Wow! Where did the spring and summer go? I realized this morning that as people have been asking us how Gabe is doing that we haven't really provided an update. First, and most importantly, we met with his surgeon this week and Gabe is cancer-free! He has scans every 3 months for the next 2-3 years but we will hold out hope that this is how he spent his senior year and cancer will become a memory.

So looking back at our last post... after the pathology reports came back from the 2nd surgery, even though they had clear margins they still found some cancer cells in the samples. So it was decided to do radiation (5 days a week for 6 weeks), but first, his leg needed to heal from surgery. 

So in the meantime, while healing and doing physical therapy, Gabe had his wrestling banquet where he received the very special David Sheetz Award named in honor of a young man who wrestled for the Platte County Pirates and was killed in a car accident. Gabe's name will always hang in the wrestling room at his high school which means so much to us. Then he had prom. Here's a fun pic of him all dressed up and sporting his knee brace. Then he had graduation.

Then we started radiation. We were expecting a bad sunburn, but the 30 treatments on his knee ended up causing 3rd-degree burns (I'll spare you the pictures). We ended up in the Burn and Wound Clinic where some very special people at the University of Kansas Hospital helped him heal up quickly. We can't say anything about the Radiation team at the KU Cancer Center. They loved on Gabe in a big way and celebrated his last day with a custom-made fishing hat with their photos, the sarcoma ribbon and a "You Did It!" message. 

Because his leg wasn't healed up we weren't able to take his senior trip (fishing at a crappie lake he's been eyeing in Mississippi) so that will have to wait until next spring. He spent the rest of his summer working at Burton's Bait Shop in Smithville and A Hwy Fireworks where he's spent 6 fireworks seasons. He also put on two 25-30 minute fireworks shows and did a lot of fishing. 

And now "real-life" has started. He started working mid-August for a large electrical company and he's applied to the electrical union to start an apprenticeship. He's up every day at 5 am and his goal is to be in bed by 8 or 8:30 pm. He's still at Burton's Bait Shop on the weekend and he'll be at A Hwy Pumpkins and Mums starting September 18. If you're in the Kanas City area, stop by and see him. They have the most beautiful, perfectly manicured mums you'll find anywhere. 

We so grateful for so many things - 1) God's grace and healing 2) University of Kansas Hospitals (every single team member even those that answer the phone and at the hospital cafeteria are just THE BEST) 3) The love, support and prayers of our friends and family and even people we didn't know (I'm not even sure how many church's prayer lists he was on 4) The generosity of those that bought t-shirts and hosted fundraising events and made donations to help cover his medical bills. We are especially grateful to the Platte County High School Athletic Department, Northland Lacrosse, the Andrew Ross Termini Foundation, Damon's Rally Cap, Landon's Legacy Foundation and the ARC North Spikeball Tourney 5) So many that sent gift cards for restaurants or provided meals or snacks during that 18-week stretch of chemo 6) Those that send encouraging cards to brighten his day (and mine too).

We are so grateful to be cancer-free but remember are friends that aren't yet. I'm sure you have a list of friends and family that are facing cancer too. We pray for these folks and the collective cancer community each day. 

1. Matt Madill - Matt is also from Platte City and was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia the same exact day Gabe was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma. Matt just had a bone marrow transplant and we are praying for his full recovery

2. Jackson Hemphill - The son of a friend from high school. Jackson is also diagnosed with leukemia and spent many, many weeks this year at St. Jude. He's at home still fighting but was able to join the band at a recent football game :)

3. Reagan Braun - Reagan is the daughter of a colleague from Rodan & Fields whose daughter was about to graduate early from high school and was diagnosed with T Cell ALL Leukemia this spring. She is still in the midst of grueling treatment. 

4. George Langston - The young son of a friend from high school who has had a relapse of Rhabdomyosarcoma (eye cancer). After his recent relapse, George's eye had to be removed and he is starting chemo again. 

5. Sam Rogers - A high school friend who has been battling liver cancer for just over two years. 

6. And we remember the family of Kari Cornwell who just lost a corageous battle to pancreatic cancer. 

Thank you again for the tremendous love and care and generosity you've shown Gabe and our family since we received that life-changing call on October 2, 2020. We will never forget it. You helped us cope in big ways - THANK YOU just doesn't seem like enough.