History

Saturday, September 27, 2008 10:51 AM CDT

Wow! Time flies…sorry for taking a leave of absence. We’ve been doing great and have been trying to readjust our lives from the crazy roller coaster we’ve been on for the last 3 years.

Kai is doing so well. He’s now 6 years old. He started soccer this past week and loves it. We are now 8 months out from God’s miracle. We are 10 months out from ending treatment. Kai is not due to be tested until Feb 2009, just a little update and a reminder of how far God has brought us.

Please pray for Kai’s little buddy Damien. Pray for healing in his body, miraculous healing. Pray for comfort. Pray for God’s will, strength and peace.

A dear friend of mine went home to be with Lord after a courageous battle against cancer. Please pray for her family, Sam & Alex.

Still Resting in Him,
Shana

Thursday, July 10, 2008 10:08 PM CDT

What a glorious time we are having! We recently brought home a beautiful puppy a few weeks ago and everyone is in love! Roco has truly stolen our hearts. The kids were so surprised when we went to get him. They had no idea that the day they would get a puppy had finally arrived. I have to say that the look on their faces and the hugs afterwards made it all worthwhile.

Kai is doing so well. He’s so happy and so strong. He loves going swimming and skateboarding with his friends. His cousins are visiting and they have been keeping him busy as well. I can’t believe how fast time is flying. Kai will be 6 in September. We are now 6 months out from God’s miracle. I can’t believe that it has been that long. We are 9 months out from ending treatment. Our only battle, ear infections and allergies! Praise God! How different our lives are now. Kai is not due to be tested until Feb 2009, just a little update and a reminder of how far God has brought us.

Please pray for Kai’s little buddy Damien. Pray for healing in his body, miraculous healing. Pray for comfort. Pray for God’s will, strength and peace.

Still Resting in Him,
Shana

Friday, June 13, 2008 5:43 PM CDT

Today a beautiful, precious, little girl named Marissa has gone home to be with our Lord and Savior. I ask that you pray for her family; Randy, Tracy, & Makenzie Monroe during this difficult time. May God's strength and peace be with them all.

Monday, May 26, 2008 9:49 AM CDT

I woke up with a praise in my heart about this year and all that God has done to restore what Satan tried to take away. I couldn’t do anything but give HIM the glory and I am ever so humble and thankful for HIS faithfulness.

This week Kai will graduate from Kindergarten. It has been an awesome year for him and he is so excited about all the activities (pool parties) that are coming up. This year Kai received a ribbon for Elementary Field Day. He placed 3rd out of the group of boys in his class. When I think about where we were this time last year, preparing for chemotherapy, I just don’t take anything for granted. What joy is in my heart….I cannot even begin to touch on what it feels like.

We are preparing to add a little one to our home this summer…a puppy! It is a surprise for Jasmine and Kai. A good person who I now am thankful to call friend has been a part of the master plan in making this happen. My husband and I are thrilled.

Resting in Him,
Shana

Thursday, February 7, 2008 8:50 PM CST

Phil 4:6-7, Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Today we received the news that we have always known in our hearts, but have been waiting on the manifestation of it in the reports. Kai’s scan was clear. His bone marrow on one side was completely clear and the other side was said to be less than 5 I was told by the doctor that they do not need to follow up for a year and he should get his port removed. The only response by the doctor for this drastic change was “I don’t know what happened.” Well my friends we know what happened. We know that God is an awesome and loving God and he has heard our prayers. He’s never left us, even through the hard times when the outcome was not what we had hoped for.

Kai went through years of treatment, chemo, radiation, and experimental studies with little or no results. The outcome was always the same. It’s almost as if every door that was open was shut. But when we decided in our hearts to trust God and his word and to lean only on him, we got different results. Kai’s last round of chemo was in July. He was only able to do two courses of antibody treatment at Sloan-Kettering in NY, of which only one was determined to be effective. Kai’s last treatment was in October. His scans and bone marrow results in October showed no change with “hot” spots in his hip and tumor in his bone marrow.

So many nights I cried out to God when all of this would end and it all makes sense to me now. Who can claim the glory for the miracle that has happened to Kai? ONLY GOD can. I think of the Shield of Faith, God is who he says he is and God can do what he says he can do. It’s in his word. His answers are yea and Amen. He does not waiver, no matter the circumstances. Thank You God!

Resting in Him,
Shana

Monday, February 4, 2008 3:09 PM CST

Life has been good my friends. Kai has such a strong spirit. We had a wonderful Christmas. Kai and Jasmine were blessed with everything they wanted and even things they didn’t know they wanted! New Year’s was exciting also. We have many things to look forward to this year and I’m just excited. I’m even more excited because Kai goes for testing this week. His last scans and bone marrow was in October ’07 and they showed no change. Since the scans Kai has been on no course of treatment. We’ve been pretty normal since then only going to hospital for colds, ear infections, and pink eye. I couldn’t help but exam his labs as I always do and all his counts were normal. Platelets well above 230 almost sent me into shock. So we have bone marrow tomorrow and MIBG and CT on Wednesday.

There’s an article in February issue of Parents Magazine on Neuroblastoma. It’s a day in the life of a little boy going through the antibody study at Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York (the same study Kai was on). It amazes me and encourages me at the same time when I see Neuroblastoma in the media. It always pained me that I never knew about this cancer and I think it’s a step in the right direction if it’s being put out there for others to learn.

Well I will let you all know the results prayerfully by Tuesday of next week. Just know that the peace of God is with us still and I leave you with one of my favorite scriptures (Phil 4:6-7, Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus). Thanks for the messages and notes of support.

Resting in Him,
Shana

Monday, December 24, 2007 6:59 AM CST

Hello Everyone,

Last time we updated we were awaiting Kai’s second HAMA testing. Kai’s second results were still positive. We were told that Kai would be removed from the study and that we should start chemotherapy to hold him until another study becomes available. I am a believer in miracles and not just in any miracles but in the miracles that only God can do.

I believe that faith operates in two folds, first the act of believing (So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. [Rom 10:17]; Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. [Heb 11:1]) and second the act of walking out that belief (Mark 5 Jesus heals a bleeding woman and restores a girl to life. He says to the woman in Mark 5:34 ”Daughter your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” He says to the father of the little girl in Mark 5:36 “Be not afraid, only believe.” In Mark 11:52 Jesus tells a blind beggar “Go, for your faith has healed you.” It’s one thing to say that you believe something and another to actually walk in that belief. We stand firmly in the belief that Kai is healed. Not going to be healed, not waiting on the healing---but HEALED (1 Pet 2:24, by his wounds you are healed).

We have decided to stop Kai’s treatments. No more chemo, no more studies, no more hope in what medically they can do. We have fought the good fight for almost 3 years and we are now ready to give it completely over to God. Kai is ready to live. Many of you won’t or maybe can’t understand how we can stop. Just know that the peace of God is with us in this decision (Phil 4:6-7, don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus). Please pray for us all.

Resting in Him,
Shana

Thursday, November 15, 2007 10:11 AM CST

Hello Everyone,

The results for Kai's test are not what we had hoped. The bone marrow biopsy and MIBG scan showed the same amount of disease as the initial test done back in August. Kai's labs also came back HAMA positive, which means he has built up resistance to the 3F8 treatment and will not be able to begin cycle 3. What does this mean? Well what the doctors have told me is to wait. In 2 weeks we will submit labs again to see if he is still HAMA positive, because the levels could change. If he is then possibly chemotherapy, if he's not then maybe NY and 3F8 treatment. We will just have to wait and see.

After saying all that let me reemphasize that Kai is doing great. He's doing better than great. He's healed beautifully from the surgery to remove his central line. He loves not having to do dressing changes and he shows me his chest every chance he gets. It couldn't get better than that. Kai's favorite thing to do now is use his shampoo to wash his hair (which is coming back in very nicely).

Thank you all for your prayers and support. Although the test are not what we hoped for, and the course of Kai's treatment has changed we have to stand firm in the authority of Jesus Christ. He has complete authority over Kai's body, not the cancer. He determines the course we will take, not the cancer and as long as I remember no matter what it seems like He is in charge. Yes we are human and we want to know how and when, but focusing on what we do know is so much more powerful than focusing on what we don't. Ultimately it frees us in our minds and in our hearts by giving God complete control. So remain at peace my friends, because we are. Love you all.

Resting in Him,
Shana

Saturday, October 27, 2007 7:04 AM CDT

Good News Everybody,

Only 3 more days!!!! Kai finished the 3F8 cycle on Friday and the rest of our time here will be spent doing scans and recovering from the surgery to remove his central line. My prayer is to be on the road Tuesday afternoon. I’m sure I won’t be tired. I’ll use my homesickness as fuel to keep me going.

Kai is doing fabulous. He looks good, he feels good, and he’s had almost no pain during the 2nd week. I’m going to believe its prayer and not that he’s HAMA positive. You never know what’s going on, but having no pain makes you a little nervous because you don’t know if it’s working or not. We’ll know more once we send his blood for testing Nov 8.

Kai loves playing at the park here in NY. I’m excited to say that after playing soccer with a little boy in the park Kai has decided that he wants to play soccer with a team! He wants us to come to his practices and games. I can’t wait. I don’t know when the season ends or begins but I’m signing him up as soon as I can.

There has been a lot of bad news lately for the families that I have come to know. It’s disheartening to hear. The battles not over for some, it means a change in “plans”, for others the battle is coming to an end. I pray fervently for them. For strength and peace with the decisions they have made and for the ones out of their control.

I believe that we are in the right place to fight this disease, but ultimately I am reminded that it is not in my control or the doctors the course that it runs. Please continue to pray not only for our family but for the many families that are here fighting this disease. Pray for hope to be restored, renewed, and strengthened.

Shana

Tuesday, October 16, 2007 1:42 PM CDT

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for the delay in our journal update….time has just kind of slipped away from me. Kai did well during the 2nd week of cycle 1. We were able to leave as scheduled and we were home on Sep 23. We went to Washington the following weekend Sep 29 to watch Dad come back from the “Loneliest Road” bike fundraiser. All the dads were tired but looked real good after riding 3700 miles cross country. They were able to raise a lot of money but still need more to reach their goal. Please go to loneliestroad.org for more information on how you can help.

We enjoyed 3 weeks home! It was a hectic 3 weeks but at least we were home. Kai tested HAMA negative 2 weeks after he finished cycle 1. We were so excited to hear that he did not build up antibodies against the 3F8 treatment and that he would be able to continue treatment. To HAMA after the 1st cycle would have not given a chance for the treatment to work so we are blessed by these results.

Kai started cycle 2 Oct 15 and it will go through Oct 26. It is me and Kai again, Dad stayed home to be with Jasmine. Last cycle was rough for her with everyone being gone and she needs some family stability. On Oct 26 and 27 Kai will have CT scans, bone marrow, and MIBG scan to determine how the treatment has affected the cancer. I’m so thankful that we will know something before we leave. Kai having his test and scans now also means we will not be back in NY until Nov 19. On Oct 29 Kai will have surgery to remove his central line and to have a Mediport placed. This is exciting for both Kai and me because the Mediport requires no line care, it’s under the skin so it’s not visible and he will be able to go swimming.

The first day of cycle 2 went well. Kai had no pain and was able to go to the playground. Today however was a bit more painful. He’s doing fine now. The pain was mostly in his tummy, so he’s resting from the pain meds he received. We hope later on he will be able to play.

Please continue to pray. God has healed Kai. I have to say that everyday. I’ve been guilty of saying “when God heals Kai”, or “when Kai is healed” and today something I read reminded me that Jesus has already claimed Kai’s healing…its not a promise to be fulfilled it is fulfilled. I believe that in my heart, but I’ve been speaking the wrong words. We will walk out Kai’s healing by our words (in our testimony) and our belief (in our hearts).

In Him,
Shana

Sunday, September 16, 2007 0:11 AM CDT

Hello Everyone,
We finished week 1 and Kai is doing well. The night of the last journal entry he spiked a fever of a103.9 and was admitted to the hospital for a couple of days. He was treated with antibiotics and was able to continue his treatment. Praise God he is fever free now and we are enjoying a 2 day break from treatment (there is no treatment on weekends). We will be back in clinic on Monday to finish week 2. Lord willing we will be home by Saturday.

Kai is so homesick and misses Jasmine and Daddy. He’s counting the days until we are home. We had a surprise visit from a member of our VCA family who was here in New York. She was able to bring Kai all the wonderful cards and pictures that the students made for him. He enjoys them so much. We go to the parks and play sometimes when we have free time. I’m thankful that we brought his scooter along. He likes to zip through the park and its fun for him to ride when we take walks. Today we learned that there is a carnival in Central Park! So we had a fun day—which was very much needed.

Thank you for all your prayers and words of encouragement. We love reading your messages. Kai has been strong throughout this whole treatment. One of the side effects is hives and skin rash. Kai has none!!! Another side effect is severe pain, even after treatment some children feel residual pain in their legs and arms and have trouble walking. Kai is able to manage his pain and after treatment he rests and is up and moving like always!!! He has maintained his weight and appetite and is strong. I’m telling you this because it’s important to know that prayer works. We have all been praying for Kai and God has answered our prayers. He gave him the strength to endure and has had a hedge of protection around him. We are so blessed and thankful.

In Him,
Shana

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 7:18 PM CDT

Hi,
Last night Kai spiked a fever and we went to the emergency room. It’s routine for temperatures to do blood cultures and give antibiotics as a precaution. He spiked another fever this morning before treatment and they gave him another dose of antibiotics. Well today when he awoke from a nap he spiked another temperature. The doctors believe that it is his body reacting to the antibody and that it will soon go away. Otherwise, Kai is his normal little self. Enjoying his snacks and smiling. The only thing not normal is that he’s taking it easy! Today me and Kai faced treatment alone—no therapist. He seemed a little concerned at first when he heard they were not going to be there. Afterwards Kai said the sweetest thing. He kissed me and said, “Mommy, you did good”. How could he have known I needed to hear those words? He has the heart of an angel and we couldn’t be more blessed. Tomorrow is Day 3 and we are pressing forward. We make a good team—God, Kai, and I.
In Him,
Shana

Monday, September 10, 2007 10:23 PM CDT

Hi,
Well we made it! Kai and I arrived in New Jersey late Saturday night and Ven’s parents brought us to New York Sunday afternoon. Although the drive was long it was durable and I actually arrived sooner than I thought I would. There was a change in his treatment plan because the bone marrow test came back positive. So his treatment will be 2 weeks instead of on 1. Jasmine could not come this time around and is staying with a very dear and close friend. We miss her bright smile and high energy spirit. She turns 9 this Friday, the 14th so if you see her give her a hug for me. Ven is now in route, by bike, to Washington D.C. They arrived safely to California today. So now the journey begins.

Kai’s journey also began today. He started his first dose of 3F8 antibody. I think we were both anxious about today. We made it through it. Kai is doing fine and resting now. The pain was intense and was mostly in his stomach. The therapist helped him with his breathing and pretended they were on a rollercoaster and when the pain came he would raise his arms, push down with his feet, and scream if he had to. Kai didn’t scream much he mostly grunted and we rocked through the pain. He’s so strong. Stronger than any person I know. The mental capacity one needs to focus like he did today to get through the pain is tremendous and Kai was amazing. We do it all again tomorrow, but now we know what to expect and how to help him through it. So many people are praying for Kai that he may have the strength to endure and he is.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for Kai’s strength and God’s comfort. Pray also for God’s wisdom and peace in the decisions that we make.

I'm going to switch to a new caringbride site for Kai's page. See the link below and type in "kaidavis" for the page you want to visit. Let me know what you think. I'm going to keep updating this one until everyone gets use to the new site (including me).

God Bless
Shana

Sunday, September 2, 2007 7:34 PM CDT

Sorry for the pause between updates, we’ve had a lot going on. Praise be to God that Kai recovered quickly after his 2nd round of chemo. The last entry he had just finished chemo and was in the hospital with fever and low counts. Well, he was in the hospital that Saturday and home by the following Friday. This time he received a boost of his stem cells to help him recover quickly. By God’s grace Kai was walking in the doors of VCA for his first day of Kindergarten that Wednesday! What a blessing.

Kai kept getting stronger and on Aug 27 we were in NY at Memorial Sloan Kettering for his evaluation. We chose this hospital because they are leading the country in their treatment for Neuroblastoma. When we first spoke to the doctor at Sloan after Kai relapsed in May, he told us that he believes that the cancer is curable. He recommended the 2 cycles of chemo at UNC and then the antibody treatment in NY. The antibody treatment has been successful because it attacks the neuroblastoma cells and kills them. So any residual disease that might be left in the body after chemo can be eliminated to prevent reoccurrence. This treatment is not available any where else in the country or in the world.

We were in disbelief when we got to NY and saw the number of neuroblastoma families there for this treatment. We met people from Florida, Virginia, Ukraine, and Africa. Some had been fighting the cancer for as little as a few months all the way up to 5 years. The stories were all the same and much like ours. They were all there for hope. Hope that other doctors and hospitals had closed off. We even met a dad who had the same vision as Ven about biking across country. The campaign is called The Loneliest Road and the mission is to raise money for treatment and new therapies to treat Neuroblastoma. 5 dads (and possibly Ven) will bike from Sacramento, CA to Washington D.C. It’s going to be phenomenal!!! Please read more about it at the link below.

Kai went through a week of testing, CT scans, bone marrows, MIBG, echo, blood and urine. We are still waiting for his bone marrow and urine results. We should have those by Tuesday. We received the wonderful news that his MIBG scan was clearer. A significant change from the one he received in June. He only mentioned a small amount of disease in his hips. We believe that the bone marrow and the urine test will also be clear. We will be back in NY to start the antibody treatment on Sep 10-14.

The way the treatment works is that you are on for 1 week and off for 2 weeks. This makes up 1 cycle. There are some side effects which we are praying about they include pain, hives or rash, and HAMA (resistance to the antibody). I’ve been told that the pain is intense. So I’m really not sure what we are about to put him through. The doctors said that it will only last during the infusion (20-30 mins) and that they treat the pain with morphine and focus therapy during that time. There is pain because neruoblastoma is a nerve cell cancer and so there is pain when the antibody attacks the neuroblastoma cell. Please pray with us for Kai’s strength and God’s comfort. Pray also for God’s wisdom and peace in the decisions that we make. Don’t forget to check out our pictures from NY and the link for Loneliest Road.

God Bless
Shana

Sunday, August 5, 2007 7:25 AM CDT

Hi,

Kai is feeling pretty icky and is in the hospital now. He’s running fevers and having stomach pains and diarrhea. He finished his last round of chemo Friday, Aug 2. The doctors did chemo differently this time. We were admitted on Monday thru Wednesday, they released us to go home Wednesday evening and then Kai had to come to clinic Thursday and Friday for the remainder of his chemo. He did well and tolerated everything okay. It just hit him really hard yesterday.

You could see him getting weaker and weaker. He was in a lot of pain and wouldn’t eat. The day started out well. The kids wanted to do their school shopping so I took them to do that. Throughout the day I grew concern because Kai was real quiet and didn’t want to walk. I took him home and he wouldn’t get up off the couch. His eyes were real hollow. He wasn’t himself at all. I didn’t think his counts were low yet because they were still quiet high in the hospital and they had just given him a transfusion on Friday. I still felt guilty for having him out though. You are never really sure about these things. You just try to keep life as normal as possible, but then when he gets sick often times I blame myself. Was there something I could have done differently? Maybe we shouldn’t have let him go out and play? I guess that is just the nature of things. We fall somewhere between normal and not…where the line is I can’t always tell you.

How do you restrict a kid who loves and enjoys every minute of life? You can’t. Somewhere in my heart I know that I can’t blame myself, but I always do. I’m mom and I should know these things. I’m not having a good day today. It really isn’t about me, but I can’t help what I’m feeling. August was supposed to have been a life changing month for all of us. Kai was going to start Kindergarten and I was going to start work. Instead I think neither one of those will be happening right now. Instead of walking Kai into his classroom on the first day of school we will be in the hospital fighting for his life. Trying to recover from the poison they put in his body to “kill” the cancer. Kai doesn’t know that his life isn’t normal. He often never complains. He just goes with the flow. When he does it’s usually a request to go home and be with his sister. We carry the burden of knowing what his life should be like. And that’s fine…it just makes me sad.

I often go to God about that pain. Lord help me to deal with what is going on in my life. Help me to accept this is what it is now….not always, but just right now. That things are different in our family because somewhere you knew that with your strength Lord that we would be able to pull through it. Lord help me to remember to look back on these days and say to someone who is going it through it in the now, that look what God can do. We were there too, but not now. Oh, the glory it would bring to his name and the encouragement and hope it will give to others. Normal just wasn’t our calling. By faith I accept that.

New York is still in the plans. We are scheduled for evaluation the week of Aug 27-31. Every test you can imagine will be done and then we will talk things out with the doctor to evaluate if this treatment will still be best for Kai. Order our steps Lord. I’m not sure about anything other than the Lord being in my control of my life. I have no control over our finances, over this disease, or over many of the decisions we have to make. I just go to God and seek his peace and pray that everything else he will provide. I believe the Bible says it best, worry about nothing and pray about everything.

So my friends, again I say I love you all and thank you for your prayers and support. Please keep praying and sending us your love and encouragement through messages.

In Him
Shana

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 7:31 AM CDT

Good Morning and God Bless,

We have new information concerning Kai’s treatment and his test results. I first want to say that Kai is doing extremely well. His counts are coming up and he’s strong, he’s playful, and he’s as active as he’s ever been. I believe the doctors have finally come to a decision about what to do next. At first I was very much hopeful that they would bypass the 2nd round of chemo all together, but Kai responded so well with the last round that they believe he should go forth with the next one. By responded well I mean that his MIBG scan showed a significant decrease in the amount of disease in his legs and some uptake in his arms. He also had very little side effects and to counteract the low blood counts they will give him some of his stored stem cells after the next round. I asked God a long time ago to order out steps. So although I’m not thrilled about going through chemo again I know that God is in control and that always gives me peace.

New York is still in the plans. The doctor from Sloan is hopeful to see us for testing sometime around August 20.

As for our family we are doing well. Ven is still training and looks forward to getting on the road. He will wait until Kai’s treatment is finished. So to all those who are anxiously waiting to ride with him, thank you for holding tight. My mission now is to work on getting “comfort” items for the children he meets in the hospitals along the way. Anyone who has experience in making blankets, pillows, or stuff animals please email us or call. Jasmine and Kai start school August 15 and of course they are both super excited. I’m not sure if Kai will be going just yet, Lord willing he will.

So my friends, again I say I love you all and thank you for your prayers and support. Please keep praying and sending us your love through messages (we read them often). My hope is when all of this is over I will make a book for him with all of those messages to remind him what he went through and that love, prayers, and God brought him through it.

Again anyone who is willing to ride with Ven along the way or sponsor his mission please email us at the family email address below or contact him via cell phone (910) 797-0435. He still has many things that he still needs and if you feel it in your heart to donate just know that it would be going to such a great cause. We appreciate all of your support.

In Him
Shana

Wednesday, July 4, 2007 9:19 AM CDT

Hi Everyone,
I’m feeling pretty blessed today. Kai is home and we are all together again. It was difficult being split up between so many different places. Jasmine’s glad to be home too and her and Kai are back to their usual “love” fighting. Kai did well with his first round of chemo. He had very little side effects. His blood count and platelets are still really low and are taking a lot longer than I would like to recover. Yesterday we went to UNC for his MIBG injection, which was relatively quick, and then headed home. On our way home I received a call from Kai’s nurse practitioner saying Kai’s platelets were 6 (normal range is 150) and we needed to turn around and come back for a transfusion. I couldn’t believe they were so low. Earlier that day he was riding his bike and skateboarding. I thank God for protection. I don’t want to limit Kai out of fear, but that could have been really bad if he would have fallen.

Yesterday WRAL came by to do an interview about Kai and Dad. As you probably heard, Vander is riding his bike cross country to bring awareness to Neuroblastoma. We hope to raise money to donate to the St. Baldrick’s and the Neuroblastoma Foundation. Kai and Jasmine were so excited and were not shy at all about being on camera. We’ve already heard words of encouragement from those who heard the story. Wow, what a blessing to have so many people praying and supporting us. God knows our hearts and we are thankful to see the joy of encouraging others in the midst of our suffering. We want Neuroblastoma to no longer be a silent cancer that claims so many young children. We want people who have never heard of Neuroblastoma to be knowledgeable about what it is and how it seeks to destroy a child before the age of 2. When the doctors told us what Kai’s diagnosis was I remember saying Neuro…what? I never heard of it and couldn’t understand if it could do so much damage in such a short time how come I didn’t know.

Kai is having his MIBG scan done today. Yes, on the 4th of July. We thank the staff at UNC for their dedication. His scans could have easily been delayed 2 weeks if someone would have not stepped up to volunteer to come in today. Kai’s next round of chemo will be delayed for a couple of weeks until his blood counts recover. Please pray that his counts recover quickly and that his strength is renewed. This part is critical in the next step of his treatment. Kai has to start out strong. I love you all and thank you for your prayers and support. Please keep praying and sending us your love through messages (we read them often). My hope is when all of this is over I will make a book for him with all of those messages to remind him what he went through and that love, prayers, and God brought him through it.

Again anyone who is willing to ride with Vander along the way or sponsor his mission please email us at the family email address below or contact him via cell phone (910) 797-0435.

God Bless
Shana

Wednesday, June 20, 2007 7:49 PM CDT

Hi Everyone,
Kai did well with his first round of chemo. He finished chemo Saturday June 16. His blood count and platelets were really low so the doctor thought it would be best if he was transfused with both red blood cells and platelets before we went home. We did go home Saturday and went to get his big sister, Jasmine from South Carolina Sunday. Monday all was well and we had a pretty good day, we even went bike riding. Tuesday I noticed he was really tired and not eating. By that afternoon his legs were hurting and he was running a temperature. We took him to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Once we were there his temp spiked 104 degrees and we learned his white cells were less than 1. The doctor wanted him transported to UNC, so Kai was able to ride in an ambulance, which I’m sure looking back on he’ll think was cool. The whole family was there to meet him when he got there.

Kai’s temperature continues to spike up to 104 degrees and Tylenol is not bringing it down. They are treating him with a variety of antibiotics to see if they can hit the bug that is causing him fevers. Right now there is no growth in his blood cultures which is good and bad. If there was growth then they could be specific with the antibiotic they use. Without growth they are just guessing, but it also means there are no specific types of bacteria in his body growing. We will be at UNC until his fever breaks and probably until his blood counts come up. Kai is in good spirits and when his temp is down he is his usual self. He’s resting now, such sweet sleep.

He is scheduled for scans and test July 3rd and 4th. I need prayer warriors to pray that his counts recover quickly and that his strength is renewed. This part is critical in the next step of his treatment. I love you all and thank you for your prayers and support. Please keep praying and sending us your love through messages (we read them often). My hope is when all of this is over I will make a book for him with all of those messages to remind him what he went through and that love, prayers, and God brought him through it.

Please remember that Ven is going to bike cross country to bring awareness to neuroblastoma and cancer in kids. We ask that anyone who is willing to ride with him along the way or sponsor his mission please email us at the family email address below or contact Ven via cell phone (910) 797-0435.

In Him
Shana

Tuesday, June 12, 2007 3:03 PM CDT

We prayed for peace with the decision we had to make and God gave it to us. We decided with an intense high-dose chemo regimen (Vincristine, Irinotecan, and Cytoxan) suggested by both Sloan-Kettering and UNC followed by an antibody study at Sloan-Kettering. Kai had surgery yesterday to put his broviac line back in. He did really well. Famous words by Kai when he awoke, “That was easy”.

Today he started chemo and you couldn’t tell because Kai was his normal self. All he wanted to know was when were we going to the play room! I thank God. Kai has calmed all my concerns. We will be at UNC probably until Saturday that is when his 1st cycle of chemo will be done (week 1). We will go home and when his counts begin to drop we will be readmitted (week 2). Once his counts come back up Kai will be retested (week 3) and if he tolerates the treatment well he will begin his 2nd cycle (week 4).

Kai is doing fine. He has more strength than most adults, me included. Jasmine is with family while we are up here. My family came to visit this past weekend from SC and we had a blast. We took the kids to Fantasy Lake Water Park and Kai loved it. He stayed in the water for 4-hours. I almost couldn’t get him out.

Please remember that Ven is going to bike cross country to bring awareness to neuroblastoma and cancer in kids. We ask that anyone who is willing to ride with him along the way or sponsor his mission please email us at the family email address below or contact Ven via cell phone (910) 797-0435.

Thank you for your prayers. I know that everyone who is praying for our family is hard at work—I feel it and so does Kai.
God Bless,
Shana

Friday, June 1, 2007 12:30 AM CDT

It has been a while since I’ve updated Kai’s page. Thank you to everyone who still checks in on Kai. We have both good news and bad. Kai has finished preschool and has been promoted to Kindergarten at Village Christian Academy. We are so excited for him and he looks forward to starting his new year at the same school as his big sis.

We also have been informed that his most recent test determined aggressive growth in Kai’s bone marrow. We’ve been testing and praying since April when his first routine test came back with an increase in neuroblastoma cells in his bone marrow (100 The test was recently performed again and there was yet another increase in his bone marrow (200

What does this all mean? To be honest, I’m not sure. His doctor provided us with a list of possible treatments, some chemo and some oral therapy. We have to make a decision so that Kai can start treatment within the next two weeks. More tests are being done to rule out Leukemia, since it is a possibility with the previous treatments Kai has received.

We pray for peace with the decision we make. We know that ultimately God is still in control and we will continue to rest in him. Thank you to all who have prayed for Kai, who have supported us emotionally, spiritually, and financially. This has been a rough couple of years and even still God has revealed so many things. We thank him and bless him for the strength we’ve been able to pull from him.

To the Suzy Zoo class and the Village Baptist Preschool & VCA family who have shown us the heart of God, you have been a tremendous source of refuge and comfort we love you and cannot thank you enough. May God Bless you all.
I would also like to tell you all that my wonderful husband is going to bike cross country to bring awareness to neuroblastoma and cancer in kids. We ask that anyone who is willing to ride with him some or sponsor his mission please email us at the family email address below or contact Ven via cell phone (910) 797-0435.

Love,
Shana, Ven, Jasmine & Kai

Monday, February 19, 2007 8:32 PM CST

Hi,
Kai is doing great. He went on a Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World and had so much fun. We added new pics to the page so be sure to take a look. I know its been a while but not much has changed. Kai is healthy and happy and we are blessed. Please continue to keep him in prayer. We are going to do scans again in April. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

love,
Shana

Monday, September 11, 2006 11:50 PM CDT

Hello everyone,
Kai is in preschool now, which he loves very much! He has wonderful teachers and classmates who love him already. I am enjoying this moment – a moment of normalcy. You know the moments we all take for granted. We are busting open with happiness for him and look forward to enjoying more normal moments. I thank everyone who prayed for Kai. Please continue to pray…not just for him but for every family that wants to just get back to normal. May the hope of that day keep them going…let no one or no situation take it from them.

Thursday, June 29, 2006 3:20 PM CDT

Hello everyone,
Sorry for the long break in time! We have been having a blast this Summer. Kai is doing super good. His blood counts have recovered and he is taking Cis-Retinoic acid also known as Accutane. The purpose of this med is to mature the left over cancer cells that are left in his body so that they do not pose a threat to him. We are still waiting on a study called fusion- protein that has just been approved. ( I don't know the specifics of the study, but I will sure keep you updated as to what route we take) Kai still has his Broviac line in his heart, which we plan to remove soon. We are going to celebrate with a pool party!!!!!! I am still in the planning process of organized racing here in North Carolina, in the effort to raise money for families of cancer patients, as well as for research of nueroblastoma. Please call me if you would like to participate with this effort! Vander and Shana 910-848-7433!!!!!!!!! I thank you for all of your prayers,love , and support!!!!!

PS- the only thing our doctors said that they could do with Kai was prolong his llfe- but I am sure that with the intelligence that our doctors possess they will come to the conclusion that God is the man, when our son walks away cancer-free!!! There will be no other explaination!!!

God will bless you more and more each day

Monday, March 20, 2006 11:17 AM CST

Hello and God Bless,

First let me start by saying sorry for the long awaited update on Kai! I will try and catch everyone up on what has been going on. Presently, Kai is doing well. He is still recovering from the I-MIBG (internal radiation) treatment he received in Philadelphia last month. His counts have been fluctuating, particularly his platelets. He is receiving red blood cells for the first time today.

To back track a little, after external radiation in January, Kai had the usual tests to see were he was at with the cancer and neuroblastoma cells were found in his bone marrow again. That is what led to our trip to Philly in February. We will have to go again to do more of the usual test (bone scans, MIBG, bone marrow) to see how well the cancer responded to the internal radiation. We don’t have a date yet, only a rough estimate around the 1st or 2nd week in April.

Kai’s Make-a-Wish trip to Disney World has been postponed. We continue to speak life into Kai and we ask that you continue to pray. Sorry no pictures. Still haven’t worked out that digital camera situation (no cord to download). Jasmine and Ven are doing fine. Jasmine enjoyed having her cousins down for the weekend and is looking forward to summer vacation.

Also to those who have seen Kai with the infamous pink bunny…BUNNY IS LOST. Kai was sad and still is. We all miss bunny very much and he will always have a place in our hearts. (see pictures)

Thank you all for continuing to check on Kai and your messages.

Resting In Him,
Shana

Monday, March 20, 2006 11:17 AM CST

Monday, January 23, 2006 8:12 PM CST

Hi,
The only reason I can think of for us letting the page go this long without being updated is that we’ve been enjoying Kai so much. So let’s see if I can get everyone back up to date with what’s going on with little Kai man. He started external radiation on 18 Jan and will be done on 2 Feb. In spite of what the doctor’s have said, he’s doing really well. He loves being at home and being able to play outside. Ven painted his room for him and Kai has learned some new moves on his dirt bike game. Ven took Jasmine and Kai to a motor cross field and let them watch real dirt bikes race—they loved that! Kai has also learned how to play UNO and he’s beating all of us! Kai loves dressing cool. That’s his new thing. He’s very picky about what he wears and of course he wants to look like dad.

Our prayer for Kai is that the scans on 14-15 Feb come out clear. If it’s God’s will and they don’t, Kai will go for internal radiation on 20 Feb in Philadelphia. The end result without a doubt will be healing, how we get there only God knows and its in his hands.

Love
The Davis Family

No new pictures for now, we’ve misplaced the USB port to download the pictures off the camera.

Friday, December 30, 2005 5:56 PM CST

Hello and Happy New Year,
Sorry it took so long to update Kai’s page. We hope to do better now that Kai is getting better, so please continue to check in. I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday. Ours was especially nice since we received the best gift of all--Kai coming home!!! He’s getting stronger every day. He is anxious about when he will be able to go outside to play. He continues to amaze us with his constant consideration of others, even though he is the one in need of so much. He calls me pretty princess and always wants to help me do things, whether it’s folding clothes or cooking dinner. He laughs at everything his big sister, Jasmine, does and offers daddy whatever he is eating (even if it is his favorite and his last). Ever since he came home he’s been wishing all of us Merry Christmas and giving out hugs. Kai has a heart of gold and such a beautiful spirit. In case we ever forget (and believe me we won’t) he reminds us in the things he does every day. I am bursting in my spirit with love for this special little guy and I have to put it out into the world or cry to myself about it. Kai is providing all of us with life lessons every day.

As far as Kai’s regimen goes, no definite word on what the plan is next. We might be going to Philadelphia for internal radiation, I-MIBG. We’ll know more after 6 Jan 06. Keep us in prayer and God bless you all.

Sunday, December 11, 2005 9:18 PM CST

Kai is doing super good today! He is talking and is trying to get out of bed. He is unbelievably strong! We always tell him that God had to make him extra strong to endure such a beginning, to an awesome ministry and testimony. His mouth sores have improved tremendously, however he does have a skin rash all over his entire body. The doctors say that it is a result of the chemotherapy. We are applying a topical lotion on him and it appears to be getting better. He also has broken blood vessels in his eyes that will heal over time. The doctor say that the broken vessels most likely damaged as a result of the Valsalva maneuver: A maneuver in which a person tries to exhale forcibly with a closed glottis (the windpipe) so that no air exits through the mouth or nose as, for example, in strenuous coughing or crying, straining during a bowel movement, or lifting a heavy weight.
Kai did not want to take his medications when his mouth was very sore which resulted in Kung-Fu tactics directed against Mommy and the nurses. The doctors said that the blood vessels will start to heal when his platelet count is at an optimal level, in which it is- so it is just a matter of time.
He is peacefully sleeping right now. He is getting better and better everyday. The strategy now is to slowly wheen him from his pain medications and switching his intravenous meds to oral so that he can take them when we get home. If he does good with this then we are looking at another 7-10 days. My prayer is that we will be all home for Christmas.
The next step to this process is radiation. Our prayer is that he will not need radiation- so please touch and agree with us in this epic battle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks is not enough

The Davis Family

Wednesday, December 7, 2005 2:36 PM CST

Today is Day 8 after transplant and Kai is hanging in there with commendable courage and strength. I am in awe of him. His counts are still low, mainly the white blood count, which is key in Kai’s mouth healing from the mouth sores and him going home. His counts should start rising any day now. I keep telling him that God is healing him and he always nods his head as though he already knows. Kai has been very strong willed and a fighter which hasn’t been easy on me and the nurses, but I believe it is his way of beating this illness. He knows what he wants and doesn’t want. He took a couple of Kai’s last stand last night and refused to lay down to sleep. He slept for an hour sitting up! His pain is now under control and he is not running any fevers. Please keep praying and sending us your love through messages (we read them often). My hope is when all of this is over I will make a book for him with all of those messages to remind him what he went through and that love, prayers, and God brought him through it.

In Him,
Davis Family

Tuesday, November 29, 2005 2:40 PM CST

Kai continues to live strong again today! He did great with his stem cell transplant! He did not have a temperature or any allergic reactions during or after the process, which is very good for him! He continues to hold bunny for comfort. His bunny was given to him by his older sister, Jasmine! I have never seen anything so sentimental to him before! He leaned over to me one day and said, "Daddy, I love bunny!!!

Damien and John are right next door to us in the bone marrow unit. Damien is the 4 yr old boy who was also diagnosed with stage IV nueroblastoma. John is his father. Damien's transplant is next week, so let us keep both of them in our prayers and thoughts.

We would like to give a special thanks to Faith Clark for that wonderful letter of love. We pray that Brenna is doing outstanding with her treatment protocol, and all of this will just be a figment of our imagination real soon!!!

Thanks everyone for everything that you have provided for us. We highly appreciate it and words could not express the gratitude that we feel on the inside!!!!

Ven,Shana,Jasmine,and Kai- The Davis Family

room# 5714 (919)966-1804

Monday, November 28, 2005 1:24 PM CST

Hello Everyone,

Kai is living strong today! His GI(Gastrointestinal Tract) is a little irritated and as a result his voice is hoarce. This condition should go away after his stem cell/bone marrow transplant tomorrow. As of now, his transplant is scheduled for 3:00PM. He has continued to maintain his weight throughout this whole process which is another plus for him. Jasmine is on the way back from South Carolina. She spent Thanksgiving at her Aunt's house. My prayer is that we will all get to spend Christmas as a family. If Kai's protocol goes as planned, then a family Christmas is a strong possibility. After the stem cell/ bone marrow transplant is completed, there is a waiting period to determine how Kai's body is reacting to the new blood. (Kai will be recieving his own cancer free blood that was harvested during his 2nd round of chemotherapy) There will also be various scans (CT, MRI, MIBG) during this time to determine the amount of cancer cells that are left in his body. If there are still cancer cell left, then we will be left with the options of external radiation or internal radiation(IMIBG- which is internal radioactive iodine that is injected intravenously). Our prayer is that Kai will be cancer free on all of his scans, and will not have to partake of any kind of radiation, so please join us in prayer in our pursuit of devine healing!!!!!

Thursday, November 24, 2005 2:55 PM CST

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Kai is doing extremely well with his chemotherapy regiment. This is the last chemotherapy session that Kai will be required to have! The next step of the transplant process is the bone marrow/stem cell infusion that will take place on the 29th of this month.
Lastly, his stomach feels a lot better because he has finally had a bowel movement. He also is not complaining of any pain!!! We are thankful because this troubled us greatly. We were very concerned that this was going to cause him further complications.

Dad is still running and will be coordinating running events when this journey is over! What we are in need of is a professional timer for the various races!!!

Please feel free to call us in our room at 919-966-1804!!!

Davis Family

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 9:42 AM CST

We are currently in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Kai is doing well. He was scheduled to start his pre-transplant chemotherapy today, however he had a very difficult night last night due to intense stomach pain. The doctors are currently reviewing his abdominal x-rays right now to determine if the pain is steming from bowel blockage or infection. If there is a sign of infection, then the bone marrow transplant will have to be postponed until the infection is resolved. The abdominal pain started at 0300 in the morning, so he has a significant lack of sleep. However, he is sleeping well now!!! My prayer is that the x-ray comes back with no sign of infection and that Kai passes a bowel within the next two hours.

Thank you for all of your support and love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Davis Family
Room # 5714
919-966-1804

Saturday, November 12, 2005 7:38 PM CST

Kai is currently in the hospital for vomiting, however he is doing quite well. It has been about 5 hours since his last episode. The doctors suggested that the vomiting is the result of a stomach virus. The doctors also commented that the virus may have come from the pediatric cancer clinic here at UNC.( We spent about 12 hours in the clinic on the 10th for various scans to determine Kai's phycial readiness for the transplant) That was a long day!!!

We are scheduled for bone marrow/stem cell transplant on next Tuesday- 15th of November if everything goes well with his stomach virus. The bone marrow/ stem cell transplant process is approximately 30 days. Kai also has to undergo surgery for another broviac line placement prior to the transplant to secure another route of administering medications and nutrition.

Kai is peacefully sleeping right now, which does my heart very good, due to his restless sleep the night prior.

WE THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!!!

The Davis Family

Friday, November 11, 2005 8:40 PM CST

Hi Everybody,
Sorry I haven’t posted updates in a while, but things have been really hectic. Kai is home and preparing to go back to UNC for a while. Since the good news that Kai’s bone marrow has significantly improved. The doctors have decided to go ahead with bone marrow transplant at UNC. The I-MIBG has been placed on the back burner so he will not be going to Philadelphia. Kai has had many procedures and test to ensure he is physically able to go through with transplant and the doctors assure us that he is ready and expect everything to go well. The bone marrow transplant is not an easy procedure and we continue to ask for your prayers. He will have 3-4 days of high dose chemo (like none he has ever had), then a 3 day waiting period to ensure all chemo is flushed out of his body, next will be the infusion of stem cells, and a 14 day waiting period for the stem cells to reproduce new bone marrow cells. The 14 day waiting period will be the hardest for us, because he will endure mouth sores so severe that he won’t be able to eat and will have to be on morphine for pain. He will also be prone to infections during that time so he will have to stay in a room until his body is able to fight off harmful bacteria and viruses. He goes back in for surgery on 15 Nov for another line to be placed in his chest temporarily until everything is done; he will also be admitted on that day. We hope to all be home around the 2nd week of December. Jasmine and Ven are doing okay and Kai has been wearing them out!

Love You All,
Shana, Ven, Jasmine, & Kai

Sunday, October 30, 2005 10:10 AM CST

Kai is no longer in Pediatric Intensive Care; he is now on the general surgery floor (RM 7C22). He’s eating well and is now only on oral pain medication.

Kai’s BONE MARROW IS CLEAR!!!! Praise God!!! We are so happy and thankful right now...words cannot express it. The doctors were not expecting this so we do not have a game plan as of yet. I believe the next step is stem cell transplant however I’m not sure, but I will post it as soon as I know. We thank you for all your prayers and for standing in firm belief of Kai’s healing.

New pictures posted in photo album!
Stay Blessed,
Davis Family
Again thank you for all of your prayers and love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Read Journal History….

Saturday, October 29, 2005 2:02 PM CDT

We have just received the good news that Kai’s BONE MARROW IS CLEAR!!!! Praise God!!! We are so happy and thankful right now...words cannot express it. The doctors were not expecting this so we do not have a game plan as of yet. I believe the next step is stem cell transplant however I’m not sure, but I will post it as soon as I know. We thank you for all your prayers and for standing in firm belief of Kai’s healing.

Kai’s surgery took 7 hours and 50 seconds. The surgeon said that he removed between 95-99 percent of the tumor. There was one little piece that he could not get because it surrounded essential blood vessels. Kai is still in Pediatric Intensive Care, but the nose tube and ventilator have been removed. He’s breathing good and is ready to eat (chips & cookies if he had it his way). The doctors here are hopeful that he will return to the general surgery floor sometime today. There he will be followed until they release him to go home.

Call us @ 919-966-1116.
Stay Blessed,
Davis Family
Again thank you for all of your prayers and love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Read Journal History

Thursday, October 27, 2005 9:33 PM CDT

7 hours and 50 seconds later, Kai is done with his surgery. The surgeon said that he removed between 95% -99% of the tumor. There was one little piece that he could not get to due to essential blood vessels. Kai is in recovery and should be back in his room within the next hour. We will find out tomorrow about his bone marrow.

It is now about 1030 PM. Kai is in the PICU for 24 hours due to a compromised airway. The doctors suspect that it will be only for a short stay. A breathing tube is still inserted into Kai's airway, but the doctors' should be able to remove it in the morning.
Call us @ 919-966-1116.

Ven and Shana

Thank you for all of your prayers and love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Read Journal History

Thursday, October 27, 2005 9:03 PM CDT

hours and 50 seconds later, Kai is done with his surgery. The surgeon said that he removed between 95% -99% of the tumor. There was one little piece that he could not get to due to essential blood vessels. Kai is in recovery and should be back in his room within the next hour. We will find out tomorrow about his bone marrow.

It is now about 1030 PM. Kai is in the PICU for 24 hours due to a compromised airway. The doctors suspect that it will be only for a short stay. A breathing tube is still inserted into Kai's airway, but the doctors' should be able to remove it in the morning.
Call us @ 919-966-1116.

Ven and Shana

Thank you for all of your prayers and love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, October 27, 2005 7:00 PM CDT

Thursday, October 27, 2005 2:13 PM CDT

Kai is back in the operating room undergoing surgery as of 12:45 PM, 27 October 2005. We were admitted on the 26th for bowel prep, which consists of an insertion of tube through his nostrils into his stomach to flush his colon. The reasoning is the colon contains a lot of bacteria, and in the case of rupturing the colon during surgery, the risk of infection will be greatly decreased. He didn’t like the tube insertion one bit!!! He has been such a trooper through this whole process, so far. We just talked with Dr. Blatt about the bone marrow. We should have some idea of whether his bone marrow is clean or dirty tomorrow. My prayer is that it will be clean. If the bone marrow is clean, then we will proceed with the bone marrow/stem cell transplant at UNC. If the bone marrow is dirty, then we will proceed to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), for the radioactive iodine treatment. Kai is already scheduled for an appointment for 15 November, at CHOP. He will also be undergoing numerous scans (CT, MIBG) if we do have to go. The theory is; it is better to cancel an appointment, than to make one! I just talked to one of the doctors and he said that Kai was doing great in surgery! I will be sure to update everyone after surgery. Talk to you soon!!!!!!!!

Ven and Rashana

Friday, October 14, 2005 10:21 PM CDT

Hello everyone,
We are back in the hospital as of October 13th for temperature and nuetropenia(low white blood count). Kai is doing fine, however his blood counts were pretty low, so he is getting a blood and platelet transfusion.
We will be flying to Philadelphia on the 19th of this month for a consultation with Dr. John Maris. The consultation is in reference to a new procedure called I-MIBG which uses a radioactive iodine that will be infused into Kai that will destroy the remaining cancer cells left after surgery. Surgery is scheduled at UNC for the 21th of this month to remove the mass on his kidney.
A bone marrow biopsy will be performed during the surgery to determine the condition of Kai's bone marrow. If the marrow comes up clean, then we will continue with the original protocol and proceed with the bone marrow/stem cell transplant. If however the marrow comes up dirty, then we will go back to Philadelphia and consult with Dr. Maris again to set up another protocol which will include the use of I-MIBG.
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU MORE AND MORE EACH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, October 13, 2005 10:17 PM CDT

Hello everyone,
We are back in the hospital as of October 13th for temperature and nuetropenia(low white blood count). Kai is doing fine, however his blood counts were pretty low, so he is getting a blood and platelet transfusion.
We will be flying to Philadelphia on the 19th of this month for a consulatation with Dr. John Maris. The consultation is in reference to a radioactive iodine that will be infused into Kai that will destroy the remaining cancer cells left after surgery. Surgery is scheduled at UNC for the 21th of this month to remove the mass in his abdomen.
A bone marrow biopsy will be performed during the during the surgery to determine the condition of Kai's bone marrow. If the marrow comes up clean, then we will continue with the original protocol and proceed with the bone marrow/stem cell transplant. If however the marrow comes up dirty, then we will go back to Philadelphia and consult with Dr. Maris again to set up another protocol which will include the use of radioactive iodine.
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU MORE AND MORE EACH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2005 10:16 PM CDT

Hello everyone,

Sorry for not updating everybody sooner. Kai is currently in the hospital at UNC. We were admitted on Saturday the 17th of Sept. around 2:00 in the morning for a temperature of 101.5. We went to our local hospital (Cape Fear Medical Center) Friday where they administered anti-biotic meds. Kai is still considered nuetropenic, (low white blood count, which makes him unable to fight infection) due to his last cycle of chemotherapy, so it was critical to administer anti-biotics as soon as possible. From Cape Fear Medical Center we were sent directly to UNC.
He is doing quite well with his treatment regiment which basically consists of anti-biotics. His ANC (actual neutrophil count/white blood cell count) is still at zero, so that is the reason we are still here. According to our doctor, it is safe for him to go home when his counts reach 500 or better. The reason his counts are so low is the type of chemotherapy drug (Topotecan) that he was on during his last cycle of chemo. This drug has never been given to Kai before and is said to be the drug of choice to eradicate cancer cells in bone marrow. After this drug was administered, Kai received a stem cell rescue
(a process of transfusing Kai’s stem cells into his body to allow his body to recover faster from chemotherapy). He also received a blood transfusion as well as a platelet transfusion. He did quite well with his treatment. One funny thing about the stem cell rescue is that his breathe had the whole room smelling like creamed corn. (Shana was gagging) This is due to the preservative that the stem cells are packed in.

He has not had a temperature since he has been here and is always in good spirits. His hair continues to grow back as seen in the pictures. His appetite is increasing and he currently weighs 35 lbs. We are basically just hanging out and waiting for his counts to come back up. One thing that I must accomplish before we leave is to get him back on a human schedule again. . He was up playing last night after midnight! Can you believe this guy!?!

The critical time for our family is going to be around the 30th of this month. This is when Kai is scheduled for his bone marrow aspirate to let us know that his bone marrow is clean. When we were in clinic doing his stem cell rescue, we spoke with the doctors about the procedure. During his first bone marrow apirate the needle was injected into the front of Kai’s pelvic region to determine the amount of cancer in his bone marrow. This test came back clean. During the last two bone marrow aspirates, the needle was injected into the back of Kai’s pelvic region. These tests came back dirty and showed cancer cells in his bone marrow. However, the doctor that we spoke with said that the plan was to do a bone marrow aspirate through the front due to the fact that he thought that going through the back may be going through actual tumor and give a false reading on his bone marrow status. Shana was right in tune to what the doctor was saying. I believe she got a revelation from God, when we were sitting in that room, because she started glowing and smiling so much I was a little frightened. Call her and ask her about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lastly, I got a super awesome telephone call from my oldest sister Rochelle. She that the LORD revealed to her that Kai was going to be 100% healed, but that the enemy is going to try one more attack, but it will not work. Help us as we keep Kai spiritually covered and prepare for battle!!!!!!!!!!!

WE LOVE EVERYBODY SO MUCH, THANKS FOR FIGHTING WITH US, AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU MORE AND MORE EACH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, September 9, 2005 3:38 PM CDT

Hello everyone,

We are currently in the hospital with little Kai. We were admitted on the 7th of Sept.and should be returning home on the 12th of Sept. Mom and Jasmine are on their way up tonight. They will stay in the Ronald McDonald House until Sunday because Jasmine has school on Monday. Can you believe she is in second grade now. Kai just celebrated his third birthday on the 3rd of this month and Jasmine's 7th is on the 14th- What is up with all these Sept babies!!!!
Kai is going through another form of chemotherapy that will attack the cancer cells a lot better than his previous medicine. He is doing quite well and is in good spirits, as always.
The critical phase will be when we go for another bone marrow aspirate( when the doctors stick a needle in Kai's hip bone to test whether his bone marrow is clean or dirty. This will be performed about 3 weeks from the 12th of September. For those of us who are prayer warriors- please touch and agree with us. The Davis house is giving thanks for the marvelous healing and restoration of Kai's bone marrow- to see a clean bone marrow and astonish the doctors and make them believe that there is a God who can heal!!!!!!! The enemy is on our back, but I will always remember what my good friend, Liz spoke to me. She said that when emotions start to take over, it is then that your faith is starting to break down. In other words, Us as a family cannot look at the situation at hand and display negative emotions and get into the mindset of why, but allow the Lord to do his good work, and give the enemy no room to play. So as they say in Karate (ON GUARD )

We love you guys and we thank you for all of your prayers, support, and love!!!!!!!!!

Dad is still running and has added cycling to his training. So keep him in your prayers for his first race!!!

Thursday, September 1, 2005 9:34 PM CDT

Hello Everyone,
We will continue to believe that Kai is healed. We will speak it, live it, breathe it, and hear nothing else about it otherwise.
Now on that note, Kai had some test this week to follow-up on his stats after the "new" chemo mix. The doctor explained that his bone marrow is still showing cancer. She gave us the "its-not-good-speech" and said they want to talk to us on Tuesday. We have been praying and will continue to pray diligently...I ask all who read this page to do the same.
Kai looks good and is so excited about his 3rd Birthday!!! He really loves Thomas the train & Friends. He often asks to go to Barnes & Nobles just to play with their set. Miss Jasmine will be 7yrs this month also. Those two are as thick as thieves. WE LOVE IT! He is so sad every time we take her to school. He cannot wait to go to preschool next year.

God Bless,
Shana Davis

Romans 8:28 And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005 8:23 AM CDT

Hello,
Kai is home and doing well! Ven and Jasmine came up for the weekend to spend the rest of the time with us and then we all went home late Sunday night. Kai's nurse will be here Thursday to draw labs so we can get a look at his counts. Right now we are burning up because the AC went our at the house! We're all camped out in the living room. Oh, I forgot to mention his hair is growing back! God is good. Every time I look at him all I see is life in him in spite of what the cancer and his treatment is suppose to do to him, all I see is life! God is awesome! The doctor's are scratching there heads and don't know what to say about what they "know" (maybe even doubting themselves)because they see him w/all his energy, gaining weight, no fevers, and playing hard.

The Davis Family

Romans 8:28 And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Friday, August 12, 2005 10:13 PM CDT

Today was a busy day! Busy in a good way. Kai was full of energy, you couldn't tell he was on day 3 of Chemo. He's very good at any sport involving a ball! We met some friends today in the playrooms. He also had a hearing test today, because sometimes the chemo that he receives can cause hearing loss. They're a little concerned because the test was inconclusive and they have to run more. I'll have more info about that later, just pray for the best. Overall me and Kai had a pretty good day.

I would like to tell you a story about our neighbor in the hospital, Josh. He is selling handmade key chains and ornaments at his door to purchase a smaller portable machine to help clear up his lungs. Josh has cystic fibrosis and Medicaid will not pay for it. He needs $16,000 to purchase it. I posted pictures of them in the photo album. He's very sweet and talented. He is able to create these key chains very quickly, some designs the first time around! Please if you are reading this and you feel it in your heart to do so you can email him at wthingisme@yahoo.com or email me.
Much love!
Shana

Romans 8:28 And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU MORE AND MORE EACH DAY!!!!!!

Wednesday, August 10, 2005 11:24 PM CDT

Hello to all who visits Kai's page! We are at UNC for Kai's Chemo treatment. We checked in today and had a few minor delays but they started his treatment tonight. This will be the 2nd dose since the doctor's found cancer cells in his bone marrow. I know the intro states he is cancer-free and we are not changing that. We continue to believe despite the report that his bone marrow is cancer-free. However continuing with the process,Dr. Blatt said they will run more test when this session runs its cycle, roughly around the end of this month. Please keep praying for a good report. We lost one of our dear sweet angels in the fight against cancer this weekend. She touched the hearts of everyone on 5C and she will be dearly missed. Pray for her family, the McClouds, may God lift them up during this difficult time. We thank you all for the messages left for Kai, we read them all so keep sending them.

The Davis Family

Romans 8:28 And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU MORE AND MORE EACH DAY!!!!!!

Sunday, July 24, 2005 10:21 PM CDT

Hey everyone,
We are home! We arrived at the house around 10:00 PM last night and it sure felt good pulling up in the neighborhood. Kai did super good with his 6th round of chemo. He has one more (5) day chemo session on the 10th of August and then the doctors will do a bone marrow biopsy to determine that there are no cancer cells in his bone marrow. Following this he will undergo surgery to remove the mass in his abdomen. Thanks!!!

I would like to give a special thanks to Dalida Price for taking time to knit beautiful blankets for children experiencing the same trial that Kai is facing. The children who received the blankets were very appreciative, but the most important thing is that they smiled when they received them. A genuine smile!!! It is just the little things, such as this, that makes such a big difference, but it means nothing to say it, but to see it; is life changing! Thanks again Dalida. We love you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Davis Family

Romans 8:28 And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU MORE AND MORE EACH DAY!!!!!!

Monday, July 18, 2005 10:43 AM CDT

Hey everyone,
We got word a couple days ago that the cancer cells have shown back up in kai’s bone marrow, which isn’t a good thing according to the doctors. He was scheduled to undergo surgery last week to remove the tumor, however he is now scheduled for two more sessions of chemotherapy. We will be going into the hospital on the 20th of july for a 5-6 day chemo session. After these sessions are complete he will undergo a bone marrow biopsy to determine if his bone marrow is still producing cancer cells. When his bone marrow is clear, then the doctors will continue with the surgery to remove the mass and proceed with the stem cell transplant and radiation therapy. Thank you for your prayers and love.

The Davis family

Romans 8:28 And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU MORE AND MORE EACH DAY!!!!!!

Saturday, July 9, 2005 9:55 AM CDT

Hey everyone!
I hope that everyone is doing super well today. Kai sure is. We had to take him to the hospital yesterday to get some platelets because his levels were pretty low and he started to develop bruises on his legs. He did great with the transfusion and is currently chilling in the living room, watching TV. We have to go back to UNC on Monday for some further scans. He is now in my face asking for hotdogs!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's pray for a scan that is cancer free and most importantly that God's perfect will abide in the situation.

Marathon training is still going good. Dad should be heading out the house in a couple of hours to hit up some miles. His philosophy is that running is good for the mind, body, and soul depending on what you are thinking about during the run!

Let us also remember Kaelyn and Damien who are currently in the hospital for treatment. Kaelyn has a blockage of some type and the doctors are talking about surgery, but we come against that in Jesus name. Damien is recovering nicely from his first round of chemo and should be returning home tomorrow. Let's keep them in our prayers daily.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU MORE AND MORE EACH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

e 5:49 PM CDT

Hello everyone,
Kai is doing great with his 5th round of chemo. He is done with the chemo part of his session. He is just getting fluids now to flush his kidneys. We are in the room right now watching Spongebob Squarepants. I am truly a SB fanatic now. How can you not be after so much time in a hospital with a two year old. Tomorrow is a big day for Kai. He is scheduled for a CT scan and MIBG. The MIBG is sensitive to neuroblastoma cells in Kai's body. The Word is sensitive to the blood of Jesus in Kai's body. After the scan we should be able to come home sometime tomorrow after Kai recovers from the anesthesia. He needs to be put under for the procedure so that he will remain still. Last time during conscious sedation, he was kicking around on the table so the doctors suggested that we consider something a little stronger. I tell Kai that God had to make him extra strong to tolerate such an awesome testimony that God has blessed him with. We love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Davis Family

Saturday, June 25, 2005 10:23 PM CDT

Kai is doing super today. He is going through his chemos session as I write this. His blood counts were a little low so he is scheduled to receive a blood transfusion. We should be done with the chemo session around Monday @ 300PM. We will be here a little longer this time, due to various tests and x-rays. He played all day today. It is amazing watching him do what he does.

Promise Keepers Convention down in Greensboro,NC was super good. There is nothing like 15,000 men singing and praising God.

Shana and Jasmine are down in Greenville, SC tonight with Shana's family. Our niece Tanava is in a beauty pageant.

There is another family whose son was just diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma. His name is Damian. He is three years old little boy Lets keep them in our prayers and thoughts.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 5:27 PM CDT

Hello everyone,
We are home as of today around 1:00 PM. It feel good to be in my own house. Kai is doing terrific. He wants to go outside and practice riding his bike without his training wheels. I will take a picture of it and post it as soon as I can. We will be going in for our 5th cycle of chemo on the 24th of this month, but that might be put on hold due to Kai'a blood counts. His counts are good, but the doctors want them to be super good, because the 5th dose consists of the chemo drug, Cisplatin, which is a super potent drug. Well, I guess I will take him outside and practice riding his bike without training wheels on it. Love ya!!!

Dad is still running. Rumors say that Grandpa Taylor is going to run with him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love ya-The Davis Family

Kaelyn was in the hospital at the same time we were there and she also is going home today. We are going down to Greensboro this weekend to a Promise Keepers convention and will probably attend church with John and Liz( Kaelyn's parents) They are such wonderful people.

There is another webpage that we have created @ www.carepages.com The name of the page is ManifestationOfHealing. I will send it out to everybody .You will need this information after you register. There are more pictures on this site as well as a message board! The link is listed below! Love you guys!!

Feel free to e-mail us @ vendavis@yahoo.com

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 10:23 AM CDT

Hey everyone,
Kai is doing super today. We are back in the hospital as of last Friday due to low white blood count and and temp of 102.2. However, Kai is doing very well. He has been running up and down the hallway like a crazy man! He is eating very well and even set up his own play area in our room. I had to take the watergun from him though, because he kept squirting the nurse. We should be coming home tomorrow or the next day, depending on where his counts are. When we first arrived at the hospital there were no rooms for us so they were going to put us on a different floor, but just as we were checking in a room opened up. This room is bigger than the room we have had in the past; We call it our penthouse suite. The whole family will be down in Greensboro this weekend at our friends house( Kaelyn's Mom- the one I said reminds me of Joyce Myers). She bought me a ticket to Promise Keepers convention, so I am excited about that.

The marathon training is going well! I am probably going to run the UNC stadium steps tonight. That is one of my favorite runs, but it is one of my tougher ones. I plan to do the marathon towards the middle to late part of July.

Love ya-The Davis Family
Kaelyn is doing super good as well. She is able to walk around and her blood pressure has stabilized. She said that an angel visited her the other night and touched her from the top of her head to the souls of her feet and said that everything is going to be alright.

There is another webpage that we have created @ www.carepages.com The name of the page is ManifestationOfHealing. I will send it out to everybody .You will need this information after you register. There are more pictures on this site as well as a message board! The link is listed below! Love you guys!!

Thursday, June 9, 2005 12:54 AM CDT

Hello Everbody,

We all came home Sunday, June 5, 2005. Kai has finished his 4th cycle of chemo (Praise God) only 2 more in this phase to go. We were just told today that his blood counts are low so he's considered neutropenic. We have to be creative with indoor play, because he loves to be outside! We are scheduled to go back to the hospital 22 June for more testing (CT, bone scan, MIBG, & bone marrow) and his 5th round of chemo.

Dad is still training for a marathon- so if anyone is interested in running with him to help push Kai in his running stroller (Kai's truck)please give him a call (come on now, it is for a VERY GOOD CAUSE)

Thank you everyone for the heartfelt words and prayers that you have expressed! It means more than you could ever imagine!!!!!

Love ya-The Davis Family

I met a few people in the hospital that I now call my friends. Their names are Kealyn (12 years old) and Kailyn (3 years old) both of whom have been diagnoses with childhood cancer. What's up with all of the K's?! What is GOD trying to tell me!?! Anyway, let's also keep them in our prayers.

If there is anybody reading this with any marathon or half marathon organization experience., please give me (Dad-Vander) a call @ 910-797-0435. I would really like to organize these races here in Fayetteville to raise awareness as well as give back to the cause of a higher prognosis of cures for these types of cancer. Thanks- infinity!

We would love to hear your comments in the guest book! Bless you always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is another webpage that we have created @ www.carepages.com The name of the page is ManifestationOfHealing. You will need this information after you register. There are more pictures on this site as well as a message board! The link is listed below! Love you guys!!

Saturday, June 4, 2005 11:49 PM CDT

We are currently at UNC undergoing treatment. Kai is doing good today. He is handling the treatment like a champion! He had a few emesis issues; which is expected during chemo, but is doing well. This session ends @ around 1130PM pm on Sunday, so we should be in the comfort of our home on Monday morning. Jasmine is out of school during this time so the whole family gets to come down. There is a Ronald McDonald house right around the corner from the hospital which makes it very convenient for families. Jasmine was real excited about coming down to stay for the duration of the treatments, and Kai really enjoys her company!!!!!!!

Dad is still training for a marathon- so if anyone is interested in running with him to help push Kai in his running stroller (Kai's truck)please give him a call (come on now, it is for a VERY GOOD CAUSE)

Thank you everyone for the heartfelt words and prayers that you have expressed! It means more than you could ever imagine!!!!!

Love ya-The Davis Family

I met a few people in the hospital that I now call my friends. Their names are Kealyn (12 years old) and Kailyn (3 years old) both of whom have been diagnoses with childhood cancer. What's up with all of the K's?! What is GOD trying to tell me!?! Anyway, let's also keep them in our prayers.

If there is anybody reading this with any marathon or half marathon organization experience., please give me (Dad-Vander) a call @ 910-797-0435. I would really like to organize these races here in Fayetteville to raise awareness as well as give back to the cause of a higher prognosis of cures for these types of cancer. Thanks- infinity!

We would love to hear your comments in the guest book! Bless you always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is another webpage that we have created @ www.carepages.com The name of the page is ManifestationOfHealing. You will need this information after you register. There are more pictures on this site as well as a message board! The link is listed below! Love you guys!!

Thursday, June 2, 2005 12:38 AM CDT

Tuesday, May 31, 2005 1:45 PM CDT

Hey everybody, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Memorial's Day Weekend. Kai is doing super again today. We will be going into the hospital for his 4th cyle of 72- hour chemo session. This cycle is not as crucial as the 3rd cycle which included Cisplatin ( a very potent chemotherapy drug) so his recovery time should be a lot faster. Kai has a total of 6 chemo sessions, so we are nearing the end. Dad is still training for a marathon- so if anyone is interested in running with him to help push Kai in his running stroller (Kai's truck)please give him a call (come on now, it is for a VERY GOOD CAUSE) Thank you everyone for the heartfelt words and prayers that you have expressed! It means more than you could ever imagine!!!!!

Love ya-The Davis Family

I met a few people in the hospital that I now call my friends. Their names are Kealyn (12 years old) and Kailyn (3 years old) both of whom have been diagnoses with childhood cancer. What's up with all of the K's?! What is GOD trying to tell me!?! Anyway, let's also keep them in our prayers.

If there is anybody reading this with any marathon or half marathon organization experience., please give me (Dad-Vander) a call @ 910-797-0435. I would really like to organize these races here in Fayetteville to raise awareness as well as give back to the cause of a higher prognosis of cures for these types of cancer. Thanks- infinity!

We would love to hear your comments in the guest book! Bless you always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, May 27, 2005 6:45 AM CDT

Hey everybody, Kai is doing super today. We are about to go outside and cut the grass together. We will probably be going in the hospital (UNC) on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week for his 4th cycle of 72 hour chemotherapy session. His platelet count was still a little low, but it is rising everyday.
HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!

I met a few people in the hospital that I now call my friends. Their names are Kealyn (12 years old) and Kailyn (3 years old) both of whom have been diagnoses with childhood cancer. What's up with all of the K's?! What is GOD trying to tell me!?! Anyway, let's also keep them in our prayers.

If there is anybody reading this with any marathon or half marathon organization experience., please give me (Dad-Vander) a call @ 910-797-0435. I would really like to organize these races here in Fayetteville to raise awareness as well as give back to the cause of a higher prognosis of cures for these types of cancer. Thanks- infinity!

We would love to hear your comments in the guest book! Bless you always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:06 AM CDT

Hey guys- we are doing great this morning. Kai is doing so good. He is no longer neutropenic (low white blood cell count), so he is able to go out and play with no protective mask on. We stayed outside all day yesterday and the day before. He is asking me RIGHT NOW if he can go outside- guess I'll put my sneaks on. He is now in the living room right now watching Jimmy Neutron. ( much better than Barney). Anyway, he will be going in the hospital some time next week for his 4th round of 72 hour chemotherapy session. Also, tomorrow he will be getting labs drawn from his home health care nurse to see where his blood counts are. The only counts that are now low are his platelet counts. Lastly, after his 4th round of chemo- he will be doing a 24 hour urine collection to test proper kidney function. Thanks for all of the support and love.

I met a few people in the hospital that I now call my friends. Their names are Kealyn (12 years old) and Kailyn (3 years old) both of whom have been diagnoses with childhood cancer. What's up with all of the K's?! What is GOD trying to tell me!?! Anyway, let's also keep them in our prayers.

If there is anybody reading this with any marathon or half marathon organization experience., please give me (Dad-Vander) a call @ 910-797-0435. I would really like to organize these races here in Fayetteville to raise awareness as well as give back to the cause of a higher prognosis of cures for these types of cancer. Thanks- infinity!

We would love to hear your comments in the guest book! Bless you always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 7:06 AM CDT

Sunday, May 22, 2005 7:03 PM CDT

We did make it to church today as a family and the service was outstanding! We attend Parks Chapel FWB church in Fayetteville, NC. Kai is doing super today. Him and his sister went to ride their bikes and played on the swing set in the backyard. We had to go up to UNC on the 20th to recieve another platelet transfusion due his low counts, but he is recovering beautifully. He is having labs drawn tomorrow to let us know if he is still nuetropenic or not-which is a low white blood cell count which subjects him to wear a protective mask. Him and his sister are in my room right now as I write this watching Barney( honestly I can't stand that big purple dinosaur), but anyway I love you, you love me- we are one big happy family! Thank everybody for all of the prayers and all of the support.

I met a few people in the hospital that I now call my friends. Their names are Kealyn (12 years old) and Kailyn (3 years old) both of whom have been diagnoses with childhood cancer. What's up with all of the K's?! What is GOD trying to tell me!?! Anyway, let's also keep them in our prayers.
If there is anybody reading this with any marathon or half marathon organization experience., please give me (Dad-Vander) a call @ 910-797-0435. I would really like to organize these races here in Fayetteville to raise awareness as well as give back to the cause of a higher prognosis of cures for these types of cancer. Thanks- infinity!

We would love to hear your comments in the guest book! Bless you always!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, May 19, 2005 12:46 AM CDT

Hello everybody! Sorry for not updating the page everyday, just trying to enjoy the moment when little man is feeling good. We are finally out of the hospital and Kai is doing excellent. We will probably be able to attend church as a family( first time in about a month)- Thank you so much for your support and the wonderful thoughts expressed in the journal. To update you on Kai- He is done with his 3 round of 72 hour chemotherapy session. He will be going in for his 4th session around the 22-29th of May, depending on the way his blood count looks. His third round of chemo, hit him pretty hard, which caused him to need two blood and platelet transfusions. However all praise goes to God. It is not what we see, but what we believe!
I met a few people in the hospital that I now call my friends. Their names are Kealyn (12 years old) and Kailyn (3 years old) both of whom have been diagnoses with childhood cancer. What's up with all of the K's?! What is GOD trying to tell me!?! Anyway, let's also keep them in our prayers.
If there is anybody reading this with any marathon or half marathon organization experience., please give me (Dad-Vander) a call @ 910-797-0435. I would really like to organize these races here in Fayetteville to raise awareness as well as give back to the cause of a higher prognosis of cures for these types of cancer. Thanks- infinity!

Sunday, May 15, 2005 4:38 PM CDT

Kai is currently in the Hospital for symptomatic nuetropenia. After his blood and platelet transfusion, he still might be nuetropenic, but definitely not symptomatic. Talk @ you soon!!!

Tuesday, May 10, 2005 11:00 AM CDT

Hey everybody! I just received word from our Stem Cell Coordinator that the blood sample that was sent to Oakland during Kai's stem cell harvest is cancer free and that the transplant is on line for September time frame. I could not thank everybody enough for your prayers and love!!

Monday, May 9, 2005 8:37 PM CDT

This is Kai's first day back at home from his 3rd cycle of chemotherapy. He is still pretty nauseated, but this still does not stop him from trying to ride his bike as soon as we pull up to the house. We let him!

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