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Meguires Web Page Our Angel 
The Story & Battle of Meguire Smith a true angel :
Meguire was born on 10/15/2000 at birth he had a few complications like Low magnesium which was causing small seizure like activity also hydrocele which is where the testicles are filled with fluid because the sperm sack doesn't close when the testicles drop at birth. Well after 4 days in the hospital they got the magnesium back to normal & we got to go home. Meguire was a normal baby besides the couple problems at birth. At three months Meguire went in for surgery to repair the hydrocele & a hernia, after that he was good to go besides having to change his formula 4 times he was a normal boy. Meguire Loved animals, we had a Ferret named Raggert & a Sheppard named Sadie those 2 bonded & were always together. Meguire would watch TV with a bottle lying on Sadie & she didn’t mind at all, Other than that he played with his brother & again was just a normal kid.
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On the last week of may Meguire was having some going to the bathroom issues so Christie took him to the dr`s office & had him checked out they put Meguire on the BRATS diet to get him to go potty but still nothing so 2 days went by & she took him back they said try Suppositories so we went to the store & tried that it worked but something still just wasn’t right with our Meguire. So Christie took him back for a third time & insisted they do blood work or something else because she just knew something wasn’t right. Well on June 3rd the Office called & talked with Christie & told her we need you to come into the office to discuss Meguires labs. So Christie went in & they told her we think Meguire has Leukemia. Christie was by herself well with Meguire but Josh was at home working on the house. Christie Called me (josh) & said I need you to drive to the office , I was hesitant & saying Im working on the house can this wait she so no get here now & she was very calm. I remember the day like it was yesterday, it was a beautiful 80 degree morning I was doing siding that day,All I remember is I knew something was wrong , the West Nile virus was going around at that time & that’s what I was thinking he had, Well I drove there & got in the room & the Dr said I’m So sorry to have to tell you this but Meguire has leukemia. We were just devastated but we regained control & said what’s the next step, Well on June 4th we went to St V`s had more labs & sure enough Meguire was diagnosed on June 4, 2003 at the age of 3 with Acute lymphoblastic Leukemia or known as "ALL".
Day one picture
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As you can Imagine this was a huge shock to the whole family & all of our friends, Those were the most heart wrenching phone calls we have ever had to make, We had to explain everything over & over & it was so tough but we have always said we will beat this & the support of our families, Friends, Co workers, Neighbors Everyone came together for Meguire lending a hand or a shoulder to cry on whenever we needed one. Meguire went through lots of treatments and he had so much to go through as he was in and out of the hospital days Sometimes Weeks at a time. When he was first diagnosed he had a Hickman port put in which is normal and he had so many problems with that port, He had several blood infections which ended us in the hospital days at a time, He had that port in for 6 months then one day when I was doing his cleaning of his line which entailed Changing the bandages a bunch of steps cleaning the area to make is sterile & flushing the line, For those of you that have had to clean these you know what we mean, we had to clean it every other day, then one day while normal cleaning the port fell out so we then decided to have that one totally removed & the port put in that is put under the skin, which is called the(medi-port), and that has been a blessing since he has had this medi-port put in back in November,2003 he didn’t have any more blood infections since the new port has been in & that made things so much easier .So then things started getting a little bit better he finally made it to maintenance after a year’s worth of treatments and we thought we were home free , We had Make a Wish foundation come out & took Maguire's wish , which was going to be a Disney Cruise , we had everything set up to go on the cruise July 31 2004 our bags were packed we went out & bought all new vacation clothes for the entire family, We were so Excited we as a family have never been on a vacation so this was going to be great. Then on June 14, 2004 we had our first spinal tap in the maintenance faze when 2 hours later after the normal spinal tap, Meguire's doctor called and talked to Josh and had told us the worst news that we could have taken Meguire had relapsed in his Spinal fluid and we were going to have to start new treatment and Radiation and possible bone marrow transplant. This meant we had to call all our family & friends then explain again we have to start over & it’s going to be harder this time. The relapse means that the Leukemia cells have went into Meguire’s spinal fluid this was the first time Meguire has had the leukemia cells in his spinal fluid & a Early Relapse is not good . So now as you can imagine this very upsetting for us knowing what Meguire was going to have to go through again but worse. We met with the doctors & they explained that treatments were going to be much more intense & they won’t stop the drugs he needs even if he does get sick, So we then started having weekly spinal taps and very heavy chemo, We then had to go through a phase of twice a month getting a chemo called ARC for 3 days straight in the hospital so we had the first set of ARC given & he got really high fever's & was real sleepy, this was a first time for Meguire because he was really never down . Then 2 weeks later had to go in again when this time his fever on day 2 shot up to 104 and they tried Tylenol no luck , When I was helping the nurse to get his blood pressure he then started having seizures and of course we were very scared at this point because seizures run in Christies family at young ages .So with his fevers sky high & no medications bringing it down the Immediately stopped the ARC chemo & put him on a Cooling blanket this is a Rubber mat they lay under you that's hooked to a portable air conditioner which runs VERY cold water through it , needless to say his poor little teeth were just chattering away but we told him hang in there little man you can do it , finally around 10:30 pm his fever broke we were so happy & all he kept saying when can I get off this cold mat. He did have one more seizure in this time frame. Now the next day after the fever broke Meguire was back to his ornery self he was up playing , teasing the nurses , watching movies , talking on the phone & beating up he brother just back to his red headed self, lol. So the next day Because of the seizures we had to meet with a child neurologist and he put Meguire on Keppra which is an Epilepsy medicine. They did a MRI scan of his brain & A EEG , thank GOD everything came back normal now he stayed on the Keppra just as a precaution , he’s also on a shot called neupogen , We have to give him this daily in his leg or arm we let him decide to keep his blood counts up due to the ARC which is a very strong drug with allot of different side effects . Well just 2 weeks after all this ARC problems he's back up & running around. I`m telling you what this whole time Meguire has been on Numerous drugs & in & out of the hospital , through the steroids HE HAS NEVER BEEN DOWN he is the happiest kid EVER if you get the chance to meet our Meguire he will put a smile on your face from ear to ear , he is the most caring thoughtful , ORNERY , funny , playful kid ever he is ALWAYS HAPPY & LAUGHING , he love to joke around & just be a kid, it’s amazing what these children can take if it were any of us adults I just couldn't imagine.
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The biggest thanks has to go out to the Hematology/Oncology clinic and Dr's C & J for all that they have done for us and Meguire especially, we will be forever grateful, They are always there when we need them no matter day or night. We would also like to say a very special thank you to St Vincent Mercy Medical Center here in Toledo Ohio , our medical insurance has change 3 times due to Josh`s union contract with work , the latest insurance is now 90/10 & St Vincent Hospital is a out of network , we called our insurance trying to get waivers & they turned us down so you`ll never guess what St V`s did they stepped up knowing this was a prior condition & we can’t change doctors in the middle of treatments they accepted whatever our insurance pays them & will write off the rest HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THAT , we also had an outstanding balance with them & they also wrote that off , YOU HAVE NO IDEA how much this took off our shoulders , So to ST V`s thank you from the bottom of our hearts you’re a GODSEND TO OUR FAMILY, We would also like to say Thank you to all of our friends and family who have been here through everything to help us.
So we got the go ahead to take our Disney trip finally, we decided to not do the cruise & just got to Disney in Florida & got to stay at Give kids the world. Oh my gosh it was a trip of a life time we got picked up in a limo driven to the airport this was the first time any of us were ever on a plane we left here is was like 30 degrees landed in Florida & it was 75 , we got a rental car drove to give kids the world checked in got a beautiful Condo , What an amazing place , then bright & early Monday we started heading to the park. One of the best parts of our trip was another wonderful family we met in the clinic they were there the same time we were so we all got to hang out & enjoy the greatest vacation anyone could ever have. We were treated like Kings & queens just amazing!!!! Thank you to make a wish & everyone involved with the trip you made Meguire Smile bigger than he ever has. Now he’s ready to go back, lol!!!
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Well were back from the trip & had a few weeks till we had to go to Columbus for the bone marrow transplant, In the mean time we had a fund raiser before Meguire & Christie leave . We ended up having a Spaghetti dinner at our Church along with a Raffle for TONS of donated prizes it was just amazing. We raised money for Christie & Meguire having to stay down there for 3 months, Food , TONS of medications over $250.00 a week it was crazy , we ended up raising a little over $8000.00. We were utterly Amazed at the outpouring of people coming together to help us it was amazing.
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So after the benefit Christie & Meguire were off to Columbus for the 3 month stay , But before they left Meguire had to have seven days of cranial radiation. Once we got to Columbus they started high dose chemo therapy and 3 days twice a day of full body radiation which takes 3 hours each time they do this .He had to be transported by ambulance back and forth for the radiation. After seven days Meguires body was ready for the bone Marrow Transplant & on Feb 2,2005 he received his new life from a very special person that took time to help save our Childs life. After the Transplant Meguire did wonderful he had some hard times through transplant he got some radiation burn on his eye lids and his ears which caused him to have blisters so the dr’s got him some special cream that they usually use for burn victims and it worked wonderfully he also got terrible diarrhea from the chemotherapy which made his poor butt bleeding raw & we had to use a steri cleanse on it & poor guire did not like that but he was a trooper & new it had to be done & delt with the pain. Meguire did so well through all this, the Dr's had told us in the beginning that at a minimum our stay would be 45 days in the hospital in one room , so that is what we expected but not our little guy he flew through it and got discharged to the hotel after only 27 days post transplant the dr's were all amazed at how well our little guy did he is just amazing and is all of our hero. The Transplant Rooms are very well protected from the outside areas, every time you came in there was 2 doors you came in Washed your hands very well then put on rubber gloves at all times, the room was wiped down every day with alcohol bathroom cleaned bedding changed we were very impressed. Meguire was very happy & actually never really asked to leave the room, he had his DVD player , DVD`s his Playstaion 2 lots of games, he had of course his cars & lots of stuffed animals .
It was VERY hard on us because Meguire & Christie stayed in Columbus 2 1/2 hours away for 3 months. Josh came down every weekend & stayed Friday night through Sunday afternoon then back home to be to work on Monday, We couldn’t afford for Josh to take off work which upsets him not to be with Meguire every day but he understands. During the Time we were in Columbus Josh & Dominick had the house we were living in updated, he put in all new plumbing, all new Roof, we had the basement waterproofed , we had lots of help getting all this work done to make the house safe for Meguire to come back home too. Dominick his brother was so helpful the whole time & got to come down to Columbus a couple times, he’s the greatest brother in the whole world & he got over looked a few times during all this but he also understood we would have done the same thing for him.
He did have a few line infections in his port and ended up back in the hospital while we were in Columbus , but for the most part he did so well and on April 27th we got to head back home to our family and friends it was so great to go back home & finally sleep in our own beds the house was all fixed up cleaned from top to bottom & ready for our return . So after about a year in a half post transplant we have finally been given the name of the man who saved our sons life with his bone marrow and his name is Ali N. from Boston,Ma .Without this man we don't know where are little man would be right now but thanks to him he is happy and healthy 5 year old boy.
His New Life
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This is Rib from the Show Extreme Home make over there in Toledo Ohio doing a build. Rib has a very close friend Named Bob that needs our prayers. Bob has ALL Leukemia & is in need of a Bone marrow Transplant. We Took Meguire down there to Help & Inspire Rib that there is hope & there are survivors, we just have to remain strong & never GIVE UP. Please if you’re not a Registered Bone Marrow Donor please do so it’s fast & simple. All of our family are registered donors including aunts , uncles, Nephews, moms dads, sisters ,brothers & a bunch of friends Meguire inspired our whole family to be Registered donors isn’t that amazing one Child has the power to do that. Thank you Rib for taking a moment to talk with us each time we came down Meguire had so much fun & if there is anything you or Bobs Family needs please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. We would love to talk with Bobs Family & let them know everything is alright & Dreams do come true. These were just taken on my birthday September 10th 2008 what an awesome way to spend my birthday showing off my little hero to a TV star just AWESOME!! Thank you Rib & the whole crew of Extreme makeover for doing what you all do, Giving back. :
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Well four years later of No problems no issues never back in the hospital went for all his regular checkups & after all that we just got hit with the worse news we could ever receive again, Can we catch a break ? On July 11th 2009 Four & a half years post transplant of perfect health we get the news that no family should ever get. So Meguire has been having some headaches over the past few weeks & we maybe thought it was allergies so we just have him some allergy medicine here & there & it worked. Well the last week he has been having worse headaches & nausea with vomiting every other day , at first we just thought it was a flu bug He got sick & was in bed all day then the next day he was fine & good to go. Then the next day sick again with headaches & vomiting then the next day back to normal it just didn’t make sense, well it lasted a week so we contacted his Oncologist & she wanted him brought in right away to the ER for blood work & a CT scan, well all the blood work came back fine but the CT scan showed a mass on the right side of the brain. The Er Dr knew of Meguires past & he just didn’t want to come into our room & give us this news, he was as devastated as we were that night , So here we sat again having to make phone calls that would change all of our lives again, Well they admitted him right away & ordered a MRI & a MRA that night at 10 pm & found the mass to be a tumor, well they didn’t waste anytime & scheduled him for surgery the next morning at 8am to remove the tumor, We have since found out that tumor is Glioblastoma Multiform which is one of the most aggressive tumors you can have. The problem is this Tumor keeps growing back even with treatments & removal. We really honestly don’t know how much time we have with Meguire it could be 6 months, a year could be 5 years we really don’t know the other problem with this tumor its mainly found in adults not children so there’s no real good statistics so we have decided we are going to live & enjoy our lives one day at a time. For those of you that don’t know Meguire if you talk with anyone who has met him they will tell you he is an angel sent from above he truly is a miracle & was put here to bring 100`s maybe even 1000`s of people together & to touch other peoples lives. Meguire has touched so many people throughout his journey from Dr`s to nurses, friends, families, co workers & even makes strangers smile, he doesn’t have a mean bone is his body, He loves people & pets. He has never given up since day one & he keeps saying that he will beat this like he beat leukemia he is a True hero , Many of us would have given up by now & just said im done but not our Meguire he is the strongest persons I have ever met. Meguire said wants to be a VET when he grows up he says he wants to fix animals.
We had our first Mri and the news was good and bad the good news was that the Tumor is gone for the time being but the bad news was that there is cystic fluid that has filled the area but he is not having any symptoms so for now we are just going to continue the chemo and hope that the fluid will go away on its own. We know with all the prayers going to God that he will hear us & heal Meguire & let him stay with us to touch more lives. Meguire is a True survivor & will live forever. We love you Meguire & we will never leave your side little man. Thank you very much for taking the time to read Meguires amazing story we really hope this helps other families & give everyone hope , there is a lord we just have to believe.
These are the most Recent just taken on 10/25/09
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We would also like to say one more time thank you to all the Dr`s Nurses, & anyone who has ever helped us in any way shape or form. Huge thank you to Toledo Sport Bike riders for all your support Thank you to Top Gun Riders for your help , the list is a mile long of people & organizations that have helped us over the years all over our little man Meguire. We are blessed to have a Hero/Angel living with us. A very special thank you to Meguire's Big brother Dominick, he has been amazing always helping his brother when needed, always playing games with him & always there by his side, you are Meguires Best friend & he loves you so much. We love you too Dominick & were so glad your such a good kid.
Please sign our gust book so we can visit your page thank you very much for stopping by , Meguire says Hi to everyone & thank you for all the prayers
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So Rib took some time off from the show to go back to Massachusetts to spend time with his family & take his kids trick or treating. They also took the time to send us this picture of Rib & his Kids wishing Meguire a happy Halloween , utterly amazing how many lives our son has touched over the years. We wanted to share this with everyone & give a Special thank you to Rib & his whole family , You guys are amazing people.Also If your not a Registered Bone marrow donor please go registrar its SO easy just a swab of the mouth & personal information & thats it , then you can save a child's life like Meguire. The first link below goes to the National Marrow Donor Program please go registar & help safe a life.
Journal
Sunday, April 10, 2011 6:01 AM CDT This week we have dedicated to our son Meguire. For those of you that dont know long story short Meguire had Leukemia when we was 2 he went through treatments for a year relapsed then went through more aggressive treatments then on to a bone marrow transplant down in Columbus. After that the cancer was gone he went 4 years post transplant with out any problems at all then 1 year ago the worst news of our lives the fear that was haunting us for 4 years he got diagnosed with a un curable brain tumor. Meguire went through lots more treatments 2 surgery's to remove the tumor with no luck. We even drove to North Carolina to seek another treatment plan got stuck in the very bad blizzard lol but it was all worth it trying to save our son. well on 4/13/2010 Meguire passed away here at home he fell into a very deep sleep & is now with friends, family & our Sadie dog in heaven.
We have accepted his loss And were preparing ever since we found out what kind of tumor it was. We know he is ok & will be there with open arms in the end. you know Ive never had a reason to go to heaven till Meguire went before me. Im no longer scared of death because I know he will be there in the end. If he could talk right now I know he would say Mom, Dad Im ok. Meguire was never a little boy he was a little man he actually didn't like other kids he said they annoyed him he was a very mature 9yr old boy.
So this week on Facebook to honor Meguire & to also bring awareness to childhood cancer we are changing our profile pics to one of Meguires. We have set up a folder with pics of him you can choose from. all you do is Tag yourself in the photo then make it your profile pic from your page. Please join us in changing your picture and remember a very special little man/boy lol that touched 1000`s of lives from friends nurses & complete strangers.
Meguire is my Hero now & forever & will never be forgotten. I love you little man so much & miss you like you have no idea im so sorry mommy & daddy couldn't take away your disease I asked god every day to give it to me & leave you alone but he must have needed his angel back, I will see you later ok man, I love you.
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: St V`s
Toledo,Oh
Links: http://www.marrow.org/ National Marrow Donor Program
http://mercyweb.org/childrens/conditions/condition_t.aspx?m1=57&m2=58&bc1=451&bc2=452&id=197&mnId=1553 St Vincent hospital Toledo Ohio
http://rmhc.org/ Ronald Mcdonald House
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