Gabe’s Story

Site created on December 28, 2019

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
At the time this site is created.  Gabe is a lively, witty, spunky, happy 13.5 yr old teen.  He's been busy with friends and has become a diligent student.  He's enjoys his pets and video games. He's always up for adventures and has an amazing, tender heart.  There are many people we've formed friendships with who don't know or have only briefly heard about his 3+year struggle with ALL (the abbreviation of pre-B Cell Acute Lypmhoblastic Leukemia).  Gabe was originally diagnosed with leukemia the day after his first birthday and the three years that followed were full of stuggles and hard times, sprinkled with glimmers of hope and bits of joy that always keep us going.  After completing the horiffic cancer experience, we wanted to support other's in their cancer battles yet chose to distance ourself from the traumatic event.  Dealing with something like cancer for so many years can easily allow cancer to become part of a person's identity. Gabe needed to be challenged and encouraged like every child does, and the tag of "cancer survivor" was rarely mentioned.  Here's the link to his old site.... https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ourgabriel

We have been enjoying the last 9.5years! Life has been amazing, full and so wonderful!  We have so many blessings and the nightmare of relapse was though about less and less, and finally not at all. Doctors reminded us that relapse usually happens with the first 6 months after treatment, and after 5 yrs off treatment it's very very very rare.  So,..... we have been doing as everyone does!  Living Life Fully!!!  Gabe has caught up on so many milestones and overcome the many of the side effects caused by the chemotherapy that saved his life.  And now, he has to begin the battle again....

Newest Update

Journal entry by Nicole McGovern

Gabe's surgery went very smoothly!  The attending MD updated me that the area the port was in had minimal scar tissue and she was able to remove all the capsule (tissue that forms around any foreign body). This is all good news, but perhaps dissecting away built up tissue has made Gabe a bit more sore. The resident MD is specializing in plastic surgery so it was perfect having her there to do a scar revision  and have Gabe end with "hopefully" minimal scarring.  This surgery was so very smooth and I know God orchestrated many gifts on Wednesday - The anesthesiologist was easy to work with and amenable to Gabe's (& my) plan of "gasing" him down and then starting the iv. She was skillful in her technique and Gabe woke up really smoothly with little or no side effects from the drugs. (Which is huge because post operative nausea and vomiting are very common and rough to deal with.)  The nurse was an experienced traveler who I really like.  He is from Spain and I know Gabe connected with him from the start. He has such an easy going and friendly demeanor.  I could not have planned or even hoped for a more smooth outcome for the day! 

 

     Gabe's been sleepy from the pain meds but he's getting back to "normal".  And those are about to be cut out. The doctor gave him an excuse for a full week off from school!  He's been doing his schoolwork anyhow so that he doesn't miss any of his assignments.  And, he's been having a renewed focus on food and cooking.  He's back to helping me cook dinner. 

     I am a slow learner.  I know God is in control and that I should just enjoy the ride.  But, sometimes I still try to plan and control as much as I can.  In this case, I knew I couldn't hand pick all the "players" in Gabe's surgery and I did think that "it'll be alright"....but it was absolutely perfect. God is amazing...

     This Friday, Gabe, Alexandra and I are heading to Nacogdoches, TX to visit Adam and Kate for the weekend! It's family weekend at Stephen F. Austin State University  and we can't wait to see them! Life is moving along!  We are leaving the past behind us, knowing that it has made us who we are.  There's so much to look forward to and so many good things happening. I'm grateful for everything. Praise the Lord.

 

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