vibrant life

now showing at a hospital near you...

              We are camped out in room #7273 at DeVos Children's Hospital waiting to begin....
                       MEGHAN'S LAST ROUND OF CHEMO!!!
                                        {{{insert cheers, hollering, whistles, etc.. here}}}

We came in this morning to check if her counts were high enough for her to go ahead with chemo.  She had a blood transfusion this afternoon and now we have been admitted to the inpatient unit on 7 South.  Chemo will begin later tonight.  We hope to be released Sunday morning.  We are planning on celebrating all day Saturday as she receives her last infusion of chemo (hopefully ever).  Please feel free to stop by and visit.  (Visiting rules have changed slightly
here - you need to stop by the nurses' station before going to Meghan's room.)

I will be posting more soon about what all remains for Meghan.  September is already quite full with more physical therapy and clinic appointments.  We also have another follow-up appointment with her surgeon mid-month.  It is my understanding that she will have scans in about a month and if they are all clear she will be declared "IN REMISSION" (that sounds nice, doesn't it?).

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!  There is no want to those who fear Him."       
                                                                                            Psalm 34:8-9

stand up 2 cancer...

Another opportunity for Meghan happened this week Tuesday morning...

Meghan was asked to be part of a 90 second local tv spot on WOODTV 8/WOTV 4 that will be part of the Stand Up 2 Cancer special that is coming up.  The special is being shown, commercial-free, on all three major networks at 8:00 pm on Friday, September 5.  If you want to see Meghan's spot (which may just be a few seconds depending on the editing) you will have to watch the special on WOODTV 8. 

gilda's club...

Monday evening, August 25, our family had the honor of speaking at the Gilda's Club 8th Annual Golf Outing Fundraiser.  We joined the golfers for a fantastic dinner at The Acorn Grille (part of Thousand Oaks Golf Club).  Our kids were the only kids there and they thoroughly enjoyed their fancy dinner and trying new things like the shirley temples/roy rogers that the waiters kept bringing them (Aidan just loved the extra cherries they kept giving him all skewered on a plastic sword).  They were also fascinated by the "dessert before dinner" (sorbet served between the salad and main entree).   {{{We were all a little spoiled! }}}

As a family we have been attending Gilda's Club for several months now.  We go on Thursday evenings and have dinner there and then we all go to support groups.  We have found it to be a great resource and support (and the kids have a lot of fun!).  For our short presentation, I talked briefly about our family's personal journey through cancer and our experience being a part of Gilda's Club and then each of the children told their name and age and a couple things they each liked about Gilda's.  Michael finished with some thoughts he had prepared specifically about Gilda's.  I'd like to share his part here:

To set some context for my thoughts here are some quick facts taken from gildasclubgr.org:

• There will be more than 44,200 new and serious cancers         
   diagnosed in Michigan this year.

• Those cancers will impact more than 265,000 people, counting
   spouses, children, friends and family members whose lives will
   be changed because someone they love has cancer.

• Men have a one in two chance of getting cancer; women one in
   three.

• Cancer Costs the US more than $70 billion annually in lost
   productivity alone.

How many of your lives are (or have been) touched by someone you know and love battling this disease?  How many of you may have lost someone to it?  Cancer changes the context with which you interact with life and it is precisely in this context that you will find Gilda’s Club of Grand Rapids to be an oasis.

You see, to the non-afflicted or unaffected there are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings. You find yourself dealing with “normal” people who make hurtful remarks or stares, employers who don’t understand, and people who (frankly) don’t get it (and to be just…why should they).  In addition, along with the disease itself, an exhausting pace accompanies it.  To those spouses, children, friends and family members whose lives will be forever changed because of cancer, we know (and are here to tell you) Gilda’s “get’s it.”  We also know that you “get it” too!

The oasis of Gilda’s offers many things:  resources, classes, support groups, counseling, and meals that we this group of fighters, survivors, and grievers find to be an enormous blessing. Beyond that is the camaraderie you develop with other “Gilda heads” who know what journey you are walking.  It is not unlike those who fight in war together, and that is the reality of it.  This is war.

In closing, I not only want to tell you what Gilda’s means to me but communicate to you what your investment means to us all through Gilda’s. By your loving and generous contributions to Gilda’s you make their mission possible and our lives that much better. They help to provide a window of time and a place to talk, act, feel, and be normal when the unpredictable trials of cancer swirl about you. So, to Leanne and our family at Gilda’s, and to all of you who help to make it possible....   Thank you so very much.

pirates of 7 south...

Amidst all Meghan's various appointments the girl has been packing in a huge amount of fun to wrap up the summer!  Last week she was at Craig's Cruisers with her Sunday School class, a WAY FM concert at 5/3 Ball park, a sleepover with her cousin at Grandma's house, shopping and lunch with Grandma, a youth night at a friend's church, and the Annual 7 South (Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT) Summer Picnic!  We all had a blast at the picnic with other families from 7 South.
It was pirate-themed which of course Aidan absolutely LOVED.  They served a great lunch and had many activities and games for the kids.  Meghan especially enjoyed the dunk tank which some of the doctors, nurses, and child-life specialists took turns getting dunked in.  Meghan managed to hit the target even though she had to use her left arm to throw the ball. 

There were also some local mascots on hand...

 
Crash from the Whitecaps Baseball Team and Griff from the Grand Rapids Griffins Hockey Team

Another highlight for Aidan was that they flew in the aeromed helicopter and landed it in an adjacent field.  The kids were then able to go over and look at it and even hop inside if they wanted to.  Later in the afternoon it took off and flew overhead of us - pretty cool! 

Thanks to the P.O.R.T. team and Helen DeVos Children's Hospital for a fun afternoon!

Happy Birthday Michele!

Happy Birthday Michele!
WARNING: This clandestine post has been perpetrated by the silent partner of the usual author.

I realize that this blog centers around Meghan's (and our family's) journey through cancer. However, I would like to take a post to devote to her wonderful mother. Thirty-...well, some years ago today, God our Father sovereignly brought this amazing woman into the world. I have had the pleasure of knowing her most of her life and it has also been my joy (and one of my deepest blessings) to call her "beloved" for almost 20 years now. She is an amazing mother, wife, talented artist, and (since 7th grade) best friend. She truly is a special gift to me and our family.

Please join me in offering praise and thanks to God for Michele and wish her a happy "Thirty-ish Birthday" today!

from the homefront...

I haven't posted for a bit so I thought I'd pop in to say that everyone is doing well here.  We are trucking along with our normal routine of physical therapy appointments, clinic visits, and various tests and we are wrapping up these last days of summer with back-to-school shopping, Meijer Gardens Tuesday night concerts, sleeping in when possible, and just enjoying some time together as a family.  Meghan will be going in for her next round of chemo on Thursday, August 28 (school starts the following week - the day after Labor Day - she is bound and determined to be there the first day).  We really appreciate those of you who continue to remember our family in your prayers - thank you!!

P.S.  I am celebrating the one year anniversary of my other blog by doing a little giveaway - go and enter here!

home sweet {{smelling}} home...

After spending the last five days doing this...

Meghan is very grateful to be back here...

We got to come home last night and Meghan is just taking it easy now.  All in all this round of chemo
went pretty well but the "smell problem" seems to be multiplying.  The "hospital smell" coming in from
the hall when the door opened, the smell of the soap the nurses wash their hands with, the smell of the
hand sanitizer, the smell of the food trays (they aren't even allowed in the room), the smell of the
alcohol wipes, the smell of the floor cleaner that the cleaning staff uses, etc, etc...  I even made the
mistake of bringing a sandwich (from the bistro downstairs) into the room and Meghan didn't tell me
quickly enough that it bothered her before she starting throwing up.  Thus the photo above - Meghan
with her blanket from home covering her nose and mouth, along with much breath-holding when the
nurses were in the room doing things.  (They are all fighting complexes now that they smell bad :)
We are doing IV fluids each night at home for three nights and the rest of the week includes a couple
of physical therapy appointments and clinic.  The kids are hoping that the week will include back-to-
school supply shopping as well (me?  not so sure - that will just confirm that the summer is almost
over).  Hope you are all enjoying a great {{smelling}} week!!

And one more pic - one of Meghan's favorite spots at home...

ding ding ding... round number 11...

We are back inpatient at DeVos Children's Hospital - room # 7258.  As always, feel free to stop by and visit!

We came in yesterday morning (Thursday) for a physical therapy appointment and then up to clinic for labwork and admission.  Thankfully Meghan's counts were up enough for them to admit her.  They started her chemo last night at 7:00 pm.  She will receive two chemo drugs (Etoposide and Ifosfamide) each day for 5 days.  We should be able to go home Monday night.  She also had an echocardiogram yesterday and things are still looking good with her heart.  We did find out that some of the heart and hearing effects can show up later on after she is done with treatment so they will continue to monitor those things in the coming years.  We are thankful that so far the tests have shown no damage to her heart or hearing.

And now a few pictures...

Some more of Meghan's favorite people - Jen and Rhys are the child life specialists for the
Hematology/Oncology unit - they are both a lot of fun!

This is Beth - a newer, but very important, part of Meghan's team - she is Meghan's outpatient physical
therapist.

Some pics of Meghan working hard in therapy.

And a highlight of the past week - we had our meeting with Make-A-Wish this past Wednesday.  It's a little bittersweet - along with the excitement is the realization that there is a reason why Meghan qualifies for a wish (Make-A-Wish grants wishes for children with life-threatening or terminal illnesses) but we are choosing to just be excited along with Meghan.  We won't hear for another month or so if they've approved her first-choice wish (an "extreme backyard makeover") but her second choice is great too (a trip to DisneyWorld) so it will be a lot to look forward to either way!

Meghan with her Make-A-Wish volunteers, Cara and Erica

***************************************************************************************************************************
P.S.  The last post was written awhile ago but left as a draft because I wasn't sure if I should post it. 
This journey has had many ups and downs and I guess I should try to feel more comfortable with
sharing some of the "real" feelings.

stop the ride...

...I want to get off.

Have you ever felt like you are on a carousel ride - life just going around in circles instead of making progress and no respite from the constant circling motion?  Well, that might be a little dramatic for how I am feeling but there are days that I just want the ride to stop for awhile so I can catch my breath.  Trouble is when things do slow momentarily I literally have no idea what to do with myself. 

I have been disappointed with myself lately.  I am finding that the more all of this becomes "normal" and routine for us the less I find myself relying on God.  In the early days there was such a fervent urgency to everything - God was so very real and present and mixed into every moment that we experienced.  We were blindsided - this illness attacking our daughter literally knocked the wind out of us.  There was nothing to turn to besides God.  Our thoughts were constant prayers and everything was steeped in His grace and providence.  While I still recognize all that, these later days seem much more manageable somehow - like we can handle them and that scares me a little because I know from past experience that the times where I start thinking I can handle things on my own is when things usually fall apart.  What is it about our sinful human nature that we can't seem to learn this lesson?