History

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 3:57 PM CDT

Steven is getting ready to go 6th grade camp at "Templed Hills" in Bellville, Ohio (near Mansfield). He is very excited. The class leaves Wednesday morning and comes back Friday afternoon. Steven gets to share a cabin with three other boys. They have lots of outdoor activities planned.
It should be lots of fun.

Steven continues to do well, it seems that he is growing overnight.

He is scheduled for his next clinic visit for June 4th, but he told me that he does not want to miss school, go figure!
So I will call and see, if I can reschedule for the following week, since the last day of school is June 5th.

Thanks for checking on Steven. Please sign his guestbook!

Friday, May 8, 2009 10:42 PM CDT

Steven had a baseball game tonight. Unfortunately his team lost, but the most important thing is, that he can now play a sport at all. After years of cancer, chemo and severe osteoporosis, he is finally healthy enough to play.
That is so exciting.

Steven's bone marrow aspiration on March 5th came back clear. No sign of cancer! Praise God!

Tomorrow we are going to the zoo with Kids 'N Kamp. We are looking forward to seeing the new baby elephant.

Steven's Oma (grandma) and two uncles, Peter and Alexander, are visiting from Germany right now. It is so nice to be able to visit with them.

Thanks for checking up on Steven!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 11:49 AM CST

Steven's big sis Stephanie commented on the fact that I don't update much anymore. There is just not that much going on. Is anybody even reading this anymore? No one has signed the guestbook in quite a while...

Steven is home sick today. Dad picked him up from school yesterday with a low-grade fever, and he had also vomited at school. He got sick again last night, but not since then. He still had a temperature this morning, so we let him stay home another day. If he's not better tomorrow, we'll go see the doctor.

We went to Magic Mountain with Kids 'N Kamp on Monday. Steven and Sandy had a great time.
Unfortunately we found out that a little boy we knew, Mason Woods has passed away last Tuesday, after relapsing in the Central Nervous System. He was 9 1/2 years old.
We had met Mason a few times though KNK and I know his Mom, also through KNK.
This has hit really hard. Mason was originally diagnosed with ALL about 5 months after Steven. It makes us realize how blessed we are, that Steven is still continuing to do well.
I say "still", because you wonder. A lot of the chemotherapy he received can potentially cause secondary cancers, and in the back of your mind, there's always the dreaded word: relapse.

We are still on track for his bone marrow aspiration on March 5th. Since they found antibodies in Steven's blood that destroy his platelets, Dr. Ranalli wants to look into his situation further. At least there is now a reason, why his platelets are still low 3 years after his last chemo.
We'll hopefully know more after we get the results.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 2:04 PM CST

Happy New Year!

Thanks for checking on Steven.
He continues to do well and is growing by leaps and bounds...

The only cause for concern are still his platelets and he is going to have another bone marrow aspiration on March 5th. We are hoping for good news!

We were able to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa as well as Oma and Opa in Florida, and uncle Rene' and his family were there visiting as well.
Steven spent New Years Eve at Aunt Kim's house, who had a party for all of her grandchildren and invited Steven and Sandy over as well. He had a great time!

God bless you!
Steven and family

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 1:20 PM CDT

Hi there,

Steven had a check-up at Children's yesterday and is doing okay.
However, his platelet count is even lower, than it has been, and Dr. Ranalli thinks it is time to take a closer look at why. They took more blood than usual for his 3-month checkup and are going to do some extra tests.
We are not worried about a recurrence of Leukemia at this time, but Dr. Ranalli thinks it may have something to do with Steven's immune system. He said Steven may have another bone marrow aspiration in a couple of months, based on what they find in the bloodwork. Not very uplifting news...
The one really good news we had recently though is, that his bone density is back to normal! It will continue to be monitored annually, but for now, that is great news...

Thanks for checking on Steven! please sign his guest book.

The Householders

Monday, March 3, 2008 12:12 AM CST

Hi,

thanks for checking in on Steven.

We are living back in Ohio, in Delaware. We moved back the beginning of January 2008. The trucking business in Florida just went down the hill, so we could no longer stay. Dad (Tom) had been back in Ohio working since last August, and was ready to have the family back together.

Steven just loves playing in the snow, he is very excited to be back. He also says that school is much more fun here in Ohio than it was in Florida. I guess he likes the teachers better, or maybe he is just glad to be back with his friends.

Steven's health is very good. He has grown like a "bad weed", and no longer looks like the little cancer patient from 5 years ago. He is going to be 11 years old on his next birthday, April 25th. We are so glad, he is doing well.

He now only goes for check-ups every 3 months, and so far, things have been good. The only concern is, that his platelet counts are still lower than they should be, but not low enough to be too concerned.

Again, thanks for checking on Steven.
I hope you and yours are all well.

God bless you!

Inge and family

Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:20 PM CDT

Wow, it's been a while, since I updated...

Steven is doing great. He is enjoying the nice Florida weather, especially now, that it's cooled off just a little bit...

He started playing the Saxophone, which is a real "joy". Actually, he is doing okay, for just having started, he just has not figured how to play it softly, yet. It will come, I hope.

Tomorrow we are going to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, to have a bone density scan done. Steven thinks he wants to play football, and I want to make sure, his bones are up to it.
He was diagnosed with severe Osteoporosis, while he was on chemo, and was getting infusions every 3 months for 3 days in a row, to help recalcify his bones. He has not been getting these, and I want to be certain, that his body could handle playing rough. He certainly has the size for it. He no longer is the puny little 35 pound cancer patient, that he was 4 years ago. Before too long he'll come up to my shoulder, and I am 5'10" tall!
Growing like a bad weed! I keep telling him, that I am going to tie bricks to his head, if he does not slow down.
Of course with uncles that are 6'7", 6'4" and 6'3", he does have some tall genes!!!
He will also have his 2 month check-up. It sure is nice, only to have to go every other month and soon every 3 months, since it is quite the drive every time. Almost an hour and a half one way. We are hoping and praying, that he will continue to do well.

Thanks for checking up on Steven.
Take care.

Inge and family

PS: Brooke, if you should read this: Steven was really excited to hear from you, of course he remembers you! Congratulations on the new baby boy!
If you'd like, you can E-mail him at ihouse99@yahoo.com.
He'd really like that! How about a picture of you and your family?
By the way, he still has the little stuffed dog he named "Brookie", she has gone with him through all his treatments and hospital stays. How could he forget you?

Saturday, June 2, 2007 12:56 AM CDT

Hi!

Two more days and we will be leaving for Hawaii!!!!!Thanks to Make-a-wish!!!

We are all soooo excited. We will have to get up really early, because a Limo is going to pick us up at 3:30AM on Monday. We are flying out of Tampa at 6:45AM.

We are going to the "Big Island" (Hawaii), near Kona.
And Steven is really looking forward to seeing volcanoes.
Steven and Dad are going to go on a helicopter ride, they are both so excited about that!

We'll try to get some pictures on here after we get back.

Steven just had a check-up yesterday at the clinic, and things are going well. His platelets are still low, only about 87,000 and we are still concerned about that. But he is not bleeding or bruising abnormally, so maybe those numbers are just okay for him. We certainly have no idea, what his platelet count was, before he was diagnosed.

Steven goes for check-ups every other month now, which is nice.

Thanks for checking on Steven and your continued prayers!

The Householders

PS: Brooke, if you should read this: Steven was really excited to hear from you, of course he remembers you! Congratulations on the new baby boy!
If you'd like, you can E-mail him at ihouse99@yahoo.com.
He'd really like that! How about a picture of you and your family?
By the way, he still has the little stuffed dog he named "Brookie", she has gone with him through all his treatments and hospital stays. How could he forget you?

Saturday, January 20, 2007 8:34 PM CST

Hi, there!

Thanks for checking on Steven.
I know it's been a long time, since I updated and I don't know, if anyone still ever checks this site.

Steven just had another bone marrow aspiration on 12/29/06, because his platelet count is still way too low and his spleen is still slightly enlarged.
Platelet count should be above 144,000; Steven's is hovering around 94,000 - 98,000. He has been off Chemotherapy for over a year now and is feeling great.His platelet count is the only concern we have at this time.
(The bone marrow test came back good with no sign of cancer).

If you are reading this, please sign Steven's guest book, to let us know you were here...

Oh, yeah, Steven was granted his wish from the Make-a-wish foundation. He has been patiently waiting to be able to go to Hawaii, because in Ohio we were told he had to be at least 10 years old and that is his wish. The Florida chapter said they never heard of that and they are going to send him!!!!! They are trying to schedule it for spring break. Steven is soooo excited!

Thanks!
Steven and family

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 8:01 PM CDT

Hello,

Thanks for checking on Steven.

He continues to do well.
Now that school is out for the summer, he spends a lot of time in the swimming pool. He also loves riding in the truck with his Dad.

We started going to a new church and Steven is making new friends in Sunday school. He is growing like a "bad weed",
that's for sure; and driving his big sisters crazy.

For the last 2 days we have had tons of rain from the first named storm "Alberto". We are just thrilled that's all we got. No wind damage.

Thanks for your continued prayers.
The Householders

Thursday, May 4, 2006 9:59 PM CDT

Hi,

Thanks for checking on Steven. Sorry it's been so long since I updated this page.

We had a bit of a scare a couple of weeks ago. Steven's spleen was enlarged, which could have meant a relapse.
He did have an infected tooth (which he ended up having pulled) and they said the infection could cause the enlarged spleen. They put him on antibiotics to clear up the infection and waited a week to see, if the spleen would go back down. It got smaller, but was still not back to normal, so they decided that the only way to be absolutely sure there was no relapse, was to do a bone marrow aspiration as well as a spinal tap.
He did pretty well with the procedures, but, Diane, if you are reading this, he sure missed you. He asked where his music was, and he made sure he told them, that you did it differently. They had him lay on his side and curl in a ball. I had to sing to him (how embarassing was that!) because he had to have some music!!!!
To make a long story short, there is NO SIGN OF CANCER!!!!!
We are so relieved!!!!!!

Steven thinks he wants to play football. Dad is all for it, but I am not so sure that's a good idea. We'll have to see about that.

When I last updated this page, we were still staying with Grandma and Grandpa. We are now in our own (rental) home. We have a swimming pool and Steven learned how to swim really well. We all love it. The only downside is, that Steven is back to riding a bus. All kids are still in the same schools, they are happy about that.

Thanks again for all the prayers for Steven.
Take care and may God richly bless you!

The Householders'

Wednesday, February 1, 2006 9:10 PM CST

Hello,

Thanks for checking on Steven!

He is doing great! We went for his check-up on January 20th, and his counts were much better. His ANC was about 2000 and so we are (finally) allowing him to go to school without a mask. This is the first time in 3 years!

He said he did not get very many comments about that, unless he just did not want to tell me. His teacher asked him, if he had forgotten his mask, and he told her that he did not need it anymore. She said that was great. According to Steven, that's all anyone said to him.

We are enjoying the weather here in Florida. It is wonderful right now. Not too warm and definitely not too cold for me. However, if you listen to "the Natives", we are having a cold spell, it does get down to around 45 degrees at night, anywhere from 60 to 80 during the day.
Cold?

We are still looking for a rental home, still staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Thank God they are still putting up with us. Thanks Mom and Dad!
We really appreciate it!

Hope you are all doing well.
Please sign Steven's guestbook, if you get a chance.

Please continue to pray for Steven to remain in remission.

The doctor here in Florida said that the first 6-18 months after treatment ends are the most critical. The likelihood of a relapse is greatest during that time.

May God bless you!
The Householders

Thursday, January 12, 2006 9:28 PM CST

We made it!!!!!

Steven had his last Chemo pill on December 20th!!!!!!

However, he spent 6 more days in the hospital in Columbus because of fevers. (Released 1/4/06). We never did figure out, why his temperature would not stay down. His white count was also really low with an ANC of only 21 at one time, which means almost no immune system to speak of (again). We are a little concerned about this, but the doctors just think that all the chemo he had been on finally took it's toll on his bone marrow and it is just going to take some time for his counts to come back up and stay up.

He has missed a lot of school over the past 2 1/2 months, but his teacher said in December that he was keeping up pretty well in spite of it all. At least this last admission to the hospital was during Christmas break, so that he did not miss any school then.

We finally all made it to Florida. Our house is sold and we got everything moved down here in two trips. Now we are looking for a house.
Hopefully we will find one soon. We have a lot of "stuff" in a 28 ft long trailer and it's impossible to get to some of our things.

I will continue to update Steven's page from time to time to let you know, how he continues in his quest to be cancer free.

Take care and God bless!

The Householders

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 2:46 PM CST

Well, since my last update Steven was admitted to the hospital with a fever of 104.6. (11/29/05)
An initial chest x-ray was clear, but his lung sounds like he might be developing pneumonia. This early afternoon they repeated his x-ray, and we are waiting for the results.
They are also going to check him for influenza virus.
His fever has come down some now, but he has not been fever free since yesterday morning.
He is very tired and does not feel like eating much. Definitely not his usual self.
Steven has been on strong IV antibiotics since early yesterday, so if he does have Pneumonia, he is already getting treated for it anyways.
It is standard procedure for chemo patients with a fever to get started on IV antibiotics right away, since the immune system is so weak and any infection can be very serious.
I will try to update this page as soon as any more news becomes available.

Please pray for Steven's speedy recovery.

God bless you!
Inge
****Update 12/01/05***********
We found that Steven does have Pneumonia, he is responding to the 2nd antibiotic they added yesterday afternoon. While he is still not fever free, his temperature is getting lower yet. He still has hardly eaten anything, just some Fruit rollups today so far, but he is starting to feel a little better.
I can tell, because he is getting a bit ornery again, not just laying around like a "hot dishrag".
They are going to repeat his chest x-ray tomorrow, and we'll see how that turns out. The doctor did say, that his lungs sounded better today than they did yesterday. At least that's good news.
The influenza culture so far is negative, as are the other cultures taken for bacterial or fungal infections.
I'll try to update again soon.
Please sign Steven's guest book. He really loves getting messages.

Monday, November 28, 2005 8:30 PM CST

Hello!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on our blessings.

We are very thankful for all of our children. Yet we give a very special thanks for Steven's continued well-being.

We are now counting down the days (22) until Steven's last chemo. It is hard to believe that he has been in treatment for 3 years and 1 month already. I cannot wait!

Steven is scheduled to receive his last intravenous chemo on December 15th. He will have surgery on the 16th to remove his port, which he insists he wants to keep. (In a baggie). I'm not sure what it will look like after having been inside his body for 3 years. Hopefully there will be no complications, when they take it out.

He is supposed to take his last chemo pill on December 20th. And that will hopefully be the end of this.

His blood will have to be checked for the rest of his life, because of the possibility of a relapse. First once a month for a year, then every other month for a year, then every 3 months, then 6 months and then once a year from then on.
Hopefully this will just mean a fingerstick, but I have not checked on that, yet. One step at a time...

I am so excited, but when I asked Steven if he was, he just said "Yeah, I guess...". He has been dealing with this cancer almost half of his life, so unfortunately it must seem almost normal to him. Being done with the treatment does not seem to be too big a deal for Steven. Myself, I could jump up and down and do a jig, that's how thrilled I am.

It can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months for Steven's immune system to completely get back to normal, so we will still have to be aware of germs and sick people for some time, but at least he will be done taking pills every day.

Steven is excited about being able to stop wearing a mask to school probably some time in January.
He has been wearing a mask every day to help keep him healthy.
Of course one lady commented on Steven's "strikingly beautiful eyes" a while back and said that he should wear a mask all the time regardless, because it puts more emphasis on his eyes. Go figure...

Thank you for continuing to check on Steven and for all your prayers. We do believe that they are what has kept Steven as well as he has been throughout his treatment.

God bless you!
Inge and family.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 0:55 AM CDT

Thank you for checking on Steven!

Only 2 months left!!!!

Steven continues to do well. He just had his last spinal tap Friday. His counts were good.

Next chemo will be November 19.

We hope and pray, that December 20th will be the last day Steven will ever have to take any Chemo pills with no longterm side-effects or relapse.

God bless you!

Inge

Monday, September 12, 2005 10:41 PM CDT

Hello!

Thanks for checking on Steven!
He continues to do well. We are counting down the months. Only 4 more!
If all goes well, Steven will receive chemo on 9/23; 10/21; 11/19 and then 12/16 intravenously. We hope to have his port taken out on 12/17, so he will be all healed up by Christmas!
His last oral chemo dose will be on December 20th. Steven will have one more spinal tap in October (I think) and that
should be the last one of those.

We cannot wait!It has been almost 3 years since Steven was diagnosed and we are ready for the chemo to be over.
They say though, that it can take 6 to 12 months for his immune system to completely recover, so we'll still be cautious around sick people for a while after the chemo ends.
Steven will also continue to go for monthly check-ups for a year, then every other month and so on.
Even though the Chemotherapy will be over, our clinic visits are not going to end any day soon.

But all's well, that ends well, and that's all that matters.

Please continue to keep Steven in your prayers, and please sign his guestbook.

God bless you all!
The Householder's

Tuesday, August 2, 2005 10:15 PM CDT

Hi!

Sorry it's been so long, since I have updated!

Steven just had his chemo on Friday, the 29th of July and
it's starting to catch up with him. He always gets really tired about 4 to 5 days afterwards.
His counts have been staying good, which is a real blessing after the weeks of worrying about them. His red count had been staying so low, that he received several blood transfusions. Having the counts so low for several weeks made everyone worry about a possible relapse. He even had another bone marrow aspiration, to rule this out.
In the end, it probably was "just some virus" that kept suppressing his bone marrow.

Since they did the bone marrow, they found a "translocation" on one of Steven's chromosomes. We don't know at this time, if this has any bearing on his health or if it may in the future. He certainly seems fine now. Supposedly it had nothing to do with the Leukemia.
We are supposed to meet with the Genetics team at Children's Hospital to discuss what this means to Steven and perhaps to any children he may have. We are also going to find out, if we should have the girls tested, or if they think it's just a fluke.
Just another thing to worry about...

On the bright side, Steven only has 5 more months of treatment ahead of him. After 33 long months already, the end is finally on the horizon. Let's hope and pray, that he will be done after this, and will be completely cured.

The big "R" word (Relapse) is our biggest concern for the future. Also, some of the chemotherapy drugs he was given, can cause secondary cancers, which is another worry.

I know it sounds like all I do is worry, but that's not the case. I trust that the Lord will be with Steven and that he will be okay no matter what.

Please sign Steven's guest book, if you get a chance.

Thank you gor your continued prayers!

Inge

Wednesday, June 15, 2005 2:42 PM CDT

Hi,

Well, Steven is in the hospital. He was admitted Sunday night with a fever of 101.8 and low blood counts.
He received another blood transfusion Sunday night. That was the third one since the end of May. We still don't know,
why his counts are low. The doctors had increased his chemo dose, and that may have caused it. They also say that there are viruses out there, that could suppress red blood cell production. All we can do is wait, and see if his bone marrow will revv back up...

There was no growth of anything in his cultures, so maybe he can go home later tonight, provided his temperature stays down. It was up again last night. We'll have to wait and see.

They did a bone marrow aspiration on June 3rd.
Thankfully, there was no sign of the cancer having returned!!!!! We are thrilled about that!!!!

His room number is 5317, if you'd like to give him a call.

Please keep Steven in your prayers!

Please sign Steven's guest book, if you get a chance! Thanks!

God bless you!
Inge and family

Saturday, May 28, 2005 10:08 PM CDT

Hello,

How are you?

We are concerned about Steven's latest lab results.
His hemoglobin was only 6.6 on Thursday night, and down to 6.3 on Friday morning.
We had to take him to Children's and he received a blood transfusion. They are running several tests, trying to determine, what could cause his red blood count to drop, while the rest of his blood looks okay.

Dr. Ranalli was even talking about doing a bone marrow aspiration, just to make sure everything looks okay.
I guess they are not taking any chances.
He said, that on a slide the red blood cells are usually scattered randomly, but in Steven's case at this time, they are "stacked". This could indicate, that there are antibodies against a virus present in his blood.

Steven had ran a lowgrade fever Tuesday night (99.9) and Wednesday night (100.2). (At 100.5, Steven would have been admitted for blood cultures, due to the very real danger of a bacterial or fungal infection in his central line).
He also looked very pale and was tired a lot more than usual. Steven also complained about his back and legs hurting, which was also the case, when he was first diagnosed. I called the clinic on Thursday, and told them, what had been going on, and asked them, if I should go and have his blood checked.

Am I ever glad, I did. At first I thought to myself, that I was probably overreacting, but I'm glad I listened to my instincts, and had him checked. No wonder the poor kid was pale and tired!

At this time we are hoping and praying, that it is a virus, and nothing more...

We are supposed to have his counts checked again on Tuesday, and talk to Diane then. (His Nurse Practitioner).

If his counts are still "out of whack", they may still consider doing the bone marrow aspiration, to rule out, that the Leukemia is coming back.

Steven definitely has more energy today, and his color is much improved.

Please keep Steven in your prayers.

May God bless you!
Inge

Friday, April 15, 2005 10:51 PM CDT

Sorry to have waited so long to update. Things are always crazy around here...

Steven was finally discharged from All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sunday, April 3rd, late afternoon.
They wanted us to stay for the entire ten days of IV antibiotics, but I told them that I needed to get my other children back home to school. So they let us go home on oral antibiotics with instructions to have Steven re-admitted once we got back to Ohio. They left his port accessed, as they put in a "Vanco-lock", which meant they could not take the needle out. (They put in a bunch of antibiotics and then did not flush his line).
I thought that was rather strange, especially since we spent 20 hours in a minivan and I was worried the whole time, that someone would yank it out or hurt him. It also increased the chance of a bloodclot in the line. Well,we made it allright. About an hour away from Children's in Columbus, I called the clinic to let them know, we were on the way. (The doctors in Florida and Ohio had been in contact about Steven's care). The nurse at the clinic told us that we would have to go to the Emergency room once we got there, because "they do not take kids in the clinic after 3PM". I told her we had been driving for the last 19 hours, and there was no way, we could make it before 3.
I mentioned that I hoped we would not be charged another copay, if we went through the ER. (Actually we have been fortunate to have qualified for the BCMH).
A few minutes after we got off the phone, she called me back and said, that we could just bring Steven to the clinic the next morning....

The next morning I took Steven to the clinic, and after his evaluation, Dr. Olshefski decided, that it would be okay to have Steven take 7 more days of oral antibiotics.
Steven also, on my request, received his monthly chemo that same day, so I would not have to come back the following Friday.

The bad thing about the whole ordeal was, that they think the first culture they took may have gotten contaminated in the ER in Florida, and that there actually was nothing wrong with his line. (Steven did have a low grade fever and would have gotten admitted per the standard protocol, but we could have gone home after 24 hours, instead of being in the hospital in Florida for 4 days). But it's not 100ure that that is what actually happened, and definitely we are better off safe than sorry!!!!!

One highlight of Steven's hospital stay was, that we got to meet Andrew Firestone, aka "The Bachelor", along with the Mascot "Firehawk" who were visiting children at the hospital while they had Nascar street races in St. Petersburg.
The most important thing of all is, of course, that Steven is okay. He finished his antibiotics and is doing well.

Thanks for checking on Steven!!!

Inge

Thursday, March 31, 2005 12:30 AM CST

Hello All! This is big sis coming to tell you how Steven is doing.

~GOOD NEWS~

We are on vacation in the Sunshine State! (a.k.a. Florida) It is great down here. Steven has gone swimming in Grandma and Grandpa's pool. We also went to to our cousin Josh's wedding on Monday. It was a very pretty wedding and the weather was good. Steven made a new friend. (the bride's little brother) Steven also caught the garter(i'm probably not spelling this right). He has been riding with dad in the BIG YELLOW dumptruck. He has gotten to see jets come in and land where the President lands to visit his family. Steven was so excited.

~BAD NEWS~

Wednesday night, Steven was taken to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL. He had a temperature of 101.1. He was admitted and is being taken care of really good. I just talked to him and he is watching TV. So far he is doing really well. We hope that he gets out soon, because we are supposed to head home on Saturday, but he won't get discharged until at the least Saturday night.

Thank you for checking up on Steven! He is so cute and he is so full of energy.

~God Bless~
Stephanie

****************UPDATE*****************

Friday, April 1, 2005

We found out today that Steven has an infection in his line into his port. They are treating him now for this and we have to just wait and let God take this into his own hands. We hope they can treat him soon and he can get out of the hospital. We just have to wait patiently. We hope to hear something tomorrow. I will keep you all updated.

Thank you for caring so much about my little brother.

God Bless
Stephanie

Tuesday, March 15, 2005 2:36 PM CST

Thank you for checking on Steven!

We are still plodding along in this long journey called Chemotherapy.

Steven's last treatment was March 10th, so he is pretty tired and not feeling the greatest. Today I had to pick him up from school early. He just was not up to it. He felt fine this morning, but he said he "almost puked" (his words) on the bus. There were several sick kids at school today, so they said he should really come home.

Overall he continues to do well, just the week after his chemo is pretty rough on him. So we'll have to see, if we can't just keep him home, or find someone to stay home with him the 2 or 3 days a month, when he is just too tired to be in school. They have been real understanding and helpful, but I'm wondering, if they are not getting a little tired of the whole thing. It's not their responsibility to watch Steven, if he's not up to being in class, but I certainly can't stay home whenever he says he is not feeling well, either.
We'll have to see. Well, school will be over before too long, and then we'll have the whole summer to have Steven home. Then only 3 more months of Chemo, and Lord willing, that will be the end of it.

All in all we are thrilled Steven is doing as well as he is and has been. Compared to lots of other kids, he is doing remarkably well and we are very thankful for that.

Steven told me today, that I should just go back to working nights, so I can come pick him up from school any time....
I really enjoy working first shift, so I don't think that's going to happen any day soon....

Thank you for your continued prayers!

God bless you!
The Householder's.

Tuesday, January 25, 2005 7:35 PM CST

Hi there!

Sorry it took so long to update this.

We had a wonderful time in Florida, the return to this cold weather was not easy. I am sooo ready for spring!

We are finally on the Home stretch! Only 11 more months of treatments, and then Steven will be done with his Chemo.

Still a long time to go, but considering he already went through 27 months, that's not too bad.

Steven continues to do well, he just gets really tired after his chemo. He also seems to have some touble with his tummy when he is on the steroids 5 days a month, but we just give him Zantac, and that seems to help.

Hope you are doing well. Thanks for checking on Steven.

May God bless you!
Inge and family

Monday, December 6, 2004 6:55 PM CST

Hello,

Thanks for checking on Steven!

After spending the prior weekend in the hospital because of a fever, Steven is doing fine again.
The last 3 days we participated in our church's Christmas concerts. (The Living Christmas Trees).
The whole family is involved.
We still have 7 more concerts to go (Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday). After that only one
more week of school and then it's almost time for Christmas! Whew! This year has just flown by!!!
Which is actually good, because now we only have one year
of chemo left! ("Only one year", but we have 2 behind us!)

Please pray that Steven will stay well for the remainder of the year, so we can all enjoy Christmas! We are planning on a trip to Florida again this year, to see Grandma and Grandpa.

Hope all is well with you and your's.

God bless!
Inge and family.

Wednesday, December 1, 2004 0:10 AM CST

Hi!

Well, right after I had updated this page, I went back to Steven's room, and his temperature was up again...

To make a long story short, we finally left Monday afternoon, about 3:00.

Steven said he wanted to stay longer, he was having too much fun watching TV and getting spoiled. (Besides having Mom all to himself...)Of course there also is no school while in the hospital, a big plus in Steven's book, I'm sure.
Actually he is doing fairly well academically. On the other hand, he is the first one of our 4 kids, that is actually getting in trouble at school (had to go to the principal's office; got a note sent home...) We did not have those issues with his sisters in 2nd grade! Let's hope this is just a phase he is going through...

Thanks for checking back on Steven!
May God bless you!

Inge and family

Saturday, November 27, 2004 9:15 PM CST

Hello there!

How are you?
Steven is at Children's Hospital with a temperature.
We arrived Friday late afternoon, because his temperature
was 100.6, which means an automatic admission.
When Steven and Dad arrived, they only registered his temp at 98.9, so we were not sure, if they would keep him.
(I met them in the ER on my way home from work).

After checking him out, and listening to him cough several times, they decided to keep him after all, and ordered a chest x-ray. I re-checked his temp myself, and it was then 100.4.
The chest x-ray was clear. Later that evening, his temp was up to 101.8, so it was probably a good idea he stayed after all. He has been getting intravenous antibiotics since we got here. They also did blood cultures (standard procedure), to rule out an infection in his port.
He has hovered at 99.8 since Saturday morning, but it has not gone lower than that. Steven's usual temperature is only about 97.6, so it's a little high for him.

If he does not have any more fevers we get to leave Sunday.
Let's hope for the best, as both of us are getting rather bored.
Well, at least this happened this weekend, and not the next, as our first LCT concert is Friday, December 3rd.
The whole family is involved in it again this year, and we sure hope Steven won't have to miss any performances this time. Last year he ended up in the hospital with a fever and missed some of the concerts. Maybe this is it for this year, and we'll be fine now.
The last time I remember Steven being admitted for a fever was last March, so we have been doing pretty well, all considered.

Thanks for checking up on Steven, I better get back to the room now. (Room 25 on J5)

May God bless you!
Inge

Tuesday, November 2, 2004 9:13 PM CST

Hello!

I'm sorry it's been so long since I have updated this page.
We have just been really busy lately.

Steven continues to do great. His blood counts at his last clinic visit were so good, they increased his chemo dosage.

We are so thrilled, that he has not had a lot of the side effects that are possible while on chemo.
For the most part Steven just gets tired more than usual.
Especially for a few days after he gets his intravenous chemo. He still takes oral chemo daily and we go to the clinic once a month. His next appointment is on November 19th, when he will have a spinal tap, with chemo in his spinal fluid.

Steven has been complaining that his stomach hurts at times,
but we think that this is from the steroids he gets 5 days each month. He could take Zantac to help with that, but he says it's yucky and he does not want to take it. (I guess it's not bothering him too much).

So far Steven seems to like 2nd grade and has been doing well. He really started to enjoy reading, I guess he finally figured out, how much fun reading can be. Thankfully he has only missed very few days of school.

Well, 2 years down and "only" 14 more months to go, until his scheduled treatment will be over.
However, he will continue to have monthly check-ups for a year, then every 2 months for a year, then every 3 months...

As you see, this cancer treatment is going to be part of our lives for quite a while, yet. At least once Steven will be off the chemo, we won't have to be so worried about him getting sick anymore, as his immune system should slowly but surely completely recover. (back to "normal" in 6 to 12 months after the last chemo treatment).

Thank you so much for checking on Steven and for your continued prayers. We are sure those are the reason for his being well through all this!

PS: Steven will be participating in the LCT concerts at our church again this year! (Along with the rest of the family).
Please pray that he will be well and not too tired during this exciting, yet tiring time (the first 2 weeks in December with a total of 12 concerts). He is very happy to have a part in the shows!

Thank you!
Inge

Thursday, August 12, 2004 8:15 AM CDT

Hello!

I hope you are well!
I am doing great!
Heme Camp was awesome and I want to go again next year. We had so much fun! I just missed my friend Benjamin, since he did not want to go. Maybe he will be there next year...

I did get a little homesick, but I got to call my Mom and Dad, and then I was allright. I even went horseback riding!!!
We have been riding our little pony at home, too. Her name is Gypsy. I'll have to get my mom to put her picture on here sometime.
We have lots of little kittens, they are so cute!

The last weekend in August we are going to go to family camp with Kids 'n Kamp. That will be fun!

On August 25th school will start again. I'll be in second Grade! I can't wait!

Thanks for checking on me!
Jesus loves you!

Steven

Monday, July 19, 2004 11:40 AM CDT

Hello,

how are you doing?
I am doing great! I am feeling well and having a great summer!
My whole family is going camping this week.

I have been really busy so far this summer. We have been to Kings Island, camping twice for the weekend and I have been going to work with my Dad a lot. I love riding in his dumptruck!
We are going to go to Family Camp with Kids 'N Kamp in a
few weeks and I am also going to go to Heme Camp with
Children's Hospital soon. I cannot wait!

I hope you are having a good summer, too!

God bless you!
Thanks for checking on me!
Steven

Friday, June 4, 2004 11:29 PM CDT

Hello everyone!
Sorry it took me so long to update.
Here we are with good news. Steven continues to do well and
we are hopeful, that he will keep it up...
Today was our big Chemo day. Steven had a spinal tap (our best one ever, Steven did not even cry at all), intravenous chemo and a check-up.
Besides his "sniffle-cough", which drives me crazy, and this
odd rash he keeps having on his face, Steven is doing great. We asked his nurse Diane to look at the rash, and she also consulted Dr. Altura. Since it does not hurt or itch, they don't think it's anything we need to worry about. (Steven has some little red spots on his face only, they come and go, they fade and then are more pronounced, and they "move" to different locations).
Steven's said his gym teacher was commenting on him probably having a "heat rash" or prickly heat or something, but Steven was quick to "set her straight", telling her it was in fact a Chemo rash (which is what Diane had told us last month. Steven said she kept on saying that is what just a heat rash, but he kept telling her otherwise. That's when I almost felt like calling her and telling her, that he knows, what he is talking about, and to not argue with him, but then I thought, "nah, why worry about it"?

After we went to the clinic, Steven and I were going to go to the zoo, but Daddy talked us out of it, because of the Memorial day golf tournament, and the traffic.

So instead we went to Highbanks Park and hiked through
the woods. What great fun! We saw a bunch of cicadas.
Yuck! What big, ugly critters! And so noisy!
We also saw a deer and a squirrel. Then we played on the swings for a while, before hiking back to the car.

Only one more day of school! Steven and his sisters are so excited!
We are going to have a busy summer!
This is the first time Steven is going to go to Heme summer camp with Children's Hospital. His friend Bejamin Thomas is going, too, and I hope him and Steven will have a great time. We are going somewhere in the RV one week in July, and are also going to some events with Kids 'N Kamp and Adventures For Wish Kids. We are all looking forward to the family camp in August with Kids 'N Kamp. Steven's sisters are all going to Church camp one week in July, so Steven will have some "Just him and Daddy and Mommy time". That ought to be fun!

Have a safe and blessed summer!
Inge and the Householders'.

Thursday, April 1, 2004 5:35 PM CST

Hello!

Steven's counts last Thursday were so good, that we started back up on Chemo, but on half the dose than before.
Of course that was after a whole week with no Chemo...

We are in sunny Florida. Steven is having a wonderful time.
He is looking great, he has quite the tan. Steven loves to "hang out" in the pool and go for bike rides. We actually brought everyone's bicycle with us. We have gone to the beach twice, but Steven cannot swim in the ocean, so he has more fun staying in the pool.
Steven also likes to play with his little cousin Zachary.
We are going to head back north in a couple of days, back to the cold and rain. Yuck!
Steven's next clinic visit will be April 5th, we'll see how his counts are then. For now though, we'll enjoy the sunshine...

Hope you are all well.
Thanks for checking on Steven and don't forget to sign his guestbook.
God bless!
Inge

Monday, March 22, 2004 9:23 PM CST

Update on Steven:

Finally about 3:15PM Sunday afternoon, Steven got to come home.
Tom arrived Saturday evening to give me a break, and he spent the night with Steven and then brought him home.
Steven's ANC is only 300 at this time, so per Doctor's orders he is not allowed to go to school this week.
They also had us hold all Chemo, until we get his counts checked on Thursday night. If his ANC is over 1000 then,
he is to start his Chemo at half the dosage he was on before.
We are supposed to leave for Florida on Friday, so I hope his blood counts are going to be okay by then.
If not, we are going to have to find a place in Florida, to get bloodwork done. Let's hope not.
They do not want Steven to be off his Chemo for too long, so please pray for improved counts.

Thanks for your continued prayers and God bless you!
Inge

Friday, March 19, 2004 7:30 PM CST

Well,
I had the wrong phone number. It's actually (614)722-6484.
Please go to previous journal entries to see, what's been going on. I just wanted to get the correct hospital room
phone number on here.
Inge

Friday, March 19, 2004 6:36 PM CST

Just a quick update.
We are still in the hospital. Steven continues to spike a fever off and on. It was 103.4 this morning, this afternoon it was down to 98.4, then it started climbing again. The last time they checked tonight, it was back up to 101.4.
All tests are still negative, so we don't know, why he keeps having a fever. He has a cough and a bit of the sniffles, but no other symptoms.
Steven was feeling good this afternoon, but is back to being sleepy now, with his temperature back up.
We were moved to another room, as we were in a special
Bone Marrow Transplant room, and they needed it for another patient.
We are now in room 29, the phone number is (614) 722-6483.
Thanks for checking on Steven. I need to go back now, as he was sleeping when I left the room and I don't want him to wonder what happened to him, since he was asleep, when we moved.
Thank you for your continued prayers! God bless you!
Inge

Thursday, March 18, 2004 8:07 PM CST

Hello!

This morning about 2:00 AM Steven was admitted to Children's Hospital with a fever. (This is standard practice for a "cancerchild" with a fever, as there is always the danger of an infection in his port. (Catheter in his chest).
So far all the tests they ran have been negative (strep culture, chest x-ray, bacterial and fungal cultures).
But his temperature remains high. (The highest was 103.2 this afternoon). They just gave him some ibuprofen on top of his Tylenol a while ago to try to bring it down. This
morning his temperature was around 98.0 and we were told, that we could go home in the morning, if it continued to stay down overnight, but this afternoon and evening it has not gone down below 100.4. A few minutes ago it was 101.2 again.
Steven has not been eating a whole lot and has been sleeping most of the time, unless he was watching "The little engine that could". (We are on the fifth time now (yawn!!!). Steven just loves that movie. Last time we were here that's all he wanted to watch, too. (I did get lucky and he watched "Milo and Otis" once, yeah!)
This afternoon, Steven's friend Benjamin and his Dad Jeff stopped by to see us, and the boys got to play some video games. They brought Steven this really cool remote controlled Power Ranger motorcycle. That was so nice! Steven loves it! We made an obstacle course out of our shoes for him to drive through. That's a lot of fun.
A few minutes ago Dad arrived with some long awaited Tacos and Pintos and cheese, and Steven is finally eating.
Please keep Steven in your prayers!

We are in room 5322 on J5, and the phone number is
(614)722-6460, in case you would like to give us a call.
God bless you!
Inge

Sunday, March 7, 2004 8:43 PM CST

Hi!

Hope you are well!

Steven continues to remain in remission. Praise the Lord!

Friday was his big Chemo day, including a spinal tap. He usually handles the spinals fairly well, all things considered, but Friday he had a hard time "coming out of" the Versed. This medicine is administered to induce a conscious sedation, which means he is awake, but drowsy and almost acts like he is drunk. Well, he usually cries a little afterwards, (which is caused by the drug, they say), but Friday he just cried and cried and would not stop for anything. He got more and more worked up and just would not come out of it. We even wiped his face with a cold wet washrag, but he would now wake up and stop crying. That is very hard to watch, your child crying and crying and nothing you can do will make him stop.
Finally the nurse went to get one of the doctors, because she thought they may need to reverse the drug. When the doctor came in, Steven's eyes got real big and he pretty much just quit crying. (Of course maybe the medicine had just finally worn off at that point). They are going to use a little less of it next time...

Today Steven slept most of the day, the chemo wears him out lately. It seems to affect him more now, than last year.
Saturday night and Sunday morning our friends, the Thomas family, were here, and that kept Steven going, but today he is completely worn out. Hopefully he will feel better tomorrow.
His school has been really understanding and they even let him take naps in the sick room after lunch when he is really tired. At least that way he is not missing too much time, as he naps instead of going to recess. His teachers said that he will be ready for 2nd Grade next year, which is great! He had missed most of Kindergarten and worked with a tutor, so we are really glad he did not miss too much of first grade. (He did miss about 2 weeks right before Christmas, when he was admitted to Children's with a fever and then was still too sick to go to school even after he came home). Other than his scheduled treatments, he thankfully has not missed too much time.
He will still receive Pamidronate infusions for his bone density every 4 months now (instead of 3), and that is coming up again next month.

Thanks for checking on Steven and keeping him in your prayers!
God bless you!
Inge

Saturday, February 7, 2004 12:05 AM CST

Hi!

It's been a long time since we updated this, sorry.

Steven continues to do well. He just received another Chemo treatment on Friday. His counts were okay, except for his platelets which continue to stay lower than they had been in the past year.
His hair loss seems to have stopped, but the texture of what's left is coarser than ususal, so he looks like a little porcupine sometimes, especially after he wears a hat. (Luckily he has quite a bit of hair left).
He is finally getting the hang of reading a little better,
and we now try to read a little every night before bed.
He seems to be really good at math. Writing however is a different story. He says he hates it. When he really tries, his writing does not look too bad, but most of the time he simply does not care, what it looks like. You can read it, it's just not very pretty at times.
He is still taking Piano lessons and seems to be doing okay with that. At least that's what his teacher says.
Steven does not like to play his songs for me, for some reason. He did practice on his own yesterday, though.
Sunday we are going to have a meeting at the Kids 'N Kamp office for a fashion show I signed the kids up for.
Some High School students are planning this show and they are going to make all the clothes for the kids. That ought to be interesting.... :)
Monday we are going to be at Magic Mountain for the Kids 'N Kamp Valentine's Day Party. We hope to see lots of friends there.
Thanks for checking in on Steven, and don't forget to sign his guestbook!

God bless you!
Inge and family

Wednesday, January 14, 2004 10:39 PM CST

Hello, everyone!

Happy New Year!

The best News we had in a while is this:

Steven's bone density scan came back NORMAL!!!!

After an entire year or worrying about him breaking a bone!
His bone density was really low; the doctor had told us that he was ten times more likely than a healthy boy his age, to break a bone. So every time he raced his bicycle
down the little slope to the barn, or the sidewalk to the dog kennel, I cringed and hoped he would not fall. Every time he and his sisters were play-wrestling or clowning around,I kept reminding them to be careful about his bones.

This is a great relief!!! Praise the Lord!

Steven's ANC was 2000, his counts were ok, except for his platelets, which continue to be low (around 100,000 or less). He is still on half the Chemo dosage he was on before, because of that. He finally broke the 50 pound barrier! But he is still skinny as a rail. Growing taller by the minute, though.

His hair loss seems to be slowing down some, which is a relief. His hair has thinned a lot. Steven was really worried about going bald again. Let's hope not, Dad said, because then he would have to shave again, too. (At least that's what he told Steven).

The last couple of Chemo treatments (Vincristine) have made Steven a lot more tired than they had in the past. He sleeps a lot the whole week after Chemo. The school secretary Robin even called and asked about that. She said that he could come to the office everyday and take a nap, if he needed to.
Through it all I am thankful, that the worst chemo side effects for Steven are fatigue and hair loss, his legs also hurt at times, which can be caused by the Vincristine. At least he is not getting sick to his stomach all the time.
His appetite is not the greatest again, however, even being on the steroids for one week each month does not make him "pig out" like it used to.

Thank you for your continued prayers! God bless you!
Inge

Tuesday, December 30, 2003 10:15 PM CST

Hi, everyone!

Hope you had a great Christmas! What a wonderful time of the year, when we celebrate Christ's birth.

We are going to bring in the new year in Florida. We are visiting Steven's grandparents in Port Charlotte, on the west coast of Florida. The kids are having a great time with their grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins.

The weather is quite a change from cold, cold Ohio.
Steven and the girls have been swimming in the backyard pool every day. He has been feeling well, after being really tired all week after his last chemo treatment.
His next clinic visit is January 9th. Hopefully all his counts will be good.

Have a great new year!
Jesus loves you!

Steven and family.

Saturday, December 13, 2003 0:21 AM CST

Hi,

sorry I am late in letting you know.
Steven left the hospital late Tuesday afternoon, with directions to cut his chemo in half, as his counts were low.

Thursday we went to Children's Close to Home in Westerville
and had his counts checked again. They are better than they were on Tuesday, but we are still giving him just the half dose of chemo, since his platelet count is still low.

Monday Steven is due for his spinal tap as well as his intravenous chemo. Also on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
he has to go in for his Pamidronate infusions (4 hours each day) to strenghten his bones. They also want to do another bone density scan, to see if there is any improvement, yet.
Last spring his Doctor told us that he was 10 times more likely than a healthy boy his age, to break a bone. We are
truly hoping, that this is no longer the case. It's hard to keep a little boy from rough-housing, but there is always the concern of breaking something.

Steven is feeling much better than he was on Sunday, and he even sang in the concert on Friday night. We had special guests, 2 couples we know were there to see the concerts.
I am glad, that Steven was there for that. (I still did not feel up to it, my cold is still not gone).

Thanks for the prayers that helped Steven's recovery!

God bless you!
Inge

Sunday, December 7, 2003 9:20 PM CST

Hi,

today Steven was admitted with a fever. We are at Children's Hospital probably for the next two days.
So far everything looks allright and points to just a flubug. We are still waiting for the cultures they have taken to grow something (or lets say we hope they won't).

His temp earlier was 103.6, so he is not at all feeling well, no appetite, either.
His chest x-ray was clear.

Sandy is home with a fever as well, and both Sandy and Steven are upset, because they did not get to sing in the concerts today. Hopefully they will make some of them next week.

Please pray for a speedy recovery for both Sandy and Steven.
God bless you!

Inge

Saturday, December 6, 2003 10:05 AM CST

Hi!

Thanks for "stopping by", please don't forget to sign my guestbook! I really love to hear from you!

Everything is going well, I am feeling great!

Last night was our first concert at church and I had a great time singing with the other children in front of all those people!

But the best part is the snacks and games afterwards! And I get to spend time with my friends, while Mom and Dad are singing with the adult choir.

Well, I have to get ready to go, we have two concerts today!

Jesus loves you!
Steven

Saturday, November 22, 2003 3:00 PM CST

Hi!
How are you? I am doing well.

Today I had my first professional haircut, ever! Usually my
Mom cuts my hair, but she did not feel like fighting with me today, and I really (!) needed a haircut. (Sandy got her's cut, too.)

I am going to be in the Christmas concert at our church (Grace Brethren Church) with my sisters and my Mom and Dad. And lots and lots of other people, too. I am going to sing with the children's choir and so is Sandy. Jennifer is going to be in the Signing Choir, Stephanie is playing the tambourine in the first Act, and she will be wearing a bible costume in the 2nd Act. You will never believe what my Dad is going to do!He is going to dance in a Victorian Costume!!!!!
Then both Mom and Dad are going to sing in the Christmas trees with the adult choir.
There are still tickets available, by calling (614)431-8227.

So we will have a busy first two weeks in December, because there are 12 concerts and two dress rehearsals.

I had my chemo on Friday, the 14th, and then had to get more bloodwork done on Wednesday the 19th, because my counts were low on Friday. On Wednesday they were fine.

I am making a book of trucks. I love to draw semi-trucks and equipment, like dozers and loaders.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and count your blessings!
And remember, Jesus loves you!

Steven

Thursday, October 16, 2003 10:34 PM CDT

Hello!

Today is a rather strange anniversary to celebrate, but we celebrate none the less.
One year ago today Steven was diagnosed with Leukemia.
And life will never be quite the same as before we heard those fateful words: "Steven has cancer".

Praise be to God that Steven is still doing well and is still in remission!

We want to thank all of you for your continued prayers for Steven's health and well-being! We truly believe, that Steven's good health throughout this year is an answer to everyone's prayers. Even some of the doctors have said that we should continue doing whatever it is we are doing, because he has been amazingly well, all considered. Our reply to that is "lots of prayer, that's what".

Thank you so much for your support through this tough year.
We have been truly blessed by our family, friends, church, neighbors, Steven's school and it's families, and also complete strangers, that have helped us by giving their time, prayer, food, and financial assistance, cards, well wishes or just kind words to lift us up. Without everyone's help this year would have been unbearable. Without faith in the Lord, we could not have made it through this time.

This has been quite a year. In retrospect it is amazing how fast it seems to have passed. Even though time crawls while you are sitting in the hospital or clinic, waiting for tests and lab results, procedures and treatments.
I am so glad that now Steven "only" has to go to the clinic once a month. (Right after his diagnosis we were going once or sometimes twice every week...)
I really appreciate everyone at Children's Hospital. They are a great group of people! They are so supportive and try to make the clinic visits as "nice" for the kids as possible. Steven actually seems to miss going as often...

On October 4th we participated in the Light The Night Walk to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Everyone was to carry a lighted red balloon, but cancer survivors got to carry white ones. Steven wanted nothing to do with the "boring white balloon", even though we explained to him, that the white ones were special.

Last weekend we went to Fall celebrations with Adventures for Wish Kids and Kids 'N Kamp. We had a great time seeing some friends we had made at Family Camp. We also got to see the Thomas family again. They are at Disney World as we speak, hopefully having a wonderful time.

Thank you again and may God richly bless you!
Inge, Tom, Stephanie, Jennifer, Sandy and

Steven

Sunday, September 21, 2003 9:47 PM CDT

Hi there!

I had a very busy week!
On Monday we went to Magic Mountain thanks to Adventures for wish kids. That was a lot of fun!
I got to play games, ride in the go-karts with my Dad and most of all, I got to see my friends Emily and Benjamin, Dillon and Zoey and their parents. That was great!

On Wednesday we went to church. My Mom and Dad sing in the choir now and they had to practice. I went to "Tree Climbers", that is the first grade group of boys and Dads that I go to now on Wednesday nights. We have a good time.
Sandy goes to SMM which stands for "Serving my Master". It's a group for 5th Grade girls. Jennifer and Stephanie usually go to a church group with a friend of my parents.

On Friday was my monthly clinic visit. I got my chemo and also a spinal tap with medicine for my back. It's supposed to make sure that I don't get Leukemia in my central nervous system. Then I got to pick out a toy out of the toy box. I got some Walkie Talkies.
Guess who I got to meet?
We saw Dino and Stacy from Sunny 95, they were having a marathon to raise money for Children's Hospital. My Mom and Dad even got to talk on the radio! And I had my picture taken with Dino and Stacy! They also signed my scrap book! Isn't that neat? Maybe I can get my Mom to put that picture on here sometime.

My blood counts were good, my ANC was 1575, that was the highest it's been for some time, (ANC is a representative number of the immune system), but it's still a lot lower than normal.

Saturday I went to work with my Dad. I got to ride on a bulldozer, too. That was so cool!

On Sunday after church the Thomases came over to see us.
I had a lot of fun showing Emily, Benjamin, Dillon and Zoey my toys, and the cats and dogs and my train set (which by the way still isn't done). Then my Dad gave all the kids a ride in a skid loader he borrowed from his friend Paul. That was great. Jeff and Sherry rode in our go-kart, too.
Maybe next time they come, we'll ride the pony.

Well, tomorrow and the next two days I'm headed for Children's Hospital. My aunt Stacy is going to take me, so my Mom does not have to miss work.
I am going to get Pamidronate infusions, which are supposed to help make my bones stronger. They take 4 hours each day. They have videos and books and stuff there, so I hope it won't be too boring. I'm also going to take some of my homework to work on.

Wednesday night we are going to a Blue Jackets game, compliments of Adventures for wish kids.

We'll try to update this page more often, so check back; and please sign my page!

Jesus loves you!
Steven

Tuesday, September 9, 2003 7:01 PM CDT

Hi!
How are you?

I am doing fine.

My hair is all back, and it's starting to curl at the ends. My Mom says it's really cute, but I don't like it that much.
It's also a lot lighter than before it fell out.

I started school and I like first grade a lot. Hopefully I will be able to go to school the whole year this time. This is part of a funny song we learned:

Have you ever seen a bee with a sunburned knee?
Have you ever seen a cow with a green eyebrow?
Have you ever seen a bear with furry furry hair?
Have you ever seen a whale with a polkadot tail?
Down by the bay....

I had a lot of fun at Salt Fork, I caught two catfish when I went fishing with my Uncle Gary. I also swam in the pool with a life jacket on. (At first I would not let go of my Mom, I mean I was really hanging on tight!) But then I had a great time. We stayed in a real nice cabin. We also went hiking, boating and had a campfire with S'Mores.
We also rode a canal boat at Roscoe Village. Two big horses pulled it! That was really cool!
Then we walked through some old houses with old furniture and things. That was interesting!

Labor day weekend we went to Recreation Unlimited with Kids N'Kamp. We spent Friday and Saturday night in a cabin. Boys with Dads and girls with Moms. We had a campfire on Friday night and roasted hotdogs. Saturday we did a lot of crafts and all kids colored a rubber duck for the Annual Duck Race on Sunday morning. And guess what? My duck won! I got a trophy! We also flew a kite, played on the playground and on Saturday night we played Bingo! We got a lot of prizes! I picked a bunch of toy cars! I made some new friends.

Next week we are going to go to Magic Mountain with Adventures For Wish Kids! I bet that will be fun!

Take care and thanks for "stopping in". Please sign my guest book. I love getting your messages!

Steven

Wednesday, August 6, 2003 8:50 PM CDT

Hello!

How are you?

I am doing fine. My last clinic visit went well.
My blood counts are what they are supposed to be at this point in my treatment. That means though, that my immune system is still weaker than "normal". So I still wear my mask pretty much everywhere we go.

On August 3rd we all went to the Sullivan family reunion.
My grandma's mom was a Sullivan from Ireland. Then we
went to the Dublin Irish festival. I got to throw some darts with my Dad. That was cool!
I also saw some Irish Wolfhounds. They were huge! Bigger than me, that's for sure! I also saw an Irish Greyhound.
We all watched some Irish dancing, but I got bored with that... I really liked a big sand sculpture a couple of guys were working on.

I have been going to work with my Dad almost every day for the last two weeks. (I love riding in the dump truck!).
The other day my Dad's friend Paul let me steer a big roller, when they were putting in a driveway for someone!
That was awesome! We did a good job, it looked really nice.

By the way, my model railroad is coming along, but it still is not done...

Saturday morning we will leave for Salt Fork State Park in Cambridge. We are going to stay for a week. Except for Dad who will have to work, he'll just be there on the weekends.

I can't wait for school to start, so I can see all my friends there.

Thanks for praying for me!
Jesus loves you!
Steven

Saturday, July 12, 2003 9:10 AM CDT

Hello!

Sorry, it's been a while since we updated. No new developments here.
Steven continues to do well. He is enjoying the summer.
Our next trip to the clinic will be in two weeks. This time
just blood counts and intravenous chemo. No spinal tap for
3 months!

Steven has had a busy summer so far...

July 3rd he was in the Columbus Red, White and Boom parade with Kids 'N Kamp.
He got to ride in the float and made some new friends, Emily and Benjamin.

July 9th he went to Kings Island with Mom. This trip was sponsored by Adventures for Wish Kids. We had a great time!
Steven even rode the "Beastie" and the "Runwaway Reptar",
little roller coasters. And of course, we had to ride the big train twice, since he loves trains and especially steam engines.

His big sisters were at camp all week, so Steven got to go to work with Daddy. He loves riding in the truck and seeing all the equipment at the quarry. Speaking of quarry, we went to a huge picnic with fireworks at one of the quarries his Dad hauls stone from, on June 28th. Steven got to ride a bus all the way to the bottom of the "hole", that was very exciting!

We are also working on Steven's model railroad. It actually runs now, but we still have lots more track to lay and terrain to build. Now Steven wants to go downstairs all the time and "work on the train".

PS: Most of Steven's hair is back! It's still very short, but getting fuller every day.

We are so glad Steven is doing well! We thank you for your continued prayers!

Steven's family

Friday, June 27, 2003 6:28 AM CDT

Hello, everyone!

I hope you are well!

We had a busy week! Steven received 3 days of Pamidronate infusions for his osteoporosis.
These take 4 hours at a time. But we ended up being there
for about 5 hours total each day for that.
On Wednesday we actually went to the clinic in the morning for his regular check-up and chemo, and then spent the afternoon getting his infusion to strenghten his bones.
What a long day! Especially with not much sleep for Mom!
But at least we did not have to go back again today, as originally planned.

This was my last week working nights! I will start working first shift on Monday morning. That will take some time to adjust, I'm sure, but I am looking forward to being home with my family in the evenings.
After working 2nd and now 3rd shift for the past 14 1/2 years, it will be quite a change! For the better, I hope!
I am a night person, that's for sure, but no more staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning on the weekends...

Steven continues to do well, praise the Lord!
We appreciate your continued prayers and trust God for Steven's complete healing!

May God bless you!
Inge and family

Thursday, June 19, 2003 2:53 AM CDT

Hi!

How are you?

I am doing fine. I have been feeling really good.

My Mom says I have not been eating enough, but I just don't have that much of an appetite right now.

My Dad and big sis Stephanie built me a BIG table for my model railroad. We are all going to help put it together soon, I hope. We have stuff to make mountains, lay the track and we also have some houses. I can't wait. It will be so much fun.

Next week I have to go to Children's Hospital almost every day. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I will be getting more of those infusions to make my bones stronger. Friday is my day to go to the clinic to get my blood counts checked. I'll also have a spinal tap and get more chemo then.

Maybe Mom will take me to the zoo again afterwards. I love going to the zoo!

Jesus loves you!
Talk to you later,
Steven

Monday, June 9, 2003 7:20 PM CDT

Just a quick update,

we are home again. Steven's fever stopped on Sunday afternoon, and we got to leave Monday afternoon.

Steven still has to take antibiotics for the next two days,
but his lungs have cleared up.

Wow! What a quick answer to prayer!

God bless you all!

Steven and family

Saturday, June 7, 2003 10:40 AM CDT

Well, so much for those Fridays off...

Last night I brought Steven to the Emergency room here at Childrens' Hospital. On arrival he had a temperature of 103.4. He has pneumonia.
He will be here until at least Monday morning on antibiotics. If Steven's cultures don't "grow anything" and his temperature stays down, we should be able to leave Monday.

If you would like to call Steven (I'm sure he'd love that!)
he is in room 5307 and the phone number is (614) 722- 6434.

We're praying for a speedy recovery!

Steven and Inge

Wednesday, June 4, 2003 6:52 AM CDT

Hello, everyone!

Good news! My counts last Friday were really good! My ANC was over 1800.

I don't have to go back to the clinic for a whole month! Wow! My Mom said we won't know, what to do on Fridays.

I'm really disappointed that I can't go to school this week. The doctors said I should stay home, since there was a case of chicken pox at school, and if there's one, there will likely be more. (It's only the last week, after all).
Better safe than sorry!

I'm going to miss my friends at school over the summer!

Steven

Wednesday, May 28, 2003 2:43 AM CDT

Hello everyone!

We had a bit of a scare on Tuesday. The school secretary called and said that one of the 5th graders came to school with chickenpox Tuesday morning.
Chickenpox can be life threatening to a child with a compromised immune system due to chemotherapy.
Apparently this boy rides the same bus with Steven, and we were worried, that Steven may have been exposed on Friday morning during the bus ride or at Field Day at school.
We are pretty sure he did not get exposed, but ask for your prayers for Steven's safety, just in case.
Since other children at school may come down with chickenpox and there are only 8 days of school left, the doctors at Children's Hospital recommended that we keep Steven home for the remainder of the school year.
He is pretty disappointed, as he had just started going back and was having a lot of fun with his friends.
But we would rather be safe than sorry. Steven's sisters have all had chickenpox, and hopefully will not bring them
home.
This coming Friday, Steven is scheduled for a spinal tap and intravenous chemo at the clinic, provided that his counts are good. He also takes oral chemo daily at home.

May God bless you all!
The Householder's

Saturday, May 17, 2003 8:45 AM CDT

Hello, everyone!

There is not much to report this week.
We went to the clinic yesterday. Steven's counts are good.
It was a short visit. Then Steven thought he should not have to go to school, because he went to the clinic. But I told him, that he already missed too much school, and that he would go.
In two weeks, however, he'll go back for another spinal tap and intravenous chemo, and he will stay home then.

Steven went to the zoo with his class last Tuesday and had a great time, but I ended up carrying him for a while, because he still gets tired easily.

Steven remains in good spirits and is looking good, he has a bit of color (no longer a paleface) and his hair is starting to come in pretty well.

Thanks for your continued prayers!
Inge and family

Friday, May 9, 2003 7:35 AM CDT

Hello, everyone!

No clinic and no chemo today!

Steven started going back to school on Wednesday. He was really worried, that his classmates were going to make fun of him, because he still does not have much hair. But they were all happy to see him, and were all really nice to him.
I took him to school and stayed there with him. I also told him that I could come back the next day, if he needed me to. But after seeing, that nobody is going to tease him, he said he was fine without me.
We are glad Steven can go to school for the last few weeks, as he missed most of the school year. We are very thankful for his tutor, Miss Hinkle, as he was able to keep up with his classmates in his schoolwork, and will be ready for first grade in the fall.

We are hoping for good weather for tomorrow, as Kids 'N Kamp has an outing planned for the children at the Columbus Zoo.
Steven's class also has a zoo trip planned for next Tuesday.
He loves going to the zoo!

God bless you all!
Inge

Friday, May 2, 2003 5:41 PM CDT

We just got back from the clinic a little while ago. Steven's counts were good, and so we started "Interim Maintenance".
He had a spinal tap today as well as intravenous chemo and intrathecal (into the spinal fluid)chemo. Now we don't have to go back for 2 weeks! Yeah! We won't know, how to act next Friday. We have been going to the clinic almost every Friday since October 16th.
This treatment phase also includes oral chemo (and the dreaded steroids for a week; Michelina's, here we come).

We are so thankful that Steven continues to do well. Praise God for answering all our prayers. Thank you all for your continued prayers!

May God bless you!
Inge

Monday, April 28, 2003 7:28 PM CDT

Hello everyone!

I am feeling pretty good right now, but my counts were not high enough to start the next phase.

I am starting to grow some hair! Yeah! I don't think you could see it in a picture, yet.

I had a busy weekend, we went to a Magic Show and to the Zoo on Saturday. I did not get to go Friday, because it looked like rain, and we got busy. But we did go shopping and I got to pick out a toy.

Mom has to go to work, so we'll have to write more tomorrow.

Jesus loves you!
Steven

Friday, April 18, 2003 6:21 PM CDT

Hello again!

We had much better news today, than we had anticipated.
Praise the Lord!

Steven's counts were good today, no transfusion!

So next week he will start "Interim Maintenance" for two months. This consists of monthly spinal taps (they put chemo meds in his spinal fluid, to prevent a relapse there),
as well as intravenous chemo once a month and a few days on steroids. He will also be taking oral chemo daily from then on until the end of treatment.

We are still praying for his appetite to return. (It is a little better).

May God bless you! Have a happy Easter!

Inge, Tom, Steven, Sandy, Jennifer and Stephanie

Thursday, April 17, 2003 7:04 PM CDT

Hi, family and friends!

Here's an update on how Steven is doing. As I wrote on Saturday, we expected Steven's counts to drop quite a bit this week. His Hemoglobin dropped so much, he had to have a blood transfusion on Tuesday. Tomorrow we are going back to the clinic for a check-up. He may need platelets then, as they were also low and dropping on Tuesday.
Steven is still tired a lot, and his appetite is still not back. He went from eating "all the time" to just picking at his food most of the time.

Through all this, Steven remains in good spirits. We are sure his counts will be back on a good level by next week and his appetite will pick up.

We are planning a Zoo trip for his 6th birthday, on April 25th, so we are hoping for good weather (and that he is up to par by then).

Thank you for your continued prayers! Jesus loves you!
Tom, Inge and family

Saturday, April 12, 2003 10:12 PM CDT

Hello, everyone!

Just a quick update,
Steven had his last IV chemo on Monday, now his blood counts are dropping. (As expected). Bone marrow suppression sets in 10-14 days after the first dose of ARA-C, which is what we were giving him at home over the past 2 weekends.

Now his red blood count is low, as well as his platelets.
Hopefully they won't go down too much, or he may need a transfusion.

We have been asked, "when this is going to be over".
Well, not for a long time...
April 24th starts "Interim Maintenance", which lasts for 2 months. Then Steven will be in "Maintenance". Barring any unforseen developments, his last scheduled treatment day
is DECEMBER 20TH, 2005! Long ways off...

After Steven's clinic appointment on Friday, we went to the zoo for a couple of hours. We had a lot of fun. Steven was surprised to see how much Klyde, the 1 year old black rhino has grown. Steven loves going to the zoo! He really liked the snakes, too.

May God bless you!
The Householders

Saturday, April 5, 2003 10:06 AM CST

Hello friends and family!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers!

Steven went back to the clinic yesterday and his blood counts are much higher than we expected. They are actually better now, than they were last week! This chemo phase is
supposed to be really tough. So far Steven has come through with flying colors! We are so thankful for that!

His appetite is lagging a bit, but we're sure that will pick back up. Steven is in good spirits, he loves riding his bicycle. We are having a hard time keeping him out of his sand pile, though.

We're praying that he'll continue to do well.

More later,
Tom, Inge and Family

Friday, March 28, 2003 5:54 PM CST

Finally!
Today we started the 2nd round of the intense treatment phase. So far everything looks good. Steven has not had any reaction yet, but it has only been a little while, since he received his chemo this afternoon.

We will have to give him chemo at home for the next three days, so they left the needle and a short catheter in his port until Monday late afternoon. After his last dose we get to take it out.

One of the medicines he received today can cause bladder damage, so we'll have to keep making him drink lots of water for the rest of the evening. This will hopefully protect his bladder (they say they don't usually see any damage, but it's a possibility).

The other medicine he got can cause fevers (which will mean hospital admission) and can drop his blood counts considerably. It can also cause nausea and flulike achiness.
(This is the medicine we will give him at home).

So we ask that you pray for Steven to come through the next
month without complications as he has in the past months.
We sincerely believe that all your prayers have kept him well. Thank you so much!

Even though going through this time is not easy, when we see what some of the other children we meet at the clinic
each week are dealing with, we feel very fortunate, that "all Steven has is Leukemia". He has been responding to treatment very well and has been in good spirits all along.

May God bless you!
Tom, Inge and family

Saturday, March 22, 2003 10:47 AM CST

Hi, everyone!

No Chemo again yesterday. Good news and bad news. My counts are coming up, and I'm feeling great. The bad news is that they are not up high enough and I still have to wait for the next treatment phase. They tell me next week for sure.

I did get to stop and see my friend Delaney after clinic.
Please pray for Delaney. She has been in the hospital for a very long time now.

And please keep praying for me,too!

Thanks and God bless you!
Steven

Tuesday, March 18, 2003 2:46 AM CST

Hello everyone!

I just love the sunshine Jesus has been sending for us!
I got to go outside and play and ride my bike! I am feeling very good! (And still hungry ALL the time).

The hockey game on Saturday night was a lot of fun! And the Blue Jackets even won! (5-0) My Mom will have to put the pictures we took on here. We have one with me in Stinger's Club House and some with me in the Arena (We were way up high).

A Columbus Police officer gave me a little police badge, and then he came back and gave me a hockey puck and 2 books about the Blue Jackets and the other team that played. That was cool!

I'll talk to you later!
Jesus loves you!
Steven

Saturday, March 15, 2003 7:55 AM CST

Hello!

Well, no Chemo for me this week. My counts were too low. So we have to wait a week and see, if they come up enough. My ANC is supposed to be 1000 or more, and it was 336.

So we got there and they hooked me up to IV fluids to make sure I was very "hydrated" before giving me this medicine, I was supposed to get. We were going to have to be there all day. Then they said: "you're going home".

So my Mom and I stopped at Taco Bell on the way home, and then we met my Dad in his dump truck. I got to work with him for a while. That was fun!

Tonight I get to go to a Blue Jackets hockey game. We got free tickets! I'll have to tell you all about it later!

Thanks for all your prayers! Jesus loves you!
Steven

Wednesday, March 12, 2003 6:04 PM CST

Hello!

Not much to write about here, I am doing well. My legs are feeling better now. I have been eating lots and lots of Michelina's frozen dinners again. My Mom and Dad are ready to buy Michelina's stock. What do you think?

We'll be going to the clinic on Friday and if my ANC is 1000 or more, we'll start the next 4 week phase of Chemo.(The ANC or Absolute Neutrophil Count is a representative of the immune system).

My friend Delaney's birthday is Thursday, March 13th, maybe you'd like to send her a birthday greeting. She is in the hospital right now. Her web address is :www.caringbridge.org/oh/teamdelaney. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you!

Jesus loves you!
Steven

Sunday, March 9, 2003 0:53 AM CST

Hello!

My Mommy finally got soooo tired of hair everywhere, so she shaved the little that was left off.
When I first got sick my Daddy said that once I would be bald, he would let me shave his head, too. My Mom will add those pictures tomorrow.

I'm tired a lot, but okay otherwise. My legs are still hurting sometimes. My appetite is good right now and I am back to my favorite: Michelinas chicken and noodle frozen dinners. I could eat them all the time. (And I am).

Thank you for keeping me in your prayers! God bless you!

Steven

Friday, March 7, 2003 1:55 PM CST

Hello!

I went to the clinic today. My counts are okay and I did not get any chemo.
If my blood counts are good next week, we'll start the next 4 week phase, if not, we'll wait a week.

The only new thing is, my hair is REALLY falling out now. It's coming out all over the place. What a mess!

I'm having fun rubbing my head all over my Dad's shirt, because it makes a big hairy mess! When my hair is all gone,
my Mom will put a new picture on this website.

Last night my legs hurt really bad. I didn't want to walk.
But they are all better now, because Mom gave me some Advil.

Jesus loves you!
Steven

Monday, March 3, 2003 2:19 PM CST

Hi!

I am home again!
The treatment went okay, it just made me a little tired, but not sick! The only thing I did not like about it was that I had to stay in one place for 4 hours. They had to take my blood pressure every 15 Minutes, and they left the blood pressure cuff on me the whole time. It's pretty neat the way that machine works all by itself! And it prints out a paper on the side that let's the nurses know my blood pressure.
I am glad to be home again!

Thanks for all your prayers! Jesus loves you!

Steven

Friday, February 28, 2003 5:38 PM CST

We are at Children's Hospital and will be through Sunday night.
Steven started the infusion to strengthen his bones and will have one on Saturday and again on Sunday.
We are hopeful that this medication will not make him spike
a temperature or make him nauseous.
We brought lots of books and toys, but I'm sure Steven would love a phone call...The number is 614-722-6444, I think you can call between 8:00AM and 8:00PM.

We are in Room 12 in J5.

Please remember Steven in your prayers. Thanks!

Tom, Inge and Steven (Dad will be going home in a while)

Tuesday, February 25, 2003 4:26 PM CST

Hi!

I met the specialist today and he wants to give me special medicine to make my bones stronger.
So on Friday I will go to the clinic for my next Chemo treatments and then probably spend the next two nights at Children's for my "bone medicine". (Unless the insurance can't get it approved that quickly). I'll get it through my port (IV) and they want me to stay there, to make sure I don't have a reaction.

I should be able to go home Sunday evening.

I'll let you know the room number, once I get there, in case you would like to call or visit.

Thanks for keeping me in your prayers!

Steven

Monday, February 24, 2003 4:34 PM CST

Hello!

I am feeling pretty good today. I have a lot more energy now.

The Chemo treatment on Friday made me pretty tired for a couple of days, it also upset my tummy a bit on Saturday.

But I'm okay now.

Tomorrow we are going to see a specialist to help make my bones stronger. The doctors say that my bone density is much lower than it should be for a boy my age.

We'll let you know, what the doctor had to say!

Jesus loves you!

Steven

Friday, February 21, 2003 6:51 PM CST

Hello, everyone!

A special "hi!" to Mrs Donnelly's kindergarten class at BV North Elementary! I miss you all, too! Thanks for the messages!

Today I had another Chemo treatment. It went well.
My counts are good and I am feeling great!

I helped my big sister Stephanie make dinner today, because my Mom was still at work. We made spaghetti. I love spaghetti! Do you like it?

My Mom put a new picture in the album. Check it out!

I'll talk to you later!
Jesus loves you!

Steven

Thursday, February 20, 2003 9:01 PM CST

Hello!

Thanks for writing to me, I love getting E-Mails. I am feeling pretty good today, but am tired.
Tomorrow I will get another Chemo treatment, hopefully it won't take too long.
I still have most of my hair, but it's getting a little thin in spots. They say that it will probably all be gone,soon. My Daddy said he'll shave his hair off, too.
That will be funny!

Thank you for praying for me! Jesus loves you!

Steven

Wednesday, February 19, 2003 7:43 PM CST

The pictures are there now! I finally figured it out!

Tuesday, February 18, 2003 6:32 PM CST

Steven has been doing well so far with this treatment phase. The only thing we have noticed is that his cheeks are flushed quite often. Since a big fear of ours is, that he will develop a fever, we are checking his temperature a lot.
His appetite has improved somewhat, since he is back on steroids this week.
For the past 3 weeks or so, all Steven wanted to eat were
"Michelinas" frozen dinners, but only the chicken noodle variety. Now he'll eat a more varied diet again.

I have been trying to download Steven's picture on here, but have not figured out how to do that, yet. I'll keep trying...

Sunday, February 16, 2003 9:50 PM CST

Steven was diagnosed with ALL, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, on Wednesday, October 16th, 2002. A day that has changed our lives forever.
I will try to update this webpage as often as possible. Please visit often, and leave notes for Steven. He will enjoy them very much. Feel free to share the web address with anyone you feel may be interested in Steven's progress, as well as will include him in their prayers.

Steven has responded to treatment very well so far, and we hope for a complete healing.
Today he went to Children's Hospital to receive two shots in his legs. Intramuscular Chemo. He was none too happy about that, but he fell asleep right after, and is all right now.
He also had an MRI of his spine on Friday, to check his bone density again. He is scheduled to see a specialist on Tuesday, February 25th, to assess his treatment options, if necessary.

Thursday, February 13th, started the "Delayed Intensification" Phase of his treatment. This phase is 8 weeks long. He received new Chemo drugs that will be more aggressive than what he has had so far. (This is standard treatment, even though Steven is still in remission, Praise the Lord!)
We will see how he responds, so far, so good. He did not get nauseous, just very,very tired.

I need to close now, I am going back to work tomorrow, and have to get up at 5:00 AM. 2 weeks of training on first shift.

God Bless You All!
Inge, Tom and Family

Sunday, February 16, 2003 9:37 PM CST

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