April 28th

Drew's PET scan will be Monday, May 2nd. If the scan comes back clean, Drew will be scheduled within a week for surgery to remove rib #6. The surgeon feels like this is our best option considering the rib has been weakened by each re-break and is offering no support to Drew at all. Moreover, because the rib has healed with somewhat of a jagged edge, if Drew were to fall, he could puncture his lung. Provided the scan is clean, the rib and his port will be removed at the same time.

He will be X-rayed again August 1st to see how much the spine has curved since February. If the current rate of curvature continues, we have no choice but to do a total chest wall reconstruction. He will have titanium rods put in to give his spine the support it needs. But, there's a small chance that Drew's muscles will strengthen enough to keep the spine from curving anymore. That's certainly what we are praying for.

He's feeling great these days. He has alot of back pain---mostly from the scoliosis. He's done very well catching himself up in school and will finish the year at the same time as the other children. His hair has grown back---a very light blonde. He's gotten his color back, and since Drew is naturally dark-complexioned, his light hair and dark skin make him look like a surfer!

Thank you all for praying, and we will update as soon as we know the results of Monday's scan.

New Issues

Drew's counts were good when we went to his March appointment. Thank the Lord for that. His weight dropped a few pounds, but that doesn't concern us because with increased strength, Drew is becoming more active. His color looks good; he feels good. But, we are struggling with a recurring issue: the breaking and re-breaking of rib #6. When we took him to the ER this time with a suspected re-break, he had done nothing more than run for about 200 feet in a relay race at a youth activity. He didn't fall; he didn't bump anything. Just ran. Our doctor decided it was time to consult a specialist, so he sent us to a rib reconstructionist--Dr. Woo. A very respected doctor in his field, we were anxious to see him to see what can be done to keep this re-break from continuing to happen. He looked at Drew's X-rays and immediately suggested that rib #6 just be removed altogether. I initially questioned that because he's already lost ribs #7, #8, #9, and #10. It didn't make sense to me to remove another one. I voiced my concerns that taking out rib #6 would only create a domino effect leading to the removal of #5, then later #4 and so on. But, he explained that rib #6 continues to re-break because it never should have been broken in the first place. The surgeon broke it and pulled it down to cover the vast space left by the removal of the other ribs. But, because the rib was not designed that way, it's placed undue pressure on that rib. His opinion is that the rib will continue to break unless it is removed. We have an appointment with the surgeon on the 19th to discuss removing it. However, we are in much prayer about that; we do not have peace with that surgery right now. The other news Dr. Woo gave us was a little more disheartening. Because of the removal of all the ribs, Drew now has scoliosis of the spine. Without the 4 ribs for support, his spine has curved since the surgery 9 months ago about 40%. If the next X-ray reveals continual curvature, he will have to have a total chest wall reconstruction surgery. This surgery would give him support and give him relief for the back pain he's had. But, because he's still growing, he could outgrow the titanium rods which will be implanted during surgery. That would lead to a new surgery later down the road. On the other hand, if we do not do the reconstruction surgery and his spine continues to curve, he will have a great deal more pain. We need the Lord's direction and wisdom. And, grace.

February's biopsy

We haven't updated the blog in sometime. The results of the scans in February sent us on an emotional roller coaster for a couple of weeks. The first reading from CT and PET was that there was a new tumor in the same ribcage of the initial tumor. Surely not. But, there it was on the results---this mass. We stared in disbelief and tried to wrap our minds around it all. Our doctor phoned to explain the readings, and to also try to calm our worst fears. He theorized that this was not a new tumor at all, but instead tissue and calcium surrounding the one rib that had been broken in September after the surgery. He felt like that area had some swelling and possibly some bleeding, but that in all likelihood, not a new tumor. Drew's case was brought before a board of physicians to get their concensus on the readings; they all agreed based on the location of this new mass and the fact that the mass was located in the exact spot that the rib had been broken and re-broken. It was decided that because the area was easily accessible and wouldn't require being cut into, they would do a subcutaneous biopsy. We planned the procedure and waited....and prayed. Originally, it was thought that Drew would only need a local anesthetic, but the anestesiologist decided to go ahead and do a general to save Drew from any discomfort. It took two days for the results to come back, but the sweetest words were, "Biopsy is clean. No cancer cells!" It was a hallelujah time, for sure.

Monday, February 7th

Surely the wait is worse than the "know". Today Drew had his PET, CT scan, EKG, and Echo. We will know in a few days the results; whether the scans are still showing no active cancer cells. We wait literally on trembling knees. My mother's heart cries out, "Oh, God, please, please touch his body and heal him completely"; but, my spirit fights to yield my will to my Father's. Drew and I were talking some time back, and the subject came up of the cancer returning. He point-blank said to me, "Mama, if it comes back, I can't do this again." And, without a second's hesitation, I told him, "You can, Drew, and you will." My heart has smote me over and over again at the selfishness of my reply. The truth is, I don't know if I can ask him to endure any more pain; but I don't know if I can not ask him either. I know that my Redeemer liveth, and with all that is within me, I believe His great love for Drew, for us, will be the thread of hope to which we continue to cling.

Wednesday, January 5th

What a beautiful Christmas we had; so many beautiful memories and precious times. Drew is actually in-patient this week for what the doctors are hoping is his last round of chemotherapy. He is scheduled for a series of scans in 2 weeks to see where we are in this battle for Drew's life. Since March '10, when Drew was diagnosed with the Ewing's Sarcoma, our lives have been been crazy busy with hospital stays (every other week), doctor appointments, surgeries, and in-between all that, trying to keep our lives as normal as possible for the other kids. Tonight as I look around at what has been our "home away from home" for the past 10 months, I am excited to hope that perhaps we're at the end of the line for the days and days of unrelenting sickness for my sweet boy. But, there's a part of me that is saddened to think that we won't be seeing as often all the precious nurses and doctors at Florida Hospital that have made such a huge impact in our lives. God has been so good to us over the past year, and we praise His name for the provision He's provided---financial, spiritual, emotional. We thank Him for the wonderful, life-long friends we've made. We are grateful for each one that we've been privileged to talk to about the Savior. And, we rejoice that as we look back, we can see the mighty unseen Hand guiding and directing our steps; strengthening our hearts when we've been weak; encouraging our souls to continue to trust Him. I heard a song entitled, "How Can I Keep From Singing His Praise", and what a message! I am thankful for be a child of the King and know that I know that whatever tomorrow holds, we won't face it alone.

Wednesday, December 1st

Wow, where did November go? Drew's month passed quickly, and we are thankful it was one of his best months. He had a rough time after his last round of chemo, and his counts did not bounce back as they had been doing. His next round was postponed because his body was simply not ready for it. His counts finally came came back up about a week before Thanksgiving. His doctor agreed to let Drew have the week off so that he could enjoy Thanksgiving. And, we surely did that! I started a tradition when the kids were little that everybody got their very own pie. They didn't get to eat the whole thing, but they got to choose it, help roll out the crust for it, and help me bake it. Through the years, that special time has been precious to me. This year, the day before Thanksgiving, I came down with the flu. My sweet girls, Hailey and Bentley, did all the pies for me, and my amazing husband cooked nearly everything else. I'm telling you, the food was so good that I think I'll have the flu every year;-) We enjoyed the day so very much, and truly understand how precious a gift the Lord has given us in just being together.

Drew is scheduled to have 3 more rounds of chemo---2 (5) day rounds and 1 (1) day round. If things go as scheduled, his last day of chemo will be December 31st. He will have a PET and CT the first of the new year to see where we are with everything and go from there. It's no small comfort to know that the path we are walking is only dim to our eyes; the Guide walking before us knows the pathway well and will keep our steps from faltering.