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Click here to go back to the main page. Thursday, April 16, 2009 0:03 AM CDT Hello, everyone!!! Benji is doing well, getting taller and more grown up every day. He is six years cancer free now. It's been hard to update this page. So much stuff is going on around our house. Just normal every day stuff. The kids are doing well in school. We're getting ready for the summer. We're going to do some campong and swimming, and Rick and I will be going away for our twentieth anniversary in June. Please keep in prayer all those that are fighting cancer and other illnesses. Thanks and God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.   send email
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 10:33 AM CST happy New year everybody!!! We're all doing well. Benji and his brother and sister started back to school this week. We had an awesome holiday and arwe looking forward to seeing what this upcoming year has in store for us. I hope everyone that read this is blessed with a healthy happy and prosperous new year. Thank you for checking in on Benji. God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Friday, November 28, 2008 10:59 AM CST Happy Holidays from the Zello family. Life is going really well for our family. Rick is enjoying his new career as a substance abuse counselor. It's really nice being civilian for a change. I've been busy with the kids and working. Friday Night Lights just wrapped up season three. We've had the opportunity to film a lot this season. we're very hopeful that the show will be back for a fourth season. I've also been busy with my two year olds at MOPS on Fridays. these kids are absolutley precious. I'm so blessed to have a job where i can go love on babies and actually get paid for it. Josh is doing well in highschool. he's finding his niche with the other kids and is actually going to be the Judson football photographer. He and benji have been making movies and videos as of late. A lot of their stuff can be found on youtube. Benji is having a lot of fun this year. Seventh grade is going really well for him. His grades are awesome, he's making friends and he's finding his niche, also in photography. He's the healthiest he's been in ages and he's actually letting his hair grow out a bit. He's getting tall!! Grace is loving third grade. Her grades rock and she has quite a few friends, both in her class and in the neighborhood. She's going to be tall like her brothers. Well, that's about all for here. Life is just trucking along. We're very thankful for what we've been blessed with this year. We hope everyone who reads this has an awesome holiday season. Remember the reason for the season. God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.   send email
Friday, October 17, 2008 1:27 PM CDT We saw the geneticist yesterday. And while benji does have a some characteristics of Marfans', the dr feels that he does not fit the criteria of having Marfans. YAY!!! No Marfans for Benji!!!!! Praise God!! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support during this difficult time. It means the world to us that we have so many people who care for us. We're so blessed this Fall. Our family is excited to be able to enjoy this season and just be happy, doing normal stuff like carving pumpkins and trick or treating around the neighborhood. Tonight, we're going to go to Six Flags and just relax!! have a great weekend, everyone! Thank you, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Saturday, October 11, 2008 9:27 PM CDT Benji's appointment went really well. No sign of tumor, and the best part?? after next year, he may not need yearly scans anymore! praise God. Thank you all for praying for my little butter. This week, we see the geneticist and the eye specialist. Please keep those prayers coming! Thank you!! Loriann A blood relative of mine just found out that she has something called Marfan Syndrome. Some of the characterisitics are as follows. A tall and thin body frame, long and slender fingers, and long arms and legs. curved spine (called scoliosis). Chest-wall deformities, such as a breast bone (sternum) that is caved in (indented) or sticking out (protruding). If the breast bone is indented, it may also be very narrow. Eye or vision problems, such as nearsightedness (only being able to see objects close up) or a detached retina that can lead to sudden loss of eyesight. A detached retina can be repaired by an eye surgeon. Disproportionate growth, meaning people with Marfan syndrome are usually very tall. This may be especially noticeable in children, because they may be much taller than other children their own age. Flat feet. Loose joints (called joint laxity) or being double jointed. hypotonia My mom died of an aortic hemmorhage. My brother who was built very tall and very thin and loose jointed had an enlarged aorta at the time of his death. The bad news in that scenario is that Benji is built just like him and shows many of the characteristics of Marfans. There are a few tests that are possble indicators. Benji's wingspan is greater than his height. He's able to touch elbow to elbow behind his back and he can overlap fingers around his wrist. He had an appointment today with pediatrics and his doctor is very concerned with the other signs he's showing. She's sent consults for us to see a cardiologist, an geneticist and an opthamologist. I have an appointment for myself next week, just to be on the safe side. Josh and grace don't seem to have any of the signs of marfans, but the doctor says that they may test them for the genetic marker. I don't seem to have any signs, but I may be a carrier or may have a mild form of it. So that's what's new. This would explain so much about Benji. Obviously, the best case scenario would be that he doesn't have it. But if he does, then, barring any complications that we don't know about yet, he would just need monitored periodically with an echo or an MRI or ultrasound. Thw worst case scenario is that Benji is having valve or aorta problems that would require surgery. He's excused from gym until further notice, no contact sports. He's going to be the coach's assistant. I'll keep you all posted on any latest developments. Please keep us in prayer. Thank you, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email Sunday, October 5, 2008 4:58 PM CDT Benji goes in this week for his annual MRI and check up. He'll be getting scanned on Thursday ad will go to the Brain Tumor Clinic at Wilford hall on Friday. Wilford hall just started this clinic and Benji is the guinea pig, so to speak. Next week, Benji goed into the see the geneticist. Please keep us in prayer. Thank you, Loriann A blood relative of mine just found out that she has something called Marfan Syndrome. Some of the characterisitics are as follows. A tall and thin body frame, long and slender fingers, and long arms and legs. curved spine (called scoliosis). Chest-wall deformities, such as a breast bone (sternum) that is caved in (indented) or sticking out (protruding). If the breast bone is indented, it may also be very narrow. Eye or vision problems, such as nearsightedness (only being able to see objects close up) or a detached retina that can lead to sudden loss of eyesight. A detached retina can be repaired by an eye surgeon. Disproportionate growth, meaning people with Marfan syndrome are usually very tall. This may be especially noticeable in children, because they may be much taller than other children their own age. Flat feet. Loose joints (called joint laxity) or being double jointed. hypotonia My mom died of an aortic hemmorhage. My brother who was built very tall and very thin and loose jointed had an enlarged aorta at the time of his death. The bad news in that scenario is that Benji is built just like him and shows many of the characteristics of Marfans. There are a few tests that are possble indicators. Benji's wingspan is greater than his height. He's able to touch elbow to elbow behind his back and he can overlap fingers around his wrist. He had an appointment today with pediatrics and his doctor is very concerned with the other signs he's showing. She's sent consults for us to see a cardiologist, an geneticist and an opthamologist. I have an appointment for myself next week, just to be on the safe side. Josh and grace don't seem to have any of the signs of marfans, but the doctor says that they may test them for the genetic marker. I don't seem to have any signs, but I may be a carrier or may have a mild form of it. So that's what's new. This would explain so much about Benji. Obviously, the best case scenario would be that he doesn't have it. But if he does, then, barring any complications that we don't know about yet, he would just need monitored periodically with an echo or an MRI or ultrasound. Thw worst case scenario is that Benji is having valve or aorta problems that would require surgery. He's excused from gym until further notice, no contact sports. He's going to be the coach's assistant. I'll keep you all posted on any latest developments. Please keep us in prayer. Thank you, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 3:48 PM CDT A blood relative of mine just found out that she has something called Marfan Syndrome. Some of the characterisitics are as follows. A tall and thin body frame, long and slender fingers, and long arms and legs. curved spine (called scoliosis). Chest-wall deformities, such as a breast bone (sternum) that is caved in (indented) or sticking out (protruding). If the breast bone is indented, it may also be very narrow. Eye or vision problems, such as nearsightedness (only being able to see objects close up) or a detached retina that can lead to sudden loss of eyesight. A detached retina can be repaired by an eye surgeon. Disproportionate growth, meaning people with Marfan syndrome are usually very tall. This may be especially noticeable in children, because they may be much taller than other children their own age. Flat feet. Loose joints (called joint laxity) or being double jointed. hypotonia My mom died of an aortic hemmorhage. My brother who was built very tall and very thin and loose jointed had an enlarged aorta at the time of his death. The bad news in that scenario is that Benji is built just like him and shows many of the characteristics of Marfans. There are a few tests that are possble indicators. Benji's wingspan is greater than his height. He's able to touch elbow to elbow behind his back and he can overlap fingers around his wrist. He had an appointment today with pediatrics and his doctor is very concerned with the other signs he's showing. She's sent consults for us to see a cardiologist, an geneticist and an opthamologist. I have an appointment for myself next week, just to be on the safe side. Josh and grace don't seem to have any of the signs of marfans, but the doctor says that they may test them for the genetic marker. I don't seem to have any signs, but I may be a carrier or may have a mild form of it. So that's what's new. This would explain so much about Benji. Obviously, the best case scenario would be that he doesn't have it. But if he does, then, barring any complications that we don't know about yet, he would just need monitored periodically with an echo or an MRI or ultrasound. Thw worst case scenario is that Benji is having valve or aorta problems that would require surgery. He's excused from gym until further notice, no contact sports. He's going to be the coach's assistant. I'll keep you all posted on any latest developments. Please keep us in prayer. Thank you, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 9:30 PM CDT Hello everybody!! we're all doing well. Sorry i've not been as active with this journal as i've been before. It's been crazy busy in the Zello household. First off, hubby retired from active duty in June. We had relatives in town and actually preparing for the ceremony was as stressful as preparing for a wedding. After the relatives left, we packed up our RV and went camping on galveston Island. We stayed at this incredible campground, ran by these two retired folks who treated their guests like we were staying in their home. We spent a lot of time at the beach and in the pool. We were able to watch the shuttle land from the Houston Space Center and we visited the famous kemah boardwalk. All too soon, it was time to come home. After we came home, we had to get our oldest son ready for camp. He got off and back safely and now we're just catching our breath. We were so busy that the day after we came home was our nineteenth wedding anniversary and we didn't remember until close to lunch time. Aren't we pathetic? In other news, hubby was able to find a full time counseling job between two psych facilities. the civilian sector is taking some getting used to, but we feel like we're in the right place. We're staying here in Texas. I was realy afraid that when dh retired, we'd be having to move somewhere and change our whole lives, but really, the only thing changing is hubby's career. he actually wore jeans to work on the fourth and got paid double time because it was the holiday!! The kids are enjoying their summer and we're doing a lot of swimming! The goose is going to camp for the first time this year and is turning into quite the little swimmer. Benji goes off to cancer camp in a week and he's excited. He's doing well and no sign of any tumor activity. Josh goes on his first mission trip in August. over all, things are going great here. I hope all is well with you all, Thanks for visiting and God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 8:43 AM CDT Benji will once again be participating in this years' Realy For Life. For more info on how you can support Benji, you can click the relay logo below. This year is special for Benji. On 4 April, he will be marking five years cancer free!!! Thank you, God!  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello everybody!! Benji is doing extremely well. On the 4th of April, his five year anniversary since his surgery, we kept all the kids out of school and celebrated. We had a huge breakfast at IHOP, then it was off to six flags!! We had a blast and Benji was thrilled at having a special day. A week later, we attended the Leukemia and Lymphoma Little hero's Prom. Benji sang karoake with mom and actually won and iPod for a door prize! talk about shocked!! So, now we're an iPod/iTunes loving family. He had his oncology appointment and everything was good. He also had an eye Dr. appointment, which showed that Benji is quite near sighted. He got his new glasses the other day and is thrilled at how well he can see with them. In other news, Rick's retirement plans are going well. he was formally offered a job working between two facilities. He's really excited and we're all very relieved to have things working out so well. Grace and Josh are winding down the school year. Josh is excited about moving onto high school and Grace just wants the year to end so she can sleep in and go swimming every day. I still have a few weeks left of work before my summer begins. I can't wait!! Take care and God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Friday, April 4, 2008 9:47 AM CDT Benji will once again be participating in this years' Realy For Life. For more info on how you can support Benji, you can click the relay logo below. This year is special for Benji. On 4 April, he will be marking five years cancer free!!! Thank you, God! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was five years ago today that my son Benji had surgery to remove a brain tumor. I spent the last precious preop moments memorizing Benji and telling him how precious he is and how much we love him. How happy he makes everybody who meets him. I sent him to surgery knowing that I said everything that needed to be said. During the surgery, time slowed down and sped up. i remember some things vividly, and other things are a blur. I remember the Muslim couple with their prayer rug, and their worried faces. I remember the male nurse who came in, and called this couple out of the room. They never returned. The OR nurse would call every hour or so ,and update me. Each call would keep me going for another hour or so, so I never panicked. My pastor, music minister and children's minister flew in, and played UNO with us. I won just about every game. I wonder if they let me win. Looking back, if I could've seen the shape I was in, I would've let me win too. We ate mmunchies from a care package sent by the Joy school director, and talked about how special Benji was to us. Then Dr. Shapiro came and spoke to us. Our pastor joined us in the hallway, much to the surgeon's chagrin. I remember looking at the surgeon's shoes, looking for Benji's blood, and feeling an odd mixture of relief and nausea that there was no blood. He told us that he believed he got all the tumor, but he would have to see another MRI. I went into Recovery to see him, not knowing what to expect. A very sweet nurse met me at the door, and when I told her I was Benji's mom, she went on about how sweet and adorable Benji was. I went to his bedside, and indeed he was being sweet and adorable. Little innocent, sleepy smile on his face. He was feeling no pain. His tongue was swollen from the tube, and he wasn't thrilled about the tube sticking in his "privates", but he was fine. The scar was a surprise, but all this time later, it's still a suprise sometimes. The next few hours were a blur, getting him all settled in ICU. Benji's surgeon suggested to us that we go back to the house, have a meal, come back and say goodnight, then go back to the house, and sleep. Best suggestion that man could've had. I slept like a rock that night!! Here we are at five years. Benji is 12 years old now. We're so blessed to have him here with us. Thank you all for your prayers and support over the past year. You all mean alot to us!! God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Monday, March 24, 2008 1:50 PM CDT Benji will once again be participating in this years' Realy For Life. For more info on how you can support Benji, you can click the relay logo below. This year is special for Benji. On 4 April, he will be marking five years cancer free!!! Thank you, God! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It started out like a normal Monday. We were stationed in San Angelo texas and I remember the weather was gorgeous that spring. Lots of rain made for a spectacular display of our state flower, the bluebonnet. That morning was bright and gorgeous. Josh and Benji, then 9 and 7 were excited that I finally was letting them walk to school with their friends for the first time. Little did they know that I was excited to not have to get their three year old sister, Grace out of bed quite so early. I had just lied back down for a little snooze when the phone rang. It was a nurse from pediatrics. Benji had an MRI to see what was causing his siezures the Friday before and she was calling to let me know the results were in. She told me to NOT bring, Benji, but to bring my husband. As she said that, my heart started thudding in my chest and i felt sick inside. It couldn't be good news at this point. I remember calling my husband at work and begging his coworkers to have him call back. It was an emergency. Ten minutes later, Rick came home to find me on the stairs, sobbing, while Grace sat with me, confused. We spent the next little while getting Grace to a friend's house and driving to the clinic. After we got to the clinic, the nurse, without meeting our eyes, directed us to Dr Sawyer's office. The next ten minutes spent waiting for him were pure torture. When he finally came in with Ben's records, he didn't seem to know what to say. I remember asking him something, to which he answered, "We'll talk." At that point, I asked why he couldn't just tell us what was going on. Then he said the words that would change our lives forever. "Benji has a brain tumor." I remember looking over at Rick and he had the most PLEASANT look on his face. Almost as if Dr. Sawyer just told him it was going to rain. His expression just stayed the same. Dr Sawyer, then started saying words like cancer, surgery, astrocytoma, Cooks medical center. Words that made no sense and didn't fit into OUR family. All I could think was "My God, this is how we're going to lose him." We're going to LOSE him. I had never heard of anyone survivng a brain tumor. I felt so sad that he would not get to do all those normal things. I worried about how Josh would take possibly losing his best friend. I wondered if Grace would remember the brother who called her goose and loved her so much. This is what it's like to be told your child has cancer. I called Glenmore and a secretary answered the phone. I blurted out the news and she put the school counselor on the phone immediately. We then went to the school and talked with her about the situation and how we would tell Benji his life as he knew it was over. Again, it struck me how utterly gorgeous the weather was that day. I didn't want to tell him. I wanted him to have that innocence.It was like if I didn't tell him, then it wasn't real. The rest of that day was a flurry of phone calls and appointments to get Benji ready for surgery. Opthamology, Neurology, neurosurgery, oncology. The list of appointments grew. We made arrangements for my mother in law to come care for Josh and Grace while we dealt with Benji. That evening we took the kids to the park. I sat and stared and prayed. I prayed almost constantly during that time. Nothing eloquent, just please God, let me keep him. . That day was a nightmare I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Everytime I woke up that night, it was just "Please God, Please God. over and over. Benji's school handled everything so graciously. His teacher and the school counselor told his first grade class and they all hugged a teddy bear to send with Benji. One of Benji's teachers said that the counselor called a meeting with every teacher that had worked with the boys. this teacher said that everyone was devastated. I was devastated to hear this because I just wanted my child to be one of the gang, not the child with the brain tumor. The school raised three hundred dollars in two hours. This enabled us to pay for lodging while waiting to get into the Ronald McDonald house. Benji was actually able to go to school during this time between appointments. One day was April Fools day. What I wouldn't have given to be able to say April Fools. This is all a joke. We wore out a path between Angelo and Dallas. The Bluebonnets were spectactular that year, but i barely noticed. His surgery was April Fourth and praise God, he's been tumor free ever since. We live in San Antonio now. Benji is twelve. The bluebonnets are out and they remind me of that sad time five years ago when I thought I would lose my child. Then I look over and I see Benji, with his fuzzy hair, freckles, and snarky little attitude and i don't feel so sad anymore. I feel grateful that Benji is here with us and able to enjoy the bluebonnets with the rest of his family! Thank you, God!!! Benji will be participating in this years' Relay For life. For more info on how you can support him in his journey, click on the relay link below. Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email Wednesday, February 27, 2008 2:10 PM CST Benji will once again be participating in this years' Realy For Life. For more info on how you can support Benji, you can click the relay logo below. This year is special for Benji. On 4 April, he will be marking five years cancer free!!! Thank you, God! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Benji had an awesome birthday. We took him to see a Spurs game Monday Night. The Spurs suffered a dismal first quarter against the Atlanta hawks, only to come back strong with final score of 89-74. GO SPURS GO!!! The next day, I made Benji his favorite meal, King ranch casserole with red velvet cake for dessert. Overall a wonderful day for our family. Thank you for all the birthday wishes and the encouragement and prayers over this past year. Every one of you have meant the wortld to us. Thank you for being a part of this journey. More later, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Sunday, February 24, 2008 4:48 PM CST Benji will once again be participating in this years' Realy For Life. For more info you can click the relay logo below. Tomorrow is Benji's twelfth birthday. It seems like just yesterday that I gave birth to him. He's been through more than most twelve year olds could ever imagine, but he's still the same sweet silly little butter that he's always been. He's so precious to our family and our family wouldn't be the same without him. Happy birthday Benji! may this year bring you all the joy, laughter and good times that you deserve. Thank you for being our Butter. We love you!! Love, mom!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Friday, February 1, 2008 1:41 PM CST Wow, it's been too long since my last update. We're all doing well. Benji and Josh both have had to miss school due to the flu. Grace has been having asthma flareups, but so far, she's still in the flu free zone. School's going well for all three kids. Josh is particpating in the UIL competition for his school. Benji's grades are going extremely well and Grace recently made student of the month. With the spring coming soon, we're getting ready to do some camping. We're also getting ready for Rick's retirement in June. Lots of stuff happening. take care and God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Sunday, December 23, 2007 9:22 AM CST I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. God bless, Loriann For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6-7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 2:21 PM CST Good news!! Benji's appointment went well! The enlarged ventricle is so slight that it's not a problem for the time being. The Dr is treating these headaches as migraines. We're going to give him suppositories and excedrin migraine and see how he responds and go from there. Benji did well with the neuro exam and the drs were very impressed at how well he's doing. What a relief! Thank so much for the prayers and words of encouragement. It meant the world to us today, sitting in that office knowing that we were bathed in prayer. Thank you, God!!! Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Benji finally saw an opthmalogist yesterday. All is well with his vision except for the blind spots caused by the tumor. We already knew that though. No big surprise there. The Dr looked up benji's scan report and it did say that one of his ventricles in his brain are slightly enlarged, but that there were no significant changes from the last scan. the good Dr also said that any enlargement in the ventricals is not a good thing and put in a consult for neurology right then. What pisses me off about this is that if there were no changes from the last scan, then this has likely been a problem all along. I've been explaining to different drs my concerns and they've just been blown off. His oncologist is really good, but her specialty is his tumor. Beyond that, she's out of her league, I'm afraid. On thanksgiving, Benji woke up with what you would call a "monster ache", he threw up and the headache was gone. He has these attacks about once a month and he has regular headaches about once or twice a week. for the good headaches, he takes motrin or tylenol and he's all good. For the bad ones, we're just kind of stuck because he can't keep anything down. so we have to break out the suppositories sometimes. Usually, by the time he throws up, the pain isn't an issue anymore. ironic, huh? Benji goes back to the opthamolgist on the 27th of December for a visual field. No word on the neuro appt yet. we'll keep you posted as to when that happens. God bless and thanks for stopping by!! Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Monday, December 10, 2007 7:00 PM CST We had a blast in San Angelo this weekend. The weather started out perfect. Highs in the 80s and lows in the 60's. Christmas at IOld Fort Concho was great as usual. Lots og booths with all kinds of crafts, gifts and food. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We woke up the next morming to very chilly conditions. It was about 40 degrees and misting. No fun. And we didn't bring heavy jackets because the weather was not expected. So we went to church at CBC San Angelo, watched their kids perform and had potluck. By the time we left the church, it was 37 and dropping. 200 miles later, we were sitting at 86 degrees. Is that crazy or what? Today, it's cold and misting. Benji has a neuro appointment next Tuesday. Please keep the little butter in prayer. Right now I'm going to get off here. The kids and daddy and i are going to start game night in a few minutes. Thanks and God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Benji finally saw an opthmalogist yesterday. All is well with his vision except for the blind spots caused by the tumor. We already knew that though. No big surprise there. The Dr looked up benji's scan report and it did say that one of his ventricles in his brain are slightly enlarged, but that there were no significant changes from the last scan. the good Dr also said that any enlargement in the ventricals is not a good thing and put in a consult for neurology right then. What pisses me off about this is that if there were no changes from the last scan, then this has likely been a problem all along. I've been explaining to different drs my concerns and they've just been blown off. His oncologist is really good, but her specialty is his tumor. Beyond that, she's out of her league, I'm afraid. On thanksgiving, Benji woke up with what you would call a "monster ache", he threw up and the headache was gone. He has these attacks about once a month and he has regular headaches about once or twice a week. for the good headaches, he takes motrin or tylenol and he's all good. For the bad ones, we're just kind of stuck because he can't keep anything down. so we have to break out the suppositories sometimes. Usually, by the time he throws up, the pain isn't an issue anymore. ironic, huh? Benji goes back to the opthamolgist on the 27th of December for a visual field. No word on the neuro appt yet. we'll keep you posted as to when that happens. God bless and thanks for stopping by!! Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 10:33 PM CST We had a blast in San Angelo this weekend. The weather started out perfect. Highs in the 80s and lows in the 60's. Christmas at IOld Fort Concho was great as usual. Lots og booths with all kinds of crafts, gifts and food. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We woke up the next morming to very chilly conditions. It was about 40 degrees and misting. No fun. And we didn't bring heavy jackets because the weather was not expected. So we went to church at CBC San Angelo, watched their kids perform and had potluck. By the time we left the church, it was 37 and dropping. 200 miles later, we were sitting at 86 degrees. Is that crazy or what? Today, it's cold and misting. Benji has a neuro appointment next Tuesday. Please keep the little butter in prayer. Right now I'm going to get off here. The kids and daddy and i are going to start game night in a few minutes. Thanks and God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Sunday, November 25, 2007 4:11 PM CST We hope everyone hs had a wonderful thanksgiving. Ours was very quiet and relaxing. We've had so much to be thankful for this year. Please remember in prayer all those who are facing illness, those who have lost loved ones this year and those who are serving our country, fighting for our freedom. God bless and thanks for stopping by, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Sunday, November 25, 2007 4:11 PM CST Benji finally saw an opthmalogist yesterday. All is well with his vision except for the blind spots caused by the tumor. We already knew that though. No big surprise there. The Dr looked up benji's scan report and it did say that one of his ventricles are slightly enlarged, but that there were no significant changes from the last scan. the good Dr also said that any enlargement in the ventricals is not a good thing and put in a consult for neurology right then. What pisses me off about this is that if there were no changes from the last scan, then this has been a problem all along. I've been explaining to different drs my concerns and they've just been blown off. His oncologist is really good, but her specialty is his tumor. Beyond that, she's out of her league, I'm afraid. On thanksgiving, Benji woke up with what you would call a "monster ache", he threw up and the headache was gone. What does that sound like to you? He has these attacks about once a month and he has regular headaches about once or twice a week. for the good headaches, he takes motrin or tylenol and he's all good. For the bad ones, we're just kind of stuck because he can't keep anything down. so we have to break out the suppositories sometimes. Usually, by the time he throws up, the pain isn't an issue anymore. ironic, huh? Benji goes back to the opthamolgist on the 27th of December for a visual field. No word on the neuro appt yet. we'll keep you posted as to when that happens. God bless and thanks for stopping by!! Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Friday, November 16, 2007 12:16 AM CST Benji's doing great!! Life is good. He is enjoying middle school. he's making friends and his grades are incredible. He and his brother went Christmas shopping on their own last night. They came home with all kinds of goodies for everyone. Josh and benji are so cute together. they go to the mall and look around and hang out at the food court. or sometimes, they'll go out to eat or go to the movies. they have so much fun. They are so blessed to have each other. I can't get over how big my boys are getting. Josh is doing a play for school tonight and he's so excited. Benji was excited today because Josh was taking him to see the class pet, a python named Monte. I'm curious to see how that went. I hope you all have a blessed weekend, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Friday, November 16, 2007 12:16 AM CST Benji's doing great!! Life is good. He is enjoying middle school. he's making friends and his grades are incredible. He and his brother went Christmas shopping on their own last night. They came home with all kinds of goodies for everyone. Josh and benji are so cute together. they go to the mall and look around and hang out at the food court. or sometimes, they'll go out to eat or go to the movies. they have so much fun. They are so blessed to have each other. I can't get over how big my boys are getting. Josh is doing a play for school tonight and he's so excited. Benji was excited today because Josh was taking him to see the class pet, a python named Monte. I'm curious to see how that went. I hope you all have a blessed weekend, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Sunday, November 4, 2007 3:41 PM CST Thank you for all your prayers. Benji's MRI went well. No tumor growth and the cyst is stable. he's been doing well lately. We found out this week that he made A B Honor roll, so we're really proud. He dressed as a mad scientist for halloween. I'll try to get pictures up when I have a chance. Thanks for stopping by, God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Saturday, October 20, 2007 9:13 PM CDT Long time no update!! Things have been busy around here. Btween working, church, filming, school and doctor's appointments, it's been a little chaotic around here. We filmed a panther's game last night in Austin. lots of fun, beautiful Texas weather and lots of nice people. We have Benji's MRI scheduled for this Friday at 8:AM. If you could keep the little butter in prayer, we would greatly appreciate it. Thanks and God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80f the time. *Today, up to 75f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Monday, October 8, 2007 10:22 PM CDT Benji saw the oncologist this week. He looked good, but in light of his headaches and vomiting, the oncologist is scheduling him for an MRI now instead of waiting six months. He also needs to go see an neuro-opthamologist for his eyes and possibly a neurologist to get to the bottom of these awful headaches. She also said that we need to start paying more attention to things as he goes through puberty. I guess they have to make sure everything goes and grows the way its supposed to.Benji going through puberty, now there's a scary thought for you!! I'll keep you all posted. Please keep us all in prayer over the next few weeks, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20 f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80 f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80 f the time. *Today, up to 75 f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Sunday, September 30, 2007 5:36 PM CDT Benji saw the oncologist this week. He looked good, but in light of his headaches and vomiting, the oncologist is scheduling him for an MRI now instead of waiting six months. He also needs to go see an neuro-opthamologist for his eyes and possibly a neurologist to get to the bottom of these awful headaches. She also said that we need to start paying more attention to things as he goes through puberty. I guess they have to make sure everything goes and grows the way its supposed to.Benji going through puberty, now there's a scary thought for you!! I'll keep you all posted. Please keep us all in prayer over the next few weeks, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20 f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80 f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80 f the time. *Today, up to 75 f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Friday, September 21, 2007 2:41 PM CDT Thanks and God bless, Loriann ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Childhood cancer facts *Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. *Childhood cancer is not a single disease, but rather many different types that fall into 12 major categories. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children. *Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults. When cancer strikes children and young adults it affects them differently than it would an adult. *Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20 f adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80 f children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis). *Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. *The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). *One in every 330 Americans will develop cancer by the age of 20. On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. *On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday. *While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer. *Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80 f the time. *Today, up to 75 f the children with cancer can be cured, yet, some forms of childhood cancers have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive. *Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. send email
Tuesday, September 18, 2007 2:21 PM CDT A special thanks goes out to an awesome person who took the time out of his busy schedule to sign Benji's guestbook yesterday. Again, you made his day!!! Take care and God bless, Loriann send email Wednesday, August 29, 2007 7:35 AM CDT Rick emailed me, then called from Cuba the Friday before. Katrina was coming and we were in the direct path. I was sick as a dog with bronchitis and remember telling Rick, "this dang storm is going to have to go around me. I can't get up off the couch." My kids came home from a normal day at school that day only to find out that things weren't going to be normal for long. The next morning, while the boys were clearing the back yard of projectiles, My daughter, Grace and I joined the throngs of people lined up at the Wal-Mart. Everybody in line had an opinion or a theory on how things were going to play out. The general consensus was, that it was going to be bad, but not as bad as Camille. That turned out to be a fatal mistake. Biloxi's mayor A.J. Halloway was quoted as saying that Camille killed more people on Aug 29, 05 than she did the day she hit 30 years ago. That Saturday was a flurry of packing and phone calls. By that evening, we had the van loaded and were taking stuff over to the base hospital, which was to be our shelter. As we were taking stuff up, the security guard at the desk was telling us that there were no plans to shelter as of yet. I told him that was fine. If we had to take our stuff back home, we'd do just that, but we were going to be ready. The next morning, we found out that Katrina was a Cat Five. I had people calling me all worried, wanting me to just take the kids and bail. Every person I talked to said that they would pray for us. The pastor of our church came and boarded up our windows and we did all those last minute preps. By dinner time that night we were in the shelter watching Jim Cantore on the weather channel. The next morning woke us up with a bang. We could hear the wind and rain at that point. It reminded me of Ivan, so I wasn't too scared. We still had power, so I spent most of the morning emailing folks, and checking out all the weather websites. The news wasn't good, but I trusted that God would keep a hedge of protection over our family. The power went out later that morning and the rest of the day was spent hunkering down as Katrina passed through the area. It was hot, dark, and smelly. The De-humidifier wasn't working, so the floors were actually sweating. A dear woman named Betsy was with us and was reading aloud from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy. Let me just tell you all, this is not a good book to read when all you have to eat is cold soup and Pringles!! That night, we were able listen to the radio and what we heard was horrifying!! Talk of people drowning in their attics, whole towns being leveled, thousands of homes destroyed. The next day or two was a bit of a blur. Hours spent listening to the radio, deciphering fact from fiction. Walks around the hospital to gather news from anyone we could. "have you heard anything new?" became the standard greeting that week. Either Tuesday or Wednesday, I was able to contact my in-laws, and my best friend, who was in Texas. Tuesday night was the night that Benji had his meltdown. We had just eaten grilled chicken rescued from the commissary, and I practically force fed my kids a gallon of milk, not knowing when we'd see something precious like milk again. I took him to a far away hallway and just let him cry. He asked if things were going to be normal ever again, and what if we lost our home? All I could tell him was that we would have to find a new normal and that it would be alright. God was watching over us, and no matter what happened, we were going to be fine. Wednesday, I was able to sneak on a military line and contact Rick. I had no news on the house yet, so he was kind of on standby. However, his commander, who was from Pensacola, said that all the Gulf coast troops were going home. So, when I called back Thursday, one of the Colonels. that he worked for told me he was coming home, I burst into tears. Later that day, they let folks out of the shelter in groups to check on our homes. When I saw my that my home was intact, I fell to my knees and just started sobbing, "Thank you, Jesus!! Thank you, God!!" I had thought that surely our home would either be destroyed or at least uninhabitable. But aside from our privacy fence being down, we had no damage. We had someone's roof in our backyard, and that was weird, but hey, what can you do? After going back to the shelter, we could see first hand how bad so many people had it. And what people were made of. Betsy lost everything. Her husband was in Iraq and she had to deal with her home being demolished. Yet, she was the most positive person I met in the shelter and my kids and I will never forget her. She had such a calm about her. Every morning in the shelter, she'd disappear and do a bible study and pray. That night we all waited three hours in line for a makeshift meal that the chow hall provided. We had cold hotdogs, warm strawberries, and all the orange juice we could drink. It was a gourmet meal. The next day we went home. That night was a really strange night. No lights anywhere, but you could hear planes and copters flying overhead continuously. It was so loud and so strange. We had the windows open to let in some air, but ended up closing them because it felt like we were in a strange and dangerous place. The power came back on Friday. The first thing I did was put one of those homestyle bake things in the oven. It was Chicken and biscuits, and to this day, we call it Katrina casserole!! Again, a gourmet feast! That Sunday my husband came home from Cuba. He was able to rent a car in Mobile and get some groceries. I was so happy to see him, but I was appalled later to realize I pushed him out of the way to get to the groceries. I can't tell you what he was wearing that day, but i can tell you he brought home milk, produce, meat, all kinds of good stuff. I was able to make spaghetti and meat sauce that night with salad and it was heaven. Again, our whole family drank nearly a gallon of milk in one sitting. God bless Rick for bringing us milk!!! The Sunday after Rick came home, we went to church for the first time since the storm. Sitting there was like being at a funeral at first. There were hugs and tears and seemingly endless updates of bad news. Then our pastor said something about praise and Worship. Blessed Be Your name was the first song that was played. Blessed Be Your Name Blessed be Your name When the sun's shining down on me When the world's 'all as it should be' Blessed be Your name Blessed be Your name On the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering Blessed be Your name Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say Lord, blessed be Your name The lyrics that are in bold hold a special meaning to me. Just standing in that church praising God while we were suffering the same as we would when the sun was shining, it was amazing and humbling. I'll never forget that moment. There was and is so much that God has blessed us all with. Because of Benji's cancer, it was pretty much decided on the spot that we'd be leaving. I'm a military spouse, who's had to say goodbye to many places, but leaving the gulf coast, was the most heart breaking thing our family has had to do. We love the coast, but after what happened, we don't see ever living there again. It's been almost two years now. I'm sitting here in Texas, fat and happy so to speak, while my kids are enjoying all the comforts of home. God has blessed us mightily. Our family still marvels at having air conditioning, power, and plenty of food and water. We're safe and we're together. My Goodness, what a miracle that is. send email
Monday, August 27, 2007 10:03 PM CDT Benji did well his first day of middle school. He likes all his teachers, met some new friends and enjoyed good cafeteria food. I think he's going to do well. He has a positive attude and is ready for a new adventure. Josh is all excited about eighth grade. His first words were "This is going to be a great year" Actually, he made this asessment last night after he finished his book. Yes, you read that right, he wrote a book. All about the Titanic. It's a veritable novel at 87 pages typed. He's been working on it for months now and is so proud of himself. Not as proud as I am!! Hisa principal and guidance counselor get to have first read. I'm eagerly waiting for my turn. I started back doing childcare at church today. I worked with the toddlers. Oh, my!!! I made a new friend. Her name is Sawyer(How's that for an interesting girls' name? really cute, isn't it?)I held her on my lap for a little bit and next thing you know, she's crying whenever I leave her. She was so precious. All of then were precious, but little Sawyer really stole my heart today!! Well, it's been a long day. I'll post more soon, God bless, Loriann send email Saturday, August 25, 2007 11:34 AM CDT He also has this rare compassion for people as well as a spiritual side that blows me away sometimes. I remember when he was about three, going to a huge mall in Orlando Florida. Lots of tourists, all very rude. I felt my blood pressure just going up. Suddenly, Josh looks up at me and says, "Mommy, you know what? God made all these people." Well, that thumping sound you heard was me being firmly put into my place. To this day, if people get on my nerves, I can hear Josh's voice saying those words. The very first thing he wanted to be when he grew up was a missionary. He wanted to go to different countries, eat their good food and tell people about Jesus. He decided this when he was four. Things have changed since then. He's decided some years ago that he's going to teach, and he hasn't waivered from that at all. He loves history, especially all things to do with the Titanic. He loves media, He writes books and movies and he makes me proud every day of his life!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Joshua!! We love you!! Okay, drying my eyes, moving on!! We did a game scene for Friday Night Lights last night. What an adventure!!! It was so much fun. Benji and Josh had a blast. And I feel like a million bucks getting us home in the midddle of the night with no directions. It only took us an hour or so to get from Austin to San Antonio. And we didn't get lost. (Umm, We got that out of our system trying to get to the set!!!Shhh, let's keep that one on the downlow shall we?) I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! I'll totally freak if we end up being seen on TV!! But I will say this, after having to cheer for the same plays over and over and over....I have a newfound respect for the actors. I mean, that's their whole day, memorizing lines and doing the some stuff over and over and over....and then they have to deal with crazed fans and the tabloids and all that ick! It's not all glamour and get out of jail free cards, contrary to what the media tries to tell us. Grace met her new teacher last night and Rick was able to get the last of the school supplies. Big burden lifted off my shoulders. In fact, some of my loudest cheering last night was because we were done with those dang supply lists, FINALLY! Their first day is Monday. Benji is so excited. I can't believe my butter is off to middle school. I'll post more on Monday after school!!! God bless, and thanks for reading!! Loriann As many of you know, September is childhood cancer awareness month. Benji and Josh are having a lemonade sale on Saturday Septmember eighth, with all proceeds going to Children's miracle network in memory of Cheyenne Fiveash. I'll post more details as this comes together. Take care and God bless, Loriann send email
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:43 PM CDT This Friday coming up is Josh's 14th birthday. I don't know what happened!! Just yesterday, I was chasing him around trying to get a diaper on him, and now suddenly, he has facial hair. We're keeping it low key this year. On Friday, we're doing another filming of Friday Night Lights and this weekend, I'm making him a special birthday dinner. Well, not much new, other than school starting. I'll post more details about Benji's middle school experience after he starts. He's pretty excited. I think he'll do well. He takes after his brother that way. He gets along with pretty much everyone. More later, Loriann <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> As many of you know, September is childhood cancer awareness month. Benji and Josh are having a lemonade sale on Saturday Septmember eighth, with all proceeds going to Children's miracle network in memory of Cheyenne Fiveash. I'll post more details as this comes together. Take care and God bless, Loriann send email
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 4:59 PM CDT As we posted before, we've been working as extras on the hit show Friday Night Lights. Today, we had a booking. A church scene. The character that the scene centered on sat right in front of us and we got to meet the coach, played by Kyle Chandler!! He was such a sweet heart to us. He talked to each of the kids and myself, then graciously posed for pictures, even though it was like a bazillion degrees in the shade. And we were not in the shade. We'll never forget his kindness!! The folks involved with this show are just the nicest people and we are so happy to be able to be a part of it in some small way. All the kids got into the van and promptly went to sleep. Josh woke up a mile from home and commented on how he enjoyed his nap. I said that I enjoyed my nap too. You should have seen the look on Josh's face before it registed that I was joking. We are all pretty wiped out from the early morning and all the excitement so I'll close for now. Have a great day!! God bless, Loriann   As many of you know, Septmember is childhood cancer awareness month. Benji and Josh are having a lemonade sale on Saturday Septmember eighth, with all proceeds going to Children's miracle network in memory of Cheyenne Fiveash. I'll post more details as this comes together. Take care and God bless, Loriann send email
Wednesday, August 8, 2007 11:31 PM CDT Then onto Disney. We stayed at the Fort Wilderness campground. The RV was comfy. We visited Give Kids the World village, a very special place for Benji and our family. We visited Universal Studios and the boys explored all the Disney resorets on their own. We came back into town on Friday. Today was an exciting day. We got to be extras on the hit show Friday Night Lights. We were in a church scene and got to see two of the main characters up close. Benji and his brother and sister had a blast and are looking forward to more bookings over the next few weeks. I'd post some pics, but we just got home and we're going to crash. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week. As many of you know, Septmember is childhood cancer awareness month. Benji and Josh are having a lemonade sale on Saturday Septmember first, with all proceeds going to Children's miracle network in memory of Cheyenne Fiveash. I'll post more details as this comes together. Take care and God bless, Loriann send email
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 10:32 PM CDT I hope everyone's having a great week!! Loriann send email
Friday, July 6, 2007 10:10 PM CDT I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday. We've had lots of rain here, so we've had to juggle some plans, but thankfully all went well. We have a new addition to the family. His name is Rusty. Here's more about him...  Rusty Age: 2 years Breed: DSH, orange tabby Sex: Male Adopted! Rusty had to be given up because his owner had to move into a home where she couldn't have a cat. Here's what Rusty has to say: "I lived with owner from the time I was six weeks old. I love lots and lots of attention, and liked to sleep in bed with my owner. I like to sit on the windowsill, lay in front of the sliding glass doors and watch the birds. But I am terrified of being outside! I also get a little carsick, so I don't much like traveling. When my owner moved to a new apartment, it took me about a week to get used to the new place. I hid under the furniture for a while, but after that, I was fine. I love to talk to people and have my belly rubbed. I'm very affectionate, and will even lick your chin to give kitty kisses. I also sometimes like to watch TV. Now and then, I enjoy going off by myself for a cat nap. Rusty is fitting right into our family. He's very affectionate and seems very much at home here. Next Sunday, Benji goes off to Camp Discovery. He's getting excited. I hope everyone has a great weekend and God bless, Loriann send email Sunday, June 17, 2007 11:56 PM CDT San Antonio is in party mode right now. Our beloved Spurs won the championship. GO SPURS GO!!! Benji has already decided that he wants to see a Spurs game for his birthday. He doesn't care if they're nosebleed seats, he wants to cheer them on in person. Josh has started working on the media team at church. He just started today and he's really excited. Grace had an exciting week. In bible school, she decided to accept Jesus into her heart. She's been walking around the house with her bible and her little book all weekend. With Rick gone, she's been sleeping in my bed every night. She's so warm and cuddly. She's getting baptized next weekend. Today was our 18th wedding anniversary. It's gone by so fast. It seems like just yesterday in some ways. We celebrated by buying a van. Who needs bling bling or flowers when you can have a 2004 Olds Silhouette? It's gold, so I guess that's the bling bling portion of the van. Seriously, we got a really good deal on our trade in and we definitely traded up. The most important thing to me is that we got rid of a bunch of bad memories with that van. We bought it right after katrina and it was a grim reminder of what we had gone though. This new van feels like a fresh start for our family. Well, I hope you all have a great week, God bless, Loriann send email
Monday, June 4, 2007 9:16 PM CDT I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. God bless, Loriann send email
Saturday, May 26, 2007 11:22 AM CDT Benji received the following awards. *A/B Honor roll this past nine weeks*, *A/B Honor roll all year(medal)*, *safety patrol(medal)*, *Six Flags reading club*, *Student of the month, February*, *Oustanding citizenship*, *Battle of the books*, *choir*, *fifth grade completion*, WOW!!! Way to go, Benji!! And all his teachers have had nothing but good to say about him this year. They've commented on his sense of humor, his manners, how hard he tries and how sweet he is to his classmates. He went to his fifth grade swim party the other night and he was surrounded by friends all night. His classmates, as well as his teachers, have been so awesome this year. Congratulations to the Olympia Elementary Class of '07!! Now, on to Middle school..... Have a great, safe weekend, Loriann send email
Monday, May 21, 2007 9:29 PM CDT This week has been very busy for Benji. He's fixing to graduate elementary school, so there have field trips, award ceremonies and parties. Thursday night is his fifth grade swim party. He's excited about that. I can't believe my Benji is on his way to middle school. Where does the time go. I hope everyone has a great week! God bless, Loriann send email
Saturday, May 5, 2007 10:12 PM CDT Then tonight, Benji gets this awful headache. He then throws up and now his headache is better. Every time he exerts himself even a little bit, he gets these horrible naueating headaches. I worry about him so much sometimes. Loriann     send email Monday, April 30, 2007 8:58 PM CDT We can send people to the moon, clone sheep, and communicate via computer, but we can't get a grip on cancer, What's wrong with this picture? Relay is over for this year, but organizations like the the The American Cancer Society, The The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the theThe American Brain Tumor Association are continuing to do everything they can to put an end to this disease all year round. The most heartbreaking and troubling part of the luminaria ceremony came when we were asked to step inside the track if we knew people who had cancer, or were touched by cancer or suffered a loss from cancer. By the time the list was read, everyone on the track had stepped inside. And there were so many of us. Some day, I hope to see a vaccine given to babies, and when they ask why they're getting this shot, we can tell them that it was for a disease that people used to get a long time ago, but not anymore. Please God. This year's total by the Greater Randolph Area was $61, 973. Our team raised $4,463.00. Benji raised $610. Thank you to all of you who so generously donated to Benji. Thank you for helping us take up this fight. Please continue to pray for those touched by cancer. Thanks and God bless, Loriann send email
Friday, April 27, 2007 10:12 AM CDT It's Relay night. Benji's raised over $600! Thanks to everyone who donated. Your kindness is so appreciated. Benji's been selected at this year's hero of hope, so he'll be giving his speech right before the luminaria ceremony. We've got the RV all ready to go and the kids are off of school today, so life is good. I'll post pictures sometime this weekend. Thanks and God bless, Loriann ***************************************  Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Friday, April 20, 2007 2:02 PM CDT Gasoline for the trip to Wilford hall----$2.70 per gallon Bag of M&M's for Benji for being such a good patient---.50 Magazines for mom in the waiting room----$2.50 each Lunch for all of us in the hospital dining hall----$8.25 Hearing your child's oncologist say, "Everything looks good, see you next time"---- PRICELESS!!!!! This moment and other moments like this, is brought to you by a God who answers prayers and gives us miracles!! Thanks to all the prayer warriors out there!!! The appointment went well. The Doctor seemed pleased with his over all condition. Then she said that the MRI showed a tiny cyst on his pineal gland in the center of his brain. it's about 4mm, which is really small. She says at this point, it's nothing to worry about. They'll just scan it in a year. So, thanks for all the prayer. Keep praying!!! God bless, Loriann   *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 1:44 PM CDT The MRI went well. Benji had a harder time than usual with his IV, but thankfully, all went smoothly. No news yet, so we're hopeful that all is well. Please continue to keep us in prayer as we wait to hear the results. In this case, no news is indeed good news!! Thanks for stopping by. Please sign Benji's gustbook and let him know you were here. God bless, Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email Wednesday, April 11, 2007 7:06 AM CDT Please keep us in prayer today. Benji goes in for his yearly MRI later this morning. He'll have his followup on the 20th. I'll update later, Thanks and God bless, Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Friday, April 6, 2007 11:41 PM CDT Benji's speech on Thursday went well. He said he was nervous at first, but then, not so much. Everyone at Rose Garden Elementary went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. Even though Benji's absence from school was listed as excused, we still joked all day that Benji was playing hookie. The high light of Benji's day was going to lunch with mom and dad at Shang Hai on Pat Booker in Universal city. Great place if you're looking for good, basic Chinese food. We weren't in the restaurant ten minutes when we looked up and saw, of all people, his history teacher. The look of shock on Benji's little face was priceless. We went up and said hello and she teased us a bit about skipping school. She's really sweet. It's getting to be that time again. Benji goes in for his MRI on the 11th of April and his Oncology Checkup on the 20th. Please keep us in prayer!! We'll keep you posted and let you know how it went. God bless and thanks for visiting!! Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Friday, March 30, 2007 6:56 PM CDT Benji has been invited to speak at a school assembly about Relay For Life. He's been selected as this year's Hero of Hope. We're very proud of him. Please pray that he does well and doesn't get too nervous!! He wrote a speech this evening. This is Benji's story from his point of view. I helped compose, but these are all Benji's memories. My name is Benjamin Zello. My friends call me Benji. I am eleven years old. I'm a fifth grader at Olympia Elementary. In many ways I'm just like all of you. I like hanging out with my brother and sister, I like going to Rudy's to buy ice cream and eat bbq. My favorite subject in school is recess, and most days in the summer, you'll find me at Schertz pool. In some ways, I'm different. One of those ways happened four years ago. I was seven years old. I lived in San Angelo Texas. My life was good, except, lots of times I didn't feel good. I would get really bad headaches and sometimes I would throw up for no reason. Sometimes, I would get a funny feeling inside and I'd forget where I was. Then I would sleep for a long time. I slept a lot back then. My mom would pick me up from school and I'd fall asleep before we left the parking lot. My mom took me to the Dr's after she saw me have one of these feelings one night. She said I had a seizure. The Dr told my mom that the symptoms I was having sounded like a tumor, but my mom wasn't worried. She said, most times it's not cancer and she didn't think I had anything to worry about. Later that week, I had to have two tests. An MRI to look at inside my brain and an EEG to see what kind of waves my brain had. The EEG was easy. They put wires on my head with gel and I just had to lie still. My mom says I even fell asleep. The MRI was scary. I had to get a needle in my arm to let the techs see inside my brain. I was scared, but my mom prayed with me and held my hand. I remember the nurse was kidding with me and told me how brave I was, even when I cried. I had to lay in a closed machine and not move. My mom said to pretend it was a space ship. The machine made loud noises and I was cold. My mom stayed with me the whole time. When the jokey nurse came back in, my mom said she had tears in her eyes. That's how she knew something was wrong. After the MRI, we went to burger king and I came home and slept all day. The next Monday, my mom let me and my brother walk to school alone for the first time. It was fun. Then later that morning, I got called down to the office. I saw my brother and he told me he was called down too. We thought our house had a fire. We walked into the office and i was confused. My dad was there and my mom looked sad. She asked me if i remember that the MRI was to see if there were any weird lumps in my brain. I said yes. My mom said that there was a lump in my brain and it was called cancer. I didn't think anything at first. Then my mom said I would need surgery. That's when I got scared and started to cry. We went home and I got ready for surgery. I had to go up to Dallas and see lots of Dr.s. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald house and i got to eat at the purple cow. My mom cried a lot during those days. Our church prayed over us and my school bought a huge teddy bear and gave it hugs and sent it to the hospital with me. I was scared but going to school and seeing my friends made me feel better. I had surgery on a friday. We woke up really early while it was still dark and drove to the hospital to get ready. It was raining. Soon, I was on my way to the operating room. When I woke up, my mom was there. She told me that they got the whole tumor and that I'd be fine. I had a small headache and my tongue hurt from the tube in my throat. I had a big scar in the back of my head that my mom called my trap door. I went home from the hospital two days later. We stayed in the Ronald McDonald house a few more days. The Drs said i was better and we drove back home to san Angelo. I went back to school a week later and started having MRIs sometimes to make sure the tumor stayed gone. It's been four years yesterday and the tumor hasn't come back. The first time I heard about Relay for Life, we were in Biloxi Mississippi. My mom said that Relay For Life was an all night walk to help raise awareness and money for cancer research and that it would be a good thing to do. There would be other survivors like me and walking with them would make me feel like I was part of a really big family. The survivor lap was cool, but a little sad. I didn't know that there were so many people with cancer. I thought I was the only one. I was scared to walk the lap all by myself, but this nice lady named Lynn, who had breast cancer, walked with me and held my hand. My mom made friends with her that night and she'd give me hugs whenever she saw me after that. I love going to relay for Life. It's really neat to be around so many people who care about you. It's like they are cheering you on for surviving. There's one part that makes my mom cry every year. It's called the Lumiaria part. You can buy a bag and decorate it to be in honor or in memory of someone with cancer. When it gets dark, all the bags are lit with candles. My mom says that it's amazing seeing all those bags lit up. I'm looking forward to relay this year. It's on April 27th. This year, I'm big enough to walk all night. We're bringing our camper and we're going to stay for the whole thing. I've already raised some money and I'm happy to be a hero of hope this year. The funny thing is, I don't think of me as being a hero. I'm just a normal kid like everyone else. I'm just a normal kid who is also a cancer survivor. I plan on surviving for a very long time. Thank you very much. *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Saturday, March 24, 2007 9:28 PM CDT Four years ago today!!!! It started out like a normal Monday. We were stationed in San Angelo texas and I remember the weather was gorgeous that spring. Lots of rain made for a spectacular display of our state flower, the bluebonnet. That morning was bright and gorgeous. Josh and Benji, then 9 and 7 were excited that I finally was letting them walk to school with their friends for the first time. Little did they know that I was excited to not have to get their three year old sister, Grace out of bed quite so early. I had just lied back down for a little snooze when the phone rang. It was a nurse from pediatrics. Benji had an MRI to see what was causing his siezures the Friday before and she was calling to let me know the results were in. Shae told me to NOT bring, Benji, but to bring my husband. As she said that, my heart started thudding in my chest and i felt sick inside. It couldn't be good news at this point. I remember calling my husband at work and begging his coworkers to have him call back. It was an emergency. Ten minutes later, Rick came home to find me on the stairs, sobbing, while Grace sat with me, confused. We spent the next little while getting Grace to a friend's house and driving to the clinic. After we got to the clinic, the nurse, without meeting our eyes, directed us to Dr Sawyer's office. The next ten minutes spent waiting for him were pure torture. When he finally came in with Ben's records, he didn't seem to know what to say. I remember asking him something, to which he answered, "We'll talk." At that point, I asked why he couldn't just tell us what was going on. Then he said the words that would change our lives forever. "Benji has a brain tumor." I remember looking over at Rick and he had the most PLEASANT look on his face. Almost as if Dr. Sawyer just told him it was going to rain. His expression just stayed the same. Dr Sawyer, then started saying words like cancer, surgery, astrocytoma, Cooks medical center. Words that made no sense and didn't fit into OUR family. All I caould think was "My God, this is how we're going to lose him." We're going to LOSE him. I had never heard of anyone survivng a brain tumor. I felt so sad that he would not get to do all those normal things. I worried about how Josh would take possibly losing his best friend. . I wondered if Grace would remember the brother who called her goose and loved her so much. This is what it's like to be told your child has cancer. I called Glenmore and a secretary answered the phone. I blurted out the news and she put the school counselor on the phone immediately. We then went to the school and talked with her about the situation and how we would tell Benji his life as he knew it was over. Again, it struck me how utterly gorgeous the weather was that day. I didn't want to tell him. I wanted him to have that innocence. It was like if I didn't tell him, then it wasn't real The rest of that day was a flurry of phone calls and appountments to get Benji ready for surgery. Opthamology, Neurology, neurosurgery, oncology. The list of appointments grew. We made arrangements for my mother in law to come care for Josh and Grace while we dealt with Benji. That evening we took the kids to the park. I sat and stared and prayed. I prayed almost constantly during that time. Nothing eloquent, just please God, let me keep him. . That day was a nightmare I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Everytime I woke up that night, it was just "Please God, Please God. over and over. Benji's school handled everything so graciously. His teacher and the school counselor told his first grade class and they all hugged a teddy bear to send with Benji. One of Benji's teachers said that the counselor called a meeting with every teacher that had worked with the boys. this teacher said that everyone was devastated. I was devastated to hear this because I just wanted my child to be one of the gang, not the child with the brain tumor. The school raised three hundred dollars in two hours. This enabled us to pay for lodging while waiting to get into the Ronald McDonald house. Benji was actually able to go to school during this time between appointments. One day was April Fools day. WhatI wouldn't have given to be able to say April Fools. This is all a joke. We wore out a path between Angelo and Dallas. The Bluebonnets were spectactulare that year, but i barely noticed. His surgery was April Fourth and praise God, he's been tumor free ever since. We live in San Antonio now. Benji is eleven. The bluebonnets are out and tey remind me of that sad time four years ago when I thought I would lose my child. Then I look over and I see Benji, with his fuzzy hair freckles and snarky little attitude and i don't feel so sad anymore. I feel grateful that Benji is here with us and able to enjoy the bluebonnets with the rest of his family! Thank you, God!!!   *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email Sunday, March 18, 2007 9:33 PM CDT His yearly Tuneup is coming up the 11th of April. He'll have his MRI that day and his oncology check up a day or two later. Please keep the little butter in prayer. Four years cancer free. Please God, let it continue!! God bless, Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Sunday, March 18, 2007 9:33 PM CDT His yearly Tuneup is coming up the 11th of April. He'll have his MRI that day and his oncology check up a day or two later. Please keep the little butter in prayer. Four years cancer free. Please God, let it continue!! God bless, Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email Sunday, March 4, 2007 2:59 PM CST Have a great week! Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Sunday, February 25, 2007 11:21 AM CST Eventually we got the whole nursing thing down and I was able to take Benji home. He fit into our family seamlessly. Josh was entranced by his new little brother and would insist on holding him by holding his arms out and yelling "Baby love" or "baby lap". He would sing and dance and be silly and Benji would just stare at him and take it all in. Benji did a lot of staring those first few weeks. I remember being asleep between feedings when I would wake up and feel these eyes on me. I'd open my eyes, and Benji would be inches from my face just staring at me. As he grew, he became a huge flirt. We'd take him to Sunday school nursery and his teachers would tell us all about how he would smile and blow kisses at whoever caught his eye. Now here we are, all these years later. Benji's been through a lot, but he's still loving, happy, and a joy to everyone he meets. He has a dark sense of humor, and a quick mind. He loves going to Rudy's BBQ for ice cream with his brother, Donald Duck, listening to his favorite band, Lonestar and watching his favorite show, Friday Night Lights. He loves King ranch casserole, chinese food and mom's pineapple upside down cake. He hates homework, cleaning his room, brain tumors and when people are mean. Happy birthday, Benji. May this year bring you all the health and happiness you deserve!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!! Love mom!  Benji 11 years ago today!  Benji being baptized, age 6!  Benji three years ago!  Benji a year ago!  Handsome boy today!!! *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Thursday, February 22, 2007 9:22 AM CST God bless, Loriann Here's the letter that Benji recieved when he was chosen as student of the month. "Benji is the son of Loriann and Rick Zello and the brother of Joshua and Grace Zello. Benji likes to "hang out" with his friend, Josh, and he also likes working on computers. His favorite subject is math. Benji was chosen as "Student of the Month" because he is a model student in the classroom. He always works hard and helps his peers. Benji continues to improve in all subjects and learn more every day. finally, his smile, polite manners, and positive attitude make his classroom a better place for everyone!" Again, I say, Way to go, Butter. We're proud of you!! Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email Thursday, February 22, 2007 9:22 AM CST God bless, Loriann Here's the letter that Benji recieved when he was chosen as student of the month. "Benji is the son of Loriann and Rick Zello and the brother of Joshua and Grace Zello. Benji likes to "hang out" with his friend, Josh, and he also likes working on computers. His favorite subject is math. Benji was chosen as "Student of the Month" because he is a model student in the classroom. He always works hard and helps his peers. Benji continues to improve in all subjects and learn more every day. finally, his smile, polite manners, and positive attitude make his classroom a better place for everyone!" Again, I say, Way to go, Butter. We're proud of you!! Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email Tuesday, February 20, 2007 7:08 PM CST Benji took the first of three TAKS tests today. He said it was really easy. He wore his little TAKS T-shirt and ate breakfast at school and took his test. Last year, both Josh and Benji got commendable performances on the reading TAKS and that was with only a half a year to prepare. I'm excited to see how they did this year. Take care and God bless, Loriann Here's the letter that Benji recieved when he was chosen as student of the month. "Benji is the son of Loriann and Rick Zello and the brother of Joshua and Grace Zello. Benji likes to "hang out" with his friend, Josh, and he also likes working on computers. His favorite subject is math. Benji was chosen as "Student of the Month" because he is a model student in the classroom. He always works hard and helps his peers. Benji continues to improve in all subjects and learn more every day. finally, his smile, polite manners, and positive attitude make his classroom a better place for everyone!" Again, I say, Way to go, Butter. We're proud of you!! Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Saturday, February 10, 2007 10:05 AM CST We went to the rodeo last night. It was lots of fun. We saw Sugarland perform and they put on one heck of a show. We didn't get home till almost midnight. Lots of good, normal stuff going on this weekend. Church and just relaxing for the most part. Have a great rest of the weekend, God bless, Loriann Here's the letter that Benji recieved when he was chosen as student of the month. "Benji is the son of Loriann and Rick Zello and the brother of Joshua and Grace Zello. Benji likes to "hang out" with his friend, Josh, and he also likes working on computers. His favorite subject is math. Benji was chosen as "Student of the Month" because he is a model student in the classroom. He always works hard and helps his peers. Benji continues to improve in all subjects and learn more every day. finally, his smile, polite manners, and positive attitude make his classroom a better place for everyone!" Again, I say, Way to go, Butter. We're proud of you!! Loriann *************************************** Benji is doing relay for Life this year. If you would like to show support, please click the Relay for Life Icon above. Thanks, Loriann send email
Monday, February 5, 2007 3:10 PM CST "Benji is the son of Loriann and Rick Zello and the brother of Joshua and Grace Zello. Benji likes to "hang out" with his friend, Josh, and he also likes working on computers. His favorite subject is math. Benji was chosen as "Student of the Month" because he is a model student in the classroom. He always works hard and helps his peers. Benji continues to improve in all subjects and learn more every day. finally, his smile, polite manners, and positive attitude make his classroom a better place for everyone!" Again, I say, Way to go, Butter. We're proud of you!! Loriann send email
Sunday, February 4, 2007 1:34 PM CST In other news, we went to the stock show and rodeo yesterday. It was awesome. I just love it here!! Loriann send email Friday, February 2, 2007 8:18 PM CST Please pray for the folks in Florida, who were so devasted by last night's weather. My heart goes out to those who have lost their lives or their homes. The pictures on the news just bring back the memories of Katrina. Have a great weekend and God bless, Loriann send email
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 7:48 PM CST The other night, we welcomed three new family members to our household. Three litle fishies, one for each child. Josh has Longhorn. Benji has Oreo and Grace has bubbles, or should I say, had bubbles. The first night, Bubbles, being Grace's fish, decided it would be fun to chase her brothers' fish. True to her personality, Bubbles was getting just a wee bit obnoxious. Then today, Benji's fish rose up and killed Bubbles. So now we are onto Bubbles #2. Hopefully they won't kill each other. In other news, our Benji has made student of the month for his school. I'm very proud of him. As far as I'm concerned, he's student of the MILLENIUM!! Way to go, Butter, we're proud of you!!! Loriann send email
Friday, January 26, 2007 9:01 AM CST fun. School is going well and all the kids are healthy this week. Last night we watched Benji's favorite show, Friday Night Lights. He was sitting on the couch next to me, when suddenly, there was this...ODOR. I look at Benji and he's got this proud smile on his face. The smell was his feet!!OMGosh. They stunk so bad and he was so pleased with himself, so we pause the show and he goes and changes his socks. Then he sits down beside me, cuddled up close. I start the show again when he looks up at me all innocent and says, "I pooted." Needless to say, he ended up in a different spot, far, far away from me. Oh the joys of having a little boys in the house. I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! God bless, Loriann send email
Friday, January 19, 2007 12:25 AM CST I just found out that our Relay for life is set for the 27th of April at Steele High school in Cibolo. I'll post more info as it becomes available!! God bless and have a safe healthy weekend! Loriann send email
Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0:02 AM CST If there's any snow, I'll post pictures, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It just doesn't snow here. Loriann send email
Monday, January 15, 2007 8:56 PM CST Snow in San Antonio!! Ain't that special!! Toodles, Loriann  send email
Monday, January 15, 2007 2:12 PM CST Well, South Texas is going through an arctic blast right now. This three day weekend has been endless rounds of board games, movies and the kids just enjoying their time off. Now if only they'd stop trying to kill each other... God bless, Loriann send email
Friday, January 5, 2007 2:17 PM CST Benji made all A's and B's!! With E for conduct!! I'm so proud of Benji, and I'm so grateful for Olympia Elementary for working with him and helping him be successful!! I hope everyone has an awesome weekend. God bless, Loriann send email
Sunday, December 31, 2006 5:04 PM CST
God bless, Loriann send email
Wednesday, December 27, 2006 7:27 PM CST CHRISTmas was awesome this year. We had a really relaxing day with the kids. It was very peaceful. We ate a lot, played games, assembled new toys and just enjoyed being together in our new home. We've been so blessed this year. I hope you all are njoying the holiday. See you in 2007. Jesus is the reason for the season, God bless, Loriann  Christmas '06  A visitor in the neighborhood!  Oh, Christmas Tree!!! send email
Wednesday, December 27, 2006 7:27 PM CST CHRISTmas was awesome this year. We had a really relaxing day with the kids. It was very peaceful. We ate a lot, played games, assembled new toys and just enjoyed being together in our new home. We've been so blessed this year. I hope you all are njoying the holiday. See you in 2007. Jesus is the reason for the season, God bless, Loriann Christmas '06 A visitor in the neighborhood! Oh, Christmas Tree!!! send email
Friday, December 15, 2006 9:56 PM CST I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I updated you all. We're so busy this Christmas season. Life is good. The kids are all doing well in school and we're enjoying the holidays here in the Lonestar state. I'll be posting new pics this weekend. Please pray for all of Benji's caringbridge buddies and their families this season. God bless, Loriann Christmas '06 A visitor in the neighborhood! Oh, Christmas Tree!!! send email
Wednesday, November 29, 2006 6:31 PM CST Saturday morning, we're driving to Houston to pick up our new baby. A 23 ft Class A Itasca Sunrise. We've looked at tones of RV's over the past few months and this one seems meant for our family. We're looking forward to many camping trips with our new addition. Benji is headed to the honor roll, it looks like. His grades as of now, are all A's and B's. I'm so proud of my little Butter. He's been working so hard. Thanks for stopping by and God bless, Loriann send email
Tuesday, November 21, 2006 5:24 PM CST We're settled into our new home. We're all healthy, and we're together. We're so thankful for the blesings that God has given us this year. We're very thankful for all of you who come here, read about Benji, pray for him and leave good wishes. I hope everyone who reads this has a blessed Thanksgiving. God bless, Loriann send email
Friday, November 10, 2006 7:15 AM CST I hope you all have a great weekend, God bless, Loriann send email
Wednesday, November 1 2006 7:27 AM CDT Things are kicking into high gear with our move. We got the keys last night and are getting the U-Haul on Saturday. Anyone interested in coming over and lending a hand, your help would be appreciated. For details, feel free to drop us an email!! This house is going to be poerfect for our family and we are so blessed! The kids had a great halloween. I'll post pics later. They each got huge bags of candy. Apparently, this neighborhood is THE place to be on Halloween. There were kids everywhere and almost every house was participating. Benji is doing well at school and is excited about all the changes coming up for our family. We are settled in nicely compared to last year at this time. Well, let me scoot. I'm going to get some boxes over to the new house!! send email
Thursday, October 19, 2006 10:28 AM CDT I hope everyone's having a good week. Benji's doing great. We had our usual church stuff last night. The kids' choir is recording its first CD next week, so that's pretty exciting. I've had the privilege of helping with sound and media so I know first hand how hard these kids and their teachers have been working and how AWESOME they sound. Not much new other than that. We're getting closer to moving day. It'll be so nice to be homeowners again. This renting stuff is for the birds. Owing a home is not something I'll likely take for granted ever again. Rick is not thrilled about the actual moving part, but I'm just excited to get in there and start making it home!! I can't wait. Well, I hope you all have a great rest of the week!! Thanks for stopping by, God bless, Loriann  
Monday, October 16, 2006 3:05 PM CDT "Sometimes I forget to put on my underpants and it feels weird" Benji, age 4. Here we are a year after the imfamous chicken incident. We had just moved to bustling big city of San Angelo, Texas. Benji had just started an afternoon preschool program. Now, at this particular time, Hubby was away overseas in Alabama doing his Air Forcey thing and I was single parent to three kids under the age of six. One of whom was a newborn. So, I would tell Benji to go to his room and get himself dressed. I would place on his dresser a pair of pants or shorts, a shirt and a pair of Blues Clues Underpants. I would tell him to put his dirties in the hamper. He would get on the bus and I would go and pick up his room. I would get irritated to find his underpants sitting on his dresser. So, I would put them in the hamper and press on for the day. One day, I got a call from his teacher. Apparently they were in circle time, discussing how easy it is to make a mistake or forget things. The other kids were talking about forgetting their lunch, forgetting to brush their teeth and on it went. Then Benji spoke up. He said, "yeah, sometimes I forget to put on my underpants and it feels weird." Talk about a conversation stopper!! So, the teacher pulled him aside and looked down his shorts and sure enough, our Benji was going freestyle!! So from then on, instead of asking the usual about homework, or backpacks or lunch, I would have to ask, "Benji, are you wearing underpants today?" The sad thing is, I can't tell you how many times I'd asked him that question and it would turn out that he wasn't!! Thank goodness, that's something he's grown out of!! Loriann
Friday, October 13, 2006 10:54 PM CDT Wow!! This week flew by. We've all been so busy. Between school, homework, and church activities, Benji is just exhausted. Last night, the poor little guy hit his limit. All week, he's been looking forward to going to eat at Red Robin. Last night we went and he got such a bad headache that he hardly ate a thing. Then we came home and he just crashed. This morning, he woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to go!! It's amazing what a good nights sleep can do. Sometimes he forgets his limits and then we forget too. He's doing so well otherwise. When he gets overtired, he just crashes big. Sometimes with headaches, other times, he'll just start throwing up. So, we try to make sure he gets enough sleep and that he doesn't run around like a fool. Tonight was a nice night just relaxing and watching a movie together. Tomorrow, more relaxing, some packing,(YAY!!) then church in the evening.I hope you all have a great weekend. God bless and thanks for stopping by, Loriann
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 10:37 AM CDT "Mama ate My chicken, and I'm still mad 'bout that" Benji, age 3 When Benji was just a tiny little butter, we were living in the thriving metropolis of Wichita Falls Texas. Around twice a year, we'd go down to San Antonio for a nice little get away. This particular time, we decided to go over Christmas. Downtown San Antonio was gorgeous. The lights along the river walk were breathtaking and the weather was perfect. Benji and Josh were having the time of their lives. We briefly stopped in the River Center mall for a snack and potty break. Benji and I were waiting for daddy and josh when the unthinkable happened. A man came up and offered Benji and me a sample of chicken. Hot, spicy, chicken. So, being the wonderful mama that I am, I asked Benji if it was okay for me to eat his sample, because it was too spicy for little Butters such as himself. Benji nodded his head yes and watched gravely as I ate his chicken. Just then, Josh and daddy came out of the bathroom and Benji started wailing. MAMA ATE MY CHICKEN!! Oh, the look on his face was priceless. I couldn't believe how upset he was. All night, he kept giving me THE LOOK. You know the look. The "I trusted you. how could you betray me?" look. By bedtime, he had gotten over it. Or so I thought. We returned home and Benji returned to preschool. That afternoon, his teacher pulled me aside and laughed so hard, she was in tears. She had asked the children how their holiday was. Benji told all about the Riverwalk and the Alamo and how Santa came to his house. Then his face crumpled and his eyes filled with tears. His voice cracked as he tried to continue. "My mama did something VERY BAD" he said. "Mama ate my chicken!" "Oh, my" said the teacher. "how awful, we'll need to tell her not to do that" Benji said "yeah, I'm still mad 'bout that!" So, to this day, I take preverse pleasure out of eating Benji's chicken. Only now, Benji is in on the joke and we have a blast with it!! Have a great night and God bless, Loriann
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 10:37 AM CDT Hi, everybody. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a blast at Six Flags. I actually got on a roller coaster. I screamed like a wild woman, but I survived, which you all have probably figured out by now. Benji's doing well. He's busy with school, choir and Hip Hop. He was showing me some of his dance moves the other night and wow, the boy can DANCE!! He and the rest of his choir buddies are performing at our church soon, so everyone has been getting ready for that at church. Well, other than that, not much new here. I hope you all are having a great week! Thanks for stopping by. Please sign Butter's guestbook so we know you were here!! God bless, Loriann
Saturday, October 7, 2006 3:56 PM CDT I hope everyone's having a good weekend! We're just relaxing today. Tomorrow we're headed to Six Flags, Fiesta Texas. There we'll ride the chuck'n puke, the hurl-a-twirl and the ever popular vomit comet!! Please pray for us!! No seriously, we're looking forward to some family time. It's really nice that the weather is finally cooling down some. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!! God bless, Loriann
Saturday, October 7, 2006 3:56 PM CDT I hope everyone's having a good weekend! We're just relaxing today. Tomorrow we're headed to Six Flags, Fiesta Texas. There we'll ride the chuck'n puke, the hurl-a-twirl and the ever popular vomit comet!! Please pray for us!! No seriously, we're looking forward to some family time. It's really nice that the weather is finally cooling down some. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!! God bless, Loriann
Tuesday, October 3, 2006 3:31 PM CDT Praise the Lord!! Benji's appointment went well today!! the Dr gave him a clean bill of health!! Benji saw an Army Dr today and this man was so awesome with him. Now we don't have to see oncology for another six months. Now we can get ready for our next big adventure!! We finally got definite move dates and will be moving into our new house the first week in November. We're all so excited. Benji keeps talking about his new room. He wants a disco ball!! That's my butter, the party animal!! I'm just so relieved that all went well for Benji today. Most of the time, our family can forget the C word, but twice a year it comes up and smacks us upside the head and we just have to deal with it. I love my little Butter so much. I'd do anything to take all this from him. Today, I asked the Dr point blank if this thing could come back and he sounded really optimistic, which is good, but he can't say 100or sure that this was a one shot deal. So, I'm holding onto the positive and just enjoying life with Benji and his brother and sister. Speaking of enjoying life, I am going to get on here at some point and downlad some pictures. Right now, I have to go get Josh from school and start dinner and all that. Have a wonderful night and thank you so much for praying for our amily. It means everything to us. God has really blessed us with some awesome friends and family. Thanks and God bless, Loriann
Monday, October 2, 2006 9:25 PM CDT Camping was fun. A whole lot of swimming in Canyon Lake, lots of walks, a paddle boat ride, some mexican food and singing around the campfire while the mosquitoes feasted on us. It was a blast!! The weather was perfect and we just had fun relaxing as a family. Please keep us in prayer tomorrow. Benji goes in for his oncology checkup at 9:AM. We're not expecting anything unpleasant, but still....I wish we could just skip over tomorrow and just wake up Wednesday and have it be OVER. I'll post results as soon as we get home. Thank you sooo much for your prayers and support. Please sign the guestbook and let Benji know you were here. It means a lot to him. Thanks and God bless, Loriann send email
Saturday, September 30, 2006 9:30 AM CDT Well, today, we're packing up to go camping. I'll post pictures this week when we come back. Please remember to keep the little butter in prayer as he has his next checkup on Tuesday. Thanks, and god bless, Loriann send email
Thursday, September 28, 2006 6:38 AM CDT Benji and Grace just left for school. Poor Benji had so much homework yesterday that he still had spelling to do after church. Last night was choir, breakout and youth. Have I mentioned how awesome our church is? It's huge, which took a bit to get used to at first. The kids are really enjoying choir and their sunday school classes. The new childrens' building just opened, so there's oodles of excitement there. These folks here have made us feel like this is OUR church. After all that we've been through over the past year, that's not a feeling we take for granted, I tell ya. We love being back in Texas, and a big part of that feeling is due to being able to find a good, solid church home. Today, Josh finds out if he made History Club president. So, if you all could spare a prayer for him, It'd mean a lot. Well, I need to go get Josh off to school. Thanks for stopping by!! God bless, Loriann UPDATE!!!! Josh made president!!!! Way to go, Josh. I'm so proud of you!! send email
Wednesday, September 27, 2006 9:23 AM CDT Benji's doing great. Safety patrol went well for him, no tire tracks on his face, life is good there! I happened to glance at the calendar last night and in the month of October, I have the third circled. The note under it reads "Benji, oncology, 9AM. A normal entry on a cute countrified calendar, full of all sorts of notes and reminders. But the only problem is, it's not NORMAL to have my baby see an oncologist!! This is my baby. My Benji, with the fuzzy hair, the freckles and the smelly feet. How can he need an oncologist? How did we get here? I know God has a plan, but my goodness! Cancer??? Most of the time, I'm fine with all this. I feel like Benji's been blessed. There are so many others out there, not doing as well as he is. I feel guilty at how well he's doing sometimes. But sometimes, the whole thing just horrifies me. Why do any of these kids have to go through such hell? Why should there be a need for pediatric oncologists? It's horrible. I'm sorry this isn't my usual positive journal. It's just getting to be checkup time and well, everyone who knows me, knows how I get at checkup time. It's not pretty. Right now I'm going to focus some of this nervous energy and pack some boxes for our upcoming move. Please keep us in prayer and please pray for those kids who are fighting cancer right now. Please pray for those families whose children have earned their wings, fighting this horrible disease. Thank you and God bless, Loriann send email
Monday, September 25, 2006 1:40 PM CDT Hey, everybody!! All's well here in San Antonio. The kids are enjoying school and the cooler weather. Josh is turning into a videotaping fool. He's been writing these "books" and is planning to make movie out of them. He says he wants to teach when he grows up, but I'm thinking we're seeing a budding screen writer in our midst. Benji is doing well too. He had his first day of safety patrol today. No panicked phone calls from the school, I think it's safe to assume that he wasn't run over in traffic! When he went to choir, he found out that he will be singing on the riverwalk on 1 December, almost a year to the day that we drove away from our home in Ocean Springs for the final time. Talk about coming full circle. Grace is learning how to read. She brings home books every day and reads them to me. She's really moving along in her progress and I'm so very proud of her. I'm proud of all my kids. This has been a rollercoaster of a year but they've just blossomed. I'm so happy to see them enjoying their school, church and community here. October 3 is Benji's next oncology tune up. Just a check up, no MRI this time. We're not expecting any unpleasant surprises, but if you all could continue to keep him in prayer, it would mean alot to us!! Thanks and God bless, Loriann send email
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 10:07 AM CDT For those of you that are hearing a difference in Benji's webpage, I found a way to add a music video to his site. We picked a song by the Australian Band, Casting pearls. The song is called Alright. This song is really inspiring and upbeat. No matter what the weather in our life may be, God's love will get us through and everything will be ALRIGHT!! This song brings back good memories for us. This past spring, we took the kids to a choir performance at our church and this song was one of the main song that were performed. It's been a family favorite ever since. And how fitting that I uploaded the song today, tonight Benji will be starting that same choir. And before we know it, we'll be watching him and his brother and sister perform the next music show at church!! Have a great day and God bless Loriann send email
Saturday, September 9, 2006 10:23 PM CDT Oh, the things that make Benji happy... We went to a neighbor's b'day party today. It was at a Chucky Cheese type place. You play games, win tickets, then cash them in for prizes. Benji hit paydirt with his prize. He got a WHOOPIE CUSHION!! It's been a long time since since a toy has made him so happy. So, if you hear odd sounds coming from our house, No, it's not flatulence. It's Benji and his new little device!! Oh the joy of little boys!!! Have a great weekend. Thanks for checking in!! Loriann We love you Benji! Video Codes | Lake Michigan Real Estate | Nashville Real Estate
Thursday, August 31, 2006 10:15 PM CDT For the price of a donation, you can enjoy a nice cold glass of lemonade! All proceeds will go to the Make A Wish Foundation of South Mississippi, which was heavily damaged in Hurricane Katrina. Your donation will make wishes come true for thousands of seriously ill children, hard hit by Hurricane Katrina! Benji's Disney wish was granted by The MAW Foundation of South Mississippi, and now he wants to give back. Come on out and help him achieve his goal! When? Saturday, Sep. 2 Where? 9103 Laguna Hills at 8:30AM-??? Why? To raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation of South Mississippi Email for directions!! send email
Monday, August 28, 2006 2:18 PM CDT The next morning, while the boys were cleaning the back yard, me and Grace joined the throngs of people lined up at the Wal-Mart. Everybody in line had an opinion or a theory on how things were going to play out. The general consensus was, that it was going to be bad, but not as bad as Camille. That turned out to be a fatal mistake. Biloxi's mayor A.J. Halloway was quoted as saying that Camille killed more people on Aug 29, 05 than she did the day she hit 30 years ago. That Saturday was a flurry of packing and phone calls. By that evening, we had the van loaded and were taking stuff over to the shelter. As we were taking stuff up, the security guard at the desk was telling us that there were no plans to shelter as of yet. I told him that was fine. If we had to take our stuff back home, we'd do just that, but we were going to be ready. The next morning, we found out that Katrina was a Cat Five. I had people calling me all worried, wanting me to just take the kids and bail. Looking back now, that's exactly what I should have done, but between dh and his command, I was pretty convinced Keesler would be a safe place to be. The pastor of our church came and boarded up our windows and we did all those last minute preps. By dinner time that night we were in the shelter watching the Disney channel and the weather channel. The next morning woke us up with a bang. We could hear the wind and rain at that point. It reminded me of Ivan, so I wasn't too scared. We still had power, so I spent most of the morning emailing folks, updating Benji's page and reading what was going on Crossroads. I remember how worried my friends and family were. I'll never forget that. The power went out later that morning and the rest of the day was spent hunkering down as Katrina passed through the area. It was hot, dark, and smelly. The De-humidifier wasn't working, so the floors were actually sweating. Col. Murphy's wife, Betsy was with us and was reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy. Let me just tell you all, this is not a good book to read when all you have to eat is cold soup and Pringles!! That night, we were able listen to the radio and what we heard was horrifying!! Talk of people drowning in their attics, whole towns being leveled, thousands of homes destroyed. The next day or two was a bit of a blur. Hours spent listening to the radio, deciphering fact from fiction. Walks around the hospital to gather news from anyone we could. "have you heard anything new?" became the standard greeting that week. Either Tuesday or Wednesday, I was able to contact my in-laws, and my dear friend Tracy, who kept you all up to date!! Tuesday night was the night that Benji had his meltdown. We had just eaten grilled chicken rescued from the commissary, and I force fed my kids a gallon of milk, not knowing when we'd see something precious like milk again. I took him to a far away hallway and just let him cry. He asked if things were going to be normal ever again, and what if we lost our home? All I could tell him was that we would have to find a new normal and that it would be alright. Wednesday, I was able to sneak on a DSN line and contact Rick. I had no news on the house yet, so he was kind of on standby. However, his commander, who was from Pensacola, said that all the Gulf coast troops were going home. So, when I called back Thursday, one of the Cols. that he worked for told me he was coming home, I burst into tears. At one point, the kids and I were standing in the hallway with our super deluxe lantern, when an airman came up and said that he needed our lantern. General Looney was coming through and he needed to see where he was going. I said fine, as long as my hand was attached to it, you could borrow it!! So, the kids and I got to meet General Looney, who was accompanied by General Lord. They were both awesome and apologetic for what we were going through. I cried on Gen. Looney's shoulder a bit, and he was so sweet about it. Later that day, they let folks out of the shelter in groups to check on our homes. When I saw my home, I fell to my knees and just started screaming, "Thank you, Jesus!! Thank you, God!! I had thought that surely our home would either be destroyed or at least uninhabitable. But aside from our privacy fence being down, we had no damage. We had someone's roof in our backyard, and that was weird, but hey, what can you do? After going back to the shelter, we could see first hand how bad so many people had it. And what people were made of. Betsy lost everything. Her dh was in Iraq and she had to deal with her home being demolished. Yet, she was the most positive person I met in the shelter and my kids and I will never forget her. Sadly, her dh returned from Iraq, only to drown while swimming in New Jersey, barely a week later. That night we all waited three hours in line for a makeshift meal that the chow hall provided. We had cold hotdogs, warm strawberries, and all the orange juice we could drink. It was a gourmet meal, I tell ya!!! The next day we went home. That night was a really strange night. No lights anywhere, but you could hear planes and copters flying overhead continuously. It was so loud and so strange. We had the windows open to let in some air, but ended up closing them because it felt like we were in a strange and dangerous place. The power came back on Friday. The first thing I did was put one of the homestyle bake things in the oven. It was Chicken and biscuits, and to this day, we call it Katrina casserole!! Again, a gourmet feast! That Sunday my husband came home from Cuba. He was able to rent a car in Mobile and get some groceries. I was so happy to see him, but I was appalled later to realize I pushed him out of the way to get to the groceries. I can't tell you what he was wearing that day, but i can tell you he brought home milk, produce, meat, all kinds of good stuff. I was able to make spaghetti and meat sauce that night with salad and it was heaven. Again, our whole family drank nearly a gallon of milk in one sitting. God bless Rick for bringing us milk!!! Because of Benji's cancer, it was pretty much decided on the spot that we'd be leaving. I'm a military spouse, who's had to say goodbye to many places, but leaving Ocean Springs was the most heart breaking thing our family has had to do. We love the coast, but after what happened, we don't see ever living there again. You all know the rest of the story, I'm sitting here in Texas, fat and happy so to speak, while my kids are enjoying all the comforts of home. I ask you all as you enjoy similar comforts to please not take things for granted in your lives. Stupid things, like the Wal-Mart stocking meat, dairy and produce to feed your children, to not so stupid things, like the feeling of safety you have as you tuck your children in at night. I'm sitting here, marveling at having air conditioning, power, clean water and plenty of food. And I'm safe, and my kids and husband are safe!! Gosh, what a MIRACLE that is!!!! send email Wednesday, August 23, 2006 9:26 PM CDT In other news, a certain young man will be turning thirteen tomorrow!! Happy birthday, Josh. May your day be as special as you are!! In honor of this special occasion, I'd like to post a poem written by Josh, about, well...Josh!! "I Am" I am an author writing a new chapter of my life everyday. I am a captain steering my life in different directions all the time. I am an explorer discovering new things. I am a bodyguard protecting myself from others. I am a salesperson selling new ideas to others and myself. Most important, I am me! -Joshua Zello We're having his party on Friday night, so if you hear loud music and see the SWAT team headed over here in full riot gear, that's what it's from!! Take care and God bless!! Loriann send email
Wednesday, August 23, 2006 4:01 PM CDT In other news, a certain young man will be turning thirteen tomorrow!! Happy birthday, Josh. May your day be as special as you are!! We're having his party on Friday night, so if you hear loud music and see the SWAT team headed over here in full riot gear, that's what it's from!! Take care and God bless!! Loriann send email Tuesday, August 15, 2006 2:47 PM CDT So, now we'll deal with these migraines and do our best to keep them under control. Thanks for all your prayers and best wishes!! They mean so much to us! God bless, Loriann send email Monday, August 7, 2006 7:46 PM CDT Thanks and God bless, Loriann send email
Sunday, August 6, 2006 9:29 AM CDT Seems like he was just a tiny baby who would spend hours just cuddling in my arms... then a cute little toddler with braces on his legs who was traumatized because mama ate his chicken... then a preschooler, who shyly admitted one day, "sometimes I forget to put on underpants, and it feels weird"... then a kindergartener who soaked the pastor while getting baptized... then a first grader who made his mama laugh when he was the big bad wolf, and made his mama cry when he asked about heaven the day his brain tumor was diagnosed... then a second grader who was such a big brave boy when his daddy gt deployed... then a third grader who dressed as his hero for a school project....Walt Disney!!! Then a fourth grader who was so brave during Katrina, and the move to Texas!! Now, a fifth grader, who loves his family, his friends and is just a joy to everyone he meets. We're proud of you, Benji!! Have fun in fifth grade!!! Thanks for stopping by. Please sign the guestbook and let us know you were here. God bless, Loriann send email Friday, August 4, 2006 11:24 AM CDT Well, here we are in Austin!! The kids spent most of yesterday in the pool. Benji swam the whole length of the pool underwater yesterday and enjoyed splashing around with daddy last night. Grace has hit a few milestones this week. She no longer has training wheels on her bike. I took them off Sunday night and away she went, with no help. She also has learned to jump in the pool by herself and her teeth are growing in bigger all the time. Josh will be 13 at the end of this month and is saving up for a video camera. He has planned his first movie and will be filming here soon, hopefully, school starts a week from monday, so we'll be swimming and enjoying every bit of this week. Thanks for stopping by. Please sign the guestbook and let us know you were here. God bless, Loriann send email Friday, July 28, 2006 10:13 AM CDT Hi, everyone!! Summer is just moving along for us. Benji had a wonderful time at camp Discovery. He won a couple of awards. Most original costume for dressing in drag. He made a disturbingly pretty girl and totally hammed it up. He also won the Master of Disguise award. He made some really good friends there, and is looking forward to returning next year. I'll post pictures as soon as I can get our scanner to work!! Of course, that brings up some interesting memories, because last summer he had such a wonderful time at Camp Rap A hope, was excited about going back next year, then Katrina hit and changed everything. We're all enjoying our summer and we've been very blessed lately, but i think there is a part of all of us that's on guard for the next big storm in our lives. In my head, I "know" that we're going to settle here and be happy, but in my heart, I wonder. I mean, we knew we were settling in Ocean Springs and look how that turned out. I guess we just have go with the flow. It's like this. We have no idea what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. In the mean time, the kids are having a blast swimming and palaying with their friends. This week coming up, we're going to Austin to visit daddy when he goes TDY, so that should befun. I really like Austin. I'm glad we live so close!! Take care and God bless, Loriann send email
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 10:26 PM CDT Not much new here. Benji is enjoying his summer with his brother and sister. He'll be leaving for Camp Discovery in Kerrville this Sunday. Hopefully, this year his camping experience will include a shower or two!! Maybe even some contact with a toothbrush. I'm trying not to get my hopes up though. We're all just taking it easy this summer. We recently took a road trip to visit the family up in PA. It was a real reunion of sorts. Lots of folks to visit and catch up with. It was great. We all had a blast. It's good to be home. Thanks for visiting, and please sign the guestbook and let us know you were here. God bless, Loriann send email
Sunday, June 18, 2006 12:27 AM CDT Hi, everybody!! All is well here. We closed on our new home on Friday. It was also our 17th wedding anniversary so it was a festive occasion. Benji, Josh and Grace are having a busy summer. This past week was vacation bible school at our church. The kids really enjoyed it. Especially Josh, who was a helper in the special needs room this year. He was a big help. This week, we'll be travelling back to PA to visit relatives. Please keep us in prayers for safe travels!! This was a difficult week for our caringbridge family. We lost a very special little boy named Jacob Duckworth. He was a beautiful, blond haired little thing with a huge smile and an even bigger faith in God. He is survived by his three bothers and his mom and dad, as well as numerous people all over the place who adore him and his family. I first became aquainted with little Jacob this past August. We were in the midst of preparing for hurricane Katrina whn someone sent me his link. I prayed for this little boy when we were in the shelter. when we got back home and back online, I was thrilled to see that he had turned a corner and was doing well. What a miracle that was!! He and his family just melted my heart. Please keep Jacob's family in your prayers. God bless, and thanks for stopping by!! Loriann send email
Thursday, June 8, 2006 11:53 AM CDT An essay about Benji, by Benji!! BENJI Handsome, fun, funny and friendly Brother of Grace and Josh lover of life and country music who feels happy with his family who needs entertainment who gives comedy who fears cancer who would like to meet Lonestar and Elvis resident of Texas! send email Wednesday, May 24, 2006 9:35 AM CDT Hi, everybody!! It's been a long time since updating. So much has happened for our family, all good stuff!! We put our Ocean Springs house on the market on M1, and by May 3, it was under contract. The house closes this week. I pray that our little house is as much of a blessing to the new owners as it has been for us. That house was very special to our family, and we'll miss it dearly. We're renting a home in San Antonio and began looking for a home to buy. Well, it turns out, we didn't have to look too far. The perfect home came up on the market just two streets over from where we are now. So, we did the Real Estate Roller coaster ride and now we have us a house!! The really neat things about this house is, it's in the same neighborhood. The kids won't lose their friends or have to switch schools. The sellers need time to complete construction on their new house and because we're in a lease, we have time!! So, this is working out for all parties. In other news, Benji and our family participated in this years' Relay for Life in Schertz Texas. Benji had the honor of being the youngest survivor and recieved a special medal. I'll be posting pics in the photo album. We stayed late and walked as much as we could. Next year, we're bringing our camper and staying all night. All together, Benji's team raised $2,000, $400 of which was raised by Benji. The Relay itself raised a total of $42,000. Way to go!! Josh and Benji took their TAKS tests recently. This was a real source of worry in our family. With the boys coming from Katrina ravaged Mississippi and the TAKS test standards being so high, I wasn't sure how the boys were going to do. It turned out, I had nothing to worry about. The boys both passed with commended performances in reading and very high marks in the other subjects!! Grace will be moving onto first grade in the fall with her little buddies. She's made loads of progress over the past few months and we're very proud of her. We're getting geared up for a wonderful summer. this is the first summer in years that it's been normal. No moves, no deployments and God willing, no disasters right outside our windows!! Just lots of swimming, lots of ice cream and normal mundane routines. I like that!! Talk to you all soon and God bless, Thanks for stopping by!! Loriann send email
Saturday, April 15, 2006 7:22 PM CDT Gasoline for the trip to Wilford hall----$2.70 per gallon Bag of M&M's for Benji for being such a good patient---.50 Magazines for mom in the waiting room----$2.50 each Lunch for all of us in the hospital dining hall----$8.25 Hearing your child's oncologist say, "Everything looks good, see you next year"---- PRICELESS!!!!! Thanks SO MUCH for the prayers and support!! All is well with the Butter (Benji)! He had a wonderful appointment!! Praise God! Happy Easter and God bless!! Loriann send email Click above for more info on how to support Benji's Relay for life!!!!
Monday, April 10, 2006 6:29 PM CDT Hi, everyone, We had a very busy weekend. Saturday was the Famiganza on the base. It was a kids fest, with lots of free goodies and food. The next day we went to the Poteet Strawberry festival. Lots of fun was had by all as we enjoyed the party and sampled some yummy strawberry treats. Please keep our little man in prayer as he has his followup on Wednesday. The initial scans showed good new, and we want that trend to continue. Thanks and God bless, Loriann send email Click above for more info on how to support Benji's Relay for life!!!!
Tuesday, April 4, 2006 12:33 AM CDT It was three years ago today that my son Benji had surgery to remove a brain tumor. I spent the last precious preop moments memorizing Benji and telling him how precious he is and how much we love him. How happy he makes everybody who meets him. I sent him to surgery knowing that I said everything that needed to be said. During the surgery, time slowed down and sped up. i remember some things vividly, and other things are a blur. I remember the Muslim couple with their prayer rug, and their worried faces. I remember the male nurse who came in, and called this couple out of the room. They never returned. The OR nurse would call every hour or so ,and update me. Each call would keep me going for another hour or so, so I never panicked. My pastor, music minister and children's minister flew in, and played UNO with us. I won just about every game. I wonder if they let me win. Looking back, if I could've seen the shape I was in, I would've let me win too. We ate mmunchies from a care package sent by the Joy school director, and talked about how special Benji was to us. Then Dr. Shapiro came and spoke to us. Our pastor joined us in the hallway, much to the surgeon's chagrin. I remember looking at the surgeon's shoes, looking for Benji's blood, and feeling an odd mixture of relief and nausea that there was no blood. He told us that he believed he got all the tumor, but he would have to see another MRI. I went into Recovery to see him, not knowing what to expect. A very sweet nurse met me at the door, and when I told her I was Benji's mom, she went on about how sweet and adorable Benji was. I went to his bedside, and indeed he was being sweet and adorable. Little innocent, sleepy smile on his face. He was feeling no pain. His tongue was swollen from the tube, and he wasn't thrilled about the tube sticking in his "privates", but he was fine. The scar was a surprise, but all this time later, it's still a suprise sometimes. The next few hours were a blur, getting him all settled in ICU. Benji's surgeon suggested to us that we go back to the house, have a meal, come back and say goodnight, then go back to the house, and sleep. Best suggestion that man could've had. I slept like a rock that night!! Here we are three years later. Benji had an MRI yesterday. No sign of any regrowth. He's healthy. Thank God. Thank you all for your prayers and support over the past year. You all mean alot to us!! God bless, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Benji is participating in this years' relay for life. If you'd like to support his efforts, just click the relay log below this journal. Thanks and God bless, Loriann send email Click above for more info on how to support Benji's Relay for life!!!!
Friday, March 24, 2006 4:22 PM CST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Benji is participating in this years' relay for life. If you'd like to support his efforts, just click the relay log below this journal. Thanks and God bless, Loriann send email Click above for more info on how to support Benji's Relay for life!!!! Wednesday, March 22, 2006 11:19 AM CST We enjoyed a visit from Aunt Tammy and went downtown to see the sights. Benji's MRI is coming up April 3. If you all could keep him in your prayers, it would mean so much!! God bless, Loriann send email Click above for more info!!!
Friday, February 24, 2006 9:59 PM CST Benji's tenth birthday is coming up in less than a week. What a blessing he is. I'm so proud to be his mom and I pray he has many, many birthdays to celebrate in the future. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. You all have blessed Benji's lives with your love and encouragement!! I hoipe everyone has an awesome weekend. Keep warm, Loriann send email
Benji's tenth birthday is coming up in less than a week. What a blessing he is. I'm so proud to be his mom and I pray he has many, many birthdays to celebrate in the future. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. You all have blessed Benji's lives with your love and encouragement!! I hoipe everyone has an awesome weekend. Keep warm, Loriann  
Benji's tenth birthday is coming up in less than a week. What a blessing he is. I'm so proud to be his mom and I pray he has many, many birthdays to celebrate in the future. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. You all have blessed Benji's lives with your love and encouragement!! I hoipe everyone has an awesome weekend. Keep warm, Loriann
Thanks and God bless, Loriann
Friday, January 20, 2006 8:43 PM CST Please keep our friends on the gulf coast in your prayers as they rebuild!! God bless, Loriann  
Wednesday, January 18, 2006 8:07 PM CST Josh, Benji and Grace are doing well. Josh joined history club at school, and will be visiting the Johnson space center in Houston for a field trip soon. Benji is struggling a bit with spelling, but we're confident that a little extra practice will do the trick. He has his first appointment with his new ped. oncologist this Friday. Please keep us in prayer. Grace is growing like a weed. She has a "journal" now. She takes a little notebook and walks around the house copying down things she sees. "Charmin double roll" is our favorite entry this week! Please continue to keep our friends on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in your prayers as they rebuild. South Mississippians are strong people. I have no doubt that they will bring back the coast even better than before. God bless the gulf coast!!! Thanks and God bless, Loriann  Click to send email!
Monday, December 26, 2005 6:10 PM CST Please keep our friends on the coast in your prayers. Please also keep those in your prayers who are going through illnesses or who have lost loved ones. This is supposed to be a joyful time, but for many, it's not and it breaks my heart. Thank you and God bless us everyone! Loriann Click to send email!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005 10:48 PM CST Please keep our little Butter in prayer as he adjusts to all these changes. And please keep our friends on the coast in your prayers. Things are still rough in Mississippi for so many people. Thanks and God bless, Loriann Click to send email!
Tuesday, December 13, 2005 8:42 AM CST Also, if you take a look at Benji's guestbook, some very special to Benji has left him a message!! Have a great day and God bless, Loriann   
Sunday, November 27, 2005 6:38 PM CST The movers come on Tuesday, so we have some work packing ahead of us tomorrow. I can't wait to get to San Antonio. I wish we could skip over the sad parts, like saying goodbye to all our friends and driving away from this house for the last time. Who knew things would turn out like this? I'm glad we're getting to go somewhere good. We enjoy Texas. More later, Loriann
Thursday, November 24, 2005 7:44 PM CST Loriann
Tuesday, November 22, 2005 5:09 PM CST In other news, we found a house. It's big and it's in a good neighborhood with great schools. We're very grateful and can't wait to get started on our next big adventure. We have so much to be thankful for, and all of you are at the top of the list. God bless you all, and happy thanksgiving!! Loriann 
Monday, October 31, 2005 7:40 PM CST  The neighbors were suitably shocked at seeing Jim Cantore in their neck of the woods.  Tinkerbell also made an appearance. Josh pretty much laid on the couch. He's sick. Sore throat, chills and headache. Poor kid, I'm taking him to the Doctor's tomorrow. I hope you all have a happy halloween. God bless, Loriann  
Monday, October 24, 2005 9:36 PM CDT  Yep, that's my boy. I wish there were some way to email Jim Cantore to get an autograph for Benji. Since Katrina, Jim Cantore is Benji's hero. I'll post pics when the kids dress up. Not much new with the move. We'll be leaving here on the 12th of November for househunting and moving on December 2. Everybody's really excited, and looking forward to our latest adventure. Thanks for stopping by. God bless, Loriann 
Monday, October 24, 2005 9:28 PM CDT Hello!!! Not much new here. We're getting ready for halloween. Josh is going to be a clown, Grace is going to be Tinkerbell, and Benji?? well, Benji in keeping with the hurricane theme has decided to be his idol, Jim Cantore!! We ordered Benji a Weather channel hat, Benji has his hair cut almost bald and he's going to dress in a rain coat, his hat and carry a microphone. He'll also have a name tag that says "hello, my name is Jim Cantore. Wednesday, October 12, 2005 5:14 PM CDT God bless, Loriann
Tuesday, September 20, 2005 3:11 PM CDT hopefully that's we're we're going to be headed. Rick says that once the efmp folks finish their part of the operation, things will happen very quickly. Rick's commander told him that we could be gone within two to three weeks. Please pray for: --Wisdom and discernment in the decisions of leadership at keesler and our gaining base, --wisdom and discernment for us in dealing with some way heavy decisions. --The door to Maxwell to remain open to our family, and if it's not meant to be, then for the Lord to shut that door and soon. --Other families who are displaced by this storm, --Our country's leaders trying to deal with the chaos, --and last but most definitely not least, those in the path of Rita. Thanks and God bless, Loriann
Wednesday, September 14, 2005 8:19 PM CDT It's very likely that because of Benji's condition, we'll be moved to another base, and soon. Keesler A.F.B. took a real beating, and is no longer able to care for family memebers with special needs at this time. We filled out a dream sheet this morning and are hoping to go someplace really nice, like Ala. Fla. or Tx. We pray that the Air Force can accomodate us. This will be our last move. Rick retires in about a year and a half and we will return to ocean Springs. We'll rent our house out in the meantime. We're all doing well. I can't begin to tell you all how much your prayers and support have meant to our family during this difficult time. Please continue to pray for those affected by this tragedy. God bless the Gulf Coast!! Thanks and God bless, Loriann   Monday, September 5, 2005 7:19 PM CDT  
Saturday, September 3, 2005 7:57 AM CDT Good Morning - news from Loriann again.... Friday, September 2, 2005 6:43 AM CDT Good Morning. I'm on the phone with Loriann. Here is a message for you from her: Thursday, September 1, 2005 7:44 AM CDT Hello! This is Loriann's friend, Tracy in San Angelo. I got a call from Loriann just now this morning! It was so good to hear her voice!! Monday, August 29, 2005 9:43 AM CDT Loriann Monday, August 29, 2005 6:06 AM CDT Thanks and God bless, Loriann Sunday, August 28, 2005 6:41 PM CDT God bless, Loriann Sunday, August 28, 2005 8:51 AM CDT Thanks and God bless, Loriann Saturday, August 27, 2005 5:17 PM CDT God bless, Loriann Monday, August 8, 2005 12:20 AM CDT Benji likes his teacher and his friends and says that he's having fun this year. Grace loves her teacher and is learing to write her name and other things. She bounces out of bed at five thirty every morning and is raring to go. I helped in the lunch room today and it was quite the experience. The little ones are so sweet and grace was just precious, doing all the big girl things, like carrying her tray and eating her lunch. I'll post more later, take care and God bless!! Loriann      
Thursday, August 4, 2005 11:08 AM CDT Loriann       Sunday, July 31, 2005 12:23 AM CDT Josh went up to the middle school this week and got his schedule. The folks at ocean Springs Middle School are awesome. We got an amazing first impression. Benji and Grace go on Wednesday to meet their teachers. Everything is going well here. We're at the halfway point for daddy coming home, so life's good. God bless and take care, Loriann
Tuesday, July 12, 2005 9:42 AM CDT God bless, Loriann  
Sunday, July 10, 2005 4:36 PM CDT Thanks for your prayers and support, God bless, Loriann
Sunday, July 10, 2005 7:26 AM CDT God bless, more later, Loriann Friday, July 8, 2005 10:27 AM CDT Rick went through this same storm in Cuba and it wasn't pretty. There was some damage, but no one was injured. Stay safe and God bless, Loriann Thursday, June 30, 2005 1:35 PM CDT As we are fixing to celebrate Independence day this week, let's all reflect on the sacrifices made for our freedom, by our men and women in uniform!! I hope everyone has a safe and fun filled holiday weekend. God bless and thanks for stopping by!! Loriann
Saturday, June 18, 2005 3:39 PM CDT First off, Benji had a heck of a good time at Camp Rap A Hope, in Citronel Alabama. He made some friends and had some fun and didn't shower for a whole week, as he proudly shared with me. His counselors told me not to worry, all the kids got hosed off by the fire department. Oh, That made me feel SOOO much better!!! Some of the high lights included kayacking, horse back riding, scuba diving, a field trip to Pensacola where the campers were able to meet a Blue Angel or two, and the Prom, where the prom queen was none other than Miss America Herself, Deidre Downs! Yep, I think it's safe to say, our Butter had a good time this year. I'll be posting pics in his photo album as soon as I scan them. In other news, all is well here. This deployment is just flying by!! This week, Rick will have been gone a month already. And it's so much more pleasant then the last deployment. We're all really enjoying our new home, and that makes all the difference. We're just taking it easy this summer. Lots of sleeping in, lots of trips to the beach, and lots of cities being built in the sun room. Just a really good summer. Oh, and we're also eating lots of ice cream!! The kids are all staying healthy, and are getting bigger all the time. Daddy's doing well in Guantanamo Bay, Keeping busy doing Air Forcish things that he can't tell me about unless he kills me. Happy Father's day to all the father's out there!! Take care and God bless, Loriann
Monday, May 30, 2005 5:15 PM CDT God bless, Loriann        
Saturday, May 14, 2005 5:53 PM CDT
Friday, May 13, 2005 4:13 PM CDT Rick is getting ready to leave us in just over a week. Since his departure date is the boys' last day of school we'll be keeping them home. I'm planning on stopping somewhere special with the kids after we drop daddy off at the airport. The boys' school year is winding down. Josh has been acting as a tour guide for incoming students at his school. He's been really growing up lately and i've never been more proud of him!! Benji has been wrapping up things like speech and O.T. He recently took the star test, which shows that his math and reading skills are that of a fifth grader. Not bad for my little boy, just finishing up third grade!! He hasn't had many headaches lately, but he has had some episodes where he'll get sick to his stoamch for no apparent reason. I've discussed this with his doctor, who doesn't seem concerned at this point. He seems okay other than the episodes. We're continuing to watch him. Grace is having some growing pains. She doesn't want to go to kindergarten, she doesn't want to move up to sparky, and she's not thrilled with the fact that she now has two loose teeth!! I hope everyone has a great weekend!! God bless, Loriann
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 8:22 PM CDT and it stays dark well past dinner time. This weekend, we slept in the camper, went to the Ocean Springs Festival, and witnessed the reenactment of Sirs D'Iberville's and Bienville's landing on the front beach of Ocean Springs. It's a very historical moment in history for our town and we are glad to share in the history. This weekend coming up, we'll be going to the survivor's luncheon for Relay For Life, and on May 1st, we'll be celebrating Children's day at our church. Over all, a pretty full weekend. God bless and please keep our caringbridge friends in prayer!! Loriann
Monday, April 11, 2005 9:35 PM CDT Please keep our caringbridge friends in prayer. God bless, and thank you for visiting, Loriann   Thursday 24 march 2005 Please keep our caringbridge friends in prayer. God bless, and thank you for visiting, Loriann
Friday, March 18, 2005 3:45 PM CST Please keep our caringbridge friends in prayer. I'm no longer allowed to post links, but please pray for all these kids going through illness and parents missing theirt children. While you're praying, you can go ahead and visit the journal archives so you can see who Benji's friends are. God bless, Loriann    
Friday, March 11, 2005 4:39 PM CST Have a great weekend, and God bless, Loriann
Monday, February 28, 2005 10:01 PM CST Thank you all for your prayers and best wishes. It means so much to us. God bless, Loriann   Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear is having some troubling symptoms. Please keep the little guy in prayer! We love you kody!! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. Hunter and family have welcomed a new baby, Taylor, to the family. God bless you all and congratulations on your new little bundle of joy! A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!! Update: Melody went to be with the Lord last night, after a long fight with this horrible tumor. Please keep her family in prayer as they say goodbye to their precious girl. 
Have a great weekend and God bless, Loriann  Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear is having some troubling symptoms. Please keep the little guy in prayer! We love you kody!! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. Hunter and family have welcomed a new baby, Taylor, to the family. God bless you all and congratulations on your new little bundle of joy! A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!! Please pray for Melody as she continues to battle a brain stem tumor. Her family is asking that a candle be lit for her tonight.
I mentioned last week that Benji had a bad experience with a train that wouldn't work. Well, I broke down and gave him one of his birthday gifts a little early. Benji is a die hard Donald Duck fan, and I found the hat on Ebay!! When I handed him the hat, the train was forgotten. At least, I hope so. We're thinking of a special surprise for him, provided we can find it. I won't go into detail here. We will keep you posted if we find anything out earlier than Monday. God bless and thank you for visiting. Benji loves reading his guestbook!! Loriann    Benji will turn nine years old on February 25th!! Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear is having some troubling symptoms. Please keep the little guy in prayer! We love you kody!! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. Hunter and family have welcomed a new baby, Taylor, to the family. God bless you all and congratulations on your new little bundle of joy! A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!! Please pray for Melody as she continues to battle a brain stem tumor. Her family is asking that a candle be lit for her tonight.
We will keep you posted if we find anything out earlier than Monday. God bless and thank you for visiting. Benji loves reading his guestbook!! Loriann Benji will turn nine years old on February 25th!! Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear is having some troubling symptoms. Please keep the little guy in prayer! We love you kody!! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. Hunter and family have welcomed a new baby, Taylor, to the family. God bless you all and congratulations on your new little bundle of joy! A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!! Please pray for Melody as she continues to battle a brain stem tumor. Her family is asking that a candle be lit for her tonight.
Saturday, January 29, 2005 8:03 PM CST Thanks and God bless, Loriann Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear is having some troubling symptoms. Please keep the little guy in prayer! We love you kody!! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. Hunter and family have welcomed a new baby, Taylor, to the family. God bless you all and congratulations on your new little bundle of joy! A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!!
Thursday, January 20, 2005 10:40 PM CST Hello, everybody, here's an essay that Benji wrote for school. It's due tomorrow. One Starry night, I lay staring at the night sky. I made a silent wish upon a star. I pondered my wish, why I wished it, and what I would do when it came true. First I wished for $9,999,999,999,999. It's much too big to keep to myself, so I thought I might tell you about it. Hopefully, it will appear in normal thousand dollar bills. I hope it smells as good as it looks. Next, I wished for this large sum of money, so that I could eat food. Having that much money would also make me feel safe. The green of the bills is my very favorite color. Finally, when it comes true, I'll go to Disney World. I'll help the poor people in need by giving them money. I think it would be a good idea to buy myself a mustang car. I've always wanted one of those. When I wished upon a star, I thought about why I wished it and what I would do when it came true. I realized how lucky I am to be able to dream." Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear is having some troubling symptoms. Please keep the little guy in prayer! We love you kody!! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. Hunter and family have welcomed a new baby, Taylor, to the family. God bless you all and congratulations on your new little bundle of joy! A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!!
Thursday, January 13th, 2005 10:51 PM CST Tomorrow, I am going up to Benji's school, and I am kidnapping him and taking him to lunch at his favorite restaurant, Al Fresco's in downtown Ocean Springs!!! He's really excited. Life is good here. No headaches and he actually was going on about school being fun. Have a great weekend!    Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear is having some troubling symptoms. Please keep the little guy in prayer! We love you kody!! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. Hunter and family have welcomed a new baby, Taylor, to the family. God bless you all and congratulations on your new little bundle of joy! A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!!
Thursday January 6, 2005 9:42AM CST Hello, everybody!! Benji's back to his usual self the past couple of days. No headache since the other night. He has a huge book report due on 4 March. It has to be a nonfiction book, and he has to dress as the character. He picked his very favorite historical character, Walt Disney. I was able to find some books for him, so hopefully, this project will go well. The Polar Express project was not mandatory, so we decided to let Benji skip it this year. He'll be doing it next year though, and he's got a jump on it as far as all the supplies and things are concerned. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear received good news on his MRI, and is back on the road to recovery. Please keep the little guy in prayer! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! Please pray for the family and friends of Allie Scott This precious little child fought against leukemia and in the process, touched many people's lives. This is the first major family holiday since her passing, so I would ask that you would pray for peace and comfort for her family at this time. We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!!
Monday, January 3, 2005 9:35 PM CST It's no wonder. He spent most of today running around and yelling outside with the neighbors and his friends. Heck, I have a headache just thinking about it. Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear received good news on his MRI, and is back on the road to recovery. Please keep the little guy in prayer! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! Please pray for the family and friends of Allie Scott This precious little child fought against leukemia and in the process, touched many people's lives. This is the first major family holiday since her passing, so I would ask that you would pray for peace and comfort for her family at this time. We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!! Saturday January 1, 2005 2:05 PM C.S.T HAPPY NEW YEAR 2005!!! We hope this first entry of the new year finds everyone happy and healthy. 2004 brought a lot of changes for our family, and 2005 promises to be eventful as well. Thank you all so much for your prayers, love, encouragement and support this past year. We've been very blessed to have such awesome family and friends. God has blessed us with so much, and we're so grateful. Thanks for visiting!! Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Cheyenne during this time. KodyBear received good news on his MRI, and is back on the road to recovery. Please keep the little guy in prayer! Miss Hunter a new friend in treatment for leukemia. A new friend, David Andrew age four, fighting leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! Please pray for the family and friends of Allie Scott This precious little child fought against leukemia and in the process, touched many people's lives. This is the first major family holiday since her passing, so I would ask that you would pray for peace and comfort for her family at this time. We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had. We have a new caringbridge friend named Heather Grace who's just precious. Please keep this little doll baby in your prayers as well!!!
Monday, December 6, 2004 3:12 PM CST New photos are up!!!!  Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Angel Cheyenne. during this time. KodyBear as he continues to recover from surgery and grow stronger. Miss Hunter an new friend in treatment for leukemia. A new friend, David Andrew age four, just diagnosed with leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! Please pray for the family and friends of Allie Scott This precious little child fought against leukemia and in the process, touched many people's lives. This is the first major family holiday since her passing, so I would ask that you would pray for peace and comfort for her family at this time. We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had.
Thursday, December 2, 2004 10:01 PM CST Hi, everybody, We've been keeping busy with school, and church, and getting ready for the holidays. This Sunday, Josh, Benji and Grace will be performing in the church musical, called Angel Alert. I'll be sure to post pics as soon as I can. Benji is doing well. He seems a bit more tired in the evenings. This week, his habit has been to fall asleep by the fire. All os us love the fire, but Benji is the one who seems to be enjoying it the most. His little face lights up whenever he sees daddy bringing wood in. I'm glad the the Mississippi weather is finally getting cold enough for us to enjoy a good fire. Thank you all so much for visiting Benji's webpage and signing his guestbook. It means so much to all of us to have your prayers and encouragement. Please remember Benji's caringbridge friends and their families in prayer. Please pray for peace and comfort for the family of Angel Cheyenne. during this time. KodyBear as he continues to recover from surgery and grow stronger. Miss Hunter an new friend in treatment for leukemia. A new friend, David Andrew age four, just diagnosed with leukemia. Please pray for our new friend Logan who is a survivor of Wilms tumor. We've had the pleasure of sharing a limo with Logan and his family. We had only just met, but it felt like we all knew each other for ever!!! Logan, welcome to the caringbridge family!!!! What a blessing you are!!! Please pray for the family and friends of Allie Scott This precious little child fought against leukemia and in the process, touched many people's lives. This is the first major family holiday since her passing, so I would ask that you would pray for peace and comfort for her family at this time. We also have a new caringbridge friend from San Angelo. His name is Caden. He's a precious little boy who could use some prayers and hugs. What a cutie!! Please pray for precious little Alyssa who is currently fighting the same tumor that Benji had.
Saturday, November 27, 2004 10:19 AM CST We had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving. Benji surprised us all by actually going up for seconds on the turkey!! Benji's a little bit fussy with his appetite at times. We all just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. The big treat in our house was that Thursday evening was actually cold enough to try out our fireplace. So, we sat in our livingroom, and just enjoyed a warm fire while the wind blew outside. Moments like that are what I'm most thankful for this year. Thanks so much for all the love and encouragement. It means the world to us!!!
Saturday, November 27, 2004 10:19 AM CST We had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving. Benji surprised us all by actually going up for seconds on the turkey!! Benji's a little bit fussy with his appetite at times. We all just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. The big treat in our house was that Thursday evening was actually cold enough to try out our fireplace. So, we sat in our livingroom, and just enjoyed a warm fire while the wind blew outside. Moments like that are what I'm most thankful for this year. Thanks so much for all the love and encouragement. It means the world to us!!!
Saturday, November 27, 2004 10:19 AM CST We had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving. Benji surprised us all by actually going up for seconds on the turkey!! Benji's a little bit fussy with his appetite at times. We all just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. The big treat in our house was that Thursday evening was actually cold enough to try out our fireplace. So, we sat in our livingroom, and just enjoyed a warm fire while the wind blew outside. Moments like that are what I'm most thankful for this year. Thanks so much for all the love and encouragement. It means the world to us!!!
Friday, November 19, 2004 9:44 PM CST Hey, everybody!!! Not much new here. We're all getting over the crud, and getting ready for a relaxing weekend before the holiday rush starts. Everything's going well with Benji. He had a good week at school, and is looking forward to Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for this year. We're especially thankful for all the love and support we've recieved since Benji's diagnosis. All of you who take the time to visit this page, and pray for Benji's continued healing, you have no idea what that means to our family. Thank you.
Monday, November 15, 2004 1:05 PM CST Hi, everybody!!! We're back from Florida. We had a wonderful time. The highlights were spending the day at Give Kids The World Village, and petting the dolphins at Sea World.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004 3:44 PM CST Hey, all. We're on our way to Florida!!! We'll be back on Sunday. Please pray for safe travels. We'll update with pictures when we get back.
Tuesday, November 9, 2004 4:36 PM CST Hey, everybody, it's me Benji. I had fun today. I went to a corn maze on Seward's Farm. I learned lots of things about corn. There are 3,500 ways to use corn. I saw lots of cotton. I went over a bridge almost to Alabama. I saw corn on the cob that turns into popcorn. I like field trips. They are lots of fun. Thank you all for visiting my page. I love you all!!! Tuesday, November 9, 2004 12:11 AM CST Hi, everybody. Nothing much new. Benji went on a field trip to a corn maze today. Please pray that he finds his way out!!! Tomorrow night, we leave for a quick trip to Florida. I'll be posting pics as soon as I take some and get home!!
Saturday, November 6, 2004 4:25 PM CST Today was a busy day for our family. A limo picked us up early this morning, and took us to keesler for a 5K run to benefit research and treatment for pediatric cancer. We were one of about ten families that were guests of honor at this event. I'll have more pictures soon.
Saturday, November 6, 2004 4:25 PM CST Today was a busy day for our family. A limo picked us up early this morning, and took us to keesler for a 5K run to benefit research and treatment for pediatric cancer. We were one of about ten families that were guests of honor at this event. I'll have more pictures soon. Thursday, November 4, 2004 9:30 PM CST Today was a good day for our Benji. A busy school day, combined with great Fall Weather, no homework, and a remote control car made for as busy fun day. We have a busy weekend coming up, but more about that later.
Wednesday, November 3, 2004 2:27 PM CST Well, today just solidified why we moved to Ocean Springs. As many of you know, Benji has been experiencing problems with his handwriting and spelling. This has been an ongoing problem with Benji and we've had the hardest time getting his needs met in Biloxi.
Wednesday, November 3, 2004 2:27 PM CST Well, today just solidified why we moved to Ocean Springs. As many of you know, Benji has been experiencing problems with his handwriting and spelling. This has been an ongoing problem with Benji and we've had the hardest time getting his needs met in Biloxi.
Wednesday, November 3, 2004 2:27 PM CST Well, today just solidified why we moved to Ocean Springs. As many of you know, Benji has been experiencing problems with his handwriting and spelling. This has been an ongoing problem with Benji and we've had the hardest time getting his needs met in Biloxi.
Saturday, October 30, 2004 9:59 AM CDT
Wednesday, October 27, 2004 6:09 PM CDT Hey, all!! Benji's doing well. He came home today with a note about an upcoming reading fair. He's going to do his project on the Polar Express. He's going to start reading it now. His grades are improving as is his attitude toward school. Monday, October 18, 2004 3:06 PM CDT UPDATE!!!! It's all good. Dr Dermo-dude took a look at the moles in question under a special light, and they are fine!!! Dr. Dermo-Dude said that the moles do look scary to the naked eye, but not to worry. We'll have to have Benji checked every year, but hey, at this point, I'm not complaining!! Thanks for the prayers and support. You all rock!!!! Sunday, October 17, 2004 9:06 PM CDT
Tuesday, October 5, 2004 3:41 PM CDT Hey, everybody!!! We're back from the Dr's. All went well. Dr Salzar just wanted to do a more thorough checkup on him. She was very happy to see how he's progressing, and we don't have to see her until February. Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement.
Monday, October 4, 2004 6:24 PM CDT Greetings!! Sorry it's taken so long for me to update. It's been really busy here since ivan's visit. All is well in Ocean Springs. We came home to minimal damage. We lost our Bradford pear tree and some fence was damaged, but really, we have nothing to complain about.
Thursday, September 16, 2004 6:02 AM CDT We survived Hurricane Ivan in our shelter. We were sleeping on the floor and could feel the creaking and the wind. That was surreal, to say the least. No word on damage yet. We'll keep you posted as the day continues. Please keep us all in prayer.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004 6:29 PM CDT It's getting a wee bit freaky here, folks. The wind is picking up, the rain is moving sideways, and we're officially locked in for the night. Everybody's in good spirits. That won't last long though because I'm fixing to send a couple of little boys and a little girl to bed. The storm makes landfall about 3:AM, so I want them to get some sleep before it hits. Wednesday, September 15, 2004 7:44 AM CDT We're officially evacuated. We're staying in my husband's section at the hospital. He's set us up with 2 rooms with our own connecting bathroom in the middle. We have tv's and dvd players, and the computer should be running until ivan the terrible makes landfall. Please keep us all in prayer as we go through this. We've had enough. Tuesday, September 14, 2004 11:31 AM CDT Hey, everybody, a real quick update. We are in the path of ivan the terrible. We'll be sheltering at the base med center. Don't worry, we'll be fime, and back to normal soon. Please pray for us. I'll continue to update when i can. Tuesday, August 24, 2004 7:41 PM CDT PRAISE GOD!!!!! Benji had his checkup today and all is well!!! His MRI showed less enhancement than the last one and the Dr was very pleased with Benji's health in general. Benji was very brave through the whole thing, but i think he's relieved that it's over.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004 5:41 PM CDT PRAISE GOD!!!!! Benji had his checkup today and all is well!!! His MRI showed less enhancement than the last one and the Dr was very pleased with Benji's health in general. Benji was very brave through the whole thing, but i think he's relieved that it's over.
Sunday, August 22, 2004 8:47 PM CDT Hi, there, I hope everyone's having a great weekend. Benji and Josh opened a lemonade stand yesterday. They made $35.00 to donate to Make A Wish!! We were so thankful for all that stopped by and bought lemonade. I'll be posting pics soon.
Thursday, August 12, 2004 8:49 AM CDT Well, here we are a week into school, and Benji is just blossoming!!! The kids are really enjoying their new schools, and are both making friends. Moving to this neighborhood has turned out to be best things we could have done for these kids and our family.
Wednesday, August 4, 2004 9:51 PM CDT Hello, everybody!!! Tomorrow, the boys go back to school. Wow!! This summer flew by!
Sunday, July 11, 2004 8:52 PM CDT Well, here we are back home again. The week at GKTW flew by faster than one could imagine!! It was a great trip, and we're were blessed to have experienced it! The folks at GKTW are nothing short of angels!!! Friday, July 2, 2004 5:44 PM CDT Hey, everybody!! Greetings from Give kids the World village. We're here, and having a blast. This place is incredible!
Friday, June 25, 2004 3:35 PM CDT It's official!!!!!We are now homeowners!! We closed this morning. All went well. Everybody was really pleased at how easy the whole process was. We move in as soon as we get back from Disney next week!!
Sunday, June 20, 2004 7:40 PM CDT HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!! Friday, May 7, 2004 9:06 PM CDT Hello,
Friday, April 9, 2004 11:28 PM CDT The passenger seat.
Sunday, April 4, 2004 9:16 PM CDT It was a year ago today that my son Benji had surgery to remove a brain tumor. I spent the last precious preop moments memorizing Benji and telling him how precious he is and how much we love him. How happy he makes everybody who meets him. I sent him to surgery knowing that I said everything that needed to be said.
Thursday, March 25, 2004 9:25 PM CST ALL CLEAR!!!! Wednesday, March 24, 2004 11:15 AM CST Benji had his MRI today. Now, I'm not an MRI expert, but from what I saw, it looked all clear. I think we'll be getting good news this time!!!
Sunday, March 21, 2004 7:58 PM CST Hi, everybody. Rick left three weeks ago today, and we're all doing well. Keeping busy, and counting the days till daddy comes home. Benji has his next MRI on Wednesday. Wednesday is also a year since Benji's diagnosis. It amazing what a year this has been. We've truly been blessed. Please keep us in prayer as well as all these other children who are facing illness. Friday, March 5, 2004 11:45 AM CST Well, almost a week since Rick left, and we're all doing well. Grace had her birthday on Wednesday. After church, we had ice cream cake to celebrate. Benji got the "terrific kid" award for this month. I'm very proud of him, and as far as I'm concerned, he's a terrific kid every month. Wednesday, February 25, 2004 8:56 AM CST ~*~*~HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENJI~*~*~ Thursday, February 5, 2004 10:04 PM CST YAY!!! We got our dates for Benji's wish trip!! We're planning on surprising him with the dates, so I won't be posting the dates here until his birthday on the 25th of this month. All is going well with the kiddos. The boys are doing well with school and Grace is growing cuter every day. Thank you for visiting Benji's page. Please keep our other caringbridge kids in prayer.
Thursday, January 29, 2004 12:55 AM CST First off, I want to thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers over this past week, since the loss of my grandmother. We left for Florida right after Benji's MRI. The viewing and the funeral were very nice. A sad reason, but it was good do see relatives we hadn't seen in a while, and to catch up. I have a lot of peace knowing that Grandma isn't suffering anymore, and that she wasn't alone. She was with people who loved her. Sunday, January 18, 2004 1:42 PM CST A sad day today in our house. Last night, my grandma passed away. She was eighty three years old and had been suffering from cancer. The funeral will most likely be on Thursday, 22 January. We'll be headed for her home in Orlando on Tuesday, immediately following Benji's MRI.
Wednesday, January 14, 2004 10:56 PM CST Benji's next MRI is coming up this Tuesday. If you all can remember the little man in your prayers, it would mean so much. We're having it done early so we can have a clean bill of health when Daddy deploys next month. One less thing to worry about!! Tuesday, January 13, 2004 9:35 PM CST Hey, Friday, January 2, 2004 10:45 AM CST Happy New Year!! May 2004 bring peace, health and happiness to all who are reading this.
Thursday, December 25, 2003 6:15 PM CST MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! Today and yesterday were amazing days for our family. We had some dear friends over for our traditional Christmas lasagne. The kids were so excited they were running in circles all night. They calmed down just long enough to read, the Christmas story from ther bible, and a new favorite, the polar express. Finally they went to sleep, and in came Santa. This morning was a happy morning for our kids. Benji's big gift was a keyboard. I think we have a budding musician in the family. Josh has been trying to build the perfect cruise ship, and Grace has a new baby to love and care for. Of course those gifts pale in comparison to the gift that God has given us by sending his son. Monday, December 8, 2003 10:46 PM CST Hey, everybody.
Monday, November 24, 2003 9:50 PM CST Hello, We're back from the Sunshine state. We had a wonderful time, visiting family. We stayed with Rick's cousin, Jr. and his wife, who really know the meaning of hospitality. They both made us feel welcome, and we appreciate how comfortable they made us. Josh and Benji cooked breakfast with Jr every morning, and we just enjoyed each other's company the whole visit.
Wednesday, November 19, 2003 10:32 PM CST Hi, everybody. We're heading to Florida tomorrow for a long weekend. We'll be visiting family, cousins on Rick's side, and my grandma. Please keep us in prayer as we travel.
Thursday, November 6, 2003 7:12 AM CST Well, Benji had his MRI on Monday, and all went well. Th scan showed nothing in the way of tumor activity, and the neurologist was pleased with Benji's recovery from the surgery. Sunday, October 26, 2003 12:34 PM CST Well, this has been a banner weekend for Benji. After months of working with him, Benji finally got on his two wheeler and rode off down the sidewalk yesterday. He was so proud, but no one was as proud as his mommy. This afteroon we're off to a halloween party sponsored by the Candlelighters for Childrens cancer. Benji's going to be a stealth fighter pilot. Josh is going to be a special forces dude, and Grace is going to be a fairy princess!!
Thursday, October 16, 2003 7:28 PM CDT Hey, everybody, Saturday, October 11, 2003 9:26 PM CDT When Benji grows up, he wants to make a sequel to Finding Nemo. It will be called shaving Nemo. Nemo will grow up and start getting hairy. So, he will embark on a journey to find a barber who shaves fish. Monday, October 6, 2003 3:52 PM CDT Well, here I am, writing from our new home in beautiful Biloxi Mississippi!! We're settling into our new home, and all is going well. Josh and Benji are adjusting to their new school and are making friends around the neighborhood. Grace is also adjusting, and is enjoying her new home. Monday, September 15, 2003 12:50 AM CDT "Hello, everybody, this is Benji. I just want to thank everybody for praying for me, and for loving me. I'm happy to be home. I love you all. Tuesday, August 26, 2003 7:48 PM CDT Hello, everybody, this is Benji. I just want to thank everybody for praying for me, and for loving me. I'm happy to be home. The MRI was scary, but I was brave. I love you all.
Monday, August 25, 2003 3:20 PM CDT GREAT NEWS!!! Benji just got back from his MRI and appointment. The MRI was clear!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! Dr Shapiro was very pleased with Benji's recovery from the surgery, and everything looked good neurologically. Benji was very brave this morning with the MRI. He layed still and did what he needed to do. Now we're headed out to an Eddie Coker concert, benefitting the Brain Tumor Foundation of the Southwest. Friday, August 22, 2003 1:42 PM CDT Guess who lost a tooth today?? That's right. I went in to visit Benji at lunch, and he gave me a big gappy smile. He lost his tooth during gym. He's growing up so fast.
Wednesday, August 20, 2003 12:43 AM CDT Hi, everybody. Today, Benji saw a pediatric neurologist from San Antonio. It was a good appointment. Dr Thomasovic seemed very pleased with Benji's recovery. Benji will remain on his anti seizure medicine for now. Same dosage, same amount. Benji did really well at the appointment. They were a little behind schedule, so he got a little bored, but before we knew it, the appointment was over, we had eaten lunch, and now, he's back at school. Overall, a good day. Hopefully, next weeks MRI will be this simple. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as well as the other families dealing with illness. Monday, August 18, 2003 7:25 PM CDT Well, today was the first day of school for everyone!! This morning, Grace and I walked to school with some friends and got the boys settled in their classrooms. Then after lunch, it was Grace's turn. That's right. Grace started school today too. Don't tell Grace, but it was really nice to be able to get stuff done around the house, and to run errands without her. Quiet, but nice. Saturday, August 16, 2003 1:57 PM CDT Toaday was an interesting day. We had the opportunity to meet a fellow Caringbridge child. We went to a benefit for Cheyenne Fiveash, and her family. What a sweet young lady she is. Cheyenne came right up to Benji and gave him a big hug. Benji, of course, was shy, as he usually is around pretty girls. Roy, Donna and the rest of the Fiveash family made us feel very welcomed. Their faith is amazing!
Sunday, August 10, 2003 10:46 PM CDT Another wonderful weekend filled with ordinary moments. Benji got a new scooter, and has been a riding fool. He and Josh have been all over the neighborhood just enjoying their summer vacation. Today, Benji had some one on one time with Daddy at the pool on base. Grace stayed home and took a nap, and Josh went and played with a friend. This is the last week of vacation before school starts. Two weeks from today, we will leave for Dallas to have Benji's MRI. Please keep us in prayer as well as all the other families facing illness with their children.
Friday, August 1, 2003 2:42 PM CDT Well, I certainly didn't think that we'd be updating before Benji's next MRI, but we got some REALLY GOOD news this week!!! Some of you may remember that the surgeon discussed a possible scrap of tumor remaining. Well, the official report has finally trickled down to us, and it says that there is "no evidence of residual/recurrent tumor" There's what's called "linear enhancement" along the margins of the surgical site, but "no evidence of nodule enhancement", and the linear enhancement is most likely due to post operative changes.
Friday, 25 July 2003 Our family is enjoying a peaceful relaxing summer. In June, we went to San Antonio, where we spent a fun filled day at Sea World. We also toured down town and walked along the river, and toured the Alamo. We recently took a trip to Miss. to check out our new home. Benji and his brother and sister enjoyed playing at the beach, and collecting sea shells. On August 25th Benji will undergo his quarterly MRI and checkup at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. Please continue to keep Benji in your prayers. He's doing really well this summer, and we pray that his health continues. God has truly blessed our family
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