Hello, family and friends!

Good news! This July Owen crossed his three-year mark since treatment ended and he’s healthy and still showing no evidence of disease. Since our last posting here many things have changed in our lives, but Kim and I still remember with gratitude all the kind words, prayers, and other support we received from those following our story on Caring Bridge and GoFundMe.

While it’s probably not every day that you wonder how things turned out for us, I imagine that hearing a good news update from time to time is still encouraging. The trouble for us has been to decide when to send an update given that Owen usually had another checkup just around the corner. And since (thankfully) life has been less eventful in the cancer space, there is a tendency to not want to go back and visit that emotionally charged box. None the less, I’ve really wanted to send out a note about where things are for us and Owen lately. Also, Owen is scheduled for a surgery in October, so we welcome any prayers for a smooth operation. Here’s some details of life and upcoming events.

First off, we live in Michigan now. Kim grew up in Michigan but in most of our years of marriage we didn’t have much thought that we would end up living there. This idea showed up as we realized I could work remotely and that our kids could have something special growing up together with cousins if we lived near them. Moving our family 600 miles away from where we spent the last 7 years is no small thing. It took busy work in the summer and fall of 2022 to decipher the details and if it could happen. I don’t recommend moving to Michigan in the winter but as timing had it, we landed at a new house in Battle Creek, MI a couple weeks before Christmas.

Winter and spring were spent adapting to our new location, but we have cherished time with family here. Owen was sad to leave Maryland (as were we in many expected and unexpected ways) but he has flourished in friendship with his three cousins nearby. He’s made other friends as well and spends more time outside, getting dirty, and playing at a farm than he could have back East. Yes, cousins live on a “hobby farm” so veggies, berries, chickens, and more are a regular part of our life now.

Things I’m grateful for,

• a bigger house now means having my own room for office space further from the main home school areas. Those working remotely and or homeschooling with young ones know how great this can be.
• Kim does amazing learning activities for both Owen and Hope and that brings me joy.
• There’s a stream at the edge or our yard which has wonders for children and adults alike.
• Getting to know Kim’s family up here and less of a big city feel.
• Owen turned 8 this August and Hope turned 4 in September alongside both of girl cousins (ages 8).
• More date times with Kim (while children occupied with cousins).

Specifics about Owen. He continues to grow in ability to build Lego creations and assemble / disassemble things with screws and motors. You may recall the multi-thousand-piece remote control Lego truck he built just after treatment ended. He now understands how the gears and electronics work so that he’s constructed his own many wheeled robots. Although the effects of cancer treatment still show up in him, he is energetic, curious, and of course has plenty of hair on his head. The only thing slow about Owen is how fast his teeth have been coming in and how many inches he’s gaining in height. We’ve been patient with the process, continue to ensure he gets plenty of healthy meals (dairy and egg free), and yes, he still loves to ride his bicycle. I asked Owen what he would say to his supporters and in simple thoughtfulness he asked me to tell you “thanks for praying for me”.

Speaking of praying, there is a few areas we are welcoming that into. Owen plays fairly well with Hope (a bouncy and talented sister) but he has high levels of anxiety. Not having the right bowl for his breakfast, sister walking into his room looking interested in his stuff, or a math / writing problem that’s new can all send him into a fit of frustration. So, prayers that our efforts to normalize things to be small problems for him and not major stressors is one big area.

Two, Owen’s got a cough that reoccurs each time he gets any kind of cold and then lasts well after he’s recovered. We’ve sought advice from a handful of doctors and more outside of that about what causes it and how to reduce it. Is it a sensitivity he has, a remnant from chemotherapy, we don’t know. We’ve been given a few new approaches to try and will have an ENT do a bronchoscope while Owen is in surgery. Prayers for how to help him so he’s not in the throes of heavy coughing every time a sniffle shows up is the goal. If you have experience with reoccurring or barky coughs, then practical advice is welcome.

Third, surgery is scheduled for Oct. 13th. To respect the privacy Owen might want if he was older, I won’t go into the details. Suffice to say he’s got a couple urology topics that need addressing. We are expecting him to come home the same day of the procedures and recovery to occur over 30 days. We hope for no complications or unnecessary medical trauma to come of the experience. Positive thoughts my way for a smooth billing experience is also appreciated. We use Medi-share still for our health plan and although we got through all of Owen’s treatment days with this, there were many bumpy experiences with medical billers who don’t understand what to do with a non-insurance medical cost sharing program. The simple answer by-the-way is to just submit the bill as if it was insurance. That’s it. They process bills quickly, explain the contractual discount to apply just like an explanation of benefits, pay on time, and really shouldn’t need much extra handling than that.

Also, Owen’s next check in with oncology will be January 2024 and then we shift to a once per year check in schedule. With a healthy Owen I suppose there isn’t much need to send these updates. About reaffirming good news though, what I read today in my daily devotional is helpful here. It talks about the need for us to recall and reaffirm. Psalm 105:5 says, “Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgements he pronounced”. It harkens to Psalm 78:4 which also makes it crystal clear, “telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord”. And even in the New Testament (although referring more directly to Jesus) Ephesians 3.21: “…to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen”.

It's been uplifting to recall what God has done for us. Both with Owen’s care, healing from cancer and its treatment and the work done through your support of Owen, Kim and me. I re-read your notes to us, recall the relief the financial gifts gave, and sigh as I think of answers to prayers (like when Owen’s port removal was blocked initially by rule zealous administrators but then opened for completion on schedule by a doctor in charge, whew!). Admittedly, often I don’t want to remember those days in 2020 as Owen received treatment. But, the story doesn’t feel right without recalling those good news moments. Written in the Bible, Jesus didn’t just die, he rose again. What a hard time it was for Owen and us but there were good moments to celebrate and more happening daily.

Let’s remember good news and be encouraged. Thank you for caring for my family.

Appreciatively,

Sean & Kim