Eli was able to throw the first "pinch" (as he says it) at the Riverdogs game!!
What a thrill. All of the boys were just so excited and Eli did a very good job, almost making it to the plate!!

Cinic today went well. Eli's counts are:

ANC 5320 (WOW)
Hemo 11.5
Platelets 196

I think the numbers we are seeing are the week that he was off of chemo. I am sure they will come back down....but I am kinda glad they are high, because Eli starts school tomorrow. And mommy is freaking out just a little bit!! I really feel in my heart it is what is best for him, but I am terrified of the exposure. I spoke to the onc about it again today, and she said not to worry. He will be exposed, and get sick, but we will go with the punches. If there is anything really bad out there like chickenpox or strep, I will take him out for a while. But he is so excited!! I do ask for your prayers once again....that I find peace in all of this. It is alot harder than I thought it was going to be when we first decided to do this.

I will have our "Eli's Team" webpage ready soon, so get your wallets ready!!

Thanks for checking in.

Maria

I am thankful that Eli has an almost normal immune count to begin school.

Here are my handsome boys in their Clemson garb!!! Don't you just love it?!

We are on the steroid rollercoaster once again, and I can really say that I think I am ready to get off!! As I have told many people, it must be like living with an abusive partner..you never know when he is going to blow...not fun with a three year old...but it will be over soon.

I haven't heard from the derm, so my assumption is that it is alright. The rash has gotten considerably better since he went on steroids. They thought that it might help, so we will se what happens when he goes off of them.

Eli will be throwing out the first pitch at the baseball game tomorrow night....wish us luck.

Thanks for checking in.

Maria

Well, the big boys are back to school and I think it is going to be a banner year for both of them. They both seem to have really great teachers and lots of friends in the class.

Yesterday we went to the Neurologist to discuss Eli's brain...and seizure. The dr seems to think that the seizure could have been solely due to the Methotrexate that was given and that the lesions may have just been a coincidence. He said that he thinks that there are probably more kids than we think walking around with these types of lesions, we just don't know it because they don't have an MRI. He thinks the event that caused the lesions is long gone and that Eli's brain should recover without problem. We are also taking him off of his antiseizure med as of next week. We will keep a "doomsday" kit at the house just in case it happens again, but we are praying that it was a true one time event.

Today we went to the clinic and started.....Cycle 5!!! Why such a big deal, you ask? Well, cycle 5 is when we no longer get an LP on month one and two, now we just get one once a month at the beginning of the cycle.....and today was a LONG wait to get his "sleepy medicine". We got there a little before 8 and were finally asleep about 11:30. I thought the grump was going to start chewing my shirt!!

We had the dermatologist take a biopsy since he was going to be asleep anyway. We should get the results in the next day or so. He also saw something on the bottom of Eli's foot that lead him to think that he may have some type of Hookworm stuff and that may be the cause of the rash and everything. He said he really doesn't see it that often present itself this way, but Eli is no textbook child now, is he?! So we will wait and see what happens. I am glad we did the biopsy so we can rule out any of the really yucky stuff right away.

Eli's counts are still rising. ANC- 1380 Platelets-178 Hemoglobin 11.3 Yea!!

All great numbers. They have him on 50% chemo right now, a big change from the 150% he was on before his numbers crashed. We have to keep him at this level for a couple of weeks, then begin to increase them again. I am just glad that we will have good numbers for the start of school and everything. That way I will feel more confident sending him there.

I read tonight that a little girl we see at clinic has relapsed. Her name is Jayse. Please pray for her family during this most difficult time. For those that wonder how we do it...take the pain and multiply it by 100...I cannot imagine.

Thanks for checking in.

Maria

I am thankful for the amazing families that we have come in contact with through this awful disease.

Sorry for the long delay in writing. We are trying to cram as much as we can into the last week of summer!!

John took Eli on Monday morning and his ANC had risen to 1136!! Yea!! Unfortunately, the bloodwork took so long that we knew going far was out of the question. So, we took the boys to Myrtle Beach which is only 1 1/2 hours away. We went to the Ripley's Aquarium which was a blast. Then the boys wanted to go the Magiquest which was another $75....we decided to let them play and drive home instead of spending the money on a hotel room. Everyone had a great time and it really was relaxing.

Wet took Eli to the dermatologist on Thursday because he has a rash that seems to be spreading....and the diagnosis was exema...I don't really understand how this can just "pop up" and spread around, but the derm seemed to be sure. It is funny how the oncologists basically say "we have no idea, go see the derm"...I know they are specialized and all, but come on!!

Last night John and I went to see Hootie and the Blowfish at the Family Circle Cup. We went out before with our friends, Sallie and Robert, and then sat by ourselves. I didn't want to jinx us and get tickets before yesterday. It was really a fun concert, but it really does age you. I could not help but sit there and think about seeing them at Myskin's Bar downtown Charleston when no one knew who they were. (I know you remember that, Jennifer!!) At the end Darius Rucker would sing "Oh Mandy" without any instruments and you were just floored by his voice....who knew?? Anyway, it was a great night.

That is all that is going on here. The big boys start school on Monday and I really can't wait. I think they both have really great teachers and it is going to be a great year. Eli will start preschool in Sept.

Thanks for checking in. Please keep all children battling cancers in your prayers. It seems that cancer is affecting so many little ones.....

Maria

I am thankful for the moments in our lives that seem to be so normal, so before cancer.

And the counts are:::

Hemoglobin 10.2 (Up from last week)
Platelets 190 (Up from last week)

Can we have a drumroll please.....

ANC 310 (Groooooooaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!)

This really sucks. No way around it.

Aside from the fact that we were really hoping to take a trip to the mountains for a few days, I am tired of being inside my house. I know Eli is tired of being inside the house. This is truly the tale of two Summers......first half of the summer the counts were so high that we basically had no restrictions. Now we are so low that we cannot go inside anywhere...and it is so hot we really can't go outside anywhere. (Anyone say Heat Index over 105 today?!) I am soooo frustrated by this.

Tomorrow Eli will go to my parents' house for the evening while we have Jacob's birthday party here. (Thank God for them.) We are just having 6 boys over. We are going bowling and then coming back here for a sleep over....it should be a fun night!!(Yes, that is sarcasm.)

On Sunday, John is going to take the older boys to Clemson for Fan Appreciation Day. They will be able to meet the players and get autographs, etc. We were hoping to put it all together with the mountains, but that isn't going to happen now. Eli and I will go in early Monday to see if the counts have come up. If they are up to 1000 (I'm not going to hold my breath here) then we may make a little trip to Charlotte or Columbia. WE will just have to wait and see.

Because the counts are below 500, we have to suspend Chemo until they come back up...then start the dosage game all over again...fun, fun, fun.

Other than my frustration things here are going well. Eli has a little rash on his leg, but the onc didn't seem to think it was contageous or anything to worry over, so I won't.

Sorry for the rant....again, I know we are blessed that he remains healthy (relatively speaking....I know he has leukemia and all...but no colds or bugs)

Thanks for checking in.

Maria

I am thankful for my parents and that they live so close to us and are there when we need them!!!