Grant made numbers!

Grant went to the clinic today and was able to start treatment. He kept telling people all day, "I have a pole today, b/c I made numbers. Hee Hee!" It was really funny to hear Grant talk so grown up about "making numbers". Sadly, he probably knew exactly what he was talking about. He got several chemo drugs and a spinal tap. He had a pretty good day, especially considering how long it was. We got there at 10 and left at 5:30. Since he had a spinal tap, he took the loopy pill, so that made him pretty mellow and silly. He watched several movies and did some painting. He will go back to the clinic tomorrow and Wednesday for more chemo. Then, he will go to the hospital on Thanksgiving for an outpatient treatment to finish off this week. He will go back to the clinic Monday - Thursday of next week as well.

Go Grant's Big Adventure!

Rudy and I were invited to attend an awards ceremony and celebration with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at a Dallas Stars game tonight. We knew that it was to show appreciation for how well our team did with the Light the Night walk. But, we didn't realize how great it really was. Grant's Big Adventure came in 5th overall out of North Texas teams, which includes 120 counties. The North Texas walks included 9600 walkers that raised $950,000. Our team raised almost $10,000. We are so proud of our team and hope to do as well next year. Great job Grant's Big Adventure!

We Will Wait

Grant went to the clinic today anticipating starting the rest of this phase of treatment. However, he was not ready. His ANC needed to be at the magic 750 and it was at 150. So, we will have a week off and try again next Monday. Please pray that his body can recover quickly. He is feeling much better and all of his other numbers were fine.

Go Rangers!

Grant having fun with the mascot!

Trent running the bases with Ian Kinsler and Kristie (child life).

This last one is just a hilarious picture of Trent wearing Rudy's shoes.

We were invited to participate in a special event with Child Life and the Sunshine Kids (an organization that sponsors events for kids with cancer) at the Ballpark in Arlington with the Texas Rangers. We went to the stadium this morning and the kids got to have a "play day" on the field. They got to field balls with Rusty Greer, take batting practice in the batting cages, and run the bases. They had an autograph session with some of the players...Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Kevin Millwood and others. And we were provided lunch on the patio....hamburgers and hot dogs, of course. Grant still isn't feeling well, so it took him a while to warm up. But, Trent had a blast!

Feeling Yucky

Grant actually enjoyed watching tv all day in the hospital.

Grant had a visit to the Grapevine clinic today. He got a good report from Dr. Heym and his numbers were good. This week is a week "off", meaning he doesn't have to get any new chemo. He finished up a week of steroids today, THANKFULLY. Those steroids just make him not feel like himself. Since we came home from the hospital, he has asked everyday to take his nap. And then he asks to go to bed at night between 6-7. He has been eating as often as we will let him. He is bloated and uncomfortable and is losing his hair again. It is so hard for us to see him so miserable and not wanting to do any of his normal activities. Nobody is having fun, but we are counting down the weeks until Grant reaches the maintenance phase. It still won't be a walk in the park, but it will not even compare to what he is going through right now.

Grant has another appointment next Monday where we will plan to continue with treatment, which will be 4 weeks. However, he does have to have an ANC of at least 750 to continue at this point. Please pray that we will not have any delays and can move through this phase as fast as possible.

Headed Home

Grant's ANC jumped to 414 this morning. We are packed up and ready to head home. Dr. Heym said he looked really good this morning. We are waiting to get his last shot today and then they will have to observe him for an hour. After that, we can go. We will have to be careful and isolated b/c if he gets another fever, he is probably right back in the hospital. He will go to the Grapvine clinic on Monday to see Dr. Heym and get a CBC. Thank you all for your prayers!

Slow Rise

Grant's ANC is 90 today. He is having a hard day so far. Everything that he got yesterday is settling in and making him very uncomfortable. His legs are really bothering him and are very restless. He is EXTREMELY moody. You just don't know what you are going to get from one minute to the next. We were able to go for a walk outside, but Grant had to wear a mask (which he actually did willingly). We will be in the hospital at least until Thursday, possibly longer, depending on counts. Thank you for continued prayers.

Restarting Chemo

We saw Dr. Heym and he is ready for Grant to start chemo again. So, Grant will get everything today that he was scheduled for yesterday. Then we will wait and see what his counts do. When we got to the ER, Grant's ANC was 50 and today it's 60. Still have a ways to go. And all of his other numbers actually dropped some more. So, we will see....

Still Waiting...

Grant had a little fever last night, but did not get high enough that they had to treat it. He slept really well and is feeling good this morning. He has been eating cheerios like crazy which is convenient b/c they are available on our floor. He also asked to try Rudy's hamburger for the first time last night and liked it. He was very excited to eat pancakes for breakfast this morning.
They took another blood sample early this morning, but it clotted before they tested it. So, they will have to come back to take another sample at 11:30. We've seen a medical student in the practice that is following Grant this morning, but are still waiting to see Dr. Heym. I assume we won't see him until after we have the results of the CBC. Right now, Grant is content to watch tv. (Our tv is really terrible. It doesn't have any green in the picture. He watched Cars last night and Chick Hicks was brown. He doesn't seem to care.) He is still very congested, which the antibiotics are supposed to be helping with. He is on 2 of the strongest, all-encompassing antibiotics. He will not be able to leave the room b/c his numbers are so low. They don't want him exposed to anything. And, apparently, they have to wait 6-10 days for the results of the H1N1 test b/c they send it to the state. I would be shocked if it was positive b/c he doesn't feel that bad. We will keep you posted.

Hospital Update

Grant spiked a temperature last night, so after talking to the on-call oncologist, we headed to the ER about 11:30. They did all of their usual poking and prodding. His blood counts came back and his white blood count and ANC were VERY low so they decided to admit him. He was supposed to have another shot, 2 chemos in his port and start steriods today. But, he will not be doing any of that. We will just wait....
The good news is that his x-ray showed his lungs were clear and he tested negative for the flu. They have been giving him anitbiotics by IV and tylenol for his temperature. His temp broke and he is feeling much better. He is painting a wooden car in his hospital room right now.
We are all very tired and will definitely need to catch up on some sleep tonight. We will be taking things one day at a time, so we have no idea how long we could be here. The oncologist that saw him today, Dr. Eames, said that we could be here a week. The problem will be when they start chemo again, it will continue to knock his numbers down.
We are confined to his room until he has been 24 hours w/o fever. And the entire hospital is in lockdown mode b/c of the flu, so we can not have any visitors. We just covet your prayers and thank the Lord that Grant is in such great care.

Happy Halloween

Grant and Trent dressed up as cowboys this year. Grant was riding a horse. They dressed up for a Halloween party that the staff and volunteers at the clinic hosted on Friday. They dressed up to the theme of The Wizard of Oz and it was really cute. It worked out great for us b/c Grant had an appointment on Friday anyway. I use the term "great" lightly. Grant had a really tough day. He has been flirting with a fever since Friday morning, so he just hasn't felt well. He was so excited about his costume and the party, but just couldn't get into it. It was really very sad to watch. He did end up doing one of the crafts, but it was just a hard time. He has 4 shots down and 2 to go. Hopefully, tomorrow will go smoother. He did have a temp of 100.6 when he went to bed. Please pray for his sweet little body to fight and that God will protect him. We know He holds us all in the palm of His hand.

On Halloween, the boys just wore pajamas, Grant's were a cowboy and Trent's a fireman, to hand out candy. They were so excited everytime the doorbell rang. Nana and Grandpa came over. Trent would be sitting on Nana's lap and when the doorbell rang, he would jump up and run to the door shouting "Nana". It was pretty funny. We had a fun night (despite Grant's fever).