Anthony with hockey season starting. Michael really misses his stat boy! Anthony could tell you every stat on every player out there. Now Michael actually has to look it up on the internet or call one of the hockey players.

Sunday night went really good. It was so much fun, very emotional, but a lot of fun. The women's team played really well. They gave us a Women's Maverick Hockey Jersey with Ford and #99 on the back. It's really cool!!! I got to drop the ceremonial puck before the game started. That was a little nerve racking. Thanks to all our friends that came to support us. It really meant a lot to Michael and I.

Tonight we will be going to watch the women play UMD. Can't wait. Didn't realize how much we missed watching hockey.

Tomorrow night the men's team start. We are really looking forward to that.

The rest of the weekend we will be laying pretty low.

Laser and Jessie are doing great. Laser is getting so big. Last Friday night we took care of Laser's brother. If that wasn't a trip having 3 dogs in the house. Poor Jessie didn't know what hit her. Finally her and I went into the bedroom to hang out while the boys played in the living room. Jessie and Laser are so cute together. They are just like kids. They fight, they cuddle and chase each other up and down the hallway. It really gets crazy around here sometimes, but overall, it's great to have the 2 dogs. It makes life a challange again.

Thanks to all of you who keep checking in on us. Please sign the guest book so we know you stopped by.

Reminder: November 4th is Anthony's big night at the Mavs game. Mark your calanders!! We all know that Anthony will be there with bells on! Love you buddy and miss you lots!

Friday, September 22, 2006 7:32 AM CDT

I made it back from Vegas. It was a lot of fun, even though I was working. I think it did some good for me to be gone a few days. Michael had "fun" with Jessie and Laser. I think they missed Mom a little bit, they were kinda naughty. Since I got back, neither one of them have left my side. Yep, it's like having two kids in the house. They fight all the time, chase each other and take each others toys and bones. Sometimes you just have to laugh.

Today Jessie and Laser will be getting hair cuts. Laser should really love that, not.

We received a phone call from the head coach of the Lady Mavs hockey team yesterday. The Lady Mavs are presenting Michael and I with something on the home opener, Sunday, October 1. They also want us to drop the first puck. What a honor for us. If anyone is interested in going to the game, please let Michael or I know.

We really don't have much planned for the weekend. Tanner turns 18 on Monday, so we will be having a family get together for him this weekend. That should be fun, it always is when we all get together.

Thank you for checking in. We really appreciate everything you all do for us. Please sign the guestbook, we love hearing from all of you. Please don't forget to give your kids a big hug and kiss and tell them how much you love them.

We love you Anthony!!

Saturday, September 16, 2006 7:39 AM CDT

Boy times really flies. We have been on the go a lot lately, or it's Laser keeping us so busy. Laser and Jessie are getting along just fine. They play all the time. Yes, Michael and I even have to step in at times. They are like a couple of kids.

Michael has been getting a few things done outside and in the garage before the cold weather hits. Sounds like next week will be the start of. I will be thinking of all of you when I'm in the 90 degree weather in Vegas. Yes, I get to leave for Vegas Sunday morning early. This is a work trip. I'm pretty excited, since I've never been there. I don't gamble very much, but I thought I might have to try a little black jack or a poker machine. I know that Anth will be right next to me helping, those were two of his favorite games to play. Oh yeah, he was very good at them too!! I am a little worried about leaving Michael home with the dogs, but I think they all will be fine.

I'm not sure if you all remember when Michael and I went to Chicago in May. Well, we went there to meet a friend and also meet a woman who wrote a book about loosing her husband. The book is now published and I just got my copy this last week. It is an amazing true story!!! If anyone would like to see an overview of the book, you can go to TraffordPublishing.com, type in "Traveling with George". It is such an amazing love story and at the same time you can feel the hurt of loosing someone you love so much. It's one of those books that one minute your are laughing and the next you'll cry. It really made me think about Anthony and how lucky we are to be his parents. It was very easy for me to connect with Betty, how she is/was feeling, and some of the things that happened to her in the months after George passed away. I only wish she would have written more. Thank you Carol for introducing us to Betty and getting us the book!

Well, I suppose I should get to laundry, packing, picking up the house and getting my errands done. Thank you to everyone for your continued prayers, thoughts and support. God has blessed Michael and I with so many things, all of you are included in that!

Hey Anthony, want to let you know how much we LOVE you and MISS you. Sending hugs and kisses your way every day! Love, Mom

Wednesday, September 6, 2006 10:49 PM CDT

Well, we had some great names to choose from, but since Jessie is Robin's dog and the puppy is my little guy, I have the final say.

Best runner-up names were Gretzky, Hat-trick, puck,miracle and chewy. I picked a name that was Anthony's favorite word in the movie he really liked, "Austin Powers". No, it's not "Shaggadelic" or "mini-me" or even "Groovy". The name also is the same as an "american gladiator", the coolest one.

Things can change,however, since the puppy doesn't respond to it anyway, we might have to just yell out names until he hears the right one.

The puppy's new name(drum roll please) it's "LASER"! Just like when Dr. Evil said he would destroy earth with his "LASER". Yes, the quotation marks are part of his name(just kidding).

Tell us what you think, and by the way, Jessie is starting to get used to her new friend. They are starting to play all the time and boy, they even are starting to act the same(stubborn, they sleep in the same position and they both are starting to drive Robin NUTS!).

Take care and tell your kids to be safe going to and from school. Of course, always give them great big hugs when you see them after school. Take care and God bless.

Sunday, September 3, 2006 10:39 PM CDT

Well Robin and I had a wonderful day at the Renaissance festival, although it started to rain quite hard, we had seen all that we were there to see. Our hotel room was missed up, and we had to search for a new hotel, but it was a blessing in disguise because we found a great hotel with a great room and a wonderful place to eat right next to it.

We ate brunch at the Mystic Lake casino but didn't get to gamble and take home a lot of cash. We did, however, bring home another great prize for not only us, but Jessie too. If your go to the pictures you can see what it is.

I'm kind of tired so I'll say goodnight and thank you again for keeping up with our progress.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006 7:06 AM CDT

It's been a while. Sorry for that. We haven't really been up to much. Working, yard work, general things that need to be done around the house. I've been doing some canning (tomatoes).

Jessie is doing good. She is so funny, she know right when we need a good laugh. Sometimes we wonder if a part of Anth is in her with the things she comes up with. The one that really makes me laugh is when you give her a treat and it's not the one she wants, she will shake her head no. I think she's almost as smart as Anthony.

Michael and I have a wedding anniversary on Friday, 11 years to the day. It's hard to believe that it's been that long. We are going away for the weekend. I can't wait!! We are planning on doing some of the same things we did after we got married 11 years ago. I only wish Anthony was here to enjoy them with us. Miss you buddy!

Lately, some of the things Anthony used to do are really coming back to Michael and I. Some which are pretty humorous. How we miss those times.

I went golfing this weekend, for the second time in my life. I golfed with Angie, Pat, Larry and Cody. It was so much fun!!! We had an awesome time. I think my son was helping me out on a few of the holes. Micheal when to the cities to get a few things from his Mom's. She is remodling the basement.

Well, not much more going on. We continue to struggle not having Anthony here, how we miss his smile and laugh. We do know that he is always with us in our hearts, even though we can see him physically.

Thanks to everyone who continues to check on us and who keeps us in their prayers, we really appreciate it. Thanks for signing the guessbook. We enjoy ready the enteries! Thank you for all the things everyone continues to do for us. We are really blessed!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006 5:19 PM CDT

Another week gone by. You have your ups and your downs. We had plenty of both this past week. Michael went to the rink last week, which was very hard on him. We both miss Anthony so much that at times it hurts. The weekend was fun. The week started out okay, but yesterday was another one of those days. We question when is this all going to stop? The emptyness, the hole that is in our hearts, our soul. Miss you so much little man!! Can't wait to be with you again, laughing and having a ball like we always did.

Michael had a nice birthday. Me, along with a few close friends, took Michael out for dinner on Saturday. Sunday we stayed home and grilled a ham. As Anth would always say "ham all the time", needless to say, we will be having ham for a few days.

We have planted another tree in our back yard. It's just like the crab apple we planted in front. Can't wait to watch them grow. I now think we are finally done landscaping until next spring.

We are waiting to hear when the locker room at ASA will be complete. We can't wait to see what they do to honor Anthony. He always wanted his name in lights!! Well, not much more goin on. Thanks for checking up on us, your encouraging words when we are having our bad days and our good days. We are so very lucky to have such a great family and friends!!

WE MISS YOU ANTHONY LEE and LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

Wednesday, August 9, 2006 8:08 PM CDT

It's been somewhat of a busy week. We really haven't been doing much, but it seems like we are always doing something.

Today has been a rough one for me. I miss Anth really bad today!! I've done nothing but cry all day. Michael said he was feeling the same way today. I don't know if it's that it's been 4 months since my little guy has gone to heaven or if we've just had more time this week to think about him. How I miss you Anth!! I would love to be able to give you a huge hug right now. I miss getting those big hugs out of the blue with the "I Love You Mom" that always went with it.

This weekend is Michael's birthday. Of course, we won't mention his age at all. We will go out to dinner and maybe on the town for a while. Sunday (his actual birthday), I'll make him one of his favorite meals. What that is, I don't know yet. He has so many.

Chris has been hanging out with us a lot. We really enjoy having him around. It keeps us busy and gives Michael someone else to pick on besides me and Jessie. Well, really, Michael feels he can pick on me more than normal when Chris is here. Oh yeah, thanks Chris for being on the fence when Michael's picking on me.

We have the date of when the Mavs are retiring Anthony's number. It will be Saturday, November 4. We will let everyone know more as we get more details.

Thanks for checking up on us and for signing the guestbook. Tell those kids how much you love them and remember to hug them too.

I Love you with my whole heart Anth!! I miss you just as much!

Friday, August 4, 2006 0:33 AM CDT

Still going strong in spite of the heat, but it is going to cool down just enough to put me back to work in the yard. Things have calmed down here and we are getting back to a routine.

I checked out with the park maintence person at Seven-mile Creek park to see about a memorial bench in Anthony's name, it seems that it is going to be kind of a pain to get things together. I was going to Robin's work and passed by Monroe school and noticed a park bench with a memorial and decided that I should check into having a bench in Anthony's name placed by the playground at Monroe school. Anthony loved that school and the staff and kids were so nice to Anthony, so what better place to put the bench. I hope this can be a possibility, that way Anthony's friends can go to the bench without having their parents drive them to the park.

I went to the doctor for a check up and learned some interesting news that Robin and I never knew. It seems that if we have another child that there is a chance that the child may have the same philadelphia chomosome that Anthony had, thus being a high risk for leukemia, we can't go through that again! We can, however, test both of us to see if our genes carry this chromosome problem before we have a baby. Wow, that was very important news that basically has the potential to change our outlook for having another child. Among these tests, we will find out about us carring the Philadelphia chromosome, the Leukemia chromosome and the Gretzky chromosome.

Thanks for checking in, we sure enjoy all the messages from you guys. I know that sometimes we share our feelings on the website but we need to do that once in a while. I guess it gives us a way to help us get through these times. So thanks for bearing with us during those times, and thanks for the continued support.

PS. Hug those kids!

Sunday, July 30, 2006 1:56 PM CDT

Boy it's been hot!!! We hope that everyone has been staying cool. Jessie doesn't think much of the heat either. She runs out, goes to bathroom and runs back in.

She's been Michael's and my shadow this past week. It really seems she's missing Anthony as much as we are. She went to see Grandma and Grandpa a couple of weeks ago and she looked all over the house for Anthony. I think it really sank in that Anth is coming home. When we sit on the couch or chair, she's practically on top of us. Last night no different, she slept so close to me that it felt like Anthony was in bed with me. He used to always sleep as close as he could to me. How I miss the things like sleeping too close that you can't move, a hug or a kiss for no reason or even his corky little laugh. How I wish I could have any of those just one more time. MISS YOU LITTLE MAN!!

We don't have much planned for the week. When and if it ever cools down, we will be planting a couple shrubs. Hope everyone stays cool and all of you have a great week.

Thanks for checking up on us. Sign the guestbook, we still love hearing about what everyone is doing.

LOVE YOU and MISS YOU ANTH!

Friday, July 28, 2006 1:50 AM CDT

Not much going on lately to tell you, things have settled down with the Relay for Life and we are getting back to a semi-normal daily routine. The only thing we are really trying to do is to keep cool like everybody else in the nation(except for our friends in Alaska).

More yard work, house cleaning and Jessie watching. I am, however, going through Anthony's things and packing up some of the stuff to bring the salvation army and keep the important stuff that he really liked. It is funny how the little things remind us of all the great times and trips we had together, they really bring a smile to our faces to remember just how special our son was, and still is up in heaven.

It is kind of quiet around here with most of the hockey players gone, they are like family now and we do miss them. I hear one of their parents may be buying the house right behind ours since it is better to buy than rent around here. I can't wait to hear them shout out their window "Is dinner ready yet?" or maybe we should get a dinner "triangle or bell" or since they are hockey players, a red light and scoring horn. Another one of the guys, Chris Clark, lives only two blocks from us, I guess we'll have to shoot a flare up into the air for him.

Like I said, not much to say this time, but I didn't want anyone to think that we forgot to update the site. Stay cool and enjoy the sauna before the cold weather starts to move in. Thanks for thinking of us and I hope you continue to have a wonderful summer.

Saturday, July 22, 2006 1:57 PM CDT

Last night was amazing. I would like to start off by thanking my sister, her family, Anthony's close buddies (even those of you who couldn't be there) and our friends for the great surprise last night and I mean it was a surprise. They all got together and put a "team" together in Anthony's name (Anthony's Army). They had t-shirts made that has Anth's picture on them. It was/is absolutely AWESOME!! Next year we will all have to make it an all nighter at the relay.

It was very emotional for Michael and I when we took our first walk around the park. It was very hard to see "In Memory of" on Anthony's luminary bags, but it gave us strength to see all the people that still think of and remember our little man. Thanks to everyone for all your support. We Love all you guys so much!!!

I have a special thank you I need to give to Logan. It meant so much to me when you took the silent lap with me and held my hand the whole way. Logan, to let you know, I could tell Anth was right there with us. He was just as proud and I was at that moment!!

Emotionally we aren't too bad today. Still missing Anthony more and more each day and Love him more than words can say.

There isn't much really going on. We are doing more yard work this week end and of course the normal every day stuff around the house. Thanks for checking up on us and signing the guestbook. We love hearing from everyone, it really does help us get through those tough days!


LOVE YOU & MISSING YOU ANTHONY!

Thursday, July 20, 2006 7:03 AM CDT

It's been a tough last few days for Michael and I. We've done a lot of crying and talking about Anthony. How we MISS him!!

We are getting our luminary bags ready for the Relay for Life walk on Friday night. I think this is really contributing to the emotions right now. We are also hoping that those of you that can make it will be there. Last year's walk was very hard for us with Anthony being here. This year, well I don't even know how we will be emotionally. We are very happy that Logan and the Lebert family will be there to support us. What they don't know is they may have to hold us up.

Yesterday I felt like a time bomb waiting to go off. Well, it finally happened when I got home. The tears started to come and wouldn't stop. It was like a chain reaction,once I started, then Michael started. Words can't express the emptyness we feel. We offten think it is so unfair that when you have everything in life, I mean your life feels complete, and it is taken away. I know Michael and I have each other, but there is a void that is unbearable for the both of us! I know I find it harder and harder each day. It definately is not getting any easier right now. There are many days that Michael and I can't even put a smile on our face. We are always questioning why this had to happen and why to us when we had such a great kid. More than that, our lives were complete! I'm sure this is all part of the healing process, but it really STINKS!

Sorry for rambling on, but thanks for taking the time to listen. We hope that we will see all of you at the Relay for Life, it is for a very good cause.

Thanks to everyone who keeps up on us and all the continued support.

We LOVE you Anthony!!! We MISS you LOTS too!!!

Saturday, July 15, 2006 2:23 PM CDT

Well we made it through another tough week, it wasn't so bad after the realization that you will have more of these days and you just have to get through them. I know that I have had several people say to me that they stopped for a moment when they looked at the clock and it said "3:15". I thank you all for remembering that certain time, and remembering that for Anthony it had to have meant something special to him.

I know that with every death, friends are unsure as to what to say to somebody who has lost a loved one, I can only tell you that there is nothing you can say that will be hurtfull, awkward, or without meaning, you are our friends and the only thing that feels really awkward is silence. So don't feel that it is necessary to think of something profound, just a "thinking about you" or "I'm sorry for your loss" or "how are you doing?" is good enough for us.

Last night, the Leberts came over and I have to tell you, after we played street hockey in the driveway it was such a great feeling to return to picking up toys and putting them away once more. It really is the little things you miss, and not just the fun things either. All the medical things we had to do with Anthony at home(dressing changes, medicine, feeding tube) I would give both my legs to do that again, I would take him at the worst of times, and I would not need my legs because I would never leave Anthony's side.

Sorry to end on such a sad note but I really miss his so much, yes, he was my life and it will take me some time to accept that he is gone without shedding a tear. Thanks again for all the support and being together with us in remembering our little great one.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 9:08 PM CDT

Well we are kind of having one of those weeks, Wednesday will be 3 month's since Anthony died, and it falls on the same day that Anthony passed away. It is like reliving the whole event over and recalling every moment up to the time Anthony died. I have been having a tough time with this, it seems like it was only yesterday, I guess I will have to be strong to get through this part.

I guess I didn't want to be home by myself while Robin was getting a haircut, so I drove to Comfrey to visit the grave of an old friend I had when I was growing up in Minneapolis. He was a Minneapolis firefighter, and he was a pretty good role model for me. I used to always go to station 8 and 27 to visit with him, I guess he is the reason that I became a firefighter in the Army. Dan also died of cancer in February, 1991 at age 54, I never had the chance to go to his funeral because I was in the army in "Operation Desert Storm" at the time, this moment has been long overdue.

I always wanted to bring Anthony to Comfrey with me to meet Dan and tell stories about him, as I went to the site I asked Anthony to give me a sign that Dan was there with me. I looked at the grave and as soon as I said "Hi Dan", the church bells from the town started to ring in the distance. I knew Anthony and Dan were with me in the cemetery, and I sat out there for the longest time reliving stories about the both of them.

I had the utmost respect for Dan, he was pretty cool and I think Anthony would have liked him(and his corney magic tricks).

I don't know how we are going to get through tonight and tommorow, I told Robin that I should have a "Long Island Ice Tea" and go to sleep for the rest of the night, I know that I can run, but I don't think I can hide from this. I wrote a letter to Anthony telling him the things I never got a chance to say to him before he died, all day long I was on the verge of breaking down and crying, I am not as strong as Anthony was, and it showed today.

Please say a prayer for us to get through this week, as well as a prayer for everybody who have recently lost a loved one as well as loved ones we lost long ago.

Wednesday, July 5, 2006 6:55 PM CDT

We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We had fun spending time with a lot of friends. Saturday was fun, it was such a beautiful night to be outside. Sunday we didn't do much, but the normal every day things that need to be done. Monday we both had to work, of course. Yesterday was a nice and quiet day. Michael and I spent some time together before a few of our friends came over to grill out. We played games outside and laughed a lot. I told Michael I think we really needed that. The fire works were awesome to watch from our back yard. Boy, what a view.

Today has been tough, though. We really miss Anthony today and wish he could have been here to enjoy the fire works as much as we did. Then you think if he was here, he would still be sick and in pain. Where now, he is pain free and loving every minute of what ever he's doing. It still doesn't feel like he's gone. It's just not right. Not a day goes by that one of us or even both of us aren't crying or our hearts hurt so bad that you don't know what to do next. I'm really not sure if this does get better, I don't think it will get better. The pain of losing a child, someone you are so close to, you share every waking moment with and love so much, will never go away. It doesn't seem fair.

It's almost been 3 months since Anthony has gone to heaven. I can't hardly believe it. At times, I wish there was a way to wish him back, even for a short period of time. Long enough to hug him, kiss him or even hold his hand, tell him how much I love him, to hear his laugh or even to hear him say Mom, I love you. How I miss my little man!

I suppose I should try to do something constructive yet tonight. Thanks for letting me share some of these feelings. It really does get hard at times. Thank you to everyone who keeps checking on us. It really means so much to Michael and I. Remember to hug your kids and tell them you love them.

Saturday, July 1, 2006 9:06 AM CDT

The last couple of days have been like a roller coaster for us. Thursday we went to the Cities and all we talked about the whole way up was Anthony. All the funny things he used to say and do. We stayed at a hotel in Minneapolis, that was really hard. Anthony always used to love to go new places and to watch him was worth just going somewhere. We got to see Anthony's doctor and nurses while we were in the Cities. We stopped by Children's Hospital yesterday on our way home. It was hard at first, our hearts were racing and the knots in the stomach were unbelievable, but once we got there and saw Sara(Anth's nurse) things seem to ease a bit. We then went on to the 8th floor where Anthony would stay when he was admitted, after there we went to short stay where he had his bone marrow's and spinal taps. It really felt like we had forgotten something when we walked out. It was really nice to see everyone again, we do miss them.

We got home late afternoon yesterday and did a little shopping to get ready for our 4th of July party this weekend. Then we went and got Jessie from Larry and Ellen's. She loves to spend time with Lars, he spoils her something terrible!!

Not much more happening here. We really miss you Anthony!!!! Thanks for all the enteries in the guestbook, we enjoy hearing about the things that are going on with everyone. Thanks for all the support and a special thanks to the FPS officers and AKAL staff that put on the benefit for us, it was awesome!

We hope that everyone has a very happy and safe 4th of July!

Thursday, June 29, 2006 12:01 AM CDT

I know you all have been waiting to hear what the Wild gave us. It was a Wild Jersey with Anthony Ford 99 on the back. It is very cool. It was fun to meet a couple of the coaches and a couple of the players. Very nice guys!! MAHA raised about $200 for the Anthony Ford Youth Hockey Scholarship. Way to go MAHA! I heard that they will be having a few more fundraisers for the scholarship fund. The goal is to have enough in there to help at least one child play hockey all season. I'll let everyone know when I hear of another fundraiser for the scholarship.

This week, so far has been okay emotionally for us. We have still shed a lot of tears, but it hasn't been as bad as last week. This week I think it's Jessie turn to be missing Anth. She has been going into his room and just laying in there. The other spot she has been is right our sofa table where there are pictures of Anthony (and his urn). I miss him so much every day, sometimes I'm not sure I will make it through.

I just found some pictures of Anthony when he was in his Sponge Bob phase. He really makes me laugh! How I miss that!!

We would like for everyone to know that there is benefit tonight for Michael and I at the Fort Snelling Club, 6001 Minnehaha Ave., St. Paul. Happy hour is from 4:30-5:30 with a spaghetti dinner from 5:30-8:30. Tickets are $10 at the door which includes a raffle ticket. Additional raffle tickets are $3.00 each. They have some really cool stuff that will be raffled off.

Well, I better run for now. Everyone have a very safe holiday weekend. We will be spending time with friends. Thank you for all your continued support and everything everyone does for us. We appreciate everyone of you!

Friday, June 23, 2006 6:39 AM CDT

There hasn't been much going on this week so far. We have been doing more landscaping, a little at a time. Our grass is finally starting to look good! A couple of nights ago, Michael, Jessie and I were in the back yard playing. That was really hard. All the two of us could think about is how nice it would be if Anthony could enjoy playing in his yard. This week in general has been really emotional for both of us. Like people have told us, you never know what will trigger your emotions. Well, isn't that true. Yesterday I'm at work, I really don't even remember what I was working on when the tears just started to flow. When I got home and Michael was going through some more boxes of Anthony's school stuff and some misc. things when we came across a picture of Anthony's first Christmas with Santa (the same Santa that visited our house 2 years ago). Well, that really got things going. It took at least an hour before we could function again. Like Michael said last night, it doesn't get easier, it just gets a little longer between break downs. There are days I get so mad that Anthony is gone. The hurt your heart feels is so bad that there isn't even any words that can explain it. WE MISS YOU SO MUCH ANTH!

Jessie is doing pretty good. She is going through a naughty streak the last few days, but what do you do. She's just a year old. Over all, she's a great pup to have around. We love her so much.

Not sure what the plans are for the weekend, besides more yard work. I guess we have enough of that to last a few more weeks!

Thanks for checking in. Please sign the guestbook so we know you've dropped by. It really helps us get through some of our tough days!! Also remember to hug your kids and tell them how much you love them, no matter how OLD they are!!!

Saturday, June 17, 2006 8:52 AM CDT

It's been a while since I've written on here. I've had a hard time with wanting to write anything on here. I guess I really don't know what to say. Things have been going okay. This was a tough week for me. I haven't been feeling real well this week, the miscarriage is finally done. I hope now that I will start feeling better fast. Now that this is done, it's time to cope with Anthony being gone.

Work has been very busy for me, which is good to some extent. It's really hard to come home at night and wanting to see Anthony laying on the couch playing PS2 when I walk in the door. Not a day goes by that I don't shed tears for him. I miss him so much that words can't even express!! The hardest time for me is at bed time. That is when Anthony and I would cuddle and just talk. Sometimes we would just start laughing about silly things that happened that day. I really miss that, I really miss you Anthony! I can't wait to see you again!

Michael and I have a busy rest of the month. We still have a couple graduations this weekend. We will be going to the Minnesota Wild autograph session at All Season Area, June 28 from 4 p.m. -5 p. m. Michael and I were asked to be there, We've been told that the Wild have something they want to present to us in Anthony's memory. I also heard that any concessions that are sold that day are going into an Anthony Ford Scholarship fund.

Well, I guess that will do it for now. Thank you to everyone who still checks up on us through the site, leaves us guestbook messages, phone calls and stopping by. We appreciate every one of you!

Robin & Michael

Saturday, June 10, 2006 11:49 AM CDT

Sorry it has been a while since our last update, we have been catching up with things that we had to postpone while we were spending time with Anthony. We had to do some landscaping, carpet cleaning and other assorted house stuff that is not only exciting to do, but talk about as well(not). I did however start a few more projects like begining a scrapbook of Anthony's pictures that should not only keep me busy, but bring back a lot of memories besides.

I guess work has begun to get busy for Robin and it is a welcome to have her mind occupied during the week. We have tried to stay busy at home on the weekends and we are getting by alright. Graduation parties are starting to be the norm on weekends and we have been invited to a lot of them this year, some very good friends are graduating this year, young adults that have really helped us get through this thing and have been so good to Anthony. I'd like to wish them the best of luck and return to them the support they showed Robin, Anthony and myself.

Well, thanks for your continued support, thoughts and prayers, I know a lot of you guys have been worried about Robin, but she and I are doing just fine. Please continue to pray for all the little ones who not only have cancer, but anything they are going though. THANKS!!

Thursday, June 1, 2006 10:53 PM CDT

Well we have some bad news, we wanted to wait till after the test results came back to confirm that Robin had a miscarriage, but we really are not upset because we know about set-backs and how to handle them. Maybe the timing wasn't right, or Robin was still too upset and stressed from Anthony's death, or just maybe Anthony wanted to be in the spotlight for a little bit longer, anyway we will try later when things settle down and the timing is better.

Thank all of you guys who thought the best for us, thought of some good names and who were more excited than we were about the news(it seemed that way). I know someday Anthony will be a big brother and he will watch and guide his sibbling throughout its life. I do believe that we were meant to have more children, however, God only gives you as much as you can handle and I really think He looked down into our worn out minds and said" Well, maybe in a couple more months".

I really don't have anymore news, I just wanted to get that out as soon as possible. Please say a prayer for Zach(Anthony's cousin who just passed away) and pray to Anthony to show him the way to heaven. Thank you so much for your support, prayers and love.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 0:21 AM CDT

Well we made it passed a major holiday and only a few bumps in the road. I hope everyone made it home alright and the traffic wasn't too bad. I did some yard work in this hot, humid weather, I said "some" because hey, this guy is getting old and the 90 degree weather was too much for this old pack mule. If I was a little younger it would be a challenge to complete the task, now it is just a question of whether I have more time than muscles, or just how bad they will hurt the next day. I would have paid to have had it done but than that would be a question of whether I had more money than time and I already know that answer.

Robin and I went to the Old Country Buffet this weekend for breakfast, and I knew going into that place would be tough. That is where Anthony ruled, that was his place to go and he could do anything he wanted in there, eat whatever he wanted and go get desert whenever he wanted. Of course, Anthony had a system of the way things should go in there, and he never really changed it. Have you ever been to a place and it just wasn't the same, it was like they changed management or something, it just wasn't right. I think it was somewhere between the french toast and the bacon when I lost it and just started to cry, I don't know what it was but that hurdle was just too tall for me to get over, it is amazing what will trigger you.

We did have some good company on Sunday, we had a nice dinner and some pretty good laughs. It is kind of strange but during those times when we are here at home with friends, it seems like Anthony is sitting right beside us, laughing with us. I'd like to think he does come down from heaven to be with us, I guess you can say "check up on us" since it is his turn to watch over us.

We do need help with naming the new baby, the only rule is that if it is a boy, the middle name has to be Anthony (in honor of his big brother)otherwise it is open season. So get out the baby name books (I know all women have one in a box on the wall that says "in case of emergency, break glass").Robin for some reason did not like my choice of "Eight Cylinder Ford" I thought it would surely stick.

I'm glad everyone had a great weekend, now it is back to work in the morning. Thanks again for your continued support and prayers, although things are getting a little easier these days, we still have those bumps in the road.

Thursday, May 25, 2006 11:57 PM CDT

Today is better for us, the mid-week was a time when nothing really happened so it is easier for us to get through. I did go through some boxes of Anthony's stuff, some of them from the time we went to Houston. So many people sent Anthony birthday cards and gifts, and just notes to tell him to stay strong and get better. These things mean as much to us now as when they were sent back in Februay, knowing how much the people of Mankato were behind Anthony to be cured is still heartwarming.

This weekend is catch-up for the house, landscaping and other things that were put on the back-burner, not to mention getting a game plan started for the baby's room. I called Nicollet county to find out about planting a tree at Seven Mile Creek County park between Mankato and St. Peter, they said it has been done before and gave me the way to go about things, so there will be a place people can go to be with Anthony. Robin, Anthony and I used to go out there and have pinics all the time, Anthony really liked that park so before he died we decided to plant a tree so children can have shade when they play(and put some of his ashes in the dirt so he can continue to grow with the tree) and have a park with a memorial on it in his name so people can sit down and visit with him. More details later.

Well, I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and a safe one too. Again, watch out for those "cheesehead drivers" and make it home safe. Thanks again for all the words support, love and joy for the news of the new baby, have fun.

Friday 5/26--We have a prayer request, please remember my cousin Zach's family. Zach earned his wings today after a long battle with cancer.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 10:21 PM CDT

I guess it has been a while since the last update when we told you of the great news. It has been quite fun to hear the reactions to the news of us expecting a new baby, and we are certainly going to share this baby's life with all of you guys as we shared Anthony's life.

We know that raising this child is going to be a challenge, my gosh, this kid has some pretty big shoes to fill. I guess I'm afraid of expecting too much from this child, plus feeling that we will be over protective, and then feeling that we did such a great job with Anthony that there should be no need to worry. I have feelings that maybe the kid will step right in where Anthony left off, but I know that Anthony's relationship with me was not replaceable, we were a team, like the first team who wins the Stanley Cup, you may win the cup many more times but you can never be as great as the first team. I guess I have to work out some serious matters in my mind before the new addition arrives.

Today at work, I really wanted to call him on the phone at grandmas house like I used to. I guess I just wanted to hear his voice again, it was my way of knowing he was doing okay, I guess I should know that he is doing just fine. Tonight we are having severe weather, and I miss the excitment around here of Anthony checking out the radar and keeping updated on the storms advance and intensity. I guess I am having one of those days, but who knows, I may think of something Anthony did and my day will once again be full of laughter and smiles.

We went to Chicago to get away and to meet a couple of people, it was a great trip and we had some good times. The traffic on the highway was crazy, accidents and idiots(Wisconsin, what can I say). All we could say was how Anthony would have loved that trip, but I know he was with us, pointing out every cheesehead on the road and making sure we avoided the ones with melted-cheddar brains. I have to say, Wisconsin is a pretty state, but going 3 miles in 2 and a half hours because of an accident would make the Grand Canyon look like the ghettos of New York City.

Thanks again for lending an ear(or in this case, an eye) sometimes I guess we all have to get things off our chests, do a little venting, it's good for the heart. Remember, that the best gift you ever recieved did not come in a wrapped box with a bow on it, so reach over and give your kid a big hug to thank them, it might be the surprise present they have been waiting on for a long time.

Sunday, May 14, 2006 3:29 PM CDT

Well, being Mother's Day I guess it is only fitting to announce the news you have all been waiting to hear, and that is Robin is pregnant. We just don't know how far until some test results are back, but we do know that it is far enough along that Anthony received his wish to become a big bother.

We found out Saturday May 6 when Robin did a home test, but had it confirmed on Monday when Robin went into the doctor's office. I guess nobody knew that we had been trying since last June, you don't really want to say anything if things don't turn out but I guess we don't have to worry about that now, huh?

Being Mother's Day today, it is a pretty rough and emotional day for the both of us. It is just not the same without Anthony getting all excited about were to go and what to get his mother, I just can't even begin to think of something to get Robin, my mind just comes up blank. We just kind of wondered around and did nothing today.

We did however, have some visitors today. Logan and Tyler Lebert came over and gave Robin some roses for Mother's Day, those two kids are so nice. They were really excited to hear the news about the new baby, and of course the first thing out of Tylers mouth was "Can we teach the baby how to play hockey?" I think they can't wait for the baby to be born, I told them we are going to have to have the baby practice goalie "hand-eye coordination" while it is still in the crib(boy or tom-boy the kid will know how to play hockey, you know, it's one of those "in the family blood" things).

Well, thank you for hanging on for our exciting news, sorry we had to drag you along but we first had to confirm the story, wait for the facts to be verified before we printed it.

Saturday, May 13, 2006 8:17 AM CDT

Last weekend Michael and I went away for the weekend. It was so nice. We had a wonderful time. We didn't do much, but it really felt good to get away from everything for a while.

More into the week we got, the tougher it started to get. We received Anthony's urn on Thursday. That really made everything so final!! We cried for quite a while. I've really been shedding a lot of tears this week. Twice this week I cried all the way to work and then again when I got home. It really does come and go. I really miss my little man!

Thank you to everyone for all the Mother's Day wishes. It will be different not having my little man here to wake me up and say Happy Mother's Day and I love you. I hoping that Mother's Day won't be too hard for me,I do know that Anthony is still with me everyday. I think we are going to do something fun though, like go bowling!! That's one of Anthony's favorite things to do. It should give us some good laughs. Michael and I are not very good at it.

Jessie is doing pretty good. She is more of her old self, playing and having a good time. Jessie follows me every where I go. She is so a moms girl! Michael get mad at her and she comes running to mom. It's like having another child in the house. I just laugh.

Thank you to everyone who keeps up on us, along with all the continued support, thoughts and prayers. Please remember to hug your kids as much as you can and tell them how much you love them. That's one thing I really miss with Anthony!

Until next time......

Saturday, May 6, 2006 12:39 AM CDT

Just a short note to keep everyone up to date. I think reality is starting to set in for us, I think it hit both of us this week that Anthony is not coming home, that he is really gone forever. That is a huge realization to come to, and there is nothing that will change it.

I came home from work Friday night and went into his room and just cried, all the emotions, love, anger, hate, fear, you name it, they all came out at once. They needed to come out though, a person cannot keep those feelings inside or it will tear them a part from the inside out.

Some of the people from MAHA came by the other day and gave us a MAHA jersey with the number 99 on it framed in glass, Anthony would have really enjoyed it. He loved the MAHA program and put his heart into supporting it.

We may have some exciting news in the near furture, but we well have to see if things go our way before we can send out the information, so keep on checking up on the website.

In the mean time, I would really hope that all the love and prayers you extended to us will continue for other kids in our community, we can't let that spirit just come to an end.

Sunday, April 30, 2006 1:35 AM CDT

Well here it is again, 1:30 in the morning and I'm still awake, only today I slept all day. Robin and I decided to hang out with the Mavs hockey team and go out last night. We had a blast, it was "Army" night and everyone had to wear something military looking. I found some old army clothes and let some of the team wear them and I myself dressed in camo too. Most of the people at the bar were wearing things also and it was really fun to see what all the were dressed like.

It felt good to get away and just have some fun, we have been under so much stress that we really needed a night to let loose and life again. Things however do not change that easily, halfway through the night I did have the thought of calling home to the babysitter to see how Anthony is doing, I guess once a parent always a parent. Those feelings never go away and I hope not, we do however feel we adopted a hockey team and find ourselves doing parent stuff for them, and I think we both enjoy that(especially those guys who are from out of state/country).

I have been cleaning Anthony's room, boy that kid was a pack rat, he kept everything. I am kind of glad because of the memories now, I do keep things that were important to him because we need some sort of caos in his room or it won't be Anthony's room, it would be too clean.

Things are going good around here, I think sometimes a little too good. I feel I should be more upset, crying more or a little angry but when I think of Anthony I have this feeling of relief, warmth, happiness because we spent great times with him, and I almost end my thought about Anthony with a grin or a smile, and I think that is what Anthony would want everyone to do.

Sunday, April 23, 2006 11:09 PM CDT

Things have been getting back to semi-normal around here, we both go to work in the morning but its the first time back for Robin in a long time. She doesn't know if she is ready for a full day so she is just going to ease into a half day at first.

I am going though some of Athony's things(clothes, toys and school stuff). I did find a piece of paper Anthony had wrote that I have never seen before, it was quite a find, Athony wrote:
"Michael F.(father)
He loves me a lot.
He likes to have fun.
He lets me win at Tic Tac Toe.
Anthony Ford"
Just a little words on a small piece of paper but it means so much to me. By the way Anth, I never let you win at tic-tac-toe, you were just too good!

Each day life goes on and we do things we used to do together with our son and little by little we get over small hurdles(like going to a restaurant we all liked, shopping for clothes and trying not to go to the childrens area, or other places we went shopping). The best thing we miss is not that big of an event and we do it all the time and that is just driving around, if you knew Anthony, he would constantly ask you questions and tell you about something or just sit in the backseat and sing to his CD player out loud. He would always be talking about something or another, the kid always had something to say to us, "Mom, can I ask you a question?" "You know what?" "Can I tell you something?" it was non-stop and it got to be funny what he would come up with next. I guess what I am trying to say is that it is the little things you miss, so treasure them people, even when your kids go off to college you will learn just how much those times meant to you.

We are not always remembering things and crying, we remember Anthony and it usually ends up in us laughing, or being amazed at our son, or just bringing a smile to our faces, or missing just how great of a sense of humor he had. Yes, we have our moments, but we cry and move on just as Anthony did during his hard times here on earth, I guess you could say Anthony's courage lead the way for us to deal with his loss the way he would have dealt with it. Thanks buddy!

Thursday, April 20, 2006 9:25 AM CDT

It's now been a week since our precious Anthony has earned his wings. Our house is so quiet, but yet so full of life. It is so hard not having him here, and it's hard to go places and not have him in the back seat, of course, sharing all his wisdom of how to drive! God truly blessed us with his presence, I really miss that smile when I walk into a room. To hear him say, Mom can I ask you a question? The part I think we both miss is having Anthony say he loves us all the time!!! The emotions are so high and they all come at once. We wish we could hold him, kiss him and tell him how much we love him! I know he knows how much we love him and I know someday we will be together again. Jessie has been pretty sad, she really misses her buddy picking on her and snuggling at night. It will get easier for her, just like it will get easier, but never forgotten, for all of us.

The funeral was amazing! You could feel Anthony's presence in the arena. It was awesome to have all of our family, all of the hockey players and all of ours and Anthony's friends celebrating his life with us. He is truly deserving of this type of celebration. Thank you to everyone who helped with the Celebration! I know that Michael and I would not have been able to pull this together without all the help we received. Thank you to all of you that were with us everyday, those of you that put your own lives a side to be with or help us in some way. I don't think there are words or actions that can express how wonderful that has made Michael and I feel.

Thank you again to everyone for all your support and please always remember to hug, kiss and tell your children how much you love them.

Michael & Robin
aka-Anthony's parents

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 4:30 PM CDT

The visitation went extremely well last night, the slide show was a hit, people really enjoyed seeing Anthony's smiling face on all the pictures. Thank you for attending the visitation, it was very nice and Anthony would have loved it.

Anthony passed away peacefully at 3:15 this afternoon at home in his bedroom surrounded by many of his closest friends and family members. Funeral services will be held on Monday, April 17, 2006 at the Taylor Center on the Minnesota State University Mankato Campus at 11:00 am. Visitation will be one hour before funeral services (10:am) on Monday, family parking will be on the southside of the Taylor center, and guest parking will be in lot #20.

Anthony lived a full life and enjoyed every moment. We will miss him dearly but know in our hearts that he is in a better place without suffering.

The game is over, the season has ended, but the numbers on the scoreboard do not show the true winner. One young man skates off the ice one final time with a career full of victories, both on and off the ice. He has once again showed us that it is not if you win or lose, but how you play the game. You have served your teamates and fans well, and for your efforts we will always remember your number, good-bye number 99, and thank you for sharing the true spirit of the game. You will be missed, and we will always love you.

Michael and Robin Ford
a.k.a Anthony's parent(which we have become to be known as).

Monday, April 10, 2006 4:10 PM CDT

Last night was a pretty busy night for us, I believe Anthony has entered the final stages of his leukemia by taking a turn for the worse. Anthony's white blood cells are taking over his body which starts in his lungs, central nervous system, his vision and in his digestive tact. Anthony has become very sleepy and weak, he fades in and out at times but he still understands whats going on with him.

We have become very busy this week, we are planning his service to an extent, trying to get a jump on things before it gets too wild around here. Anthony does want some input into the planning as to songs, speakers, pallbearers and readings. I think it is only right to give him some choice to his funeral, he has been going though this stuff for almost a year and a half and has been a big factor in the treatment he has received and has been determintal in extending the length of his life and he is ready to take on some of the decisions of his service. That boy has, in my mind, grown up to be a true "man" in every sense of the word except for his age and I am proud of him.

Now is the time when good-byes are said, the doctors have told us that he may pass away this week, so we strongly suggest visiting him soon. Due to his condition and well needed rest, we do request calling ahead before you drop by and limiting the time of your visits so we don't wear Anthony out too much, Anthony loves visitors so much and he doesn't want to hurt anybodys feelings by going to sleep that he stays awake too long which is not too good for him.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Anthony and Robin and I, we really appreciate them and the thoughts and words of encouragement. All of you are in our thoughts and once again, give a big hug to your children tonight and remind them just how much you love them.

Friday, April 7, 2006 9:40 PM CDT

Well it's Friday night and we all are just sitting around watching the hockey game and taking it easy. Anthony hasn't felt too good today, he had platlets yesterday and blood this morning after a kind of sleepless night. Anthony's counts are getting quite high(white blood cells in the 270's, average is around 14). I guess this will start taking a toll on his lungs because of fluid build up, his breathing will start to be affected. Anthony is still in high spirits however, and he is still pretty strong.

We had some fun today though, a couple of his favorite nurses came to see him, and even though Anthony was very wore out, he was very happy to see his two favorite nurses again. Some of the hockey players came over to show Anthony a highlight video CD of their season, it was very fun to watch Anthony as these guys watched themselves being interviewed, he had a good time.

As far as Anthony's condition, well, I can only say that he is still putting up one heck of a battle. Anthony is a huge part of our lives and hearts, I cannot comprehend our lives without that little boy around but realize that he will always be with us no matter the outcome. We still continue to keep the faith and pray for some kind of miracle and we thank all of you for the same.

Sunday, April 2, 2006 12:38 AM CDT

Sorry we haven't updated lately, we have been having some emotional days and they just wear us out.

Thursday, Anthony made a total turn around. He just got up off the sofa and started playing with Jesse on the floor. Anthony also played PS2 hockey(video games) which he hasn't done since he was in Houston. The smile came back to face and even his voice changed with a happier tone. Anthony even asked for a glass of milk which he has not had anything but water or sprite for the last two months.

People have been coming over on a regular basis, and Anthony said the more the better. He wants to be around his friends as much as possible, even if he ends up falling asleep. The Mavs have been making the rounds and Aunt Kathy and the rest of the family even came down from the cities, those guys really brought up his spirits. Even Jessie has loved all the people stopping by to visit, and getting a lot of attention by these visitors helps a little too. Anthony seems to bounce back wheneven we think he has had enough, he is amazing.

Somehow the suggestion of a party came up, and Robin asked Anthony if he wanted a little party, and he said no, he wanted a big party. So on the spur of the moment and the help of some friends, we gathered up the necessary supplies plus about 50 people and had one fun time last night. Anthony was once again in his eliment being the life of the party. The theme of the party was jersey night, which everyone had to wear a jersey, and it was pretty fun. There was some controversy when somebody came into the house with a North Dakota Sioux jersey, and little Tyler Lebert got a bit nervous when some Mankato West high school jerseys showed up, but things went rather smoothly after everyone found out they were cool to hang out with.

We had a great time last night and Anthony will always remember it. Anthony has been surrounded by some great people, and it has been so nice to have people that we know that are just "there" for us whenever we need a helping hand or someone to talk to. We thank you all for everything you have done for our family, and we will continue to thank you for your prayers.

Friday, March 24, 2006 1:08 AM CST

Not much more to say about Anthony's progress, he has maintained a steady white blood count and seems to be getting back to his fun self. I guess it was a little bit of flu, recovery from the experimental drug in Houston, and I believe a little bit of depression also(who can blame him). He is starting to get that Anthony drive back even though he sees the writing on the wall.

Anthony went to the hospital for blood work and platlets today, and while he was there he talked to a social worker about what was on his mind. I guess he blew her away by the intelligence he was and the knowledge of the leukemia. She said to Robin and I that she had to remind herself that she was talking to a nine year old because he said among other things, that he had more things he wanted to do and that he worried about how this was affecting his mom and dad. That he would like to return to Alaska to get away from the illness for a while and be a normal family again.

Anthony also told her that he does not know the how, where where and whys of what going to happen to him down the road. Anthony needs to know the facts about these things and it is hard on him when somebody says "I don't know". She did however tell him "That heaven is what you want it to be, that it was a big ice rink that you can play hockey all the time and the concession stand served prime rib" which Anthony replied "oh, I like that!".

It was nice to hear that we have someone that Anthony feels he can open up to other than me and Robin. I was pretty shocked to the things he said to her, you know, Anthony being a "tough guy" and all, but I was pretty glad that he did. It once again showed me the tremendous heart he has and the compassion and love that fills it.

Although it is not going to be Alaska, we are going to plan a overnight get-a-way to clear our mind and try to regain some sanity. The cancer is always there, a part of our lives, from the medicines, to the blood test, hospital stays and just plain changing eating and drinking habits it never leaves our side. Sometimes we just have to make an all out counter-attack to be a family for a least a couple of days.

This afternoon we will try to go to the Monroe school's carnival in North Mankato to see his classmates again, Anthony is looking forward to that. Mr. Miller brought over a checkerboard and Anthony has been beating most of our guests, which has brought back a smile on his face and even a few laughs(a very wonderful site we haven't seen for a while). I think he is on an upward swing which I hope last for a long time.

Thanks for all the people that have been there in thoughts, hopes and prayers, the support has been wonderful. Please keep us in your prayers along with all children who need a little prayer each day, and don't forget to hug your children while telling them how much you love them.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 9:10 AM CST

Anthony had more excitment on Saturday. He received visits from Tanner, Lexy, Maria Donahue and Marissa Lee. Saturday night we went out for dinner with the Leberts and Chris Clark. He had so much fun playing darts with Logan, Tyler and Chris. Thanks to Rick Junker for making our night out a joyful experience. When we came home, we watched a little hockey. Anthony wasn't feeling real well. He pretty much crashed on the couch.

Sunday it was really quiet at our house. Anthony wasn't feeling well again so he slept until 3:00 p. m. That evening Lexy, Cody and Tanner came over. We got another surprise, Ryan McKelvie stopped by also. It was great to see him.

Yesterday Anthony still was not feeling the greatest. He had blood work and a transfusion at ISJ. When we got home Anthony and Michael took a long nap. Anthony had a few visitors yesterday, but over all it was a pretty quiet day again.

Anthony's white count went from 17 on Friday to 26 on Monday. The docs were pretty pleased, they actually thought it could be much higher than that. We are all having a rough time with the unknown, but we are trying to enjoy every minute. We have all been very emotional, which makes all of us very tired. Sleep has been hard to come by. Anthony really isn't eating at all. It's really hard to see him not eat. I know that he is trying and will keep trying. That wouldn't be Anthony if he didn't try.

Again, we thank all of you for your support, the phone calls, enteries in the guestbook and we really appreciate all the visits. We really do encourage visits, as long as you are healthy, we are only a phone call away. We appreciate all of you so much and please keep praying for Anthony!!!

Saturday, March 18, 2006 2:59 PM CST

Friday was a pretty good day for Anthony, there was a lot of excitment and a lot of people to see. First Anthony got ready in the morning to get his counts checked. Anthony is doing very well according to his doctor and the cancer cells are still growing slowly, which we hope will give him more time with us.

Anthony went to school in the afternoon to visit with his classmates and other kids at Monroe. Anthony was so at home with the other kids and I think it was a boost for him just to be an ordinary kid in school again. Even with all the juice, cupcakes and cards given to Anthony, I think his favorite part of the day was sitting at his desk while the teacher taught the class a lesson. I really thinks he misses the everyday school lessons and the classroom rituals. We would like to thank all of Anthony's class and school for the great day he had, a special thanks to a new student in Anthony's class Jordan, for calling and talking to Anthony for the first time(he really enjoyed that).

When Anthony came home he was like a different kid, he was happy and had more energy then he has had the whole week. Uncle Elliot, Julie and his new cousin Vivian are in town from Rochester, New York and I think Anthony enjoys having a little baby around the house. Chris Clark and Jeff Marler came over to watch the hockey game with Anthony, those guys had a lot of fun watching the Gophers lose a close one the St. Cloud. I think all of the people around Anthony today were really helpful with Anthony returning to be more like himself, he has been rather quiet lately.

As for the progress of Anthony's leukemia, what can I say? The other day his white blood cell count went from 8 to 14 and the doctor were worried that they would start to double each day (which is bad news). I guess when this starts to happen it is only a matter of a week, week and a half that the doctors give us. Even though Anthony's counts the next day went up to only 17, the false alarm doctors gave us had put one big scare into me and Robin and we realize just how little time we could have with Anthony.

We don't have a crystal ball to see how much time we have left, so we charish each moment and are thankful for them. This is really starting to get hard for us, we look into an uncertain future with a positive approach but in the back of our minds is that feeling of despair. Seeing Anthony in that classroom, knowing the talents that little boy has been given, it seems like having engineered the fastest plane in the world only to have the pilot crash it to the ground during its first test flight, you will never know its full potential.

Like I said, we have come to the point where we are not sure how long we have with Anthony. We strongly encourge you to visit, call or leave an entry in the guest book on the website while Anthony is still in the condition to appreciate it. We will keep you up to date as we can with little or no errors in spelling as long as I can, this is about the only time I have updated during the day so if there are any errors it is not due to tiredness. We have always maintained our sense of humor thoughout these times and we will continue because that helps us to get by.

Thanks for hanging on as our biggest supporters, we really needed you guys and your entries have helped us cope tremendously(ok, you got me, I did use the dictionary on that one).

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 8:23 AM CST

We are home!!! It feels so good to be with family and friends (and of course Jessie). Jessie was so excited to see Anthony and she won't let him out of her sight.

Anthony is still on oxygen due to the enlarged heart and fluid in his lungs. He is having a very hard time walking, since he was in a hospital bed for so many weeks. His spirit has been better since we have gotten home, but he really isn't feeling up to himself yet. Anthony has blood transfusions about every 3-4 days. Monday he will get another spinal tap in Minneapolis. The Doctor will also check his heart to see if that is improving. Anthony is being monitored very closely by his Doctor in Mankato and in Minneapolis. Anthony is very tired and sleeps quite a bit. When he is awake, he has been playing a little PS2 and of course playing with Jessie. We have gotten to watch a little hockey on T. V. I think Anthony missed that the most!!

There really isn't much more to say, we have really been enjoying our time at home as a family.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us while we were in Houston and for everything all of you did for us here while we were gone. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends.

P. S. We encourage visits if anyone would like to see Anthony. All we ask is that you call first and that you are not sick in anyway!! Anthony doesn't have an immune system right now!

Tuesday, March 7, 2006 0:47 AM CST

We have come to a fork in the road when it comes to Anthony's treatment, and we are in a hard struggle to decided which way to go. Anthony had a bone marrow biopsy on today and the results will play a heavy role in the decision we make.

Anthony has a enlarged heart, lung problems and just plain bloating due to the experimental drugs side effect of water retention. Anthony's heart is only at 35%(60% is normal) and his lungs are not as effective in getting the oxygen in his body and the red blood cells which carry that oxygen are low.

The new drug is keeping his "infection" fighting cell from growing and the complications are becoming more of a worry than the cancer itself. We also cannot take the common antibiotics to fight these infections because this drug mixed with some of the common antibiotics will damage or shut down his kidneys. It also is not having the desired counts we were hoping for and it is really wearing Anthony out.

Therefore, if these results of this recent biopsy are not where they should be, we will talk with the doctor to see if coming home is a good option. WE ARE NOT GIVING UP!!! Even the doctors said that Anthony has taken this further than most kids would have and it becomes a question of quality over quantity. There are some other option left and the doctor said that Anthony may be better off if he took a break from this drug for a few weeks, and there are two more drugs we can try.

However, this is all up to Anthony. Anthony has been through so much I just don't blame him if he decides to exchange the side effects of the chemo treatments for a chance to return to be a normal kid for a while. He knows the deal, and anyone who knows him will say he rather be playing hockey than be lying in a hospital room. Robin and I will respect his feelings and do what he wants.

Please keep us in your prayers so that we may be guided to make the right decisions and except the outcome without regret. Thank you for your support through all of these hard times and for keeping Anthony in your hearts.

P.S. Anthony would like to wish all the luck to his Mankato East hockey team that will be playing in the state play-offs this Wednesday, and good luck to the MSU Mavericks when they play North Dakota this weekend. And on behave of me, sorry for any un-caught grammar or spelling errors(please note time of entry). Thanks!

Monday, February 27, 2006 7:54 AM CST

We are having a hard time getting to a computer in the hospital to update the site so please forgive us for the length of time between them, besides we don't really know ehat to say half the time.

Anthony is doing well in Houston with mom, a little operational problems once in a while but we tell them what we disagree with. I am back home for work for a while to save time for Anthony's bone marrow transplant when he comes home.

Thursday is day 28 and we should know how well it is working, this drug works from the bone marrow to the blood so the daily blood tests really don't show much progress. That is the bad thing about it, before we could see the changes that were happening, we have to be patient which is hard for us to do.

Anthony got a pass to go to see some dogs that visited the hospital, I guess it was a great boost for his moral and he made some great dog friends but it only made him miss Jesse more(which means more homesick feelings). Anthony went to the game room(which is called the "Pedi-dome"). It was however a great day for Anthony, he is really trying to get out of that hospital and I think he needs to real soon.

Thanks to all the people who have been helping us out while we were in Texas, it's a real comfort to know our home is being watch so carefully and we are still thought of by so many people. Please continue to keep Anthony in your prays and in your hearts, he needs them both right now.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006 8:22 PM CST

Here's a quick update on Anthony, he is still in the hospital. He still having fevers. The docs are giving him two different antibiotics for the yeast infection and he is also getting a general antibiotic for anything else that may be going on. We did find out tonight that he has a little bit of pneumonia showing up in one of his lungs. He has had a cough and has been getting sick to his stomach the last couple of days. He is not eating much right now, so he receiving nutrition 24 hours around the clock. He is very week and has a very hard time getting out of bed and walking. Everything else has been going okay. He will have another spinal tap with chemo in his spine tomorrow.

I know that we need to take all of this a day at a time and sometimes even hour by hour, I know Anthony is so strong and will conquer this soon.

Thank you for your prayers, thoughts and well wishes. Thank you for checking in on Anthony and for signing his guestbook. We appreciate all of you!!

By the way, if any of you get USA Hockey Magazine, Anthony has an article in the Minnesota book that is inserted in the magazine. It's an awesome article. Thank you to all that were involved in it.

Friday, February 17, 2006 3:07 PM CST

Anthony is still in the hospital. He is still having fevers. He has been having a lot of tests. We did find out what is causing them, he has a yeast infection on his skin. He is now getting the correct antibiotics to help with this infection. Anthony didn't get the spinal tap yesterday, but they did do the bone marrow biopsy. The bone marrow biopsy is looking good so far. We will know more next week.

Today Anthony got to meet some NBA and NFL players. They were at the hospital visiting with all the kids. That was really cool. Anthony is pretty tired, so he is sleeping right now.

We'll keep you updated as we get information on how he is doing.

Thank you to everyone who checks up on Anthony. Please sign the guestbook so we know youv'e stopped by. We all really love to hear from everyone. Thank you for all of your continued support. We appreciate everything that all of you do for us. All of you are really amazing!!

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 7:35 PM CST

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Well, Anthony is still in the hospital with his fever. He is feeling pretty well. The docs aren't sure why he keeps spiking a fever. I think he is fighting off a little bit of a cold. I also am fighting a little cold. He's been in a very good mood, inspite of being in the hospital. Anthony had another spinal tap yesterday and receive another one on Thursday, along with a bone marrow biopsy. This will tell us how well the new drug is working. Child Life at the hospital has a Valentine's day party today. They handed out Valentine bags, valentin's and balloons. Anthony really enjoyed that.

Thank you to everyone who has been sending Anthony cards, letters and well wishes. He loves getting mail!! Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts. We are so blessed to have all of you fighting this battle with us.

Sunday, February 12, 2006 9:49 AM CST

Anthony has been having a great time. He has gotten to do some pretty fun things. His doctor appointment on Thursday went pretty well, but it was a very long day.

He was really excited to see Aunt Rhonda on Friday. He was also able to spend some time with his Great Aunt Vy and Great Uncle Ken. It's been a ball.

Saturday night Anthony ran a fever, so back in the hospital he went. He will have blood test done to see if he has an infection of some type and he will receive antibiotics. Monday he will receive another spinal tap with chemo and some other test to make sure he isn't having side affects from the new drug he's taking. Aunt Rhonda also goes home tomorrow. We sure wish she could stay a little longer.

Thank you to everyone for all your support and all you do for us. We can't thank all of you enough!!

Wednesday, February 8, 2006 5:47 PM CST

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY to my wonderful son!!!

Anthony is out of the hospital and feeling better. The new drug he is receiving is doing well. This is a drug he takes by pill everyday. Anthony has a doctor appointment tomorrow along with a spinal tap. We will let you know how that goes.

Let's give you an update on today. Anthony has been on the phone most of the day with birthday phone calls. He has had a great day. He got the biggest suprise, Chris Clark (MSU goalie) is here visiting. Anthony is so excited to see him and of course, Chris was baring many gifts from the team. Anthony has received many cards and a great cookie arrangement(not flowers, but cookies) with a big talking balloon attached, thanks Kate and Cathy. It is so nice to see him smile and having fun. Anthony also received a call from his class today, his smile was so big talking to them. Anthony really misses everyone at school. Tonight Anthony wants to go out for dinner. He wants steak, this should be no suprise to anyone who knows him.

Friday we will be hanging out with Aunt Rhonda for the weekend. Anthony can't wait to see her. The rest of us are excited too. A very big THANK YOU to Aunt Rhonda for being there for us!!

Thank you to everyone who have sent cards, gifts and phone calls with birthday wishes for Anthony. A very special thank you to Coach Jutting, Jimmy, Debbie and Chris Clark for making Anthony's day very special!!!

Monday, February 6, 2006 6:48 PM CST

We are all very exhausted. The days have been very long. Anthony is starting to feel better. He is very excited about his birthday on Wednesday. We have some very BIG suprises in store for him.

Anthony's doctor in Houston has put him on a new . It is working really well. The white count is coming down. Anthony is still in the hospital and we hope he will get out with in the next couple of days. He is getting a little today. This should give him some energy and help him feel better. He also had another spinal tap today. He is getting 3 different chemos in his spine. He will be receiving those at least 2 times a week.

Thank you to everyone for all your support, phone calls and all that everyone has done for us. This has been a very trying time for us. Please continue to pray for Anthony and everyother child that needs your prayers.

Friday, February 3, 2006 4:11 PM CST

Sorry we haven't updated for a while, there has been lots going on with us---

After North Dakota, it was to Minneapolis for a doctor appointment. Anthony was admitted for an experimental called Combotox. He received 3 doses of this . The weekend we then went to Duluth to watch those Mavs sweep the BullDogs. Monday after our weekend in Duluth Anthony had another doctor appointment. The Combotox did not work. We now had to talk to our doctors in Houston. They have a new that Anthony is starting today. They have had very good results with this .

Anthony is in the hospital right now since his white count was so high. He received a spinal tap (with chemo in his spine) and bone marrow biopsy today. We should have the results from that tomorrow.

We are extremely exhausted from all of this. Anthony is sleeping right now.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us this past week and for being there for us when we need it the most. Please continue to pray for Anthony and for all the other kids out there battling Cancer or other illnesses.

Sunday, January 22, 2006 8:00 PM CST

Friday night we went to see Gustavus battle St. Marys in a hockey match that went tied into the 3rd period when the Gusties took off with 4 unanswered goals. Words were exchanged in the stands between gustie and St. Mary's fans which was close to breaking out into an all out riot(uncle Mike and I will have to keep a better eye on our wives next game). Cody wasn't playing yet(still trying to remember his name after his concussion from last game). Cody did however remember how to get to the locker rooms which he brought Anthony between periods. After the big win, Anthony was presented with the game puck and all the player signed a hockey stick for him. Thanks guys, you made his day.

Well, the trip to Grand Forks didn't help get a win for the Mavs, but we had a great time. The arena was all that the legend lives up to. "The Ralph" is in a league of it's own as far as arenas, but it sure takes away from a college atmosphere. The laser-light show in the 2nd intermission was a little too much, along with the bright lights that circled the arena and the "We love the indian culture now don't make us change our name" mini-movies, you could almost make out a very slim glimps of a hockey game going on.

All in all, Anthony was in great spirits and enjoyed the weekend to its fullest. We had no medical problems and for the weekend I think Anthony got away from it all and it hasn't been for a long time that he enjoyed himself as being the plain ordinary kid he has longed for since this all began.

Anthony will be up in Minneapolis Monday and we will find out if he will receive the combotox medicine. I don't know if we told people that he's spinal fluid came back negative for cancer and we have won this first battle, we are going one step at a time, that is all we can handle at a time at this point.

Thanks again for your support and all of your prayers. Anthony continues to be a brave, strong and faithful leader in this battle and is thankful for your inspiration, hope and words of encouragement.

Friday, January 20, 2006 4:25 PM CST

Wednesday Anthony had a little early suprise birthday party from the people where Michael works. He was so suprised and had a blast. Thank you to all of you for doing this for Anthony.

Yesterday our day started at 4:00 a. m. Anthony had to be up that early for his EEG. It had to be done when he was sleep deprived and boy were WE sleep deprived. When he was done with the EEG, he had a doctor appointment. It went fairly well. Anthony received a dose of chemo and had his counts checked. His white count went up, but that is to be expected with him not having any type of chemo treatments. His liver function is just about where it needs to be to start the new drug (Combotox). If it is down on Monday, they will start it then. The doctors started him back on Gleevec yesterday. It is at double the dose he was on before. We will see how that does. Anthony also received some blood yesterday so it turned into a very long day.

Not much more going on. We will be taking in some hockey this weekend. Cody tonight and Mavs tomorrow. We will update after our doctor visit on Monday.

Thank you for all the continued support. It would be very hard without all of your support. Thank you!

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 8:58 AM CST

Wow, what a weekend. We had some excitment over the weekend. Of course, not the fun kind. Anthony had a seizure on Saturday night. We went to the emergency in Mankato and then off to Children's we went. They kept a close eye on Anthony Saturday night. He slept really good all night. Anthony was doing so well, he was released on Sunday late afternoon. We stayed at Grandma Lydia's since Anthony had a spinal tap yesterday morning.

We got the results back from the spinal fluid and the fluid looks good. It is clearing up nicely. Anthony probably won't be ready to start his experimental drug next week, his liver function is still a little high. I do know that they have another plan to start until his liver function level drops. We will get the low down on Thursday for that one. Anthony will also have an EEG on Thursday since he had a seizure.

Anthony's spirits are very good. He is smiling and laughing a lot. He won't let any of this get him down. I wish I had as much strength as my son does. He really is an amazing child! That is about it for now. We will let you know how things are going after Thursday.

Thank you to everyone for the prayers. Anthony really needs them now. We can't thank everyone enough for all the thoughtful things you do for us. A very special thank you to Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Mike for coming to Minneapolis to be with us this weekend. It made us all feel better to have family with us!!

Saturday, January 14, 2006 4:25 PM CST

We received the results back from Anthony's spinal tap. The chemo that they are placing in the spine is starting to clear the fluid of the cancer cells. This is one step closer to getting Anthony ready to try the experimental drugs that are out there.

Yesterday we did not do a whole lot. Anthony was pretty tired. He played some PS2 and we took Jessie for a ride in the car. Last night we went to watch the Mavs with Lexy. After the game Anthony went to Aunt Rhonda's for a while. It was so great to spend time with Lexy and Anthony enjoyed being at Aunt Rhonda's .

Today Anthony slept in. When he got up, he had a sinus headache so he went back to bed. He woke up about 1 hour later and started to get sick. He has been in bed all day. He said his tummy is feeling better, but he still has the headache. We gave him some Tylonol and now he is sleeping again. He has been fighting off a cold for the last few days.

There really isn't much more to report for now. Monday Anthony will have another spinal tap and see Dr. Bostrom. We will let you know how everything turns out from that.

Thank you for keeping Anthony and our family in your prayers, for the phone calls, letters and words of encouragement. We really appreciate everything!

Thursday, January 12, 2006 6:36 PM CST

There hasn't been much going on this week. Anthony had a doctor appointment on Monday. His white count went down slightly, but the blast (cancer cells) in his blood went up. After his appointment we stopped to see Grandma Lydia and Grandpa Don, then off to home we came.

Tuesday Michael took Anthony to visit his friends at school. Thanks to Mr. Miller for giving the kids a pop quiz while Mrs. Matzke had a meeting. The kids in the class got to use a calculator and Anthony had to use his head. I heard that Anthony beat them everytime. They all had a great time and I know that Anthony was very happy to see all of his friends!!

Yesterday Anthony and I went to Minneapolis in the afternoon. Anthony had another spinal tap bright and early this morning. He also got a transfusion. His white count went up, but the blast stayed the same as Monday. We were happy that the blast didn't go up too. We got done fairly early since we were at the hospital so early. We didn't get the results back from the tap yet, but we do know that starting Monday, he will receive taps twice a week until they can get the fluid clear of the Luekemia. I hope that it will be soon so they can get started on this new experimental drug.

Not much more going on, it has been a roller coaster ride the last few weeks, but Anthony's spirit and humor are amazing. It's what helps all of us cope with this. I'm so proud of my son!

Thank you to everyone that is praying for Anthony. We really believe in the power of prayer. Thank you to everyone for all your support, to our family, friends, doctors, nurses and those of you we don't even know. It's such an awesome gift to have all of you rooting for Anthony! THANK YOU!!!

Sunday, January 8, 2006 12:13 PM CST

Hi everyone,

1 month until my 9th brithday.
Sorry we haven't updated in a while, we have been busy with doctor appointments and hockey games. Let's start with Thursday, first of all, we went to the Wild vs. Avanlche game that night, me and mom were 2 rows behind the wild bench along with some pepole we know (tickets that my mom won at her christmas party), my dad was right at center ice 18 rows up. The Avanlche won 4-2 there were no fights that night, then after the game we went down in the basement were they keep the zamboni and were the locker rooms are, I got to meet some of the Avanlche players that night too, and they were: RW, #13 Dan Hinote, LW, #18 Alex Tanguay, C, #19 Joe Sakic and RW, #23 Milan Hejduk. Thank you so much Shjon Podien and Eric Means for pulling this together for me.

Moving on to Friday, more doctor appointments and a spinal tap, both of those didn't go so good my blasts in my blood went back up to 41nd there are cancer cells in my spinal fluid. We were going to go to the Lady Mavs game, but a headache got in the way. We camped out in the living room, Mom was a party pooper and went to sleep at 9:30, I was not a party pooper, I stayed up until midnight and played PS2 with Dad (we played on the same team, incase you are asking if I beat him).

Moving on to Saturday, we went to Old Country Buffet for breakfast then we went to Aunt Rhonda's for a while. We came home for a short nap before Cody's hockey game. We went out for dinner with Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mike and Tanner to Whiskey River in St. Peter, then we went to watch Cody's hockey game. The Gusties won 5-2, to bad Cody didn't score a goal. Hopefully The Gusties can pull another win off today.

Today we aren't doing very much.

Thank you for keeping your faith and praying for me to beat this cancer and for being there to help me fight this cancer also.

Have a good day now.
Anthony

Wednesday, January 4, 2006 8:34 AM CST

Anthony's Dr. appointment went fairly well yesterday. He received more chemo, had his counts checked and a bunch of other tests. It was a very long day. The blast (cancer cells) in Anthony's blood are slowly going down from this chemo. We will be giving him fluids during the day when needed and giving him nutrition at night while he sleeps to help him maintain a good balance of what his body needs. Anthony will have more chemo along with a spinal tap on Friday. Anthony has been very tired from this chemo. Fatigue is one of the side affects of this particular chemo, so he is sleeping a lot.

That's about it for now. Thank you for checking in on Anthony, we all appreciate it. We also appreciate all the prayers, thoughts and everything else that is done for us. Please sign the guestbook so we know you stopped by and please keep those prayers coming.

Monday, January 2, 2006 3:12 PM CST

We had a great New Year! Anthony got to spend time with family and friends. We went out for dinner with Cody, Logan and his family, Austin Claude and his family, the Wild's and the Nolans. After dinner on Saturday night we all went to the Mavs game. That was awesome. It was great to spend so much time with Cody (he also spend Friday evening with us). It was also great to see so many of our friends at the game. After the game, we had a small get together at our house. Anthony had a ball!! Sunday some of the Mavs stopped by and we played some of Anthony's new games.

Anthony is getting more tired from this Chemo. He has slept almost all day today. It is hard to see him like this, but we know that this chemo will help in the road back to remission. Tomorrow we head to Minneapolis for more Chemo and blood work. Anthony is also scheduled for a few more test.

He is looking forward to another hockey game tomorrow night. As a matter of fact, this week is full of hockey! Thursday night he will get to see a Wild game or should I say, an Avalache game. Saturday and Sunday Cody will be back on the ice. It will be a fun week of hockey for sure!

We hope that everyone has had a great New Year's. Thank you for all the prayers, thoughts and phone calls. We feel very strongly that Anthony will overcome this bump in the road also. Please keep those prayers coming!

Saturday, December 31, 2005 9:45 AM CST

We would like to start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

This has been a very long and frustrating week for us. Wednesday we received a phone call from Minneapolis that Anthony's blood work was showing something, but not to worry. We made an appointment to go to Children's on Friday. Yesterday we went to see Dr. Bostrom and had blood work done. Well, our fears were confirmed, Anthony has relapsed for the second time. What this means is transplant will be delayed. Anthony needs to be in complete remission before they can proceed with transplant. Minneapolis immediately started a different type of Chemo that Anthony has never had before. He will receive this every 4 days for two weeks. If this doesn't work, they have a back up plan to this with another plan to that. Dr. Bostrom is also in contact with MD Anderson to see what they would want done also. We feel very confident that the doctors will get him back into remission in no time. Of course, Anthony is ready to help his body fight this. His mind set is awesome. He is such an amazing kid. His response to all of this this yesterday was, don't worry. It will be okay!

Thank you for checking on Anthony, please sign the guestbook. He loves reading it. Thank you for all the prayers and thoughts. Please keep them coming.
We really wish everyone of you a blessed New Year!

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 12:49 AM CST

What a wonderful Christmas we had. Anthony was so excited. Saturday was pretty quiet. We hung out with Logan and his family in the early afternoon. The evening was just the three of us. Christmas day Aunt Rhonda and her whole famliy came over. That was very fun!! Aunt Rhonda pulled a fast one on Anthony. His first gift he opened was 4 "C" batteries and then they gave him a 12 pack of pop. Anthony was so gracious about it all. He had that look of "what the heck is this for". Aunt Rhonda really got him a Slurpee Machine. He loves it, so does his Dad. By the end of the evening we were all a little tired since Anthony got us up at 3:30 in the morning to see if Santa came yet. Yes, Santa came Anthony and Jessie both got stuff from Santa. They both played with their gifts for about an hour and we all went back to bed! Yesterday we went to Grandma Lydia's house in Minneapolis for Christmas. Anthony was really excited about the Colorado Avalache Jersey from Aunt Kathy. What he was really excited about is that he will get to wear it next week when him and I go to the Wild vs. Avalache game.

Today he had blood work done. Everything is looking pretty good. His red blood is a little low, but not low enough for a transfusion. That may take place on Friday.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this one of our best Christmas' ever. Thank you for the prayers and thoughts. Please keep them coming!

Friday, December 23, 2005 9:38 PM CST

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Anthony's counts are still dropping from his last round of chemo. This is a good thing, it means the chemo is doing what it is suppose to do. Even with his counts dropping, he is feeling pretty good. Anthony will need to have his counts checked again on Tuesday. I spoke with the U of M this week. January 3-6 will be all of Anthony's out patient tests that he needs to have prior to transplant. January 10 or 11, somewhere around there, Anthony will be admitted into the hospital. He will then start the pre-transplant Chemo. 7 days after Chemo will be his bone marrow transplant. We are thinking around the 17th or 18th of January. I do know that we will be enjoying every minute of our time at home.

Anthony is really looking forward to Christmas. He is so excited! He can't wait to give Jessie her present. At times, I'm not so sure she should get the presents. She has been full of vinegar the past few days. She loves you up one minute an the next minute, well you can only imagine what she is getting herself into! I do know, the one thing Anthony is really looking forward to is Santa!!

Thank you to everyone for all the Christmas gifts, cards, thoughts and prayers we have received. I know that this will be one of our best Christmas' ever. Also, please pray for all of those kids out there battling cancer. Merry Christmas and God bless all of you this holiday season.

Monday, December 19, 2005 6:58 AM CST

Friday's blood work went pretty well. Anthony did get a blood transfusion. That took up the whole day. He was pretty tired Friday night. Saturday Anthony and Michael slept in. Where was I you ask, Christmas shopping at 8:00 in the morning!!! Saturday evening, Angie, Pat, Andrea along with Logan and his family came over for dinner. Anthony had so much fun. He received his first hockey injury of the season. Tyler took a slap shot in floor hockey and Anthony's head just happen to get in the way. He has just a very small cut above his eye, but is just fine. He really didn't even bleed. He's such a tough kid. Anthony was getting a little mad at Jessie though. She kept taking the ball when the boys were playing floor hockey and running away. She decided she needed to be in on the action too!! Sunday Anthony slept most of the day. We wrapped some gifts and watched football. Not much more than that going on around here. This week will consist of blood tomorrow and probably Friday, getting ready for Christmas and plain old hanging out.

Thanks for checking in on Anthony. Don't forget to sign the guestbook so we know you stopped by. Please keep those prayers coming, it's now only 3 weeks til transplant. We really are "ONE TEAM with ONE GOAL".

Thursday, December 15, 2005 11:26 PM CST

Today, Anthony and Robin spent the day together chasing around getting ready for the holidays. Those two shopped, ate lunch and took care of the other things that need to be done. Anthony has had a craving for mexican food since he's had his chemo and it is almost an obsession, I have never seen him eat mexican food like that before, which is good because it helps him pack on the pounds.

Anthony goes into the clinic today to get his counts, he is getting tired easily and he looks a little pale so a transfussion may be in order. However, Anthony has been feeling great lately, I guess the overnight tube feedings have really helped out alot to make him stronger and healthier.

We have been so busy during the holiday season(who isn't) but it has been hard with the tube feedings, the medical procedures and medications at night and the constant watching him to make sure things are going alright while he sleeps during the night that we are exhausted some mornings. Home care can save money but it is an awful strain on the body.

Well, a couple of the guys from MSU hockey came over and Anthony AND Jesse were so happy to see them. Anthony was beaming ear to ear and Jesse looked like some circus dog jumping up and down to get some attention. She has been spending an awful lot of time in her kennel due to some authority problems(she has had a problem with remembering who is in charge here). That dog's motto is "give me an inch and I'll take a mile" when it comes to the rules of the house lately but I think she's coming around now(you know she is a teenager in dog years).

Thank you for all the support everyone has given our family, we really couldn't have made it this far without all of you. It has been one heck of a year, just tonight when I tucked Anthony into bed for the night he mentioned that this year has gone by so fast, and I guess for us it has. We have been through a lot, have traveled a lot and have had our ups and our downs, but we are still fighting strong and all of us are still one team with one goal, thanks everyone!

P.S. I have been having problems updating the photos so please be patient, I'll work on fixing the problem as soon as possible.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005 6:52 AM CST

Anthony had Chemo on Friday. Everything went well, but it sure was a long day. Friday night we saw Cody play hockey. He had TWO goals!!! We really love to watch the Gustties play. Saturday was Keith's funeral and then Anthony was off to Angie and Pat Nolan's for the evening. Michael and I went to my Christmas party, which was very fun! Anthony had a very fun time with Pat. Sunday we were back to Aunt Rhonda's for Uncle Mike's birthday. That was very nice. We always enjoy going to Aunt Rhonda's, especially when all the kids are home. Last night Michael and I went Christmas shopping. Anthony was with Kelsey and Kurtis. He had a blast.

The rest of the week looks pretty quiet. Friday Anthony will need to have his counts checked. His counts will start to drop this week from the Chemo. I believe that Friday was his last dose of Chemo until transplant. They will keep him on the Gleevec right up to transplant and will continue to watch his counts closely. Needless to say, Anthony was pretty excited about not having Chemo until January. He said that just means more time at home!!

Jessie has been a pill. We have a special room in the basement for her when we are at work (and if she does go with Anthony during the day), and yesterday she tried to dig through the sheet rock to get out. She is something else when she sets her mind to something. Boy, doesn't that sound just like an 8 year old I know!!

Anthony's schooling is going very well. He so enjoys Mr. Miller. He gets very excited when it is time for Mr. Miller to come over.

We will let you know later in the week how Anthony is doing. It's very busy right now with Anthony, Christmas and trying to work. We do thank everyone of you for all you do. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers, keep them coming. The next 4-5 months will be very testing for all of us.

Thursday, December 8, 2005 8:39 AM CST

Anthony's blood counts went well yesterday. They are high enough to have Chemo on Friday. He is feeling pretty good.
We got news this week of when Anthony will be going to the U of M for his Bone Marrow Transplant. He will be going in the hosiptal on January 3 to start the tests that need to be done before he can have the transplant. January 10 will be the actual bone marrow transplant date.

Today Anthony and I are on a baking mission. We are starting to do our Christmas baking. Anthony really enjoys cooking and baking. I'm sure it will be a ball!!

We finally have kind of a quiet weekend planned. Tomorrow night we will go and watch Cody play hockey, Saturday just a couple of things going on and Sunday is absolutly nothing!!

Anthony is having a great time with his tutor. He is learning so much. I'm so very proud of Anthony, he doesn't give up on anything he does.

We would like to thank everyone for being there for us. We are so blessed! Remember to sign Anthony's guestbook, he loves ready the entries!!

Sunday, December 4, 2005 9:16 PM CST

Anthony's counts still aren't high enough to start Chemo. He will have them checked again in the middle of the week and hopefully he will have Chemo on Friday.

We have had a wonderful weekend. It was very much filled with hockey, hockey and more hockey!! We went to the East games (Boys JV, Girls Varsity and Boys Varsity) on Thursday night, Tanner made his first goal of the season. It was also the game winning goal. It was awesome!! Anthony was yelling and banging on the glass. He was so thrilled to see Tanner score. The East girls lost to West and the varsity boys won against Fairbault. Friday night was the Mavs. It was a really good game, but had a heart breaking loss in overtime. Saturday we went to Gustavus Adolphus to watch Cody play. That was great game. Cody played well and you can really tell he loves playing hockey there. They have some very talented boys playing. Saturday night it was back to watch the Mavs, it was another exciting game, ending in a tie in overtime. Today we did nothing. Anthony and I were going to start making Christmas cookies, but neither one of us had much ambition, so we just watched football instead.

Anthony is doing great with his school work. He is about caught up with his class. He really likes Mr. Miller. Anthony will see Mr. Miller again tomorrow and later in the week,Anthony will go to school(after hours) to take a test. He is so excited about the test. He makes me laugh, I can't believe how much he likes to do school work and take tests. We'll see how well he likes it when he gets into high school.

I do have a couple of prayer requests. The first one is for Uncle Mike and his family as they morn the loss of Uncle Mike's dad, Keith. Our prayers and thoughts are with the whole family. The other request is for all the kids out there that are sick or are alone during this holiday season.

Thank you for checking on Anthony. You all mean so much to us. We thank God everyday for such great family and friends.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005 7:07 PM CST

We had an awesome weekend. We got to see a little hockey and spend some time with good friends!! Anthony got to be with Logan on Saturday. The boys played a lot of knee hockey. Can you believe it? We also picked up our Christmas tree. It's really pretty, of course, it's not all the way decorated yet. Sunday was a very fun day also. Ellen and Larry Wild had us over along with the benefit committee. It was a really good time.

Today Anthony had his counts checked. The counts were just short of being to the point of him having Chemo on Thursday. Anthony will have them checked again on Friday with plans of Chemo on Monday.

Anthony gets to see his tutor, Mr. Miller tomorrow. Anthony is so looking forward to that!! I don't believe that I've ever seen someone so happy to do school work.

Anthony also has hockey to look forward to on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I guess it will end up being a very busy week and weekend.

Thank you for all your support, prayers, and thoughts. We appreciate every one of you!!!

Saturday, November 26, 2005 8:22 AM CST

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I hope everyone reading this also had a great day. Anthony and I did all the cooking for Thanksgiving. He has become quite the helper in the kitchen. This is one thing the two of enjoy doing together. We had turkey with all the fixings. It was so good!!

Yesterday Anthony had his blood work done. As anticipated, Anthony had to have a blood transfusion. He had that in Mankato. It actually went fairly fast. We were out of the hospital by 3:30 (it would have been sooner, but we had to watch the rest of the Wild game). When we got home, Lexy came over to hang out. Anthony and Lexy played Wheel of Fortune. Those two get so competitive when they play that game. We all went out for dinner and then it was louging, watching some college hockey on t. v.

Today there are big things in store for Anthony. We will be getting our Christmas tree and an East Hockey game. We are all pretty excited that high school hockey is finally starting.

Thank you for checking up on Anthony. We all really enjoy reading the entries. Thank you for the prayers, thoughts and all everyone does for us. We would not be able to get through the tough times with out all of you!

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 6:28 PM CST

Anthony had blood counts today. They were pretty good. We thought for sure he would need to be transfused, but not today. He will have his counts checked again on Friday. We are anticipating transfusions then. Anthony has been so funny lately. He is always cracking jokes and laughing. It is so great to see him as his noraml self. He is looking forward to Thanksgiving, actually, he's looking forward to all the food. We have noticed with him getting nutrition throughout the night, he also eats better during the day. We are very happy about that.

Anthony has a big weekend planned. We will be getting our tree and our decorations up. The big thing for the weekend is, he wants to visit with Santa and tell him what he would like for Christmas and let me tell you, he isn't thinking small!! It will be fun to see what Santa does actually bring him. Anthony also has picked out Jessie's Christmas present. She will be getting a new doggie bed--shhh, she has no idea what she's getting.

We would like to thank everyone for checking up on Anthony. Your prayers and thoughts are greatly appreciated. We would also like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know we certainly have a lot to be thankful for this year!!

Sunday, November 20, 2005 9:52 AM CST

There hasn't been much going on. We have been doing a lot of family stuff together. Anthony had chemo this week and seems to be doing pretty well with it, so far. His counts have been pretty good. Anthony is feeling much better from his surgery. He is not as stiff as he was last week. Anthony and I have had quite a bit of Mom and son time together. It's been awesome!! We started to do some Christmas shopping yesterday. That was really fun. This coming week will be blood counts only,(with transfusions if needed), other than that, we will be getting ready for Thanksgiving. Anthony is looking forward to next weekend, we will be putting up all our Christmas stuff.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us. Thank you for checking up on Anthony and praying for him. We appreciate everything you all do for us!!

Saturday, November 12, 2005 10:24 AM CST

Anthony's surgery went well. The tube is in place and he is doing well. He did not get his chemo, his counts were too low. We will have counts checked again on Tuesday and go from there. Anthony is hoping to get out of the hospital today, but I'm thinking more like tomorrow, we'll see though. Jessie sure is hoping he comes home today, she really misses him. She doesn't sleep well when Anthony is gone. Jessie seems to be so lost with Anthony away. She follows me everywhere around the house. She's so CUTE!

I will keep you updated on when Anthony will be coming home. Thank you all for the prayers, thoughts and all that you do for us. Words will never be able to express our graditude! THANK YOU!

11/12
I just got word that Anthnoy will be out of the hospital tonight. He has had something to eat and is now taking a nap.

Thursday, November 10, 2005 7:58 AM CST

Sorry we haven't updated since we've been back from Alaska. We have been catching up on much needed sleep. Our trip was amazing!!! Alaska is so beautiful. It was really cold while we were there, so we didn't see many sights, but it was still a great time. Anthony had a blast hanging with the team. Thursday when we arrived, we went to practice and out for dinner with the team. We were all very tired since there is a 3 hour time change. Friday morning it was practice again. Anthony was very excited about practice since Fridays is shoot-out day. Anthony got to be the goal judge and turn on the light when a player made a goal. I haven't seen him smile and laugh that much in a while. The rest of Friday we hung out, went out for dinner and took a cab to the game. The cab driver was pretty funny!! Of course, Friday night we beat Anchorage 7-2. The Mavs played awesome. When we got back to the hotel, Anthony hung out with the goalies for a while. Saturday morning was breakfast and then Anthony went on a bus tour with the team while I went shopping. I had quite the experience, I rode the city bus. That was interresting! Anthony had the best time on the tour. When Anthony and the Mavs returned to the hotel, he took a little nap in Sutter and McKelvie's room. We then packed later in the afternoon and got ready to leave for the game. Saturday's game was good also. After the game, we left to the airport. Our flight took off at 1:00 a. m. Alaska time. We flew to Seattle, WA. had a lay-over there and from there flew to MN. We finally got home around 3:00 p. m. Sunday afternoon. It really was a trip to remember, the view is breath taking and words can not describe how beautiful it is there. We can not thank Coach Jutting and the team enough for taking us with them.

Tomorrow Anthony will be having a feeding tube surgically placed in his stomach. He will also get his next round of Chemo.

Thank you for checking on Anthony, thank you for all the prayers and everything everyone does for us. We are very lucky to have such a great family and group of people that care so much about us.

Thursday, November 10, 2005 7:58 AM CST

Sorry we haven't updated since we've been back from Alaska. We have been catching up on much needed sleep. Our trip was amazing!!! Alaska is so beautiful. It was really cold while we were there, so we didn't see many sights, but it was still a great time. Anthony had a blast hanging with the team. Thursday when we arrived, we went to practice and out for dinner with the team. We were all very tired since there is a 3 hour time change. Friday morning it was practice again. Anthony was very excited about practice since Fridays is shoot-out day. Anthony got to be the goal judge and turn on the light when a player made a goal. I haven't seen him smile and laugh that much in a while. The rest of Friday we hung out, went out for dinner and took a cab to the game. The cab driver was pretty funny!! Of course, Friday night we beat Anchorage 7-2. The Mavs played awesome. When we got back to the hotel, Anthony hung out with the goalies for a while. Saturday morning was breakfast and then Anthony went on a bus tour with the team while I went shopping. I had quite the experience, I rode the city bus. That was interresting! Anthony had the best time on the tour. When Anthony and the Mavs returned to the hotel, he took a little nap in Sutter and McKelvie's room. We then packed later in the afternoon and got ready to leave for the game. Saturday's game was good also. After the game, we left to the airport. Our flight took off at 1:00 a. m. Alaska time. We flew to Seattle, WA. had a lay-over there and from there flew to MN. We finally got home around 3:00 p. m. Sunday afternoon. It really was a trip to remember, the view is breath taking and words can not describe how beautiful it is there. We can not thank Coach Jutting and the team enough for taking us with them.

Tomorrow Anthony will be having a feeding tube surgically placed in his stomach. He will also get his next round of Chemo.

Thank you for checking on Anthony, thank you for all the prayers and everything everyone does for us. We are very lucky to have such a great family and group of people that care so much about us.

Saturday, November 5, 2005 3:12 PM CST

Well, here I am all alone again while my son is off on far away adventures. I talked with him this morning and he is having a blast(a wintery, arctic blast that is). He sounds like he's so happy to be up there, it is very nice to hear excitement in his voice again.

I could say that I am here with Jessie, but she isn't talking to me this weekend. I took her in Friday to be "fixed" and she has been glaring at me ever since I picked her up from the vet. Oh yes, I think this was planned by Anthony and Robin to for them to be gone and have me take all the wrath of Jessie once she had her "proceedure". She seems to be fine and I am not going to puch the subject.

I guess the "Mavs" won last night, it was nice since they had special guests in the crowd. Anthony may be good luck to them on the road, I think Anthony would like to go to all their away games but that would be impossible.

Well, wish them luck and hope for a safe flight back. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Monday, October 31, 2005 6:59 AM CST

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Anthony is feeling pretty good. Friday we had Anthony's counts checked and they are on the way up. YEAH! Friday night we went to watch the Mavs. It was fun. We all slept in Saturday and then off to Medford shopping we went. When we got back, it was time to get ready for another hockey game. That was pretty fun too, it's too bad they couldn't pull a win out this weekend. Maybe this coming weekend. Sunday Anthony, Logan and Tyler (Logan's brother) went to trick or treat with the Mavs at MSU. That was a blast. They had baseball, track, golf, hockey, musical chairs and much more. The boys has so much fun. It was hard to get them out of there when it was done. It was so good to see Anthony play and have so much fun. It brought the biggest smile to my face. Tonight Anthony will be going Trick or Treating. He has not gotten to go in a couple of years. He is so looking forward to it.

Thursday morning Anthony and I leave for Alaska with the men's hockey team. We are so excited!! Thank you Coach Jutting for making this happen for Anthony.

Thank you to everyone who checks on Anthony and signs the guestbook. Thank you for the words of encouragement and your prayers. Thank you for all the support that you have shown us this past year (yes, it's been a year already) and for the continued support in the coming months.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 9:08 PM CDT

We are finally home. It's been a very long week. Anthony is on antibiotics, but he is feeling much better. His counts are on the way up, that's why he has started to feel a lot better.
We don't have much planned for the week, but just hanging out. Of course, this week end is the home opener for the Mavs. We'll be there!! We may also have to get the East vs. West football game, depending on what time it is at. GO COUGARS!

Not much more for now. Thank you to everyone who prays for us, helps us in every way and for just being there for us when we need some support. God bless all of you!

Friday, October 21, 2005 5:30 PM CDT

Well Anthony is back in the hospital with an infection again, this time he is going to miss the Maverick/Gopher hockey game and he is not happy about that. We really don't know why he is getting these infections or what kind they are but the doctors are trying their best to figure it out. We may salvage Saturday night's game if only for a couple of periods.

Some very good news from Houston, the test for the Phili Chromosone came back and the results are that there is no presence of the philidelphia chromosone in his bone morrow. GREAT NEWS!!! This is the only test I was worried about and the cause of many sleepless nights for me.

Anthony is pretty tired these days and he really didn't want to do anything more than sleep this week. Hopefully he will regain his pep for the game and just for life in general. I hate to see him like this because this is really not the way he is. I hope he can be out of the hospital before next week but I really doubt it, maybe Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks for dropping in, we love to hear from all of you out there. We also thank you for your prayers and for just dropping little note to remind us that we are not alone.

Saturday, October 15, 2005 3:58 PM CDT

Anthony has been doing pretty good. He is really tired due to his counts being so low from his chemo. He got some blood and platelets this week and will probably need more sometime this weekend. Anthony's results from his last bone marrow biopsy are back. There were 0 cancer blast in the marrow and they checked 400 cells for the Philidelphia Chromosone and didn't find any. The more sensitive test for the Philidelphia Chromosone is not back yet. This test is being done by MD Anderson in Houston. We hope to have those results back early next week.

Anthony has been having so much fun. He is always laughing and just have a great time. Today Anthony was talking about all the big plans he has for next spring and summer. He even started on his Christmas list.

Not much more going on here. We are hanging low until Anthony's counts start going back up. Thanks for checking in on Anthony and for all the things everyone does for us. We really appreciate everything!!! Without all of you, it would be very hard for us to make it through this. THANK YOU!

Sunday, October 9, 2005 9:03 PM CDT

We had a pretty good weekend. We had a great time at the hockey game on Friday night. Saturday we all sleep in until almost noon. I guess we all needed that. That afternoon Logan came over to see Anthony. They had a great time. We made some lunch and then we watched the jug game between U of M and Michigan. It was a great game. When that was over, Anthony and Logan played a little garage hockey. Then it was time for Logan to go home. Later on in the evening, Austin Sutter and Chad Brownlee came over and we made homemade pizza and watch NHL hockey. Anthony did get a little sick yesterday from his chemo, need less to say, the NG tube came out. Boy, was Anthony happy!! It was like he was a new person. I do have a feeling it will be put back in some time this week, though. Tomorrow Anthony has another bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap. It will be another long day. Thursday we go up to the cities again for chemo. It will be just for the day.

Jessie and Anthony have been having a ball playing the last few days. She is the strangest dog I have ever seen. She makes all of us laugh.

Thank you to all who have been so generous to us. We appreciate all that has been and is being done for us. Please continue to pray for Anthony and all the kids that need them out there. Thank you for checking up on Anthony and please sign the guestbook, we all love to read it.

Friday, October 7, 2005 8:28 AM CDT

Anthony has been doing pretty well through this chemo. He did have a NG tube placed on Tuesday. The NG tube goes through is nose into his stomach. This is to let us give him extra nutrition as he sleeps. It will help him recover better from the chemo and will give him a little more energy. The tube should be able to come out in a couple of weeks. He also had a bone marrow biopsy on Tuesday. It came back very good. The other test they do to see if the Philadelphia Chromosone is present won't be done until probably Monday.

Our trip to the U of M on Monday was very informative. The U is probably going to use Cord blood this time. The cord blood (which is from and ambilical(spelling?)cord is to have quite a bit of marrow in it. We already receive a call yesterday that they have found a cord that matches Anthony. We are still uncertain when he will be going to transplant, but the great thing about cord blood is it is readily available at anytime.

We got home very late last night. The docs decided to let Anthony come home after his last dose of chemo. It was
pretty late and need less to say, I'm sure Anthony will be sleeping for a while today. He is very excited about going to the hockey game tonight! Anthony is also excited about the lower temps. He said it really puts him in the hockey mood. GO MAVS!

Thank you for all the prayers this week and always. Thank you to Aunt Rhonda for going with us on Monday to the U. and thanks to everyone who helps us in every way!

Sunday, October 2, 2005 3:30 PM CDT

Sorry it's been a while since we updated. There hasn't been much going on. Anthony has been feeling really good. He is full of energy and smiles. Jessie and him have been having a blast. Anthony got to play street hockey a couple times this last week with Logan and Tyler. It was great to see him playing like that.

Tomorrow Anthony has a doctor appointment in the morning, then we go the U of M to talk to the doctors about transplant and then it's back to Children's for the week for chemo. He did tell the doctor that he needs to be home Friday for the MSU hockey game. The doctor promised he would be home in time for the game.

Thank you for all your continued support and for checking on Anthony. Please make sure you sign the guestbook. Anthony loves reading them.

Sunday, September 25, 2005 8:03 AM CDT

Anthony is really enjoying his time at home and Jessie has been a very good dog since he's been home. He has been in an extremely good mood this last week and is feeling really good. Jessie can tell, because she has been very crazy also. His infection is about gone and he is almost done with the antibiotics.

Anthony had a very busy week. Michael, Anthony and I went to the Wild game on Tuesday (thank you Children's Hospital for the tickets) and Michael and Anthony went again on Thursday (thank you to the person who gave us their season tickets). Anthony had a blast on Thursday!! He got a bag filled with a t-shirt, DVD, hockey puck, Wild flag, and a bunch of other stuff from the Wild. He also got to see a few of the MSU freshmen that were at the game. He was hoping to see Kisio and Fransen at the game, but they were across the ice from them. He was also very excited when he got to see the interveiw with Shari Voigt on the big screen. He was hoping to say hi to her, but wasn't sure where her seat was. Anthony got to meet Shari this summer and he got to skate with her. He is very proud that she is now playing for Team USA.

Yesterday was a very low key day. All of us caught up on much needed sleep. There's really not much more going on, so we'll update again soon.

Thank you to everyone for everything you do. Words can't express our gratitude. Thank you again for the great benefit, it was truly breathtaking. Thank you to all who put it together and all who came to support us. Mostly, thank you for all the prayers for Anthony's continued healing. God does listen so please keep them coming!

Wednesday, September 21, 2005 10:42 PM CDT

Well the benefit was a great success, the dunk tank, silent auction, T-shirt and the whole gathering itself was wonderful. The most important thing is that everyone had fun that night. Anthony was so sad that he had to go so soon, he was enjoying himself like he hadn't been able to for a while. Anthony was also humbled by the amount of people who showed up that night, He said(with a tear in his eye) "I didn't think there where so many people there until they all gathered around me when I left. It made me feel so good to know all those people want to see me get better".

We would like to thank the Junkers, wilds,Andersons,Deoperes and the Johnsons for the time they spent organizing the benefit, Jack McGowan, the Moonlighters and everyone else who played a part, big or small. We would also like to thank the people who attended this event, and who braved the attacks of the "Minnesota State Bird". We would like to thank everyone who has been praying for us and has supported us from the start, and the people who have joined our battle all the way through to where we are now.

The community has really joined together and have given Anthony tremendous strength. Anthony and I were talking about this in the hospital and he said he tries his best each day to be strong for the people who want him to get better, it is a lot for this little boy to take on himself, and even though I am so proud of the way he has handled himself I have to remind myself sometimes that he is just a little boy. Seeing him being unable to do the things he loves is the hardest thing for Robin and I, school, hockey, running and playing, just the little boy stuff he once did is tough. In our hearts we know that Anthony will one day get his real wish, that one day he will be cured and he will return to being just a little boy.

Thanks again to everybody for showing up on Saturday and at Anthony's first benefit, our fight has just begun. We are truly one team with one goal, and we will never give up!

Saturday, September 17, 2005 10:38 AM CDT

Anthony's Benefit is today at Junker's grill and bar from 4-10pm. Direction to Junker's for out of towners are 169(from the north or south) to Hwy 14 west to Lor Ray drive exit(first exit on top of the big hill) turn left on Lor Ray(right if your coming from 14 west) and go to the first stop light(Commerce drive). Junker's is kitty-corner from Culver's.

Today is Anthony's benefit and he is able to get out of the hospital to attend it. Anthony is so excited about being able to attend, but I think he just wants to come home for any reason. Anthony's infection is healing so good and I guess he will be out of the hospital; in a couple of days if not by Sunday.

Thursday night I went up to visit Anthony with Jessie and he was having mood swings due to his medication. What a great smile he had when we surprised him by bringing Austin Sutter with me, Anthony didn't know Austin was coming and wow did his face light up(Austin said that smile was worth the trip). They played PS2 hockey and just sat and talked to each other, Austin has become one of many of Anthony's good friends. Ryan Mckelvie's parents Rick and Vickie came to see Anthony as will that night so Anthony was in a great mood when I left. Then the next day aunt Kathy returned to see Anthony, he really wanted to see her again(I guess he needed to see her when he wasn't in so much pain).

Jessie has been extremely good lately, she is relaxed when Anthony talks to her on the speaker phone, those two are really good buddys, both of them worry about the other.

Well I have a lot to do to get ready for tonight, I hope to see you there and I hope the weather stays good, rain is not going to fall tonight, right?

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 8:19 PM CDT

Well, Anthony is in the hospital with another infection, I guess we got off pretty lucky last time we went through chemo because this is a normal reaction. He was in a lot of pain so we took him to ISJ hospital last night, and his infection got worse so the doctor ordered an ambulance ride to childrens hospital. Robin came home and picked up some things and headed up to the cities after him. Auntie Kathy was nice enough to take off work and meet him at the hospital until Robin arrived(a big thanks Kathy).

So here I am alone with the "Evil Dog" again, actually she was pretty good after Anthony talked to her over the speaker phone. Poor girl, she really freaked out because Anthony was in such pain whenever he would move he would scream and Jessie was very worried about him. Jessie kept on going from Anthony's bedroom to his bathroom looking for him. So when Jessie heard Anthony's voice, a relief came over her and she just started to play with me all night long.

I guess this may or may not happen again, so we have to really be strong and not let Anthony see us worry. It is very hard to see Anthony in such pain, he truly is a strong kid with a very high tolerence for pain.

Anthony said he really wants to be at his benefit Saturday night and his doctor is trying his best to make happen. With the morphin for pain and the antibiotics, I hope he can be well enough to go. Well, I am really tired and stressed out and must go before I fall asleep on the keyboard. Good Nigh z z z z z z z z z z z z z

Monday, September 12, 2005 11:33 PM CDT

ANTHONY'S BENEFIT
JUNKER'S GRILL AND BAR ON THE CORNER OF COMMERCE AND LOR RAY DRIVE IN NORTH MANKATO
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 4-10PM (SILENT AUCTION(MSU HOCKEY PLAYERS), GAMES, DUNK TANK, SLAP SHOT GAME, MUSIC BY THE MOONLIGHTERS BAND AND MAGIC BY JACK MCGOWAN, PULLED PORK SANDWICHES, COLESLAW, CHIPS,WATER AND PEPSI PRODUCTS.
CALL FOR DETAILS
JUNKER'S 625-1771
LARRY AND ELLEN WILD 278-4259
LON AND JAN ANDERSON 345-7389
BRENDA & JIM DEOPERE 625-2861
TODD AND MARY JOHNSON 388-2395
****THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PITCHED IN WITH THE BENEFITS****


We had a busy weekend going around and seeing as many people we could. Anthony was released from the hospital on Friday and didn't do much because of the time they got home. Jessie went nuts when they opened the door, she was so glad to see Anthony and I think Anthony felt the same way.

We have a dog who gets pretty mad at us if we leave her alone for a while, not much when I'm gone, but when Anthony and Robin are gone it is the attack of the "Evil Puppy". I have never seen a dog do things to get back at us. From ripping out the grass(the very little we have) and drywall in the garage, to doing her duty where she knows is the wrong place to outright ignoring me when I talk to her. I do have to say that she makes it up by cuddling up to Anthony when he is not feeling so well.

Anthony got to finally meet the MSU freshmen hockey players this weekend, he was really excited when they came over to meet him. Thanks to Coach Means for the jerseys, the Bruins Glen Murray and Av's Rob Blake, Anthony just sat there and looked at Blakes jersey for the longest time, Blake(along with all the Colorado team) is one of Anthony's favorite players.(B.T.W. Shjon says "Hi").

Anthony's chemo is pretty tough this round, a lot of weakness, light headedness and just a bunch of aches and pains that we have never had during the first round of chemo. Anthony still hasn't made it to school and is trying to get strong for the benefit on Saturday. It seems like he wants to show people how much of a little tough guy he is, but then he gets worn out and has to re-energize afterwards.
Anthony just wants people to know that he is all right and not to worry, especially his little friends.

Thanks for everything everybody has done for our family, from the cards, the words of encouragement, prayers, donations,gifts, time and most of all the love for our little boy. He is truly a great kid, and he shows us that everyday.

Thursday, September 8, 2005 7:26 PM CDT

Anthony is finally starting to feel better. The infection at his bone marrow site is about gone and the stomach pain is all gone. His appetite has started to come back. YEAH!!! Anthony resumed his chemo on Tuesday night. He seems to be doing well with it. The Dr did say the the results from this last bone marrow biopsy was very good. Out of 400 cells, they could not detect any of the Philedelphia Chromosone. The Gleevec is doing wonders, I think it really is a "Miracle" drug. Hopefully, tomorrow or Saturday we will be able to go home for a while, even though Anthony really enjoys his stays here. Last night he got to use the Jacuzzi. He is hoping to do so again tonight.

Today Grandma Lydia, Don, and Uncle Steve stopped by to see Anthony. Thank you, it really means a lot to have family around!! Anthony is really looking forward to tonight, the NFL season starts. Look out Aunt Julie, let the betting begin!

Anthony is hoping that he will be able to make it to school for a while next week. He is very excited about meeting his new teacher and seeing all of his friends.

We would like to thank all of our family and friends who are working so hard to make the up coming benefit such a success for us. We would also like to thank all who keep up on Anthony, pray for him and our family and those who are so willing to help in any way they can. We appreciate everything so much from the phone calls, cards and even the entries on this site. Thank You!!

Sunday, September 4, 2005 4:00 PM CDT

We have been up in Minneapolis at the Children's hospital due to a possible infection in his spinal tap area. His tummy has had to take a rest from food to recover from the chemo so Anthony has been on I.V. food for a while.

Jessie came up here with Robin and both of them missed each other very much. Jessie was calm and just laid next to Anthony and slept. Everybody at the hospital thinks Jessie is so cute and wants to take her home with them.

Although Anthony's hemoglobin and platlets are low, so is the cancerous bone marrow producing the bad blood cells. His counts before we went to Houston were 20at the Childrens hospital's first visit 2.5nd as of Monday they were 0.2nd even better is the fact that the Philadelphia chromosome is not present on the general test, and very few show up in the results of the more intense test.

We have very little time to update, we will try to as often as possible. As soon as Anthony's count go back up, his fever goes down and he get off his rear-end and starts walking around we will be out of here. Anthony's back is very sore and swollen at the area of where he got his bone marrow biopsy and I think that is whats holding him up from getting back to his normal self.

Thanks for dropping by and leaving a note on Anthony's webb site. We really love to hear from our friends and family and the prayers they send.

Monday, August 29, 2005 7:29 AM CDT

It's been awhile since we have updated the site, but we do have some good news. Anthony has already had a positive reaction to the Gleevec, he has gone from 20ancer in his bone marrow to only 2.5This is before he started any chemo on Tuesday so the doctors at the U of M are already starting to talk about his second transplant. The doctors are really excited about the quick reaction to the gleevec and love Anthony's positive attitude.

Anthony had a pretty rough week after his chemo, he is taking a really big dose this time and it shows. Anthony is tired and wore out, but finds time to do the things he likes. Anthony is getting tired of being sick and taking all those pills and I don't blame him.

On Thursday after we got out of the hospital, Anthony met with Shjon Podein who is a former left forward of the Colorado Av's. and was on the team when they won the Stanley Cup. Shjon brought Anthony a hockey stick that he played with in a playoff game against the Detroit Red Wings and made a goal with. Shjon brought his family with him(he has a cute 2 1/2 year old girl) who also gave Anthony her stick.

Robin and Anthony are back at the Children's hospital today for a follow up visit so I hope we have some more good news. Anthony is busy tracking Katrina on her way to the gulf shore. Weather has always been Anthony's passion, and these events bring out the monster in his weather veins.

Anthony is looking forward to school and being with all of his friends which he misses so much. Chris Clark told Anthony that he was going to bring over this freshman hockey players to meet Anthony and he is so excited.

Anthony got to see his first Viking game at the dome, he thought it was great to see them beat the Chargers. Although our seats were very high, it was an awesome game and we really got to see the whole field, it was really cool.

Thank you for visiting Anthony's website, and for your support throughout this whole ordeal. Continue to pray for Anthony's recovery and his spirit for life.

Sunday, August 21, 2005 2:49 PM CDT

Not really anything too exciting happening lately. Anthony has been in a good mood and doesn't seem too worried about going to the U of M Monday for his first round of chemo. Him and Jessie have been attached at the ankles all weekend, both of them have been goofy(I guess it's because of the full moon).

We did go up to the cities for Uncle Rodney's 40'th birthday party, Anthony had fun with his cousins Brandon and Marcus. It was a nice trip to get away for a while and visit relatives on more fun circumstances, Anthony, and I guess all of us just relaxed like we did before.

Although Anthony didn't get to use his camping stuff last week, we rolled out the sleeping bags in the basement and camped out there. Jessie also "ruffed" it in the harsh wilderness with us and provided the early wildlife warning.

Anthony went shopping for school supplies(clothes, gym shoes and paper and pencils) this week. He is really looking forward to school, he already knows who his teacher is and some of his classmates, this will be great for him to be back to a normal kid life.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us make it through this tough time, we are so very grateful. As you keep our family in your prayers, we also keep all of you in ours for being there to support us.

Thursday, August 18, 2005 5:15 PM CDT

Well, Jessie fits in this family like a glove, fun most of the time but stubborn the rest of the time. Life with Jessie is a real joy during the day, but at night she changes into "evil Dog". Jessie is very smart and already has mastered an escape plan to get out of her kennel. Jessie had her first check up and although we have no lab results, she is doing just fine.

This week Anthony was going to go to camp but decided that we needed some family time instead. Anthony has had a lot on his mind about many different things and needed time to sort them out(what 8 year old wouldn't need extra time). Gretzky, Houston and the U of M, a new dog, new medicines and doctors all in a period of one month is an awesome amount of change to process, so I guess camp was just another thing to deal with.

Anthony's counts were really good, his spirits are high and his outlook on life is great. Monday we go to the U of M for his first round of chemo so it will be another long week. It will be a time for meeting new nurses and doctors and just a new experience all together.

Wish us well for our first trip to the "U", this is just another step on the road to remission/cure. We thank all the people who have opened their hearts for us and have prayed for Anthony's recovery. Anthony is a super child, I am always reminded just how lucky I am to have such a wonderful son. Anthony shows me courage, confidence and inspiration everyday, I often wonder if I would be as strong as him if I had to go through what he has endured.

Monday, August 15, 2005 0:02 AM CDT

It has been a busy week for us, sorry about the delay in updating the website. Having Jessie around is a big task, training, walking and getting a sleep schedule is keeping us(or should I say "me") busy. Jessie fits in our family well, she is stubburn, leaves her toys around and she is uses her brain to get what she wants, huh, sounds like another family member. On Tuesday, I put Jessie in the laundry area with her kennel and left for work. When Anthony, Julie and Elliot came home an hour later, Jessie had scaled the side of her kennel, hopped up onto the washer and dryer and jumped to freedom over a three foot plywood board. Jessie had full reign of the house, luckly we have the laziest puppy in the world and instead of destroying the house she went to sleep.

We had fun with Uncle Elliot and Aunt Julie, I guess Anthony showed them how to play mini-golf, and of course, play poker. Jessie really laid on the charm and won their hearts, but the tables turned the morning after they left when Jessie went into the guests bedroom and just stared at the empty bed(no more spoiling for her). Anthony really loves being with Elliot and Julie, I really don't think he wanted to see them go.

Jimmy and Debbie Clark were also here, we had a fun time with them at the Vikings training camp, where we were able to sit on the field. We sat right next to the Viking's cheerleaders and tired to get Anthony to take a picture with them which he wanted nothing to do with them. Chris even bravely said that he would go over there with Anthony for support(what a good friend). It has been a long time since Anthony has seen Jimmy and Debbie and he wished he could have spent more time with them this trip, but hockey seasons just around the corner.

No changes in Anthony's health, it is just hard to for him to eat due to the Gleevec takes away his hunger. He really wants to play baseball next year, along with hockey and flag football with the YMCA this fall. Anthony keeps a positive attitude about his situation but sometimes he just wants to be his old self. I told him that when he gets better, he will have pletty of playing time to catch up to the other kids who have gained the skills from practice that Anthony has missed out on.

Thanks to everybody who supports Anthony and encourages him to never give up. Thanks to the people who have offered donations, tickets to events, cards and gifts and most important, prayers for Anthony's successful treatment.

Sunday, August 7, 2005 11:59 PM CDT

Meet the new member of our family, a 10 week old Lhasa Apsos/Beagle mix we adopted on Saturday. Her name is Jessie(picked out by Anthony) and she fits into our family just right. We originally were looking for a golden retriever but we saw this one and we knew this had to be our dog. Just like Anthony, she has a lot of spunk and energy, but can be calm and loving too. Anthony really loves this dog, and Jessie could not wait till Anthony woke up to play with him.

Anthony, Robin and Ellen Wild will be going to the U of M Monday to meet the doctor. Anthony is a little nervous like he was before he went to Houston, but I guess that could be expected. Anthony's counts are really improving(no cancer cells in his blood again) so the gleevec is working which is a relief to us all.

Anthony spent some time with the Vikings Friday, he hung out with Moe Williams and Michael Bennett. In fact, Anthony got to go for a ride in Michael's Hummer after practice for quite a long time(what do you expect when there is a PS2 in the front seat). We went to the Vikings scrimmage with Logan who slept over at our house that night. We had a great time, I think it was really important for those two to spend some time together being just who they are, best friends. I have never seen those two boys laugh so hard than they did that night, what clowns!

We will be having a busy week with people visiting. Uncle Elliot and Aunt Julie will be in town along with Jimmy and Debbie Clark, it well be nice to see all of them.

Day 4...
Time to pack for home, but wait, what about the most famous thing in Toronto, the CN tower? We could not miss that so off we went. We went up to the first level and could not believe the view, then up to the skypod and it was even more scenic. The glass floor where you can see straight down was really freaky, you knew it was safe to walk on but your mind kept telling you that this was not natural. Anthony had a hard time getting onto the glass to take a picture, it looked like the first time that he was on ice skates. Well, off to the airport were it was a heck of a lot better getting into the U.S. then it was getting to Toronto.

Our visit was great, we will never forget it. Thanks to everyone who made this wish come true for Anthony. Seeing Wayne was only the tip of the iceberg, like I said, to get away and enjoy life as a normal kid was the best medicine Anthony could have had, he will remember that trip forever.

We thank everyone who have given so much to make Anthony's days so wonderful, he is special in our lives and we now know just how special he is to other people also. Please say a pray that his treatment at the U of M is successful and that we are close to the cure.

Tuesday, August 2, 2005 1:17 AM CDT

It has been a while since our last update, we have been on the move, without a computer, on a plane or just plain tuckered out to update the site so thank you for your patience.

Houston, well, we made it back home and well intact considering we had no PS2 hockey for a week. Thursday's down time had us heading out west to the Alamo, you remember the Alamo?(Sorry, just had to squeeze that one in). After confirming that there is no basement in the Alamo, we headed towards the riverwalk were we had lunch and then back on the road to Houston. Houston is a very big city and if you are not careful, you can wind up in a not so good part of town. Anthony did a fine job navigating us through the city using the map, imagine what the local people thought of us to see our 8 year old kid telling us which way to go, thank goodness our rental had Utah license plates on it so we didn't embarrass the State of Minnesota. Friday we were in the doctors office where A.T. had some test and we designed a game plan to beat this thing.

A change in the line-up for our treatment team, Anthony has been traded to the U of Minnesota staff for his next phase of treatment. It maybe a good move since Anthony's second bone morrow transplant will be performed by the U of M, a little team member adjustment before the big play-off season begins. As soon as it is arranged we will have our first visit to the "U" this week.

Here it is...
Toronto,Day 3: We woke up and headed to breakfast to gain some energy for another big day, "The Hockey Hall of Fame". We spent over four hours just going from display to display. This place is huge, and the jerseys, sticks and stats are amazing. The prime highlight of the place was walking up the steps of this old bank building to see "Lord Stanley's Cup" the shrine of all hockey. I had chills as we entered the room where they keep all the trophies, including all 5 Stanley Cups.

This place has something for every hockey fan, from the international hockey league, college, Canadian to women's hockey. Anthony had to have his picture by Tretjak's jersey(the goalie for USSR in the 1980 olympics) Patrick Roy's exhibit, and of course, the many "Great One" displays. Anthony also had the chance to don goalie gear and play in the net at a "shoot and save" game. Anthony even had the thrill of whipping his dad at a game of "Dome Hockey" which he had a great come from behind victory at my expense.

We then took a well needed nap and woke up in time to go to Wayne Gretzky's 99 resturant where we had a wonderful time looking at all the cool hockey stuff and ate some pretty good "Alberta raised" steak(I guess it is the best Canadian beef according to Anthony). We listened to pleasant stories about Wayne and his family told to us by our waiter and after a tour and more pictures, we were off to the waterfront.

We had a fun, but long day so we went back to the hotel where we crashed out again ready for the next day.

Thank you to all the people who worked so hard during MAYBA's "Anthony Ford week" and "Anthony Ford Day" at the moondogs game along with EVERYONE who has helped us in so many ways. Thanks to KEYC and The Free Press, especially Shane Fredericks for the positive media to get the word out about Anthony's disease and capturing Anthony's belief that he well be cured and his strong will to keep fighting and never give up. Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts, we are so proud of him and the way he has touched so many lives.

Saturday, July 30, 2005 6:52 PM CDT

Hi Everyone,

This is just a quick note to let you know that we are now back in Minnesota. We are all exhausted!!! We will have more updates tomorrow on our trip to Toronto and how things went in Houston (just a little hint, REALLY GOOD!).

Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to help us in every way, big and small! We appreciate everything!!!!!

Wednesday, July 27, 2005 8:09 PM CDT

Howdy from Texas!!

Anthony had his first doctor appointment today. Things went really well. We have gotten a very positive outlook from the doctors here. We have another appointment on Friday to have a bone marrow biopsy and blood work done. The doctor has set a protocal for Anthony. We will get to do most of the treatments in Rochester. We will be in very close contact with the doctor in Texas. We are hoping to be home sometime this weekend. Tomorrow we don't have any doctor appointments, so we are going to head to San Antonio for the day. Uncle Vy, Uncle Ken and cousin Vicky came from Coprus Cove to spend some time with us. It's really great to have family with us. Anthony is having a great time.

Well, we will update when we get home. The Ronald McDonald House doesn't have computers for us to use (I only get to update due to Vicky bringing her laptop).

We would like to thank everyone who helped to get us to Texas, have prayed for us and have done even the smallest thing for us. Especially Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mike and my work. This trip would have been very hard to make with out your help!!!

Saturday, July 23, 2005 2:05 PM CDT

Today we were interviewed by KEYC about the trip to Toronto and Anthony's wish to meet Wayne Gretzky. Anthony is still a little shy when it come to being infront of the camera, which he should be used to by now. As for me, I'm camera shy which will become obvious at about 6:10 and again at 10:10 tonight.

This week is "Anthony Ford" week at all MAYBA(Mankato Area Youth Baseball Association) which is a fund raiser for Anthony's medical and travel expenses. You can find out more information at MAYBA's website at www.mayba.com or phone (507)625-3322.

Tuesday we fly to Houston to the University of Texas' MD Anderson cancer clinic for an experimental treatment program due to Anthony's relapse and ineffectiveness of current treatment options. This clinic, I hear, is on the cutting edge for new drugs for Anthony's type of Leukemia(Philadelphia Chromosome) and will help Anthony to get back into remission and one day become cancer free.

We will be frequently traveling back and forth to Houston for labs and progress checks due to the experimental drug protocols. We already have a flight home on a program called "Angel Flight" where business' volunteer their aircraft and pilots to fly children to medical facilities free of charge.
We are also hoping that airlines have programs to give discounts on airfare to the same children, because appointments cannot be sheduled within the 30 day airfare rates(which are less expensive) but we have only heard of a few programs like these.

I will be continuing the highlights from Toronto so tune in, tomorrow, I will have additional pictures and write about our tour of the "Hockey Hall of Fame" Anthony's and all hockey player's own Mecca.

Last night Anthony, Robin and I went to Ray Erlanson park for the cancer walk. This is where white bags filled with sand and candles line the sidewalk with the names of cancer survivors, patients, and memorials written on them. Then the candles are lit at night to create an awesome vigil that people walk though. I have to admit, I became really choked up when I saw my son's name on some of those bags. Then I looked at each and every name and I realized that I have had the same feelings their loved ones have had, and I wasn't alone. You never realize how important good health is until something like this happens to you. So as you pray for return of Anthony's good health tonight, add a little thank you at the end too.

I would like to thank each and every person who has supported our family during our time of need. Please, everybody is welcome to sign Anthony's guest book whether you know us or not, don't be shy, we welcome anyone's support and stories. Anthony reads all the letters and really enjoys them. We also thank you for your thoughts and prayers, we still need them more than ever. Hang in there and be fighters just like Anthony.

Friday, July 22, 2005 0:00 AM CDT

What an excellent adventure in Toronto, Canada.
Day 1. We drove to Minneapolis and stayed at a hotel next to the Mall of America where of course we had to go to Camp Snoopy. We did a little shopping, went on some off the wild rides, and some eating(thankfully in that order). We had a blast fooling around on the bumper cars and of course, the new "SpongeBob Square Pants" ride. We then saw Uncle Rodney and Aunt Kathy, and Grandma Lydia and Grandpa Don and off to bed to get ready for the start of Anthony's wish.

Day 2. Anthony woke up bright and early to eat and catch a ride in a stretch limo to the Minneapolis airport, where he had his first airplane ride to Toronto. We arrived pretty tired but after a nap we went to eat dinner at the "Hard Rock Cafe" at the Dundas Plaza. We then went on a tour to the waterfront and then off to bed (needed rest to see Gretzky).

Day 3. Woke up again to eat and another limo ride to the Brantford Golf course were we waited to see Wayne. First we met with Andrew (a "Make-a-wish" volunteer) who gave Anthony a gift, his very own Gretzky Rookie card in a glass case he has had since about age 12, a very thoughtful gesture on his part and a very nice surprise. We met with Wayne's agent Rick who was super nice. Anthony played it pretty cool until Wayne walked in the room and then he got soooo excited. Anthony had mom move over to leave an empty seat by Anthony and Wayne took the bait! Wayne came over and introduced himself and sat down next to Anthony. We first gave Wayne the jersey from the MSU Mavericks with the "99" and Gretzky on the back and he looked surprised at the gift and said "This is a nice sweater", then we gave him the "AF-one team one goal" purple wrist band which he immediately put on.

Then for pictures, signatures, meeting his father Walter and questions and before we knew it, our time with Wayne was over, but not our experience. Wayne personally invited us to his parents house to see where he grew up as a child. We drove to his house where his sister, mother and nephews were waiting for us and showed us the basement where he keeps some of is trophys, jerseys, products, well, it was like a mini Gretzky museum. If you ever wonder what the Gretzky's are like, just look in the mirror, they were so nice and down to earth it was as if we were talking to our neighbors.
Wayne's sister then gave Anthony some gifts and after we said our thank yous and good-byes we were back in the limo.

As soon as we got out of the limo, we thanked Andrew and we were off to see Uncle Elliot and Aunt Julie at Niagra Falls.Those falls are wonderful and just as big as you would imagine. Elliot, Julie, Me, Robin and Anthony had a wonderful lunch and took a ton of pictures of us having a great time. It was getting late and we were back in Toronto in no time were we went to the waterfront again and then off to the hotel room were we all crashed out.

To be continued ...

Thanks to all of the people who have made our trip a wonderful experience for Anthony and us. Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers, and your gift of friendship in the time of need.

Saturday, July 16, 2005 8:00 AM CDT

Anthony is home and is feeling pretty well. We are not going to be doing much today, but get things ready and pack for your trip. We have to go to Rochester tomorrow to get Anthony's counts checked along with any transfusions if needed. After that, we are off to the Cities where Make-A-Wish reserved us a hotel room for the night by Mall of America. Monday morning a limo will be picking us up at the hotel to take us to the airport. This will be Anthony's first airplane ride. He is so excited, all of us are really EXCITED!! When we arrive in Toronto, we will pick up the rental car and go straight to the Hilton downtown Toronto. We have the rest of the afternoon to do what ever we would like. We may go to the Hockey Hall of Fame, maybe the CN Tower or ride the double decker bus that takes you around the city. Tuesday is the big day! We finally meet Wayne Gretzky. We are going to his home town in Brantford. This is were the golf tournament is. We will have the afternoon free. Wednesday day is a free day also, I believe we will be heading to Niagra Falls. In the evening, we will be having dinner at Wayne Gretzky's restaurant. Thursday afternoon we will be flying home. WOW, this will really be something!

We also recieved a package from Make-A-Wish. We should really be ready to meet Mr. Gretzky, they sent us 3 books, a DVD, a CD all about Mr. Gretzky and Anthony received a framed picture of Wayne Gretzky's Farewell. We will taking this with us to have him sign it. They also sent 11 photos of NHL players and they are all autographed. That's not all, Anthony received a Mavericks jersey with Gretzky "99" on the back. Anthony is giving this to Mr. Gretzky so he has something to remember Anthony by. The last thing, the whole family received season tickets to the Mavs. Anthony couldn't believe it and neither could Michael and I. This has already exceeded all of our expectation!

I don't thing I will have access to a computer while we are gone, so I will update until we get back. I will have lots of pictures too!

Thank you to everyone who has been involved in Anthony's wish, thank you to our family and friends who do so much for us and most of all, thank you for all the prayers. We really do appreciate everyone of you!

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 12:35 AM CDT

***********6 DAYS TIL WE MEET THE "GREAT ONE"************

Anthony is back in the hospital. He ran a slight fever and the doctors thought it would be a good idea to get an antiboitic started so he will be set for Toronto. Anthony had platelets and blood overnight. He was pretty low. The docs also want to keep up on the blood and platelets so he has enough for our trip.

Not much more going on really, we're just taking it easy.

Please continue to keep our cousin Zach in your prayers.

Thank you for all your support in every way, the pages on the Prayer Pager and praying for Anthony, please keep them coming. We have a long road in front of us!

**Please sign the guestbook. All of us love reading the entries!***

Saturday, July 9, 2005 9:36 AM CDT

Things went pretty well yesterday. Anthony had his spinal tap and bone marrow biopsy. He then had a doctor appointment. His counts are starting to recover slowly. He didn't have a chemo treatment yesterday, his counts were too low to start the next step of chemo. He will probably start it either Tuesday or Wednesday next week. This chemo will be an overnight stay at the hospital. We won't get any results yet from the bone marrow biopsy until Monday or Tuesday.


We don't have much planned for the weekend, Anthony is kinda sore from the biopsy and pretty tired.

Thanks to everyone for all you do and for all the prayer and support.

**We have a special request, please say a special prayer for our cousin Zach, who is having a lot of pain due to his cancer**

Thursday, July 7, 2005 6:54 AM CDT

We have been very busy. We didn't do much over the weekend, but yet it felt like we were never home. We had a great 4th. Some friends came over and Anthony had a great time. It was so wonderful to see him be a kid!! He played hockey, baseball, basketball and PS2. Everyone left before 9:00 p. m., so Anthony took a quick catnap and woke up to watch the fireworks. It was awesome to watch them from our patio door.

Tuesday we went to Rochester for bloodwork and doctor appointment, we were really tired after our big 4th. Anthony's counts are still pretty low, but he is doing good. Today Anthony gets his counts checked again to see if he needs any Platelets before tomorrow. Tonight Anthony and Michael go to Rochester. Anthony has his bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap early in the morning. Please pray for all to be well with this test!!

Wednesday night we went to Logan's baseball game. That was a blast. After the game,Anthony went to play at Logan's house with him and Tyler. When we got home, Anthony said that was really fun. Well of course, Logan, Anthony and Michael played hockey on their driveway. Then Logan and Anthony moved into the house where they played floor hockey.

Thank you to all of you for your prayers and support. We are very blessed to have such a great support team! THANK YOU!

Saturday, July 2, 2005 8:44 AM CDT

**Day 99 after transplant***

We have been on the go quite a bit. Thursday Anthony had his blood work. His counts are still very low. After blood work, Anthony spent the rest of the day with Ellen and Brian Wild. He had so much fun. Mrs. Case and Ms. Hammann came over for a visit. Anthony found out he passed into the 3rd grade. We had no doubt he would be in 3rd grade this fall. Later that evening, we went to Chris, Ryan and Jake's softball game. Anthony had a really fun time watching the game. Chris' team won 13-11. I got to go in the dugout during the game. They gave me a team jersey that said #99, Ford, Chris' said #1, Hollywood, Ryan's said #98, Not Quite, Darin Hendley's (Mankato East Hockey) brother plays on the team too, #9, Just Dave, Jake didn't have his jersey on, so I don't know what it is. Isn't that funny. I played a little baseball afterwards with the team.

Yesterday Michael and Anthony went to Rochester for his weekly doctor appointment and chemo. Anthony is doing well, his counts are very low. He did gain a little weight again (yeah). The doctor has us monitoring Anthony very close incase of a fever. Anthony got some blood yesterday, Michael and Anthony didn't get home until almost 9:00 p.m. That was a very long day, since they left for Rochester at 7:00 a.m. Anthony & I will be heading to Rochester on Tuesday for another doctor appointment. They want to keep an eye on him.

Michael did a little shopping yesterday in Rochester. He struck a very good deal on an Edmonton Oilers Jersey for Anthony. It has a #99 on it with Gretzky on back with the "C" on the front. Anthony wants to take this to Toronto with us to have Mr. Gretzky sign it. We have 16 days before we leave for Toronto! We can't wait!!

As far as the rest of the weekend, we are going to lay low. Hopefully Anthony will feel well for the 4th. He has planned to have a few people over to watch the fireworks.

Thank you to everyone that has been there for us, prayed for us, and sacrificed their time and money for us, even the smallest of gesters have not gone unnoticed. We appreciate everyone of you!!

Wednesday, June 29, 2005 6:48 AM CDT

We had a pretty quite weekend. We spent a lot of family time together. IT WAS GREAT!!! Monday night we went for a family bike ride. We hadn't done that in a long time. It was really fun. Anthony lost a tooth on Monday. He was so excited. The new tooth is already showing through. Yesterday Anthony had blood work done in Mankato. His counts are very low, this is good, we know the chemo is working. Michael and I took Anthony to the rink last night. He watch Mankato West skate and he got to talk to his coach. He was excited to be there. He was so focused on what was going on on the ice. He really misses it. He said, after we left that he really needs to get back on the ice, only if it is for one stride at a time. I really think that he will be out there playing in no time! Today Anthony is going to Grandma's and Grandpa's house to lay low. Tomorrow we will have his counts checked again to see if he will need some blood.

Thank you for checking in on Anthony and most of all, thank you for the prayers and everything everyone does for us!!

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 11:06 PM CDT

Not much going on as far as treatment updates are concerned, Anthony's counts continue to drop but that is nothing out of the ordinary. His platelets are at 64 which is pretty good for having chemo but his hemogloblin and neutrophils are dropping.

Anthony spent the day with Brian Wild, they had a lot of fun playing PS2 at home and at Chris Clark's Home which I hear Anthony got the best of Brian in baseball. They ate at Anthony's favorite place(Chipotle) played basketball in the basement and some floor hockey(of course).

Austin Suter came over and we ate pizza for dinner then we went to the rink where Anthony show a lot of friends he hasn't seen for a while. We saw Mankato West's hockey team practice with Anthony's coach Ken Essay, David Backes, Steven Johns and even Jake Brenk was there. I think Anthony got the hockey bug watching those guys skate, he just stood there with his face up to the glass watching the action.

Anthony later said, "we needed to get back on the ice, even if it is only for five minutes, even if it's only a couple of strides". That little guy really misses hockey, but he told Robin and I that "I should sit out this season to recover". I guess that is the hardest thing for me to see Anthony realizing that he will not be able be on a hockey team with his friends this year, but as he always does, he found the positive in the situation by telling us that Chris Clark started to play hockey at the age of 10 and that he will be back next year. WHAT A TROOPER!

Thanks to everyone who has been there for us, prayed for us, and sacrificed there time and money for us, even the littlest gesture hasn't gone unnoticed. It is truely amazing to experience the love and caring people have shown towards us, we are grateful to have all of you on our team.

Saturday, June 25, 2005 8:49 AM CDT

There hasn't been much going on the last few days. Michael and I have working. Anthony has been with Grandma and Grandpa. Thursday, Anthony got to go for a ride in a 1939 Ford. He loved it. Other then that, we have been having a lot of family time.

Yesterday Anthony had his weekly visit to Rochester. Things are going well. His counts are good and the Chemo is also going well. He had to get a few Platelets yesterday, which I don't think Anthony minded because he got to go to the PITC at St. Mary's. He loves to see all his favorite nurses and play Nintendo. Anthony has grown again. He has grown almost 3" now since transplant. He is getting so tall. He also gained some wieght (aren't steroids wonderful?). Anthony really has had a sense of humor lately. We laugh all the time, doesn't the saying go, laughter is the best medicine? We also know that God has been watching over Anthony and that really helps set our minds at ease.

We would like to Thank everyone for the prayers, the journal entries, pages and phone calls. God has really blessed us with a great family, a wonderful community and friends!

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 7:02 AM CDT

Anthony has had a busy last couple of days. Sunday we all went to Aunt Rhonda's. We went for a pontoon ride. Cody and Tanner were tubbing behind the pontoon. It was really fun watching them. Anthony and Tanner played some X Box. Anthony had a lot of fun. Monday Anthony again was with Aunt Rhonda and Tanner.Anthony couldn't wait to be spending the day with both of them. Aunt Rhonda and Tanner had appointment in Mankato, so Anthony got to chase in town all day. Aunt Rhonda took him for lunch at the Mall. He had his favorite, Chicken Schwarma. When they finally got back to Aunt Rhonda's, Cody was home. Anthony and Cody played X Box. Anthony was pretty excited to spend time with Cody. We had some bad storms yesterday as well. Anthony loves the weather and was very excited to tell me all about the 50 mile an hour winds, rain and hail at Aunt Rhonda's.

Today we go the the Mankato Clinic for blood work. We need to see if Anthony will need Platelets. He has been holding his own with those, but since he had another round of Chemo, it's very possible he will need them. We will let all of you know how the blood work turns out. We did get some really good news yesterday, his results from the spinal tap are back and there are 0.0 Leukemia blasts in the spinal fluid! God is so GOOD!

Thank you to Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mike, Lexy, Cody and Tanner for giving us a chance to have lots of family time with them this weekend and for hanging out with Anthony on Monday. We love all of you a lot! Thank you to everyone else for all the prayers, God is listening!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, June 19, 2005 11:17 AM CDT

Hi everyone it's me Anthony,
We went to the twins game last night with Chris and Ronald(Ryan). I got to go down to the twins dugout and got a used bat from Mike Redmond and I got to meet the Coach for the twins, the first base coach, #27 Justin Morneau(First Base), #5 Michael Cuddyer(Third Base), #11 Jacque Jones, #62 Al Newman(Third Base Coach), #55 Mike Redmond(Catcher), #48 Torii Hunter(Center Field), #2 Luis Rivas and #24 Matthew LeCroy(First Base). I also got to go in the Umpires Locker Room. But the twins lost to the San Diego Padres 7-2. Plus I got a twins hat, an autographed baseball by the whole team, a twins Under Armor thing and I got to see the World Series trophy when they won the World Series in 1987 and in 1991. When we got home it was 1:30. Then today I'm going to Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Mike's house to have a Father's Day Party and they are taking me on a boat ride. Were making a Chef Salad for the Party, we just wanted to help.

I would like to give a big THANK YOU to Jimmy Clark and Eddie Montague Sr.(The Umpire)#11.

Anthony

P.S. My leukemia blasts are 0.0.

Friday, June 17, 2005 4:23 PM CDT

We are finally home after a long day of appointments. My blood counts were AWESOME! Here are my counts, Red Blood 11.3, White cells were 2.3, Neurtophils (The infectious fighting cells) were 1.82, and finally the platelets were 52. Yesterday we went to the Lake Crystal "Duck Days" parade. I got a lot of candy. Tonight we are planning to go to George's Fine Steaks and Spirits with my Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mike and maybe Cody, Lexy and Tanner, hopefully. Tomorrow we are going to see the Twins play the San Diego Padres with Chris (Maybe Ryan, to.). My Make-A-Wish was approved, That means I get to meet Wayne Gretzky (The Great One), but I don't get to skate with him, Although I do get to go to a Golf Tournament with him Tuesday July 19th. We fly out Monday July 18th at 10:30 a.m. and plus I get to eat at his restaurant Wednesday July 20th and then we will fly out to come back home Thursday July 21st. You probaly know that I'm going to Camp Jornada Sunday August 14th thru August 19th. This is a camp for cancer kids. They have jello fights. I have such a good family and friends. Thank you for all you do for me and my Mom and Dad.
Anthony

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 7:55 PM CDT

We are HOME!!!!!!!!!!
Anthony got out of the hospital today. It feels so good to have him home. Anthony, Michael and I are very excited about being home. It feels wonderful to be a family. Words can't even explain it.

Anthony will not be doing much for the rest of the week. His counts are dropping and will continue to drop from the Chemo. He will have another spinal tap and round of Chemo on Friday. This will be outpatient. It will be nice not to be in the hospital. He will probably need platelets on Friday. He is starting to get a little low on those.

We got some good new about our cousin Zach. He had a check-up and the doctor could not feel any of the tumors in Zach's neck area!! God is SO good! Please pray for Zach's continued healing.

Thank you for all the extra support in the last few days. A special thanks to all of our family and friends for helping us with everything! Please keep praying for Anthony. I know that Anthony will be guided by God's hand to recovery!

Sunday, June 12, 2005 10:18 PM CDT

Anthony has been reacting to the chemo pretty well. His white blood count has started to come down, but we still have a ways to go. His spirits continue to be very good. Anthony has had quite a few visitors the last couple of days. It's been really good for all of us. Aunt Julie and Uncle Elliot left today to go back to New York. We can't thank them enough for being here. Today Anthony got to go outside in the court yard. The Nolan family along with Allan Hughes, Ellen and Brian Wild brought a picnic lunch. Aunt Rhonda was also here. We had a very nice time. The lunch was very good and the UNO game on the lawn was really fun.

Tomorrow, he will get these shots in his leg muscles that are called "PEG" shots. We still are not sure when we will be able to bring Anthony home, but we are hoping it will be very soon.

Thank you to everyone for the all the journal enteries, phone calls, and mostly for the prayers. We know that God will hear all of the prayers and help heal Anthony.

Friday, June 10, 2005 7:48 PM CDT

Anthony started chemo today. He had a spinal tap along with a couple of other chemo's. Right now, we are not sure what exactly is going to happen, we need to take one day at a time. All of this is very hard to comprend right now, but Anthony's spirits are very good.

We do know that this is in God's hands. This is really the test of all of our faith. We do know that God is good and he will do what is right for all of us.

Thank you for all the journal enteries and all the prayers. It really helps lift all of our spirits! Please keep those prayers coming.

Thursday, June 9, 2005 10:40 PM CDT

I don't know where to start. I know most of you thought Anthony was coming home today for good, but he will not be home for a while. Anthony had his Doctor appointment today and we found out that the Leukemia has relapsed and he has been put back into the hospital so they can monitor him. This was as much as a shock to us then it is to everyone else. He has been doing so well. At this point, we are unsure what kind of treatment he will receive. We believe that Chemo will be started again in the morning sometime or early afternoon. Anthony's spirits are very good. Michael and I are having a very tough time with this, though. There are so many emotions we are feeling right now. We really ask that you pray harder than you ever have before for Anthony. I know that God will listen! Please call his pager to remind him that everyone is praying for a full recovery.

Thank you for all the support and keep those prayers coming!

Monday, June 6, 2005 6:45 AM CDT

****DAY 73*****27 More***

We all had a very nice weekend. It was very quiet. Anthony is with Aunt Julie. He was excited to be with her again. It sounds like they have a very busy week planned. Uncle Elliot will be flying in on Wednesday. Anthony already has plans for Texas Hold'em and Wheel of Fortune on PS2 with Uncle Elliot. I know Anthony will be having a wonderful time!

Well, that's about it for now. I guess, boring is GOOD!

Thank you to all for your prayers and support. We can not thank everyone enough!

Saturday, June 4, 2005 7:37 AM CDT

*******Day 71********* 29 more to go!!!!!!!!!

Anthony had a very fun week with Auntie Julie. They played lots of mini-golf, went to the library and shopping. Anthony's doctor appointment went very well. His counts are really doing well, Red Blood Cells: 12.3, White Blood Cells: 8.4, Neutrophils: 5,310 and Platelets: 199, (all in the normal range). He did lose a little weight this week, however, he did get taller (He is now 4' 3 3/4" tall). I'm sure the weight loss was because he missed Mom's cooking. His goal this week is to gain some of that weight back. We are going to lay pretty low this weekend, since it is suppose to rain. Anthony and Aunt Julie picked up a Star Wars movie from the library, so I guess we will be watching that and hopefully Anthony will be eating alot!

Next week Uncle Elliot will be here and Anthony is very excited about seeing him. That's about it for now.

Thank you for all the prayers, please keep them coming!

Wednesday, June 1, 2005 6:55 AM CDT

Aunt Julie is here to be with Anthony. It sounds like yesterday they had a very fun time. They went Mini-golfing and had dinner at Chipotle. Of course, Anthony won at Mini-golf. Anthony's tutor was also there. He is getting very excited, he only has two more days of school.

That's about it for now. Thanks for checking on Anthony and thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Sunday, May 29, 2005 4:05 PM CDT

Anthony had an interview with Make-A-Wish yesterday. Boy oh boy, does he have some really awesome wishes. Anthony had to choose 3 different things he would like to do or have. 2 of them could be travel and one had to be something at home. His first wish is to skate with the greatest hockey player of all times, Wayne Gretzky. The second wish is to have season tickets to Mavs Hockey and Mavs goalie equipement (go figure) and the last wish is to go to Alaska to see the Mavs play hockey against Anchorage. The interviewer said she has never seen such GREAT wishes before and to have all of them relate to hockey. She said she doesn't know much about hockey, but after talking with Anthony, she may have to go to a few games. Anthony is very excited about all 3 and can't wait to find out which wish will come true, we should find that out in a couple of weeks. Aunt Julie will be here tomorrow. Anthony is looking forward to seeing her. That is about as much excitement as we have had in the passed couple of days.

Thanks for checking in on us and for your continued support.

Friday, May 27, 2005 6:45 AM CDT

Things are still pretty quiet. Anthony had his doctor appointment yesterday. He had to get an IV med in the morning at the hospital. It took a little over 4 hours and well, Anthony slept for some of it from the pre-meds he has to take. We got back to RMH where he spent about 45 minutes with his tutor. By then, it was time to head to the clinic for his doctor appointments. The day finally ended around 4:00 p. m. We both were very tired. Anthony took another nap.

Anthony got letters yesterday from some of his classmates. He really enjoyed reading them. He also got a very special gift,a 2004 World Series Baseball and it was signed by Eddie Montigue, he is an Umpire in the MLB. Thanks Jimmy, Debbie and Chris, Anthony really loves it. It will go right next to Willie's baseball.

Thank you all for keeping us close to your hearts, all the prayers, support, phone calls, and letters. It really helps us get through each and every day.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005 7:00 AM CDT

We had a very nice weekend. Slept late, took naps and had some visitors. What more could one want? It was really nice to see Ellen and Larry Wild, Pat, Angie and Andrea Nolan. Anthony had a ball with Pat!! I bet you can never guess what they played? We also got to see Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mike, Lexy, Cody and Tanner. Anthony really enjoyed seeing them too.

Yesterday Michael and Anthony went Mini-golfing. Rochester has a couple of really nice Mini-golf courses. From what I hear, Anthony had the "come from behind" victory. I'm glad the weather finally straightened out so Anthony could be outside. Anthony is still getting tutored. He really enjoys his tutor.

We are getting ready for Aunt Julie and Uncle Elliot to come this weekend. They will be here for a couple of weeks to stay with Anthony.

Well, not much more going on. Like they say, boring is GOOD!!

Thank you for the prayers, visits, phone calls and entries on the journal. They all really lift Anthony's spirits!

Friday, May 20, 2005 6:27 AM CDT

It's been a while since we updated. There really hasn't been much new. Anthony has been staying low key. Tuesday, Anthony and Michael made a video for Mayo Hospital Channel. It is about post-transplant. They both had a fun filled day. They got to play dome hockey and floor hockey. By the end of the day, Anthony was very tired. That night, Grandma Lydia and Grandpa Don came to so they could stay with Anthony on Wednesday, I had to work. Anthony really enjoyed being with them. Yesterday, Anthony had his Doctor appointment. His counts are doing GREAT!!! Red Blood-11.9, white blood cells-3.9, platelet-226 and neutrophils (infectious fighting cells)-2450.

Anthony got a very special surprise from the doctors yesterday. He gets to go to open skating at the rink!!!!!!!!!!! He had to promise to wear his pads and helmet. I'm sure that won't be a problem.

Well, that's pretty much our week in a nut shell. Everyone have a great weekend and we will update as soon as we can. Thank you for all the prayers, they really help!

Monday, May 16, 2005 12:00 AM CDT

Today Anthony slept in and woke up right before the tutor arrived, he was so excited that she was here. Anthony will be taping a little film on Tuesday about what it's like after a Bone marrow transplant(medicines, RMD house, things to do and just plain life after the BMT). This video will be shown on the "in-house Mayo T.V." at the hospital to be seen by other kids who will be having transplants of all kinds.

The tutor just informed me that Anthony is feeling tired so I better go up and check on him, he gets so excited being out of the hospital that he works himself up and that gets worn out(I guess we'll be taking a nap today).

Will I guess this is a short update, thanks for your messages and phone calls, they really lift Anthony's spirits. We are half way there, keep sending those prayers and cheering for him.

Sunday, May 15, 2005 12:47 AM CDT

DAY 51!!!!!

Anthony got out of the hospital yesterday. We went out for lunch, came back to RMH and took a 3 hour nap. We had a very nice family dinner last night. Anthony appetite was very good last night. It was also wonderful being together as a family.

Today there is BINGO at 2:00 p.m. and Diane and Duane are on the way to visit. Anthony is looking forward to both.

Tonight I go home for 3 days. Michael will be here for the next 2 and then Grandma Lydia and Grandpa Don will be coming to stay a day.

Not much more happening around here. We are laying a low. We all wish the sun would come out and the temps would get warm so we could be outside.

Thanks for checking up on us, for all the prayers and support. We are very blessed!

Saturday, May 14, 2005 8:26 AM CDT

Anthony was very happy to see Mom and Dad last night, even though he really enjoyed being with Aunt Julie. Anthony's fever is down and has been for a couple of days. He is on an antibiotic. He finally had a little to eat and drink last night. Maybe it was Mom's cooking that made him want to eat? Over all, he is doing pretty well. His counts are very good and spirits are getting better.

We are hoping that maybe today he will get to go back to the RMH since his fever has been down for a couple of days. Anthony would be very happy if he could. The one thing he really wants is to go HOME. Today is day 50, so we are half way to the finish line.

Thank you for all the prayers! Please keep them coming. A special thanks to Aunt Julie for being here to help out!!

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 6:55 AM CDT

Anthony's fever came back Monday night, so he is still in the hospital. He did, however, get to go tour the hospital. He got to see one of his favorite nurses, Princess Kim. He was excited to see her. He really had it made, Auntie Julie pushed him around in a wheel chair. Only Anthony!

Not much more to report. Anthony is getting pretty bored in the hospital. He did get his PS2 there yesterday, hopefully that will make things a little better. I now hope that by the weekend he can get out of the hospital so we can do some fun things together as a family.

Thank you for all the guest entries in the guestbook. They really lift Anthony's spirits. Thank you for all the prayers and support. Remember, if anyone wants to see Anthony, you certainly can, if your healthy!! Just let us know.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005 6:59 AM CDT

Anthony is still in the hospital. He is doing much better and it sounds like he had/has a nasty virus. His fever has been down for a couple of days and is starting to eat a little again so, hopefully he will be out of the hospital today.

We had a very nice Mother's Day. Anthony picked out a present for me from the RMH. I just love it!! RMH had a store just for the kids, they gave a voucher for the kids to shop with. Thank you Paula for helping Anthony with this from the hospital.

Michael and I are at home, Anthony is with Auntie Julie, who is here from New York for the week. He is having a ball with her. I know that he can not wait to get out of the hospital so he and Julie can really have some fun.

Thank you for all the prayers and support. A special thanks to the Wild family for stopping to see Anthony yesterday. He told Michael and I all about it. He was very happy to see you!! If anyone does want to see Anthony, we do encourage visits, but we do ask that if you are sick in anyway (sneezing, coughing, runny nose....), you wait until you are completely over your sickness before you come to see Anthony.

Saturday, May 7, 2005 12:27 AM CDT

Well, we had a very interesting day yesterday. Anthony's fever was down so we got to go back to the RMH around 5:00. By 8:30 we were back at the "BIG HOUSE", his fever shot up again. Anthony is having some test done again today to see if they can figure out why he is having all these fevers. Anthony really doesn't have much of an appetite and is really tired. We are not sure when Anthony may get out of the hospital.

I'll keep you updated! Thanks for checking on us and please keep those prayers coming!

Friday, May 6, 2005 2:11 PM CDT

Anthony had a fun day yesterday. Anthony went down to the Francis wing to see all of his old nurses. They were very happy to see him, but sad that he had to be in the hospital. Anthony and I did sand art. It's really cool how it is made. It is actually made with salt and chalk. We then came back to the transplant ward where Anthony played games with is nurse. Anthony, Stacey (the Chaplain) and I played UNO. Each one of us won a game. Anthony was hungry for home-made pizza, so off to RMH I went to make pizza. When I got back, Anthony's fever was up again and he didn't feel like eating. He ended up eating a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup and was off to sleep by a little after 9:00. His fever got pretty high in the night. He did sleep pretty well. I had to wake him this morning at 11:00 when the doctor came in. The test that were run yesterday all came back negative, which means, this is more than likely a virus. The doctor said that if his fever stays down and Anthony is feeling okay later today, he may get out of the hospital.

Today Kurt stopped by to see Anthony. He brought Anthony a Whoopie Cushion and a Nerf Reactor. It's like a gun that shoots nerf balls. Look out nurses!!!! Anthony has been playing with them all afternoon.

Thank you for checking up on us and thanks for all the prayers sent our way!

Thursday, May 5, 2005 1:21 PM CDT

The last couple of days have been pretty low key. Last night Anthony ran a fever so off the to hospital we went. His fever was quite high through out the night, but he slept straight through. This morning his tummy wasn't feel real good, the nurse gave him some Zophran and with in 1/2 hour, he was feeling much better. The doctors are going to have some test done today to see if there is any infections or if this is just a "cold" type thing. We will be here for a few days, at least 48 hours. One good thing, all of his counts are still going up!!

Anthony had a special visitor this morning, Mrs. Case. He was so happy to see her. I'm sure that helped him feel better too. She brought letters from his classmates. He smiled and laughed the whole time he was reading them. Anthony really misses his friends!!! They had a very nice visit. Anthony's tutor also stopped by. When the tutor left, he asked me to go and get his school books so he had them in case she stops back today. Now he is reading this very cool book on Earthquakes that Mrs. Case brought for him.

With Anthony being back in the hospital, it again helps us realize we still have a long road to go and why it is so important for him to listen to every word the doctors have to say!

Thank you for all your prayers and support Thank you for checking up to see how Anthony is doing.

Monday, May 2, 2005 6:09 PM CDT

We all had just an absolutely wonderful day yesterday!!! Anthony got home around 11:00 a.m. and I have never seen him as happy as he was when he walked into the door. It really brought a tear to my eye!! The first place he went was to his room and just sat on his bed. He was all smiles! Of course, the next place he went was to the basement to see his hockey net. He was really bouncing off the walls. We then went back to Anthony's room and all of us sat on his bed and went through his baseball cards. A while later, off to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Boy, were they suprised. Grandma cried and Grandpa couldn't get over seeing Anthony. Anthony and I went back home where we took a nap (Anthony had no idea what we had in store for him next). Later in the afternoon, it was time for the next suprise, Kurtis, Kelsey, Chris, Ryan, Shane, Austin, Jon, Chad C., and Kate all came over. Anthony couldn't believe that they were there. It didn't take long and they were playing PS2, Floor Hockey and yes, Baseball in our basement. It's a good thing the basement isn't finished yet. Anthony had so much fun and it was really nice to have things somewhat back to normal for a day. Thanks guys for spending time with us! Anthony and I left for Rochester around 10:00 p.m. He slept all the way back.

Anthony had his doctor appointment today. We got some really awesome news, his blood counts are all in the normal range so now he only has doctor appointments once a week. This was great news to get!! We haven't really done much today. We both are very tired. Anthony is still napping right now and I just woke up about 45 minutes ago. I guess we both needed a little extra sleep after the "BIG" week end.

Thank you all very much for everything you do for us. Words can not express the appreciation we feel!!

Saturday, April 30, 2005 8:09 PM CDT

Today was an easy day for us in Rochester, all we did was veg out and play PS2. We finally got moving and went to Perkins to eat, the played a couple games of "Dome Hockey" were Anthony beat me in the Gold round with a steller goalie and great offense.

Robin is right, the room is really big and it is so much more quiet at that end of the hallway, please notice the new information at the bottom of the page. The other room was right by the kitchen and indoor playroom, and out the window was the outside play area, we could not get away from the noise.

Tommorow we will be going home for a day pass, Anthony is very excited because his grandparents don't know he is going to visit them, he wants it to be a surprise, little does he know that we have a few surprises for him, shhhhh!

Anthony is slowly returning to the outgoing person he was before, his sense of humor is at its best and just being around him you can see light at the end of the tunnel is near. As a father, I am so proud of the way my son has handled this, not just the treatments and medical procedures, but the way he has handled the stress of being away from his friends, school, all the people he cares about, and I am especially proud of the way he has shown other people in Mankato, nurses, doctors and the rest of the patients here in Rochester that things can only bring you down only if you let them.

Thanks again, your support has helped us out more than you know. Thanks again for the cards, letters and prayers for Anthony, he really does brighten up when he receives them

Saturday, April 30, 2005 8:09 PM CDT

Today was an easy day for us in Rochester, all we did was veg out and play PS2. We finally got moving and went to Perkins to eat, the played a couple games of "Dome Hockey" were Anthony beat me in the Gold round with a steller goalie and great offense.

Robin is right, the room is really big and it is so much more quiet at that end of the hallway. The other room was right by the kitchen and indoor playroom, and out the window was the outside play area, we could not get away from the noise.

Tommorow we will be going home for a day pass, Anthony is very excited because his grandparents don't know he is going to visit them, he wants it to be a surprise, little does he know that we have a few surprises for him, shhhhh!

Anthony is slowly returning to the outgoing person he was before, his sense of humor is at its best and just being around him you can see light at the end of the tunnel is near. As a father, I am so proud of the way my son has handled this, not just the treatments and medical procedures, but the way he has handled the stress of being away from his friends, school, all the people he cares about, and I am especially proud of the way he has shown other people in Mankato, nurses, and the rest of the patients here in Rochester that things can only bring you down only if you let them.

Thanks again, your support has helped us out more than you know. Thanks again for the cards, letters and prayers for Anthony, he really does brighten up when he receives them

Friday, April 29, 2005 11:20 AM CDT

Anthony had a doctors appointment yesterday. Everything is going very well. His counts are doing very well. He was really full of it yesterday. He was mister practical joker!! We were on the go all day. Anthony and I got to go mini golfing yesterday. That was so much fun. We laughed the whole time. When we got back to RMH, Anthony grabbed his wireless controller and off to Kurt's room he went. They played golf for a couple of hours.

Anthony is doing great with his new tutor. He really likes her. She thinks that all the subjects are too easy for him, so she is going to get more challanging thinks for him to do.

We have gotten to move into a long term room. It is sooooo nice. It's really big. Anthony was really excited when we got the call from the front desk. You will find our new room number and phone number at the bottom.

Today Anthony wants to stop by the hospital to see his favorite Dr. I guess that is what we will be doing this afternoon. Tonight Michael will be here and I will be going home for the weekend. Anthony actually gets to have a pass out of Rochester for the day on Sunday. Him and Michael will come home in the morning and I will bring him back in the evening. We are all really looking forward to being at home for the day.

Thank you to everyone who signs the guestbook, who has been sending mail and all the pages. Anthony loves all of them. It really helps his spirits. Anthony would like to say a special "THANK YOU" to his class for the great alphebet book they made him (Anthony giggled the whole time while he read it) and to the Dakota Meadows 7th grade geography class for the huge card they made him. The book and card made his day.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005 11:53 AM CDT

Anthony had a laid back day yesterday, he and I went to the clinic to have some labs drawn and then that was it for the medical stuff. It was kind of cold and rainy so we stayed in the RMD house and played games and just hung out. The highlight of the day was when dad gave into him and bought a wireless control for his PS2, atleast I don't have to worry about tripping on the cords now.

Anthony is being tutored right now, yesterday he show somethings on the computer to his tutor that she didn't know, she was pretty impressed how smart he is. Today he is a little tired and crabby so I don't think school will be that fun. I had to wake him up at 10:30 this morning to get him ready and he was a bearcat!

We don't know what we are going to do today, Rochester is a pretty boring place for kids and even more so for kids with limited activity allowances. I am sure impressed with him that he hasn't gone stir-crazy by now, but he seems to keep up his good spirits and attitude. Sorry we don't have more exciting new things to write about, and today isn't looking too promising either.

Thank you for your continued prays and thoughts, and thanks for adding to the guestbook, Anthony loves to read the entries.

Monday, April 25, 2005 4:50 PM CDT

Anthony had a fun weekend. Friday night, Aunt Del and Uncle Denny stopped by. Aunt Del and Anthony played dome hockey. That was a hoot!! When they left, Anthony and I were off to play bingo. Yes, Anthony did win a few times. Saturday, was a lazy day. We waited for Michael to get here. We went out for dinner and watched some T.V.
Sunday, Maria, Matt and Marissa came to see us. We all went to the park. Anthony and Matt played dome hockey, PS2 and Texas Hold'em. Michael left around 8:30, Anthony and I vegged out for the rest of the evening.

Today Anthony had to be at the hospital at 8:00 a.m. to get his IVIG. This is to boost his immune system. We left the hospital around 12:15. We came back to the RMH and took a power nap. We were then off to the doctor at 1:30. Anthony is doing very well according to the doctors! Anthony got a special suprise today, he got to meet a boy at the clinic that has the exact same diagnosis as Anthony. He had his transplant 3 years ago and is doing great!!! If you can believe this, Anthony was very quiet when he met this young boy. His mom asked if Anthony is always this quiet and the doctor said "No". It was very cool to meet someone that has gone through the same things we are going through now. It gives us the courage to keep going!!

Tonight I will be heading home and Michael will be here for the next couple of days. Hopefully he will be updating.

Thank you for all the prayers and support. God has really blessed us.

Friday, April 22, 2005 3:51 PM CDT

Our day started out at 7:30 this morning. We went to the clinic to have Anthony's blood drawn. We went with Kurt and his Mom. Kurt's blood draw appointment was at the same time as Anthony's. We then came back to RMH for a quick 1/2 hour and off to the clinic again for the doctor appointment. The appointment went very well. His counts were good and the rash is just about gone. The doctors are thinking that the rash was a mild case of Graft vs. Host. They are very pleased with the way Anthony is reacting to all he has been through. We did find out the one of Anthony's favorite doctors will be back next week. We can't wait to see you Dr. Caudill!! Anthony and I went to see Aunt Del at Penney's and then to the park for lunch. Rochester has a beautiful Veterans Memorial here. Then we stopped at a mom and pop grocery for some really good hotdogs to bring back to RMH. It was now about 1:15 p.m. Anthony and I both took a nap, his tutor was coming around 3:30. He is now in "school". Tonight the house is having BINGO and Uncle Denny and Aunt Del will be coming by. We will be having a full evening also. Tomorrow Michael will be coming. The house is have an ice cream sundea party tomorrow afternoon.

Anthony was very excited, he received mail today. Three of the letters were from people that we don't know, but they saw the article in the Free Press. It's just amazing to know that there are such wonderful people in the world.

Thank you for all the support. We appreciate it!!

Thursday, April 21, 2005 12:12 AM CDT

Anthony is back at the RMH. His fever is gone and the rash comes and goes and his appetite is also better. The rash is much better and since the doctor gave him some meds for all the itching, it really seems to help. Anthony had a great nights sleep.

Anthony finally got to play a game of Dome Hockey with Kurt last night. Anthony got beat, I think Anthony was just having an off night, or was he?

We are not doing much today. Anthony's tutor has already been here, that time with her just flies for him because he loves to learn so much.

We heard from Make-A-Wish. We will be meeting with a couple of people that are going to help make Anthony's wish come true. His first and most wanted wish is to skate with Wayne Gretzky. We all hope very much that it will come true.

Tomorrow we have a doctor appointments in the morning. Tomorrow night is BINGO at RMH. Anthony is very excited for that.


Thank you for all the guestbook entries, thoughts and prayers. They really help!

Tuesday, April 19, 2005 11:39 AM CDT

Anthony had a pretty good day yesterday and so far today. His fever is down, but still has a slight rash. The doctors are still not sure what exactly is causing the rash on his hands, feet, arms and face. The only thing we do know is that he is itching a lot. Hopefully, as long as his fever stays down and the tests come back negative, we will be off to the RMH tomorrow.

Anthony got the okay yesterday to have fresh fruits and veggies again. Anthony had chicken tacos with lettuce yesterday and watermelon. Today, he has ordered a chef salad with carrot sticks and dip for lunch. Go figure, after all the McDonalds cravings that he wants a salad!

Today the tutor is coming. He gets so excited about "school". Anthony gets pass today, so we are planning on going to the Ronald McDonald house tonight for dinner. They have a house dinner tonight that is sponsered by Red Lobster. We are all very excited!!

Tonight will be he changing of the guards. Maichael will be here for the night. I will be back tomorrow again.

Thank you for all the support and prayers. Please keep them coming. Please say an extra prayer for Uncle Mike's dad, who will be having surgery tomorrow and for all the other kids out there who are ill.

Monday, April 18, 2005 0:10 AM CDT

It's been a while since we have updated the site, but I will try to catch you up to speed. Friday, Anthony and Robin went to the clinic and received some good news as far as the counts, the germ fighting cells are at 1400, which means if he keeps it up he can have fresh fruits and veggies. Anthony has been craving a salad ever since he has been in the hospital. He still is not eating like he should but we are not worried as long as he eats something.

Saturday was kind of boring due to the rain, not being able to be around large crowds and basically fun things. We went for a drive and found the "Mayowood Mansion" were Orville and Wilbur Mayo first lived, then went to see Uncle Mike's father who is also in St. Mary's and then for a quick visit to Kristina's benefit(another teen with cancer at Mayo).

Sunday was a slow day, we just hung around the McDonald house and watched T.V., Anthony tried to eat something but could not. Anthony face and hands started to break out in a rash and he later began to have a fever. Soon the fever rose above 100.5 and guess what, back in the hospital. The rash is a natural symptom of the "Graft Verse Host Reaction" but the fever remains a mystery. Anthony will be under observation for a few days until the fever passes then back to the RMD house.

Robin and Aunt Rhonda will be staying with him at the hospital room(the same room as before, Room 3-520, Phone number (507)287-4320). Remember all cell phones need to be off so if you call them leave a message and we will call you back.

Thanks you for your support and prayers, today just shows that we are not out of the woods yet, so keep up the good work. Please say a pray for Uncle Mike's father Keith Drysdale, he is also in St. Mary's hospital, thanks.

Thursday, April 14, 2005 9:42 AM CDT

Wednesday we were released from the hospital and are now at the Ronald McDonald house. Anthony and I enjoyed spending time just walking around, it was a very beautiful and I think Anthony wanted to enjoy it to it's fullest.

He finally got to eat a sit down lunch at Baker's Square, and I made him sausage for dinner. Anthony is really happy to be out of the hospital, you can see it in his face, and the way he's so excited over doing life's simpliest things. Of course, Anthony had to see Kurt as soon as we got here, we also met a guy named Andy who had a BMT some years ago and is now going to MSU, we talked with him and had a couple of good laughs about how things have change in the treatment and hospital arrangements, Anthony learned that he had it quite easy compared to Andy.

The only bad thing about being out of the hospital is that we don't have a computer of our own, so updating the website may be hard to do on a normal basis.

Well, I must go and try to wake the kid up, he slept hard and doesn't want to get up(I don't blame him). Today we have to get more meds and than we are going to see the town of Rochester. I think the first place I'm going to bring him to is the park to throw the football around for a little bit. The fresh air and exercise should be really good for him and the fact that we used to do that before he get sick should give him a feeling that things will return to the way they used to be.

Thanks for you prayers and support, we couldn;t have made it though this without them.

Monday, April 11, 2005 8:16 PM CDT

WOW what a day!! Anthony woke up at 11:45 this morning, just in time for lunch. Anthony's appetite has been pretty good today and he has been drinking a lot too. Anthony was diconnected from his I. V. but he had to promise that he would drink and eat a lot which he's been holding up his end of the bargin pretty well. Anthony and I played knee hockey in the hall this afternoon. I actually scored 7 goals on him. It took me over an hour to score that many, but hey, I'll take what I can get. His tutor was here today, Anthony really loves to do school work. Just as soon as he was finished with school, he made popcorn with Jen from Child Life. He was craving a Chicken Nugget T.V. dinner, so the wonderful Mom I am went out searching for the exact one he wanted. When I got back, Anthony, his nurse Barb and another little girl that is in the ward were having chair races in the hall. Anthony has had so much fun today.

Anthony's counts are good again today. Red blood 10.8, WBC 1.4, Platelets 179 and Neutrophils 560. The doctor is thinking that if Anthony's Neutrophils stay above 500 for the next couple of days, we should be going to the RMH on Wednesday, which Anthony is very excited about.

Thank you for everything that everyone has done for us! Words can not express our thanks.

Sunday, April 10, 2005 7:46 PM CDT

Anthony is feeling pretty good today. His counts continue to be good. Red blood 10.5, WBC 1.0, Neutrophils 390 and Platelets 173. He is eating just a bit more today but still has a long way to go. I think tomorrow Anthony's nutrition bag may be decreased slightly to see if he will eat more.

It's been a lazy day today, Anthony has played PS2 a lot. He also has done a couple of word search puzzles and is now watching the Minnesota Twins on T. V. It was really nice to hear from Ryan, Chris, Jimmy and Aunt Julie today. Thanks for calling, it always makes Anthony's day to get phone calls. Anthony is getting very excited about going to the Ronald McDonald House (or as Anthony calls it "The Ryan McKelvie House", sorry Ryan). Anthony told me today that one of the first things he wants to do when we get to RMH is grill out, I can't wait to grill either. Just to have a home cooked meal will be great! Anthony is also excited about seeing Kurt at the RMD house, Anthony loves to give Kurt a bad time(along with everyone else).

We really enjoyed having Michael here this week end. He is now on his way home, but will be back on Tuesday for the switch.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and prayers.

Saturday, April 9, 2005 1:28 PM CDT

Today has been some good moments and a bad moment. The good moments have been: I got to be free for a few hours today from my I.V., My counts are coming up, Infact I'll tell you now, My Red blood count is 11.2!!! My White blood count(WBC) is 0.7!!! My neutrophils(The infectious fighting cells) are 190. And finally my platelets(The blood clotting cells) are 170 and I got to sleep in 'til 10:15 this morning. The bad moment is: I threw-up not to long ago. I got some Zophran and now I feel a little better. Tonight is the big hockey game the teams playing are: The North Dakota Fighting Sioux and The Denver Pioneers. Who's going to win? The NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING SIOUX or the Denver Pioneers? ARE YOU READY FOR SOME HOCKEY!!!!!!!!! Today is DAY 15. Michael just got here at two this afternoon.

Anthony is doing pretty good. His spirits are very good. The doctors are hoping that by next weekend, Anthony will be able to get out of here. We are all excited about getting to watch hockey tonight. Hopefully, we might have some visitors tomorrow. The days get a little long sometimes.

We would like to thank everyone for all the journal entries. Anthony is really enjoying them. Also, thank you for all of your prayers, we still have a journey in front of us, so please keep them coming. Please remember our cousin Zach in your prayers and all the other kids out there that have are sick!

Friday, April 8, 2005 4:00 PM CDT

I'm ENGRAFTING!!!!!!!!!! I'm making my donor's white blood cells(WBC). My Platelets(The blood clotting cells)are 119!! My white blood cells(WBC)are 0.6!! The neutrophils(The infuctious fighting cells)are 162!!! My red blood count is 10.8!!!!!! Did you see last nights game? The Sioux won last nights game 4-2 and Denver won the afternoon 6-2 so Denver vs Fighting Sioux. Who will you pick to win? For a tiebraker the score will be total of both teams, what score will you pick? I can't wait 'til I get in to 3rd Grade!!!!!! Hopefully I'll be at the Ronald McDonald(The Ryan McKelvie House) by Wednesday April 13th, YEAH, I can't what 'til the 13th,too!!!!!! Robin, Sue(Our Nurse)And Me played cards today, so far. My tutor came today, again. I went to bed at 11:30 last night then I only went to the bathroom once then I got up at 8:30 this morning to take my medicine then I went back to bed at 9 o'clock this morning then got up at 11 o'clock this morning, so I've really only been up for 6 hours today. So far this has been a GREAT AWESOME day today. I hope there's more GOOD news tomorrow!!! I hope the Infuctious fighting cells(The neutrophils) are above 500< not 500> tomorrow and Sunday then I get to go to the Ryan McKelvie House(The Ronald McDonald House) Everybody is soooooooo HAPPY for me that I'm making my donors white blood cells(WBC)are taking affect. Thank You again Easter Bunny for that KNEE HOCKEY SET!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the MONEY!!!!!!!!!! Yesterday Sue(Our Nurse) brought some water from her home and splashed me with the WATER and oooooh did I get wet but I got her back and she got wet, too.

Say a special prayer to Cousin Zach that his pain will soon be gone. Zach is fighting Neuroblastoma.

Thanks,
Anthony

Thursday, April 7, 2005 2:35 PM CDT

To recap, Wednesday was not a very good day for Anthony. It started out with him getting dizzy and almost falling, I had to lift him back into bed and then he got sick. With the lack of eating and low red blood cells I think it got to him. Anthony was grumpy and not wanting to do anything all day. Grandma Lydia and Grandpa Don came down from the cities and his tutor came in.

In the afternoon he received a bag of blood plus an I.V. drip of nutrition and by last night he began to start to eat and drink real food. He had a few bites of grandma's brownies which is amazing because he rarely eats chocolate. Anthony than started drinking powerade and began to return to his normal self, full of energy, humor and talking my ears off. We played PS2, listened to tapes while looking up the lyrics to the songs on the internet until 1:30 last night, every once in a while the nurse would come into the room and ask if we were still partying.

This morning he is still the same. I bought some beef sticks from Sam's Club and he ate them and then drank gatorade like he has never been sick. Now we have all we need to watch the NCAA hockey semi-finals today, the only question is who to cheer for, (Fighting Sioux?).

The doctors said his counts are rising and guess he will began making his own cells soon(engraft). It is truly wonderful to see the look of amazement in the faces of the doctors when they speak of Anthony and his progress. The only setback was a mouth sore that began to bleed, but healed as quick as it came. The best news came when the doctors said Anthony could be out of the hospital and into the Ronald McDonald House as soon as next week, woo-hoo!

Thanks for your thoughts, prayers and support, please continue as we are too close to let up now. I know Anthony will be completely cured soon.

Tuesday, April 5, 2005 9:19 AM CDT

We are now at day 11 after transplant. Anthony woke up around 8:00 a. m. having to get sick. What a way to start out his day. He just doesn't feel well. He is not his perky self. He didn't feel well last night either. By the way, Aunt Rhonda, Anthony did not eat for me either. He only ate 1/2 of a banana. Today Anthony is going to try to drink this Carnation instant breakfast drink that the doctor said he should drink. We'll see if he keeps that down.

His counts have dropped again. This is normal. He will probably need blood today. The doctors are thinking he might start to engraft in a few days. This is when the new cells start to take over. When this happens, his counts will start to come up. I hope it is soon so we can be on the road to at least going to the Ronald McDonald House.

Anthony is suppose to meet his new tutor today. He was pretty excited about that last night. He even did a little of his Math. Imagine that, when I asked him what he wanted to work on, it was "MATH". I hope he feels better by this afternoon.

He fell asleep at 8:30 last night and is now back to sleep again. I think this getting sick really tuckers him out.

Well, tonight we have the changing of the guards again. Michael will be coming down for the next couple of days. Maybe Dad will have some luck in getting him to eat and be a little more active.

Thank you for all your prayers,your entries in the guestbook (Anthony loves to read them), for the pages on the prayer pager and for all the support we have received!

Visitors are welcome, but we ask that you be healthy and call first.

Sunday, April 3, 2005 12:25 AM CDT

Hey everybody, Anthony's counts are still down today but once he get out of bed he really started to look great, full of energy. It must have been the Godfathers pizza and bread sticks he had last night(modern medicine is good, but junk food works wonders). It was pretty wierd, I just ordered the pizza and bread sticks Anthony was craving when the nurse told me that Kurt was craving bread sticks also, so we shared an order with Kurt(Robin was right when she said those two were so alike).

Uncle Steve and Mary are coming for a visit, Anthony cannot wait to see Mary's new Mustang(we can see the parking area from the window). Aunt Rhonda will be coming down tonight and stay overnight with Anthony and boy, is looking forward to that. I just hope she knows what she is getting herself into.

It is a excellent day outside, I wish Anthony could go out and play, but until his counts increase it's mini-hockey in the hall for him. The doctor said that this next stage will be very important for him, he will have to eat more and increase activity. This is the time when the new cells from the transplant will begin to take over and start producing its own white blood cells. We are so happy that things are rolling but I am a little nervous too, it is a big step in Anthony's recovery.

Thanks for continuing your prayers, this is the time we need them the most. We are getting to the last hurdle soon and with your support we will be able to overcome it.

Friday, April 1, 2005 9: 05AM CST

Good Morning~the changing of the guards is complete.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Anthony still didn't eat much for Dad. When I got here, he did start eating a little. He had some pineapple, junk food and milk. I guess that is better than nothing at all. Anthony did get sick again yesterday, but that is to be expected. It just gets so frustrating.

Anthony did have a very fun night last night. Ryan came back with me. Anthony was so happy to see him. I'm not quite sure who really was more happy, Ryan or Anthony. They played PS2. Anthony won all 4 games, but Ryan gave him a run for his money. Anthony got this game called Brain Quest from his aunt so Anthony made up a game that all of us played. It was like the game show "The Weakest Link". It was really fun. We laughed pretty hard. Michael and Ryan left to go back to Mankato around 11:00 pm. Anthony played another quick game of PS2 and off to sleep he went. He is still sleeping.

I am guessing that today Anthony and I will be having to play the new game that Ryan brought for him. It is NHL Monopoly. Anthony thinks it is very cool! Thanks Ryan, Vicky and Rick, you guys are great.

I will let you know how things go today. Oh yeah, I would like to say congratulations to our neighbor down the hall, Kurt is starting to make new cells from the new marrow!!

Thank you for all the continued support, prayers and thoughts.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005 9:53 PM CST

Well, not much new to say today, Anthony's counts are about the same. I am trying to get him to eat something but all he's had is a spoonful of yogurt and some bbq roast beef from Roscoe's(my little junk food son).

We had a tornado warning here in Rochester, Anthony and I watched a pretty nasty looking wall cloud go by, we were suppose to close the window shade until it passed, but that wouldn't be fun. After the storm went by, we decided to take a nap, I was very happy he didn't resist me on this because even if you sleep all night long here, you really never get a good nights rest.

Thursday will be the "change of guards" ceremony, Robin will return and I will go back to work, I think Anthony misses his mom anyways. Hopefully, Robin will have more luck getting him to eat.

This is the first time I have updated this site, I hope you enjoyed it, Robin will take over again tomorrow. Thanks for signing the guestbook, your thoughts and prayers, and words of hope.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005 2:44 PM CST

Anthony is doing very well today. His counts are still dropping, which is good. The first thing he did this morning when he woke up was play some knee hockey in his room. He made the nurse take his blood presure and measure his tummy while he played on the floor in his room. The nurse was very nice and accomodated Anthony.

Lexy is spending the day with us today. She brought a ton of crafts for Anthony to do. They are making SpongeBob stencels with Blow Pens while we watch Happy Gilmore.

Anthony's appetite is really good today. He has had Jelly Beans, a T.V. dinner, some lemon cookies, and a couple of yogurts. The staff keeps telling Anthony the higher the calorie food the better.

Anthony's pretty excited, his Dad is coming tonight and I am going home for a couple of days.

Thanks to everyone who has been signing the guestbook and praying for Anthony. Michael, Anthony and I are very lucky to have such a great support system!

Monday, March 28, 2005 3:13 PM CST

Anthony, Michael and I had a wonderful Easter. The Easter Bunny came for a visit and brought Anthony a mini knee hockey net with sticks along with lots of candy. Chris, Kurtis, Kelsey and Austin came to see all of us. It was so cute, when the nurses asked if family was coming for Easter, Anthony replied with, "Yes, it's my hockey family". We had so much fun. Anthony and the guys played knee hockey in the hallway. There was an Easter Egg hunt. We watched hockey on t.v. and had a very nice lunch/dinner. Anthony played very hard, he didn't even act like a kid who just had a bone marrow transplant. Anthony did end up with a headache last night. He had a rough night. He got a little sick, but by morning was feeling pretty good. His appetite is not the best today, but I guess after all the chemo and radiation he has had it shouldn't be very good. I just wish he would eat something.

Today is +3 since transplant. Anthony got this medicine called Methotrexate today. This is a drug that is to help with rejection. He will be receive this two more times at day +7 and +11. Anthony's counts have hit bottom today. He is confined to the transplant ward now until his counts come up again. This could take a couple of weeks. The doctor was very impressed that the counts dropped so fast. He said it sometimes takes a few more days for them to hit bottom. Anthony's spirits have been very good today.

Thank you for all your prayers! Please keep them coming.

Saturday, March 26, 2005 4:50 PM CST

YEAH!! Transplant went wonderfully. The cells arrived in Rochester at 9:45 pm. They went to Methodist Hospital to be counted before they arrived at St. Mary's at 11:59 pm. Anthony's transplant was complete around 1:15 am. He slept through the whole thing. We were all very tired afterwards. Anthony had a very good night sleep. Today has been a little rough. He didn't feel well this morning, but they gave him some meds to help that. He now has his appetite back and his spirits have been good today.
Aunt Rhonda was here for the transplant. Anthony was very happy to see her. She spent the night with us. When her and I got to the hospital today, I went back to Anthony's room first and the first question he had was, "where is Aunt Rhonda". He was really happy to see her. Thanks Aunt Rhonda for being here!!! Anthony's best bud Logan and his family came to see Anthony today. The two of them played PS2 and watched NCAA Hockey. It was very nice to see them. Anthony really likes to hang out with Logan. Tomorrow Chris, Kurtis, Kelsey and Lucas are coming to see him. He is very excited to see them. We have heard rumor that the Easter Bunny is coming in the morning. Anthony will be having a very fun filled day tomorrow.

I will update tomorrow, hopefully.

Thank you to everyone who called, paged and said prayers for Anthony yesterday. Please continue to pray for him and all of our other friends. Please say a special prayer for our cousin Zach in hopes that the next chemo will destroy his cancer and for Kurt who received a bone marrow transplant last week. The power of prayer is remarkable!!

Thursday, March 24, 2005 4:56 PM CST

Anthony has been doing very well. Yesterday he was very tired and didn't feel real well from the radiation and chemo. He slept almost all day. Today things were better. He was a little tired this morning, but more tired this afternoon. His appetite has been very good today. He actually wanted McDonalds. Here we go again with the Chicken McNuggets and Fries. He ate it all, after he had a baked potato with cheese, bacon and broccoli on it, some chicken noodle soup and apple crisp. Yes, he is a growing boy. Anthony is very happy to be done with the Chemo and Radiation. This afternoon on the way back to St. Mary's, Anthony was timing the ambulance drivers again. Since it was last time that Anthony would be timing the drivers, they even used the siren for him to try to beat the winning time. It was close, but they just couldn't beat the time of yesterday afternoon's team. That was nine minutes. Anthony just laughed when they turned on the sirens. All of those drivers were so good to him.

Anthony and I both got a massage today. Thanks Angie!! I really needed it. It's amazing, my headache just disappeared. Anthony really enjoyed it himself. The doctors were a little jealous that Anthony was getting a massage and they were not. They even asked Anthony what time they should come back so they could get one.

Anthony is very excited about tomorrow. We were told that the whole family should take a nap because it will be a late night. The donor's cells will arrive around 9:45 pm and they should start infusing the cells around 11:30 pm. With it being so late, I'm sure Anthony will sleep through most of it.

Thank you for all your continued prayers, guest entries, pages, thoughts and support. I would like to send a special thank you to Anthony's classmate who have written to him in the guest entries. It really means a lot to Anthony because he misses you all so much!! He is really looking forward to seeing all of you in the fall when school starts. Hopefully, he will be able to make a visit or two before the end of the school year. May God bless all of you.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005 8:19 PM CST

Anthony had a pretty good day yesterday. Chemo went well. Uncle Denny, Aunt Del and Aunt Rhonda were all here to see him. He played PS2 with Kurt and they then did a little bowling in the hall way. Of course, Anthony won!

Today Anthony started radiation and a different type of Chemo. He did pretty well. His stomach has felt different and his appetite is not like it was a couple of days ago, but over all, he is taking it pretty good. The treatments are making him pretty tired. I also think he has been getting a little bored (which is good), but it starts to bum him out. Anthony always needs to be on the move.
He got to have his first ambulance ride today. Anthony gets transported to Methodist Hospital for his Radiation treatment. He thought that was really fun. Anthony timed each of the drivers to see how long it took to get to and from the hospital. He actually asked one team if they would turn on the siren and drive down the sidewalk. The team laughed and actually turned the siren on when we left. Anthony laughed pretty hard. Tonight Anthony colored Easter eggs. Look out Volp, Anthony made one just for you.

Tomorrow Anthony will have 2 more doses of Radiation with another dose of Chemo. I will update tomorrow or Thursday.

We did finally get a time on when Anthony's transplant will take place. It will be Friday (March 25) at 9:45 p. m. It will take a couple of hours. The transplant will take place in Anthony's room. It is like a blood transfusion. Anthony will probably sleep though most of it. The doctors will give him plenty of meds to make him sleepy.

Please pray that God will give Anthony strength and that the transplant will be a great success!!

Thank you to everyone for all you do for us.

Sunday, March 20, 2005 8:11 PM CST

Anthony had a few visitors today. Aunt Del, Uncle Denny, Ellen Wild, Brian, Alishia and Andrea. Anthony had a ball playing Chess and PS2 with Brian and the girls. It was nice to have some visitors, it really gave Anthony a boost.
The rest of the day was very uneventful. He got Chemo this afternoon. Anthony and I played some games on the computer. He hung out at the nurses station. The nurses had a going away party for one of the other nurses and yes, my son crushed it. He had cake and chips. All the nurses and Anthony then had a picture taken. Of course, Anthony was the only patient in the picture. The nurses just love him, imagine that.

The Doctor came in this morning and said Anthony is doing good. She also said the motto around here is "Boring is good". We told Anthony that if he is bored, it is a good thing.

Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful support. Anthony really loves to get the pages on his pager when he is in the hospital, so keep them coming.

P. S. If you would like to call, please call Anthony's hospital room. We can not have the cell phone on in PICU.

Saturday, March 19, 2005 9:11 PM CST

Anthony and I are in Rochester. The drive back was much easier than the drive home yesterday. Anthony was very excited to get here today. Anthony found Kurt right away and they started to play checkers and then on to PS2. Anthony had a very fun time. Anthony and Kurt played PS2 for about 3 hours or so.

Tomorrow Anthony starts chemo. I think he should do just fine. He will be getting quite a bit of meds to help from getting sick. It really helps having Kurt here. He is an inspiration for Anthony to get through this.

We're just watching the hockey game right now (CC 0 DEN 1).

Last night, I had a fun time playing NHL 2005 Free 4 All with Chris and Jon. Then Christi, Chris, Jon and me played horse and pig on the ESPN Gamestation. I played floor hockey with Chris and Jon. Dr. Stick (Michael) was in the goal. Jon wore a pink shirt, Chris and I gave him a bad time. I watched the hockey game last night with them. It was a really fun night. Thenks guys for spending so much time with me. I really have fun with you.

Thank you to everyone for all your support. Please keep the prayers coming.

Saturday, March 19, 2005 9:11 PM CST

Anthony and I are in Rochester. The drive back was much easier than the drive home yesterday. Anthony was very excited to get here today. Anthony found Kurt right away and they started to play checkers and then on to PS2. Anthony had a very fun time. Anthony and Kurt played PS2 for about 3 hours or so.

Tomorrow Anthony starts chemo. I think he should do just fine. He will be getting quite a bit of meds to help from getting sick. It really helps having Kurt here. He is an inspiration for Anthony to get through this.

We're just watching the hockey game right now (CC 0 DEN 1).

Last night, I had a fun time playing NHL 2005 Free 4 All with Chris and Jon. Then Christi, Chris, Jon and me played horse and pig on the ESPN Gamestation. I played floor hockey with Chris and Jon. Dr. Stick (Michael) was in the goal. Jon wore a pink shirt, Chris and I gave him a bad time. I watched the hockey game last night with them. It was a really fun night. Thenks guys for spending so much time with me. I really have fun with you.

Thank you to everyone for all your support. Please keep the prayers coming.

Friday, March 18, 2005 4:53 PM CST

Wow, what a drive home today. Our normal 1 1/2 hour drive took almost 4 hours. This snow storm is unbelievable! I really think that we will get almost 24" of snow before it is done. My sister called and they are stuck in Arizona right now. The flight has been delayed back to Minneapolis. I guess, if you need to be stuck somewhere, Arizona is good.

Anthony is doing pretty well. His back and hips are really sore today. He is having a hard time bending over, sitting and getting up. He is in really good spirits though. He was giving the nurses a bad time before we left the hospital today. They are all very excited that Anthony will be back to the hospital tomorrow. I hope the drive tomorrow is better than today. I'm really happy that we are home so Anthony can spend a night at home before he starts his long road to being a normal kid. We are going to lay kinda low tonight. Chris is coming over to hang out with Anthony. Anthony is pretty excited about that. I will update in the next couple of days to let you know what's happening.

Thank you all for everything! God has really blessed our family with having such great people in our lives!

Thursday, March 17, 2005 2:23 PM CST

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!
Anthony's surgery went good today. He is very sore where they took his port-a-cath out. The Doctor took marrow from both of Anthony's hips. Anthony said that his hip's don't hurt, though. He has been out of bed once since he got to his room at noon. It has been a very long last few days. We will be going home tomorrow to spend the night at home. We have to be back to the hospital on Saturday afternoon. He is pretty excited, he will be in the transplant ward with Kurt. He is having his transplant tomorrow. Kurt stopped in to see him after Anthony got to his room from surgery. They were making plans of playing some PS2 together. I think Kurt will be good for Anthony. Kurt won't let Anthony just sit around. I'm sure Anthony will be after Kurt to play also.

Well, I'll let everyone know when we get home tomorrow. It sounds like there is a pretty good snow storm coming.

Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and support.

Monday, March 14, 2005 8:17 PM CST

We got home late afternoon on Saturday from the hospital. It was so good to get home. Anthony really missed his house and his "play room" in the basement. I think that will be the hardest part for him while he is in the hospital.

Anthony had a very fun time last night. We had Chris, Ryan, Kurtis, Lucas, David, Chad and Travis here. They all played floor hockey, Poker, PS2 NHL and Wheel of Fortune. Fun was had by all. I have not heard Anthony laugh that hard in a long time. Thanks guys for letting Anthony be a kid!

Anthony had appointments at Rochester all day today. We did find out that the donor has passed all the physicals. The transplant is a definate go for March 25. We will need everyone's prayers that Anthony's body does not reject the new cells. We have a very busy week. We will be in Rochester pretty much all week. Anthony has blood more test and has to have a central line (hickman) put in. He will have his port-a-cath taken out. The doctors will also be harvesting some of Anthony's bone marrow for a back-up. This is just a precautionary measure if problems should arise. Anthony will have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days with this. Saturday he will be put into the Peds ICU to start preparing for transplant. He will first receive Chemo and then on Tuesday of next week, he will start radiation treatments. I think he is ready. He told the doctor he just wants to be back to normal. I will keep you updated with how things are going this week.

Thank you for all the prayer pages, thoughts and support. Michael, Anthony and I are very lucky!

Saturday, March 12, 2005 10:45 AM CST

Anthony is doing pretty good. He has a dandy cold, stuffy nose and cough. The cultures they took on Thursday morning have all come back negative. That is good. We are waiting to find out what his counts are to see if we get to go home.

Anthony had a bunch of test yesterday. They woke us up around 7:00 a.m. and we were off. We didn't get back to his room until after 1:00 p.m. We then got to tour the transplant ward. It is very nice and clean. When we got back to the room, we all took a nap. We left for the Cities around 5:00. The roads were not the best on the way up. It snowed really hard. The game was really fun. I wish the Mavs could have won, but they have that chance tonight and tomorrow. We got to see Jimmy, Mr. and Mrs. Brownlee. It was great to see them. We really have missed you guys a lot!! We went to the hotel to say "Hi" to the guys before we headed back to Rochester. Anthony made it back just in time. They told us he needed to be back around midnight, we got back 5 minutes to. Anthony fell asleep on the way home. He didn't even really wake up when we brought him back to his room.

Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers and support. You all mean so very much to us!

GO MAVS!!!!!!

Thursday, March 10, 2005 4:10 PM CST

Well, here we are at St. Mary's Hospital. Anthony ran a fever last night and was admitted into the hospital. We are all pretty tired today, since we did not get into Anthony's room until 4:30 a.m. They immediately started an antibiotic. He is doing much better today. His temp is back to normal. He is starting some of the tests that he has to have done before transplant. It sounds like tomorrow will be much of the same. We did find out today that next week will be a lot of doctor appointments and stuff. Anthony will be admitted into the hospital on Friday 3/18 to start his chemo and radiation. The date of 3/25 for transplant is still looking good.

Anthony was excited this morning when the doctors stopped by and told him that tomorrow evening, he gets to go on pass so we can go watch the Mavs. The whole family was very excited!!

We are hoping that Anthony will get to home on Saturday. We will have to wait for his cultures to come back. Hopefully there is not any infection to speak of.

Thank you to everyone for all your support and prayers. I will update tomorrow or Saturday.

Tuesday, March 8, 2005 6:46 AM CST

We are still at home! Anthony's counts were almost high enough to go. The good thing is, it sounds like we will not have to start the next round of Chemo. The doctors are waiting for the okay on some medical stuff on the donor. We should have that in the next couple of days. When the okay comes in, Anthony will have a bone marrow biopsy along with a follow up doctor appointment later this week. Then it will be a fun weekend at home with going back to Rochester on Monday (3/14) or Tuesday (3/15) of next week to start preparing Anthony for his bone marrow transplant. This will be the start of the 100 days in Rochester. Right now, the tentative date for transplant is 3/25. It will be a long road for all of us, but I know that I have a strong little boy.

Today Anthony is going the the Wild house. I guess Ellen has a big day planned for him. He will have so much fun!

Anthony has been asked to show up at the KYSM St. Jude Radiothon on Thursday or Friday this week. I still need to speak with T. J. to find out when and what time. I'll let you all know so you can listen and maybe help out a great cause.

Thank you to all of you for your continued love and support. Keep the prayers coming, Anthony loves it when the pager is going off!! Please also remember our cousin Zach, who is in Memphis at St. Jude's this week. Please pray for good news for him and his family.

Sunday, March 6, 2005 8:43 PM CST

Anthony had so much fun last night at the Mavs game. The Mavs won the Maverick trophey back from Omaha!!! After the game, the Mavs handed out their team jersey's that were auctioned off. Anthony was invited to be on the ice with them. He got to hand Brock Beckers' jersey to the highest bidder. Anthony was so proud! Anthony and Chris skated around the rink for a while. Anthony is very lucky to have such great guys to hang out with. Anthony then got to be in the picture with the team and the trophey. He was beaming. He also got a really nice surprise when the guys went to the locker room, Kurtis Kisio's parents were here from Calgary. They brought him a Calgary Flames hat and t-shirt. He absolutely loves them!! That kid is so spoiled.

Today we went to brunch with Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mike, Cody and Lexy. That was really fun. We all love it when we can spend time with Aunt Rhonda and her family. We then did a little shopping. Didn't get much but stuff that was needed. Later this afternoon, Chris, David, Jake, Kurtis, Kelsey (Kurtis' girlfriend) and Lucas all came over. They played with Anthony. Anthony finally got beat in PS2. Congrats David, but I'm sure Anthony won't let it happen again.

Tomorrow morning we have Anthony's counts checked. If they are good, we are off to Rochester for the week. I'm pretty sure they are up. He has been feeling really good. He has so much energy. I really love seeing him like this. I can hardly wait for him to be able to be like this all the time.

Thank you for all your love and support. It is truely amazing!!

Saturday, March 5, 2005 3:01 PM CST

Wow, Anthony had an amazing night last night. He got to play mini floor hockey with Chris, Ryan, Chad and Kate. He had a really great time. Anthony also played poker with the guys and Kate. I heard Anthony kicked some butt in hockey and in poker. Way to go son!!! Anthony was very tired when he got home and slept really well all night.

This morning, Anthony slept in. He got a quick game of PS2 under his belt before we went and got him some different hockey skates. Boy, was he happy to get different skates. He then went to the Civic Center and skated with the guys during practice. Those Mavericks are so good with and for Anthony. It was great to see him on the ice. Anthony even did some of the drills with them. Anthony got to use one of Sutter's sticks. It's amazing that it was just Anthony's size. They did a shooting drill and Anthony scored on Nixon through the five hole. You gotta watch that five hole Nixon. Anthony had such a great time on the ice. It was very nice that the coaches and players invited him to skate. Tonight we will be off to watch the Mavs play Omaha with Angie and Pat. Go Mavs!!

Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful support, thoughts and prayers.

Friday, March 4, 2005 6:50 PM CST

Anthony had a well, very emotional day today. He was really mad about having cancer. He cried a lot and kept telling me that he just wants to be a normal kid that can go to school and play hockey. It was very hard on Mom too. I stayed with him all day today. After he started feeling better, him and I went to see his dad, went out for lunch and did some shopping. He got new Spongebob lounging pants. He commented to me that, "Mom, I wish I could spend every day with you and Dad." I think he is starting to worry about going in for the bone marrow transplant. Anthony is afraid that no one will come and see him in Rochester. He really doesn't want to be away from home for the 100 days. I told him that he will have all kinds of company and when he gets home, he will be able to play hockey and be in the net again.

On our way home, we stopped at the rink and the Mavs were practicing. When Anthony saw them, he had a whole different attitude. Anthony again played tape ball in the locker room with the guys. This time, Anthony got a little something in return. The guys taped Anthony up from head to toe and Backes carried him out of the locker room. I laughed so hard. Backes said that Anthony was beating everyone in tape ball so they decided to tape him. Well, Chris came to the rescue and un-taped Anthony. Back he went to play more tape ball. Anthony is now with Chris, Ryan and Chad playing PS2 at their house. I don't know what we would do without those guys. They are so good for Anthony. Michael and I can't thank you guys enough for all you do for Anthony.

Tomorrow, I think Anthony will be getting a new pair of skates so he can do some skating this weekend. He is very excited.

Thank you for all your love and support. Please say an extra prayer for our cousin Zach who will be going to St. Jude's in Memphis next week. Hopefully he will get some good news. Please also pray for Chassity that she will get to be at home for a while and she starts feeling better from all the Chemo treatments she's been having.
Some of our other friends-Kristina, Sammy-Joe, McKayla, Jodie, Jocelynn and Dave.

Thursday, March 3, 2005 7:06 PM CST

Anthony's counts have started to rebound. They are very close to where they need to be to start the next round of chemo. We are thinking that Monday will be the day. Anthony was very excited to find out that he wasn't getting his counts checked until Monday. Of course, he wants to go to the Mavs' last home game before play-offs start. He is very excited about seeing the "guys" this weekend.

Last night Anthony and Michael went to visit Brock Becker in the hospital. Anthony had a real fun time. The Brock and Anthony played NHL 2005 on PS2. I heard they had a ball!! Thanks Brock for letting Anthony spend time with you. I, on the other words, stayed home and slept. I went to the doctor on Tuesday. I have an ear infection along with sinus infection. The doc gave me some pretty good antibiotics. I'm feeling a lot better.

Anthony got to see his teacher yesterday. My son just amazes me, he is so smart! I often wonder where he gets that from. Oh yeah, it has to me from me!

Well, I better get going, we are listening to the Mavs on the radio. Thank you for checking Anthony's site. He really loves to read the entries. We are very grateful for all the support, prayers and thoughts we have gotten. Thank you so much!

Tuesday, March 1, 2005 9:01 AM CST

Well, counts didn't go well yesterday, they are down. We are home for a few more days. Anthony will need to get them checked again on Thursday. We are not sure what next after that. If they are up, we will be heading to Rochester.

Anthony went to the Mavs practice yesterday. He had a blast!! All I know is that Anthony said the next practice he attends, he will be getting everyone with the tape ball. Watch out guys!

I am home today, I finally got that nasty cold that everyone else had gotten. I have been staying away from Anthony with his counts low. I feel absolutely terrible. Michael is also sick. He has strep throat. Our goal now is to keep Anthony well!!

We are loving the new house, but Michael and I feel so terrible, that hardly nothing has gotten done. It will, but I am just very impatient and want it all done right now.

Well, I am getting pretty tired again. I think I will head for the couch.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.

Sunday, February 27, 2005 7:56 PM CST

Anthony had a real fun time last night at the Hockey game. He was the Maverick fan of the game. Anthony got a gift certificate to Junkers. He told the guys that he would be having Prime Rib with that. We went to the hockey game with Logan and his family, Lexy, Tanner, Joey Olson, Pat, Angie, Andrea, Sandy and Matt. It was a blast!!! Thanks Troy for the tickets! After the game, Anthony was with Brian, Alicia and Andrea. I think Anthony wore them out. Michael, Lexy, Pat, Angie, Chad, Jane, Ellen and I went out with the players. It was a very fun time. Michael and I were really due for some fun! Needless to say, we are very tired today.

Today, we didn't do much. It took a while for Michael, Anthony and I to get motivated. Chris, Chad, Ryan, Kurtis and Lucas came over and played with Anthony. I just love having them all around. The feeling it gives me to listen to Anthony and the guys laugh so hard and have so much fun is unbelievable. Words can't explain it.

Tomorrow morning Anthony gets his counts checked again. If they are up, we will have a doctor appointment in the afternoon and then to St. Mary's for Chemo. Hopefully, we should be home Thursday or Friday. I'll keep you all updated on what we are doing.

We are very blessed to have such a great support team and so many great people that care about us. THANK YOU!

Friday, February 25, 2005 11:43 PM CST

Well, Anthony's counts have come up, but they were not high enough to start the next round of Chemo. Anthony will have his counts checked again on Monday. More than likely, they will be high enough and we will finally be on our way to Rochester.

Anthony was excited that he would be home for the day and weekend. He had a great time with Ellen today. I hear she is getting better at Fooseball.

We went to the Mavs hockey game tonight. It was awesome!! The guys played their hearts out. We were all very pumped at the game. After the game, Anthony waited for Chris. He went back to the locker room and hung out with the guys for a while. He just loves being a part of their lives. Anthony is looking forward to tomorrow night, another Mavs game.

We will hopefully finish moving tomorrow. I will be glad when it is complete. Then it will be putting everything away. grrr.

Thank you to everyone for all you do for us, from helping out with taking care Anthony so I can work to just calling his prayer pager and writing in his journal. You are all very special people to us!! God bless you.

Thursday, February 24, 2005 10:07 PM CST

Not much happened yesterday. Anthony went to Grandma and Grandpa's for the day. Michael, Anthony and I went to the old house and move more stuff to our new house. We were home pretty early and then we relaxed.

Today, Anthony had his counts checked again. This time his neutrophils (infectious fighting cells) were not high enough. This is okay, because Anthony wanted to go to the East hockey game. Anthony had a really good time. Anthony spend some time with our friends, Diane and Duane today. He had a ball playing games and playing with thier grandson Brody. Brody is 5 months old.

Tomorrow Anthony will have his counts checked again. If his neutrophils are high enough, we are off to Rochester. Anthony is really hoping that they are not high enough because he really wants to go watch the Mavs play Denver. We also have to finish moving this weekend. If we don't go, Anthony is going to spend the day with Ellen Wild. He absolutely loves being at her house.

We would like to thank everyone for signing Anthony's guestbook. He loves reading the entries. We would also like to give a special thank you to Chris, Ryan and all of the guys who spend so much time with Anthony. You guys really keep him fighting!!

Please keep the prayers coming and we would also like for everyone to say and extra prayer for some of our friends and family, Zach, Chassity, Kristina, Sammy-Joe, McKayla and Jocelynn.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 4:59 PM CST

Anthony didn't get his blood transfusion yesterday. Anthony needs a special type of blood since he is getting Chemo and is going to transplant, so the hospital had to order it from St. Paul where it is made. It didn't get here until early evening yesterday. He got to come home for the night. He had a ball at home. Chris came over and the two of them played floor hockey and PS2. Congrats to Chris, he finally beat Anthony more than once with out Anthony letting him win. Chris got Anthony a 2005 NHL, which Anthony isn't used to. Anthony got frustrated because he hates to lose. He got over it though.

Today, I took Anthony back to ISJ for his transfusion. It was early afternoon before that was complete. He then spent the afternoon with Ellen Wild. He loves going to her house. Tonight will be somewhat of a quiet night. Michael will be moving some more things over from the old house. Anthony and I will get to hang out together.

Anthony will have his counts checked again on Thursday. If they are where he needs to be, we will head over to Rochester for 3 days of Chemo. If not, he will have them checked again on Monday. I did speak with his doctor in Rochester today and he indicated that the wait for the counts to go up will not delay Anthony with transplant. It is still set for sometime between March 14 and March 31. We are really just waiting for the donor to be ready to give the stem cells. If the donor is ready before Anthony starts Chemo, we will go directly to transplant. If he has started Chemo, they will stop the Chemo and start preparing him for transplant. I was very happy to hear that.

We would like to express our graditude to everyone who has been by our sides through all of this. Words can not say enough for how thankful we are. THANK YOU!!

Monday, February 21, 2005 7:30 AM CST

Sorry we haven't updated in a few days. We haven't had a computer. The move went well and we really love our new house. We still have some moving to do this week, just odds and ends.

Anthony had a ball this weekend. We all had a lot of hockey and loved it!!! It was very fun having dinner with Jimmy Saturday night. We already miss him!! We also had a very fun time at Aunt Rhonda's for Lexy's birthday. Cody and Lexy went to the hockey game with us on Sunday afternoon. We saw Logan and Tyler at the hockey game. We just love spending time with them, also. Cody and Lexy then came to our new house. Cody and Anthony played hockey in the basement. Anthony loves it when he can spend time with his cousins!

Anthony had his counts checked today. We will be home for a couple of more days. The one count that needs to come up is almost where it needs to be, but his blood is low. He is getting blood transfusion today. Hopefully, Thursday he will be good to go. If so, he will probably miss the hockey series this weekend, but we will have the lap top to listen to the games. Anthony is hoping that Chris will be able to come over tonight. He is ready to take him on in PS2 and floor hockey!

Thank you to everyone who helped us move this weekend! Thank you for the continued support and prayers. We are very blessed to have such great friends and family!!!!!!

Wednesday, February 16, 2005 5:37 PM CST

Anthony had a very fun night last night. Mrs. Case came over and brought Anthony all of his Valentine's. He really liked them. He also had a few other visitors, Chris, David Backes, Jake Brenk and Austin Sutter. Anthony had a ball with them. We all really enjoy having the guys over.

Anthony had his counts checked today. They have gone down a little bit. I spoke with Anthony's doctor and both of us forgot about this medication that Anthony is on. It is a type of Chemo in a pill. He has been taking it daily. The doctor told Anthony to stop taking it until Monday and we will have Anthony's counts checked again. The doctor believes that his counts will be where they need to be on Monday. Anthony was okay with this, since he wants to see Jimmy and Debbie this weekend. He also wants to go to the hockey game. After Anthony's blood test, him and I went did some running around town and met Chris for lunch. Anthony really loves to spend time with Chris. They both just make me laugh.

For those of you that didn't know, we will also be moving this weekend. We finally bought a house!! Anthony is soooo excited. We should be all moved by the end of next week. I would like to thank everyone ahead of time that are helping us out. We couldn't do this without you.

Thank you to everyone for all your support! We can not thank everyone enough!

Monday, February 14, 2005 6:49 PM CST

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Anthony had his counts checked this morning. They are still too low to start Chemo. He will have them checked again on Wednesday.

Anthony had a fun day today. After his blood work, him and I had a couple of things to do. Then he went with Aunt Rhonda. The two of them met Uncle Mike for lunch. From what I hear, my son has a very good appetite. Anthony played PS2 with Tanner when he got home from school. Anthony also got to play with Aunt Rhondas' neighbors. They played basketball and jumped on the trampalene. He had a blast. Anthony didn't want to leave, he was having too great of a time. He is looking pretty tired, though. Of course, he will never tell me that he is tired. The minute we walked in the door, he start shooting the puck around in his play room. Now, he is again playing hockey on PS2. I have said it before and I will say it again, I have never known anyone who loves hockey as much as Anthony.

Thank you to everyone who has signed the guestbook. Anthony really enjoys reading the entries. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. We hope that everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day and you're able to be with the ones you love the most!

Sunday, February 13, 2005 11:27 AM CST

Anthony had so much fun yesterday. Anthony had a pretty quiet morning. The afternoon, he listened to the Mavs game on the radio. He was very excited that Chris got to start again. We then went to watch Tanner and Brian play hockey. He had a ball with our friends and his aunt. Anthony had his picture taken after the game with Tanner and Brian. Anthony was just beaming. Thanks Ellen for setting that up! Anthony got to go to his favorite place to eat Prime Rib last night after the game. We took a road trip to New Ulm with our friends Angie, Pat and Andrea. I tell you, Anthony and Andrea act like sister and brother. It really makes me laugh. It was a very good time. We got home kinda late, but my son the go getter, had to play one more game of hockey on PS2.

Today, we do not have much planned. We are hoping that Chris and maybe a couple of the other players will be coming over today for a visit.

Tomorrow is more blood test to see where Anthony's counts are. Hopefully, we will be going to Rochester on Tuesday. I spoke with the Doctor and we have a tentative window to start preparing Anthony for transplant. It should be sometime between March 14 and the 31st. Anthony is ready for the bone marrow transplant. He is hoping he will be well enough to play a little baseball this summer. He is even more ready to play fall hockey.

I would like to give a big Thank You to Willie Mays and The Say Hey Foundation for signing Anthony's journal. He loved the baseball and was even more excited to see the journal entry. Also, a big Thank you to Jimmy for letting Willie Mays and the foundation know about Anthony.

Please continue to pray for Anthony and page him. Thank you for all the continued support. Michael, Anthony and I consider ourselves very blessed to have all of you in our lives.

Friday, February 11, 2005 5:39 PM CST

Anthony has been having some fun. Yesterday, he spent the day with Ellen Wild--Thanks Ellen. Anthony and Ellen went shopping after his blood test. They then met Brian for lunch. Anthony was very excited about that. When they got back to Ellen's, they made some cookies. I heard Anthony didn't help much with those. Anthony played PS2 and took Ellen on in a game of Foseball. You must be pretty good Ellen if you can actually beat Anthony in Foseball.

Today, Anthony was with Grandma and Grandpa. He got some homework done. Him and his dad are now playing PS2 while we wait for the Mavs game to start on the radio. We don't have much more planned for tonight. I'll update tomorrow. We have BIG plans for tomorrow!!

Thanks you to everyone for your continued support, thoughts and prayers. Thank you for all the Valentine cards that you have sent. Anthony loves to get mail!!

GO MAVS!

Thursday, February 10, 2005 7:01 AM CST

Anthony had a good day yesterday. He got to meet his new Ped doctor in Mankato. She is really, really nice. Anthony just loved her. Anthony's counts were still not high enough to start Chemo. He has to have them checked again today. If they are high enough, we will have to be in Rochester in the morning. Anthony and I really wish they could wait until Monday. He really wants to see Tanners' and Brians' last hockey game.

Anthony and I did a little shopping yesterday between appointments at the clinic. We found a holder for the autographed baseball that Jimmy and Debbie Clark gave him. It looks great in there!!! Thank you both for all you have done for Anthony.

Well, I will let you know if we are off to Rochester tonight or not. Thank you to everyone for all your prayers, thoughts, calls and letters. God bless all of you.

Well, Anthony got his wish. His counts were not where they needed to be. We are home the whole weekend!!! He will have his blood counts tested again Monday morning.

Wednesday, February 9, 2005 7:16 AM CST

Anthony had the best birthday ever!!! He spent the day with Aunt Rhonda. She took him to school, the dollar store,to the YMCA to see all of his friends, she had more birthday presents and a cake for him. She even got him Burger King for lunch. She really spoils him and he loves every minute of it. When I got home from work, he was outside shoveling the snow with his dad. I haven't seen that big of a smile on my son's face for a long time. I think he was a bit excited about the company we were getting. Rick and Chris Junker, Ryan McKelvie, David Backes and Jeff Marler came over. We all had a great time with them playing PS2, ESPN Game Station and playing a little game of hockey, of course, Anthony was in the goal! He also had phone call after phone call. Right after everyone left, he got the call he was waiting for. It was Chris. He was a very happy 8 year old.

Today we have to have more blood test done. If Anthony's counts are up, well, we will be off to Rochester tomorrow. Anthony is would prefer to wait until Monday to go. He wants to be home for Tanner's last hockey game this weekend. If we have to go, that will be okay too.

We would like to thank Rick and Chris for bringing the boys out to see Anthony. We all love having them around!! I would also like to thank the boys for spending so much time with Anthony, Michael and myself. You all very special!

Thank you for your continued support! Thank you for the calls, visits and notes to help make Anthony's birthday a very special one for him.

We would like to say a special HAPPY SWEET 16th BIRTHDAY to our friend Chassity. You stay strong!!

Monday, February 7, 2005 5:28 PM CST

What another busy and fun weekend. Friday night, the three of us went to the Mavs game. To our suprise, Logan and Louie were there. Anthony had a very good time. We finally meet Mr. Brownlee. He is a wonderful person. We also got to see Mr. Clark. Jimmy you just amaze us! Saturday, Anthony had a little birthday party. Anthony, Logan, Louie, Logan's Mom and brother along with Michael and I went out for pizza. Then the Anthony, Logan, Louie, Michael and I were off to the Mavs game. It was a very good, good game. We are very proup of the way those boys played against CC. We again spent time with Jimmy Clark and Al Brownlee. We got to meet some of the players girlfriends. Anthony didn't know what to say being around such pretty girls! After the game, Anthony and Logan went to the locker room. They ate pizza and drank Gatorade with the players. They had a blast. They didn't want to leave. Sunday, Aunt Rhonda with her family, Chris Clark, Jon Volp, Ryan McKelvie and Chad Brownlee all came over for a little party. Anthony had so much fun. Chris, Anthony loves to play PS2 with you. To everyone's suprise, Chris actually beat Anthony for a change. The tension was high! Anthony and I left for Rochester in the snow, now that was fun, NOT!

Today, Anthony had a doctor appointment and got his counts checked. Well, his counts were too low to start his Chemo, so off to home we went. He will have his counts checked again Wednesday and we may need to go to Rochester on Thursday if they are up enough. Anthony wasn't too upset about it though, he is excited to be home for his birthday.

We got some news today. They have 2 people that are a perfect match to Anthony's cell structure!!!! They matched 10 out of 10!! The doctor has chosen the one she would like to be the donor and has given them 3 dates to chose from for the transplant. The donor will decide on the date that works for them. It sounds like Anthony could be going to transplant sometime in March. The doctors even thought that Anthony may be well enough to start hockey again in the fall!! He was very excited about that. After this next three weeks of Chemo, Anthony will have a couple of weeks to get his counts back up, so he actually asked if he could play in the Mite Jamboree in March if his counts went up enough. He told me that he wanted to get back in the goal. I told hime that we will have to wait and see.


Thank God for the good news today and Thank all of you for ALL the prayers. Please keep the prayers coming that Anthony will soon be back doing all of his favorite things!
We would also like to thank the Mavs, their parents, our family and friends for all your support. All of you give him things to look forward to and help him to keep going!! ALL of you are very special to us.

P. S. There are new pictures!! Less than 24 hours until my golden birthday!!!!!!!

Thursday, February 3, 2005 5:39 PM CST

Anthony didn't have the best day today. I took the day off to spend it with Anthony. I took him to school to see all of his classmates in hopes that would make him feel better. He played with them during recess. He had a very good time. Anthony did get tired real quick. Anthony and I then went out for lunch. It was a very nice day for the both of us. Anthony said that he really just needed to be with mom today. Anthony had his counts checked this morning. They are starting to come up. It is taking a little longer with the more chemo he gets. Mrs. Case was here this afternoon. He will not be bored next week in the hospital, he has a lot of homework.

Anthony is looking forward to the weekend. Tomorrow night we will be going to see the Mavs. Jimmy Clark will be in town and we can't wait to see him!! Saturday, Anthony will be celebrating his birthday at the Mavs game. His two friends Logan and Louie will be joining us. Anthony can't wait. Sunday, Aunt Rhonda and her family will be coming over for lunch to celebrate his birthday. I'm sure since Anthony will be in the hospital on his real birthday, Tuesday, the doctors and nurses will do something fun for him.

We still have not heard any news regarding the donor. We just keep praying that it will be soon, so Anthony can just be a kid again.

Thank you for all the journal entries, Anthony really loves them. Thank you for all of your support!!

Tuesday, February 1, 2005 6:31 AM CST

Yesterday was a very long day for Anthony and myself. We were at Mayo Clinic at 7:00 a. m. He had a spinal tap, doctor appointment and then we had to go to St. Mary's Hospital for blood transfusion and Chemo. We finally left Rochester around 6:00 p.m.

Anthony found out what his next 3 weeks of Chemo will be like. He will be in the hospital a lot. He will be there on his birthday next week. I think I'm more upset than he is about that. When I asked him if that bothered him, his reply was "we will just celebrate on the weekend." The doctors told me that they will make his birthday very special for him at the hospital. He still hasn't told us what he wants to do on the weekend for his birthday besides having a birthday party at the Mavs game with his friends. I'm assuming that means a few of his buddies and his friends from the team. Anthony doesn't think very small.

We did not hear much on the donor yesterday. They are still going through extensive testing. I do know that the donors haven't had the physical step done yet. It might be a while. At this point, all we can do is keep praying that we find the perfect match for Anthony. Until then, he will be going through a lot of chemo.

Thank you for all your support. Please keep the prayers coming, Anthony really likes it when that pager goes off!!

Anthony has one more request, when saying prayers for him, could you include a few more people? Zach, Chassity, Kristina and Joclynn.

Sunday, January 30, 2005 8:59 AM CST

Wow, what a day yesterday!! Anthony, Michael and I had so much fun. We went to the East-West hockey game. He got to skate around the rink with the West flag and wearing an East Jersey. He was introduced with the players. Everyone stood up and clapped. Anthony just smiled and waved. He got to drop the puck, he was so excited and nervous to be in front of all those people. Chris was at the game and he brought Jon Volp and Ryan McKelvie with him. I think and hope all those boys had a great time. We also stayed to watch one period of Tanners game. When JV started, Anthony was getting pretty tired. After the game, Chris, Jon, and Ryan all came to our house. They all played a little with the ESPN Game Station and then, Chris and Anthony started playing PS2 hockey. Anthony beat Chris all three games. Anthony then challenged Ryan in a game, Ryan got beat too. I'm sure Chris and Ryan will be going home to practice for a re-match. It was a blast to watch all of them with Anthony. After dinner, we watched more hockey on T. V. and Chris and Anthony played more PS2. This time they played on the same team. I think Anthony has finally found his match, someone that loves the game of hockey as much as he does! Overall, I think fun was had by everyone. Anthony can't wait to do this again, so be ready guys! Anthony said something about playing some Texas Hold'em the next time.

Today, Anthony and I will be heading to Rochester for his appointments tomorrow. I hope the weather holds. I really hate driving in the snow and sleet. Please pray we may get some good news about the bone marrow donor.

Thank you for all your support, thought and prayers and a special thank you to Chris, Jon and Ryan for spending time with Anthony. You guys are GREAT!

Friday, January 28, 2005 8:25 PM CST

Anthony had fun with Aunt Rhonda today, while it lasted. Anthony was hoping to go skating with his class today at Wheeler Park, but his counts were low. He had to have transfusions again. He is feeling much better now. Anthony had a high light at the hospital today, he got to see Coach Essay's twin boys. Anthony was very excited. Owen and Toby are very cute!! Anthony can't wait for tomorrow. The big hockey game and playing PS2 with Chris. He is going to have a very fun & full day, so I better have him get ready for bed.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and thoughts. Please keep praying that we receive some sort of news on the donor and Anthony stays healthy.

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 8:59 PM CST

Anthony had a very fun time the last couple of days. Yesterday, he spent all day with Aunt Rhonda. He played PS2, did homework and watched cartoons. Later in the afternoon, Aunt Rhonda took him to watch Tanner play hockey. He loves to be at the rink. Last night we had a very special suprise, Jimmy Clark (Chris' Dad) called. Anthony really enjoyed talking with him. Michael and I did too!!

Today, Anthony spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa. His teacher, Mrs. Case came over today. He has been very busy tonight making the Puerto Rico flag. He did a very good job! He did all his math and is working on his puzzle worksheet. Anthony's class made a DVD of a play they did in school about Puerto Rico. Anthony loved watching it. He laughed and was very excited to see his friends act out the play.

Anthony called and talked with Chris tonight. He is going to go to the East-West game with us on Saturday. Anthony wants him to come over after the game and play PS2 hockey. Chris said he would be the Sharks and Anthony told me he would be the Red Wings. That really suprised me! Anthony was happy to talk with Chris.

Anthony, Michael and I sure enjoy reading the journals from everyone. Anthony thinks it is very neat to see entries from all the different states and countries. Thank you to all of you. Thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts. God has truly blessed us with a great support team!!

Monday, January 24, 2005 9:17 PM CST

The trip to Rochester went very well today. Anthony's counts were excellent, but they will start to drop again by the end of the week. We will need to go into the Mankato Clinic on Friday to have his counts checked. Chemo went well, he is feeling pretty good. He had to have Taco Bell after Chemo. I just don't know about him sometimes, McDonalds or Taco Bell?

We didn't get much news on the donor. It does sound like that there is one donor, but they always want two in case something happens with the first one, such as, they get ill or something. At this point, they are telling us it is an on going search. The doctor was hoping that they may be able to tell us more after thier meeting on Wednesday with the bone marrow specialist. In the mean time, we will keep waiting.

If Anthony's counts are doing okay this weekend, he has been asked to skate before the East-West game with the school flags. He is very excited, so I hope his counts are up enough.

Once again, we got home today and does anyone have a guess on what him and his Dad are doing? You got it, playing hockey on PS2. In case anyone is wondering, Anthony is always the Colorado Avalache. This is his favorite NHL team.

Thank you to everyone for all your support. Anthony loves to read the journal and loves to get those pages!! Please keep praying that the exact bone marrow match is found for Anthony so we can get that boy back on the ice where he loves to be!

Sunday, January 23, 2005 10:15 AM CST

Anthony had a very fun time last night. We all went out for dinner with Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mike, Lexy and some other friends. We then went and watched Cody play hockey. Hamline lost, but Cody made a goal for those of us who were there. Anthony was thrilled. Anthony got to see Cody after the game. Anthony's face sure did light up when he saw Cody. He thinks the world of Cody. On the way home, we had to turn the radio to the Mavs game. Anthony finished listening to it when we got home. Anthony was excited, the Mavs won and Chris was in the net. As we were listening to the game, Anthony and Michael were playing hockey on PS2. Sometimes I wonder if either one of them ever get tired of hockey. I don't think so.

Right now, Anthony is watching ESPN Sports Center to see if they show highlights of Chris' tremendous save last night. He keeps saying to me, Mom they might show Chris' save right now.

Anthony must be feeling better today. He wanted DeGiorno pizza for breakfast with a glass of milk. What he wants is what he got. He is enjoying every bit! He craves the strangest things after Chemo.

Today is going to be very quiet for all of us. If it isn't too cold, Anthony may get to go out to play in the snow. Anthony will need to get some rest today because tomorrow we go back to Rochester for Chemo. That always makes him tired. Please pray that we may hear some good news tomorrow regarding the bone marrow donor.

Thank you all for your phone calls, e-mails, guestbook notes, thoughts and prayers. These are the things that help us get through every day!! God bless all of you.

Saturday, January 22, 2005 12:00 AM CST

We made it home!!! It feels so good to be home. We got here yesterday. Driving in that snow storm was something else. Anthony is very happy to be home. He slept well and didn't get up until almost 9:30. He has a little cough again today, but over all feels really good. His counts were very good yesterday before we left the hospital. When we got home, he just vegged out on the couch and watched T. V. Last night, he watched hockey. He was very happy the Mavs tied last night. He would have liked a win, but as he always says, a tie is better than a loss. He was also very happy that his cousin Cody, who plays for Hamline University, won thier game last night. We are going to go and watch Cody play tonight. Anthony is very excited, we have not seen Cody play this season. I'm sure when we get home from Cody's game, he will have to listen to the Mavs on the radio (if he's not too tired). Anthony sure is itching to get outside and play in the snow. He wants to shovel and go sledding. I think we will have to wait until tomorrow for that.

Thanks to everyone for all your support, thoughts and prayers.
We are so blessed to have such a great support system!!!

Thursday, January 20, 2005 7:00 PM CST

Anthony was not feeling the best today. His tummy was bothering him and he has had a little bit of a cough. He has slept quite a bit today. He has had 2 rounds of Chemo today and has gotten the "PEG" shots in both of his legs again. Anthony and I played Wheel of Fortune on PS2 today. We both won a game. Otherwise, he has stayed pretty low key today with lots of naps. We played a game of Chutes and Ladders with a new friend that Anthony has met. It was very fun.

It sounds like we will be getting to go home tomorrow. I hope it is before all the snow starts. We have not heard anything on the donor yet. It is just a waiting game at this point, which is okay since we want them to be the perfect one for Anthony.

Thank you to everyone for all the thoughts and prayers!!

Wednesday, January 19, 2005 9:33 PM CST

Today was a good day. Anthony did very well with his Chemo. The test results came back from the bone marrow biopsy. There isn't any Leukemia cells in the marrow. YEA!!!

Anthony has had a fun filled day. He got to go on pass today. We went to Taco John's for lunch, went shopping at Target, washed the car and just went for a drive around Rochester. When we came back to the hospital, he played games with a couple of the nurses. Princess Kim is getting better at Tic-Tac-Toe. She actually won a game today. Anthony did the activity in the play room tonight. He made a picture frame, snow flake, and decorated sugar cookies. Tonight he got another pass after his Chemo. We went to a hockey game at the Rochester Rec Center. The Ice Hawks were playing. They are a junior league team. They were very good. Anthony is a totally different person when he steps foot into a hockey rink. He just loves it at the rink. The minute we got back to his room at the hospital, he had to start playing hockey on PS2.

Tomorrow he will have Chemo in the morning and at night. His last dose will be Friday morning. We should be able to go home after that as long as his counts are good.

Thank you to everyone for all your support. We are very blessed!

Tuesday, January 18, 2005 8:58 PM CST

We had a pretty uneventful day procedure wise. Anthony is doing well. We met a couple of new families today. Anthony just amazes everyone he meets. He is such a great kid!!

Anthony has played hockey on PS2 most of the day. Him and I played with playdough. That was fun, I hadn't done that in years. Anthony played connect four with one of the Child Life Specialist and Chaplain Warren. He has finally met his match, Chaplain Warren actually beat him. Princess Kim (one of Anthony's nurses) played Tic-Tac-Toe with Anthony, he is still the King! Him and I worked on some word search puzzles. Tonight we did the activity in the play room which was putting sand printing on pillow cases. They are very cool. I'm sure there will be a few hockey players that will think they are awesome.

Anthony has gotten his second dose of Chemo. He is doing just fine with it. Tomorrow morning he will have his counts checked. We have not heard anything on the donor yet. Hopefully we will know something by the end of the week. Please keep praying that a match is found for Anthony. The results from yesterday's test were not back yet. We should have them tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone who is praying for Anthony. We are very blessed to have such a great support system.

Monday, January 17, 2005 8:27 PM CST

Today was a very long day. Anthony had a spinal tap, bone marrow test and a heart test. We will get the results back tomorrow. The spinal tap went well. He received his first dose of Chemo tonight. He has had a little bit of a headache from the spinal tap, but that is to be expected. He has been playing hockey on PS2 most of the day, when he wasn't having any tests. He has a very fun nurse tonight. His name is Josh. He likes hockey about as much as Anthony. He is a Red Wings fan, but we forgive him for that. Josh and Anthony have been picking on each other all night. Josh has even been giving me a bad time. Anthony is working on his PS2 stats and lines. This kid just loves the game.

We spoke with the doctor today, some of the tests on the donors have come back. They don't want to tell us anything yet because all of the test have not come back yet. Hopefully, that will be in a couple of days or so.

Well, it is about time for Anthony and I to get ready for bed. It has been a very long day. Thank you for praying for Anthony and all of your support.

Sunday, January 16, 2005 9:22 AM CST

WOW-what a weekend!!! We all have a ton of fun. Friday night was great. Anthony was so excited to be in the Excel Center. That place is huge! Anthony finally fell asleep around half way home. The game was really exciting, it was a very high scoring game. Anthony was not very happy that the Mavs lost, but they played a very good game.

Saturday-The benefit was wonderful. The support we had was unbelievable!!! Anthony had so much fun playing with all of his friends. The minute we walked into the door, he was gone playing. It was really nice to see Anthony just being a kid with no worries about his health. It was great to have both Maverick hockey teams, and both high school hockey teams there helping out. The support and help from MAHA was awesome. All of our friends that came early and stayed late to help with everything, THANK YOU! When the benefit was finishing up, Anthony and his friends started playing floor hockey. Soon after that, well Chris Clark, the goalie for the Mavericks joined in the fun. Chad Brownlee, who is a forward for the Mavericks, didn't want Chris to have all the fun so he started in too. Oh yea, Michael was in there playing too. Anthony took over the goalie duties from Chris after a while. Anthony was having so much fun. We look forward to the day when Anth can be on the ice at any given time. On the way home, Anthony asked if the guys (Maverick hockey team) can come over and play hockey with him sometime. We were all pretty tired, so we came home for naps, two hour naps. Last night was the big Maverick Hockey game. Anthony was the Junior Maverick. He really loves to be in the locker room with the guys. He was once again on the ice during the National Anthem. Between first and second period, he was on the ice again with Coach Jutting. Coach talked a little about Anthony and his Leukemia. The Mavericks and the Blue Line Club had Braclets made for Anthony and they were being sold at last nights game. After second period, Anthony was on the radio with Coach Essey and Sully. Anthony is becoming quite famous.

Today will be somewhat low key. Anthony and I will be getting ready to go to Rochester for the week.

Michael, Anthony and I would like to thank everyone for all that was done for us this weekend and ever since Anthony has been diagnosed. Words can not say enough!

Please pray for Anthony this week as he has more Chemo and out of the four people that are being tested, one of them is a match to Anthony!

Friday, January 14, 2005 6:41 AM CST

Anthony had a big day yesterday. First thing in the morning, we went to KEYC to tape Community Update, then we stopped by KYSM and Anthony got to be on the radio. He thought he liked the radio better than T. V. He said that people can't see him at the radio station, so it was just like having a conversation with T. J. or anyone. We were then off to Rochester. Anthony's doctor appointment went well yesterday. His counts were very, very good!! We got a bit of positive feedback. They have 4 people that look like they could be a match to Anthony. All 4 people said they would be willing to donate their bone Marrow. All four have had more blood drawn and the lab will now do more extensive tests. They are looking for the typing to match as close as possible to Anthony's. If the lab does not think it is close enough, they will look for more people to test. Please pray that one of these people are an exact match to Anthony and that person passes the physical with flying colors!!! The next step until we get all of that information will be more Chemo. Him and I will be going to Rochester on Monday morning. He will go into the hospital for another 4-5 days. If his counts are good, we will then come home. Then for the next couple of weeks, we will just need to go once a week for Chemo. When that is complete, it will be back to the drawing board to see what is next (if we do not have donor by then).

Anthony is very excited, today starts his BIG weekend. Today, Lexy is coming over and I know they will have a blast!! Tonight, we travel to the Exel Center in St. Paul for the Mavericks-Gophers hockey game. I'm very excited too!! Tomorrow is the Pancake Feed Benefit. It will be at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Mankato. It will run from 8 a. m. - 1 p. m. There will a silent auction that runs from 8 a. m. - noon. When that is done, we will come home, take a nap and get ready for the Mavericks-Gophers game in Mankato. Anthony will be the Junior Maverick. The MSU Men's hockey team is doing a fundraiser that night also. They have made braclets in purple with AF on them (they are like the LIVESTRONG braclet). We are very excited about that. With everything going on, We may not have time to update. We will try to let everyone know Sunday how things went. We would like to thank everyone who has helped with the benefit and all who has supported us. Words can not express our graditude!!!

God bless all of you and we hope to see most of you this weekend!!

Monday, January 10, 2005 9:07 PM CST

Anthony's counts were very good today. We actually asked the nurse if she gave us the right numbers. It has been so long since his counts have been this good. Anthony had a very fun day today. Aunt Rhonda picked him up at my work. Anthony and Aunt Rhonda went shopping. When they got home, well, now it was Lexy's turn to have some fun with Anthony. Later afternoon, Tanner came home and the two boys played NHL Hockey on PS2. Late this afternoon, Anthony ran a low fever, but tonight it is back to normal. I think he just played to hard with Tanner. He is pretty tired tonight.

Anthony is excited, he gets to go back to Aunt Rhonda's tomorrow and from what I hear, Lexy has a big day planned for them. Mrs. Case will be coming in the afternoon. Hopefully he won't be to tired for Mrs. Case.

Thank you to everyone for all the thoughts, prayers and support you have given us.

By the way, there are new pictures from Christmas!

Sunday, January 9, 2005 10:57 AM CST

Well, Anthony had a blast on Friday with Lexy. Lexy was pretty tired when she left. Anthony woke up around 8:00 a. m. and went straight to ESPN Game Station to shoot hoops. He was pretty tired himself Friday night. Yesterday, Anthony and Michael stopped at Aunt Rhonda's house. He really makes himself at home. He had a very good time over there. Michael said he went to the computer right away to play weather trivia. He got to see Lexy and Tanner. He loves to go to Aunt Rhonda's. He will get to go there on Monday after he has his counts checked. They should be going up by then.

Today, Anthony will be watching football, since he bet on the games with Aunt Julie.

This will be a very busy week for us. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be the most packed full of stuff. Thursday, Anthony and I, along with our friend Jane (and hopefully Logan)will be going to KEYC to talk and tape about Anthony's Leukemia and Benefit. That will be aired on Friday Morning. Anthony and I will then be leaving for Rochester for a Doctor appointment. Friday, is the MSU-Gophers game at the Excel Center and Saturday is the Benefit with the hockey game that night.

Hi everyone, This is Anthony and I just wanted to write a little Something. I had to write a letter to my benefit, about a thank you from me. Who's going to win? The Vikings or the whimpy cheeseheads. Who's going to the super bowl? Me and Aunt Julie betted on the Denver at Indianapolis of course I picked Indianapolis and Aunt Julie picked Denver. I will probaly write in here after my Doctor's appointment on Thursday.

Thursday, January 6, 2005 10:36 PM CST

Anthony had blood counts done today. They were not very good. They were very low. He had to receive blood transfusions today. He looks much better now that he has received some blood. Anthony slept almost the whole time he was in the hospital receiving the blood. He was pretty tuckered out. He is very excited about tomorrow, his cousin Lexy is coming over to spend the day with him. He really loves spending time with her. Anthony told Lexy that he was going to sleep until noon tomorrow. He just might. Everything else is going good. The chemo Anthony received last week is doing what it suppose to. Hopefully Monday his counts will be on the up swing. We have not heard anything on if a bone marrow donor has been found. We hope to hear something next week, so please keep praying that one is found soon and Anthony stays well.

God bless all of you and thank you for all your support!!!

Monday, January 3, 2005 6:58 PM CST

Anthony had his counts checked this morning. They are very low. This is good, that means the Chemo is working, but is also bad because he could get sick really easily. He is feeling really good, though. He is back to joking around and playing. His spirits are very good.We will be staying pretty quiet for the next few days until Anthony's counts come back up. The doctor is hoping by Thursday or Friday, they should be on the up swing. He spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa and had a very good time. Grandma made hamburger soup, which is one of Anthony's favorites. Anthony has been busy playing his ESPN Game Station. He absolutely loves it!! Thanks Santa! Anthony and I had a Basketball tourney last night. He is really good and of course, I lost again. He's making the bracket for playoffs. This is for when his cousins come over to play it with him. So Cody and Tanner look out, he is ready to beat you both. Maybe if he is lucky, his friend Brian will come over too. He can't wait until Logan and Tyler can come over and play.

We would like to thank everyone that has been working so hard on the Benefit for Anthony, to everyone who checks this site and everyone who prays for Anthony's well being. We are truly blessed to have such great friends.

Saturday, January 1, 2005 3:30 PM CST

Happy New Year to everyone! We hope everyone had a joyful and safe New Year's. We had a very quiet night. We had a nice dinner, watched Happy Gilmore and brought in the New Year together. It was wonderful to be able to be together. Yes, Anthony did take his nap yesterday. Anthony and his Dad did some shopping and went to see Brittney, who is a friend of Anthony's. Anthony is feeling pretty good. His spirits are returning. He is back to himself today. He has been in his jammies and watching football all day. I'm sure that helps his spirits, I know it would mine. He loves to lounge in his jammies. What more would a person want, football and jammies, now that's the life.

Thank you to everyone for all your support this past year. May God bless all of you in the year to come.

Thursday, December 30, 2004 4:26 PM CST

We are home!!! Anthony's counts were wonderful today. He is very tired. He is very happy to be home. The closer to home we got, the happier he became. The first thing he did was talk to his Dad, then he played Backyard Hockey on the computer for over an hour. Now he is taking a nap. All that hockey can wear a person out!

We will need to watch him close again so he does not run a fever. His counts will start to drop in a few days. The doctors again will be watching him very close.

We will be looking forward to the MSU-Gophers games in January along with the benefit on January 15. This will be a very busy couple of weeks for us. The main objective is to keep Anthony healthy (NO FEVER) so he can enjoy all the events that are planned.

He is looking forward to New Year's Eve. He wants to stay up until midnight. I will probably fall asleep before him. Dr. Anderson told him he had to take a nap tomorrow so he could stay up until midnight. We'll see if the nap happens, then again he does listen to the doctors better than listening to Mom or Dad.

We would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful things you have done for us. God's blessings to all of you.

Wednesday, December 29, 2004 11:25 AM CST

We thought we would be going home today, well it sounds like we will be here another day. The doctors are watching Anthony's levels from his Chemo. They are up a little, which means he can not be release from the hospital. They are hoping for tomorrow. We'll have to wait and see. Anthony is doing good. He is really tired this time from the Chemo. They have given him a high dose this time.

Anthony and I received some news yesterday about his friend Ethan. Ethan is a boy Anthony had meet here in the hospital. Ethan passed away yesterday morning. Anthony is having a hard time with this. It is very hard when a something happens to a friend. Everyone here at the hospital is being very nice and helping Anthony cope with this. We would appreciate if everyone reading this would click on the link below to Ethans site and leave a small message or say a prayer for Ethan's family.

We would like to thank everyone for all your support. Please keep praying for us and for Ethan's family to keep the strenght to get through the tough times.

Tuesday, December 28, 2004 8:57 AM CST

Anthony is doing pretty good with Chemo so far. He has been pretty sore from the spinal tap. Hopefully today, he will be able to out on pass. I'm not sure where he will want to go. I'm sure it will be someplace fun. He has been enjoying Aunt Julie and Uncle Elliot being here. They have been playing a lot of Poker. Of course, he has been victorious!! If everything goes well, Anthony will be released from the hosiptal tomorrow, so then it is home we go!!

Thank you to everyone for all your prayers and support. Please keep praying for Anthonoy and keep those pages coming!!

Sunday, December 26, 2004 9:35 PM CST

We made it to the hospital okay today. Anthony started on an I.V. away. He had a spinal tap this afternoon. They replaced the spinal fluid they took out with Chemo. After a nice nap, Anthony started a 24 hour regiment of chemo. It will run 24 hours straight and then he will get another type of drug for 3 days every 3 or 4 hours. So far so good. He is a little sore from the spinal tap and is a little tired, but doing okay. He has been busy playing with Aunt Julie and Uncle Elliot today. They have played Texas Hold'em, Life, Blackjack, and computer games. This has really helped the day go by fast. When Anthony woke up, the first thing he asked for is McDonalds. He had a quarter pounder with Cheese and fries for something different. It is now almost time for him to get some sleep. Keep praying and thank you to everyone for all your support.

Saturday, December 25, 2004 10:42 PM CST

WOW, what a great Christmas!! We had family around us all day. We had Aunt Kathy, Uncle Rodney, Brandon, Marcus, Aunt Julie, Uncle Elliot, Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mike, Lexy, Cody, Haley and Tanner all at our house today. We even had a very special visitor, Santa himself. Anthony didn't know what to say. Santa delivered the very thing that Anthony wanted most, ESPN Game Station. Santa also gave him an autographed hat and signed his hands. We took lots of pictures, so I hope to have some on the site really soon. We played alot of family games. Anthony got Texas Hold'em for Christmas. Cody was the first one to lose all his chips at Texas Hold'em, good thing he does better when he goes to the casino. We played Uno Attack, that was really fun, we all laughed very hard! Then it was off to the game of Life. It has been so great to see Anthony laugh, have fun and wrestle with his cousin Tanner. We are finally starting to relax and getting ready to go to Rochester in the morning. It has been a wonderful day and Christmas.

We would like to thank everyone who helped make this such a memorable Christmas. We are truely blessed to have such great family and friends. Thank you for all the support through all we have been enduring. God bless all of you!

Logan--Thanks for calling Anthony on Christmas Eve and tracking Santa with him. You are a GREAT friend!!

Friday, December 24, 2004 8:35 AM CST

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Yes, it is a very Merry Christmas,
Anthony & I returned home yesterday. He received some wonderful news, all of the early tests from his bone marrow biopsy are showing that he is in complete remission!! The doctors still have a couple more tests to run, but it is looking very good. He is such a fighter!!! We are so excited and proud of him. This is the best Christmas gift anyone could give us.

When we got home last night, Anthony helped me make cheese balls for Christmas. He has a blast in the kitchen. I think he is going to make a very good cook when he grows up.

Anthony had his head shaved Tuesday. He wanted me to let everyone know that he is now bald. He looks so handsome! All the nurses and doctors were feeling his little head. It is so soft!

Tomorrow, Anthony and I will be packing to go back to Rochester for the week. He has another round of Chemo. The good thing, we do not need to be there until 9:00 a. m. on Sunday morning. One more night at home! Anthony is very excited for Christmas, he really thinks that Santa will bring him everything he wants.

God bless you this holiday season. Merry Christmas to everyone. Thank you for your prays and support!

Wednesday, December 22, 2004 8:40 AM CST

Anthony had a good time yesterday again. He got to see his buddy Logan last night. They both are sporting new hair cuts. They look great! They played really hard. Anthony had so much fun. He was a little tired when we got home. He got to meet with Mrs. Case yesterday. He got a letter from Santa. Boy, that guy really knows a lot about Anthony and his buddy Logan. He received an Autographed picture and a letter from the New England Patriots. He was so excited. He really like the Patriots. Mrs. Case brought a Christmas book that Anthony's classmates made for him. He really enjoyed that. It is nice to have pictures of his friends.

Today Anthony & I will be finishing some shopping and getting ready to go to Rochester for the night. He has a doctor appointment tomorrow. Then him and I should be home for Christmas. He is counting down the days til then.

We would like to thank everyone who is helping make this Christmas a memorable one for all of us, for all the prayers and notes on the site. It really helps to make our days good ones.

Tuesday, December 21, 2004 6:48 AM CST

Anthony had a real fun time. He was with me at work for a while yesterday and then Aunt Rhonda came to pick him up so he could go over there. Everyone one at my work spoils him as much as Aunt Rhonda does. He walked out of my work with a pocket full of candy as he visited with everyone! When he went to Aunt Rhonda's, he made cookies, played PS2, made an obsticle course and played hide and seek with Tanner. He didn't want to come home. He was a little tired, but he will never tell you he is! He's like the energizer bunny, he just keeps going and going!! We had a quiet night at home. That was nice. He talked a lot to Aunt Julie on the phone. They had a P.J. race to see who could get their P.J.'s on faster. I think Anthony won. Today he will spend time with Grandma and Grandpa. I know today will be more mellow and he will get in some reading.

Anthony is getting more excited each day for Christmas. He is excited that he will be able to see his Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and cousins.

His counts were very good yesterday. It is nice to see him feeling well.

Monday, December 20, 2004 6:41 AM CST

Anthony had another fun day yesterday. He went to the Cities Christmas shopping with his Dad. When he got home, he went to Aunt Rhonda's house. Cody, Haley (Cody's girlfriend), Tanner and Lexy were all home. Anthony got to play PS2 NHL with Cody and Tanner! He beat both of them. He had a ball!!! He can't wait to see them again at Christmas. He was mad when we had to come home. He knew it was then time for homework. He did get it done. He got to talk with Aunt Julie on the phone. She is coming home today from New York. Anthony can not wait to see her and Uncle Elliot. This morning Anthony needs to have his blood drawn to check his counts. He should be doing okay.

Thanks to everyone for all of your support. This really means a lot to all of us!

Saturday, December 18, 2004 9:34 PM CST

Hi, I had a fun day today. When I got up this morning I went to my first hockey practice since I've been sick. I was excited to see my friends and coaches. We had team pictures taken and we got to scrimmage. I did some stick handling too. I scored a goal. My mom said her and my friend Logan's mom were really excited when I scored my goal. It was really fun to play hockey. I went shopping with my Dad today for Mom's Christmas present. I had a lot of fun with Dad. I took a long nap today. I was kinda tired after playing hockey and shopping. I took a really long nap. Tonight I got to go to Junkers for Prime Rib. It was really good. Me, Mom and Dad went to Junkers with some friends, Angie, Pat and Andrea. Andrea babysat me this summer. Her and I played Tic-Tac-Toe, Hangman, Pacman and Trivia. It was really fun.

Thank you everyone for all your prayers and for calling my pager and writing to me on my site.

Friday, December 17, 2004 6:46 AM CST

Anthony had another fun day yesterday. He was very silly! His teacher came over again. He loves to see her and find out about his classmates. He is so happy to have school work again. He did almost a whole chapter of math last night. He would be doing his math and all of a sudden he will yell for me to look at what he was doing. He is so proud! Him and his Dad had a great time playing tag in the house, too. Sometimes I think I have 2 children. I'm glad they have so much fun together. He is really looking forward to Christmas. Aunt Rhonda will be coming over Christmas Day, Aunt Julie and Uncle Elliot will be coming home from New York, his cousins will be home from college. He is so excited. Well, I better get going. It is almost time to get the boys up and going for the day.

Thank you to everyone who is checking the site to keep updated on Anth and all the prayers. He really enjoys reading the journals and having his prayer pager go off.

Wednesday, December 15, 2004 9:29 PM CST

Anthony's counts are starting to go up. YEAH!! Anthony had a full day today. He went to get his blood tested, spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa and had Mrs. Case (his teacher) come over. He finally got to do some school work. It was so wonderful to see his face in a math book again. Imagine that, the first book he picks up. He can't wait to see her again tomorrow. I better get the kid to bed. Thank you everyone and God bless you all!

Tuesday, December 14, 2004 8:17 PM CST

Anthony had a very good day again today. Him and Aunt Rhonda baked more cookies. Anthony got to play more PS2. Anthony and Aunt Rhonda played the weather trivia game on the computer. I guess they did not do so well. Anthony got to go and watch his cousin Tanner play hockey for a little while. He absolutly loves the game of hockey. He can never get too much. Anthony will need to go to the Mankato Clinic tomorrow for more blood tests to see where his counts are. I sure hope they have gone up. He wants to go to Junkers this weekend to eat Prime Rib. Prime Rib is his favorite. Anthony is looking forward to his teacher coming to our house tomorrow. He really misses being in school with all his friends. We'll see how much he really misses school when he finds out how much homework he is going to have:)

Anthony, Michael and myself would like to thank everyone for all the prayers and generosity. We are very lucky to have so many people that care about us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!

Monday, December 13, 2004 8:37 PM CST

Hi, this is Anthony. Today I spent the day with Aunt Rhonda. We had a fun time. I got to play PS2 in Tanner's room, watched a movie, got to pet Bailey and frosted Christmas cookies. I hid from Tanner when he came home. He couldn't find me. It was funny. When Uncle Mike came home I got to play a weather trivia game on the computer with him. He did not do very good but when he got a question right, he was very excited. I had a fun time with him. I hope we can play again tomorrow. I get to spend the day with Aunt Rhonda tomorrow. I think we will be baking cookies. If I feel okay I get to go and see Tanner play hockey with her. My counts are down today. I still feel okay though. I am watching Monday night football. The Titans are ahead 7 to 0. KC has the ball. My mom likes the Titans. I will talk to everyone later. Thank you for checking my site and praying for me.

Sunday, December 12, 2004 9:07 PM CST

We had a quiet day today. Anthony and I had some visitors this afternoon. Carolors from St. John's Lutheran, Rapidan came by and sang Christmas carols to us. Anthony really enjoyed it. We watched football today. Those darn Vikings lost again. Anthony and I did word search puzzles. They are one of Anthony's favorite things to do. Anthony has his counts check in the morning in Mankato and then it will be off to Aunt Rhonda's to decorate cookies. Thank you to everyone for all your support and all the special things you have all done for us.

Saturday, December 11, 2004 10:30 PM CST

Hey everyone! Anthony had one of the best days ever. He had a couple of visitors today, Brian Wild and Alisha Nolan. Brian and Anthony played hockey on PS2. Anthony had a ball. In the afternoon, he went SKATING!! He was in his glory on the ice. It was so wonderful to see him skate. He was with a few of his buddies. He had the time of his life. He then watched the Lady Mavs play hockey. He was invited into the locker room to meet the players. Anthony got his picture taken with the team. He was thrilled!! After a small nap, we went the the Men's Maverick Hockey game. He stopped in the locker room to say HI to the guys. Anthony saw his coach at the game. Anthony was all smiles when he saw coach Essay. Anthony, Michael and I got the previlege to meet Chris Clarks' (Goalie for MSU) dad tonight. He is a wonderful person just like Chris.

After seeing Anthony on the ice and at the games, I can really see how much he misses this part of his life. The good thing is, he will be back in no time!! Thank you to everyone for making this day so wonderful for Anthony, Michael and myself!!

Friday, December 10, 2004 10:36 PM CST

Anthony had a pretty good day today. He spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa. He was very silly today. We went to see his cousin Tanner play hockey for Mankato East. We then went to the other rink in All Seasons Area to watch The Lady Mavs play. We also got to watch the men's hockey team on the t. v. at All Seasons Area. We then came home and finished listening to the men on the radio. He was a very happy little boy to have so much hockey in on night. Hopefully, tomorrow if he feels well, we will be going to the men's hockey game. I think this is pretty much it for now. Thank you to everyone for everything you all have done for us. Words can not express our Thanks!!!

Thursday, December 9, 2004 8:28 PM CST

WE ARE HOME!!! It feels so good to be home. Anthony's doctor appointment went well today. His blood counts have come up more, which is a very good thing. He has been a little tired today, but is in very good spirits. When we got into town, we had to stop and see Dad right away. Anthony was very excited to see his Dad. Everyone at Michael's work was excited to see Anthony also. All Anthony could talk about on the way home was seeing Dad and having Aunt Rhonda come over when she was done with work. Aunt Rhonda did come over and he was very happy. He is also busy playing with PS2 with Dad. Well, not much more for now. Thanks again to everyone for all your support.

Wednesday, December 8, 2004 7:04 PM CST

Hi everyone. I get to get out of the hospital tonight. Just as soon as I get my last medicine, I get to go home. I have had a relaxing day today. I have done a lot of resting. Mom & I played Simpson's Trivia game. Mom thinks she won, but I think I did. I am going to stay at the Ronald McDonald House tonight. Tomorrow I have a doctors appointment and then we are going home. If I feel good I think we might go see my cousin Tanner play hockey. I can't wait to get home. I feel pretty good today, but I am getting a little tired. It will be nice to sleep in a regular bed. I am going to go for now, Mom brought me Nachos from Taco Johns. I have been waiting all day for these.

Aunt Rhonda, I would like to make sugar cut out cookies.

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 12:11 PM CST

Hi everyone it's Anthony again. I get to go on pass today. I am not sure what my mom and I will do yet. We may go to the Ronald McDonald house and cook dinner tonight. Then I will be able to play games in the game room. It sounds like I will get to get out of the hospital tomorrow, but we will have to stay in town for a doctors appointment the next day. After my doctor appointment, I will be able to go home. I can't wait to see if I have any Christmas presents under the tree. I am feeling good today. I have a really nice nurse today, she wrote her name as "Princess" Kim. I have her a lot when I am at the hospital. She is very funny and nice. She ordered me breakfast this morning. I had scrambled eggs and bacon. My mom brought me a blueberry muffin and an M & M cookie. Mom and I are playing blackjack. I know I will beat her. I hope that I will feel okay this weekend. I really want to go the Mavs game Saturday night. I really miss my Dad. He has been working. I'll be back to write again soon.

Monday, December 6, 2004 8:30 PM CST

Hi everybody this is Anthony. I got to go on pass today. I went to my great Aunt & Uncle's house to eat Ham, Corn, Scalloped Potatoes, banana bread and blueberry pie too and played Blackjack. My mom keeps asking me a lot of questions. I am watching football right now and the teams that are playing are the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks and the Seahawks are winning 14-12 in the second quarter. Seattle just fumbled with 7 to 5 minutes left in the second. And I just switched rooms to 3-150, this is a filter room so I don't get sick when my counts drop from my Chemo. I am feeling pretty good. I am not sure when I get to go home, but I am really looking forward to it. I want to thank everyone for caring so much about me. It really makes me feel good.

Sunday, December 5, 2004 1:21 PM CST

Anthony is doing very well with Chemo. So far so good!! He has not gotten sick. The Doctor said as Anthony's counts come back up, he should be able to get back on the ice and play some hockey. He can not have any hard physical contact. As his counts come up, he should also be able to get back to school a little. We will be doing a bit of traveling back and forth in the next weeks. It sounds like we will be able to be home for Christmas. I will get the calander of events tomorrow. The doctor is hoping that we will be able to some of the blood test in Mankato. Anthony is doing very well in general. His spirits are good. He has been very excited this morning, his pager just kept going off! Thank you everyone! Yesterday, Anthony had a blast playing Uno Attack with is cousin Lexy and her roommate Jody. Lexy kept him very busy. He slept very well last night. Well, I better go, Anthony wants McDonalds again. Now that Chemo has started, so has the cravings for McDonalds.

Thank you again for all your support! Lots of Love, The Ford Family.

Saturday, December 4, 2004 9:28 AM CST

Yesterday, Anthony had another spinal tap where they injected Chemo into his spine. It came through that with flying colors. We then went to Burger King and he ate a whole Whopper, Fries and Onion Rings. He was admitted to the hospital yesterday afternoon. He started his next phase of Chemo last night around 9:00 p. m. It is going well. They said if he gets sick from this, it will take about 24 hours. Tonight will be the big test. His spirits are very good. One of his favorite nurses, Kim, was at the hospital when we got there. She just makes him laugh. I thank God that we have such great nurses like her!!

Anthony's pager has been going off like crazy. He loves it. It gets so excited to get them. Of course, we then have to try to figure out who the number is. That's the fun part for him. He saves everyone he gets.

I will update you later to let you know how he is doing with Chemo. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. They are really helping!!

Thursday, December 2, 2004 7:29 PM CST

Today, Anthony had another doctors appointment today. It went very well. His counts are doing really well. We got some wonderful news today. Anthony's tests are only showing that about only 1% of his cells are Leukemia cells. The doctors are very pleased by this. We did not go to the hospital today. The doctors will need to do another spinal tab. They could not do it today, due to Anthony has to fast. We will being having this done at the Clinic tomorrow morning and then after lunch, we will go to the hospital to be admitted. He will start his new regiment of Chemo then.

Anthony and I have a fun time today. We played dome
hockey, did a little shopping, drove around Rochester and got to meet Ronald McDonald. He was at the Ronald McDonald house today. He did magic tricks and sang songs with all the kid and parents. It was even fun for me. Anthony had his picture taken with him. Hopefully I will have it on the site soon. Well I better go for now, I am sure that Anthony will want to play pinball or dome hockey again.

Thanks to everyone for the pages, Anthony is loving it!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, November 30, 2004 9:02 PM CST

We just got home from Rochester. The bone marrow and spinal tap went good today. Anthony is a little sore, but doing okay. We did not get Chemo today. We are having to go back on Thursday. He is responding very well to treatment so far.This is going to be the start of the rough road ahead. He will lose all of his hair with this and may be very sick. The next phase will be stronger Chemo with this new drug called "Gleevec". Anthony will more than likely be admitted for 5 days of very strong Chemo with the new drug called "Gleevec". This will be the start of the next phase of Chemo. When we are finished with the 5 days of Chemo, we should be home for 3 weeks with out Chemo and then we will need to do it again. When we are at the end of the next phase of Chemo, Anthony will most likely need to have a Bone Marrow/Stem Cell transplant. The doctors have started the search for a bone marrow match to Anthony at the National Bone Marrow Bank. When they find a match, that person will need to go through extensive tests to make sure they are physically fit. We will find out more on Thursday as to how often we will need to go to Rochester and for what. Anthony is being very strong and just wants to be better so he can play hockey. All of his blood counts are coming up and holding their own. This is a wonderful thing.

Anthony has gotten a very cool thing. It is called a Prayer Pager. This is from an organization called The Prayer Pager Project. This is a organization that provides pagers to people with life threating illness. Anytime you think of or pray for Anthony, you can call 800-360-4026. Then, please dial your number so Anthony knows who the page is coming from. He gets very excited when he gets pages. He has the pager on 24/7. We would like to thank Pastor Holthus for getting the pager for Anthony.

We will keep you informed as we receive more information. If you do have any questions, please feel free to contact Michael or myself.

Monday, November 29, 2004 6:43 AM CST

Sunday, Anthony and I had a fun day. Michael worked, so Anthony and I watched football games. He made bets with his Aunt Julie, of course, he won. The two of us decorated our Christmas Tree. It is really beautiful. Anthony was very excited, he got a new ornament from Aunt Rhonda. It is SpongeBob Square Pants. He thought that was great. We are anticipating going to Rochester on Tuesday. We should be finding out what the next phase of treatment will be. The doctors are to be meeting Monday. We will keep you informed.

Saturday, November 27, 2004 9:30 PM CST

We have had a good weekend so far. Friday was very quiet for us. We took a nap during the day and watched hockey on T.V. at night.

Today, we went and cut down our Christmas Tree at Little's tree farm. Anthony was very excited. This year he picked the tree. It is very nice. He can not wait to decorate it. Anthony and I will be doing that tomorrow if he is up to it. He has been doing a lot of laughing and joking around. I love it when he is like that. We hope he keeps feeling good.

Thanks to everyone for all your cards, calls, thoughts and prayers. Anthony loves all of them.

Thursday, November 25, 2004 2:52 PM CST

Happy Thanksgiving!! It feels so good to be home. Anthony finally got to sleep in today. He didn't wake up until 9:15 this morning. He said it was so nice to be home, that is why he slept so long. We will soon be eating turkey and all the fixings. I can't wait for the home cooked meal.

We have had a very nice day. It has been wonderful spending time together as a family. Anthony has done a lot of laughing today. It is so nice to see him smile and laugh.

We hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I know that we will, now that we can all be together.

Wednesday, November 24, 2004 1:09 PM CST

Anthony's counts are up today. WE ARE GOING HOME!!!! What a wonderful Thanksgiving gift. We definately have a lot to be thankful for this year! Anthony's spirits are very good today. He is excited to go home. He is looking forward to Mom's cooking and his own bed! He is hoping that he will feel good enough to go to school for a while on Monday. I told him, let's get through today first.

He has been busy the last couple of days thinking about what he wants Santa to bring him this year. He is already talking about planning his birthday party in Feburary. He keeps reminding us that this is his "Golden" birthday.

His hair is really starting to fall out. He is shedding like a cat. I told him that we are going to have to get a hold of his friend, Logan, so they both can get their hair cuts. He smiled and laughed. He is such a remarkable person. I am very proud to have him as my son!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We will write again tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004 4:10 PM CST

Well, we thought we were getting to go home today, but we are not. Anthony's blood counts that fight infections dropped today. It was not a bad drop, but enough to keep us in the hospital another day. We are not sure now when we might get to go. I really hope we are home for Thanksgiving. Anthony had Chemo today and did very well. He did not feel like eating right away, but this afternoon, he has been eating more. Michael is coming to see us tonight. We have not seen him since Saturday. Anthony really misses him. Anthony and I have been playing PS2 most of the day. We have thrown in a couple of games to boot. I thought he would be upset that he couldn't go home today. He just said, "oh well, what's one more day? It's okay because I need to get my counts up." He is just a remarkable person. Sometimes I wonder how Michael & I got so lucky to have a special son like him. He really seems to understand what is going on with him. Sometimes better than I do. I suppose I should go to the play room, Anthony is waiting to kick my butt in another game. I'll write tomorrow.

Monday, November 22, 2004 5:31 PM CST

Today, Anthony is feeling pretty good today. We both slept pretty well last night. His counts are doing very good. We will get to go home tomorrow as long as they keep going up. The meeting that the doctors were to have today did not happen. One of the doctors that was going to speak had gotten called away. They will be meeting next Monday, so we should be able to get some information when we come back next Tuesday for Anthony's doctor appointment. Anthony is eating well again today. He is looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner. He has played in the play room most of the day today. I got him a sports trivia book. He is also working on that. Of course, he almost has it completed. I suppose I should get going for now. Anthony is ready to order dinner. I write more tomorrow.

Sunday, November 21, 2004 8:57 PM CST

Anthony's counts are getting better. They have gone up more today. He still has a ways to go, but it is much better than yesterday. He has been very active today. We did a lot of walking and playing today. Anthony has spend a lot of time in the play room playing backyard football on the computer. We watched a little football. His appetite was very good today. He ate everything in sight. I really like to see him eat like this. We will find out more tomorrow of when we may be able to go home. We have another Chemo treatment on Tuesday. We will keep you informed on when we can go home and about the bone marrow info.

Saturday, November 20, 2004 9:36 PM CST

We thought we would let everyone know a few things about
Anthony. Here are some of the foods and drinks he likes: McDonalds, French Fries, Prime Rib, Steak, Pancakes, French Toast, Sausage, Hashbrowns, Mashed Potatoes and gravy, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Salad with Ranch Dressing, Croutons, Mexican Food, Pizza, Ice Cream (DQ is his favorite), Chicken Kiev, Subway, Cherry Desert, Marichino Cherries, Black Olives, Dill Pickles, Gatorade, Super Chill Soda (Grape, strawberry, orange), Rootbeer, Chocolate Milkshake, Chocolate Milk, along with many other things.
Anthony's pass time favorites: Play Hockey, Play PS2(NHL Hockey, ATV Off Road, Baseball, Football), Football, Baseball, Basketball, Working on Math, Reading, Word Search Puzzles, Going to Hockey games and Football games. Anthony really likes to spend time with his friends! Anthony wanted to type this out for everyone.

Today, Anthony's counts have started to go up. They are still a ways away from where they need to be to go home. He is feeling a little better today. We did receive some good news, Anthony has started to go into REMISSION!! We still have a road in front of us, but this is a really good thing! We also got the results back from Michael's and my bone marrow test. Neither one of us is a match. The Doctors will be having a conference on Monday to talk about what is next. Anthony's spirits have been great through all this.

He was very excited tonight. He got to listen to the Mavricks hockey game on the lap top. His favorite Maverick goalie, Chris Clark got to play tonight. When the Mavs tied up the game with 10.9 seconds left, I am suprised the whole hospital didn't hear Anthony yelling. While he was listening to the game, he had the Gophers on T. V. There was one point, Anthony was yelling for the Mavs, looked up at the T. V. and started yelling for the Gophers. The nurses just laugh at him. He is such a Hockey NUT. Just before he went to sleep, he asked me, "Mom, if I am not a goalie, will you be excited when I make my first collegant goal?" He's so cute!

Michael got to actually spend some time with us today. Anthony was happy to see Dad, so was Mom.

Anthony would like to say thank you to everyone for all the support. He would like to give a special thank you to the Lady Mavs Hockey Team, MAHA, Mens Maverick Hockey Team, Rick Junker, family and friends for everything that each and everyone one of you have done for us. God has really blessed us!

Friday, November 19, 2004 12:50 AM CST

Anthony is feeling better today, but his white blood count and neutrophils are still very low. Since he is on an antibiotic and his counts are low, we are not able to go home again today. We have to wait for his counts to go up a lot. If he leaves too soon, he could have a relapse of what ever made him have a fever. When the counts come up, they will stop the antibiotic to see if he gets another fever. If he doesn't, we can go home. The days are getting very long.

The CT scan came back normal. This was wonderful news. The cultures have not grown anything yet. This also is very good news. The final results of the cultures should be back tomorrow or Sunday. The cultures need to grow for about 72 hours.

We went out on pass this morning. We took a walk in the rain. Anthony wanted to go outside really bad. We walked to McDonalds. I bet you'll never guess what he had. Yep, Chicken Mcnuggets and Fries.

We played some board games. Of course, I got beat. When he wakes up from his nap, we can go on another pass this afternoon. I'm not sure where we will go with the rainy weather.

Thank you to everyone that is checking on us and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. This whole thing is going to be a long road for everyone, but with all you, we will make it through.

Thursday, November 18, 2004 4:37 PM CST

Today Anthony's fever went down. He has been having a lot of cramping. They thought that he might have a bladder infection, but everything has come back okay. They did a Cat Scan this afternoon. They just want to cover all the bases to make sure he does not have any infections in the intestine. He did very well with it. He was a little nervous, but the Child Life Center people had him draw some pictures that he hung on the machine. It whole scan only took 16 seconds. He has eaten really well today. It was nice to see since he has not eaten much the last couple of days. He is still getting the antibiotic. He did get to unhook from the IV for a while today. The doctor also let him out on a pass, but we did not get to go anywhere since we did not know when the CT Scan was going to be. He is pretty tired now. He is expecting to have his great uncle and great aunt to come and see him tonight. We are still not sure how long we will be here. His counts are a little out of wack. The doctors want to get them to a simi-normal number before he can go home. Anthony and I are both hoping tomorrow. That way, he may be able to go and see Cody play hockey on Saturday and back to school on Monday for a while.

I just spoke with the doctor and so far all the results look good. They are still waiting for a couple more to come back.

I will let you all know what we find out tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004 5:12 PM CST

Monday, Anthony went to school for a couple of hours. He has a ball. His Aunt Rhonda picked him up and took him out for lunch. When they got home, they played games, took a nap and watched a movie. Monday night, Michael, Anthony and I left for Rochester. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House.

Tuesday, we had bone marrow testing in the morning along with a doctor's appointment and Chemotherapy. All of his blood counts were pretty good. Before Chemo, he was not feeling very well. By noon he had the stomach flu. He did get his Chemo. We had a rough day, he was in the ER in the afternoon. He was not really running a temp and he was still getting fluids in so they sent us back to the Ronald McDonald House. Anthony & I spent the night, Michael had to go home to work. It was a tough night. We were up about every 15 minutes to a half hour.

Wednesday morning, Anthony started running a fever again and is very tired. For precautionary measures, we were sent back to ER and he is now in the hospital. His tummy still does not feel very good. He is sleeping a lot. The doctor's started IV and antibiotics right away. We hope to be here only a couple of days. The doctor did say that there is a virus going around right now, which Anthony may have. It will take him a little longer to fight it off than noramal.

I will keep everyone informed and Thanks for checking the site. Our love to everyone!!!

Sunday, November 14, 2004 3:28 PM CST

Saturday started out very slow. Anthony was not feeling well. I think all the excitment from the night before caught up to him. He slept most of the day. Later afternoon, he woke up and felt great. He wanted to go to town, so we did. We ended up going to his buddy, Logan's house. They was busy playing floor hockey and football. He had a great time. He was very tired when we got home. It was so wonderful seeing Anthony be a kid and play like that. I told Michael that seeing him like that, I know he is going to be fine. He will fight the Luekemia off. All that playing, made him very hungry also. He had a huge dinner.

Today, Sunday, he woke up with a smile on his face. He wanted to attend church today. Him and I went and it was very nice seeing all of our friends. We went to the basement and had a sandwich after church. He still wants to support his old school in any way he can. He is so sweet!! His buddy Louie came over today and played. Anthony was thrilled to see him. He is a little tired now, but he is watching those Vikings in hopes they beat those darn Packers!!

Thank you again for all your support. Anthony, Michael and I really appreciate it!!

Friday, November 12, 2004 10:53 PM CST

Anthony had a big day today. His cousin Lexy came over to watch him while I went to work. He had a ball playing games with her. The first thing he wanted to play was Uno Attack. They also played Monopoly, which took 3 hours. He was very tired when I got home around 1:45. He slept for a couple of hours. Tonight, we went to the Mankato Mavericks hockey game. He was in the locker room before the game. He meet all the players. He received a photo of Kurtis, Jake, Chris and Anthony from when he was in the hospital. Kurtis, Jake and Chris signed the photo for him. Chris Clark also gave Anthony one of his Goalie sticks. Talk about one happy little boy!!! He got to be the Jr. Maverick for the night. He sat on the players bench while they warmed up. When the players were done warming up, he got to go on the ice and pick up the pucks. He went back to the locker room with the players for the pre-game pep talk. When they came out, Anthony was on the ice again as the National Anthem was sang. His name was anounced. He got to wave at the crowd. This was just a fabulous night for him. I would like to say THANK YOU to the Mavs and the Coaching staff for including Anthony in this. He is such a fan of Hockey and he loves to play the game. Being on the ice meant everything to him (even though he wasn't in his skates). He saw so many people. He talked with Coach Essay for a while. He really is missing seeing Coach and his team. He saw a lot of friends. This was great for him to know that he has the support of all these people!!

When we got home, he went right to bed. I think tomorrow will be a lounging day for him.

Thank you to everyone for checking the site and praying for us. Words can not explain how wonderful it is to know we have this kind support for our family.

Thursday, November 11, 2004 10:46 PM CST

Today Anthony stopped in at school to see all his friends. He then had to go in for another blood draw. His counts were very low. Michael took him into the hospital for blood transfusions around 4:00 p. m. We just got home about 20 minutes ago. It was a very long night. He looks great now that he has some fresh blood. Hopefully this will hold him now until next week when we go back to Rochester. We also got his bone marrow test results today. He will need to have another bone marrow test on Tuesday since the Leukemia has not gone into remission yet. We were not expecting it to this early. I would like to see it start in the next couple of weeks. He is excited for tomorrow. His cousin, Lexy, will be coming to watch him for a few hours while I go to work. He loves to spend time with her and all his cousins. I will let you know how tomorrow goes. Have a good night!

Wednesday, November 10, 2004 12:00 AM CST

Yesterday Anthony had a bone marrow test, spinal tap, flu shot and chemotherapy. He was such a trooper. He was asleep during the bone marrow and spinal tap. When he woke up, the first thing he said was, "I'm hungry. When do I get to eat?" He has peanut butter and jelly toast and hot chocolate. We are hoping that by Thursday, we should have the results from his bone marrow test. When he finished his chemo, he wanted to go to Perkins for Country Fried Steak. He told all the nurses and his doctor that is what he was hungry for. When all of his appointments were finished for the day, he did get to go to Perkins. He had the Country Fried Steak, Hashbrowns, Salad and Soup. He ate almost the whole thing. By the time we had started to come home, he was getting very tired. He slept most of the way.

Today, Anthony is tired and is not feeling real good. He has been on the couch all day. He finally wanted to do his homework. I'm sure Mrs. Case will be very happy. Tomorrow we will need to have his blood drawn again to check is hemoglobin (red blood cells) and platlets (cells that make the blood clot). He was pretty low yesterday. If he is still very low, we will need to go the ISJ for transfusions. Let's hope that they come up on thier own. If Anthony is feeling well enough, he wants to go to ASA to watch his hockey practice and then go to the Mavs game this week end. He really misses being on the ice. He also misses his friends a lot!! He really brightens up when we look at all the notes from everyone that visits our site. Thanks to everyone, this is what keeps him going!!

Monday, November 8, 2004 8:27 AM CST

Hi Everyone!
Sorry I have not been able to update. I finally have some time. Here you go.
Saturday, November 6, Anthony's bone marrow test came back. He has Precurser B Cell ALL with Philidelphia Chromosome. The Doctor said that he will most likely need a bone marrow transplant. Michael and myself will be the first to be tested. He does not know about the transplant yet. We want to find out more more from the next bone marrow before we tell him. This will all happen on Tuesday, November 9 when we have Chemotherapy. He had lots of visitors on Saturday. His buddies Logan, Tyler and Austin came to see him. Jane, Logan and Tylers mom, made a video tape of Saturday's hockey practice. He was very happy to see everyone. Coach Essay even said hello to him. Anthony got a little emotional when he saw that. Anthony got to go on pass from the hospital on Saturday. We went with his buddies to McDonalds for lunch. We all had a blast. It really tired him out.

Sunday, November 7. Anthony got some good news today. We got to come home. He was very excited!! I don't think I had ever seen him this happy. On the way home, he asked his dad if they could go to the basement, where we have a hockey net set up, so dad could shoot pucks at him. We told him that he would have to wait a little longer. It was about 6:30 when we got home. Anthony was very tired, so it probably is a good thing that we told him "no hockey tonight". He really started eating well once we got home. He has been eating everything in sight. He also is smiling all the time.

Monday, November 8. Anthony slept really, really good last night. He is all smiles again today. He is very happy to be home. We will not be doing much today since we will need to go back to Rochester tomorrow for his bone marrow test, spinal tap, and chemotherapy. I will update later on how the day progresses.

I again would like to thank everyone for all your support and prayers. I would really like to say thank you to my sister who was at the hospital as much as she could be and always calling. We love you a lot!!

Friday, November 5, 2004 4:23 PM CST

Today has been a really good day. We went outside in the court yard for a walk. We also walked around the hospital. Anthony was excited about getting out. It really wore him out though. Anthony received a shot in both thigh muscles this after noon. The shot is called PEGASPARGASE or Peg for short. This shot goes in conjuction with the Chemotherapy. Anthony took this very well. We were afraid that it would be very painful, but he didn't even flinch. He is such a trooper. He has been eating like crazy today. He has been craving McDonalds. He has had it for the last 3 days. The Dr. said his white blood cell count is coming down. All of his other levels are also balancing out. His blood surgar is slightly elevated, but this is due to a medicine he is on. They are watching this very close. The Dr. did take him off one of his meds and the antibiotic he was on.

We would like to thank everyone again for everything that you have done. Thank you for the cards and prayers, the visits and gifts!!!

Thursday, November 4, 2004 9:03 PM CST

We have been in the hospital since Saturday, October 30. Anthony has been diagnosed with Precurser B Cell ALL Leukemia. This will require about 3 years of treatment. On Monday, November 1, Anthony had a bone marrow test, a spinal tap, and a port-a-cath put in. The bone marrow test has not come back yet. The spinal tap showed non signs of the Leukemia in the central nerveous system. THANK THE LORD! For precautionary measures, they did replace the spinal fluid with Cemo. He did not get real sick from this. Tuesday, November 2, he started his Cemo therapy treatment. He got a little sick from this. He also received blood, due to low hemoglobin. He purked right up after that. He will get his Cemo once a week for the month of November. He will need another bone marrow test and spinal tap next week. So far, he is responding well to the treatment. His White Blood Cells have come down. He is taking a medication for 14 days that is making him have mood swings. He gets pretty angry, but we have to remember that it is not his fault. He will only be on this medication for 14 days. We then will have our easy going, happy boy back again. He has had a lot of company from friends, family and some very special guests. He was visited by three of the Mankato Mavs Mens Hockey team along with Coach Jutting and Rick Junker. Anthony was so excited. They brought some cool stuff to cheer him up. He was also visited by a very special friend from Mankato East Hockey team, Brian Wild. The team signed a hockey stick that Brian brought with him. He has received so many cards, special gifts and support that it is hard to put into words how Anthony, Michael and myself feel. This is going to be a long road for us, but with all the prayers, we will make it through. We are not sure how long we will be in the hospital. It is very possible that we will be here until Tuesday, November 9. This is when he receives another treatment. We will keep you updated. In the mean time, I have included the address and phone number to reach us. Thanks again for all your support!

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