History

Journal History

Monday, May 16, 2011 8:51 AM CDT

Today is the 9 year anniversary of Daniel's stem cell transplant.. marking 9 years of remission for him!

So how we rejoice today on this anniversary of 9 years.
The best part is he has a baseball game tonight--how perfectly fitting that we get to watch him do what he loves today and see him happy and enjoying his life.

I am sure no one on the team will understand why his mom and dad are teary eyed watching his game tonight :o)

Jenny will be in 9th grade this fall, Daniel in 7th
and Mary in 2nd. Little Rosemary is already 10 months old!
Everyone is doing great! Vic and I feel incredibly blessed..

Thanks for checking in on Daniel.

As always, our hearts and prayers go out to everyone who is battling illness.

God Bless,
Sara and Vic

Friday, July 16, 2010 10:34 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Just a little update to let you know Daniel continues to do great! He will be starting 6th grade this Fall!
Jenny will be in 8th grade and little Mary in first grade.

We were blessed with another little girl this month--Rosemary Elizabeth--9 lbs-4 oz! She is a real sweetie.
We also moved in June so we have been a very busy family this summer!

We are so grateful for Daniel's good health and watching him grow up.He really enjoys playing sports and going camping with the boy scouts. What a blessing he is!

Thanks for checking in, and I hope that Daniel's story is able to give hope to others who are in a difficult battle.
I know when Daniel was ill that hope is what kept us going.

God Bless!

Sara, Vic and kids

Sunday, November 29, 2009 11:35 AM CST

Hello everyone!

Earlier this month marked the 8th anniversary of Daniel's cancer diagnosis. This anniversity date has now become a day for us to celebrate as it reminds of the precious gift we have of our son. Every day we feel so blessed and grateful for Daniel!

Everything is going great with the Hammer family! We are enjoying all our busy activites and the fun and enrichment it brings. We had a wonderful summer with baseball, football,camping--and Jenny won her first "grand championship" in a horse show class in Madison with her horse Mitzie, which was very exciting for her.

Now that Fall is here the kids are enjoying basketball.
Jenny recently went hunting with her Dad and got her first deer. They are also planning their ice fishing trips for the ice that will soon be here!
Daniel will be bridging from Cub Scouts to Boy scouts this winter as well.

We also have some exciting news to share--We are expecting a new baby this summer!! Please keep us in your prayers as I will be 41 when they baby is born! :o) But we are all very excited as we have always wanted 4 children.

Other just as exciting news is that my sister who has been battling breast cancer is doing great. She is finishing up her radiation and is looking forward to being finished with treatment soon! What a great feeling that is!

Thanks for checking in on us and we hope that this site will offer hope and inspiration to other families who are faced with a neuroblastoma diagnosis. That was so important to us when Daniel was battling the disease.

Wishing you all a very wonderful holiday season!

With Love,
The Hammer Family
Vic, Sara, Jenny, Daniel and Mary

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 8:27 PM CDT

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 7:59 PM CDT
Hi everyone,

Thanks to all of you who still check in on Daniel even though the updates are so few and far between! :o)

We have had another great year of good health--and specifically no cancer scares. This Saturday, May 16th marks SEVEN YEARS of remission for Daniel! What a gift he is to us.

We had such a busy and fun filled year but I will just mention a couple of recent highlights that come to mind. In April, for the 3rd year in a row, Daniel won the Boy Scout Pinewood Derby. He was so excited!

Also in April, all 5 of us returned to NYC for a Neuroblastoma Reunion at Memorial Sloan Kettering. It was such a wonderful full experience for us to return and
visit the BRILLIANT Dr's that saved our son's life. We are deeply grateful to them. We also saw many other people who were very special to us as well. We did some very fun things while we were there--visited many of the places that were so very special to us.

We also had a consult with a specialist there that deals with late effects of treatment.
Daniel is very small due to the spine and brain radiaton
but he never lets it slow him down! He is also having some eardrum surgery next month--we are hoping the irradiated tissue will graft. He has some health challenges from treatment but in the overall scheme of things, he is a very heathly, happy and smart little boy!
We are incredibly blessed.

Mary and Jenny are doing terrific as well.
Jenny will be in 7th grade this fall. Her basketball team was one game away from playing in the city championship so that was exciting and she is fired up for next year. She is also looking forward to having more time to ride and show her horse this summer! The summer will go by fast.

Daniel will be in 5th grade and is doing so well in school.
He enjoys playing all sports, esp basketball, baseball and football. He is an alter server with his big sister now so that has been fun for him. He is also very excited about going to Ontario Canada this Spring with Vic for their big fishing trip!

Little Mary will be in Kindergarten this Fall and is excited about being a flower girl in her Uncle's wedding this summer.

Before I close I would like to ask you to keep my sister Susan in your prayers. She was diagnosed with breast cancer this week. I have set up a caringbridge page for her
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/susievogel
Or you can just go to caringbridge.com and type in susievogel Thanks for keeping her in your positive thoughts and prayers!

Thanks so much for checking in on us!

With Love,
The Hammer Family
Vic Sara Jenny Daniel and Mary

Friday, May 16, 2008 10:00 PM CDT

Just a very quick entry to say that today is the 6th year anniversary of Daniel's bone marrow transplant--also
marking 6 years of remission for him!!
We are indescribably grateful for the gift of
this wonderful little boy!

Thank you for keeping him in your continued prayers.
With gratitude,
The Hammer Family
~Vic, Sara, Jenny, Daniel and Mary

MONDAY NOVEMBER 10,2008

Hello everyone,

Well, we really don't update this site very much anymore--except on days like today-- which is the 7th anniversary of Daniel's diagnosis.

7 years ago today was the absolute worst day of our lives. However, today we feel so amazingly BLESSED to have this beautiful little miracle boy with us.

We are all doing great. Daniel is in 4th grade and loves sports, especially football, and is playing basketball again this year as well. He is also in boyscouts, and is just enjoying life to the fullest. He and Vic spent a very fun week in Ontario Canada fishing this past summer.

Jenny is in 6th grade and enjoys many interests including riding her horse and playing basketball for her school team. She also joined the liturgical choir this year and they sing at the school mases. She really enjoys it.

Little Mary is 4 and enjoys preschool. She loves dinosaurs and also loves playing with her big brother and sister. She is just a treasure.

I will have to remember to update the photo section soon.

Thank you for your prayers for Daniel's continued good health,
and for all the other kids who are battling illness-- as well as those who have been called Home.

Thank you so much for checking in on Daniel and our family.

Blessings,
Vic Sara Jenny Daniel and Mary

Saturday, November 17, 2007 9:17 AM CST

Cookies for Kids’ Cancer
A gift that tastes as good as it feels to give.
Cookies for Kids

Give all the kids fighting neuroblastoma today, and those
who will be so unfairly chosen to fight tomorrow, the hope
all children deserve.

The Band of Parents invites you to be a part of our holiday fundraiser and to give new hope to children fighting cancer. This holiday, give freshly-baked cookies made using recipes from the recently published cookbook, Cookies, by acclaimed cookbook author Sally Sampson.

Sunday, September 2, 2007 3:47 PM CDT

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2007

Today is the 6th year anniversary of Daniel's diagnosis!
WE FEEL UNBELIEVABLY BLESSED.
Words cannot describe the gratitute we feel today and every day.

Please continue to pray for all families and children affected by cancer.
A cure can not come soon enough.

UPDATE 10/21/07:

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY DANIEL!!!!

(updated photo section)
-------------------

***Daniel's doctor is running his 11th NYC Marathon to support childhood cancer! Check out his homepage:

FRED'S TEAM- Go Dr.Kushner!!

------------

Hello!

Just a quick (and overdue!) update.

Daniel is doing great! We all had a fantastic and very busy summer.
Jenny, Daniel and Mary are all living and enjoying life to the fullest.
Vic and I are enormously blessed-- and feel it every single day.

However, very sadly, there have been many children recently who have passed away from neuroblastoma. And so many newly diagnosed, and also ones who are bravely battling this very difficult fight..
Please keep them all in your prayers.

I ask that you also keep a close family friend in your prayers. Armando is a 14 year old boy who is battling an extremely rare cancer. He is from Venezuela and is being treated at MD Anderson in Houston, and consulting with many top specialists to decide how to proceed.
Please keep him in your prayers.
Thanks.

One final thing to note:

There is a possible new breakthrough treatment for neuroblastoma if enough money is raised to develop a humanized form of the antibody 3F8 at Sloan-Kettering.

Five amazing Dad's of neuroblastoma children are riding across the US to raise money needed for Dr Cheung's research to make this new antibody. Dr Cheung and his research team, who saved Daniel's life, have devoted their entire lives to finding better treatments for children dying from this awful cancer called neuroblastoma.

If you wish to make a small donation to this important cause that is so close to our hearts, please click on the link.
The Loneliest Road

I truly hope our nation will soon put cancer research as a top priority where it belongs. I am grateful to Lance Armstrong for all of his devotion in helping to get that done.

Thanks for checking in on us.
I'll try to get some new pictures posted soon (in the photo section) as well.

God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer's
Vic, Sara, Jenny, Daniel, and Mary

Thursday, May 24, 2007 10:21 PM CDT

THE 3RD ANNUAL ALEX'S LEMONADE STAND
AT MALL OF AMERICA--SUNDAY JUNE 10TH

Alex's Lemonade Stand- Mall of America- Online Pledge

Did you know?

*One in every 330 Americans develops cancer before the age of twenty.

*On the average, 36 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer everyday in the United States.

*On the average, one in every four elementary schools has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients.

*Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States.

*Childhood cancers affect more potential patient-years of life than any other cancer except breast and lung cancer.

*The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown. At present, childhood cancer cannot be prevented.

*Childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. In the United States, the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults is increasing at a greater rate than any other age group, except those over 65 years.

*Despite these facts, childhood cancer research is vastly and consistently underfunded.

Thursday, May 24, 2007 10:21 PM CDT

Wednesday, May 2, 2007 11:30 AM CDT

Hi everyone!

Wow-it has already been 6 months since our last update--where does the time go??

Daniel continues to thrive. We feel unbelievably blessed.
In 4 short weeks he will have completed what has been an amazing year of second grade! He has done so well and we are so proud of him.

In addition, this past weekend he recieved his First Holy Communion. It was such a special day.
During mass, he also read the second reading,
and did a wonderful job.

He had a busy and enjoyable winter, with playing basketall-and ice fishing trips. One noteworthy trip was at Lake of the Woods in Northern MN, where Daniel caught a 27 inch walleye!

Daniel also enjoyed a great year of boyscouts--he was a wolf cub this year. Furthermore, 2 weeks ago he particpated in the Pinewood Derby, and this year won the whole race! (all grades) It was a very special day!

This winter he and Jenny participated in AWANA on Wed nights with the neighbor boys and had such a wonderful time memorizing bible verses and playing games, etc.

This school year seemed to go by so quicky--Jenny had a very good year in 4th grade and is looking forward to an upcoming fishing trip to Canada with Vic this spring.
Mary is doing great and will be 3 in June already!

May 16th will mark 5 years of remission for Daniel.
Words cannot express how grateful we are for Daniel's life and good health.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for so many other children battling cancer.
Reseach is deperately needed, and esp now with major decreases in cancer research as a result of the devestating federal budget cuts. (write your senators and representatives!)

So, I wanted to get the word out for 2 very important fundraisers that are coming up.

The first one is organized by some very dear friends of ours, whose son Simon, is a neuroblastoma survivor.
His sister Sophia has been a huge advocate for nb research, and every year they participate (with many other caring kids) in a wonderful walk in NYC. The money received goes to funding very important neroblastoma research at Sloan Kettering--
where Daniel and Simon's lives were saved.
Kids walk for kids with cancer

Antother important fundraiser I wanted to mention is Alex's Lemonade stand.
June 6, 7 and 8th is National Lemonade Days,
and if you see a stand in your area, please show your support. For info on stands in your area, or on
holding your own stand, please check out the site.
Alex's Lemonade
It is such a fun, hopeful and important thing to do.
The money raised from the stands is used to fund important research grants for ALL childhood cancers at various institutions- in memory of 8 year founder Alex Scott,
who passed away form neuroblastoma in 2004.

Wishing you all a very happy healthy and safe summer!
Thank you for your continued concern and prayers for Daniel's health!

God Bless!

The Hammer's
Vic, Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary

Friday, November 17, 2006 8:37 AM CST

Hi everyone!

We're sorry for the lack of updates since August! Where does the time go?

I'm pleased to say we are all doing great here.
In addition, last week (Novemeber 10th) was the 5 year anniversary of Daniel's diagnosis. We cannot even begin to tell you how blessed we feel.

Daniel is doing so wonderfully--enjoys school, his friends, boyscouts, sports. He is a living miracle.

Little Mary is as sweet as can be--She is growing so fast,
and we all enjoy the precious little things that only a 2 year old can do and say. :o)

Jenny is doing great as well--having another great year at school, enjoys her friends and riding lessons, and esp
enjoys having a little sissy that is so much like her.:o)

Both Jenny and Daniel are playing basketball this year--which Vic is once again coaching. It is going very well ..except for the scheduling conflicts b/w the 2 teams, and boyscouts.. so there is a lot of juggling around--but Vic is enjoying it every bit as much as the kids!

Well I don't know if we will be updating again before the holidays--but we truly appreciate all the people that still check in on us and who keep Daniel in their continued prayers. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Please also pray for all the other children battling cancer-As well as the parent's whose children are now in Heaven. We pray that their families find comfort and strength until they are once again reunited together.

God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer's
Vic, Sara, Jenny Daniel and Mary

Friday, August 4, 2006 9:07 PM CDT

Please pray for the Thomas family as they try to go on without their beautiful daughter Christi, who entered heaven on September 19th.

Christi's Page

Sunday September 3rd--Prayer request.

Please pray for dear sweet Christi Thomas and family. Christi is in extreme pain right now due to major tumor progression and new tumors--including a one large pushing against her brain. Please pray for pain relief for Christi and strength for her family.
Christi's Page

------
Hi everyone!
We are sorry for the lack of updates since April!
However, many thanks to all of our friends who still emailed us to make sure we were OK. :o)

We have been having a great summer! Aside from having a couple scares--one which called for an immediate abdomimal CT--everything turned out fine. (Thank God)
Daniel is doing great!
We were told by one of Daniel's oncologists that it is very unlikely Daniel will relapse--now 4 years
in remission. It was wonderful to hear. We do, however, know that it could still happen as it has happend to
TOO many families we know--including our lovely friend Eric who was in remission for 13 years before he relapsed!
And well.. I will just worry about Daniel until the day I die.
Still I can't tell you it was not ~great~ to hear one of Daniel's oncologists say that to us. It was!
They too know how bad this kind of cancer is.

The kids have had a busy and fun summer--they have been in several organized activities:
(bible camp, soccer, science class, volleyball, art camp) as well as camping and swimming..
They enjoyed spending a few days their grandparents cottage on the lake swimming and fishing over the 4th. (Even little Mary enjoys fishing--but insists on kissing every fish
before she lets it go--YUCK.
They are going camping next weekend with Daniel's bestest buddy from school, Chase--and Daniel is very excited that he and Chase will also have the same teacher
this Fall--who is one of the wonderful nuns at our school!
He is excited to be receiveing is First Communion this year as well.

Jenny has been enjoying her horse riding lessons and trips to Grandpa's farm to ride (and drive) horses. She will be riding in one or two more shows yet this year,
which she really loves. Last time we were at the farm she asked me if she could sleep in the barn-- in a stall no less-- with the barn cats.
She was disappointed when I told her NO... :o)

Yesterday Jenny also went through alter serving training with 2 girls from school, and is very excited about serving at the upcoming masses. She has wanted to do this for a while.
She is also hoping very much to be able to serve at a mass with her great uncle, Fr Mike, when we are visiting in WI during the holidays.

And Little Mary..she turned 2 in June and is such a little character. :o)
She keeps up with Jenny and Daniel with no problems!
They play almost daily with our 3 wonderful neighbor boys, and so the 6 of them together rarely get bored--whether they are cooling off in the sprinkler or pool, riding their scooters, digging for worms or catching bugs, thay are always having an adventurous time together.
We are truly blessed!

Our Alex's Lemonade Stand at the Mall of America in June was great!
As always it is very, very touching to witness the generousity of strangers, most of whom (thankfully) have never had to face childhood cancer, but yet could empathize and wanted to help the cause. Folks would come up to us and and say hello and throw 20 dollars in our jar. It was incredible and brought tears to our eyes more than once.
There was also a very kind gentleman who had a airbrush tattoo booth nearby our stand and he sent over all his customers and asked them to make a donation as part of their payment to him.
We'd try to put money in his tip jar but he would always take it out and put it back in our jar.
So as you can see, people's hearts were very caring!
It was also great spending time with survivor Molly her mom Mary, and survivor Eric and wife Brandi.
Molly and her dance group did a great job dancing for everyone again this year at the mall!

Speaking of Alex's Lemonade, this past Tuesday, August 1st, marked 2 years since Angel Alex's passing from neuroblastoma.

Note: I also heard today that last weekend Alex's Lemonade headquaters were burglerized by 4 juveniles and some donations were stolen. How sad..

Well, last week Jenny and I took a "mom and daughter" trip to St Loius.. while Mary and Daniel enjoyed Gramma and Grampa's farm, and their cousins- and swimming in my brother's pool.:o)
Mary is just like her big sis now when it comes to loving those barn kitties and riding horses.

Jenny and I had a great time in St Louis. Our main reason for going was to see Les Miserables at the Fabulous Fox Theater in downtown St Loius!
It was FABULOUS. Jenny and I had the best time ever!
We actually saw the very final show of the US tour.
Les Mis will now return to Broadway with a new cast and a few new changes.
Jenny and I were lucky to see the extremely ~talented~ cast from the US tour, esp Randal Keith who played Valjean.
Vic and I saw him last year at the show in Mpls and it was great to witness his talent once more.
He got a standing ovation right in the middle of the show!
Jenny and I will never forget this awesome evening at the Fox.
We left the show singing those great tunes all the way back to our hotel :o)

I admittedly feel a little guilty about not taking Daniel as he really wanted to go to the show too--he listens to all the Les Miz songs on his MP3, but.. this was something Jenny and I needed to do together. I did promise him that when we go back to NY in a couple years for the upcoming reunion at Sloan Kettering that he and I would go. And I know he will hold me to that.
So I guess I'll just HAVE to see it one more time...:o)
hehe

We also couldn't go to St Louis without visiting the Arch, so we did and went up to the top--boy what a view!
Right before that we also toured the Budwiser Brewery, so that the little horse lover could see the beautiful Clydesdales.
And last but not least, we revisited "Our Lady of the Snows" Shrine.
What a ~beautiful~ and peaceful place.
It was great to revisit it again 4 years after I first took the kids to the healing mass there for Daniel.
(in Summer 2002).
It is an awesome place.
We took many pictures there.
Inside the church there they have a "cancer wall of healing and hope" where you put people's names on a ribbon and pin it to the wall.
We put Daniel's name there 4 years ago (well he put it there actually :) and last week Jen and I put it there again.
This church was also where the healing mass was--it was actually televised on the Hallmark Channel--and thanks to my brother Mark taping it for us, we saw ourselves on TV :o)
These same annual healing novena masses which we attended in 2002 were going on again this past week at the Shrine.
We would liked to have gone for that but our show was a week proir so the timing was a little off.
However Vic happened to be in St Loius for a presentation and was happy to able to visit and even attend one of the novena masses. And of course he, too, put Daniel's name on the cancer wall of healing and hope. :o)
If anyone else is interested in seeing our pictures from the Shrine, let me know and I will email you.
There are too many to post in our photo section--it is a huge place.

Well this was a lenghy update but that is pretty much what we've been up to since April!
I think our updates may be less frequent going forward--but feel free to continue to email us to check in if we haven't posted in a while. Thanks to everyone for your continueous care, concern and prayers!
It means so much to us!

Wishing you all good health, peace and happiness.

Our Love,
The Hammer's

Sunday, April 23, 2006 11:42 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Thought we'd post a quick update to let you know everything is going just fine!

Daniel has been doing great--a couple weeks ago he and Vic won first place in the Pinewood Derby for Boy Scouts!
(Built a car and raced it).
Daniel's car came in first place in the Tiger Scouts group and then 4th place in all grades together!
It was a very sweet day.
I added a pic in the photo section as well.

Daniel has been doing great health wise--and next month
(May 16) will mark 4 YEARS in remission!! WOW.
We don't take one single day for granted with him. He is such a gift and a blessing from God.

He is having some dental problems. It is very common for kids like him who have had cranial radiation and chemo to have very short and thin roots, so some of his permanent teeth are loose. Unfortunately we are told there is not much that can be done--he just has to be very careful so he can keep them as long as possible. We are also not sure if he will even get all of his permanent teeth. So far he is on schedule and has 4 and they look just fine--other than being a little loose. (And a little crowded which will mean a trip to the ortho soon)
But all these things we can certainly deal with and truly mean nothing in the whole scheme of things!

Mary is doing great--I added a recent picture of her as well.
She is a little character--has a wonderful bubbly personality
and is always making us smile. I can't believe she will be TWO in June already!!

Jenny is doing great too--adores her little sister sooo much.
(Daniel does too of course!! But Jenny is literally another
mother to her!)
All 3 kids are enjoying this beautiful Spring we are having!

Not much else to report--we are having our 2nd Annual Alex's Lemonade Stand in June at the Mall of America with our good friends! More info on that to follow soon.
Alex's Lemonade Stand is a wonderful charity that raises much needed research funding for pediatric cancers--including neuroblastoma, which is what Angel Alex battled.
There are many ways to support this very important organization. For more info you can go to the website at:
Alex's Lemonade

Thanks for checking in on us and for keeping Daniel
and all the other children and families effected by childhood cancer in your prayers.

With Love,
The Hammer's
Vic Sara Jennifer Daniel and Mary

Friday, March 24, 2006 8:50 AM CST

Playtex sponsers "Every girl can make a difference!"

Every girl can make a difference

"Between March 20th and April 30th we hope to see 500 lemonade stands across the country participate in the "Every Girl Can Make a Difference" campaign to help Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation achieve its goal of raising $25 million over the next five years.

Playtex Products, Inc. will match funds raised during the "Every Girl Can Make a Difference" campaign*, and will recognize every stand that raises a minimum of $1,000** by planting a lemon tree in her honor. All proceeds will fund a special Young Investigator grant for a promising young female childhood cancer researcher."

Monday, February 20, 2006 2:13 PM CST

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to get out a quick update to let everyone know all is going great here!

On February 1st, Vic and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary.
It was also 4 years to the day when Daniel had his major 9 hour surgery in New York to remove the primary tumor.
**NOTE..had someone told us 4 years ago that, in 4 years, Daniel would be where he is at, and we would even have another beautiful baby girl, we would have hardly dared to believe it could be true!**
We left for our vacation on this day, but not before attending the school mass, as Daniel was reading one of the petitions. (his first time)He was so proud and excited.
It was "For the sick, that they will find comfort in God's great love. We pray to the Lord."
It was such a beautiful way to celebrate all the blessings in our lives, esp the blessing of Daniel.
It was hard for me to keep from tearing up during the beautiful mass. We are so very, very blessed.
After mass, Vic and I left for our vacation up to the North shore of Lake Superior. We knew the children were in wonderful hands with Grandma Mary, so it was much easier to relax. We had a condo right on Lake Superior--with beautiful views, a jucuzzi and fireplace..it was all very relaxing and wonderful.
The kids had fun being spoiled by Grandma when they were not in school. Little Mary was her usual charming self as well--and everything was "gamma!, gamma!" :o)

This weekend, Vic, Jenny and Daniel have been up at
Lake of the Woods for their annual ice fishing trip--fishing for walleye.
They rent a sleeper ice fishing house.
It is about 400 miles NW of here, near the Canadian border.
I talked to them every day and heard all about their fun and adventures as they were happening. They are on their way home now--and will be home tonight in just enough time for a quick supper, shower, homework and bed.
They are so excited to see their little sister Mary--as she is to see them. However, surprisingly they did manage to have some pretty nice phone conversations.
Anyway, when they get closer to home, I am going to start running the bubble bath! Thereis sure to be some serious smelling issues. :o) Vic also said Jenny has a little bit of each meal from this weekend stuck in her hair--
And that Daniel's hair is pretty crunchy too.
But.. all are signs of a really great time!
It was nice they had the day off school today
(Presidents Day) so they could have a nice long weekend.

Before I close, I ask that you please continue to pray
for all the kids battling illness, including
Nicholas Pagano, Christi Thomas Christi's Blogspot
Matthew Passarella Matthew's Page

Thanks and God Bless!

The Hammer's
Vic Sara Jennifer Daniel and Mary

Sunday, January 15, 2006 7:22 PM CST

*PRAYER REQUEST*
Very urgent prayers needed for Christi Thomas.
Here is the blog they are updating daily. She is very much in need of your prayers now. Thank you.
Christi's Blogspot

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to post an update on Daniel to let everyone know that he continues to do great!
We did have a scare right before Christmas where he had a horrible 36 hour migraine, but the CT revealed a bad case of sinusitis. So that was teriffic news obviously and a 2 week course of antibiotics did the trick.

All is going well with Jenny--she has a lot of activities she enjoys and is getting taller by the minute!
She enjoyed a week at her Grandpa and Grandma's during christmas break getting riding lessons
and was able to ride and drive 2 horses every day. She was in heaven!
Vic has been coaching her basketball team again this year, and will be coaching Daniel's as well--his begins in Feb.

Mary is growing too and is adding new words to her vocabulary. See loves to dance and sing and
play with her big brother and sissy! She is a cutie.

Vic and I are getting away for a much needed vacation for our 15th wedding anniversary
in a couple weeks! We are really looking forward to it! We'll be spending 4 nights at a resort on the
North Shore of Lake Superior.
Grandma is graciously staying with the kids and holding down the fort for us while we are away.
They will surely be in great hands.

Thank you for checking in on us.

Before I go I would like to ask for some prayers for some very dear friends of ours:

Nicholas Pagano is a dear friend of ours that is battling neuroblastoma has recently had disease progression. Please pray that this next MIBG treatment he has will once again beat his disease down and that he will soon be disease free for good!
He does not have a website.

Matthew Passarella is another very dear friend of ours. After his most recent brain sugery the doctors have recommended brain radiation. Please pray the treatment all goes well and that he has no side effects.
Matthew has been through so much and all these doctor visits are causing him great anxiety.
Please keep Matttew in your prayers. Matthew's Page

Christi Thomas is another dear little girl who has been battling neuroblastoma disease progression. She has begun a new experimental treatment at CHOP and we all hope and pray this will beat down the disease and that she will soon be disease free. Christi's Page

Another prayer request is for a sweet little 4 year old girl named Madison(Madi).
Although we do not know her personally we learned of her through a dear friend and she has been
in our heart and prayers ever since. She has had a brain tumor removed but there was still some tumor in her spine and later she developed another brain tumor. She will be undergoing chemo and radiation.
Please keep her in your prayers.
She does not have a website that I am aware of.

This prayer request is for a darling little girl named Emily. She has been in remission for neuroblastoma
and has very recently relapsed. Please keep Emily in your prayers that she will soon be in remission again.
Emily's Page

Thanks for your continued prayers for these kids, as well as all kids battling illness,
and for all the families who are grieving for the loss of their loved one.

With Love,
~The Hammer's~
Victor, Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary

Friday, December 23, 2005 3:37 PM CST

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"She brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:7

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Thursday, November 10, 2005 9:48 AM CST

Saturday, December 10, 2005

I have prayer requests for 2 families.
The first is for the Deluca family, as their precious son, Andrew passed away yesterday.

My other prayer request is for a little boy, Jack, ( who also happens to be a close friend of Angel Andrew's) who is nearing the end of his battle with stage 4 neuroblastoma.
He is 2 years old.
Jack's Page

Please pray for strength for these two families during this unimaginable time.

It is all so terribly unfair.

Thank you for your prayer support.

12/12/05--Jack passed away today..

==================================

Thursday Dec 8th, 2005

I have a prayer request for our very dear friend, Matthew. He needs another brain surgery and is going through a very difficult time right now.
Please keep him and his wonderful family in your prayers.
Matthew's Page

Thank you.

=================================

*Monday December 5th, 2005*

I have a prayer request for all our faithful prayer warriors-- for a darling little boy named Brady. He is battling stage 4 neuroblastoma and just had his bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately Brady has now
Veno-occulsive disease. This is a serious complication in the liver from the stem cell transplant and it is life threatening. Please keep Brady in your prayers that he will overcome this complication soon.
His website is Brady's Page.

Thank you.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hi everyone!

Well it was 4 years ago today that our son Daniel was diagnosed with cancer. In many ways it feels like a million years ago.
We are thankful beyond words each and every day for this truly wonderful boy we have!
Please join us in offering a prayer of thanksgiving for this amazing gift we have been given--the miracle of our very special boy Daniel and his continued remission and good heath!
Tonight we are having a little celebration for him. We are taking him to his favorite restaurant (Famous Daves)for ribs
and then to the local sporting goods store to climb the wall! Both he and Jenny always enjoy going there!

When I think back to Novemeber 10th, 2001, the most awful day of our lives, if only we could have known that 4 years later we would be celebrating Daniel's miraculous
cancer-free health, (and even a new child, Mary!) we would have hardly dared to believe it could be true.
We are thankful to the Lord beyond words, and for Our Blessed Mother's loving protection and prayer intercessions, as well as those from His
Saints and Angels. And also for our faithful friends, family and prayer warriors who offered all their powerful prayers on Daniel's behalf as well!

Please continue to pray for Daniel's continued remission and good health, as well as all the children still in the battle. And for all the Angel parents who are grieving so much for the loss; especially this beautiful and heroic little boy, John T, was called home on October 21st after a long and brave battle with neuroblastoma. Please offer your prayers for his family.
John's Page

We absolutely need to find a cure for this deadly cancer we call neurobloastoma..

Thank you.

With Love,
The Hammer Family
Vic, Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary

Monday, October 24, 2005 9:01 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Thanks for checking in on Daniel!

He just turned 7 years old and is doing great!
We had a party with 22 of his buddies last weekend at an indoor play area. It was a lot of fun!
Daniel loves school and is a cub scout this year as well.
He has also taken quite a liking to playing soccer!

We are thankful each and every day for this healthy boy that is here with us. He is such a special gift and he amazes us every day.

Next month (November 10th to be exact)is the 4 year anniversary of his cancer diagnosis.

Jenny is doing great--she is continuing with her riding lessons which is always the highlight of her week!
She is playing basketball again this year with Vic coaching. Tonight was their first practice and what a great group of girls on the team!

Jenny and Daniel have been enjoying duck hunting with their Dad as well! They went out on opening day and had a great time!

Mary is growing very fast and is keeping us all very busy! :o)
But she is so much fun and such a little cutie.
She definately has a mind of her own, but is a very affectionate and sweet little girl. Her and I are in a play group for one year olds and she really enjoys being around other kids her age. She seems very social-- I think a little more so than Jenny and Daniel at that age.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Daniel. Please also pray for all the children battling cancer, as well as the families of the Angel's..

I have 2 additional and special prayer reqests today:

One is for my very dear friend, Andrea. Her son,
Matthew is having his 3rd (and hopefully last!)brain surgery tomorrow, and we are asking for your prayers for a successful surgery tomorrow. It is expected to be a very long and complicated surgery, but he is in the best of hands.
Andrea is so hoping to be able to tell Matthew after the surgery that his tumor is finally gone!
Please pray for Matthew and for his recovery.
For updates on his surgery please go to Matthew's Page

My other important prayer request is for a family we met in New York.
Very sadly their son Michael has passed away. He has bravely and strongly battled neuroblastoma for almost 7 years. Please offer your prayers for Michael's family during this very unimaginable time..
Friends for Michael

Thank you so much for checking in!
God's Blessings to you!
~The Hammer Family
Vic, Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary

Sunday, October 9, 2005 2:18 PM CDT

Hi!
Wanted to pass on this important information that benefits childhood cancer research!

This is from Liz Scott, Alex's mom.
(Alex's Lemonade Stand)

If you can make it out to a Volvo dealer, that would be fantastic. Thanks!
Read on:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi everyone,
It is that time of year again -- Volvo For Life Days!
Our great supporters at Volvo have expanded their fundraising program this year with a nationwide fundraiser called Volvo For Life Days from October 8 - 16th.
Here is how it works:
During this 9 day fundraiser, Volvo will donate $20 to Alex's Lemonade Stand for every test drive taken at participating retailers (about 300 across the country).
Retailers across the country are also hosting Alex's Lemonade Stands in their dealerships from October 8 - 16th.
Many dealers are also hosting other events as part of this fundraising effort.
If we can get an average of 100 test drives at each dealer, we are looking at $600,000 raised in just 9 days.

So, please... take a test drive, tell your friends, pass along this email... we think we can make this a huge success.

You can find a dealer near you at www.volvo4lifeawards.com
Or email us directly with any questions.

Also see the advertisement promoting the event in this week's People Magazine and Parade Magazine.

We personally plan on visiting each dealer in this area to thank them for their support.

As always, we appreciate your support.
Liz and Jay Scott
Alex's Parents
www.alexslemonade.org
Fighting childhood cancer, one cup at a time.
610-649-3034
fax 610-649-3038
Mailing address:
333 E. Lancaster Avenue, #414
Wynnewood, PA 19096

Saturday, August 6, 2005 5:02 PM CDT

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the lack of updates. Everything is going great and the kids are having a very fun and busy summer.
They have been doing a lot of various activities, including
some classes (ie science, earth and drama), and ice skating lessons. Jenny has been continuing with her riding lessons, and has enjoyed a summer full of horse shows- which she loves.
She also had basketball camp this week.
It has been such an extremely hot summer so Daniel and Jenny have enjoyed swimming at the nearby beach--even baby Mary loves the water!
Mary is doing great and is growing fast and getting cuter every day of course. :o)She turned 1 in June.
Daniel was a ring bearer in my friend's wedding in early June which was very special for him--he thought that was very neat! And last month we went to Chicago for Neuroblastoma conference and the kids had a great time as always.
They also had a visit from their cousins last weekend.
We went to Camp Snoopy, the beach and the park, etc. It was a very nice time.

So, that is pretty much what we've been up to.
Everyday we are constantly amazed at how wonderful Daniel is doing, and are grateful beyond words as we watch him grow up. He recently lost his two front teeth and now has the cutest smile! I will have to get some new photos on the photo page soon!

Thanks so much for checking in on us!

God Blessings to you and yours,
The Hammer's
~Vic, Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary~

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 11:59 AM CDT

6/26
Please pray for our dear friends Rhonda and Jeff. Their precious little boy Benjmain passed away after a very long battle with Medullablastoma. (brain tumor) He has fought this disease for 5 years and endured countless difficult treatments.
His little earthly body finally gave out.
At another hospital an hour before he went to heaven, Rhonda gave birth to his little sister, Faith. I cannot even begin to imagine what it was like for my dear friend to be delivering her baby at the same time her son was dying.
Please, please keep my dear friends in your prayers. They are absolutely devestated and miss Benjamin terribly.
They were absolutely the most devoted parents to Benjamin, and made sure he always had the best care possible.
They have fought so long and hard with him all these years.

Please also keep my very dear friend Virginia in your continued prayers as well. She misses her son Jay terribly and feels absolutely lost without him. She cared for him single handedly every single day for the past 4 years.
Virginia was an incredibly devoted mother to Jay and he was an amazing fighter.

Thank you for keeping our dear friends
in your thoughts and prayers as they just try to just get through each day.

Our hearts are full of incredible pain for our friends.

--------------------------------------

Update 6/21
Please send some healing and recovery prayers to our very dear friend Matthew P. He had brain surgery today to debulk a brain tumor,and I am VERY pleased to report that the surgery went very well!!
What wonderful news!!
Please stop by Matthew's page.
Matthew

-----------------

Update June 15th, 2005 9pm

It is with many tears that I announce that our friend Jay passed away this afternoon.

Jay, you are finally free of your broken earthly body, and are now free to soar, swim, and everything else beautiful there in heaven. Look out for us all Jay! We love you and will miss you! See you again someday and until then I know your spirit will always be with us. You will forever remain in our hearts.

We love you, Virginia.

With many tears,
Sara and Vic

Jay's Page

---------------

Hi everyone!

We wanted to share with you our Lemonade Stand Photos, from the Alex's Lemonade Stands we had this past weekend at Canterbury Downs (Saturday)and The Mall of America (Sunday) The photos were put together by Molly's Mom!
(Awesome job, Mary!!-Thank you!!)

Our Lemonade Stand Photos

It was wonderful--over 7 thousand dollars was raised (at our two stands alone) for Pediatric Cancer Research! A big thanks to the generous Minnesotans out there!

For more info on Alex's Lemonade Stand, please go to:

Alex's Lemonade

Thank you for all your support!

I would also like to take this moment to mention another Alex's Lemonade Fundraier for Pediatric Cancer Research in Madison Wisconsin, on July 23, 2005.
"Alex's Lemonade Century Ride"

It is a 50 or 100 Mile Bike Ride (starting at 730 am at Prairie Athletic Club) through beautiful South Central Wisconsin, hosted by Prairie Athletic Club.
Their goal is to raise 10-15 thousand dollars for Alex's Lemonade Stand!
They have support from local Law Enforcement, Health Club and members of their cycling group and other groups and are always looking for more sponsers and more volunteer help at the rest stops. They will also be selling lemonade at the rest stops to the general public.
If anyone wants more information about this event, please feel free to email me at:
hammertime311@comcast.net
Thanks!!!

Just a quick update- The kids are doing great. Having a very busy summer already with all their activities.
This Saturday they will be putting on a meal at the Minneapolis Ronald McDonald House, so if you are there please come up to say hello!

I would like to ask for prayers for our good friend Jay Barnett. We are told it is likely he doesn't have much time left. His mom says he is ready for his suffering to stop. He has been the most amazing fighter we have ever known. Please keep Jay and his family in your prayers.
Jay's Page I know they really appreciate kind thoughts in their guestbook.

Thank you for stopping by.
God Bless!
The Hammer's
~Vic,Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary~

Saturday, June 4, 2005 5:27 PM CDT

Hi All!

Saturday is the big race at the Belmont!!

Afleet Alex is the favorite.....40 Racetracks are hosting "Alex's Lemonade Stands" Canterbury is one of them.....along with the MN Chapter of the Alex lemonade stands....US!!!

Afleet Alex has a portion of his proceeds going to the "Alex Lemonade Stands.

This weekend is National Alex lemonade Stand weekend. Goal: $5,000,000

Our group of Minnesota families are doing two stands.
1. Canterbury Downs Sat 12-6
2. Mall of America Sun 12-6

We are having an "Alex's Lemonade Stand" at the Mall of America
this Sunday, June 12th, from Noon -6pm!
Please stop by if you can to say hello and have a glass of lemonade to help benefit childhood cancer research!
We will be at the Sam Goody Court.

Molly, our sweet and beautiful friend who we are doing the stand with, is a long term survivor and is going to also be on KARE 11 on the Thurs morning show between 10-11 AM.

In addition, Molly's mom just told us that there will also be a stand this Saturday at Canterbury Park as well!

Please continue to keep Angel Carl Robinson's family in your prayers. Sweet little Carl passed away last November.
www.caringbridge.com/mn/carcar

The Robinson's and Molly's family have organized the stands at the Mall and Canterbury this year.
They are in honor of Carl and Alex-- and of all the other brave warriors..

Hope to see you on Sunday!
With Love,
The Hammer's

For more info on Alex's Lemonade go to

www.alexslemonade.com

--------------------------------------

Hi everybody -
Daniel is now 3.5 years from Diagnosis and we are overwhelmed with how blessed we are to have him with us. Although he is very shy, he continues to touch those around him in very special ways. He is truly a gift from God.

We pray that we never overlook the fact that God has given us a second change with Daniel and that we be given the wisdom to make the most of it.

For those of you not familiar with Daniel's history, he was diagnosed with cancer that had spread over most of his body, from his head to his legs. He is now celebrating approximately 3 years of remission and enjoys all of the activities that a child his age should enjoy.

For a true testiment to God's healing power, please look at the pictures of Daniel throughout his battle. Continue to pray for those who fight this battle, that with God's grace, they will be cured.

For those just begining thier battle, please sign Daniel's guestbook so that we may begin praying. We honestly feel that prayers helped immensely in Daniel's recovery.

God Bless -
The Hammer's

Monday, April 25, 2005 10:15 PM CDT

**Quick Update May 16, 2005**

Happy 40th Birthday To Vic!!
And Happy 3rd Transplant Birthday to
Daniel!!
We all feel incredibly blessed today!

PS-Daniel came through his sinus surgery just fine and it seems to be helping so far!

Thanks for stopping by!
Love and Blessings,
Sara

=======================================

Hi everyone!
We must apologize for the infrequency of updates on the site!
Fortunately though, as all of you in the cancer world know--no news is usually good news. And thank goodness all contines to go well.

Daniel is thriving and enjoying kindergaten to the fullest.
Jennifer will be receiving her First Holy Communion this weekend--and our out-of-town relatives will be joining us to celebrate her special day.
Baby Mary is so sweet and happy and just growing so fast before our eyes!

Daniel is still having sinus issues--stemming from the cancer that used to be there, as well as the sinus/skull radiation.
So next week he will undergo another sinus sugery to remove more bone, as well as explore what is going on and see if there are other options. As well as get his sinuses "vaccummed" out. It is a pretty simple surgery with anesthesia, and most importantly, not life threatneing.
His ENT always laughs at me becasue we take it all in stride--but as all of us in the cancer world know, this is soooo nothing.

One other thing--the Doctors are suggesting he have another stem cell harvest done "just in case." It would involve going into the hospital for a few days and it is a very uncomfortable process. We are mulling it over--all the pro's and cons-- but have not made a decision yet. He does have a bag leftover from the first time-- but not an ideal amount for a potentially strong treatment apparently should the need arise.

Well, just wanted to post a quick update so you know we doing fine.

Please pray for all our friends who have lost their child, most recently, little Tyler C.
His webpage is www.getwelltyler.com

And please pray for our friends who are still fighting the fight.

PS We are honored to be joining Angel Carl's family and Molly H's (a neuroblastoma survivor) family for our big Minnesota "Alex's Lemonade Stand" at the Mall of America on Sunday June 12th. We will post the details as they unfold!

For more info on Angel Alex, please go to: www.alexslemonade.com

Thank you and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer's
~Vic, Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary

Saturday, February 19, 2005 6:28 PM CST

3.5.05 Update:

Very sadly, our wonderful friend Chris Becker passed away on Monday.
Please continue to keep the Becker family in your prayers.
Thank-you.

Chris's Page

Hi Everyone,

We're sorry it has been so long since we have updated the site. I am happy to report that everything is going just fine with us.

Vic and the kids had a wonderful ice fishing trip up north in January, followed by a little vacation getaway for Vic and I.

The kids have been keeping busy with their all activities. Vic has enjoyed helping coach the kids' basketball teams.

We all had an irritating bout recently with the respiratory icks that have been going around.. but are pretty much recooperated now.

School continues to go well for both of them.

Daniel looks and feels great.

Jenny is looking forward to her First Communion in April.

Baby Mary is growing fast and gets more charming each day.

We do however ask that you keep some families in your prayers. I'm afraid this has been a very upsetting time for many of our friends. It breaks our hearts so much to see these families go through such painful trials.
Please offer your prayers to them:

Please pray for our friend Chris B, who has been battling neuroblastoma for 6 years. His cancer has progressed and
his organs are showing signs of failure. The family has been told there is nothing more that can be done. Please join us in praying for a miracle for Chris..

Chris's Page

Another friend of ours, Jay B, has disease progression as well. Jay is a very tough young man and has also been fighting this disease very heroically for 4 years.
Please keep Jay in your prayers. Jay's Page

Another very dear friend of ours, Nick P, has recently relapsed, after nearly 4 years in remission. This relapse came as a shock to everyone as he was clear for so long. Please keep Nick in your prayers that he will get back into remission again and be cured. He does not have a website.

Another dear friend of ours, Matthew P. will be having brain surgery again this Spring. His brain tumor has shown some slight growth, and the experts feel that they should try to debulk it again. Please keep Matthew and his family in your prayers, and pray that the surgery is a enormous success and that the recovery is as easy as possbile.
Matthew's Page

I ask that you please keep another family in your prayers. We do not personally know them but our hearts go out to them so very much. Their little boy, Stanton, passed away last week from neuroblastoma. He died one day before his 4th birthday.
I can't even imagine how unbearable their pain.
Stanton's Page

Thank you so much for checking in.

~God Blessing's to You and Yours,
Vic, Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary

Sunday, January 2, 2005 10:47 PM CST

Hi everyone and Happy New Year!

We have a couple new pictures on the site--Mary is growing so fast!

All is going great here. We had a very wonderful Christmas.
On the way home from Wisconsin we spent a day (and night) at the Wilderness Hotel in the Dells--a big indoor waterpark. It was a lot of fun!

Daniel and Jenny are doing wonderfully. They both had a sleepover at a friend's house last evening (another family from our school) and had a great time. It was a fun way to end their Christmas break. Now it is back to school tomorrow!
They are enjoying their little (well, not so little anymore) baby sister, Mary. She is such a smiley and happy little girl!

Jennifer continues to love riding lessons and is getting VERY excited about her first horse show in Feb. She also enjoyed riding(and cantering!) at her Grandpa's over Christmas.
Now that Christmas break is over she will resume her basketball and girl scouts as well.
She will also make her First Reconciliation this weekend with her classmates. (well.. it is actually her "Second" Reconciliation, as she (unofficially) had her first one last year, during Lent.
She and her class are also working very hard preparing for their First Communion, which will be this April already.
Jenny is very excited, and we must shop for "the dress" soon. :o)

Daniel has missed his school friends, although he was able to get together with a couple of them during the break. It is unbelievable how much he has come out of his shell in the last year. Wow. He also *adores* his kindergarten teacher--she is absolutely amazing!

The kids are also very excited about their (2nd annual) ice fishing trip up in Northern Minnesota this month with Dad. They rent a ice house with bunk beds and have the time of their lives. They can't wait.

Next month Vic and I are even going to get away for a vacation--(vacation? what's that??)for our 14th wedding anniversary! We are very excited.

**14 years--I know what you are thinking-- and YES, I did get married at age 12!** :o)

Most of all we are still rejoicing and thanking God every minute that Daniel had clean scans and tests in NY.
We are so grateful.

Well that is the short version of the Hammer family's happenings! Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers,
as well as all children who are fighting illness.
And esp the families of the Angel Children; most recently little Trey and little Sophia Marie, who bravely battled neuroblastoma.

Trey's Site
Sophia Marie's Site

God Bless.
With Love,
The Hammer's

Monday, December 13, 2004 11:48 AM CST

Update 12/20
ALL TESTING AND SCANS ARE CLEAR!!!
THANK YOU GOD!!!!

Sorry we haven't updated sooner--we all have been battling a stomach virus--but seem to be on the upswing of things fortunately!

Thanks for checking in and God Bless!!

Love, Vic and Sara

--------------------------------------

Hi everyone!

Vic and Daniel were in New York last week for tests, and safely returned home yesterday. All went very well and they had a great time. Vic will update the site soon about their trip, but I wanted to let you know that all the tests that have come back, so far, are all clear! Still no signs of cancer! Thank-You, Jesus!

Specifically, the CTs, MIBG, and 2 (out of the total 4) bone marrow aspirates back so far-- all normal!

Still waiting on the 4 bone marrow biopsies, urine, and the 2 aspirates that are pending.

Will let you know the remaining results when they are in !

Exhale......

MAJOR Prayers of Thanksgiving!

Love,
Sara and Vic

Sunday, November 28, 2004 12:40 AM CST

12/3/04

Hi everyone,
Carl made the front page of the Redwood Gazette Newspaper. It is a very lovely article about this beautiful boy.

Tribute to Carl

Another lovely article:
Sad Hearts

Please continue to keep the Robinson Family in your prayers. Thanks.

--------------------------------

It is with a very heavy and saddened heart to let you all know about the passing of our dear and precious little friend, Carl Robinson.

At 8:45pm Friday November 26th, little Carl went to Heaven to be with Jesus.

The Robinson Family has been our extended family ever since we were brought together by this disease. Their continued strong faith and positive attitude throughout this whole entire rollercoaster battle has been nothing less than miraculous.

It is also nothing short of sheer heroism how bravly and strongly 4 year old Carl has fought during this 27 month battle of endless and grueling treatments. Like his parents, he never lost his beautiful and positive fighting spirit.

Please stop by Carl's page and offer their dear family your support, thoughts and prayers. I know they will appreciate it more than you can imagine.

Carl's Page

The Robinson's have truly become a part of our family, and we will always treasure the times we spent together with them; esp the last time we saw Carl, at Camp Snoopy this past September.

Lord please watch over the Robinson Family and give them the strength they need; as well as all the continued love and support from those around them who love them so very much.

Carl, we love you, Buddy.
Please watch over us..

With tears,
The Hammer's

Thursday, November 25, 2004 8:02 AM CST

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Daniel has caught the "family" cold, but other than that, continues to do well. He is enjoying school and the new friends he is making. He was choosen to be the "Star" student a couple of weeks ago, and he really enjoyed all of the attention. Unlike his sister, he is normally pretty quite, but does have things to say when asked.

Since Daniel's diagnosis, Thanksgiving has taken on so much more meaning. Not only are we Thankful that Daniel continues to do well, we are also Thankful for all of the care, love, support, and especially prayers from family, friends, aquantences, and total strangers throughout Daniel's fight.

We are off to Wisconsin to celebrate Thanksgiving and all that it means. This disease does not take breaks for holidays (or any other special days) and neither should we, as we pray for the children and families that continue to battle this disease.

Friday, November 5, 2004 11:23 PM CST

UPDATE NOVEMBER 10, 2004:
Today is the three year anniversary of Daniel's diagnosis of cancer.
Needless to say it is a beautiful day today. We feel so blessed.
And in fact, this morning at mass Father talked about Jesus healing the ten lepers..
It is certainly a day to rejoice.
We are so grateful for today and every day. What a precious gift we have!

God Bless!
---------------------------------------

Hi everyone!
Sorry for the delay in updates.We have been so busy and I don't know where the time goes!

Daniel celebrated his 6th birthday on Oct 21st!
He had a birthday swim party with 16 of his buddies(old and new)at a local community center. It was a great day.
He is also enjoying school very much.

Jenny has been busy with her riding lessons and is looking forward to her first show this winter. She is playing basketball, and is very happy her Dad is helping coach her team.

Mary is doing wonderful. She is an absolute doll!

*We have some new photos in photo section too by the way*

This month marks 3 years since diagnosis for Daniel.
He goes back to NY in early Dec for scans.
If all goes well, this will be his last "routine scanning".
PRAISE GOD.
And therefore last "business trip" (a/k/a medical trip) to NY. Although we do hope to go back for pleasure visits, now that we have some NY blood in us too.
(Daniel literally.. with all the blood transfusions out there!)

Thank you for your continued prayers for Daniel, and also for ALL the other kids battling disease.

Esp for Matthew P, who has had some growth with his brain tumor and will likely undergo another brain surgery to
remove a cyst that is causing pressure and also debulk some more of the tumor.

And little Sydney D, who has recently relapsed.

Our little friend Benjamin B, who is battling a relapse in the brain and CNS.

Please also keep Chris B in your prayers as he is undergoing
surgery Monday in NY on his liver (by the wonderful miracle worker Dr L who operated on Daniel).
Dr L will be removing the tumor and part of his liver.

Also, we ask for prayers for Carl R, who will be going to CHOP for MIBG treatment soon.

And for Jay B, who is still battling and looking for a treatment that will slow down and eradicate his disease.
Please also pray that his pain gets better as well.

And for Christi T, who is still battling disease in her bone marrow.

And for Ansley C who has relapsed on her lung area.

And for ALL of the other kids we know and love-unfortunaly there are so many.

And lastly, for so many of our dear friends who have lost their children.

May the Lord hear all our prayers.

Thanks and God Bless,
Vic and Sara

Sunday, September 12, 2004 9:15 AM CDT

Hello everyone -

Daniel continues to amaze us with both his health and spirit. Daniel's teacher told us last week that "Daniel is a very happy boy". This is unimaginable, given where he was three years ago. We can't help but be reminded daily of the power of God. We know that Daniel would not be were he is today were it not for the power, compassion, and grace of our Lord.

Three years ago, we were not sure that Daniel would live to see his first day of Kindergarten. At that time, we handed Daniel over to God, and prayed that the blood of Jesus and nurturing of Mary heal and protect him. Today we pray that we are guided to help Daniel find his very important purpose in life.

We know that Daniel is not yet out of the dark. God willing, we will go to New York one more time this year and then switch the long term testing and monitoring to Minnesota.

We have put pictures of Daniel from 1, 2 and 3 years ago on photo page. We hope that these pictures can help even one other cancer family get through the unimaginable pain associated with this very tough journey.

Our prayer today is for all the children and their families battling cancer. May God give them the faith, strength, guidance and courage needed.

Love and Blessings!

The Hammer's
Vic, Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary

Saturday, August 28, 2004 11:58 AM CDT

UPDATE: Friday Sept 3rd-

Daniel LOVES kindergarten!!

Also, we have new photos in photo section..

Thanks!!

**************************************

**************************************

Good afternoon to everyone this Saturday!

Our website updates seem to become less frequent--which as all you other nb parents know is a good thing..that all is going well!

Vic and the kids are enjoying some time volunterring at the local Ronald Mc Donald House today preparing and serving lunch. So Baby Mary and I are just hanging out and trying to get caught up on things.

Thursday our sweet Jennifer turned 7!
She celebrated with 16 of her buddies at Stillwater Bowl
for a bowling and pizza party.
Vic and I were pretty tried by the end of the night, but we all had a great time!

Daniel and Jenny are very excited about school starting next week! Jenny will be in 2nd and Daniel will be in Kindergarten! We met with their teachers on Thursday and both are wonderful--our kids will be in the best of hands!
Jenny is excited becasue she is having one of the nuns this year for her teacher. She is such a gentle, caring and compassionate soul and we know Jenny will have another great year! It has been so busy I haven't even gotten their uniforms yet--yikes! But will do so this weekend.

Yesterday Daniel had new tubes put in his ears again as the old ones had fallen out. He gets so much fluid in his ears and it makes it so hard to hear without these wonderful
little devices. Right after the procedure he commented to me that he can hear again!

Speaking of Daniel, he continues to blossum! His energy and endurance increase everyday and he is such a happy boy.
His sense of humor is wonderful--he is always quick to have a witty and appropriate comeback!

Last but certainly not least--Baby Mary is incredible.
She is the sweetest and most enjoyable baby. She honestly couldn't have a better disposition and we are all enoying her tremendously! She has recently learned how to smile so that has been fun of course.

Well we will be sure to post some back to school pictures of the kids soon!
I know I don't have to say what it will mean to us when we see Daniel get on the bus with his sister on the first day of school. I don't think I could articulate it even if I tried.

Thank you all for your contineud prayers--they have gotten us through so many things.. and continue to!

Thank you for checking in on us!

Love and Blessings!
The Hammer's
Vic, Sara, Jennifer, Daniel and Mary

Sunday, August 1, 2004 7:37 PM CDT

**AUGUST 18th UPDATE**

Once again our prayers were answered! All tests were clear!!!
THANK YOU-GOD!!

Thank you all so much for your prayers!!

((BIG EXHALE))

Love,
Sara and Vic
PS This is 27 months of remission..and a true miracle from heaven!

**************************

Hi Everyone,
We have been so busy with the new baby-- as well as all the summer time activities-- that it has been a while since we have posted! So I wanted to get a quick post out to let everyone know that all is going well. Daniel will be going out to NY in a couple weeks for scans.. a/k/a "the dreaded scan time". Please keep Daniel in your prayers for continued clear scans. Thanks so much!!!

We recently attended the 3rd annual Neuroblastoma Conference in Chicago. Again, it was a great experience--both socially and educationally. The kids had a teriffic time being spoiled in the kids room (with so many wonderful volunteers) while we attended the 2 day conference.

Before I forget we also have some new pictures in the photos section to check out!

Baby Mary is doing great! She is a wonderful baby and is already sleeping through the night--8 hours now.
She is really spoiling us!
Both Daniel and Jenny were very good night sleepers at an early age so we had rightfully expected our luck to run out with Mary-- but she has proven us wrong--so far at least!
She truly is a joy and a blessed addition to our family!

Thank you all for checking in on us and keeping us in your prayers, as well as all the other children battling disease.
Very sadly, there has been several families recently in our Neuroblastoma Family who have lost their children to this disease. Please join us in keeping these families
in prayer -as they endure the unthinkable.

And sadly, I just found out that sweet little Alex Scott passed away today. Many of you know of her; she is the darling little 8 year old girl and founder of Alex's Lemonade Stand. She has raised over $700,000 for pediatric cancer research. She has braveley battled neuroblastoma since she was just one year old--for nearly her whole life.

Now she is safely in the arms of Jesus.
Please keep her family in your prayers.

www.alexslemonade.com

Please continue to pray for a cure for this disease..

God's Blessing to you all,
With Love,
The Hammers

Saturday, June 26, 2004 3:59 PM CDT

Hello everyone!
Baby Mary Catherine is finally here!
She was born on Thursday 6/24/04, weighing 8 lbs 14 ouces and 21.5 inches in length.
She is such a sweet and adorable little angel and
reminds us so much of Jennifer as a baby.
(Vic and I only wish that Jenny and Daniel would let us hold her more--they are hogging her pretty bad! :o)
They are very excited that she is here and are giving her all their love.
We posted a picture of her in the photo section, and on Monday there will be her baby picture from the hospital on the hospital website at www.lakeview.org You just click on "online nursery" and then "pictures of newborns" and she will be on there.

Well, we just got back from the hospital today so only have time for a quick update but wanted to announce the news and post a picture!

Thanks for checking in on us!
We all feel so very blessed!

With Love,
The Hammers

Thursday, June 17, 2004 3:37 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Wanted to update the site to let you know all is going great.
Hopefully the next time we post Baby Mary will be here!
Any day now..

The kids are having a GREAT summer! The weather has been great and so have managed to have some bonfires in the evenings which the kids really enjoy.
The are also enjoying playing with their wonderful neighbor buddies--usually splashing around in the kiddie pool :o) They have had fun as well in an art class they have been taking this week too. Next week is their bible camp which they are looking forward to, and Jenny is continuing her riding lessons. A good variety and lots of very fun things that are keeping them busy!

Last night Vic and I took in Les Mis at the Ordway in St Paul--it was amazing. I truly hope to have the opportunity to see it again. I was expecting it to be great, but was truly overwhelemed by it--so much that I thought I might go into labor! It was just an awesome show. We were also lucky to have had great seats-- second row in the orchestra section- so were very close to the stage. It was perfect.
Had a wonderful babysitter for the kids too (a classmate of Jenny's--her older sister) so they had just as much fun as we did I think! She played with them the whole time and really made it fun.

Daniel is doing better than ever. His energy and endurance
is at an all time high. At the beginning of June he had his daily Pre-K safety camp for 2 weeks where they did many fun and educational things. They also took a tour of the fire station which he enjoyed. He was very social with his classmates and teachers. It is soooo nice to see him finally catching up socially and physically. His emotional social and physical development had been very delayed due to all the intense treatments he has endured-which of course is not surprising. It is absolutely incredible to see him feeling good and happy and enjoying life.
He and Vic are going back to NY in early August for scans.

We are planning on attending the Chicago neuroblastoma conference again this year--in July. All 5 of us.
I expect the 8 hour drive will be a little more comfortable this year with the van--esp now with another child.
Good thing for portable DVD players that help the kids (and us!) keep their sanity on long journeys!
The kids had such a wonderful time last year--while the adults were attending the conference, there was a host of incredible volunteers there completely spoiling the children and keeping them so busy.
We will have baby Mary with us, of course, but if she is anything like Jenny and Dnaiel were as babies, all will be just fine.

Saturday Vic is voluntering at the Mpls Ronald Mc Donald House--helping to put on a lunch for the residents.
When we were staying at the New York Ronald Mc Donald House
for 9 months we very much apprecited the kind folks that did that for us as well.
I think he is going to bring the kids with him too as they were excited about it and would like to help.(and play:)

Several of our friends participated in the lemonade stands last weekend to raise money for childhood cancer and all had much success--raising research money and awareness for childhood cancer. Most of them either were in the paper or on their local news. We were disappointed that we couldn't join in their efforts this year but with the baby on the way it was pretty impossible. But we certainly hope to join them next year.
If you want to read more about Alex and the lemonade stands, you can visit this website..

Alex's Lemonade Stand

Well, this is what is going on at the Hammer household.
As I say I expect the next update will be shortly after the birth of Baby Mary--and hopfully with some photos of her as well!

Thanks again for checking in on us and for keeping Daniel's continued good health in your prayers!

God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammers

Saturday, May 15, 2004 3:22 PM CDT

June 2nd update-
Hi everyone!
Just a quick update to say that all continues to go well.
We are all very excited about the baby's arrival this month. Jenny's last day of school is this Friday. Daniel has begun his Pre-K safety camp-the first of many fun activities for this summer.
The kids had a great time fishing at Grandma and Grandpa's cottage--Vic has posted some new pic's..

That is all for now. Thank you so very much for your continued prayers for Daniel and all the children battling illness.

God Bless!
With Love,
The Hammer's

------------------

Hi everyone!

I am so happy to say that Daniel continues to do great in every way
and enjoying life to the fullest -as he should be!
We got good news from his endinocrinologist this week about his recent tests. They believe
he has no pituatary or adrenal disfunction that has casued his low cortisol level. They think his adrenal function is just temporaily suppressed due to the 2 years we had him on the Megestrol for appetite stimulation. Now that he is off it they expect that to gradually return to normal over the next few months.
In addition,we believe the low cortisol has most likely been the responsible culprit for his headaches and migraines!

His bone age is delayed 2 years as well, but they believe that is due to his body focusing it's energy on the cancer treatments, and they expect him to start catching up very well on his own.
So that is all very good news!

Today Daniel, Daddy and Jennifer enjoyed a looong day of fishing on their favorite river.
They are home now and are competely exhausted from their fun and busy day.

Tomorrrow ( May 16th) marks the 2 year anniversay of Daniel's bone marrow transplant.
So we are celebrating his "transplant birthday", as well as Vic's "real" birthday too, which is on the
same day.

We all continue to be excited and anxious for Baby Mary to arrive!
I began insulin injections for the gestational diabetis and we are continually adjusting the doses, so hopefully we will be able to get that under control soon so everything will be well for Mary.

Thank you all so much for checking in on us and for keeping Daniel in your prayers!

God Bless!
The Hammer's

Saturday, May 1, 2004 9:33 AM CDT

MONDAY May 3rd update:

Hi!
Well, surprisingly, Daniel's last HAMA blood work showed he was HAMA positive! :o)
As you know, he had his *final* 3f8 antibody treatment last month, and they were not really expecting him to get a HAMA. But... he did!
So, this past cycle would have still been his last had the doctors not told us he'd had enough. (Once you HAMA you are done with the antibody treatment)
So that was good news, as those of you out there who understand the world of HAMA and 3f8's!

Also, on a seperate note, we found that his cortisol function was low. He will go see his endincrinologist this week
for more testing of his adrenal function. Sounds like he will need to be on a hormone for that.
The good news is that I talked to his neurologist today and he agreed that
his migraines may be due to a low cortisol level. So that would be nice if the hydrocortisone took care of the migraines!
Speaking of which, he did have a migraine last night....BUT it was right at bedtime..and he slept it off!
That was so nice becasue it didn't waste his whole day.

Just wanted to post this quick update!
Thanks again stoppin' by!

With Love,
Sara and Vic

---------------------------------

Hi everyone,

Thank you for checking in on us!

I am so happy to say Daniel is doing great and feeling great!
He has not had a migraine for about a month! This is such great news--we so much hate to see him have a "migraine day".

Jennifer and Daniel have been enjoying this beautiful Minnesota Spring to its fullest. They spend nearly all their free time outside playing--mostly with their good neighbor buddies. They have also got their vegetable seeds planted already.

Since it is almost summer break and their school year is coming to a quick end,we have been getting them signed up for the summer activities. Jenny is very excited to be taking riding lessons at a nearby stable, a spanish and art class, and tennis lessons.
Daniel will be taking a summer pre-K safety camp, and will also be continuing with his speech therapy, and tennis lessons.
And almost forgot--both will have a week of vacation bible camp through the church too-in June!
So, with this and the arrival of baby Mary coming sometimes in June, it should be a fun and active summer for them.

We are all very excited about the baby, and are busy getting all ready for her arrival. Unfortunately, this week I was diagnosed with gestational diabetis, so we are doing all we can to make sure Mary will be born healthy and with no complications. The doctors are watching us very closely
and I need to check my blood sugar several times a day.
Finding out I have gestational diabetis certainly helps explain why I have been feeling below the weather as I have been this last trimester--lightheaded, fatigued, dizzy,-- it all makes sense now.

The other medical issue we are dealing with is Daniel's lack of growth. He had a bone age test with the endocrinologist recently and his bone age tested a full 2 years behind-- at 3 years 6 months. (rather than his actual age of 5 years, 6 months)
We had some pituatary function tests as well, which we are waiting for the results, to see if he is delayed due to pituatary damage from the head radiation he recieved, or if he is delayed due to all the chemos and treatments.(and just has not had time to catch up).
Either way, we have decided to not treat him with growth hormone, as we know this would put him at greater risk for the cancer to come back or for developing a secondary cancer.
So the lack of growth is the lesser of the 2 evils for us right now.

Before I close I want to ask for your prayers for a friend of ours who, very sadly, is dying. We know Becca and her mom from NY. Becca has been bravely battling relapse. During these final days she has been having much pain and they are hoping and praying she will soon pass peacfully.
Thank you.

God Bless,
The Hammer's

Sunday, April 18, 2004 8:57 PM CDT

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update to let you know that Daniel is doing teriffic!
He and Jenny have been enjoying this beautiful Minnesota Spring of ours.
(By the way, Vic added a new photo of the kids in the photo section).
Thankfully, Daniel has not had a migraine for a couple weeks so that is always great news. We do, however, have a new medicine from the neurologist to try when he gets another one. It is Immitrex via sub-q injection. So he can't throw it up which is nice.

We are all getting vey excited for baby Mary to arrive, of course!
June will be here before we know it, I'm sure.
I have been feeling all right--am getting more morning sickness this last month which has been a bummer--but in the mornings only at least, and not all day, Thank God.
And it is frustrating to not have the energy that I normally do-often I feel so wiped out--but other than that all is going pretty well.

I want to also ask for your prayers for a sweet little boy we know that passed away this week, Jordan Luke. They are from Texas and we knew them from NY. Jordan relapsed a few months ago. Please keep his lovely parents in your prayers during this unimaginable time. Our hearts and prayers go out to them so much. Thank you.
www.caringbridge.com/tx/jordanluke

Thank you for checking in on us, and for keeping Daniel in your continued prayers.
God Bless,
Vic and Sara

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 5:48 PM CST

UPDATE April 8th--

Hello to everyone on this Holy Thursday evening!

Daniel and Vic are coming home tomorrow!

Have some interesting news--His NY doctors told Vic today that although the protocol states 2 more rounds of 3f8's, they concur that tomorrow he can be officially finished with the protocol, with tomorrow being his last 3f8 day.
Theroetically, they like for the kids to acheive HAMA, but he has had soooo many rounds (over 2 years) and they don't feel that he will ever HAMA, (and some kids don't--and do fine) and they feel the risks out weight the possible benefit at this point--waiting for a HAMA that probably won't come, versus the horrible pains Daniel has to endure with 3f8's- and now with his migrianes too)
So after tomorrow, he is offically "off treatment".
Vic asked about the routine scan schedule going forward, and (God willing) if he has 2 more clear work ups this year(July and November) and then no more "routine scans" are needed.
But he did say that if ever we ever have a concern(Daniel has a pain or is limping,etc..) that they will always order them at our request, of course.

We think this is very good news--They are all very pleased
with Daniel's progress.

We can not have a false sense of security at this point however, becasue we are no where near out of the woods for Daniel--but he has indeed come so very far. (2 years in remission!)And we are so grateful for this and do not take one bit of it for granted. It is all a marvelous gift!

We will have to follow up now with the some late effects Dr's here and in NY, who will continue to moniter any side effects from the chemos, radiation and treatments.

Jenny and I are so excited to see them tomorrow-- They are flying out right after the antibody treatment.

Today Jenny and her school class put on a play of the Last Supper. It was very cute. The customes they each created were a sight to see--very imaginative!
(robes, towels, sheets, belts, sandels--I esp enjoyed the old curtain valance her and I found at Good Will for her head--It was perfect! :o)

Tonight at The Mass of The Lords Supper,
her and I brought up the Oil of the Catechumens(the baptismal oil). It would have been extra nice of course had Vic and Dan been here to accompany us but Jenny and I (and Mary) still enjoyed processing it up.

Well, it is late but wanted to add an update- Thank you all so much for your continued prayers!
On behalf of Vic and I, we want to wish you all a very Blessed Easter!

An Easter Prayer for You
May the risen Lord
be with you always,
bestowing the gift of peace
and his Holy Spirit.
And may Mary,
the Mother of the Lord,
obtain for you
from Jesus, her Son,
lively faith, steadfast hope,
and abundant love.
Amen.

-------------------------------------

UPDATE APRIL 7th!!

*****GREAT NEWS!!!*****
BONE MARROWS ARE NEGATIVE TOO!!!!!!!
So all the scans and whole work up was clear!!! THANK YOU, GOD!!!

One can never, *ever* take clear results for granted with this disease. This is a true gift from God and nothing short of a miracle! Believe me..

So, 3 more days of antibody treatments and my boys will be returning home!!
I can't wait!!
Thank you for all your prayers!!

With Love,
The Hammer's

--------------------------------

5 HOURS LATER--UPDATE:

CT's are negative too!!!!!
"oh...happy day!!!"

Now just waiting on bone marrow biopsies results--which usually take a few days.

Daniel had a very rough day today as far as pain goes with the antibodies--and has a lot of afterpains tonight too. :o( We hope and pray the rest of the week will be easier for him somehow..

Will update again when we get the bone marrows!
Thanks!

-----------------

UPDATE: Monday April 5th

GREAT NEWS!!
MIBG scan is negative!!!

That was the only test result that has come back so far.
(The other real biggie of course is the bone marrow biopsies).

This is GREAT NEWS!!!!
(Thank you, God!!!)

If this whole work up is negative, this April-May marks 2 years of remission for Daniel!

Thank you all for your continued and faithful prayers!!

I will be sure to post with more scan results as they come in!

Thank you for checking in!

Love,
Vic and Sara

------------------------------------

UPDATE: Saturday April 3rd

Hello--
Vic and Dan are doing just fine in NY. Daniel is in very good spirits.
All testing has been completed.
Monday he will be begin his week of antibody treatments. And on Friday they will be flying back home.
We hope to have preliminary test results back on most of the tests early next week. We will be sure to post them as soon as we get them!
Thanks so much for keeping Daniel in your prayers, as well as all the other children battling cancer and other illnesses.

God Bless!
The Hammer's
--------------------------------------

**UPDATE: WEDNESDAY MARCH 31st:

Daniel got another migraine today--unfortunately. (nine days after his last one, which lasted 8 hours)
Got it at 9 this morning and still has it.(it is 3pm) He is sleeping now, except when he wakes up to throw up.
I gave him the new pills we have right at the onset this morning and they didn't help.
I know there is no magic pill out there for migraines but I was hoping this would help--at least shorten the duration.
I have a call in to the neurologist to ask about other meds to try for the next one.
He missed his last day of preschool before his trip and we missed Jenny's mass today.
It is such a beautiful day out today--50 and sunny. What a bummer he cannot enjoy it. Well, hopefully it the migraine will be over soon. And I am glad he can sleep too.
If anyone has any experience with children and chronic migraines and can offer any suggestions please email me. We are open to anything that might help!
Please keep Daniel in your prayers
that they will become less frequent, and/or we find something that works..

(They are leaving tomorrow already for NY--so I am at least grateful he got it before his travel day and not on it!)

Thanks very much!
---------------------------------------

Hi everyone!
Just a quick update to let you know everything is going just teriffic with Daniel! He is just blossoming in every way.
He did, however have another migraine episode a week ago Monday, which lasted 8 hours. He got through it and is such a trooper. Hopefully they will become more infrequent as he gets older,which I'm told is often the case.
The Doctors all believe he gets these becasue they run in our family.
Vic and Dan will be heading for NY on Thursday for scans and a week of antibody treatments.Please keep them in your prayers for a safe trip and for clear scan results!

Thanks for checking in on Daniel and for your continued prayers for us, and for all the families fighting childhood cancer. And esp for all the parents who have lost their children and miss them so dearly..

Thank you and God Bless.
With Love,
The Hammer's

PS We finally updated the photo section by the way!

Wednesday, March 17, 2004 4:51 PM CST

Hi everyone and Happy St Patrick's Day!

Well, I'm very glad to say Daniel is doing great--and we hope to post some new photos soon.
Daniel did, however, have another another migraine yesterday that lasted 6 hours.We did just get some new migraine medicine from the neurologist so at the next hint of one coming on we will give him some of this medicine that will hopefully help.
He has had increased energy, strength and motivation which has been so great to see. He has also been quite the little prankster and enjoys cracking jokes and making people laugh!

Tomorrow he goes on a field trip with his Preschool class to the Science Mueseum--I am going along to chaperone. We are looking forward to it!

All is going well with baby Mary--she is growing and moving around a lot. Saw my OB dr today and all continues to be good.
We are all very excited--June just seems like so far away!Had an ultrasound last week (3D)and was able to see her yawn and open and close her eyes. It was awesome!

Looks like Vic and Dan will be returning to NY for 3f8's and scans the first part of April. We are still trying to get everything coordinated but it should work well.
Please say some extra prayers for clear scans. Scan time is always so anxiety filled.

It is with such a heavy, heavy heart to say that I have learned of 3 children's passing--all after battling neuroblastoma relapse. Please keep the families of Robynn B, Julia, and Andrew N in your prayers during this unimaginably horrific time.

Thank you so much for checking in on Daniel and for caring..

God Bless!

With our Love,
The Hammer's

Tuesday, March 2, 2004 9:41 PM CST

Update 3/13
Hello--
Just a quick update to let you know that the neurologist found no neurological problem or irregularity that would be causing Daniel's headaches. (big whew)
He said he sees kids who just get migraines and who have not had any of Daniel's treatments.
**Daniel has not had a headache in 10 days by the way..I sure hope that will continue!**
Anyway, he said he would prescribe some migraine medicine in the future if it reoccurs.
Wanted to share the great news!!

Have a great weekend!
Thank you for keeping us in your prayers!

With Love,
Sara and Vic
--------------

Update March 10th --
Hello everyone!
Just a quick note to let everyone know that Daniel's MRI came back normal! Thank you Jesus!!
He will be meeting with a neurologist this week to hopefully get some insight into the migraines. He has not had one for a week so that is good.
The NY trip this week was postponed due to not knowing the cause of these migraines. The NY doc's felt it unsafe for Daniel to get his 3f8 treatment until we have the MRI back and have the neurological workup--becasue when you get the 3f8 treatment your blood pressure goes very high and could cause a complication(for an example if it was an annurysm, etc..)
We know they always have his very best interest at heart. In fact, one of his NY doc's called last night to see if we had MRI result back and was so pleased to hear it was negative.
So-- his treatment and scans will be rescheduled in a couple weeks--after our meeting/workup with the neurologist--so we know it is safe to continue the treatments.
Daniel had his speech therapy class this morning and enjoyed it. He is now eating some tacos (his new favorite food)and getting ready for preschool--today is picture day there. And then after we have Jenny's school mass. So--I must be headng out but wanted to let all my faithful prayer warriors know that the MRI came back great!
By the way, we met with his opthamologist yesterday too and she said there was not anything on the MRI that would be causing these pupil issues--She really thinks that it is a side effect from the treatments. And his vision continues to be 20/20.

Thanks again!
All Our Love,
Vic and Sara
------------------

3/4 1pm
PRASIE GOD!!!!
We are absolutely elated to say that his head CT looked great. We truly believe it IS a miracle. We had been expecting the worst--a brain tumor.
All the signs seemed to point to it--
unequal and non responsive pupils, recurrent and debilitating migraines
and vomiting, lasting up to 10 hours..and so on.
The oncologists have always been worried about Daniel relapsing in the brain or spine, as a lot of the chemos and treatments do not cross the blood-brain barrier. Anyway, the dr thought if it was a tumor in the brain that was causing these symptoms, it would have been big enough to show up on the CT.
Granted, it is good we are having an MRI done next week in NY as those are much more detailed. If that is normal, along with the rest of his scans, we will see a neurologist about treatming the migraines. All the specialists we see do not know why he is having the pupil issues nor the headaches, and if the MRI is clear, they are leaning towards atttributing it to the late effects of his head/skull radiation..even though it is a rare effect with his particular radiotherapy.
I can not tell you what a huge burden has been lifted off of our shoulders. We know we are not out of the woods yet, but that fact that this CT came back clear was huge. We were extrememly
worried, and rightfully so.
We have been in continuous prayer the past couple days and want to thank you all for your heartfelt prayers and healing energies as well!
This is truly a miracle from above in our eyes--without a doubt!

OK-I must go calm down before I go into premature labor--which would not be a good thing.
I have to remind myself to breathe.. :o)

With enourmous gratitude and amazement and joy,
Vic and Sara
-------

9:10pm update-
Daniel had his CT his morning, but we haven't heard from the oncologist about results yet. We thought for sure we would hear something today.
I guess it gives us more time to pray.
Will let you know as soon as we hear.
Thank you all so much for your prayers--we really need do need them now--we are very nervous.
Thanks and God Bless,
The Hammer's
--------
Update--3/3
Daniel had a severe migraine with vomiting yesterday that lasted 10.5 hours--He is having a head CT at 1030 am this morning--Please pray that it is not a tumor--I will keep you updated.
Thank you,
With Love,
Vic and Sara
--------------------------

Hi everyone -

Over the last several weeks, Daniel has been getting severe headaches with vomiting. His pupils have not been dilating properly and we are very concerned. Please pray that the Lord covers Daniel with His Almighty protection and keeps him especially safe during the current path he is on.

Daniel would not be where he is at today were it not for everyone’s faith and prayers.

Thank you.

Saturday, January 31, 2004 11:18 AM CST

Hi everyone!

Thank you for stopping by to check in on Daniel!

Sorry for the lack of updates--Everything has been going so well there really hasn't been much news! We are truly thanking God for that!

Daniel continues to do teriffic. He is enjoying preschool very much. He has also begun some speech therapy classes.
He is very easy to understand, but with his high frequency hearing loss, he needs some additional help with some articulation of the high frequency sounds--esp before kindergarten begins this Fall.
We want to keep ahead of the game.
And speaking of Kindergarten,we had his registration this week! He is sooo excited to be getting on the bus with Jenny this fall, and going to their VERY awesome school--St Croix Catholic! YEH!! She promised him she will always walk him to his class first before going to her class. :o)

Daniel and Jenny are also in tumbling--had their class this morning already.They will also be starting up their swimming lessons again later this month.
Jenny has been enjoying her girl scouts very much as well. They are doing so many fun and creative activities.

Daniel is still seeing the opthamologist for his pupil situation. We go back again next week. His vision continues to be 20/20 in each eye, which they continue to moniter becasue they are not sure what to expect. On the New York March scan/3f8's trip, they may decide to add a head MRI, instead of his routine CT of head and orbits--not sure yet. The opthamologist MD and oncologists are working together. Having said all this, they still do not think this pupil thing has anything to do with cancer--just thinking it is a very rare side effects from the various treatments.And which we are monitering closely. It still does not bother Daniel in the slightest, and he is very easy going about the daily eye care. I did speak with his opthamologist on the phone this week, and she is thinking about having him on an oral antibiotic--not for infection purposes but to possibly help the condition in some way which she did not explain. She said she would go into detail this week when we are in the office.
It sounds interesting. She is very much on top of things and is doing a lot of research and consultations with other MD's about this. He is in good hands.

Daniel continues to do well with his thyroid medicine. He will have a follow up next week to check his blood levels.

On a fun note, Daddy has been taking the kids on some very fun ice fishing trips! I have never seen 2 kids LOVE to ice fish as much as these 2 kids too! Oh my goodness!(They use a heated icehouse of course, so they don't all freeze to death in these crazy temperatures!) There are some ice fishing photos in the photo section by the way.

I am feeling very good. Still only get a little sick when I first wake up, but am just fine the rest of the day. It is so great to feel HUMAN AGAIN!
Yesterday, we had an ultraound..and found out the gender...drum roll please...It is a GIRL!!
Mary Catherine is beautiful, healthy, sweet, and perfect in every way!
She was even sucking her thumb for much of the time..sooo cute!! We could see her mouth and jaw opening and closing a lot, So.... those of you that know our Jennifer know that she will probably be just like her big sister!! :o)
Daniel went to the appt with Vic and I. Jenny really wanted to go too, but they had a special field trip at school with her class and I didn't want her to miss it. As soon as she got home she ran in the door and asked "Is it a boy or a girl????" Daniel told her girl and she was so excited!

Last night we got a babysitter, and Vic and I went out to celebrate our healthy baby girl,and also our 13th wedding anniversary. It was a fun evening.

Well, we will update again--hopefully later rather than sooner :o)--as all you parents of children battling cancer know very well--it is a wonderful blessing to be busy with such normal everyday things that you don't have much else to report! No news is usually great news!!

Please continue to keep Daniel in your prayers and ALL of our many friends battling cancer--and keep asking for a CURE to be found.

I also want to ask for your extra prayers for our friend, Becca, who has been bravely battling neuroblastoma relpase. They have learned that her disease has progressed very much, and have run out of treatment options. They will be going on a family trip to Hawaii very soon. Please pray for strengh for them as they journey ahead.

Thank you and God Bless.
With Love,
The Hammer's

Thursday, January 8, 2004 11:18 AM CST

**NEW PHOTOS ADDED 1-14-04**

Hello,

We hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and New Year.

Things are going well here, but we just take each day as it comes.
We had a scare this week when I noticed that Daniel's pupils remain perpetually dialted. Even in bright light his pupils will not constrict at all. So I took him to a pediatric opthamologist and they could not get them to constrict either. Vic and I were, of course, extremely worried about a tumor in brain. After much examination, and ruling out nerve damage, they found that his corneas are so dry to the point of being damaged, and that is why his pupils will not repsond to light. The opthalogist is puzzled and very concerned about this as it is very much NOT typical, even with what Daniel has gone through. So she is doing research along with 2 of Daniel's oncologists to try to find out why this is the case. She does, however believe at this point it will be an ongoing, chronic condition.
Part of the problem and contriubting factors is that he has always slept with his eyes partially open, and then with meds such as the Accutane, it has been like damage on top of damage. (His vision, however, is pefect by the way.)
We are currently using an antibiotic ointment and eye drops to prevent a serious infection in the cornea, and add mositure, but so far it has not changed the pupil status. The eye Dr MD was shocked that he has not been complaining about severe eye pain with the shape his corneas are in! But as all of us parents know whose child has endured these treaments for neuroblastoma, these kids are no strangers to pain! So even though the eye Dr is very concerned, we are just unbelievebably relieved that it is not cancer. We can deal with anything else!

He is doing well on his thyroid medication by the way,
and seems to have a bit more energy now as well.
He is defintaly enjoying Preschool too,and is very excited
about starting kindergarten and riding the bus with Jennifer this Fall!
The kids are also both very excited about the baby coming in June, and also finding out the gender in a couple weeks. Daniel is, of course, rootin' for a boy... and Jenny, no surprise, is hoping for a girl.
I am starting to feel better. FINALLY. Only get sick in the mornings and maybe one time during the day. It is definately going in the right direction! I have to admit it has been a very challanging and difficult 4 months being continuosly sick like I've been.

I want to ask for prayers for Brandon B, a little boy
we know who(like Daniel) has been in remission for 20 months. Sadly he has relapsed. It is so hard to go through so much and come so far, and then have this happen.
PLEASE keep Brendan in your prayers,and pray that a cure is found SOON.

Thank you all for your continued prayers!
We wish all of you a very Blessed 2004!

With Love,
The Hammer's

Wednesday, December 24, 2003 9:24 AM CST

The Angel's Message

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people.
For this day is born to you in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you:
You shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and signing:
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of good will." Luke 2:10-14

Tuesday, December 9, 2003 11:15 PM CST

SATURDAY DEC 13th

Great news! ALL of Daniel's scans and tests came back CLEAR!!! Thank you, Lord!!

My boys came home last night so I Jenny and I want to spend all our time with them right now. But I wanted to post this quick to let you know we got teriffic news!

God Bless!

--------------------------------------

Hi everyone,
Just a quick update on the boys in NY. All is going as well as can be expected. There is no denying that it is a very tough week physically for Daniel, with all his scans and treatments. We haven't got any results back yet and he still has some more scans to go but I will update as soon as we hear anything.
We did get some news though after a blood test today. Daniel has hypothyroidism..an underactive thyroid. He will begin medication for that.
It is a fairly common side effect from radiation to the head or neck areas.
I am trying not to worry about scans, although it is difficult not to. He had been having some leg/knee pain on and off and that of course adds to my concern. But deep down I believe they will be clear. I am doing my best to keep the faith and give my worries to God until we hear anything.

I have been contining to feel nauseous, even though I am in my 2nd trimester now. I had hoped it would be gone by now.
Hopefully soon.. I am getting so sick of throwing up and feeling yucky.

Please continue to keep Carl Robinson in your prayers that he will lick this cancer for good.
We also learned of another little boy we know, Jordan, who just relpased after a year in remission. I shared a room with them in Oct when Jordan and Daniel were getting 3f8's.
I understand that he has several tumors, and one pushing against his spine, casuing paralysis. Please keep Jordan in your prayers as well.

Thank you for your prayers for Daniel and clear scans this week as well.

We will update as we get any more news on Daniel's scans.

God Bless,
The Hammer's

Saturday, December 6, 2003 6:54 PM CST

Hello everyone,

First and foremost I want to ask that you please continue to keep our dear little friend Carl Robinbson, who is now battling relapse, in your prayers. We pray that Jesus will quickly and permanetly take all his cancer away.

Carl's Page
--------

*We just put some new pictures in the photo section..

Vic and Daniel are leaving tomorrow for NY for a week of treatments and scans. We hope they will arrive there safefy considering all the snow they are getting there right now!

Daniel continues to do great. His activity and endurance is steadily increasing which is great to see.
He had been complaining about some knee pain on and off, which scares us to death of course, but he is not having it anymore, which makes us think (hope!) it was just soreness from increased activity. Still, we will be VERY glad and relieved to get clear scan results back after next week. Please pray that his scans will continue to be clear!
Scan time is such a worry some and stressful time for us. We have to keep reminding ourselves to keep the faith and give our worries to God..and of course, PRAY pray pray!

We will update again when the boys are in NY and as scans results come back in.

Thank you for all your prayers! They are deeply appreciated!

God Bless!

Wednesday, November 26, 2003 10:46 AM CST

TUESDAY DECEMBER 2ND

**Urgent prayer request for our dear friends, the Robinson's**

Their son Carl,age 4,who has also been battling stage 4 neuroblastoma has relapsed in his bone marrow and legs.
They got the test results last evening.
Please lift Carl up in your prayers that the next treatments they begin will completely rid his body of this evil cancer for good.
Please also pray that the treatments will not to too difficult for Carl.

Thank you for keeping these very dear friends of ours in your continued prayers..that Jesus will quickly and permanetly take all his cancer away.
Thank You.

Carl's Page

----------------------------------------

Wednesday, November 26th

Hi everyone!
Just a short update to let you know everything is going great!
Daniel and Dad will be going to NY the week of Dec 8th
for cycle #18 of 3f8's, and scans. The scans in which Daniel receives radioactive injections are scheduled earlier in the week so they will be out of his system by the time he comes home. (Since I pregnant, I can't be around him for 48 hours after these injections)
Please pray for continued clear scans. It is so easy to feel a false sense of security when everything is going so smoothly and he has been doing so well. But then we hear of yet another child who has been in remission, longer than Daniel, and has relapsed and passed away. It is a cruel reminder that we are not out of the woods yet.. by any means.
So your continued prayers for Daniel's cure are greatly apreciated.

Please also pray for the many families that we know who are just trying to get though this holiday season (not to mention every single day) without their child. Sadly this is the case for so many of our friends..

Thanks so much for all your love and prayers.
May you and yours have a safe and Blessed Thanksgiving!

With Love,
The Hammer's
PS Please check out Daniel's Virtual Smile Quilt!

Daniel's Smile Quilt

Monday, November 10, 2003 1:15 PM CST

Hi everyone and Happy Anniversary Daniel!

Today is a big day for us all – two years ago today we brought in our otherwise healthy little boy to the Stillwater Clinic because the corner of his eyeball was yellow. We knew this wasn’t good, but we had no idea how bad it was. By the next morning, we had been transferred to the local Children’s hospital and were being told that Daniel’s odds of long-term survival were minimal. We began making arrangements for surgeries and chemotherapy and the rest is a blur.

The last two years have been both the worst and the best of our lives. They have been the worst because of Daniel going through so much painful and debilitating treatment. They have been the best because seeing Daniel go from near death to where he is today has brought us all closer to God. It has been nothing short of miraculous to see the hands of God touch and heal Daniel.

We know we are still not out of the dark – but we are so very happy to be where we are at today. We have seen far too many beautiful children taken over the past two years and still struggle with the question of – Why?. Daniel will be receiving medical treatments until 2005. Starting in 2004 he will make quarterly trips to NY for antibody treatments and scans. This will be much nicer than the current 6-week trips.

Daniel continues to do well. He had lost some weight over the last several months so he is back on the Megase and that seems to have his appetite kicked into gear. Daniel also continues to enjoy preschool. He goes three day per week for a couple of hours per day. The other day Sara brought Daniel in and several girls said “hi Daniel” so of course we all enjoy teasing him about having girlfriends.

Daniel is not as motivated as Jennifer to discus or practice school-type activities. His life over the last couple of years has been either pure hell (surgery and chest tubes, chemotherapy sickness, stem cell transplant, radiation, etc.) or pure delight (Camp Snoopy, Disney, Swimming at the cottage, etc.). Daniel often complains of being "bored" - we are working on ways to ease him into this hopefully new normalcy. We are not sure how much of this attitude to attribute to being a boy, being through what he has endured over the last two years, or being his own particular personality.

Please continue to pray for the healing of all of the fighters of this horrible disease.

Thank you and God Bless!

The Hammer Family

Sunday, October 26, 2003 12:44 AM CST

Lunch For Life current total is $125,000.00!

**New photos in photo section!**

Hi Everyone!
Well we are back from NY and completed cycle 17 of 3f8's! Only 5 more cycles to go if Daniel doesn't make HAMA.
After that we will continue to go to NY every 3 months for scans.
When we landed at the MPLS airport we discovered that our bag did not make it.They are now telling us it was likely stolen by someone at LaGuardia, as it never left the airport. There were some very special things in there that will be missed, such as VERY special necklaces of Daniel's and mine, and his special birthday presents from Ronald Mc Donald House and MSK. (There were also his medicines, our clothes, hairdryer, tolietries,etc..all which can be replaced.)
So this has been disappointing as you can imagine.

However it does get put into proper perspective as we mourn 2 more little boys that passed away this week from neuroblastoma. Please pray for the family of little Michael Downing, who was five. Before his death Michael lost his father, a firefighter, last year. He was killed as a roof collapsed while he was putting out a fire.

Farewell to Brave Tyke

Heaven's Little Fireman

In Grief, Strength

Please keep Michael's mom Anne, and his sister Joanne in your prayers as they endure these unbearable losses;losses that no one should ever have to endure.

Another family is grieving the loss of their brave hero, Lance. He has been bravely battling this disease for 4 years. He was a teenager, which is fairly rare with this childhood cancer. Lance's Page
If you look in his photos section you will see him looking so handsome in the pictures taken just last week.. of him at a pumpkin farm and also fishing.
Please keep Lance's family in your prayers as well.

This last week of 3f8's were pretty tough on Daniel. He had a lot of after pains and didn't want to eat. But by the time we got home,he has fully recovered. It was nice to see everyone in NY..all the amazing staff that takes such good care of us. Daniel esp loves Dr Kushner and he and Daniel goofed around for quite a while before Daniel's antibody treatment.
We did go out on his birthday, on Tuesday, after the 3f8's with many old and new friends from Ronald Mc Donald House, along with a NY Giants player, Jason Garrett. We went to a wonderful italian restaurant, where everyone there sung Happy B-day to Daniel! Afterwards we all went to the movie "Good Boy". So Daniel did manage to enjoy himself in the evening on his birthday.

Last but not least we have one more thing to mention! We are all so VERY EXCITED to be adding a 5th member to our family.. We're expecting a new baby on June 28th!
We can't wait!!!

Thank you again for all of your prayers for Daniel, and for all the other children battling this disease. And esp for the families who have had to say good bye to their babies all too soon.

God Bless,

With Love,
The Hammer's

Tuesday, October 21, 2003 4:31 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Today our little boy turns five years old - Happy Birthday Daniel! Little did we know five years ago what an interesting journey we would have with Daniel. In his short five years with us, we have learned more about strength and courage than many learn in a lifetime. We are reminded daily of both the frailty and resiliency of human life.

We also know that without God's intervention, Daniel would not be where he is today. We know that without the suffering and death of Jesus, there would be no precious blood to cover and protect Daniel.

Daniel and Mom are in New York and are making the most of the day. They had a party at the clinic, unfortunately it was after Daniel's treatments and he didn't want anything to do with it. They are planning on going out tonight with the RMDH for dinner and a movie with a member of the NY Giants football team - hopefully he will be back to his normal self by then.

We ask for continued prayers for all the children of this world suffering with cancer - specifically we pray for the complete healing of all of these brave young fighters. For those children that God has called home - we pray for the peace and understanding for their parents and the comforting knowledge that they are in heaven with God.

Thank you and God Bless!

The Hammer Family

Friday, October 17, 2003 8:12 PM CDT

Hi everyone,
It has been a while since we've given an update so thought I would do that..
(although "no news" is almost always, "good news"!)

Daniel is doing great. He continues to enjoy preschool.
He and Jenny are looking forward to Halloween of course.

The kids have been off school Thursday and Friday due to teachers conventions so we have been able to do some fun things. We also took in the cute new movie "Good Boy" which they loved.

Yesterday was special as a good friend of mine came over for the day to visit.
We (and the kids) went to lunch, and just hung out and visited. It was just what I needed! (Thanks, Michelle!)

Tonight Jennifer is at a girlfriend's house for a sleepover and it is just the 3 of us.(It is sooo QUIET!:)
He and Dad are upstairs preparing dinner as I type.
Tomorrow we are taking the kids to our annual tradition of trick or treating at the zoo.

Daniel had an abscessed tooth pulled and has needed some dental work but all is going fine.
He no longer seems to have neuropathy issues in his feet, so he is off the neurontin, but needed to get fitted for his BMO's(bilateral supramalleolar ankle-foot orthoses) as his arches and tendons are weak. (most likely due to the chemos he recieved). This weakness causes his heals to point inward when he walks, and makes his feet tired. So these molded plastic inserts fit right in his sneakers and gives him the support the needs.
He chose a pattern with monkeys on it, so we just refer to them as "the monkeys."

Daniel and Mom are leaving on Sunday for NY for his week of 3f8's. Daniel will turn 5 when we are there; this Tuesday. We feel sorry for him that he will be getting the painful treatments on his birthday. But we indeed will make it up to him! It also reminds us of how BLESSED we are that he here with us, and doing so well!
It is impossible to take that for granted.
By the way, next month will be 2 years since Daniel's diagnosis! PRAISE GOD!

About each month we attend some sort of healing service, in NY, MN or in another city.
The one today was actually at our local parish, and it was very nice.
Our Pastor, as well as the Pastor from Jenny's school were officiating.
Daniel and Jenny have gotten VERY used to being annointed with oil! :o)

We would really like to go back to the Shrine in St Louis, where we attended the healing services in July.
We will go next July again for the annual healing Novena, but would like to fit in another trip there, around Christmastime, if possible.

Recently, on the Feast of the Holy Rosary, we particpated in the candlelight Rosary Procession in St Paul;
from the capital to the catherdral.
It certainly gives us a lot of time to pray
for all the kids we know who are battling childhood cancer.

Which brings me to the sad news.
Last Sunday, Cameron Joseph, a little boy from Minnesota, passed away. He has been battling cancer practicaly his whole life.
Although he did not have neuroblastoma I knew of him through his Aunt.
Please keep his family in your prayers.
Cameron's Page

More sad news, Justin, who I had mentined previously, passed away this morning. He had been battling neuroblastoma. Justin's Page

Please keep these families in your prayers.

As many of you know, dear friends of ours from Michigan, The Kellys, lost their beatiful daughter, Annie, in July of 2002, to neuroblastoma. They were the first family we met at Ronald Mc Donald House in NY , and we and our children quiclky became good friends. Kelly, Annie's mom, has been such an advocate for Lunch for Life, as she knows all too well how awful this disease is and wants desperately to see a cure, even though it is too late for little Annie.
(And if you knew Kelly you'd know how that is so much like her)
This is a lovely article that appeared in the paper yesterday. Please check it out and please keep the wonderful Kelly family in your prayers. Annie's Article

Regarding Lunch For Life, Day 14 total for Lunch For Life exceeds $80,000.
Thank you thank you thank you for all of you who have contributed!

The press coverage is continuing and growing, and you can follow it here Click Here

Please continue spreading the word and esp keep praying for better treatments and a cure for this evil disease.

WE ARE GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THESE CHILDREN! THEY SO MUCH DESERVE IT.

For an update on the status of "Lunch for Life" Click Here

Please visit Thank You's
to see my public THANK YOU as well as many other neuroblastoma families words of thanks.

CNCF (Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation)is the organization we are raising money. Thank so much to Pat and Milton for all they do to help our children.
They lost their 10 year old son Nick to Neuroblastoma in 1999.

One last thing I want to mention:
A VERY generous offer. A new way to donate to Lunch for Life without giving up your lunch. Click Here
From now until December 31, 2003, Ginger will donate all her profits of anything that someone orders from her. That's 40 percent of the sale price of each item.
For more info see the above link.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, GINGER!

Thank you and God Bless.
The Hammer Family

Thursday, October 2, 2003 8:39 PM CDT

Wednesday Oct 15th
Day 14 total for Lunch For Life $80,017!
Thank you thank you thank you for all of you who have contributed!!
------------------------------------
Tuesday Oct 14th
Lunch for Life total is $73,632!!
-----------------------------------
Sunday Oct 12th
Lunch for Life total so far is $67,143.00!
There has been some amazing stories of people being moved to action(ie school and other groups taking our cause up as service projects, companies matching employees contributions, etc..)
This response has been a true blessing!

The press coverage is continuing and growing, and you can follow it here Click Here

Please continue spreading the word and esp keep praying for better treatments and a cure for this evil disease.

WE ARE GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THESE CHILDREN! THEY SO MUCH DESERVE IT!!
--------------------------------------

Sat Oct 11th

Very sadly, a little boy we know, Justin, age 2,is losing his battle with Neuroblastoma. Unfairly, he has been battling this disease for half of his life. The disease has now taken over his spine and he can barely move.
PLEASE pray that he does not suffer.
Also pray for STRENGTH for his parents and family.
To leave thoughts or prayers for Justin's family: Justin's Page

May God be with them.
------------------------------------

Fri Oct 10th

The mail and phone calls are still rolling in.. but so far the current count for Lunch For Life is:
$50,282.00!

To read the latest news articles on this effort Click Here

For an update on the status of "Lunch for Life" Click Here

-------------------------------------

Oct 7th--2nd update.
More devestating news. A beautiful 13 year old girl we knew named Jessica, from MN passed away this morning. We knew them from NY, where they went to get treatment after she relapsed.
Please keep her family in your prayers.
Jessica's Page

We also got word tonight that another family we know from NY were told to go home. The little boy's disease has progressed and there is nothing more that can be done for him medically speaking.

This is all so unbelievabley hard to deal with.

--------------------------------------
Oct 7th UPDATE
We are now at $30,762.00 for Lunch for Life.

On a very, very sad note,
we have lost another precious little boy to this disease. Dalton passed away last night. Please keep his family in your prayers as they endure the unimaginable.
Dalton's Page

--------------------------------------
OCT 6th UPDATE
As of today the Lunch for Life total is $20,027!
Thank you all so much!!

Please visit Thank You's
to see my public THANK YOU as well as many other neuroblastoma families words of thanks.

Please also visit Pictures of our kids
and click on neuroblastoma community
to see Daniel and some of the other kids
in this cancer fight.
Thank you and God Bless!
----------------------------------------

*OCT 4th UPDATE:

Grand Total for "Lunch For Life" thus far is $15,240.00!!

To check for the latest news articles about Lunch for Life:
Click Here
----------------------------------------

"LUNCH FOR LIFE"

Hi everyone,

I want to tell you about a campaign that began on Oct 1st.
It is called "Lunch for Life" and the goal is to raise as much money as possible, in 10 days, for neuroblastoma research. Us parents whose babies are suffering from this devestating cancer are so very frustrated with the lack of funds that go to neuroblastoma research.

Friends of ours, Pat and Milton Tallungan, sadly lost their precious son Nick to this disease in 1999. They have founded an organization called "Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation" or 'CNCF'. We are trying to raise money for this organization, which is a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization, based in Bloomingdale, Illinois, dedicated to education about, support for, advocacy of, and research into cures for Neuroblastoma. The foundation is governed by a board of parents, researchers, and physicians.
Vic and I are so unbelievably humbled by all that Milton and Pat Tallungan continue to do to help this cause..the disease that took the life of their son Nick. They are truly amazing folks. We've never met anyone in our life like them before.
CNCF

The idea for "Lunch for Life" came from Mark Dungan, a loving Dad of a 2 year old girl, Sydney who is also battling this disease.
Sydney's Page

He has asked us to spread the word as much as we can.
What we ask is simply for everyone we know to donate 5 dollars (the cost of lunch) to the Children's Neuroblastma Cancer Foundation. And then to ask 5 people they know to do the same..(to donate 5 dollars and ask 5 of their friends) and so on.
Neuroblastoma doesn't have a telethon(yet!) so this is what we are doing for all our children currently battling neuroblastoma..and for the ones who will be diagnosed in the future. We want to offer hope..to give them a better chance for survival.

Methods to get donations to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation:

People can donate online at:

https://www.cncf-childcancer.org/donation.asp

(it is a secure site accepting Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express)

People can make their pledge online at:

http://www.sydneydungan.com/Pledge_Page.asp

After providing their information, they will be contacted by a volunteer or sent a pledge card to make their donation by mail.

People can call:

1-866-671-2623 CNCF direct line

1-877-795-7948 Mark's office, volunteers will be standing by

People can fax pledge/donation card to:

1-630-351-2462

People can mail their donations to:

Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation

P.O. Box 6635

Bloomingdale, IL 60108

Your donation is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

In Mark's own words:
"Sample of what one person could do is found below.

The mechanics:

Day 1 1 person asks 5 friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $25

Day 2 Those 5 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $125

Day 3 Those 25 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $625

Day 4 Those 125 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $3,125

Day 5 Those 625 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $15,625

Day 6 Those 3125 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $78,125

Day 7 Those 15625 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $390,625

Day 8 Those 78125 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $1,953,125

Day 9 Those 390625 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $9,765,625

Day 10 Those 1953125 people ask 5 of their friends to donate 5 dollars Total: $48,828,125

Now, I realize that the numbers are astronomical but that is the way that it works out. Some will give much more than five dollars. Some will tell hundreds of their friends and some will not tell any. It takes every one being diligent and checking up the following day to make sure their friends have followed through, but it can work. At the very least it will raise a truly substantial amount of money for an extremely worthy cause and at its very best it will exceed our expectations. REGARDLESS, IN JUST TEN DAYS OF OUR COMBINED EFFORTS, WE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD OF NEUROBLASTOMA. THERE ARE ENOUGH OF US."

One last note:
I am pleased to announce the first day totals are in..4526.00!!!!!

Day 2 totals 8190.00!!

From the bottom of our hearts..Thank you!

God's Blessings,
The Hammer's

Saturday, September 20, 2003 12:49 AM CDT

Hi everyone!

Daniel continues to do great. He is enjoying a visit from his cousins this weekend - a trip to the Mall of America and Camp Snoopy will happen shortly.

Daniel started preschool last Tuesday and really enjoyed it. The teachers are great and remember Daniel from Jennifer's brief preschool stint prior to our New York adventure. Daniel did great Tuesday and Wednesday, but had some separation issues on Thursday. Sara talked it over with the teachers and felt that is was best to leave him - Sara could hear him screaming at the teacher to "let me go." He soon calmed down and when Sara picked him up he was happy he stayed.

We have been reflecting lately on how well Daniel is doing. We could never have imagined before Daniel's diagnosis - that with partial hearing loss, nerve and foot pain, and other probable long term issues we would be Thankful to God beyond imagination for his health. We have added some pictures that show how far Daniel has come in the last year.

We continue to thank God daily for Daniel. We also ask for continued prayers for all the children of this world suffering with cancer - specifically we pray for the complete healing of all of these brave young fighters. For those children that God has called home - we know they are in a better place.

Thank you and God Bless!

The Hammer Family

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 8:44 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Daniel and Dad are back in NY for the 16th round of the 3-F8 antibody treatments. We are starting to see the light at the end of the antibody tunnel. If Daniel does not develop a resistance to the treatment (a HAMA), he will receive only 6 more rounds and they will be spaced out to only four treatments in 2004. We continue to give Daniel high dose accutane in between his antibody treatment (just completed round 8) and plan to continue this for a while.

We have been reading on the use of fenretinide and its affects on NB and would really like to alternate this with the accutane - but will have to figure out how to do this, since the fenretinide has only been through Phase I testing.

Daniel is doing as well as can be expected for an antibody week. He is looking forward to going home this Friday and starting preschool next week. Jennifer started first grade last week and went to her first sleep over last Friday night. We half expected her friend’s mother to call us to pick her up so she and her family could get some sleep – but we didn’t hear anything so we assume she behaved ok.

We all had a great Labor Day weekend at the cottage with the kids getting in a lot of swimming and fishing. The bass fishing was great, with Jennifer, Daniel and Chloe (cousin) catching many big fish. Dad and Uncle Tim got up early to try fishing without the kids one morning but we fished for a couple of hours before giving up without any fish. We went again that evening with the kids and they caught a ton of big fish – I guess we know who the real fishermen are.

We continue to thank God daily for allowing us to have such a great time with Daniel. This journey has allowed our family to not only become closer (there may have been a few times in NY when we were too close), but also to fully appreciate the joy in living for the moment. Those who can do this without going through such a trying experience are truly blessed.

Please continue to pray for the healing of all of the fighters of this horrible disease.

Thank you and God Bless!

The Hammer Family

Friday, August 22, 2003 4:51 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

We survived the tumor scare, New York blackout, and nine days in a single room with Jennifer - and are now safe and sound in Minnesota. We are still trying to grasp the true meaning of what we witnessed (the disappearance of the mass on Daniel’s head). The only things we know for sure are:
• God does perform miracles;
• Prayer is more powerful than words can describe;
• God must have some great plan for Daniel’s Life here on earth; and
• The people who prayed, and continue to pray for Daniel’s complete healing can not be thanked enough.

After the MRI that Daniel had in NY, he continued on with additional scans (CT, MIBG, Bone and Bone marrow). We received word yesterday that the results that they have so far from these scans are clean as well – Praise God!!!

With the good news we received last week, and the fact that Daniel was feeling very good (he wasn’t receiving antibody treatments) – it was time to have some fun (please see the new photos). Daniel and Jennifer:
• Painted at the pottery shop (Daniel painted a horse and Jennifer painted dolphins);
• Played with Daniel’s remote controlled boat at the sail boat pond in Central Park;
• Ate at a Japanese Steak house;
• Went to the Zoo and Petting Zoo in Central Park; and
• Went to Toys-R-Us and rode the Ferris-wheel.

We thank God for every day we are given with Daniel and appreciate all the continued prayers for his long term healing. We also pray that we are given the wisdom to help guide Daniel on whatever special path God has intended for him. Please continue to pray for the healing of all of the fighters of this horrible disease.

Thank you and God Bless!

The Hammer Family

Monday, August 11, 2003 8:34 PM CDT

WE GOT OUR MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone!
I can't tell you what an emotional last few days this has been.
As you know, last Thursday we found a large bump on Daniel's head. We took him in right away for a CT scan, and they found a mass.(not an injury but a mass) We were devestated as it looked like the cancer was back. We immediately got on a plane to NY and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and PRAYED..as you ALL did..(THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!)
Each day the mass was shrinking little by little. We did not know what this meant..It gave us some hope but we also knew it could mean that the tumor was growing downwards and that was why it was less visiable to the eye. When we originally found it, it was the size of a ping-pong ball,and by last night it was the size of a tic tac.
This morning when we woke up it was not at all visible.
SO, to make a long short, we had an MRI today in New York and were speechless to hear there was NO SIGN of that mass! PRAISE GOD!!!!
Daniel's Doctor threw up his hands and said that whatever prayers everyone was saying to let him know becasue he couldn't explain it!

Thank you everyone for your prayers!
What a blessing and a miracle we are witness to!

God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammers..who are still at a loss for words today for what we witnessed..and who are saying endless prayers of thanksgiving!!!

Monday, August 11, 2003 8:34 PM CDT

Thursday, August 7, 2003 9:12 PM CDT

A quick note to let you know that we found a bump on Daniel's head today(that wasn't there yesterday and was not an injury) and took him in for a head CT today and they found a mass. We will be heading to NY ASAP for scans, etc. to see all what we are dealing with.

We are so devestated beyond any words.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A MIRACLE!!!!!!!
PLEASE PRAY FOR A MIRACLE!!!!!!!

WIth Love,
The Hammer's

Monday, July 21, 2003 6:09 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Daniel arrived safely in New York last night and was greeted at RMDH by one of his favorite NY pals – Richie. We picked out some videos, played his favorite Star Wars game in the game room and went out and got a taco and chips/salsa (his new favorite food). We also stopped at the grocery store and pick up a jar of his other new favorite food – dry roasted peanuts.

At the clinic we saw many familiar faces. Most people couldn’t believe how well Daniel looked – we just hope and pray he is doing as well on the inside as he appears on the outside. Daniel is hoping to show Dr. Kushner his bruised and scabby knees (last time at clinic Dr. Kushner told him to get some scabs on his knees to show him how good he was doing). The first day of antibodies went as well as could be expected – especially for a Monday. Daniel has not gotten sick yet and seems to be doing pretty well. It is not so much the antibodies that get him but the side affects from the morphine derivative that he takes for the pain.

Coming back to NY always gets us refocused on what is really important. Unfortunately we meet many children to add to our prayer list, but we also learn to live each day to its fullest.

We thank God for every day we are given with Daniel and appreciate all the continued prayers for his long term healing. We also pray that we are given the wisdom to help guide Daniel on whatever special path God has intended for him – who knows, one day he may develop the ultimate cure for this disease – although we hope it will not take that long.

Please continue to pray for the healing of all of the fighters of this horrible disease.
Thank you and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Wednesday, July 16, 2003 2:58 PM CDT

I ask that you please pray for the Profachi family.
Last night their precious son Nick, age 5, passed away. He was battling stage 4 NB, and was in transplant (in NY) shortly after Daniel. The last several months he has been bravely battling relapse.
Please keep his parents and his entire family in your prayers during this unimaginable time. They are a very lovely family, and our hearts are very heavy for their unbelievable loss.
For those of you who also know them and would like to send a card, please email me and I will send you their address.
Thank you.

Thursday, July 3, 2003 6:14 PM CDT

7-11-03

Hi everyone,

It is a year, this week, since our dear friend's Matt and Kelly lost their very precious daughter, Annie, to Neuroblastoma. Please keep them in your prayers. If you would like to leave any special thoughts or prayers in their guestbook their website is www.caringbridge.com/mi/anniekelly

Thank-you.

We love you Kelly and Matt.

7-9-03
**NEW PHOTOS ADDED**
********************************

Hi everyone!

~~~**HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!**~~~

Sorry we have not updated in a while..We have had a busy and enjoyable summer so far!
Daniel continues to do absolutely teriffic! Thanks be to God!

Last week the 4 of us attended a neuroblastoma conference in Chicago. It was great. They also had orgnanized many wonderful activities for the kids to keep them busy while the parents were at the conference.
On the way home we stopped in Madison to go to our nephew Corey's first communion. Congratulations, Corey!!
He is such a teriffic kid!

We will be returning to NY later this month for another round of antibodies. We are now going every 6 weeks instead of 4. We, and his doc's, are hoping he will get a HAMA soon. The study shows that developing a HAMA(after after getting many doses like Daniel has) is associated with a better outcome.

We did some fireworks last night(minnesota legal ones of course) which was fun. And the kids will also be enjoying some swimming at the lake, by their grandparents! This hot and steamy weather will be perfect for it!!
Hope you all have a Safe and Happy 4th!!
We will post some "swimming fun" pictures soon!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers. We certainly wouldn't be where we are without them!

Please also keep our good friend Matthew P. in your prayers for a clear MRI. He will be getting his workup soon. Please pray that his tumor continues to shrink until it is completely gone!!
His wonderful mom has also organized "Matthew's Miles", a walk for a cure for brain tumors. www.matthewsmiles.org
All proceeds go to The American Brain Tumor Association.
Good Luck, Andrea!!!!!

Thanks!

God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammers

Sunday, June 15, 2003 9:28 PM CDT

Update:Friday June 20th, 2003.

Bone marrows also came back clear of cancer!
So that makes this round of evals, once again, all clear!

Praise the LORD!!!
*************************************

Hi everyone!

Well, we (Sara, Daniel and Jenny)got back last evening from NY. It is great to be home!
It was a good week, although very busy, and of course, tough on Daniel, as expected.
In addition to the antibody treatments,
Daniel also had his scans and tests.
Wonderful news..all that have come back so far are NEGATIVE!
THANKS BE TO GOD!!
The only one we are waiting for are the bone marrows..they were just done on Friday so we should have the results back this week.
It was great to see our wonderful neuroblastoma docs/team there..
They are super. We thank God for them every day!
We saw many old friends and
that is always awesome!
Jenny had a great time, and Daniel and I were soooo happy to have her come along. Everyone was just amazed at how much she has grown the past 10 months!
Not to mention at how teriffic Daniel is looking and feeling! We will post some new pics soon.
Since we've been home they have enjoyed playing in the yard and sprinkler..and riding bikes..Tonight Vic and I took them to Finding Nemo.

Our hearts are deeply saddened to hear that Akaida passed away this last week. She has suffered so much this past year from her uncontrollable neuroblastoma, to the point of paralysis and seizures.She was a darling sweet little girl and one of Jenny's favorite playmates when they were at RMH in NY last year.
She would have 5 years old this thursday.Please keep her parents in your prayers.
www.akaida.org

Thank you.
God Bless..

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Saturday, June 7, 2003 7:48 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Daniel is doing great. He has been taking a sports class at the YMCA with Jennifer and they love it. We can tell you how happy we are to see Daniel enjoying himself and getting some exercise. He still struggles with his walking due to the nerve pain caused by the chemotherapy. We hope to keep him active and pray that the pain will continue to get better with time.

Sara, Daniel and Jennifer head to NY tomorrow. This will be the first trip back for Jennifer since last August. She is looking forward to seeing some old friends and making some new friends.

Daniel will be getting a week of antibody treatments as well as his quarterly scans. We have heard that some of the preliminary reports are coming back that beta glucan may be helping the effectiveness of the antibodies. Since this is a Phase I study, it is not open to Daniel - but we will be giving Daniel the highest grade beta glucan we can find on our own. We have also been giving Daniel a high quality vitamin formula and calcium to help him heal from the past and continued treatments.

Sara will talk to the Doctors about continuing Daniel on the accutane. He has completed his 6 months but we have decided to continue for another 6 months if we can get the Doctors blessing. It does not seem to have any immediate side affects and Sara and I don't ever want to look back and say we wished we had done more.

Please continue to pray for Daniel (especially for clean scans), all of the brave fighters of this terrible disease, and for all the angels who are home in heaven. Sara and I know that Daniel would not be where he is today if it weren't for everyone's prayers surrounding him.

Please check out the photo page as we have posted three new pictures of Daniel enjoying his sports class.

Thank you and God Bless -
Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Wednesday, May 28, 2003 11:48 AM CDT

**NOTE: NEW PHOTOS ADDED!!!**

Hi everyone!

Daniel continues to do SO well.
Since our last update we have been enjoying company.
On Daniel's transplant anniversary,to help us celebrate, Daniel's cousin Chloe and her Mom and Dad, ( Aunt Tonya and Uncle Tim,) and Uncle Mike came for the weekend.
We enjoyed the beautiful weather and also spent a day at the zoo. We got some teriffic bargains at Jenny's school garage sale, and they were also happy to see the school Jenny loves going to so much! (You are awesome St Croix Catholic!!) Vic and Tim also enjoyed some fly fishing nearby.

This past Memorial weekend fun began on Friday afternoon with a fun carnival at Jenny's school. There were games, food, face painting, prizes, etc..It was great.Both Daniel and Jenny loved it. Later that afternoon Daniel's cousins(Kerry and Corey) came up, with their parents(Aunt Susan and Uncle John).The weather was also heaven sent so we enjoyed the outdoors, as well as nightly bonfires/smore-making.
One afternoon we went to Camp Snoopy where the kids enjoyed rides and shopping. And we had a nice lunch at the Rainforest cafe. We were also glad that they were able to join us for a mass for Daniel at our local parish Saturday evening.

Our antibody treatment was moved back a week due to scheduling overload(so many new kids coming to NY for the antibody treatment)so we will be going the week of June 9th. We will also be having scans then so please keep us in your prayers for continued clean scans!
I am so thrilled that Jenny will be going with Daniel and I this time as school will be out!!! She has a lot of great memories at RMH and also of the wonderful playroom at MSKCC. Always so many activities going on, and lots of great kids to play with, so she will be very entertained. It will be so nice to have her around!!! I am also anxious for everyone to see how much she has grown the past 9 months!
Also, DC is a 4 hour train ride, and I am trying to figure out the logistics of a side trip after the week of treatments. (And then flying home from there rather than NY.) I hope it works out. We'll see.

Thanks again for all the prayers for Daniel and for all of the children battling this and other viscious cancers. As well as the many families who have tragically lost their brave fighters and miss them so much!

God Bless!

The Hammer's

Thursday, May 15, 2003 3:18 PM CDT

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DANIEL!

Hi everyone,

Tomorrow we celebrate the one year anniversary of the day Daniel received his stem cell (bone marrow) transplant. We have been so blessed this last year!

We wish to thank all of you who have been pouring out your positive thoughts and prayers for Daniel. God truly has something special in store for Daniel and we pray that God helps us guide Daniel in the right direction.

We continue to pray, as Daniel is completing some of his medications, that God continues to hold him in His protective arms. Please continue to pray for the healing of all of the fighters of this horrible disease and for those that have gained their angels wings.

Thank you and God Bless

The Hammer's

Thursday, May 8, 2003 1:11 PM CDT

:o) UPDATE: Sat May 10th

Heard from the radiologist and Doc's. **Great news!*** They believe it is regenerating bone in the head, not disease. It has always been there but was overlooked on the previous bone scans.It remains unchanged. It will likely be there for years to come as bones take a long time to completely regenerate.
**Thank you, God!!!**

Happy Mother's Day!!

(YES, IT CERTAINLY IS!!!)

A Big Thank You to everyone for your prayers!!

PS Daniel and Vic made it home safely as well!

***************************************

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to let all of you know that Daniel and Vic are doing very well in NY.
Daniel is excited to come home this weekend. Please keep them in your prayers for safe travels!
Still haven't heard back from the radiologists about the previous bone scans. The more we discuss it with the Dr's, the more it sounds like it will turn out to be regenerating bone that was overlooked on the previous bone scans.
We are praying this is the case!!

Before I end I want to tell you about some very special friends of ours that have a son, Simon, who is a neuroblastoma survivor. His story is truly one of inspiration! He was diagnosed at the age of four with stage 4 neuroblastoma. He was treated at MSKCC as well,and is now a very happy, healthy and handsome 9 year old boy!
He also has a very special sister, Sophie, who has made it her passion in life to raise money for childhood cancer research.
Sadly, government support for pediatric cancer research (esp. neuroblastoma!) is unbelievably small and has even decreased this year.

Sophie and her awesome classmates have organized The Third Annual "KIDS WALK FOR KIDS WITH CANCER." It will take place in Central Park on Saturday May 10th. Many area schools also participate.
Last year walkers raised a grand total of $56,170!! ALL proceeds are used to fund a grant for pediatric cancer research at MSKCC.(Dr Cheung's lab)These monies are used to advance understanding of the genetic make up of cancer cells which help the Dr's develop more effective treatments. Thanks to such cutting edge research, overall survival rates have improved.
Parents such as myself and Vic are infinitely grateful for Sophie and her peers for making such a difference in the lives of our children battling neuroblastoma, and they continue to give us inspiration and hope for our children's future.
If you are interested in supporting this walk and these enormously hard working and kind hearted teens, you can send Sophie a donation made payable to HOPE STREET KIDS, which is a tax exempt charity helping them with administrative costs, and they will send you an acknowledgment of your tax deductible donation. ALL proceeds will be used to fund a grant for pediatric cancer research at MSKCC. The address is: Sophie Staples-Vangel, 163 Garfield Place, Brooklyn, NY 11215.
If you would like more information, you can email Sophie at grassyknoll01@aol.com

In Sophie's own words, "Together we can help the heroic children who are fighting against cancer. Children should not have to be so brave!! Doctors around the world have said that with sufficient resources, this is one battle that CAN be won. Please help us give hope to children with cancer. Thank you so much!" -Sophie Staples-Vangel

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU Sophie, and all the other participants who are making such an enormous difference for our children battling cancer!
We are forever grateful!

If you aren't able to support neuroblastoma research financially, just as importantly we need your prayer support!

Thanks very much!

With Love,
The Hammer's

Monday, May 5, 2003 7:26 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Daniel is in New York and has done pretty well with his first day of antibodies. Although this is Daniel’s 13th round of antibodies, it doesn’t seem to get much easier. He is getting the GM-CSF by a shot now and that does cut down on his time at the clinic.

It has only been a couple of months since my last trip out here – it is hard to believe all of the new faces. I guess it is only in my dreams that I come out to NY and the waiting room is empty because either all of the kids are getting cured or they are not getting this terrible disease in the first place. It was good to see some of our old friends. We also met some very nice new families who have entered the battle.

We have been having some trouble getting good clarification on the last set of scans that Daniel had. As many of you recall, Daniel had pretty severe head involvement at diagnosis. His last bone scan lit up in some of the original areas. In retrospect, we were told that this showed up in the previous scan but was missed. We are asking that they go back several more scans to help us rule out relapse. Even by going back and reviewing older scans we probably will not be able to tell with certainty if it is persistent disease or regenerating bone. This is were we really test our faith and belief that Daniel has been totally healed.

The one thing I am constantly reminded of when I return with Daniel to NY is the total waste of time it is to worry about the small things in life. To see all of these kids, and their families, fighting for their survival definitely makes one reprioritize activities within his or her life. The saddest part is that to these kids, this sort of daily fight for survival is normal.

Please continue to pray for the healing of all of the fighters of this horrible disease.
Thank you and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Thursday, April 24, 2003 9:41 PM CDT

**NEW PHOTOS ADDED!**

Hi everyone,

We hope you all had a very blessed Easter!
We certainly did.

Not much of anything new to report.
Vic and Daniel will be heading to NY next week for antibodies.
Daniel has been feeling teriffic and has been enjoying many activites, especially his swimming lessons.
It has been so good for him socially, physically, and mentally. It really has done wonders.
He and Jenny will also be starting a sports class at the Y next week as well.
He continues to eat like a mad man..It is too funny!
All and all he is doing teriffic..has such a great sense of humor and loves to laugh.

When we watch him enjoy his life now and feel well, it seems unbelievable to us that just a year ago he was in transplant, and to think back to how he looked after getting all that chemo..There was nothing healthy looking about him. He was literally skin and bones, and felt horrible all the time..always seemed so sad(but who wouldn't have been!)
It really puts smiles of gratitide on our faces and in our hearts to see this gift we have been given, from Jesus.
We have been so **amazingly** blessed in so many ways.
Believe me!

Please continue to lift Daniel up in prayer that this disease never, ever, rears it's ugly head ever again.

Please also pray for the many, many other kids we know who are battling this devestating cancer, including those who have relapsed. They are truly in need of prayers. We hope and pray for better treatments and that a cure be found..soon! Our hearts go out to them, as well as the many families we know who have lost their child to cancer.

Thank you.

God Bless you and yours.
The Hammer's
-Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Wednesday, April 16, 2003 10:22 PM CDT

Hi everyone,

Daniel continues to do great.
The April trip to NY and antibody treatments
went very well. As well as antibody treatments can go
of course.
Thank you for your continued prayers for Daniel.
We have been unbelievably blessed.

A friend of ours has asked for prayers for her neice.
She has been diagnosed with AML Leukemia, and is 6 months pregnant. Please keep Elysabeth and baby girl Jordan
in your prayers. I so hope and pray she will experience miraculous healings from Jesus as we ourselves have witnessed (and continue to witness)in Daniel. I am posting this eloquent and humble message from Elysabeth below, where she is asking for prayers for her and her unborn daughter's behalf. I know anyone reading it will be as touched as we were and will join us in prayer for them.
*******

Beloved--
"Pray without ceasing," we are told (1 Thessalonians 5:17) , and we ask you
to remember us as you do. The past two days have been especially difficult.
Cytogenetics confirm an earlier negative report; and as of yesterday, all
counts have fallen into the "danger zones." I'm scheduled to go to Hopkins
Friday for both a blood and platelet transfusion. The difficulty is that
these pose potential problems for the future if we do decide on a bone
marrow transplant; yet I need them immediately if I am to keep Jordan as
safe as possible.

Additionally, we have received the news on one of my sisters, and she is not
a match. It is hard not to be discouraged in the midst of so much bad news;
but then I remind myself that Jesus endured far worse on Good Friday! :)

As many of you know, Easter has always been a special time for us. As
Christians, we consider it high holiday, the greatest cause for celebration
of the year. It was on Easter weekend five years ago that Dus proposed and
I said yes ( for those of you who know the story, that a minor miracle unto
itself); and Easter weekend four years ago on which we married. It was on
Good Friday two years ago that our first child was due-- and though she went
straight to Heaven without stopping first for life here on Earth-- a little
over a year later, a week to the day after Easter, I believe, God gave us
Jackson, whom we love and adore. Now He has given us Jordan, and we could
not love her more; pray for her health, that she would be untouched by this
disease and that she would somehow manage to get everything she needs from
my seemingly barren blood.

We celebrate Easter because Jesus overcame death, overcame sin-- "He himself
bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live
for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24) It
seems appropriate then, at this Holy time of celebrating God's power to give
Life over death, to continue to ask you to pray for that same miracle for me
and for Jordan. Pray that this Easter would give our family our greatest
celebration yet, the recreation of Christ's resurrection in my bone marrow--
Life defeating death (and disease) once again and the miracle of His
healing. Surely nothing can match that original Easter miracle and the
choice for salvation; but Christ came not only that we would be able to know
True Life but that we would have Life Abundantly. (John 10:10) And though I
believe that refers to eternal life, I believe as well that it can apply to
my marrow-- pray that it would be filled with life and only life, not a
cancerous cell to be found!

Science seems to have abandoned us, but God promises that He never will.
(Deuteronomy 31:6) So, I beseech you, Beloved, hit your knees for us this
Sunday. Please, I beg you, spend five minutes of your Easter on your knees
for us-- literally-- praying for this miracle we so desperately desire.
Pray that His Power and Grace would be revealed in this way in us. And
forgive me, those who need to, for the boldness of my outright preaching and
begging for prayers; I have found that desperation makes me bold! :)

In the Name of He who is Risen--

we remain yours

p.s. If this is His way of giving me that "spirit of boldness," let's pray
for another way, eh?? :)

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is
made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians
12:9)
**********

*Prayer For Elysabeth and Jordans's Complete Healing*
Lord, look upon Elysabeth and Jordan with the eyes of Your mercy, may Your healing hand rest upon them, may Your life-giving powers flow into every cell of their body and into the depths of their soul, cleansing, purifying, restoring them to wholeness and strength for service in your Kingdom. Loving Father, who art the only source of health and healing, we entrust Elysabeth and Jordan to Your care. We pray You guide with wisdom and skill the minds and hands of those who minister in Your name; and grant that every cause of illness be removed, and that they may be completely restored to sound health.
Father, your world is ill with cancer and frightened. We pray you ease the suffering of those inflicted, give loving hands to those who care for them, and light the way for those who seek its cure.
Merciful Father, extend your healing hand so that we may soon cry out,
"A cure at last!"
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.

Thank you everyone. We wish you all a safe and Blessed Holy Week and Easter!
God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammers

Wednesday, April 2, 2003 12:28 AM CST

Hi everyone,

We are pleased to say that Daniel continues to do so well,in all aspects.
It is indescrible joy watching him feeling well and enjoying life now..things like eating, swimming lessons, cracking jokes, goofing around with his sister, and everything else in general. He is also very excited about starting preschool this Fall. His behavior issues that we spoke about earlier have improved greatly, to our amazement.
His uncontrollable tantrums and demands had gotten steadily worse and it was very frustrating for us. We know a good part of that was due to the accutane he is on..mood swings are very common with that medicine, esp in high doses such as his.
However, Vic and I formally sat down and very seriously discussed with him his behavior. Amazingly, since then things have turned around quite dramatically.We hope it
sticks! He is now also the first to point out things that Vic, I or Jenny do wrong(things that we also "discussed" so the focus wasn't only on him)Almost daily now you can hear Daniel sternly scold one of us by saying "don't you remember the family meeting??!!!"
Anyway, I'm not sure why this particular talk made the difference..It was certainly not the first time we have discussed this behavior with him. But whatever it was, I'm glad it finally clicked.
We are so proud of his hard work and efforts!

Daniel and I are heading to NY this weekend for the antibodies, as he is still HAMA (-).
Fortunataly, our clinic days should be a little shorter now,
as they are administering the GM sub-q rather than IV,prior to the 3f8 infusiuon. The IV method added 3 extra hours on to the day before the 3f8's began. So that is a welcome change of protocol.

Some of our friends who have relapsed or have progressive disease will also be starting a new study with the 3f8's and oral beta glucan. We are hoping and praying for this to
help them and reduce their disease dramatically.
Christi is one of our little friends who is doing this new treatment. Her family recently has gotten some devesting blows over the past week about her condition and treatment options ,so please keep her lovely family in your prayers.
I pray this will really be what she needs to get clean!
Her website is www.christithomas.com

Another little boy Michael (stage 4 NB also) we know who has been in remission and doing well,recently relapsed in his brain. Nothing they can do now.
Such devestating news to hear. Please keep Michael and his family close in your prayers, as we will certainly continue to do as well.

One final note..We have recently been informed that Daniel's (very kind and thoughtful) Aunt Tonya and Uncle Tim and have arranged a benefit concert. If you would like more information you can find the poster in the photos section.
Thank you, Tim and Tonya.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers for Daniel,and for all children battling cancer.

God Bless!

The Hammer Family

Sunday, March 23, 2003 8:55 PM CST

FRIDAY MARCH 21ST.

Very sadly, our little friend Matthew passed away this week. Please continue to keep his family in your prayers.

We also ask for prayers for our friend Jay. He just celebrated his 15th birthday this month. He is also battling stage 4 Neuroblastoma.
His mom told me today that that his recent scans show that the disease has progressed again quite extensively and has become chemo resistent.
(The January scan had shown it had spread to his skull, and this recent one today told them them it had progressed to his ribs as well.)
They will be starting a brand new treatment at Sloan that has just opened up..we pray it will be succesful.
In addition they also may go to CHOP for MIBG therapy.
His website is www.caringbridge.org/md/jaybarnett

Thank you.
************************************
MONDAY MARCH 24th
***PRAYER REQUEST NEEDED FOR A DEAR FRIEND***

Very very sadly, I heard from a friend last night that her son, Matthew H. will soon be in God's hands. He is 5 and has been battling Leukemia for some time, with several relapses in the past. I wanted to ask my faithful prayer warriors to pray for him and his family. She says it is so hard letting go, but they do not want him to suffer anymore ..he is struggling with his breathing and each breath is a great effort.
Please join us in prayer for sweet Matthew and his dear family, as they
are thrown in this unimaginable journey of pain.

If anyone has any words for the family, feel free to email me privately at our (new) email address below, and I will pass it along to them.

Thank you.

****************************************

Hi everyone!

Daniel is doing great. He is very glad to be back home in Minnesota. He continues to eat very well. He isn't walking as much as we would like but we are working on some things to address that.

Aunt Tonya, Uncle Tim, and cousin Chloe were up from Wisconsin to visit this weekend. Uncle Micah came over from Minneapolis too. Friday night we had a belated birthday party for Chloe. We all had a great time enjoying the unseasonably warm early spring weather. The kids rode bikes, rode their new truck, flew a kite, went to the park, played on the swings in the back yard, had a fire in the back yard, and blew bubbles. Uncle Tim and I even had a chance to fish our favorite stream for a couple of hours today.

Because of all that Daniel has been through, discipline has become something that he is not used to. Generally speaking, he is very well behaved, but lately we have been noticing a few things that we need to address. We think this behavior stem from two things, the high dose of accutane that he is taking, and his feelings of not having any control the last year and a half - and believe me, now he is trying to make up for it. I think it is going to be tougher on Sara and I than it will be on Daniel. We still have very vivid details of his nine hour surgery and the recovery - with tubes coming out of him everywhere, or the stem cell transplant - coughing and vomiting blood for weeks, and even more than we care to recall.

Please continue to pray for Daniel, all of the brave fighters of this terrible disease, and for all the angels who are home in heaven. Sara and I know that Daniel would not be where he is today if it weren't for everyone's prayers surrounding him - keeping this evil disease away.

Please check out the photo page as we have posted three new pictures of Daniel.

Thank you and God Bless -
Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Saturday, March 8, 2003 8:17 PM CST

****MARCH 17th UPDATE****
The PET scan was negative, too!!
Yipppeeeee!!!!
We have just been so tremendously blessed!!
Also, yesterday marked 10 months post- transplant for Daniel already!

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!

****MARCH 13th UPDATE****
Daniel's MIBG was negative!!!
We are now only waiting for the results of the PET, which Daniel had just this morning..
Thank you, Lord, for one miracle after another!
Ever since Daniel was diagnosed, our lives have been overflowing with many Divine Interventions. There is not a doubt in our minds where Daniel's healing comes from. We completely give credit where credit is due. Thank you Jesus, for hearing and answering our prayers!

**MARCH 12TH UPDATE**
Daniel's scans so far have all been clear! Yippee!!!
He has had CT's of head, chest and abdomen,bone scan,and bone marrow aspirates and biopsies..
All negative for neuroblastoma!
I got the call last night from our wonderful NY Dr..(I told him it was my birthday and this was the best present I could have wished for!)It was very kind of him to call becasue Vic would have gotten the results this morning at clinic, but he wanted to let us know right away!
Today and tomorrow Daniel will be having MIBG and PET scans, (in addition to the antibody treatments)..when we get those results we will, of course, post again!THANK YOU FOR YOUR continued prayers and faith!
God Bless
***************************************
Hi everyone!

To elaborate a little more on our Florida trip – Daniel and Jennifer wanted to know if they could stay and just mommy and daddy could go home. By the end of the week that actually sounded like a pretty good offer. We took in the Magic Kingdom, MGM, Universals two theme parks, Animal Kingdom and Sea World. Some of Daniel’s favorite things were the ET ride, Splash Mountain, and feeding the dolphins. Jennifer loved all the rides and also loved feeding the dolphins and petting the sting rays.

Daniel is doing great in New York. His whole attitude since Florida seems much better. He had his bone marrow biopsies last Thursday and his CT and Bone scans Friday. Next week, in addition to his antibodies, he will be having an MIBG and PET scans. He is doing his scans now without sedation – he is becoming such a big boy.

Daniel has also been eating like a horse. His new favorite food is pork ribs. He has had some form of ribs the last three days now. When he is finished eating his meals, he is immediately hungry again. I think we may cut back a little on the steroid he has been getting for his appetite.

Daniel had a busy day today. He started by going to the pottery shop and making mommy something for her upcoming birthday. He then did some more shopping with daddy for mommy’s birthday and ended up at FAO Schwartz to get himself a little something. We did fine except for one little incident when daddy hit a curb and Daniel fell out of the stroller. He was okay – but he was very mad and daddy. We called mommy up from the store and he proceeded to tell her (in a very loud voice) that Daddy hurt him very hard. Luckily I didn’t end up in a New York jail cell.

Sara and I feel a very special connection with this Lent season that is upon us already. Much as Lent is used to provide a very special focus in our lives, we feel that Daniel’s illness has given us a very special focus and we pray that this focus will remain with us – Beyond Daniel’s ordeal.

Please continue to pray for Daniel, all of the brave fighters of this terrible disease, and for all the angels who are home in heaven. Sara and I know that Daniel would not be where he is today if it weren't for everyone's prayers surrounding him - keeping this evil disease away.

Please check out the photo page as some of our Florida pictures are posted.

Thank you and God Bless -
Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Saturday, March 1, 2003 7:03 PM CST

Hi everyone!

The Hammer's arrived back to reality last night as we stepped off the airplane and were greeting by sub freezing temperatures after spending a week at 75 degrees. We all had a great time in Florida. The Give The Kids The World (GTKTW) accommodations are incredible. By the end of the first day, without leaving the GTKTW grounds, we had swam, played miniature golf, fished, played games, ate ice cream, and much more. The volunteer effort it takes to make an operation like that run smoothly is mind-boggling. The GTKTW complex seems to provide a great outlet for the many Florida retirees who have found that even golf needs to come in moderation.

We seem to be spending more time east of the Mississippi than we should. We are looking forward to a fun summer that will hopefully include a trip out west. Daniel has yet to see mountains. We were a little more excited about this before our Disney trip but I am sure our enthusiasm will return.

Daniel is off again Wednesday to New York for a week and a half of scans and antibodies. There is chicken pox quarantine at the Ronald McDonald House so we will have to get more details about our trip on Monday. One would think that we would be getting used to these scans, but it is definitely one of the hardest things we, as parents, go through. It is hard to describe the experience of standing over your child laying so helplessly in a large scanning machine - while a computer traces an outline of your innocent child's body - and you pray and irrationally bargain with God to make it that no areas light up.

Please continue to pray for Daniel, all of the brave fighters of this terrible disease, and for all the angels who are home in heaven. Sara and I know that Daniel would not be where he is today if it weren't for everyone's prayers surrounding him - keeping this evil disease away.

Please check out the photo page as some of our Florida pictures are posted.

Thank you and God Bless -
Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Tuesday, February 18, 2003 6:31 PM CST

Hi everyone!

Daniel began another round of acutane Monday and is doing well. He is really enjoying swimming lessons when he is home. It is hard to imagine how we, as parents, find such satisfaction in the small things in life - things that were considered normal before all of this treatment stuff began.

Daniel will be very busy the next several weeks. We are off to Disney Saturday and will head out to New York the following week for an extended stay - with quarterly scans and monthly antibody treatments.

Daniel has not missed his feeding tube at all. He has been eating like a horse and taking his medicines like a big boy. His strength and stamina are still low and he is experiencing foot pain, but we are confident that with God's mercy he will be totally healed.

Daniel is in a critical period right now. Based on what we have been told, seen and read, we feel that despite Daniel's poor prognostic indicators, if he can remain at no evidence of disease (NED) for approximately another year - the odds of being cured increase greatly.

Please continue to pray for Daniel, all of the brave fighters of this terrible disease, and for all the angels who are home in heaven. Sara and I know that Daniel would not be where he is today if it weren't for everyone's prayers surrounding him - keeping this evil disease away.

Thank you and God Bless -
Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Tueday, February 11, 2003 7:48 PM CST

Hi everyone!

Daniel had a rough start to his antibody treatment Monday but faired better today. He was good enough to go to the toy store after the clinic and pick out a little present. Daniel's feeding tube was successfully removed yesterday, so from here out, he is on his own when it comes to food and medicine. He has been doing very well, in that respect, for the last several weeks.

We have received the confirmation from Make-A-Wish and will be heading down to Florida at the end of this month. It's hard to believe that approximately one year ago we were given recommendations from several of the Daniel's oncologists that we should go on this trip sooner rather than later, because their might not be a later. We are so blessed to have witnessed God's healing grace over this last year. Although we don't pretend to know God's ultimate plan for Daniel, we feel in our hearts that he is cured. Our visit to Disney will definitely be a celebration of Life.

Jennifer and Dad have kept busy at home between swimming lessons and having friends over to visit. Jennifer is quite proud that she jumped into the deep end of the pool (with a floatation belt on). It did take some coaxing from the instructor - I'm not sure what the instructor said to get her to do it, but I wish I knew so I could use it to get her to do things around here.

Sara has met yet another family of a child that relapsed after a lengthy remission. Please continue to pray for this child, all of the brave fighters of this terrible disease, and for all the angels who are home in heaven. Sara and I know that Daniel would not be where he is today if it weren't for everyone's prayers surrounding him and keeping this evil disease away.

Thank you and God Bless -
Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Tueday, February 4, 2003 9:36 AM CST

**Note: We have some new photos posted**

**************************************
Hi everyone,

Wanted to let you know that Daniel is doing great..
Eating very well so he is getting the G-tube out next week.
He is also very excited about the make a wish trip at the end of the month! And with all he has been through this year he certainly deserves it!
Jennifer is, of course, very excited too!!!

Daniel and I are leaving on Sunday for NY for antibodies..unless he has a HAMA..I will know tomorrow.

Vic is still recoopering very well from his back surgery
also. He is glad to have that behind him.

We can never thank you enough for your continued prayers for Daniel and all the other amazing kids fighting childhood cancer.
And of course for the families of all the little angels who are home in heaven.

We also pray that a cure for childhood cancer will soon be found.

Thank you and God Bless!

PS-If you go to the Caring Bridge's main website, you will see that Daniel's page is used as an example of a caring bridge page! Very neat!
This has also allowed us to receive
emails from wonderful people who we otherwise would have never met!

Thanks Caring Bridge!!!!

Thursday, January 30, 2003 at 12:14 AM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for your continued prayers for Daniel!
Two seperate times just this week when we were talking with perfect strangers, after a minute of conversation they relized they had been praying for Daniel for many months, even though they had never met him! That was so amazing!!

As most of you know, Vic had his back surgery yesterday.
Everything went just fine and he is doing teriffic!
(It was very different for Daniel to see someone else be the patient and to get the exams, pokes and medications!)

Daniel is very excited about his upcoming Make-a-Wish trip to Disney in February!
(He has been feeling very well by the way and in good spirits lately.)
We will just have to be very careful to use sunblock and
keep his skin covered very well, as the Accutane he is on
makes his skin very light sensitive and prone to burns.

We have heard from many of our friends in NY that
the Norwalk Virus has invaded the hospital Pediatric Unit and Ronald Mcdonald House.It is extreeemely contagious.
I feel so bad for all the people who have gotten it!
I also hope it will have run it's course by our next trip
in a couple weeks. If not, I think we will try to postpone
the antibodies for a week..Daniel certainly doesn't need to
go through that sickness IN ADDITION to the antibody pain.
That happened to a little friend of ours last week..he got the virus AND had antibody treatments on top of that!!
It must have been horrible for him!!

Of course, if Daniel has developed a HAMA
(human anti-mouse antibody) than we will not get any more antibodies until it goes away. We wouldn't be completely surprised if he has developed one. We will know after we send in the monthy blood work to NY this week.
If that is the case, we will not need to go back until scan time.(next one is in March)

Well thank you again for your continued prayers for Daniel and for all the kids battling this disease, as well as the the ones who are in heaven, and their families that miss them unbearably so much.

Please also join us in praying that a cure is soon found.

God Bless!

With Love and Gratitude,
The Hammer Family
~Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Sunday, January 26, 2003 at 12:04 AM (CST)

PS
I want to post a link here to an article about a very good friend of mine Virginia and her son, Jay, 14, who is also battling this disease.

www.sunspot.net/bal-ar.teen26jan26.story

New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch will name Jay honorary team captain at the Ronald McDonald House of New York's Ninth Annual Skate with the Greats Wednesday at Rockefeller Center's ice rink.
(We attended the event last year with Daniel and it was really fun. We enjoyed and shared that evening with "Angel Annie" Kelly and her family also)

Congratulations to Jay!!

Hi everyone!

Sara and Daniel are enjoying their time back home. This has been a relatively uneventful week for Daniel - which is great. Daniel is congested, and that makes him a little sluggish. He has also been complaining of some pain in his side, which we believe is muscle strain due to his coughing.

There still isn't much snow in Minnesota, so there hasn't been any sledding or snow forts yet, but Daniel and Jennifer have enjoyed several ice fishing trips. I have put some pictures from various ice fishing trips on the picture page. The pictures show Daniel and Jennifer nice and warm in their portable ice fishing house, even when it is close to 0 degrees outside, like it was today.

On another note,Jennifer is very excited as she lost her first tooth last night, and got her first visit from the tooth fairy, of course!!
She is thrilled with her new smile!

Please continue to pray for all the children fighting this disease so bravely. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family
(Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel)

Sunday, January 19, 2003 at 09:25 AM (CST)

Hi everyone!

As you may have read on our last update, Daniel had an MRI done on his lower spine last Friday due to some bladder problems he has been experiencing. We received word that the preliminary MRI reading appears clear of any cancer.

We are convinced now, more than ever, that Daniel would not be doing as well as he is today without everyone's prayers. The combination of today's technology and the power of prayer are truly remarkable. We still struggle with the knowledge of faithful people whose children have not, or are not, doing well. In our minds, we believe that God must have plans for some of these children on earth, while others are ready to come home to heaven. Our challenge, as parents, is to make sure that our children understand that their lives are precious and meaningful and to make sure they are in tune with God's plan for them.

Since I am discussing things that we sometimes struggle with, I need to mention the suffering that these innocent children go through. It can reminds us adults of the suffering of the innocent Jesus and, much as these children either die or continue with life here on earth, it also reminds us of the continued life after death (or for those that live - life after cancer treatment) that Jesus gained for us all. Unfortunately, these points are somewhat confusing and lost on young children, but you can know that in time Daniel will understand.

Sara and Daniel arrive home this afternoon and we can't wait. Jenny is busy gathering up presents and making pictures to give to them. We also have tentatively scheduled Daniel's Make-a-Wish trip to Disney - he is very excited.

Please continue to pray for all the children fighting so bravely. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family
(Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel)

Monday, January 13, 2003 at 09:08 PM (CST)

Hi everyone!

Sara and Daniel made it out to NY safely. Daniel had a dental exam last Friday and will be getting some dental work this week to take care of a couple cavities. The antibody treatments began today and will continue through the week.

Daniel continues to have some bladder problems, specifically, not going when it appears that he should. The doctors at home and in NY are concerned - as this can be one of the symptoms of disease in the central nervous system. This is especially troubling since Daniel had extensive skull involvement at diagnosis. They have ordered an MRI of Daniel's lower spine for this Friday.

Please continue to pray that Daniel is completely healed. Sara and I believe in our hearts that this problem is not cancer, and that he is fine, but we will feel much better next week after the MRI results are in.

Please continue to pray for all the children fighting so bravely. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family
(Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel)

Tuesday, January 07, 2003 at 06:55 PM (CST)

Prayer request please, for a sweet baby boy named John.
We met his family in NY when baby John was just one month old, and diagnosed with stage 3 neuroblastoma cancer.
He underwent surgery to remove the cancerous mass, and got a full resection of the tumor.
Today, John's mom, Jennifer, states that 2 new tumors were found in John, who is now 8 months old.
Near his heart and lung.
He will undergo a biopsy and resection.
Please keep baby John in your prayers..that everything will be fine.
Thank you very much.

www.caringbridge.org/il/johnkwasinski

Thursday, January 02, 2003 at 11:17 PM (CST)

**PS Vic recently updated the photo session and has added some Christmas pic's!**

Hi everyone,

Daniel is doing really well. He very quicky has recooperated from his pneumonia and ear infections. (It took his mom 7 weeks to get better from that same crud and still is not toally over it!) His counts are absolutely fantastic, since he is done with chemo. The accutane is going very well. He actually enjoys taking it,go figure!We have noticed some mood changes here and there, which is to be expected, but the dry skin and lips have not been as bad as what was anticipated. Maybe it will get worse with the 2nd round of it, but we are almost finished with round 1 and have noticed no skin changes or dry skin,just dry lips. So... so far so good.
We are hoping to get his G-Tube(feeding tube) removed soon.
We have switched all his meds over to pill form and he takes them like a piece of cake. He is such a big boy. Since he is still recooperating from the pnemonia his appetite is not great, so we still appreciate having the luxury of running the formula at night. But when his appetite picks up, out the tube will come. And he will be totally free of tubes, for the first time in over a year!
And hopefully forever, God Willing.
Still the G-Tube was never as invasive as the Broviac was.(the central line in his chest where the chemo was administered)I know it is a great necessity to have during the chemos and transplant, but I will never, ever miss seeing that tube come out of my child's chest.
I pray he will be forever cancer and Broviac free!

He got his urine catheter removed today,which had been in the past few days, soley to give his bladder a rest. He had a test today, a VCUG (Voiding Cystourethrogram) which is an X-ray of the bladder and urethra. They filled his bladder, via the catheter, with contrast and then observed how it emptied. Everything turned out to be working great.

After Vic gets his back surgery plan all figured out(he has ruptured disks that also cause his leg to be numb!)we hope to FINALLY schedule Daniel's long awaited "Make a Wish Trip"
to Disney that was granted to him last year. He is sooo excited and it will be a great time to go now that he is out of the harsh treatments/chemos. Boy with all that kid has been through this year he SO MUCH deserves it.

We are so grateful and thank God numerous times each day that Daniel is doing so well. There is no medical explanation for this other than divine intervention.
With all of the extensive cancer this boy had throughout his body and bones at diagnosis, and all the poor prognostic indicators of his tumors, he should not be here. As Vic said tonight, he feels that God must have a very special plan for Daniel.

We know he is not out of the woods yet..not by a long shot.
Relpase with this disease is the rule, not the exception.
And very sadly, each week we hear devestating news of yet another child who relapses or dies, as well as new diagnoses.
It is completely and totally overwhelming.
Please keep these kids in your prayers as well as their families.I pray that one of the brilliant doctors out there find a better cure for this disease..and fast.
It is so horrible.
My heart will always feel so heavy for all the parents we know who have, so unfairly, lost their child. They are forever in our heart and prayers.

Speaking of prayer, I would also like to ask you to please pray for 9 year old Matthew. He is the son of a very dear friend of mine. Two years ago Matthew was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in his brain stem area. He will be having his 6 month MRI this Monday and please pray for great results.. that it will contine to get smaller as it has done in the past. His website is www.passarella.com/matt2.htm
As I say, his mother is a very dear friend of mine, and is always extremely grateful for prayers said on Matthew's behalf.
She will also tell you that their life has been touched by divine intervention as well, more times than they can count!

Thank you all and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Victor, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Sunday, December 29, 2002 at 09:15 PM (CST)

Hi everyone!

The Christmas season has taken its toll on Daniel. He has been in the hospital the last several days with pneumonia (viral and bacterial), ear infections, and some bladder/kidney concerns. Antibiotics seam to have the pneumonia and ear infections in check, but he came home from the hospital with a catheter, as we continue to monitor the bladder issue. The doctors think that certain chemotherapy he received may have done some nerve damage to the urological tract but we are confident that with the good care he receives and continued prayer, he will be just fine.
All tests on his kidneys show them to be
in teriffic shape.

Daniel did enjoy Christmas before the viruses and bacteria took hold. The ear pain held off until Christmas night. We have updated Daniel's Photopage with Christmas pictures.

In this Christmas season, we continue to count our blessings, as we were recently reminded by a conversation with our oncologist that kid's with the prognostic factors that Daniel had just don't do this good. It can only be attributed to God answering everyone's prayers and the fighting spirit of Daniel.

Please continue to pray for all the children fighting so bravely. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family
(Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel)

Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 02:06 PM (CST)

Hi everyone!

Daniel has successfully completed another round of antibodies. We enjoyed grandma’s company this trip and appreciated her help. The week started out pretty rough but got better with each day - until Friday. On Friday Daniel had some kind of reaction and his face (lips, tongue, etc.) swelled up. He looked fine by Saturday morning, but it is always a little scary when you are not sure how much it is constricting his throat.

The biggest news is that all of the preliminary scans that we have gotten back continue to show no evidence of nueroblastoma. We could not have asked for a better Christmas gift. It is a true testament to God’s merciful healing. Last year at this time he had cancer in his bone marrow, lymph nodes, adrenal gland – wrapped around his kidney, tibia, femur, and skull.

Daniel has seen Santa approximately five times last week. They do such a great job at the clinic and Ronald McDonald House. We are stayed the weekend as we had a Corporate Angel Flight back early Monday morning. I want to thank Air Frantz (Scott and Dan) for our flight back on Monday. They are the kind folks who gave us a ride back after our eight month extended NY stay. We also enjoyed the company of Annesley and Sammy. Daniel really enjoyed being able to sit in the pilot seat and fly the plane.

For fun this trip we went to Toys-R-Us and rode the ferris wheel, went to the Central Park Zoo and especially enjoyed the petting zoo, went to FAO Schwartz to get Jennifer a present, and on Sunday we went to the Circus.

Please continue to pray for all the children fighting so bravely. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless! We will post pictures by the end of this week.

With Love,
The Hammer Family
(Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel)

Sunday, December 22, 2002 at 11:02 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

This article I want to share with you was in the Albany Times Union paper.
It is about an amazing little girl,Catie Hoch, who very sadly passed away from Neuroblastoma 2 years ago. I have known about her since Daniel was diagnosed. Her incredible parents continue to do so much to help other kids with this disease through the Catie Hoch Foundation. I have always been so grateful for them and so overwhelmed by their goodness. It goes beyond any words that I can put together. What a beautfiul way to honor their daughter. 2 webpages for Catie are
www.caringbridge.com/page/catiehoch/ and
www.catiehochfoundation.org

The article I am pasting is about Catie's passion for the Harry Potter books. The kids and I are enormous Harry Potter Fans. And to hear about the incredible heart of his creater, JK Rowling, is just so awesome and heartwarming.

But please.. have your kleenex ready.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Granting Catiebug's final wish
In the magical world of Harry Potter, a little girl found comfort from cancer. In his creator, she found a true friend.

By PAUL GRONDAHL, Staff writer
First published: Sunday, December 22, 2002

Park -- upon a time, a little girl who believed in magic fell in love with the Harry Potter books her mom read to her.

Her name was Catie Hoch. One day, doctors found a tumor in her kidney. She was 6. Neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, quickly spread to her liver, lungs and spinal column.

Surgeons removed her kidney and adrenal gland, three-quarters of her liver and portions of her lungs.

She endured seven rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, radiation and numerous clinical drug trials. They made her violently ill. The sparkle drained from her blue eyes. She lost her curly blond hair.

"She never complained or asked, why me?" Catie's mom said. "She was a ray of sunshine."

Catie loved the beauty of ladybugs. Her nickname was Catiebug.

Catie left her dad, two younger brothers and friends behind when she and her mom moved to New York City while she received treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Catie rode the train to Penn Station dressed as Harry Potter.

Sick, scared and living in a strange place, Catie took comfort in J.K. Rowling's best-selling stories of good triumphing over evil.

She and her mom stayed at a Ronald McDonald House for 18 months, returning home for a visit every six weeks or so. They read all the Harry Potter books, one after the other.

While Catie was awaiting chemo treatments or having her body scanned to detect the advancing cancer, her mother's soothing voice and the mesmerizing cadence of Rowling's narratives lifted the little girl through her darkest hours.

They were nearing the end of Rowling's third book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," when doctors said Catie was losing her fight with cancer.

Catie had a wish. She wanted to have her mother read her book four, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." But Rowling was still writing it and the book wasn't due out for many months. Catie did not have that long to live.

A friend of a friend of Catie's sent an e-mail to Rowling's publisher in England, explaining about Catie's terminal illness and her wish.

A short while later, an e-mail arrived.

Dear Catie. I am working very hard on book four at the moment -- on a bit that involves some new creatures Hagrid has brought along for the care of Magical Creatures classes. You are an extremely brave person and a true Gryffindor. With lots of love, J.K. Rowling (Jo to anybody in Gryffindor).

Rowling sent Catie a plush stuffed owl named Pigwidgeon (a character in her book) for Valentine's Day along with a card. Two weeks after Valentine's Day, Rowling wrote again.

Well, we are having gales here in Edinburgh at the moment, and because I live in an old house, the windows are rattling like mad as I type. It's a bit spooky. I still haven't finished book four, and oh dear it is so long ... do you think people will mind? I just can't see any way to make it shorter.

Lots of love, Jo XXX

Catie dictated her replies to her mom, who typed them into their home computer and sent them to the author by e-mail. Mostly, Catie talked about the intricacies of the Harry Potter plot, her family and friends.

I love you even more for telling me to make book four long, because I am worried about how long it's getting. You've cheered me up a lot.

Lots of love. Your friend right back. Jo XXX

Soon, the cancer invaded Catie's brain. Doctors didn't think she would live until her 9th birthday on March 13. Her parents moved up the celebration. Catie was placed in hospice care. Her mother was taught how to administer pain medication. Catie became too weak to be carried upstairs. Her parents set up a bed in a room off the living room.

Catie defied doctors' predictions and made it through her birthday. She received a card and presents from Rowling, a plush cat and a dream decoder book.

Spring arrived, and Catie lapsed into a coma. When she awoke, she asked her mom to invite several of her girlfriends. Catie gave her American Girl dolls to her friends.

Catie drifted in and out of consciousness. The end was near. Catie's mom relayed this information to Rowling in an e-mail.

A phone call came to the Hochs' Clifton Park home from Edinburgh, Scotland, on a Sunday afternoon. It was Rowling. She wanted to read parts of book four to Catie.

"We laid Catie down on the living room couch, and Jo read to her over the phone. Catie's face just lit up," her mom recalled.

Rowling called three or four more times to read to Catie, but Catie started failing so badly she couldn't receive any more calls.

Catie died on May 18, 2000. She was 9, a third-grader at Chango Elementary School.

Three days later, Rowling wrote a message of condolence.

Dear Gina and Larry. I have been away again. I've only just received your message.

I have been praying that Catie would be released, that she would go where she can wait happily and painlessly for the rest of us to join her. But there are no words to express how sorry I am.

I consider myself privileged to have had contact with Catie. I can only aspire to being the sort of parent both of you have been to Catie during her illness. I am crying so hard as I type. She left footprints on my heart all right.

With much love, Jo

Rowling continued to write to Catie's family in the ensuing weeks and shared in their feelings of grief and loss.

I would love to hear from you if you ever feel the inclination, to know how you're really doing. And 'lousy' is just as acceptable an answer as any other. My love to you, Larry and the boys. Jo XXX

Rowling replied to messages of gratitude from Catie's parents.

I look back at Catie's e-mails to me and happiness shines out of each and every one. Please don't thank me for anything I did, because I feel truly honoured to have known your daughter, however briefly. Jo XXX

Catie's parents -- Gina Peca, a homemaker, and Larry Hoch, a tax lawyer for General Electric Co. -- established a nonprofit public charity in Catie's memory.

The Catie Hoch Foundation raised $120,000 in two years and made gifts to Sloan-Kettering and to Ronald McDonald houses in New York, Boston and Albany to help children with neuroblastoma, the third most common form of pediatric cancer.

The foundation recently received a surprise, unsolicited donation of $100,000 from Scotland. It game from J.K. Rowling.

The gift spurred Catie's mom to make public the story of her daughter's special relationship with the best-selling author.

"Jo's kindness and generosity brings a lot of awareness to pediatric cancer and Catie's foundation," Gina Peca said. "She's so genuine and down-to-earth."

Now when the family travels, the boys like to buy souvenirs. They leave the shiny trinkets at their sister's grave in Jonesville Cemetery, not far from their home. more information about the foundation, go to the Web site http://www.catiehochfoundation.org. next fund-raising event, the Catiebug Bowl, will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 17 at Clifton Park Bowl on Route 9.

Saturday, December 21, 2002 at 09:41 PM (CST)

Hi everyone!

Daniel has successfully completed another round of antibodies. We enjoyed grandma’s company this trip and appreciated her help. The week started out pretty rough but got better with each day - until Friday. Yesterday he had some kind of reaction and his face (lips, tongue, etc.) swelled up. He looked fine by this morning, but it is always a little scary when you are not sure how much it is constricting his throat.

The biggest news is that all of the preliminary scans that we have gotten back continue to show no evidence of nueroblastoma. We could not have asked for a better Christmas gift. It is a true testament to God’s merciful healing. Last year at this time he had cancer in his bone marrow, lymph nodes, adrenal gland – wrapped around his kidney, tibia, femur, and skull.

Daniel has seen Santa approximately five times this week. They do such a great job at the clinic and Ronald McDonald House. We are staying the weekend as we have a Corporate Angel Flight back early Monday morning. I want to thank in advance Air Frantz (Scott and Dan) for our flight back on Monday. They are the kind folks who gave us a ride back after our eight month extended NY stay.

For fun this trip we went to Toys-R-Us and rode the ferris wheel, went to the Central Park Zoo and especially enjoyed the petting zoo, went to FAO Schwartz to get Jennifer a present, and tomorrow we plan on going to the Circus.

Please continue to pray for all the children fighting so bravely. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless! We will post pictures when we get back home and can download them.

With Love,
The Hammer Family
(Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel)

Friday, December 13, 2002 at 09:45 PM (CST)

Hi everyone!

Daniel is in NY and doing well. We had a great flight out to NY thanks to Jostens and their corporate jet. He had his bone marrow biopsies and CT scan yesterday and bone scan today. He is such a big boy, he had the scans without any sedation (for the first time). Next week he has the antibody treatments and MIBG scan. We pray and are confident the results will be good and we will post them as soon as we hear.

Grandma will be coming tomorrow to visit and help us out next week – Daniel is excited. We have only been hear a couple of days but we have seen Santa a couple of times and have received some real nice presents. Tomorrow we plan on going to Time Square and Toys R US (Daniel’s favorite place in NY). We will post pictures when we get back home and can download them.

It is both terrible and wonderful coming back to NY on a regular basis. It is terrible to see all of the children suffering with terrible, life threatening diseases. It also reminds us of the hard fight Daniel still has ahead of him. It is wonderful to see all the warm and supporting families that we have gotten to know throughout the past year. The faith, courage and strength of the children is more than can be imagined. We have been witness to, and are experiencing, healings that can only be attributed to God’s mercy.

Two more days and Daniel will be done with the last of the oral chemotherapy (we pray it will be the last chemotherapy he will need in his life). He will start accutane when we get back home and we are sure there will be different side effects and challenges but look forward to something new.

Please continue to pray for all the children fighting so bravely. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless!!

With Love,
The Hammer Family
**Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel**

Sunday, December 01, 2002 at 04:14 PM (CST)

Hi everyone!

Hope you all had a very happy thanksgiving!

Wanted to update you to let you know that Daniel is doing great and feeling TERIFFIC!!!!
He is 1/3 way through his last cycle of the oral chemo and
it has honestly been a piece of cake.
He is so happy, eating great, running around like a mad man, making jokes, smiling and just laughing, laughing, laughing!It is WONDERFUL!!
We will be scheduling our Disney Make Wish trip soon, and he is real excited about that of course.

Vic and Daniel will leave for NY a week from Wednesday for scans and then a week of 3F8's (antibodies). We are going to try to have him do many of the scans without anesthesia. He should be fine for most of them.. Of course the bone marrow biopsies he will need anesthesia.The only other one in question is the MIBG scan..it takes about an hour to an hour and a half. That is a long time to sit still.

Next month he will start the accutane, which he will need to take a pill orally 3 times a day, for a year.
He is very good at swallowing pills and it doesn't bother him so that part is good. We are planning on getting his tummy tube out after a month on the Accutane if all goes OK. If it does not affect his appetite there is no need to keep it in.

So, we are just so elated to see Daniel
feeling so well!
We are also very happy to say he is potty trained now too!
(Before he got sick we were "almost there" but understandably, that got set aside during his heavy treatments, etc..!)
But now he is so proud of himself, and loves to show everyone he can his big boy "Harry Potter" underwear! :o)

Vic, unfortunately, ruptured a disk in his back recently. He is going to try some physical therapy and if that doens't work then he will need surgery. One of his legs is numb as it is pressing on a nerve.

I have had pheumonia and bronchitis the past week.
So.. things have been a bit challenging around here, but in perspective, none of that is really too significant becasue the main thing is that Daniel and Jenny are very happy and healthy kids!
Anyone who has had a child with cancer knows that everything else pales in comparison!!!

Lastly, being that Daniel will be having his quarterly scans
next week,we ask for extra prayers that they continue to be clean!

Vic and I pray every day for a cure for this disease
that takes the lives of so many precious children..
Very sadly, we know so many.
We pray everyday for those families, as well as all the other kids struggling with this evil disease.

Thank you for your continued prayers
and God Bless!!

With Love,
The Hammer Family
**Vic, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel**

Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 03:43 PM (CST)

Hello everyone,

Daniel has made it through another week of antibody treatments in NY and is very happy to be home. Last week started out very rough, with Daniel vomiting on Monday from the time we got into the clinic until midnight. It got a little better each day though. He will start his first day, of his last round, of oral chemo tomorrow.

It is very hard to see Daniel so upset and in so much pain as he receives the treatments in NY. The only comfort is knowing that we have been guided from above to this coarse of treatment. I am continually amazed at Daniel's courage - as he receives his IV lines, is injected with very painful 3F8 antibodies (which on one hand I curse and on the other hand thank God that we have), all while missing home very much.

This will be a short trip home. He will receive his next round of antibody treatments the week before Christmas. More anticipated though, will be his quarterly scans which will begin the week before the treatments. Assuming the scans continue to be clear, following the next round of antibodies, Daniel will begin with one year of Accutane treatments, which have their own nasty side affects, as I am sure we will soon discover.

We ask that you all continue to pray for Daniel and all the other fighters and angels associated with this horrid disease. I know in my heart that Daniel would not be doing as well as he is if it weren't for everyone's prayers asking Jesus to cover, comfort and protect him.

With all the negative news and pessimism in the world today, it is reaffirming to be witnesses to some of the true good this world has to offer. By the fact that we have been placed in our current situation, we have been blessed to see the everyday courage and grace of parents, friends, family members and caregivers doing battle and dealing, in some cases, with the finality of this monster.

God Bless!

The Hammer Family
-Victor, Sara, Jennifer and Daniel

Monday, November 18, 2002 at 08:36 AM (CST)

Thursday 11-21

Very sadly, we just learned of another little girl's passing from Neuroblastoma relapse.
Her name is Ashley. She was a very beautiful 5 year old girl.
She was in remission for 16 months and then relapsed.She passed away yesterday.
Please keep her family in your prayers.
Thank you.

www.caringbridge.org/page/ashleygoud

********************************************************************************

Hello everyone,

Daniel is doing very well. He finished the 3rd round of oral chemo and it was much easier on him than the first 2.
He did not need any transfusions and did not get neutropenic.
He will start the 4th and final round of the oral chemo a week from today. After that he will begin the Accutane
(cis-retinoic acid)for 6 months to a year after that.
We are also looking into a cancer vaccine in Texas, called the Baylor Vaccine, for Neuroblastoma, to possibly do after we are finished with antibodies. From what I understand it is designed for kids like Daniel, in remission, and in theory, hopefully will kill any remaining cells that are hiding that the oral chemo, accutane and antibodies didn't get. You need a sample of the original tumor and then it takes 6 months to grow a vaccine, if they can even get it to grow. Then you get a series of shots over a period of time. We know too well that you have to do all you can while you are still in control of this disease becasue if it rears its ugly head again you're in trouble.
That is not to say that we think he will relpase or that we think he has some undetectable cells left..we don't.
But we'd rather be safe than sorry.
And we know it is ultimately in God's hands and we do give it to Him and pray that He continues to lead us down the right paths for us, as He has already done.
We are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for!

I also want to share a story of incredible kindness and generosity with you that moved Vic and I so very much.
A few weeks ago at his work they had a prize drawing
for those who made donations to United Way.
The grand prize was 2 round trip airline tickets.
Well, the extremely kind hearted woman that won them,instead of keeping them for herself, gave them to Vic to help with the monthly travels to New York.
If she is not an Angel on earth than I dont know who is!!
That touched us so very much.
Often times we cannot get on a corp angel flight and have to purchase tickets for one or both ways. So this was very much appreciated!

On an extremely sad note, another little friend of ours, Hunter, 7, recently passed away. He had been battling neuroblastoma most of his young life.He was in remission for a year and a half, and sadly relapsed. We knew him while when he was battling relapse in NY. Please keep his family close in your prayers. Thank you.

Speaking of NY, Daniel and Vic are there right now, beginning a week of antibody treatments.
No scans this time.Daniel is feeling good so he is excited to go to the big TOYS R US in Times Square to ride the
big ferris wheel and spend a gift card he recieved for his birthday. (Which he has had very tightly gripped in his hands ever since we told him it was time for another trip to NY!)

I will update again with more news.
I just ask that you keep Daniel in your prayers, as well as the MANY, many, many kids we know who are battling this
horrible disease. Vic and I pray for a cure every night.
About every week we hear of another child being diagnosed, and just as often one that is lost.
(It's hard to believe that a year ago we hadn't even heard of neuroblastoma, and now we know SO many people who have it). Please also pray for the many families that have lost
their child to this disease.

Thanks again for your continued and much needed prayers!
God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family
-Victor, Sara, Jennifer (who is doing just great and loves school!) and Daniel

Monday, November 04, 2002 at 10:39 PM (CST)

Note-Friday November 8th:

Hi all,

This Sunday, November 10th, is the 1 year anniversary of Daniel's cancer
diagnosis.
Will we feel sadness on this day??
Definitely NOT!
Last year at this time Daniel had a whole entire body filled with nasty cancer..and had a very grave prognosis.
NOW he has no traces of it.
And we know he is cured.
Not just becasue the Doctors have told us there is a 60% chance that he is cured..But becasue we FEEL it when we pray..100%!
Please say a prayer of enormous thanksgiving to Him on Daniel's behalf this Sunday to give credit
where credit is due! And also to Him for working through all of Daniel's wonderful Physicians and caregivers as well!

Thanks and God Bless!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hi Everyone-

Daniel has been doing great! In the last several days he has enjoyed Holloween back in Wisconsin, went on his first hunting trip with his two grandfather's, went to his cousin Corey's birthday party, and swam at an indoor water park.

Daniel is currently in his third and last week of his third round of oral chemotherapy. He will have one week off and then it is back to NY for antibodies.

Sara and I continue to count all of our blessings as we are witness to the miracle of God's healing hand. Please continue to pray for the healing of all of the fighters of this horrible disease.

Daniel's photos page has been updated with some good 'ole Minnesota fall (winter to most folks) snowman building and Daniel's first hunting trip.

Thank you and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Friday, October 18, 2002 at 04:01 PM (CDT)

SATURDAY OCT 26

Please keep the family our little friend, Dreu, in your prayers. Very sadly he lost his life this week.
He was being treated for stage 4 neuroblatoma and was in transplant the same time as Daniel. He was in remission as well and all set to go home like us, but then, very unexpectedly, he had organ failure of his bowel and liver, and
passed away this week.
Please pray for his very lovely family
during this extremely difficult time. May God help them, and all the other families that we know, get through
this unimaginable loss.
Thank you.

----------------------------------
Monday October 21st
HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY TODAY DANIEL!!!!!!

We have so much to celebrate today, and every day..
And we know you will have MANY, MANY, MANY more birthdays to celebrate!!!
You are our big, strong and healthy little man!!!
Thanks be to God!!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi everyone!

Daniel has survived yet another weeklong round of antibody treatments. We are going to celebrate this feat by going over to our Uncle Jimmy’s tonight to visit and watch Spiderman. We will be catching a plane tomorrow morning to bring us home, hopefully in time, and with enough energy, to go to Zoo Boo.

Daniel did have a head and orbit CT scan on Wednesday because of headaches he had last week. The scans were clear for nueroblastoma but did show some remaining sinus problems. We’ll take sinus problems over nueroblastoma any day.

It was fun seeing many of our old friends back in NY. Sadly, we also met many new folks who are beginning their battle. Today we shared a room with Michael. Michael is two months older than Daniel and is also battling nueroblastoma. In addition to this battle, Michael recently lost his father, a firefighter, while he was battling a fire just prior to 9/11. The bravery shown by this family should embarrass any of us who worry about trivial things.

Please continue to pray for the healing of all of the fighters of this horrible disease.
Thank you and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Friday, October 11, 2002 at 02:38 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone!

Daniel is definitely feeling the affects of three weeks of oral chemotherapy that ended last Sunday (two rounds of oral chemotherapy complete – two more to go). Thankfully, it hasn’t seemed to hit him as hard as the last round though. His appetite is still very low, but we have been running a higher calorie food through his feeding tube to help maintain his weight.

Daniel seems to be recovering well from his sinus and ear procedures. Unfortunately, we have noticed a decrease in his hearing ability lately. We are not sure what this means, but hopefully by the time he is fully recovered from the sinus problems, his hearing will be greatly improved.

His spirit has been very good this week - playing outside with mommy, going with daddy to ride on the tractors at Fleet-Farm, and tonight he is very excited about going to see Dragon Tales Live. Sara had been checking on the tickets for this show earlier in the week but couldn’t get enough seats together. Then yesterday, the folks at Make-A-Wish called and wanted to know if we would be interested in tickets. God is definitely looking over Daniel.

We have been so blessed throughout this ordeal. It has amazed us to see the physical and spiritual resilience of the young kids fighting this terrible disease. The outpouring of kindness and support from family, friends and strangers has truly been something that will change our lives forever.

This Sunday Daniel and Daddy are leaving for the monthly NY visit. We are still looking for the right time to break it to Daniel – no use upsetting him for a longer time than necessary. He is set to receive another week of his antibody treatments. He is not scheduled for a full set of scans until December, so hopefully this trip will not be as hard on him as the last one.

Please continue to pray for healing for all of the fighters of this horrible disease.
Thank you and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Sunday, September 29, 2002 at 07:22 PM (CDT)

Note regarding many NB friends of ours:

We are so very sad to say that several of our Neuroblastoma children are now on their last days, on hospice.
One of these little children, Corey, has recently passed away.
Please keep his loving family in your prayers.

Brendan, age 3, is another little boy with whom we have been very close to his family for many months in NY. He passed away last week as well.

We pray with all our hearts for peace for all these families as they endure this time with their terminally ill children, and with their tremendous loss.

****************************************
Hello Everyone –

We are sorry we haven't updated in a while, but it has been very busy around here. Because of low platelets, Daniel received a transfusion prior to his sinus and ear procedures - other than that, everything went as planned. The doctor said Daniel was very plugged and he cultured positive for a bacteria he is already getting antibiotics for. We are hoping and praying that this will help his congestion and hearing.
Throughout all of his, Daniel's spirits have been great.

Daniel starts his third week of the second round of the oral chemotherapy and his white blood count is already very low. We hope this chemo is as hard on any potentially residual cancer as it is on his blood counts. He will have two more rounds of this three-week oral chemo treatment, and then, God willing, he is done with chemo forever. He will then begin receive accutane alternated with his antibody treatments. Unfortunately I have heard from many that the accutane is no walk in the park either.

There have been many remarkable coincidences that we have experienced throughout this journey with Daniel. Just last week while on a connecting flight to Chicago, I was fortunate enough to meet Mary Y. Mary is someone that Sara had met because of Daniel's illness. She has been a great source of strength and inspiration. We had never met in person, but she was on the same flight and I overheard people talking about a pilgrimage they were making to Medjugorie. One thing lead to another and the next thing I know it was a group of Mary's friends and relatives and even Mary herself - small world. They said they would offer prayers for Daniel while there, in fact, Mary was planning on it anyway.

The flight I was on when I met Mary and the rest of her group was taking me to Washington D.C. to attended Gold Ribbon Days for Childhood Cancer Awareness. The intent of this meeting is to raise legislator's awareness of the need to continue funding childhood cancer research. I am not used to asking people for things, so meeting and talking with the offices of the senators and house representative was hard for me, but very fulfilling.

I learned some interesting things about how cancer research is publicly funded. The National Institute of Health (HIH) obtains government money through legislative orders. A portion of this money is allocated to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Of that money, only a very small portion (one half of one percent) is allocated to the Children's Oncology Group (COG) for childhood cancer research. I understand that the number of children that develop cancer is much less that that of the geriatric population, but when one looks at potential years affected by cancer - it is hard to justify such a small portion going to the children, other than the fact that children don't vote.

Another thing I learned was although the National Cancer Society (NCS) often uses children in their fundraising efforts, only approximately 2% of the money they raise goes towards childhood cancer research. I am not knocking the NCS, but this tells me the National Children's Cancer Foundation (NCCF) definitely needs to get going.

God Bless-
The Hammers

PS - There is a new picture of the kids enjoying the early Minnesota Autumn.

Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 05:35 PM (CDT)

Hello Everyone –

We received more good news today – Daniel’s bone marrow results came back negative. Bone marrow samples are relatively limited in the area that is looked at, but they are the most sensitive of the tests. Daniel continues with the oral chemo and is doing well - with some days better than others.

Daniel’s sinus and ear surgery is scheduled for next Monday. We are hoping and praying he will be strong enough by then. We are also hoping and praying that this surgery will greatly improve his hearing and lessen the congestion and mucus.

On another good note – Chris Jones completed his Ironman Marathon last Sunday and raised approximately $3,600 for nueroblastoma research. We can not thank Chris and all the sponsors enough. The following is an account of Chris’s grueling race:

As I made my way into Lake Monona at 6:40 A.M. to tread water for 20
minutes and take my position among 1800 athletes, the anxiety was immense.
You could see it on the other competitor's faces and feel it in the air.
Most of the 1800 athletes had devoted the past 9 months to 1 year of their
lives, outside of their family and work commitments, to this one day. So
many things could go wrong. Just try to relax, I kept telling myself. The
minutes slowly ticked away and I saw a couple friends of mine who lined up
in the same area...what we thought was the ideal spot to get a good swim
time and not be overcome by the "human washing machine" that the start of
an Ironman has been compared to. I turned to my buddy and asked what time
he had and BOOM!! Here we go. I am actually doing an Ironman! How cool is
that?

I tried to sight my position in line with the buoys but all I saw was
water, elbows and feet. The first couple of breaths of air I tried to take
were mixed with a lot of water. 2-3 minutes into the race and I still can't
see where I am going. I forced myself to exhale very hard when my head went
under water so I wouldn't hyperventilate. This seemed to be working well
but I just couldn't break free from all the traffic. It felt like other
swimmers were grabbing me and trying to pull me under. The first 1.2 miles
seemed to go pretty quickly but came at a price. Wrestling with the other
swimmers the whole way drained me and I slowed down quite a bit on the 2nd
lap. I exited the water in 1:13. I am a better swimmer than that I said to
myself, but there is plenty of time to make up for the slow swim.

Onto the bike leg and I immediately felt great on the bike. I knew I would
have a good ride. I wore my heart rate monitor and my plan was to keep my
HR under 80% of max, which is 148 beats per minute. I knew it would spike
up on some of the steep hills on the course, but for short durations I knew
I would be Ok. The first 56 miles went really smooth, despite the stiff
head winds that we faced. I arrived in Verona and I was so excited because
I knew that my family would be there to cheer me on. I wasn't prepared for
how big the crowds were. It was like the Tour de France with tons of people
lined up on both sides of the cyclists coming through. Unbelievable!! I was
so fired up and couldn't wait to get back to Verona again on the second
loop. The 2nd time was just as crazy and gave me a good energy boost before
heading back to Madison for the last 15 out of 112 miles.

I finished the ride in great shape...bike split was 5:48. The whole way I
felt like I could have gone faster but I stuck with my plan and tried to
reserve some much-needed energy for the marathon. I started the run and the
legs were a little heavy..no big surprise here...I was prepared for that.
After the first mile, the legs started to loosen up and I just tried to
focus. I was sticking to my nutrition plan but I could feel the stomach
starting to get a little queasy. No big deal I thought. I've dealt with
this before. I finished the first 13.1 miles and was starting to feel a
little more nauseous although my legs felt pretty good. I kept going and at
mile 14 I took a sip of my energy gel and immediately began to dry heave. A
few more times down on all fours and then up came the fluids. My worst fear
coming into this race had just happened. What now? I staggered back to my
feet and began to walk towards the next aid station. I knew that I needed
to get some more fluids down or I might not finish.

At this point I knew that my goals of finishing around 11 to 11.5 hours
just changed to FINISH!!! There were lots of friends, well-wishers and
volunteers on the course who were great in keeping me going! They were
awesome! I somehow managed to make my way to mile 18 before I got sick
again. All my fluids again gone. Keep walking I said. I saw my brother and
he tried to give me a high five. I could even lift my hand. He said after
the race that he knew I was in trouble. The last 8.2 miles are kind of
foggy, but I remember telling myself that I had to finish. I didn't train
for 9 months to have the letters DNF (did not finish) next to my name. No
way. Besides, this is not about me. Any minor suffering I was going through
would only last for a few more hours and then I knew I would be Ok. Daniel
Hammer and the other children being treated at MSKCC didn't have any
guarantees. What I was experiencing through the course of this day doesn't
even begin to scratch the surface of what Neuroblastoma children and their
families endure every day. KEEP GOING! Daniel was an incredible inspiration
to me. I managed to actually run the last 2 miles with a short walk up one
hill. The finish line was a glorious sight! I made it. Run time 5:00, total
time 12:18.

After I received my finisher's medal, I proceeded to find a quiet spot on
the grass and spill my guts one last time. A fellow competitor could see
that I needed some assistance and helped me into the medical tent where I
received some intravenous fluids that helped me feel a little better.
Nobody ever said the Ironman was easy, but on this day, I think I got my
money's worth!

God Bless –
The Hammers

Friday, September 13, 2002 at 03:31 PM (CDT)

We received great news today - Daniel's CT, bone, and MIBG scan results have come back negative. We are still waiting on the bone marrow results. We know and have total faith that God will/has healed Daniel, but it is still reassuring to confirm the good results. We know that Daniel would not be were he is today without the Grace of God and the suffering of Jesus.

It has been a rough week on Daniel, doing the antibodies and scans all in one week. The combination of morphine and sedation has made Daniel pretty lethargic. He has lost a lot of weight and muscle mass this last week and we have postponed his sinus and ear surgeries that were going to be done next Monday. He will start his second round of oral chemo next Monday as scheduled.

Being in New York this past 9/11 I was reminded of the everyday heroes all around us. Not only those associated with 9/11, but also all of the children that wake up every morning knowing that they are in for the battle of their life, often times undergoing days, weeks, months, or even years of painful treatments, with smiles on their faces. It was very inspirational to see all these kids and their parents again. We shared a room this week with Ryan, and also saw or met Sophia, William, Nick, Jay, Jessie, and Victoria. Please include these kids and all the other neuroblastoma heroes in your prayers. Please include special prayers for Drew and Brendan as they are in especially difficult situations.

Another hero I want to highlight is our friend Chris Jones. He will be running his first full ironman triathlon this Sunday. He has dedicated this race to help raise money for nueroblastoma research. If things go as planned, Chris thinks that approximately $3,000 could be raised. For those of you who are interested in sponsoring Chris, please see past journal entries for information. The race begins at 7 am and you can follow Chris’s progress throughout the race at www.ironmanlive.com.

God Bless –
The Hammers

Friday, September 13, 2002 at 01:08 PM (CDT)

Just a quick note but wanted you all to know that all of the test/scan results we have gotten back so far on Daniel are CLEAN!
We are still waiting for one, ( his bone marrow biopsies) which takes a few days to get the results.

But the CT's, MIBG and Bone Scan are CLEAR!!

Thanks for all your prayers!!
That is what makes the difference believe me!
Praise God!!!

With Love and Gratitude,
Victor and Sara

Tuesday, September 10, 2002 at 09:53 AM (CDT)

Quick Wednesday September 11 Update

On this first anniversary of 9/11 - finding Daniel and I in New York, I am reminded of the everyday heroes all around us. Not only those associated with 9/11, but also all of the children that wake up every morning knowing that they are in for the battle of their life, often times undergoing days, weeks, months, or even years of painful treatments, with smiles on their faces.

Daniel has had his bone scan, CT scan, and bone marrow biopsy so far this week. He has his MIBG scan tomorrow. He is doing all of these scans in addition to his daily antibody treatments – what a hero. We should know the results of some of these scans by the end of the week.

Another hero I want to highlight is our friend Chris Jones. He will be running his first full ironman triathlon this Sunday. He has dedicated this race to help raise money for nueroblastoma research. If things go as planned, Chris thinks that approximately $3,000 could be raised. For those of you who are interested in sponsoring Chris, please see past journal entries for information. The race begins at 7 am and you can follow Chris’s progress throughout the race at www.ironmanlive.com.

Thanks Chris -
Vic and Daniel

Hello everyone,

Vic and Daniel are in New York this week for scans and antibodies.
Please pray with us that his scans continue to be free of cancer.

Vic and I have a contentment in our hearts,
and believe that he is forever cured of neuroblastoma, and will go on to live a long healthy and happy life and have children of his own. We feel this is possible through
everyone's prayers.

We also are praying for the thousands of innocent victims of 9-11, and for all of those that loved them.

God Bless,

The Hammer Family

-The Prayer of St. Francis-

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Wednesday, September 04, 2002 at 10:17 AM (CDT)

Hello everyone,

I want to start off by saying that Jennifer got on the bus today for her very first day of Kindergarten!
She had some butterflies in her stomach, but she bravely got on the bus without looking back while Daddy, Mommy and Daniel waved her off.
I am sure she will have a lot of teriffic stories to tell us today when she gets home!
We will post a picture of her on her first day soon.

Daniel is feeling great. Rather surprising as the oral chemo
knocked his counts down to practically nothing.
He has some mouth sores in his mouth as well and even needed a platelet transfusion on Friday.
He finished his first cycle of the oral chemo this past Sunday. He will have 3 more cycles of it.
(Each cycle is 3x a day for 21 days)
He will begin the second one in just 2 weeks.
Even though it knocks his white cell count and ANC to zero,and he needed plateletts, it still is a HUGE difference from the way the "regular" cycles were on him. He never felt this good during any of those.
And we are hoping his counts will come up fairy quick.
The theory behind doing the oral chemo, even though he is in complete remission,is to hopefully get any NB cells left that could have survived and are chemo resistent, and that do not show up on the most sensitive tests we have today.
This oral etoposide is a chemo drug that theoreticaly acts different if given orally rather than IV, (as all the other chemos were administered).
It is a fairly low dose and they feel that the risk of relpase with this disease is greater than the potential long term side effects. That is why they want to treat this cancer as agressively as possible the first time around as if you relpase it is extremely tough to fight it and it usually comes back with a vengance.

Next week is when Daniel and Vic will go out to NY for a week for scans and the monoclonal antibodies.
When they return from NY, the following Monday, Daniel will be having 2 minor surgeries back home. One is on his sinuses
(Endoscopic Antrostomy) and the other is an Ethmoidectomy and tube placement in the ears.
We are very excited about both as it will help to clear up and prevent his chronic sinisitis and fluid in the ears that cause infections.
The radiation he has had to his head has likely contributed to these problems so the surgeries will correct this so he will have much better drainage in both his sinuses and ears.
And the even better news is his hearing will improve.
He has some permanant hearing loss from the chemos and transplant,but it is much less than we thought due to these other correctbale issues. If his true hearing ability remains the same, he will not require any hearing aids or amplification at all. His true hearing loss is only in the very high range and does not affect any speech areas at all.
We had believed that his true hearing loss was much greater and that would require hearing aids. So this is a true blessing and answer to our prayers.
I for one believe the early tests really were accurate but that he has been touched, once again, by the Lord's healing hands. In New York we went to another healing mass and we specifically asked for his hearing to be restored as it had taken a sudden turn for the worst after transplant(Which is very common and even expected and permanent with the particular drugs they use for transplant in NY)
Once again, our prayers have been answered.
God has been so miraculously good to us.
We can testify to that time and time again.
Someday I would like to write a book on all the divine interventions and honest to goodness miracles that have occurred since Daniel's diagnosis, and all the signs we have recieved.
It never ceases to overwhelm and amaze us.

Please pray that Vic and Daniel have a very safe trip to NY.
They will be there over the anniversary of Sept 11th.
Please pray for peace and for everyones safety.

All our prayers go to the many kids that battle this disease each day and to their families.
We constantly pray for their healing and for a cure
for this wretched disease.

We also pray for the many, many families that have
lost their loved one to this disease.
We pray they continue to find the strength they need to
endure.

God Bless.

With Gratitude,
The Hammer Family

Monday, August 26, 2002 at 12:33 PM (CDT)

Hello everyone,

First of all I want to wish a BIG happy birthday to our daughter, Jennifer! She is 5 today!!

Also we have some new pictures on the website to check out!

Daniel has been doing and feeling teriffic.
Since our last update, my brother and sister came up with their kids. We took all the kids to Camp Snoopy, and had a great time. Daniel esp had a blast!
He loves the rides there, and to go on them with his cousins was the icing on the cake for him!

Then this past weekend we all headed to Grandpa and Grandma Barry's for his big "Remission Party" on Saturday.
He had about 90 people to join him in his celebration.
It was a great day, and it was wonderful to see all the people who have helped him this year with their heartfelt prayers and extradorinary kindness.
We are grateful for each person that attended his party and helped us celebrate his remission status.
I only wish I would have had more time to converse with all the guests that came. So many of them I was only able to speak with for a couple of moments. But I hope everyone knows that their presence was greatly appreciated by us!

We had more special guests then we have room to mention in this entry.
But we were very grateful and pleased to see our Aunt Patti and Uncle Ted (and their granddaughter Racelyn) from Vic's side who came all the way from Washington on a red eye flight to surpise us and help us celebrate!
It meant the world to us and was a wonderful surpsise!

Daniel got over his double ear infection miraculosly fast.
He has been feeling teriffic, even though the oral chemo he is on has been effecting his counts pretty tough, though not requiring any transfusions so far.

We had quite a scare on Thursday, the day before we were to leave for WI for his party. We noticed a bump and swelling above his eyebrow. We were of course very concerned about relpase, as he had quite a lot of skull involvement at diagnosis. And in NY we had met several people who had relpased in that spot. So I took him in to the ER Thursday night for a CT scan of the head.
They told us there was no tumor mass, just some swelling. We were still, of course very worried that it could have been the beginning of growth of NB cells and that was casuing the swelling. But on Friday morning the oncologist called and told us it was clearly sinisitis!
WHEW!
Thank God!!
So he is on another antibiotic, and he has an appt with an ENT Dr next week for exploration of his sinisus and getting tubes in his ears. Since he had quite a bit of radiation
to his skull, his ears and sinuses do not drain as well as they should.
So, needless to say that was a HUGE relief,
and we had no worries as we thoroughly enjoyed his celebration!

Tonight we have Jennifer's Kindergarten registration and pot luck dinner at her school where she will meet her kindergarten teacher, etc..
We picked up her uniform last week and she looks so adorable in it. I am sure we'll post a picture on the site
of her on her first day of school.
She is very excited for school to start.
(Daniel is excited too, as that means he will get a lot more 1 on 1 attention!)

A special thanks to everyone who joined us in Daniel's celebration last weekend!

And a BIG THANKS of course to all our family members that worked so very hard before, during and after the party!
We truly appreciated all your teriffic help!!
And to Daniel's cousin Kelly who made a very creative and touching photo presentation for the party for us.
It is a beautiful keepsake!

Also a very special thanks to the Police, Fire Dept and EMT for stopping out with their vehicles for Daniel's party.
He thought that was special and very COOL!

Thanks also to Dennis, my brother's friend who very kindly and generously spent the day roasting some wonderful pork roasts for the party. It was positively delicious! We appreciated all his hard work!

Don't forget to check out the new pictures too..many of which are from the party.

Thank you again for all your prayers for Daniel and
for all the fighters of this terrible disease.

**A special prayer request as well to our special friend Adam V, who very sadly lost his battle with this disease last week. He was 7 and had relapsed a little
over a month ago.
He was an incredibly loving and sweet boy.
Please keep his parents and family in your prayers.

Thank you.

With Love and Gratitude,
The Hammmer Family

Saturday, August 17, 2002 at 08:53 AM (CDT)

Hi everyone!

Daniel continues to enjoy his time at home. We have done a lot of soul searching the last several days regarding having the majority of Daniel's treatment done away from home in NY. It was very hard for Daniel, as well as the rest of us, to be away from home for such a long time. In no way should any of the NB parents reading this that did not opt for such a drastic plan feel that they have done any less of a service to their child. We feel that God has guided us to the path that we have taken, just as He has guided each of the other parents of NB children.

Daniel and Jennifer are looking forward to their cousins from Wisconsin visiting today. Aunt Susie is bringing Kerry and Corey and Uncle Mark is bringing Marty and Kelly. If things go as scheduled there will be a visit to Camp Snoopy at the Mall of America. Depending on the weather, we will also have a bon fire and roast some marshmallows and maybe even make some smores. I don't remember how we got on the subject, but Sara found it very disturbing that the folks at the clinic in NY did not know what a smore was.

Daniel went to the clinic yesterday and we confirmed what we had expected - he had a double ear infection. He began his oral chemo last Monday and his energy has been pretty low but it is hard to tell if it has been from the chemo or this infection. He does get very excited though when we remind him that his cousins are coming.

Next weekend is the big party. We are having a pig roast at Grandma and Grandpa Barry's next Saturday. We are having people over from about 1pm-4pm. It is a "We All Love You Daniel and Missed You While You Were In NY" party. Anyone who is in the area that we forgot to ask over please feel free to stop by. Sara and I are so appreciative for everyone's support through this, it will also give us a chance to thank people, especially for their thoughts and prayers for Daniel.

Please continue to pray for healing for all of the fighters of this horrible disease!!
Thank you and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Friday, August 09, 2002 at 10:58 AM (CDT)

Hi everyone!

Just a quick update to let you all know that Daniel is doing so teriffic at home! He is extremely happy.
He is enjoying everything to the fullest.
It is so great for all of us to be back in our home and enjoy normal family times again.
Daniel is eating so much better and if it continues the plan is to get his G-tube out in New York when he is back for antibodies and scans in early September.

He will start the oral chemo on Monday for 3 weeks. We hope it won't make him feel sick. With most of the kids it doesn't but every kid is different.

Jennifer is very excited about starting Kindergarten next month.
We know that she (Miss Social Butterfly) will love it!

Thank you for your continued prayers for Daniel's continued recovery and complete remission status.
We are going to enjoy each day and live it to it's fullest, and are not planning on relapse. (or wasting any precious time worrying about the possibility of relpase, as it may never happen).
We are just giving it all to God.

Please continue to pray for healing for all of the fighters of this horrible disease!!

Thank you and God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Thursday, August 01, 2002 at 09:01 PM (CDT)

8/3 - QIUCK UPDATE
We made it home early yesterday evening thanks to the incredible kindness of two pilots (Scott and Dan) who took time away from their busy lives simply to get us home as soon as we were able.

Daniel is thriving at home. I have updated the photos with the first three things Daniel did this morning as soon as he woke up.

We have not seen Daniel smile this much in months! (since before his diagnosis last Novemeber). He is so happy to be home! And what a blessing it is to have him home and doing so well!
We believe in our hearts that it will continue and that he has beat this evil cancer for good! Thanks to God.

****************************************
Hi everyone,

We apologize for not keeping this site as up to date as we would like, but it has been a very busy last couple of weeks. We are all heading back to Minnesota tomorrow after Daniel’s treatment. I am not sure who is looking most forward to being home but it is probably a toss up between Daniel and Sara. Jennifer will miss all her friends and the wonderful activities both at the RMDH and the clinic. She will be starting kindergarten in September so that will give her something to look forward to. Jennifer and I were busy last week taking in Coney Island, The Bronx Zoo and the B-52’s concert in Central Park.

Daniel had his central line removed Monday and is in good spirits. He is looking forward to the plane ride tomorrow and being home for about five weeks before we are scheduled to be back for scans and the next round of antibody treatment. People at the clinic have been commenting this week at how well Daniel’s disposition has been. For the most part we have noticed this as well, although during a very painful moment during the antibody treatment on Monday he was heard calling his very kind nurse a “stupid, dumb Doctor”. Although we are not proud of this behavior, it is this kind of fight that is needed to beat this disease. While home, Daniel will be getting three weeks of oral chemotherapy that we will administer. We will get reconnected with the home health nurses to get Daniel’s prescribed blood work. We are praying that this new treatment will be hard hitting on any potential residual cancer but not so hard on Daniel that he will need any hospitalization while we are home.

There is not enough space on this web site to thank all of the people who have supported both Daniel and our family during this extended New York vacation but you know who you are. If you are reading this site and thinking and praying for Daniel and the other young fighters of this disease, you are definitely included in this group. To see God’s hand touch Daniel as he has will definitely change all our lives forever. It has been an indescribable experience, on one hand the longest 10 months of our lives and on the other hand the shortest 10 months of our lives. We know we still have a long battle ahead, but are very happy to be at this great milestone.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Note :
A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicating his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

I talked with Chris this past week and he tells me that training is still going well and he looks forward to finishing the race for Daniel!

Saturday, July 20, 2002 at 11:23 AM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

It’s hard to believe that we will all be coming home in a couple of weeks. That thought is what has kept us all going the last couple of weeks. It has been the topic of most of our conversations and Daniel can hardly wait. This first thing he wants to do when he gets home is “play outside”. Central park and the 3rd floor Ronald McDonald House (RMDH) terrace have been fun but they are no substitute for a good ole’ Midwestern back yard.

This has been a fun week of activities at the RMDH. There has been an outside barbecue, an Hawaiian Luau, a dinner, Christmas in July (complete with Santa Claus) and miniature golf tonight. The kids received great gifts from Santa, and the Pagano’s (good friends of ours whose son Nicholas is being treated for neuroblastoma) received the grand prize at the Christmas party of an all expense paid trip to Disney.

Daniel completed radiation last Thursday with a bang – his central line ruptured during anesthesia so he needed to have it repaired. He has had this line in since last November and it is scheduled to be removed before we come home. He has been blessed by not having any difficulties with it, until the rupture, and the repair was not a major deal.

There are some big plans when we get home. Jennifer will start kindergarten at the end of August and Daniel is going to have a big birthday party back in Wisconsin in August. Then we will go to Disney in October through the Make-a Wish Foundation. This winter we will also go to a Wisconsin Dells indoor water park and rent an ice fishing house that we can sleep in and fish.

During our stay here in New York we have been very blessed by the friends we have made. Their examples of faith and courage have been inspirations to us all. We have also been humbled by the kindness and generosity of our existing friends and family. We are planning a big party for Daniel next May in Minnesota to celebrate his stem cell transplant date. This will be an annual “birthday” celebration for Daniel in May. We hope that may of you who have prayed and gave us encouragement during this past year will be able to make the party.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

P.S. – There are new pictures included on the web site.

Note :
A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicating his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

I talked with Chris this past week and he tells me that training is still going well and he looks forward to finishing the race for Daniel!

Monday, July 15, 2002 at 07:21 PM (CDT)

Note: Update

July 17th

Since our last update on July 15th we have unfortunately learned of another friend of ours who has relapsed very suddenly this week.
Therefore we want to ask for prayers for him. He is our friend Adam V from MI. Please pray that once again they will be able to get his disease under control and that they are led down the right treatment path. Please pray that
he will get into remission again quicky and will stay in it this time.

My God heal all these sweet kids, and lead us to a cure for this evil disease.

Thank you.
****************************************
July 15th

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your continued positive thoughts and prayers
for Daniel's healing. They are always very much appreciated!

Please also keep the family of Annie Kelly in your prayers as well. As most of you know she received her angel wings last Tuesday. Vic attended her Memorial Service in Michigan on Saturday, and said it was a beautiful tribute to her 4 years of life. I am confident that with all the love and prayers for her wonderful family that they will continue to
have the strength they need to help get them through this
terrible and unspeakable loss they have had, of their precious little girl. Their faith is so strong and they know she is healed in heaven and is dancing with all the other beautiful angels.

We also ask that you keep Brendan in your prayers. He is an aadorable little 3 year old boy here that is dear to our hearts.
His disease continues to progress, and they will be heading to Pennsylvania for MIBG treatment soon. We pray that this will help them out very much so they can return here to NY to have transplant.

Another little friend of ours, Julia, has recently relapsed.
Please pray for her that they are able to get contol of it and get it gone again for good! She has been through and finished all the treatments and was doing so well. So we want to see her in remission again very, very soon!

Please also pray very hard for another darling little boy, Corey, who is 5. His disease has progressed/relpased and they have been battling this for a long time. They were told last week to take him home and that there is nothing else they can do, as his cancer has become resistent. However, they are not giving up hope. They know it is in God's hands and we all know of people who were given no hope and are alive and thriving today. Please pray that Corey will be one of them. They are looking into treatment possibilities for him at other institutions that have other experimental phase 1 and phase 2 studies.

There is another little girl with neuroblastoma who has relpased, named Jasmine. Please pray that she will be in remission again soon..for good!

And last but certainly not least, please pray for some very dear friends of ours,a very lovely family, the Passarellas. We need prayers for a teriffic MRI result tomorrow, for their son, Matthew!! He has a brain tumor, and it has decreased 60% in the past, and they are praying that it is continuing to shrink! His website is www.passarella.com/matthew.htm They are traveling to Johns Hopkins tomorrow for the results so please lets pray very hard that it is still shrinking and will continue to until it is finally GONE!!

Daniel has been having radiation the past few days and is doing well. He goes 2 times a day, and has anesthesia, but tolerates it just fine. He will be getting his broviac
(central line) out in about 3 weeks, Jesus willing, just before we all get to go home! What a fine, fine day that will be!

Thank you again for all your needed prayers for all these children and their families!

God Bless!

With Gratitude,
The Hammer Family

Sunday, July 07, 2002 at 06:45 PM (CDT)

Tuesday July 9, 2002

It is with great sadness in our hearts that we announce to you that Annie Kelly passed away this afternoon.

Please keep the Kelly family in your prayers that they can find the strength
they will need to cope with their unspeakable loss.

We will be updating their website with further information as we hear it, regarding the arrangements and memorials.

We take comfort in knowing that Annie is finally at peace and that her suffering is over. I know she has earned the finest angel wings that heaven has to offer, and that she is smiling down at eveyone with that beautiful smile of hers.

God Bless

www.caringbridge.com/mi/anniekelly

****************************************

Hi everyone,

Daniel has had a great week. He is looking and feeling really good. He has been out of treatment for the longest time since he was diagnosed last November ( a 1 ½ week break) – which is good and bad. We’d like to be as aggressive as possible with this terrible disease, but it is nice to give his body a short break. He will begin IMRT radiation treatments this Wednesday and it will be completed by the following Friday (7 days, twice a day, of actual radiation with a dry run on Wednesday and the weekend off).

Following radiation Daniel will receive two more weeks of GM-CSF + antibodies. Following this we expect to be able to all come home. Once home we will settle into our new routine of three weeks of oral chemo at home followed by one week of antibodies in NY (sometimes two weeks in NY with scans).

Sara has been home this past week getting our house ready for Daniel’s return. Daniel will have a mini pickup truck waiting for him in the garage. We are really looking forward to him tearing up the yard in it.

This week Daniel, Jennifer and I enjoyed the 4th along the banks of the East River. The fireworks were the most spectacular I have ever seen. In addition to the normal spectacular fireworks, there were those that exploded into smiley faces and giant stars. The police had an emergency command station located there so we got a tour of their mobile command vehicle and enjoyed a police barbecue prior to the fireworks.

On a more serious note, Sara and I would like to extend a most heartfelt thank you to all who have prayed for Daniel’s healing over these past nine months. Even though the cancer is not showing up on the scans, it may be there at a minimal level. This is truly the time that we all need to pray that God enables Daniel’s immune system to fully irraticate this disease. We are sure this will happen because we know that God has great things in store for Daniel.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease, especially Annie and Brendan.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

P.S. – There are new pictures included on the web site.

Note :
A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicating his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

Chris tells me that training is still going well and he does plan on finishing!

Tuesday, July 02, 2002 at 10:23 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

Yesterday Daniel had his radiation simulation. We are hoping to begin radiation treatment next Monday. This week the hospital will be making molds and working out a treatment plan. They will decide if the 3-D or IMRT (a super sophisticated method) will provide the best treatment.

This is a slow week in NY with respect to treatment, so Sara has returned home to Minnesota for the first time since January. She will begin making our house a home for Daniel’s much anticipated return this August. If Daniel can make it through this week with me, he will be able to make it through anything.

Daniel is doing well. We are trying to put a little weight on him this week since he will be receiving two rounds of radiation treatment per day next week and will require anesthesia for each, which means no food. They had a birthday party today at RMDH (nobody’s real birthday – just a party with a birthday theme) and he ate one-half of a hotdog, which is more than he’s eaten in a long time. Thank goodness for his evening feeds through the stomach tube.

We were also hoping to do some outdoor activities this week, but with temperatures in the 90’s, it looks like we will be entertaining ourselves indoors. We are planing on making a trip to the East River pier to watch the fireworks on the 4th with the rest of the RMDH.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing! We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease, especially Annie and Brendan.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Note :
A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicating his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

Chris tells me that training is still going well and he does plan on finishing!

Thursday, June 20, 2002 at 10:07 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

We are overwhelmed by the good news of Daniel's scans so far. We have gotten at least preliminary results from the MRI, Bone scan, MIBG scan, and CT scans and are waiting on the bone marrow biopsies, aspirates and spinal tap that were done last week. The scans done so far show no evidence of disease. Through God's intervention, Daniel has come a long way (initial involvement in left adrenal and kidney with metasticies to the lymph system, bone marrow, tibias, femur, skull and possible meningeal as well as all negative prognosis factors) but still has a tough road ahead.

Daniel is currently in the middle of two weeks of antibody treatments. This will be followed by radiation and two more weeks of antibodies. He will then be on a cycle of oral chemo and antibodies which will allow us all to come home as a family for the first time since January. We are anticipating that this will be in early August. He will then be on a cycle of receiving three weeks of oral chemo (at home) followed by one week of antibodies (in NY). I am sure getting back to Minnesota will do wonders for his spirit.

Jennifer was reunited last week with the rest of us and is picking up just were she left off, enjoying the arts and crafts activities at the day clinic and playing with her friends at the Ronald McDonald House. Sara and I were very moved by the reuniting hugs and kisses that Daniel and Jenny had for each other - several hours later of coarse they were fighting like cats and dogs. Jennifer is also having alot of fun playing with her friend Victoria who is in for antibody treatments through next week.

We believe Daniel would not have progressed to this point without everyone’s diligent prayers. Seeing this miracle of God being worked through all the current treatments is incredible. Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing! Even though were are confident that Daniel has been cured through God, the relapse rate for a child who has progressed to where Daniel is at is approximately 50%, so we continue to ask for your healing prayers. We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters, particularly Annie, Hunter, Brendan, and Aaron, who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Note :
A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicating his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

Chris tells me that training is going well and he does plan on finishing!

Monday, June 10, 2002 at 11:35 AM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

I wanted to send out an urgent prayer request for our dear little friend, Annie Kelly. Recently, her disease has progressed very quickly.

Her website is www.caringbridge.com/mi/anniekelly

Please send as many extra prayers as possible her way for her and her family during this terribly difficult time.

Thank you and God Bless.

Wednesday, June 05, 2002 at 08:46 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

For those of you that didn't hear, Daniel was discharged last Friday. He is very happy to be out of the hospital. He went in for blood tests on Monday and his counts were good enough that we were told we didn't have to come back until next Monday. It's nice to get good news once and a while.

He still isn't eating but he has been tolerating his feeding tube being run regularly. Daniel also has a definite problem wearing masks so he is choosing to stay in the room or in the stroller with the plastic stroller cover over him. It will be interesting to see how he does at the clinic next week when he won't have a choice.

Next week is a big week for Daniel. He will be receiving the full set of scans, including: bone scan, MIBG scan, CT scan, bone marrow, audio, and MRI. Even though we have all the faith in the world that things are going well, it is hard not to feel nervous during this time. We ask everyone to please pray for Daniel's continued progress and eventual healing. I know we have said this many times, but we are sure that Daniel would not be doing as good as he is were it not for the covering of prayers he is receiving.

This week the Hammer family members are in three different states. Jennifer and Dad are going to hook up Friday and return to New York on Sunday. Mommy is just a little bit excited to see Jennifer. Jennifer has had a great time with the grandmas and grandpas. We're guessing that she was a little bit spoiled.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing! We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this truly terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Note :
A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicating his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

Chris tells me that training is going well and he does plan on finishing!

Thursday, May 30, 2002 at 10:20 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

It looks like Daniel will be discharged tomorrow. This is only two weeks after his stem cell infusion – I’m not a doctor but I don’t think it goes much better. We will have our meeting tomorrow discuss all the necessary precautions for the next 100 days. Basically he will be on a nuetrapenic diet, and also wear a protective mask in public. He has also likely lost all of his titers and will have to redo his childhood immizations at another stage in the future. We will have to exercise extreme caution to not expose him to germs, as that could be very serious. Even though his blood counts are recovering, he still has a very suppressed immune system. We realize we still have a long journey, but this is a milestone that we’ve looked forward to getting behind us.

Sara and I are both looking forward to getting Jennifer back out here. I hope to come back this next week to put in some office time and get her. Even though she is a handful, we sure do miss her.

In a couple of weeks Daniel will have a complete set of scans/testing, followed by two weeks of antibodies, two weeks of radiation, two more weeks of antibodies, and then the oral chemotherapy. The oral chemotherapy is our next target because it is when we will all be able to return to Minnesota for the first time since January. I know it will be good for Daniel to be back home in between treatments. The routine for a while will include three weeks of oral chemotherapy followed by one week back in NY for antibodies.

A bright spot in Daniel’s hospital stay has been the great care and compassion he has received from the nursing and hospital staff. They keep upbeat even though the majority of the time they are not wanted in the room by Daniel. We are very grateful to them all for taking such exceptional care of us!

After a conversation today with Daniel’s doctor, we are again reminded of the severity of his cancer and the battles still ahead. Of the generally six prognostic factors used to classify nueroblastoma, Daniel was poor in all factors. One DNA report even stated he has a “grave prognosis”. Despite this, he has made exceptional progress and we know the day when his scans show no evidence of disease is soon to come. We believe he would not have progressed to this point without everyone’s diligent prayers. Seeing this miracle of God being worked through all the current treatments and technology is incredible.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing! We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this truly terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Note :
A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicating his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

Chris tells me that training is going well and he does plan on finishing!

Sunday, May 26, 2002 at 11:24 AM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

Daniel is doing great. He’s not feeling great, but he is progressing through his transplant unbelievably well. If someone would have told us six months ago that we would be saying our son is doing great while he was vomiting blood several times a day, had green diarrhea, had itchy rashes all over his body, and had mouth and internal soars, we would have thought they were nuts.

His white blood count was 2.2 today and his ANC (a subset of the white blood count) is still pending today but it was 500 yesterday. His white blood count seems to be doubling every day while he is still receiving almost daily transfusions of platelets. From other’s experiences, it seems like the platelets are often the last thing to recover. The doctor yesterday speculated that if things continue as well as they are, we are looking at being discharged within a couple of weeks. They took Daniel off of his first antibiotic yesterday so things are definitely headed in the right direction.

Being that Daniel is in so much pain and on so many drugs, it is pretty understandable that he is also pretty irritable. Doctors have never been his favorite people anyway so we were off to a typical day when the doctors and all their interns and assistants came in for rounds and Daniel wanted nothing to do with them. Shortly after that, a volunteer from the play room popped in and asked if she could do or get anything for Daniel and he said he would like a toy. Daniel then fell asleep and when he woke up he had a present waiting for him – a Fireman Rescue Hero that shot plastic water ball type projectiles. He couldn’t wait to open it and he played with it for hours. It is very inspiring to see the difference that these folks make in the daily lives of these kids.

Since Sara and I have been splitting our evenings between the hospital and the Ronald McDonald House and we needed something to keep Daniel closer to us at all times. Photos were good but we had an idea from early on that a sketch from one of the many artists in Central Park would be nice. Last Friday we went ahead and took a photo of Daniel and had one of the many artists draw a truly inspiring portrait for us. A photo of this sketch has been added to Daniel’s Photo page.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Note :
A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicating his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

Chris tells me that training is going well and he does plan on finishing!

Wednesday, May 22, 2002 at 08:52 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

Daniel has been a real trooper these last several days. Even though he is experiencing many expected side affects, he still manages to spend a good portion of each day on the couch watching his favorite cartoons between naps. His favorites currently are Dragon Tales, Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues and Sponge Bob Square Pants.

The doctor speculated yesterday by Daniel’s appearance, that the stem cells had successfully grafted. It will be a great day when his white counts begin to recover. We are anticipating that this will happen within a couple of weeks. He started on double doses of GCSF (white blood cell stimulator) and TPN (intravenous feedings) four days ago. In addition to these medicines, Daniel is receiving regular red blood cell and platelet transfusions, pain medicine, and numerous antibiotics. Daniel is on his third different pain medicine but this one seems to be working better. The first two controlled his pain but made him very itchy.

Sara and I have been splitting our evenings between the hospital and the Ronald McDonald House. Daniel uses this to his advantage when it comes time to medicine taking. It is especially hard for him to take his oral medicine to help control his mouth soars. These are essentially rinses. His ploy is to tell me that “mommy doesn’t make me do that one” or “mommy only makes me rinse once”. It is hard to make him take them all the time since they hurt his mouth or make him throw up so every once and a while I must confess that I don’t make him take them (does it really make a difference if he takes one three times a day versus four time a day?).

We continue to tell Daniel how everyone is praying for him and I know he appreciates it. We can truly feel God covering and protecting Daniel. Sara and I wish to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time as well. I especially want to thank by boss and coworkers at Land O' Lakes who have allowed me to concentrate on what is important right now.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Note :
A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicating his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

Chris tells me that training is going well and he does plan on finishing!

Thursday, May 16, 2002 at 05:45 PM (CDT)

NOTE:

It is with tremendous grief and sadness in my heart that I announce to you, that Gabrielle Anna (Gabby),a precious and beautiful 2 year old girl, today lost her battle with neuroblastoma.
I ask you to pray for strength for her parents and family.

They are from MN as well, and was diagnosed a month before Daniel.
Please send them your encouragement and prayers as they endure the indescribable
pain and suffering that is upon them now.

www.caringbridge.org/mn/gabrielles.prayers/

God be with them.

Hi Everyone,

Daniel had a successful stem cell transplant performed today. Going forward, Daniel will celebrate two birthdays per year, one will be his true birthday (October 21) and the other will be his transplant birthday (May 16)- (Which is also his Daddy's bithday)

Daniel is coming up on a tough few weeks. The constant morphine drip was started two days ago as the chemo side affects are just starting to kick in.

This has been an emotional week for Sara and I. Though we are overjoyed with Daniel’s healing, we are constantly reminded of the relentlessness of this disease. Jennifer’s dear friend Sierra was here for antibody treatments this week. She had developed a limp so they did scans and the scans indicated that the cancer had returned. She was sent home to begin more chemo. Unfortunately this disease becomes very hard to overcome the second time. Sierra is truly a beautiful little girl, both inside and out. Our heart goes out to her and her family as they begin round two of their fight with this ugly monster.

As Sara and I reflect on the pictures of this innocent little girl on her website, we pray that God has mercy on her and gives her family the strength and courage needed to assist her in her battle. The opposite of love is fear, so we also pray that their faith is not shaken by this turn of events, as God will return Sierra to his son’s healthy image.

Sara and I are again overwhelmed with someone’s kindness. A good friend of ours, Chris Jones, is dedicated his running of an Ironman triathlon race for Daniel, and a cure for nueroblastoma. The inaugural Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will take place on September 15th, 2002, in Madison, WI. The race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride and finally a 26.2 mile marathon. Over 2000 athletes will be competing for 80 qualifying spots for the Ironman Triathlon World Championship race in Hawaii.

The money is collected through the Ironman North America's Janus Challenge, which is actually a contest. Janus kicks in more $$ to the non-profit organization of choice for the person who raises the most money. In the three weeks following the race, Chris will collect pledge money and then combine that with checks sent between now and then with straight donations. He will then have all the proceeds sent directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

People who want to make Pledge per Mile Donations should send the following information to Chris via e-mail or regular mail. That way he can write down all the pledges on the official form and turn that in.

1)Name, address, phone number, e-mail address
2) Pledge amount per mile (for 140.6 miles) i.e. $.25/mile pledge x 140.6 miles= $35.15 donation
3) Don't send money at this point. Funds will be collected following the race.

Send to:
chris.jones@design-concepts.com or
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

Those who want to sponsor Chris by making a Straight Donation should make the check or money order payable to MSKCC-Neuroblastoma Research and mail to:
Chris Jones
C/O Ironman Wisconsin-Janus Charity Challenge
10 Wynbrook Circle
Madison, WI 53704

100% of this money is used for nueroblastoma research. I have personally looked into it and no hospital administrative charges are incurred. 20 years ago the chances for a child surviving stage IV nueroblastoma were almost none. Today, thanks to the mostly self- funded research, these odds are increasing each year. They have not plateaud yet though, which tells me that every dollar donated does help to directly save a young child’s life.

Chris tells me that training is going well and he does plan on finishing!

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

P.S. - We have updated Daniel’s photo pages.

Tuesday, May 07, 2002 at 07:12 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

Daniel is doing great. All the tests and scans that he has had done over the last couple of weeks have proved what we already knew – that he is getting better. It is really overwhelming to see God work this miracle. When this journey was started a half a year ago, Daniel had cancer in his stomach (adrenal gland with kidney involvement), bones (legs – tibias and femur), head (eye socket and several areas of his skull), bone marrow, lymph node system, and possibly brain lining. Not only did he have bulk cancer, but it was classified as very aggressive according to chromosomal markers. In fact, all of the prognosis factors used to classify his specific cancer are bad. After numerous rounds of very aggressive chemotherapy, surgery, cutting-edge biological treatment, and most importantly everybody’s prayers, the disease is disappearing.

Unfortunately, even when this cancer appears to be whipped, it often times comes back. That is why, even though Daniel has come a long way, he still has a long way to go. Daniel’s next treatment will probably be his toughest physically. This high dose chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplant begins tomorrow. He will be in an isolated room in the hospital for a minimum of one month. Fortunately, Daniel is unaware of the seriousness of this next procedure, but there are many immediate, short-term and long-term side affects. It will truly be wonderful when they develop more effective, less obtrusive ways to treat this and other types of cancer. I hope it is not too far out when they will look back and think how barbaric these treatments were.

On a lighter note, Daniel has learned the card game Old Maid. Daniel has several ways to ensure he is never stuck with the Old Maid:
 Raise the Old Maid higher in your hand than the rest of the cards and it will always be picked;
 Put the Old Maid on one side of your hand and make sure that is the only side that your opponent can reach; and
 When all else fails, grab your opponent’s hand and place it on the Old Maid in your hand to give them the subtle hint.
With these techniques, Daniel is still undefeated in Old Maid.

Another family that has been a source of inspiration have been the Passarella’s. Their young boy Matthew is doing tremendously in his battle with a brain tumor. Matthew and his family would be very appreciative of everyone’s thoughts and prayers for his continued recovery. Their website is located at www.passarella.com/matt2.htm.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing! We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease. Specifically, Annie Kelley, who we met when we first arrived here. She has since traveled to Philadelphia for radiation therapy to reduce or control her disease so she could begin antibody treatment back here in NYC.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 04:57 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

This week finds the Hammer family in three different states. Dad is in Minnesota holding down the fort, Jennifer is in Wisconsin spending time with family, with Mom and Daniel continuing the battle in New York. Though he misses his sister, Daniel seems to really be enjoying the one-on-one attention he is getting from Mom.

The Ronald McDonald House is currently under quarantine due to a chicken pox exposure. This means that the play room and computer room are shut down and all activities have been cancelled indefinitely. Families are also encouraged not to mingle. This is particularly relevant to Daniel as he prepares for his transplant. We were told that Daniel should still be covered by the chicken pox vaccination he had as an infant, but recieved blood results today that show he is not immune. This sort of inconsistency keeps us on our toes.

We are still waiting on some of the test results that were done last week and Daniel has an MRI scheduled for this Friday, but the results that we have received from the tests and scans that were done last week have been very encouraging. Generally, the only abnormality that is showing up is most probably due to bone regeneration (it is showing up on the bone scan but not the MIBG scan). We truly believe that Daniel would not be where he is today, were it not for everyone’s thoughts and prayers. Sara and I continually ask God to restore Daniel to Jesus’ image and make him healthy, so that he may one day do great things. People often ask what they can do, and the biggest thing that we ask for now is for everyone to Pray, Pray, Pray.

We would also like to recognize a very special person who is doing great things in the battle against nueroblastoma. She is a ninth-grader named Sophie. Her brother Simon has done major battle with this disease and is doing great. Last year, Sophie and her fellow classmates raised $35,000, which was donated directly for pediatric cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Kids Walk for Kids with Cancer will take place on May 11 this year. Last year Sophie included four poster children with stage IV nueroblastoma as a way to get the word out about the event. Since then, three of them have died, and this years fundraising efforts are dedicated to those courageous children and their families. Daniel is being featured on one of Sophie’s posters this year. Donations to this research can be made payable to “Hope Street Kids” and mailed to:
Sophie Staples-Vangel
163 Garfield Place
Brooklyn, New York 11215.
Hope Street Kids will send an acknowledgement to each donor, which will serve as a record of their tax-deductible contribution.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Note: There are some new Daniel pictures posted.

Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 04:02 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

This week finds the Hammer family in three different states. Dad is in Minnesota holding down the fort, Jennifer is in Wisconsin spending time with family, with Mom and Daniel continuing the battle in New York. Though he misses his sister, Daniel seems to really be enjoying the one-on-one attention he is getting from Mom.

The Ronald McDonald House is currently under quarantine due to a chicken pox exposure. This means that the play room and computer room are shut down and all activities have been cancelled indefinitely. Families are also encouraged not to mingle. This is particularly relevant to Daniel as he prepares for his transplant. We were told that Daniel should still be covered by the chicken pox vaccination he had as an infant. He will loose his immunity when he has his stem cell (bone marrow) transplant.

We are still waiting on some of the test results that were done last week and Daniel has an MRI scheduled for this Friday, but the results that we have received from the tests and scans that were done last week have been very encouraging. Generally, the only abnormality that is showing up is most probably due to bone regeneration (it is showing up on the bone scan but not the MIBG scan). We truly believe that Daniel would not be where he is today, were it not for everyone’s thoughts and prayers. Sara and I continually ask God to restore Daniel to Jesus’ image and make him healthy, so that he may one day do great things. People often ask what they can do, and the biggest thing that we ask for now is for everyone to Pray, Pray, Pray.

We would also like to recognize a very special person who is doing great things in the battle against nueroblastoma. She is a ninth-grader named Sophie. Her brother Simon has done major battle with this disease and is doing great. Last year, Sophie and her fellow classmates raised $35,000, which was donated directly for pediatric cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Kids Walk for Kids with Cancer will take place on May 11 this year. Last year Sophie included four poster children with stage IV nueroblastoma as a way to get the word out about the event. Since then, three of them have died, and this years fundraising efforts are dedicated to those courageous children and their families. Daniel is being featured on one of Sophie’s posters this year. Donations to this research can be made payable to “Hope Street Kids” and mailed to:
Sophie Staples-Vangel
163 Garfield Place
Brooklyn, New York 11215.
Hope Street Kids will send an acknowledgement to each donor, which will serve as a record of their tax-deductible contribution.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Note: There are some new Daniel pictures posted.

Thursday, April 18, 2002 at 02:12 PM (CDT)

Note:
Please check out the new website for our Ronald McDonald House in NYC.
There is a picture of Jenny on there right now, and they keep changing photos often.
You will likely see more photos of us, as well as the other families who are here, while we are having some fun times..
Thanks!
www.rmdh.org

Hi everyone,

Coming off of a tough round of chemo, having the flu, and spending 10 days in isolation in the hospital was taking its toll on Daniel, but he is currently having his best week in over a month. The resiliency of children is amazing. Daniel is walking, joking, fighting with his sister, and “lightly wrestling” with daddy - almost like old times.

Daniel is continuing with the third round of antibody treatment this week. He needed a red cell transfusion yesterday, but generally it is going well. Next week Daniel will have his stem cell pre-transplant tests. The tests will include audio, dental, echocardiogram, CT scan, MIBG scan, bone marrow biopsies, and an MRI. We are praying that the testing goes well and Daniel will be able to proceed to the transplant. The key measurement for this stage in the treatment is a clean bone marrow. His marrow tested clean after the second round of chemo and with everyone’s continued faith and prayers, we are confident he will be ready for the transplant.

Non-medically speaking, the week got off to a rocky start for Daniel. Against our better judgement, we let Daniel bring his bag of marbles to church Saturday and you can probably guess what happened. At a very quite time during the service the whole bag fell onto a very hard, loud floor. Daniel looked up at each of us with a sheepish look and said “oops” - so there was no way we could get mad at him. Sunday found him eating a hotdog outside the Museum of Natural History (Dinosaur Museum) when a pigeon dropped a little present on his head. Luckily he had is baseball cap on so there was no major damage done. Tonight, thanks to the generosity of our uncle, the family is going to see the Lion King. I don’t know who is more excited, Sara or the kids. We are also looking forward to both Grandmas and Aunt Susie coming this weekend for a visit prior to Daniel’s long isolation post transplant.

We have been touring the many beautiful Catholic Churches of New York that are within walking distance of the Ronald McDonald House. There are many that we enjoy but have really taken to St. Monica’s as our adopted local parish. Sara jokingly says she really relates well to St. Monica, being that she is the patron saint of wives with difficult husbands. They have been offering prayers for Daniel during mass for the last several weeks and the kind Fr. Arold last week said he was going to fast for a day and offer it for Daniel.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease. Please remember a special prayer for three year old Brendan and his family who will be going to Philadelphia to look at MIBG treatment for his progressing nueroblastoma.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Wednesday, April 10, 2002 at 05:48 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone,

Daniel was discharged from the hospital this past Monday after a ten-day wait for his white blood cell counts to recover. We even made it out of the hospital without allowing Daniel to fall down the escalator this time. He is still testing positive for the flu but that is not enough to hold him in-patient. He is acclimating to the outpatient world slowly but surely. Each day he is showing more strength and stamina and is generally just glad to be out of the hospital.

Thanks to everyone’s prayers, Daniel’s condition recovered just in time to begin his third round of antibody treatments on Monday. He is especially glad to be done with the daily GCSF shots (not needed when the white blood counts are recovering). After receiving one of his shots of GCSF last week, he calmly looked at the nurse and gave her one of the loudest raspberries I had ever heard, when he saw me laughing, he proceeded to give me one before he started crying. I felt bad for laughing but I really couldn’t help it.

Daniel also has a new favorite thing that he says and does, as I was reminded last night before his bath. He turns his back to us, shakes his butt, and says, “That’s more like it”. I am not sure where he learned it from, but I am confident mom will fess up sooner or later.

Daniel, Jennifer and Daddy went to Central Park today to test out the new radio-controlled boat and feed the pigeons. Daniel’s boat performed flawlessly. We are still working on the steering, which made for some pretty horrified model sail boaters on the pond. There were some close calls, but no boat-to-boat contact was made. I kind of think Daniel enjoyed playing a little chicken with the sailboats. There are a couple of new pictures of Daniel and Jennifer at the park today on the photo page. Also back by popular demand is the picture of Daniel with Kobe Bryant.

Our goal for the next several weeks is to get Daniel strong for his stem cell transplant. He has been eating a little bit of solid food that last couple of days and we are hoping that he will continue with even more. It was good to see Daniel walk around a little bit at the park today. The fact that he has been off his feet for about two weeks, one of the side affects of GCSF is joint pain, and one of the side affects of antibodies is general pain, has made walking very difficult for him. It seems the key is to get him excited about something to get his mind of the discomfort and he will slowly but surely walk.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Thursday, April 04, 2002 at 09:57 AM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Well - we never made it to part 2 of the hearing test last week. Daniel developed a fever last Friday morning and was admitted into the hospital and is still there. They ran a culture and found out he had/has influenza. He was vaccinated at the time of diagnosis but with so many different stains of the flu you are never totally covered. His symptoms include a runny nose and vomiting, although it is hard to tell if the vomiting is flu or chemo related.

It has been hard for Daniel to keep any of the feedings down this last week until yesterday – he went 24 hours without vomiting. He was also in particularly good spirits yesterday, even though his white blood count has yet to return. He has been getting increased doses of GCSF (a white blood cell stimulant) the last couple of days to get his counts up.

Because of the flu, Daniel has been quarantined at the hospital. The positive aspect of this means he gets his own room, the negative side is that he can’t leave it. The Child Life staff at the hospital are good about bringing him games, books and tapes but it would be nice if he could move around a little more though. We don’t feel very comfortable letting him play on the floor of the hospital room because of cleanliness issues. It is pretty obvious that MSKCC is a research oriented hospital (which is why we are here), unfortunately some of the other aspects of patient care (cleanliness, scheduling, etc.) are somewhat neglected.

Daniel got a Bob the Builder Easter basket from the hospital and just loves it. He puts his yellow construction hat on (even though it is too big and he has to balance it on his head) before our daily viewing of the Bob the Builder show. He loves to make different contraptions by screwing the plastic wood together.

Thank you all again for your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing! Please pray that Daniel’s white blood counts improve to the point that he can be discharged from the hospital and begin antibody treatment next Monday. Following the 2 weeks of anitbodies there will be one to two weeks of scans and scheduling for the high dose chemo/stem cell transplant.

We would also ask that you include in your prayers all of the other young fighters who are dealing with the day to day battles against this terrible disease. We often pray that they, their parents, and their families be given comfort by knowing that there will be a time when their struggles will be over, and at that time they will be together with their healthy child. And more importantly, at that time, their relationships with each other and God will be stronger because of the obstacles they have endured.

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Thursday, March 28, 2002 at 04:20 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

First of all, we want to extend a special thank you to all who planned, worked, and/or attneded the craft sale fund raiser held for Daniel last weekend back in Wisconsin. It is hard for us to explain to Daniel all the love that people have shown him, but his understanding is pretty remarkable. The message board that many of you signed really helped brighten his day. It is hanging up in our room and will be here until we leave.

Daniel's counts have bottomed out from the 5th round of chemo. This is a pretty miserable time for him. His mind tells him he should be doing things and having fun but his body just won't let him. His counts should begin to recover within the next ten days to keep him on schedule for his two weeks of antibody treatment prior to his high dose chemo and stem cell transplant.

Several of the medicines that Daniel recieves are very hard on the auditory system. Today Daniel had part one of a two day hearing test. It wasn't scheduled for two days but noone told Daniel that. He said he was done and he came to an agreement with the doctor that we would finish tomorrow. The doctors here, like most cancer hospitals I would assume, are very understantding. The preliminary results from the test are showing some relatively significant hearing loss, but we will know more later. Daniel and I discussed some of the advantages of moderate hearing loss, especially when your married, but I don't think he understood, and Sara definitely didn't find any humor in it either.

Even though he wasn't feeling too good, he really wanted to go to Toys-R-Us today to get the radio controlled boat I had been promising him. He picked out one with green stripes (his favorite color) and hopefully we will be well enough to make it to the ponds in central park this weekend to test it out. He also said that he would share it with Jennifer - when he was not using it.

Sara and I have faith that whatever hearing loss he has will be temporary. This is a difficult journey that Daniel is on and there will be many ups and downs. This is one of the minor downs, but we know in the end he will be fine.

We are reminded in this Easter season that Jesus's death enabled many things, not the least of which is our healing. As Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, he who believes in me will do the very deeds I do, and still greater deeds than these. For I am going to the Father."

Thank you all again for all your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Thursday, March 21, 2002 at 10:47 AM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Daniel began his 5th round of chemo Monday and the actual administering of the chemo will be done today. The days at the clinic for this chemo cycle are very long - starting before 8 am and lasting sometimes until after 9 pm. Last night as the nurse was unhooking Daniel from the medicines, he actually started doing a little dance he was so happy. The nurse, not sure if Daniel was dancing or squirming, asked him if he was dancing, and he just smiled and kept on dancing.

This particular set of medicines is very hard on his stomach. He is having problems keeping any food down. The only thing that makes it bearable is knowing that if it is having that strong a reaction on him, it must be destroying the cancer as well.

When Daniel’s counts recover from this round of chemo, he will begin his third round of antibody treatment. During this time, Jennifer and I will return to Minnesota. Jennifer will remain behind and I will return for Daniel’s high dose chemo and stem cell transplant. It is hard not being with Daniel, but I am comforted by knowing he does great with Sara.

The courage and faith shown by all the kids that are fighting this disease is inspirational. There is not a day that goes by that we are not touched by this.

Sara and I are also finding strength in the inspirational books we have been given by many of you. I will continue to share what I believe is a pertinent passages with each of my journal entries. The following shows the kind of faith that Sara and I aspire towards: As Jesus was walking through the streets there was a woman who had suffered from hemorrhages for twelve years; and in spite of long treatment by many doctors she had grown worse. She had heard what people were saying about Jesus, so she came up from behind in the crowd and touched his cloak; for she said to herself "If I touch even his clothes, I shall be cured." And there and then the source of her hemorrhages dried up and she knew in herself that she was cured.

At the same time Jesus, aware that power had gone out of him, turned round in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" And the woman, trembling with fear when she grasped what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet. He said to her, "My daughter, your faith has cured you. Go in peace, free for ever from this trouble."

Thank you all again for all your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Thursday, March 14, 2002 at 07:25 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all your prayers.. and firm belief that Daniel will be healed by the Lord.
Victor and I firmly believe that with all our hearts.

After finishing the 4th round of chemo Daniel was in the hospital for 8 days.
He actually did very well tolerating that round. He was admitted for a fever but it went away the next day. They still like to keep him in there while his counts were zero to give him precautionary antibiotics and do blood cultures. He needed some transfusions too.
His mouth sores turned out to be not as bad and long lasting as they were that first time. Plus the pressure is off of him and us to have him eat by mouth as he has the feeding tube.
Anyway, moments after we were discharged, we were all getting ready to get on the escalater to go home and Daniel
fell backward(on the escalater) and bumped his head.
Vic and I weren't paying as close attention as we should have been on the kids, and we had our hands full of stuff to take back to RMH. It all happened so quick. And we felt so bad. It was totally our fault. He fell back and bumped his head. So we turned right around and he was re-admitted again so they could do a CT of the head, and they also gave him an extra boost of plateletts. So, about 4 hours later, after the CT scan came back normal and he finished the transfusion, we were re-discharged. And we avoided the escalater this time!
Vic left on Saturday to go home and do our taxes and check in at the office, etc..
He will be coming back on Sunday. He picked a good week where we knew Daniel's counts would be good and when we would be going in for antibodies.(and not in the hospital getting chemo, etc..) He says it has been pretty hard being away from us, even though we are getting along just fine.
I have had a cold this week.. but it is getting better each day. Jenny has had a BLAST in the supervised playroom at the Day Hospital this week when we go in for antibodies during the day, M-F. She has so much fun with all her friends.
Daniel has done well with the antibodies, although it is very painful. Older kids/adults have described it as "stabbing pain" and also compared it to pain of childbirth. (and actually much worse)
They do give them strong narcotics to really sedate them, but they still have the intense pain. (lasts about 15-30 minutes..) The good thing is that they don't rememeber it, since they are so sedated. Daniel and the other kids look forward to going in every day and watching TV, etc..If they remembered it they really would not want to go back at all I'm sure!
Anyway, then this Monday he will start his 5th round of chemo, and then after that have 2 weeks of antibodies, and then a whole bunch of diagnostic tests..and if the tests are good(ie the marrow still clean) then he will have the big high dose chemo/ stem cell transplant. After that he will get more antibodies and finally the radiation. He will also get some more chemo..VP-16 an oral chemo that is easier on you. And then the Accutane.
So that is the plan for now.
When he has the transplant he will be in isolation for at least 30 days. That will be a real critical time for him.

Well, I better get going now but thank you all again for all your prayers and Faith in Daniel's complete and total healing!
Victor verbalized it the best in his journal entry on here last week..

Take Care and God Bless!

All Our Love,
--The Hammer Family

Thursday, March 07, 2002 at 10:13 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Thank you for ALL your continued prayers for Daniel and for all of the other kids fighting neuroblastoma ..and all cancers.

This entry is the first attempt at a journal entry from Vic, so please excuse the grammar and spelling. Daniel is still in the hospital, but is in good spirits. He is making friends with the workers and volunteers in the playroom, which for Daniel means he will actually talk to them - more than the usual courtesy grunt the nurses and doctors get.

Tonight he won the grand prize at the hospital playroom bingo and choose a cool train set. We will set it up in the room when we he is released. He was so proud as he showed all the nurses his prize.

His white blood count continued to rise slightly today and with any luck it should be high enough to get discharged tomorrow. As it continues to rise, we are confident he will be good enough to begin a week of antibody treatment next Monday.

As I was sitting in the hospital today as Daniel slept I came across a particularly appropriate New Testament passage from Matthew:
"... Jesus was followed by two blind men who cried out "Son of David, have pity on us" And when he had gone indoors they came to him. Jesus asked, "Do you believe that I have the power to do what you want?" "Yes sir", they said. Then he touched their eyes, and said, "As you have believed, so let it be."

As Daniel fights this hideous disease, it is important for all of us to know in our hearts that he will be cured, and that his cure will come through Jesus's divine intervention.

As we sit in the hospital, both Sara and I really enjoy our conversations with Daniel. Tonight he was asking about his uncle Mike (the one who tickles him) and why he hasn't seen him lately. We happened to be watching Peter Pan, and not knowing what else to say, I told him Mikey was being held by Captain Hook on his ship, but when he escaped he would visit - So you will have some explaining to do when you get here Mike.

With Love and Gratitude,
The Hammer Family

Friday, March 01, 2002 at 03:14 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Thank you for ALL your continued prayers for Daniel and for all of the other kids fighting neuroblastoma ..and all cancers.

Also, if you could say some extra special prayers for Annie here, I know her family would really appreciate it.
This week they found out that her disease has progressed in her marrow, as it has become resistent to the chemos. And so now they are trying to get into a treatment facility that does the experimental MIBG radiation.
You can check out her website for updates.
They will be leaving NY soon for this other treatment and so will sure miss them,but we also know that when she gets this treatment it WILL definately be a success and that she will be back here in NY again to get the antibodies and the stem cell transplant. (*In order to 'qualify' for these treatments you have to have residual disease*)
So please keep her close your prayers.. and I know all will go very positive for them.
Her website is again is: www.caringbridge.com/mi/anniekelly.
Thanks.

Daniel finished his 4th round of chemo and he hasn't had too much vomiting. His counts are at rock bottom(no where to go but up!)
and so he is neutropenic. I took him in to the outpatient hospital yesterday as he needed blood and platelett transfusions. It was a long day at the clinic..we were there all day. So at 11pm when he got a fever Vic took him in, and at about 2:30am he got into an inpatient room..(I think they were really busy)We will be changing shifts shortly. Vic also said that, unfortunately, Daniel got very painful mouth sores today too, so they are giving him morphine for pain. Back home he got 'glutamine', which is an amino acid into his G-tube which prevented them, but here
they don't use that. They feel that it could block the effects of the chemos.. and that makes sense, so we decided mouth sores are the lesser of the evils in that case. And they will go away when his counts counts go back up.
We just hate to see him in pain. I can't even imagine how much it must hurt.

Vic is planning on going home (where's that?? :) next week for just about 10 days, and head into the office, work on our taxes,and take care of things on that end..
He picked a time where Daniel's counts should be good and he won't be in the hospital.
He should be getting only the antibodies, as he will be in between the 4th and 5th round of chemo. So I'm sure Jenny and Daniel and I will get along just fine.
When we have to go in to the day/outpatient hospital they have a wonderful supervised playroom for the kids too. She really likes that. So it should be pretty relaxful.

Ronald McDonal House has had some great activies going on lately, as you probably have been able to tell by the photos Vic keeps changing.
Last week Coby Bryant, from the Lakers stopped by RMH when they were in town to play the Knicks. Daniel got his photo with him. He was very, very nice. He tried to give Daniel a "hi-five" but Daniel skunked him. (He is shy)
Vic esp thought meeting Coby was very neat, liking basketball as he does. Also with Coby came Mr. Ronald McDonald himself, which the kids enjoyed too.
Then one night 2 of the Saturday Night Live stars came by: Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch.
Dan got his photo with them as well. Also that same night, Dara Torres was here, the olympic swimming gold medalist. Daniel got to hold her gold medal so that was cool.
And Daniel's favorite thing though, by far, was the Scooby Doo show that we went to, through RMH, at Radio City Music Hall!
We hadn't seen him enjoy something THAT much in a very long time! That made him so happy.. for about 2 days afterward he talked about it! Radio City Music Hall is a very neat place to see by the way..
Jenny and the other kids enjoyed the Scooby Show too, but I think Daniel enjoyed it more than everyone put together!

WEll, thank you for all your continued prayers.
All of us here really need them very much.
This is a most terrible disease.
And there is so much of it here..

I pray that God hears all of our prayers, and will shower all of these kids with his healing blessings!

With Love and Gratitude,
The Hammer Family

Friday, March 01, 2002 at 03:14 PM (CST)

Wednesday February 20, 2002 10:16 PM CST

Note: Please also be sure to check out Sierra's website. She is a good buddy of Jenny's here at RMH, from Pennslyvania. She is age 3 and has stage 4 neuroblastoma, like Daniel, although is further along in her treatment.
We set up a web page for her tonight so please check it out and the photos of the cutie! And please keep her in your prayers as well!
Thanks!
www.caringbridge.com/pa/sierrabereider
***************************************
Hi everyone!

Daniel has been getting his 4th round of chemo this week..His spirits are very good.
The chemos he is getting are very tough and so he will surely go in to the hospital when his counts drop for fevers and vomiting. But that will not be for a few days..

Jenny is doing well and having so much fun with all her friends here at RMH.
They esp enjoy playing and dancing together!

Vic put 2 new photos on the website tonight..They are cute..Check them out if you get the chance!

Sorry for such a short update.

Want to leave you with a few thoughts though..

" We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose."
-Romans 8:28

"All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
-Matthew 21:22

"Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me."
-Psalm 50:15

Thank you for all your wonderful prayers..
Please keep them coming!

Take Care and God Bless!
-The Hammer Family

Friday February 15, 2002 11:11 PM CST

Hi!

Just wanted to tell you that we updated the photo album on the website..
The photos in there are ones we took today. And we hope to keep changing them often as an Uncle of Vic's very generously gave us a digital camera last week.. and so we want to make good use of it!

Thank you again for all your prayers and please keep them coming for us and for all of the sweet little children here that they will all be touched by the healing hands of Jesus!

God Bless!

With Love,
The Hammer Family

Wednesday February 13, 2002 11:52 PM CST

Hello everyone,

I just have only a few minutes but wanted to give ya'all a quick update...

Daniel's doing really well and is feeling very well too.
There has been some really fun activities for the kids here at the Ronald Mc Donald House, so they have been keeping real busy and enjoying themselves..

The monoclonal antibodies that Daniel has been getting this week are painful, just as we expected they would be. They sedate him very much, but it is still painful. Luckliy, the most intense pain has only
lasted about an hour, during the administering, and he hasn't gotten
hives too bad so far, which is fairly common to get I hear.

He will finish up this first antibody cycle on Friday, and then Monday he will start round 4 of chemo.

Vic was told by a doctor today that they will most likely want to do full brain radiation on him, when we get to the radiation part. That was a scary thought,
but as relape rates are so high you have to do everything you can to prevent it.It just takes only a few micriscopic cells to start someting again, and a relapse is very hard to treat and you are only given about a 10% chance at that point. So, full brain radiation is the lesser of the evils as you can see. We will find out all the details and side effects closer when we get to that point. (Which is after the stem cell transplant). I also heard that other side effects with radiation are that you have
an increased risk for secondary cancers for like 25 years or something like that..
It will be good to talk to the radiologist at that point and get all the pertinent info. We have so many questions but we have to fight one battle at a time. One thing I do know is that we are in the best place in the world for radiation..
So that really is comforting..

WEll, better go.
Thank you for keeping us so strong in your prayers..we really need them more than ever..

Have a Happy Valentine's Day too!!

Take care and God Bless!

With Love,
-The Hammer Family

Sunday February 10, 2002 10:48 PM CST

Hello everyone,

Thank you for all the wonderful prayers
you are saying for Daniel's full recovery!
It is making the biggest difference..I just can't say this enough!

Daniel has been doing very good. Recooperated from his surgery like such a champion!
Yesterday we took the kids to Times Square
to see the huge TOYS R US store, and rode the ferris wheel in there. Daniel thought that was THE coolest thing! There was also a big dinasaur there that he thought was really neat too!

Tomorrow morning we go to the hospital to begin the antibodies. We are told by every
parent whose child gets these is that it is
VERY, very painful. They give the child morphine and other meds to help with the intense nerve pain it causes, but it is still painful. There are several reasons why you can't totally sedate the child..one I know being that you need to know if he/she is reacting and having potentially serious side effects so that can be treated asap.
Anyway, it will be a very very difficult day I imagine. He will be receiving them every day this week,(M-F) and then will start round 4 of chemo the following Monday.

I also wanted to mention our little friend Annie, an adorable 4 yr old girl from Michigan who is here in NY too . (She also has stage 4 neuroblastoma like Daniel).
They are a very lovely family and have been great friends to us.
I helped her Mom, Kelly, set up a web site for Annie today. So please check it out and keep her in your prayers as well!
(Along with all the other kids here and everywhere else who are very ill.)
Her website is: www.caringbridge.com/mi/anniekelly
We just set it up today so she needs to find some time to put in a journal entry and some photos, etc..
So keep checking back..

Well, I will update again soon.
Thank you for all your continued prayers!
They are very powerful.

Our Lord said ,"The things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27)
Also Jesus said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23).

God Bless!

With Love,
-The Hammer Family

Tuesday February 5, 2002 7:54 PM CST

Hi everyone,

I know I just updated the journal yesterday, but wanted to update again today to let you know that Daniel got his chest tube out today, as well as his epidural.
He will be able to go "home" ( to Ronald McDonald House) tomorrow already! (Wednesday)
Hurray!

He is doing really well I am very pleased to say..
It is hard to believe he just had that very major surgery only 4 days ago!
Kids really bounce back very quickly!
He is in good spirits and is eating, and his pain is managed with tylonel w/codeine.
I know he will be so happy to be getting out of the hospital!

His scar goes across his tummy and around into his back side. If I had to guess I'd say it is about 10 inches long..(looks pretty big on his little body too)
It doesn't seem to be causing him much pain though so far, so that is good..

Well, I will update again soon!
Thanks for all the continued prayers!
And please keep 'em coming! :o)

God Bless!!

With Love,
-The Hammer Family

Monday February 4, 2002 10:04 PM CST

Thank you everyone for all of the continueous and powerful prayers for Daniel! Again, they are surely keep making the difference!

Daniel got out of the PICU today and is doing excellent.
(Although we will miss the nurses there..They were so wonderful!)
It is hard to believe he had that major surgery just on Friday!
Over the weekend he got off the respirator and oxygen. Today he got the catheter out. And tomorrow he should be off his chest tube that is taking fluids from his lungs.
When the chest tube is out he can begin his GT feedings. He has been saying he is hungry, but we can't give him any solids until tomorrow. But he is drinking water and apple juice though.
He still has his epidural in, for pain, and not sure when that will come out. He is very alert and conversive. Likes when we read books and watch movies too.
The hospital rooms here are shared rooms, and are very small also. And not as tidy as I would personally prefer, but it is a very small price to pay to be in the best cancer facility, we believe, in the world. We are so happy and relieved to be here and knowing we are getting the best medical care possible for Daniel. They
are just awesome here at Sloan..The best of the best!
They also did another bone marrow test, and it came back negative again..Praise the Lord!

The tumor they removed is being biopsied,a nd I am curious to hear how much of it was dead vs live tissue.

I hear that many, possibly the majority of kids after these agressive therapies, suffer significant hearing loss from the chemos, requiring hearing aids. And I know that is a TINY price to pay! Still I am praying he will comeout of this 'normal' as possible. I know he will always have the many surgery scars ( the war wounds that mark his strength and heroism!) but I am also praying for as few side affects as possible when all is said and done. And esp major ones from radiation on the head, etc..
And I know we have to esp keep praying we get through the other battles ahead..the upcoming chemos, antibodies, stem cell, radiation,etc..
I guess we just need to take one at a time

WEll, I better get going. Thank you
for all the wonderful prayers and please keep them coming, for Daniel as well as ALL the other sweet kids here, including Daniel and Jenny's great buddy, Annie, from Michigan! She is a doll and her parents are
wonderful too!
I am going to help them create a website very soon so they can keep their family and friends back home informed more easily.
I will send you their link as soon as we get one.Annie is stage 4 neuroblastoma too, same as Daniel.
And she will be totally cured I am very positive!!

God Bless!

With Love,
-The Hammers

Saturday February 2, 2002 0:07 AM CST

Hello everyone!

Thank you for all your prayers!

I am exhausted but wanted to update you on the surgery today.
It was a success!
He was in the operating room 7 hours.
The gifted surgeon removed the tumor mass and also saved the kidney, which the tumor had wrapped itself around. He also removed
many lymph nodes that were effected.

Daniel is in the PICU now, hooked up to a respirator, chest tube, catheter and an epidural for pain.. (in addition to the Hickman central line and the G-tube for feeding which he had going into it). But over the next few days he will get rid of many of these extra tubes as he recooperates from this surgery.

So, just wanted to let you all know that the surgery was a success and they removed the adrenal mass sucessfully and that he is stable. And very heavily sedated.
I am very pleased that they were able to save his kidney too!

Well, I update again soon.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for Daniel! They are truly making the difference!

God Bless!
-The Hammer Family

Saturday February 2, 2002 0:07 AM CST

Thursday January 31, 2002 10:22 PM CST

Hello everyone,

Thank you all for your faithful prayers.
We really appreciate it.

Just a quick update to let you know that in the morning (Friday-around 11 am) is when Daniel is having his big surgery to remove the tumor mass on the adrenal gland.
It is a very major surgery that is expected to last 6-9 hours and he will be in the pediatric intensive care unit afterwards for a while.
They will have to collapse a lung of his to get to it, and he will be having a chest tube and respirator also.
It is, of course, a very serious and life threatening surgery.

Please keep him close in your prayers on Friday. I will update as soon as I can with the wonderful news that I am so very confident we will get.

Thank you again for any extra prayers you can say for Daniel on Friday!

God Bless!

-The Hammer Family

Thursday January 31, 2002 10:22 PM CST

Monday January 28, 2002 11:07 AM CST

Hello from New York!

We flew in last Wednesday and are all settled in at the Ronald McDonald House!
We have met many families just like us, who are here with their stage 4 neuroblastoma children also. They certainly understand things in ways that many others cannot, and it is very easy to connect with each other as we are all battling the same evil here.

The RMH is just a few blocks away Sloan-Kettering Hospital, so during the day we go
to get tests and scans done, as outpatients, and then come back here. Daniel will having his big surgery this Friday, Feb 1st, which also happens to be Victor and my 11th wedding anniversary..So
we know it is a very lucky day! :o)
So he will be an impatient for a week or so after the surgery. We pray and completely believe that the surgery will be a miraculous success.
We have been told by countless parents that this surgeon here, that does so many of these specific surgeries, is truly miraculous and has saved many lives because of his gift. I am told he has his hands blessed every day before his surgeries, and attributes his successes to the Lord working through him.
We know we are in good hands here!

This weekend Daniel has been feeling real good, as his counts are also good, and so we were able to do some great sight seeing.
We saw the Statue of Libery and Central Park. The weather here has been beautiful..50's and 60's..and no snow.
We are obvious tourists I am sure, and esp on the subway. We saw some of the infamous NY rats on the tracks and were conteplating snapping a picture of them! ha ha

Also at the RMH they have so many wonderful
activities going on for the kids and their families. Last week the police Dept transported us to Rockafeller Center for a wonderful dinner and to ice skate with the New York Rangers! (and also with many of our super heroic NY firefighters!) We met Brian Leetch and other great players. Daniel got an autographed hockey stick too. We all ice skated and the kids just had a blast!

I have to say that New Yorkers are truly some of THE kindest people I have ever met.
The police and fireman donate their time to
helping with activities at the RMH.
When we were riding back from one activity last week,in a police van, the officer often turned on his siren/lights for the kids and they thought that was totally awesome! There are also many wonderful voulunters at RMH that give so much of their time in many ways..They are just extraordinary!

Well, I will keep everyone updated as we get more more news. We should be getting some test results back this week(with miraculous news I promise)and I will keep updating as best as I can..
We will also have a better idea of the roadmap and "plan of attack" once we get past this surgery.

Thank you for ALL your prayers!
They are definately being heard and
making a tremendous difference!
Please continue them as we desperately need them to keep coming as strong as possible!
And esp on Friday, the big surgery day!

In addition, if will also join us in praying
for all the children here, and everywhere,
who are truly suffering so unfairly with these devestaing illness. As well as for the suffering parents who have lost their children to these terrible diseases.
May the Lord be with them!

Take Care and God Bless!
With Love,
The Hammer Family PS Jenny is enjoying herself here. There are many great activities for the siblings and lots of kids for her to connect with too..
Not to mention an incredible play room!

Saturday January 19, 2002 6:37 PM CST

Hello everyone!

We're sorry it has been so long since our last update..
I have to say it has been pretty busy around here!!

First let me say that Daniel is continuing to do very well. Thank you for ALL of your continued prayers..
I know that has played
the key role in Daniel's good progress!!!

Last week we made the decision that we want to continue the remainder of
Daniel's treatment at Slaon-Kettering in NY.
It is a decision that we feel very, very
confident and strongly about.
And we are very excited.
So, we have been busy making the necessary preparations for going there next week already.

We also want to thank everyone deeply
for all of the very kind and generous donations you have made to the "Dollars For Daniel" account.
We are grateful beyond words.
Those monies will be a huge help to us as we begin our journey in NY.
Sloan is also considered "Out of Network" by our insurance, and so we will also have some initial out of pocket
expenses, as well as other likely
uncovered expenses, since some of the treatments for this fairly rare disease
are considered "experimental", and are often not covered, or only covered partially.
But on the same token, none of that really even matters, as Vic and I WILL go to the end of the earth to get Daniel cured!
Whatever it takes.
Never any question about that.
As any loving parent would.

We are also very grateful for those that have donated frequent flyer tickets/miles to us.
That will be a great help to us as we fly back and forth during the next few months.

And most of all,thank you all for your prayers! And we please ask that you continue
those even stronger than ever as we begin the most critical stages of his treatments..(surgery, which he will have next week already, and the high dose chemo/stem cell reinfusion,)etc..
Daniel has a very long road ahead of him, but we also know that he will come out of it completely cured and stronger and better than ever!

Also, the last, but definately not LEAST, thing I want to share with you is this..
Last Wednesday night we took Daniel to
WI Dells, to St Cecilia's church, where
Fr Peter Rookey was having a healing mass.
We found out about it literally a few hours
before and scrambled to make the 3 hour trip. Much of our family were able to drop everything and meet us there too.
WEll, I was talking to my mother-in-law, Mary, today, and she told me something that gave me goosebumps. She was sitting right next to me during the 3 hour mass, and I was holding Daniel on my lap..She told me today, very emotionally,that when she was looking at Daniel at one point during the mass, out of the corner of her eye she saw someone put their hand on my shoulder. She turned her head and looked behind me.. and there was no one there.
When she told me this I was shocked, becasue
that made me rememebr that exact moment during the mass that I FELT SOMEONE put their hand on my shoulder,and I turned around and there was no one there!
I had totally and unthinkingly put it out of my mind becsaue I was so busy keeping Daniel occupied on my lap and forgot about it until she said something to me today.
I SWEAR on everything I have, and everything that I am, that this is true.
What a beautiful,encouraging and amazing sign that Jesus put his hand on me at that moment during mass.

Well, nothing I have to say now will compare to that so I will sign off for now!
We will do our best to keep you updated from NY. (Isn't e-mail wonderful!)

Please continiue to pray for Daniel.
Thank you all very much and GOD BLESS!!!!

With Tremendous Love and Gratitude,
--The Hammer Family

Friday, January 04, 2002 at 10:16 PM (CST)

Hello everyone,

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS!
I can tell you all with 100% certainty that they are being heard, and that they have made a significant difference! Let me tell you why.

Have some very remarkable news to report.
Daniel had his assessments tests.
-The MRI of the head showed that the brain tumors (metastacies) are gone.
-The CT scan showed us that the original adrenal tumor has shrunk about 50%.
-The PET scan has told us that the remaining tumor (the one that shrunk 50%) is now appromimately 75-90% dead tumor.
And, is also moving away from the kidney so he may not lose the whole kidney, not to mention the surgery will likely be much easier.
-The bone marrow aspiration and bone marrow biopsies came back normal.
- A chest X ray told us he didn't have pneumonia. (On a ct scan some fluid was spotted in the lung, but turned out to be nothing).
- He had an MIBG and will have the second part of it tomorrow, so I don't have those results yet, but with all of these other ones,it will show marked improvement also.

These results are signifant and were not expected to be as amazing as they were.
As I have said before, it is extremely common, in neuroblastoma, to respond very good in the beginning, but the reason why he has been given a 20% survival rate is becasue how frequent those tumors resist and rapidly re grow later, after the predicted good initial repsonse.

But, we got something above and beyond that with these results.
This is not to say he is out of the woods
at all, but it is truly incredible and very hopeful.
They will be sending the bone marrow biopsy to a lab in CA, which is the same lab they sent the stem cell sample. Apparently they have the best testing there that looks at the sample much more magnified than anywhere else. (I think I heard something like the regular testing sees like 4,000 cells but this test in CA can see like 100,000 cells. (markedly more)
It does take a few weeks to get those lab results back though.

Now that PET scan is a new and revoultionary
test in nuclear medicine. It can show you what part of the tumors are alive or dead.
For instance, the CT scan will tell us how big the mass it, but we need the PET scan to tell us what part of the mass is dead or live cacner tissue.

The MIBG is another good test to measure, and that lights up the living cancer cells too.

Daniel had very extensive bone and marrow involvement at the time of his diagnoses.
His origianl adrenal tumor was extremely healthy, thriving, and extremely aggressive, and as we know took over the kidney and had metasisezed 3 tumors on the brain lining.(they were not actually right ON and touching the brain but were right on the lining ..(On the dura and meninge I believe).
So for him to have this MUCH response, and after just 2 completed rounds of chemo, it truly remarkable.
It is also very good to have no delays in treatments too. Many times there can be delays as you are waiting for your counts to recover,and you can't proceed to the next round but that has not happened, so we are confident that he will be able to have his surgery, radiation, and stem cell rescue without delay which is very, very good.

He will be done with his third round of chemo on Sunday morning and then he will come home of course. We hope to have some good fun before his counts drop and we go back in for fevers, etc..

Then when his counts recover in 2 weeks or so,Vic and Dan are off to NY for a visit/meeting at Sloan, for a "second opinion" as they are the neuroblastoma experts..They see many cases so it will be very informative for us.
Plus, we are intested in their monoclonal antibodies, that are only used in their own protocol.This is something that they are currently researching, and theroretically is suppossed to get any residual tumor and
therefore help prevent relapse when you are in remission. They are mouse antibodies.

So, after the 4th and 5th round of chemo, Daniel will undergo the big surgery to remove the adrenal site tumor and part (or all)of his kidney. He will then have the 6th round of chemo. Then he will have the high dose chemo(all his chemos has been high agressive doses, but this is extremely high doses). Then he will be "rescued" by his stem cells(from the harvest we just underwent, becasue his body and marrow will be so shocked from the chemo that it take too long to produce bone marrow so then he will need to be rescued by his stem cells). After that is when he will get the radiation.
And I think in order to progress to the stem cell treatment/rescue, the protocl says you have to be in remission anyway.
Which with these test results that doesn't sound like it should be a problem.
So there should be no delay there.

A few weeks ago it was a possiblilty(and not a happy one) that he would with need surgery
for the brain tumors, or radiation on the brain.
Apparently any radiation by the brain and esp in a child is very damaging.He would have a loss of quality of life.
That is why the shrinking of these tumors were absolutely necessary.
We, and our oncologist, will have to later meet with a radilogists and neurologists,etc
to see what we should do as far as the radiation now, even that the tumors are gone. (ie not showing up in tests) On one hand, we want to be as conservative as possible, to save his life, which might mean some radiation to the brain to make sure it is all gone. One the other hand, we do not want to compromise his quality of life and any cognitive abilities unless absolutely nesessary. This is where I am sure we will have to get several different opinions when we are at that stage.
He will need extensive radiation where the adrenal tumor was removed, even if they feel that they "got it all" after the surgery. Since this is where it all originated from, this is where you must be very agressive to prevent relapse.

Well,I will update again when I have more news.
I really can't thank you all enough for ALL your prayers, as they have truly delivered!

I have never doubted the power of prayer!
I know it is through all our prayers that we are getting the results that we are getting. We are very grateful!

And now we need them to continue the most as we still have a long road ahead of us.

But I am confident that he will continue to be healed by Jesus through our persistent prayers and our TRUE FAITH that He WILL completely heal Daniel.

Thank you VERY much and God Bless!!

Tuesday, January 01, 2002 at 11:02 PM (CST)

Hello,

Happy New Year everyone!

And thank you for all the continued prayers for Daniel's healing and recovery.
We are confident that this will be the
year of miracles for Daniel and our family!

He had a good few days at home after the stem cell harvest. Today we went to the movie Jimmy Neutron, and Daniel esp, enjoyed himself tremendously! He laughed through the whole movie,and feasted on popcorn and gummy worms,and did a lot of walking. It was a great day.

Tomorrow morning we go back in to the hospital for scans and the third round of chemo. He will have an MRI, CT scan and a pet scan (on head chest and abdomen)
Then in the afternoon he will begin the chemos. Then the following day,Thursday
he will have a bone marrow aspiration and
an MIBG. All of these tests are to measure
how much the neuroblastoma is responding to the treatments.
(Which in our heart we are confident that we are kicking some serious cancer butt!)

This next round of chemo drugs that he will be receiving are different from the first 2 rounds. And he will be getting them intermittently, rather than continuoulsy.
He will be getting them over 4 days, and so we will be able to go home Saturday or Sunday, and therefore have a few good days
again at home together before his counts drop and we have to go back in for fevers,etc.

Please keep Daniel in your prayers.

I will be sure to give you all the wonderful results of the scans
as soon we get them!
We especially need the tumors by his brain to be significantly responding to the chemo.

Thank you very much for all your prayers, and God Bless!

Wednesday, December 26, 2001 at 01:53 PM (CST)

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your continued prayers for Daniel. I believe that is what will make the difference.

We have gotten two wonderful presents this Christmas. The first one was on Christmas eve. He had to have a CT scan as we needed to take a look at a couple things(that turned out to be nothing)and so we got a sneak peak at the original tumor.. and we found a significant decrease in it's size. It had decreased by 40-50 percent, after 2 rounds of chemo. That was very very good. Secondly, on Christmas Day we took his blood counts,and they are rising very well, without any delay ( delays tend to indicate the neuroblastoma not responding quicky to the chemo) After both chemo cycles his white count regained as early as scheduled. (Some people have a delay in their white counts rising,even up to a month, due to the cancer/marrow involvement. And though we know he had extensive marrow involvement going into this, it is a very encouraging sign that his cells are responding so quicky, which they likely wouldn't do if the cancer was not responding well. Also, he did not get the mouth sores this time! In additon to all the prayers of course, I think the feeding tube helped a lot with that too. I told the Dr if any parents have initial reservations about the tube,(like we did), to come and talk to me. It is helping his treatment and over-all strength during the times he can not eat. Plus it is a great way to administer his meds.
He is having some discomfort, quite a bit inside his rectal area, so he likely has some sores there, but they should go away pretty soon as his counts continue to rise.

So, he came home Christmas Day(yesterday),
and then he had to go back in this morning for the stem cell harvest appt.We had to go in a few days earlier than we had wanted becasue we are at the mercy of the New Years holiday and the lab being closed. (The lab in California where we have to send them some blood to test.) So he went in today but they couldn't do the harvest becasue the white cell count could have been higher. (Not higher for his general health, but higher for stem cell count retrival procedure). So we will try again tomorrow. They also don't know if they will get a good sample of the stem cells through the hickman, as one of the lumens is slow, so they may have to go through the femoral artery in the pelvis, which would require surgery. But they will try with the hickman
catheter first. So, to super boost his white cell count we are giving him triple doses of his G-CSF. (through subcutaneous injections in his leg) Which are also causing him to have some joint pain we believe..a common side effect of the G-CSF.
So tomorrow we should be ready to roll. I just wish we weren't so rushed by the holiday and that lab being closed. I would have much rather waited until he was ready, which he would have been on his own soon enough.
Anyway, after the harvest tomorrow, he will likely need some transfusions, red cells and
plateletts, just becasue a harvest, in nature, will probably deplete him of that a bit. So then after the surgery,harvest and the transfusions, he should be able to come back home in the evening.
And then will be home until Jan 2nd, when we go back in for Chemo Round 3.
Also on Jan 2nd, that will be a big day for us becasue he will have several different diagnostic scans, and a bone marrow aspiration, to assess the
total neuroblastoma response. We are ESP hoping that the tumors by his brain are significantly responding! We, and the Dr's, are worried anytime you have to radiate by the brain..There are many possible long term side effets of course. So we hope the less the better!
One cannot assume that becasue we get shrinkage from the abdominal tumor that we will get the same response for the brain ones. There is more blood flow to the brain for one thing.
But, one can certainly be hopeful(!) that this will be the case. I also just HOPE AND PRAY that the neuroblastoma will continue to respond to the chemo. I know it is a great sign that he is responding already, becasue sometimes they just don't. But more often with this type of tumor you get an initial early response, but then after a while the tumors get immune to the chemos and re grow. This is often the case esp with the "mycn amplified histology" of his neuroblastoma tumor. This means there are MANY copies of the cancer cells..(They are amplified)
That is one reason his percent is 20%.

However that is not to say that I am very effected by the number. Becasue I have faith and also the "unexplained" feelings that he will be cured. And I am grateful and overjoyed at each step of the way when we have the positive responses.
I continue to pray and believe that there will be a lot of miracles along the way..until the one big one that tells us he is cured.

We are making sure he gets the best possible treatments and also all the prayers
we can possibly get for him.

I was told of a powerful 7 word healing prayer, that I ask anyone to say repeatedly for him, when they have time. It is:

"Daniel is covered with Jesus' Precious Blood."

Thank you again for all of your prayers for Daniel cure!

Take Care and May God Bless us all as we more forward into the New Year!

Sunday, December 23, 2001 at 04:26 PM (CST)

Hello everyone,
Thank you for all your positive thoughts and prayers and belief that Daniel will be cured by Jesus.

I want to share something with you all, and especially with the new friends of ours that
have children who are also fighting cancer, like Baby Emma, who has a brain tumor, and young Austyn, who has leukemia.

Vic and I read Lance Armstong's book, entitled "It's Not About The Bike."
He is a famous cyclist and also a famous cancer survivor.
I just want to write down a couple of thoughts he shared in his book. (They can be found on pages 266-267 by the way).

In one place he says (quote) "It's a fact that children with cancer have higher cure rates than adults with cancer, and I wonder if the reason is their natural, unthinking bravery. Sometimes little kids seem better equipped to deal with cancer than grown-ups are. They're very determined little characters, and you don't have to give them big pep talks. Adults know too much about failure:they're more cynical and resigned and fearful. Kids say "I want to play..Hurry up, and make me better" That's all they want." (end quote)

Another inspiring and VERY true quote is this next one from his book.
(quote)"If children have the ability to ignore odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally:give up, or fight like hell.
After I was well again, I asked Dr. Nichols what my chances really were. "You were in bad shape," he said. He told me I was one of the worst cases he had ever seen. I asked "How bad was I? Worst 50%?" He shook his head. "Worst 20%?" He shook his head again. Worst 10%? He still shook his head.
When I got to 3%, he started nodding.
Anything's possible. You can be told you have a 90% chance, or a 50% chance, ( a 20% chance like our Daniel)or a 1% chance, but you have to BELIEVE, and you have to fight. By fight I mean arm yourself with all the availbale information, get second opinions, third opinions,and fourth opinions. Understand what has invaded your body, and what the possible cures are. It's another fact of cancer that the more informed and empowered patient has a better chance of
long-term survival." (end Quote)"

He goes on to say that if there is a purpose to the suffering that is cancer, "I think it must be this: it's meant to improve us."

I wanted to share his (Lance's) inspiring words with you all.

Thank you all for your unceasing prayers for Daniel's cure. They are deeply appreciated!

Thank you and God Bless.

Friday, December 21, 2001 at 09:31 PM (CST)

Hello everyone,

Thank you for all of your continued prayers for Daniel.
We absolutely appreciate each and every one of them.

Daniel is back in the hospital now.
Early this morning he had a very high fever.
His counts are falling, as expected from the chemo, so the risk of illness/infection is higher.
Vic has a sinus infection and I have a little cold, so he may have caught something from us, although we were as careful as humanly possibly. It may not even be from us anyway, as getting a fever is pretty expected when counts drop.
We hope he doesn't get any infections though.
He is getting antibiotics though,(which helps if bacterial but not viral as we all know)and he will get more blood and platelet transfusions as needed over the next few days. So the hospital is really the best place for him when his counts are at bottom.(though he disagrees and wants to "go home now") The sores are coming back..the have started inside his bottom and will likely be in his mouth in the next day or two. I also heard that when he gets the even higer does of chemo later on, with the stem cell replacemts, he will get skin burns from it. That sounds just awful.
But I have to keep remembering that it is the lesser of the evils. I just WISH I could go through it for him.

Anyway, we don't know if we will get home before Christmas, with his on and off high fevers. (The doctor said it is possible but rather unlikely).
They are constantly doing blood cultures to look for infection too as always.

The day after Christmas we will switch to the Mpls Childrens for the Harvest,and then plan on going back to St Paul for the 3rd chemo cycle. I hope his counts recover when they should, without delay, as that is also a sign that the tumors are responding. (and not just 'laughing' at us, as our Doctor says sometimes happens in cancers) He will also be getting a whole bunch of assessments tests soon(bone marrow aspiration,several scans,etc..)to see how the tumors are responding. Jan 2nd I belive is when those are planned. I am concerned about the matastices by the brain,as the more that is there the more radiation he will need there too.So the less the better.
I sure hope the news will be good from those tests. I can't take much more bad news these days.
My sister in law sent us a quote by Mother Theresa that made me smile becasue it is just how I feel..

"I know God won't give me anything I can't handle..
I just wish he didn't trust me so much!"

I liked that.
But I know as long we trust in Him, we will be fine.

Vic is planning on scheduling a trip soon with Daniel to NY to Sloan Kettering to meet with the researchers about Daniel's case. They are the experts there.Sounds like he would go one day and come back the next..I wish Daniel didn't have to go, that they could just bring his tests along, but we're told by oncologists that they typically like to see the child themselves
in person.

Well I will do my best to keep everyone updated.Just wanted you to know he was back in, and feeling pretty darn crummy in general with the low counts and all.
Hard to believe just 2 days ago he was out riding his bike! I'm glad he got to do that..It was very good for his spirits and his muscles too. We have to take advantage of those good days to help him and us get through the rougher ones.

Thank you all again for the much needed prayers. He just has to get cured.
Keep praying that we will witness some true miracles. I believe we will all see it and see Daniels cure.

May God Bless us and Keep us!
Our Love.

Wednesday, December 19, 2001 at 02:14 PM (CST)

Hello everyone!

Thank you for your continued prayers for Daniel!

Just a quick note to let you all know that Daniel is still at home, and is doing SO GREAT!!!!
He is so much more like his old self!
He is walking around and going down the stairs, and eating potoato chips,etc..He is playing with his toys, and smiling, laughing..It just makes my heart SING!!
I am enjoying every minute it, as when his counts drop soon I know he will feel crummy again, and get the sores, etc..
(Then he will feel better when his counts rise, but then it will be time to go back to the hospital for the next round of chemo..)
But now, his nausea is so much better, and he is in great spirits so that is SO heartwarming!

Well just a short entry for now,
but until later..GOD BLESS!!!

And thank you for your continued prayers
for the long road ahead of us.
I know it will lead us to a remission, and then, most importantly after that, A CURE!

Thank you!

Monday, December 17, 2001 at 11:25 AM (CST)

Hello everyone.

Thank you all for your wonderful prayers for Daniel's recovery!
Please continue to pray for him, as we have a long road ahead of us, even though at the end I am certain he will be cured!

Well he finished his 2nd round of chemos on
Saturday evening and we brought him home right after that. He is so happy to be home,and we are all SO happy to have him home of course! We are relishing each moment of our family time,being together, as it gives us back some sense of normalcy that we don't have very much of since Daniel was diagnosed. So that is always very special and therapeutic for us all!

He has been throwing up some..the affects of the chemos, but he is eating good by mouth too and keeps a lot down. He also has the stomach tube where we put the meds in, and when he vomits quite a lot we give him Pedialyte in it for a while. But the nausea/vomiting comes and goes, even though we continuosly give him the anti nausea drugs. Since his counts have not significantly dropped yet or bottomed out,
he is feeling good. No mouth sores. When they drop those will return, as well as the transfusions. But we hope to keep him home as long as we can until he gets a fever.He is so much happier and so much better at home.But I do also remember when his counts drop he doesn't care where he is he jsut wants to be left alone in a dark room.

Last week Jenny had an 8 hour flu and temp that left as quick as it came.
Then last night she threw up a lot, but had no temp. She is feeling much better today though so I think it was another quick bug!
So, with both kids throwing up last night,
I was up late doing a lot of laundry!
But I am so glad they both are feeling good today! Dan was of course throwing up becasue of the chemos and Jen caught some bug. She has always had a very good immune system(both kids have actually), so I think when she gets something, she gets rid of it really fast!
Anyway, they have both been goofin' around and giggling all morning. And that is music
to my ears! (and heart!)

Thank you all for your prayers for Daniel!
He will beat this cancer!
Last night he was telling us how when he grows up he wants to be a Fireman.
He has told us this before.
And I told him what is in my heart and that he will be THE BEST darn Fireman there is, becasue he is a brave and tough fighter, and is so caring, and has always had a very big heart. I look forward to the day when he gives me a ride in his fire truck.

Thank you again for all of your wonderful prayers!!

God Bless!

Friday, December 14, 2001 at 03:11 PM (CST)

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for all your continued prayers for Daniel..the prayer chains, masses,silent prayers, etc!

He started his chemo again on Wed as was planned. Last night was pretty rough on him..Even though he has been getting many anti nausea medications, he still threw up quite a lot last night, and so forceful that he threw up blood too. (But that was from stressed blood vessels and not any other source of bleeding.) I just felt so bad for him. But now today he has not thrown up. I know he feels nauseous (becasue he doesn't want to eat or drink), but not so much that he vomits. He will be done with this dose/round of chemos tomorrow, and so we can bring him home tomorrow night hopefully. We can always give him Pedialyte through his stomach tube,instead of the formula, if he contines to throw up, so the hydration issue shouldn't bring us back to the hospital, unless it gets really bad. Then they'll either bring us out an IV pole or we'll just go back in the hospital for fluids.
The big thing that we have to watch out for is as his counts are dropping and bottoming out following the chemo, he will again be immune deficient and we have to watch out for fevers and infection. But hopefully we will still have a few good days at home before we go back in for fevers. Also, with the mouth/throat/stomach sores he gets follwoing chemos, that will likely cause fevers too. But he should have a good week or two hopefully before those come back.

Regarding my last email about Fr Rookey,
I have since emailed a prayer to him,from the website, as well as left a verbal message on a phone recording. (708) 748 MARY)
I have asked him to lift us up in prayer that Daniel will be healed by Jesus through him. I have also asked that he do the same with all the suffering children here at the hospitals.
It would be great if he could come to Children's hospitals here and do a healing sevice, but I don't know how realistic that wish is, as he travels all around. But it would be a wonderful thing I know.

Well,thank you for keeping Daniel in your constant prayers! It is truly and deeply appreciated!

He will be cured..This I know.

God Bless!

Tuesday, December 11, 2001 at 12:47 AM (CST)

Hello everyone!

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers for Daniel! They are deeply appreciated!

He has been home with us since Friday, and
everything has been very going well.
(He did throw up a few times, but that was kind of expected anyway).But other than that he has been very happy and giggly, and has even wanted to eat some favorite foods! (Nachos, popcorn,grapes, fish frys, etc..)His mouth sores are gone too!
He still gets continuous food from the feeding tube, so the mouth eating he does is mostly for his pleasure only. The tube is also a very convenient way to administer his many meds too..
The pump is so easy to use and weighs about 3 pounds. It has a backpack he can wear when we go out too.

We went to Monster Movie which he enjoyed too. His spirits have just been so good..a combination of being at home with his family and having his blood counts stable as well. Wednesday, when we go back in for chemos again, will come way too quick! But that is what is helping get rid of the cancer so it is also welcomed in a weird kind of way! We just wish we could go through it for him and get the nausea,sores,etc so he wouldn't have to!

Anyway, I wanted to update you all on how happy is at home now, and also wanted to tell you about a wonderful man I have recently heard about. His name is Father Peter Mary Rookey, O.S.M.
"He is a Roman Catholic priest with the charism of healing.
The Lord has worked many miracles through Fr. Rookey, touching many with the power of the Holy Spirit."
A website that I have found for him is:

www.smcenter.org

Click on this link.. and then click on the Fr Peter Rookey icon.

I have emailed a prayer request, and also would like to find out about possibly attending a healing mass if it would work out..
If anyone has any additional information or knowledge about him, or of anything else, please email us at hammertime311@ll.net, or leave a message in the guest book.

Well, thank you all again for your strong Faith and Prayers for Daniel and for his full recovery!

God Bless!!

Friday, December 07, 2001 at 01:26 PM (CST)

Hello everyone!

Thank you for your continued prayers for Daniel! We can truly feel them!

Well, got a couple bits of good news today.
One is that Daniel can go home for a long weekend..barring any infections or problems that would bring him back in of course..

The other good news is this. He likely will be able to keep the same type of cental line in his chest that he has right now.
It is called a Hickman and it is how he recieves his chemos, meds and how they take blood from him, etc. Well, it was always the case that before the stem cell harvests, the kids have to have another operation removing the Hickman line and putting in another one called a Med Comp. This is a larger line that allows them to collect the stem cells
with greater ease and volume. He can also get chemos thru this line as well. The reason they do not put this line in initially is because there are numerous problems associated with this line when used in kids. One is increased infection, and I you have to replace it more often, etc..It can be a big pain. Anyway, there is a young child here that for some reason couldn't have the Med Comp line, so they were forced to do the stem cell harvest with the Hickman, and they were still able to get a good sample!
So they are going to try that with Danny.
So that is great! One less surgery and he can keep the better working line!

We are so glad he can come home. Last night he had thown up a lot..(The whole quantity he had taken in his tube for the last few hours)..
So we were feeling discouraged that he wouldn't be able to come home then today. But when we give him this anti nausea medication, he doesn't throw up, so we are going to give him that on a scheduled dose.
We had thought the vomiting could be an intolerance to the formula, but turned out to be just nausea from not having food in his tummy for so long..So will will administer that to him with his feedings.
we are gettingt he pump and equiptment for that and it is pretty simple to use. He is on continueos feedings, but we can un hook him for a few hours when he wants to play,etc..It may come with a "back pack" too
so that is convenient also!

We are also hopeful that this trip at home will go better than last, becasue last time he came home it was right after the chemo and his counts were dropping, as scheduled, so you are soooo prone to infections,fevers,etc..Plus he was getting dehydrated from not eating or drinking.... and now, we have the stomach tube so he is getting nutrition that way. And also now his counts have recovered so infection/fever is far less likely. We can even go to a movie if he wants! (Which is a HUGE no no when you have low counts!!)So, I jsut hope he will feel good when he is home and can play and enjoy being there. It will be so wonderful to have us all together at home again, like normal! SO, if all goes well, we don't have to come back to the hospital until Wednesday when he is starting the chemos again!

We have taken him off the morphine. He has had it continuesly for 3 weeks and so he has been having some withdrawl/irritibliity
from that as well. It should have been a gradual thing, but..He should be over that in a day or two. We are giving him Tylonel for the pain from his new feeding tube..That makes his tummy sore as it is healing.

Well, that is what is going on. He is napping now and when he wakes up I think he will be very happy to hear he is going home
today! I know we are very happy about that!!

Well, thank you again for your continued prayers for Daniel!!They are always VERY deeply appreciated!

GOD BLESS!!!

Wednesday, December 05, 2001 at 11:39 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your continued prayers on Daniel's behalf!

Talked to the Doctor this evening and he has looked into a different protocol at Slone-Kettering in NY. It is basically similar to the one we are currently on..The only differnce is the use of monoclonal antibodies in the NY one. It is hard to know if it is better..But the Doctor told us that after the next round of chemo when his counts recover and before we begin the stem cell replacement,we are going to do a bone marrow biopsy and ct scans, and if the neuroblastoma hasn't had a significant decline, as determined by our doctor, that he thinks we should go to NY have the Sloan- Kettering protocol. Vic and I are pleased that our Oncologist is looking at what is in Daniel's best interest and exploring all avenues. So, we are told we need to make preparations just in case. We would be there about 9 months he thinks.They offer a Ronald McDonald House for us to stay in. Dan, Jen and me would stay there continuosly
of course and Vic would fly back and forth
at different times.
SO, that is where we are at now. The Dr said he was very pleased with talking to the researcher. Of course we are hoping the response to the chemo will be significant when they look at the test results so we can contine here. But if not, we are on the next plane to NY!

Daniel seems to be doing better today. His sores still hurt but they look better than yesterday. He still does not want to eat but
now that we have the stomach tube it is not that big of an issue. So that is good.
We are still hoping to go home for a couple days before the next round of chemo on Monday.

Anyway, thank you again for your prayers and
esp for successful test results in a couple weeks!
We hope the neuroblastoma is responding to the chemo significantly, esp on the spots by the brain too, as well as in the marrow and on the original tumor site too of course!
Please pray for a full and complete recovery for him!

I truly believe this will happen!

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!!

Wednesday, December 05, 2001 at 11:39 PM (CST)

Monday, December 03, 2001 at 10:49 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for the wonderful prayers for Daniel! I know they will certainly make the difference!!

Tomorrow morning he has the stomach tube surgery, for the feeding tube.
Instead of starting Chemo Thursday as was planned, the doctors want to look at Sunday or Monday now, even though his white cell count has recovered good enough to start Thursday. They really feel it will do him much good to get home for a day or two..He has been in the hospital for so long..They said that little delay wouldn't effect the treatment protocol at all.(we were very concerned about that of course)
Another reason to delay it is that the very painful sores in his mouth, throat and stomach are still there and that will give them more chance to heal. They are all VERY surprised that they have not healed yet, since his white count has recovered really well and they typically will heal very quicky when that happens..But they still have not..
Which goes to show each person is unique and responds differently..
(but that also happens in good ways too..
which I am very confident we will all see)
Anyway, that has been a big painful negative side effect to the chemo, but at least it is temporary.(Even though, unfortunately, he will most likely get them following each very aggressive chemo cycle of course)

Well, I got something new to worry about today..
(Let me re-phrase..not worry but pray for!)
With the spots by his brain, he will undoubtedly need radiation on the brain as well. And I have learned about the possible side effects of radiation near the brain)Even if (I mean, when!!) the chemo gets all those spots on the brain, he will still need radiation there as well. But the more the chemo shrinks them, the less radiation he will need there, thus the fewer side effects, including permenent ones..(changes in IQ and cognitive functions, etc..)
So I hope after this next treatment, when they do the assessment, we will see that tumors response to the chemo is very significant. (Therefore less radiation to be used on the brain)
They will do ct scans and bone marrow tests, etc..when his counts recover. So that will be about 10 days, I think, after he recieves this next round of chemo.
(So keep those prayers coming!)

Daniel was in a really good mood this afternoon for a good couple of hours. He actually laughed and smiled..was more of his usual self. Jenny and Grandma came up to the hospital and Dan and Jenny just giggled and snuggled together and watched part of a movie, etc..
It was wonderful for both of them!
But then tonight he was pretty growly at everyone, becasue of the sores. He is still taking the morphine for it but some times it helps more than other times I think..
He also spiked another fever..About once a day he will get a high temp so then they do blood cultures, but so far have came up with no bacterial infections. He has no signs of any viral infection so they are all puzzled as to why he spikes the high temp once or twice a day. He responds very well to Tylonel for the fevers though..It brings it down pretty quick.
But as to why he gets on in the first place, everyone is clueless..Could be lots of different things I suppose..all hard to pin point.

Well, that is all for now.
Thank you again for all the wonderful well wishes for Daniel and esp I ask for your faithful and contined prayers for Daniel. That will truly make the difference!

(Vic jokingly calls me the "prayer police" as I am always making sure everyone is praying very hard for our little "D"..) :o)

Thank you and God Bless!!

Friday, November 30, 2001 at 04:02 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all your love, support and prayers! It is deeply appreciated!
Thank you also for all the informative emails many of you have sent regarding various treatment protocols, etc..
We read every bit and discuss it with the oncologist. Our oncologist encourages this as he says we are the best advovate for our son, and that there are always so many new things being studied and tested.
And it is good for us to be informed on them as well.
So thank you all and keep the great info coming on anything you should find.

After the next round of Chemo next week they will be doing some scans and marrow biopsies to see how the tumors are responding. Then after that we are doing the first stem cell/bone marrow replacement.
So that is what we are focusing on now..
After that comes surgery, radiation, more chemo more stem cell replacemets, etc..
It is kinda hard to keep it all straight.
I hope and pray he will pass each treatment successfully and will be able to proceed to the next one called for in his protocol..I truly belive he will.

Daniel's white cell count came up today, so that was good. He still has those painful mouth and stomach sores, so he doesn't want to eat or drink, at all. He is still getting the morphine for the pain from the sores, and also for the bone pain ( which is mostly in the legs).
They are cutting back on the continueous IV morphine gradually now as they think as his white cell count keeps increasing that the sores will heal quickly. (until the next chemo round of course) He did have some bleeding in his mouth today, so they gave him a platelet transfusion. I really hope he will start to eat today or tomorrow so he can come home for a couple days before
he has his stomach tube inserted on Tuesday, then his Chemos Thursday.

Jenny is back from Grandmas..(We missed her sooo much! She was gone about a week) But she had a GREAT time of course with all her cousins, etc..
So Grandma brought her back here yesterday and she is also staying on at our house to continue to help with Jenny.(The Grandmas have both been sooo great!)
So, tomorrow Vic is taking Jen to see Santa, and then on Sunday I am taking her to Disney on Ice. So that will be nice and kinda special for her.
Again, I hope Daniel can make it home for a couple days this weekend too. Jenny really misses him too of course!
Right now he is just still not feeling good
and has much discomfort. I really hope that will change soon as his counts rise..
We also started him on an anti depressent this week, as with everything he is enduring that may give him a boost too.

Well, thank you again for all your prayers for Daniel's full recovery.

A note: A couple nurses told me about a 2 year old cancer victum they cared for 11 years ago.(don't know what kind of cancer)
but she had undergone several treatments unsuccessfully. So the Doctors and parents decided to stop the treatments and just take the child home. Well, 6 mos later the child came back for a ct scan, and to everyone's amazement, the cancer was gone.
The nurses said her mother was a very spiritual woman.
So, that was a very happy and inspiring story! The girl is 13 now and doing just fine.

Keep on praying for Daniel's cure!
I have an unexplainable feeling in my heart and soul that his cure is God's Will too..Not just ours.
There is much to be learned from this, and
Daniel and his family have many great things to do and to experience in the future.

God Bless you all!

Tuesday, November 27, 2001 at 03:04 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Thank you SOooo much for all your kind words and prayers for Daniel. He really needs them right now, and will continue to with all the upcoming treatments, etc.
We are still at the hospital and will be for a while I think. I don't know if we will be going home at all before the next round of chemo, which will be some time around or after Dec 6th. Daniel has many sores right now, that are causing him much discomfort, and that is a big reason he is not eating. He has sores in his mouth, tongue, throat, bottom, etc..mainly from the
chemo and from the white blood cells not being there. He is getting another red cell and also a platelet transfusion today. Becasue he is not eating and that is causing
ulcers or pre ulcers in his stomach, they will be putting in a feeding tude into his stomach very soon. At first Vic and I were not sure if that was the best thing or not, but after talking to the oncologist we feel better about it. He is losing weight, and he will absolutely need all the strengh and energy to recover from these very high doses and agressive chemos he is receiving. Also, the mouth and related sores are not expected to get much better for a few months, as the chemo is wiping out the white cells, which it is suppossed to do..SO as soon as his counts get up on their own over the next week, at that point he will get the stomach tube.
That is something he will have for months, and it will be a GOOD thing..Something to help make him better and stronger to fight.. not more sick. So he will undergo that procedure soon, followed by the next round of chemo in early Dec. He is losing his hair now..coming out very quick. He has a big bald spot in the back, so tonight when Vic comes up he is going to shave Daniel's head and his own..and if Daniel wants..mommy's too.(It is now in writing!)
There are some brand new research trials going on and we are keeping updated on them, as well as is our doctor. So again, if anyone has any info for us,on any new cancer treatments or for remission/relapse let me know..Much of all this is still experimental..So, for some of the treatment at some point me may likely go to NY, CA, or PA for it.. Our Doctor is checking into a new one that just started a new protocol last week apparently.
Anyway, Daniel is still taking morphine for his discomfort whicch seems to help some anyway.
Well, I better get back to the room before
Daniel wakes up from his nap.
Thank you for all your support and love and esp prayers for Daniel's full recovery.
God Bless!

Saturday, November 24, 2001 at 08:02 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,
Thank you for your continued positive thoughts and prayers.

Daniel got a fever/infection and was admitted back into the hospital last night.
They are giving him antibiotics and also trying to pin point the infection.
This is common after chemo because his white cell count is so low.(literally undetectable). But that tells us the chemo is doing it's job. He also got another platelet transfusion as he has blood in his vomit. (He has been throwing up his meds so he's been getting those through the IV now) He was also dehydrated so it is good he is getting IV maintanence again too. So, he will be back in there until they pinpoint the infection and until he goes 24 hours with no fever. So it will likely be a few days. He is very tired and weak, and we are also trying to control his pain with morphine through his IV. In a few weeks he should feel more peppy..As I said, I'm told this is rather expected from the chemos.

Also, if anyone has any medical info on treatments or experimental procedures, please email it to us at: hammertime311@ll.net, our home email address.
(We are trying to learn as much as we can).
The type of Stage 4 Neuroblastoma he has is MYCN Amplified, which is the most agressive type and also has the highest relapse rates. Therefore, WHEN we get him into remission, we want to keep him there and not relapse. There are experimental treatments I believe,that theoretically,prevent/treat relapse. If anyone has any additional info on those, let me know.I think most all are experimental at this point?
They are usually done in New York, Los Angelos or Philadelephia. They may include monoclonal antibioties, cancer vaccine, and MIBG radiation, etc..(I think the cancer vaccine is only used in the lab on mice right now, but they may begin human trials in a year.)
Anyway, please pass on any info you may come across.

We will do our best to continue to keep everyone updated.

Keep praying that he will one day be cancer free and a very healthy person!
I truly believe he will, as he has many great things to do, and will need a long lifetime to do them!

God Bless!

Wednesday, November 21, 2001 at 08:24 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,

Well, Daniel came home tonight, so he gets a little break from the hospital. Before he left he had a red cell transfusion and a platelet transfusion, as his counts are dropping very low now from the chemo and from the disease itself. He has to go back tomorrow for another body scan test.
We have 9 medications to keep track of and administer to him. We also have to give him daily shots of G-CSF, to stimulate his white cell growth. We have to flush out his "Hickman catheter" each day..that is the central line in his chest that is connected to the large vein in the heart.
That stays in so he can recieve the chemos,
transfusions,medicines, etc through there.
We have to keep that area very clean and flush out the lines with heparin (to prevent clotting).We also have to keep the dressing and exit site very clean too since his immune system is so low and therefore he does not heal rapidly, and it oozes. And we don't want him to get an infection.
His spirits were not good at all today. He is having much discomfort from the neuroblastoma, on his skull and in his bones, etc.. He just wants to be left alone. His appetite is not good either of course. We cannot get him to eat anything. We hope that will improve in the next day or so. We have to watch for fevers, infections,etc..And if that all goes OK then we don't go back in until Monday and Thursday for blood counts..
So, this is how the first round of Chemo went..He will have 5 more cycles, as well as
the stem cell replacemnts and surgery,radiation etc..There are tests after each treatment to see if he can progress on to the next treatments.
He seems to be responding to the chemo already because the tumor on the side of his face by his eye has noticebly been shrinking. Although the Oncologist says that is actually expected right away. Apparently later on in a few months will be the big "test" to see if the tumors still respond (shrink), or if they get resistent to the chemos. Apparently that is a common occurance.
(But then again, we are all praying, right!!)
I honestly have a feeling that he will come out of this just fine, and beat the odds.
I really do. I know it won't be easy but I truly believe it will happen.

Thank you all and keep praying for Daniel that he is in God's healing hands, and will be the miracle boy that I know he is!

Thank you VERY for the continued prayers and God Bless!

Tuesday, November 20, 2001 at 02:18 PM (CST)

Hi everyone,
Thank you all for your continued prayers for Daniel's full recovery.
Please check out a new link I listed in the links section below, about St Peregrine, Patron of Cancer Patients. I have heard from others of positive things happening as a result of prayers to him.

Thank you all
and God Bless.

Friday, November 16, 2001 at 10:59 AM (CST)

Hello everyone,
We have this page to help us keep everyone informed. We will do our best to try to keep it updated.

As you know, Daniel has stage 4 neuroblastoma. He was given a survival rate of 30%. He began the first cycle of chemotherapy treatments this past Thursday. In a few months he will undergo a major surgery to remove the tumor and a kidney, stem cell replacement, and radiation. We truly believe in our hearts that he will beat this. And we ask everyone to please please pray dilegently for him and for his full recovery.
We also pray for Daniel's doctors and nurses as they are God's instruments.
Feel free to leave any messages or payers in our guestbook, as well as
any related medical info you may have
found.
Thank you for your continued prayers and may God keep Daniel
in his healing hands!

Click here to go back to the main page.

----End of History----