History

Journal History

Friday, December 20, 2002 at 08:22 PM (CST)

Hi all,

Feeling a little Bah-Hum-Bug, this season, so didn't get many holiday cards out, but still thinking about my friends & loved ones.

This is the 3rd Holiday Season without my Michael. He would have been 8 1/2, an I can't help but wonder what he would have had on his 'Santa List?" Lego's, a new bike for a bigger boy, a remote control airplane, the Spiderman or Harry Potter movie, a telescope? Wondering if I could still convince him to sit on Santa's lap for a picture? Other thoughts that come painfully to mind: "Do I hang his stocking? Do I fill it or leave it empty? What about those delicate Christmas ornaments crafted by his own little precious hands? Do I hang them on the tree or leave them tucked away in the box?" How I wish he was here, then I would not have to be thinking these thoughts or making these decisions. I miss him!

Happy Holidays! Remember to cherish your Loved Ones, Enjoy every moment as if it could be your last and please remember my Michael!

Finally got a few pictures up on his website, take a look at the photo page when you get a chance, and take the opportunity to go to the guest book to share a favorite memory of Michael.
Love,
Jen

Friday, September 06, 2002 at 08:08 PM (CDT)

THE MICHAEL PETERSON STORY

As it began...

September had rarely seen such a beautiful summer. The unusually warm Pacific Ocean and its salty air faded into memory as we drove along the north side of Oregon. At our distant left the silvery shimmer of the mighty Columbia River flowing down its last stretch. We were on our way home from our favorite vacation spot on the Oregon Coast. Time passed as Michael and his dog Toby napped away the sunny afternoon in the comfort of air-conditioning. Suddenly, Michael woke up screaming with pain in his right leg and hip. Little did we know that it was more than a leg cramp.

For the next month, Michael experienced periods of leg pain, fevers, trouble walking, and fruitless doctor visits. They took several x-rays and thought that it was either a virus or growing pains. By then, we sensed that it was more than what the doctors could tell us. Unsatisfied with the time consuming lack of progress, we 'pushed' for a more thorough examination.

It was on that first Friday of October 1997 when they finally agreed to send Michael to Children's Hospital for a CT scan. The day passed by slowly as the doctors carefully gathered the results. Patiently, we sat there in a dimly lit room and planned our weekend while Michael was recovering from the medication. Down the hallway, crackling sounds of plastic sheets filled the air as a team of doctors scrambled to decipher the semitransparent images. By early evening, they called us into a conference room. Jennifer (Mommy) and I (Daddy) left Michael to one of the nurses and proceeded into what felt like a cold room bathed in sterile white lights. It wasn't long after we were surrounded by gloomy faces that we realized the magnitude of Michael's illness. Our minds raced ahead of our thoughts leaving behind rapid shallow breaths, darting eyes, and a struggle to comprehend the past, present, and future. The Doctor continued to mumble something; perhaps long words that were not in our vocabulary. I attempted to regain some sense of sanity and control by asking the dreaded "C" word. "Is it cancer?... Is it serious?" As if by showing courage, the cancer would somehow retreat. Staring back at me, the doctor replied with a slow, painful nod. At that moment, Jen's emotions spilled into the silent room. And through the walls, Michael's waking voice delivered the innocence of not knowing. Thus, the beginning of our new journey...

The diagnosis?…Stage IV Neuroblastoma…a rare childhood cancer that begins in nerves that branch from the spinal cord. These branches reach many areas of the body, therefore the tumor can be found in many places. Most tumors are found in the abdomen attached to the adrenal glands. Neuroblastoma is not inherited and the cause is not known at this time. Stage IV is the most severe, meaning that the tumor has spread to the bone marrow. The prognosis for stage IV patients has improved over the years, although the relapse rate is still high. Treatment therapy will include, high dose chemotherapy, surgery to remove tumor, bone marrow transplant and local radiation to the tumor sights.

Michael was admitted to the Cancer floor at Children's Hospital in Seattle, Washington on Monday October 6th 1997 to undergo a biopsy of his abdomen and placement of a central catheter line to his heart. Six days later he received his 1st infusion of high dose chemotherapy. Over the next 4 months he would receive 5 more chemo treatments, his last one in February made him incredibly ill and he contracted a life threatening fungal infection in his blood. He spent 7 days in the intensive care unit, and we were not certain if he would pull through.

....TO BE CONTINUED

Monday, September 02, 2002 at 10:23 PM (CDT)

Hi, some of you might remember, Michael used to have a really awesome website while he was going through his 3 years of treatment. Due to circumstances beyond my control, the website is no longer there. It was called Michael's Den. I have found this online service that offers free websites to cancer patients and their families, so have decided to honor his memory by posting here. I will add photos when I can figure out how. Please check here occasionally for a "Michael Memory" and feel free to add a few of your own by going to the guest book.

Monday, September 02, 2002 at 10:09 PM (CDT)

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