Last of part 1 chemo????

What do they say, Monday's is always hard getting back to work. Same goes for the hospital. Even though we didn't have to be there until noon. It was still hard to go back. We've been to the waiting room at the "Fast Track Lab" so much we have our own seats. Today we had three different appointments an hour apart from each other. I thought there is no way we are going to get all that done. And I was right. They rescheduled the visit with the doctor today because they were running behind with her Lumbar Puncture and last chemotherapy treatment of part 1. It was 5:00pm before we left the hospital. We still are doing the Bone Marrow Aspiration and MRI tomorrow. The doctor stated that she wants to meet with us after the results come back from these final two tests.

Good news today from the bloodwork. Her white blood cells jumped from 0.4 to 2.3 since Saturday. The other levels were also improving on there without having to give her blood. I hope thats a good sign that she is responding well.

We came back to the apartment and Kendall was tired from all the poking of needles in her so she took a nap. Me and Tammy watched a movie and did some chores around the apartment. We have to be at the hospital early in the morning and will probably be there all day. That might be it until Thursday.

I finally was able to get some pictures posted tonight. Some are from the hospital in Birmingham. It's not too long. I hope you like them.



Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Angel For You

Today....we had alot of time spent together. Kendall talked and texted on two phones at the same time. Tammy finished her 1000 piece puzzle and yes, I knitted another hat. Much of the day was spent doing something other than talking about Leukemia or how it has affected Kendall's life. It was good to "get away" for a while. I'm not going to write too much as I feel I will have much to talk about in the next few days as we get some much needed results for Kendall's first round of treatment.

Kendall is doing fine today, just as she has most of this journey. I did notice more today how Tammy starts to shine more when she is talking on the phone to family and friends. Not that I don't think she enjoys talking to me or Kendall but she has her outlet as I do mine. The shine is very noticeable when she is talking to Whitney, Bragan or Dylan. As I watched her today speak with all of them at different times, I realized that she has a channel for each of them. She remembers more things about what is going on in each of their lives and equally distributes her love among them. As isolated as we are from our family and friends, Tammy is more in tuned with her parents, family, friends, my parents, the kids and with Kendall all at the same time. Not too mention all the stuff she is doing out here. I feel deep down that with God and Tammy having it all together during this, Kendall is in really good shape.

So before I go on.... I again want to take time and say a prayer for someone out there who is hurting inside or is faced with a situation that they feel is impossible to handle...only to let them know that God for one is here for them and that I am here with them so they don't have to be alone.


Psalm 91:11-12
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Amen

Saturday Night "Live"

Acts 1: 7-8
He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you..."

As I was reading this passage today it reminded me of some of things I have talked about from the beginning of Kendall's Journey. This is Kendall's Journey, through my eyes. My day to day experiences with her have increased my Faith in God. I can help make her comfortable, console her when she is in pain and support her in her time of need. But this Journey, I cannot complete it for her. How and why we all wonder what made this happened to this young, beautiful person. A person who in my eyes has been very much loved by many wonderful family members and dear friends. I feel as some of that scripture is telling me that we will know when He wants us to. I cannot control this no matter how hard I try. No matter what I say or do. By writing this...I feel as all of you are right here with us. And believe me when I say that you are all needed. You have helped make this journey what it is.....

....As we approach the end of her initial treatments, I find myself thinking about how life itself has changed in just a little less than a month. We have several doctors appointments next week that will decide whether we can move on to part two of this treatment or having to repeat the first part again. Minus a few setbacks, we feel as if everything has been right on schedule. No doubt a learning curve day by day. Hoping that a quick trip home is right over the horizon. We still have a long way to go and are going to take every day as one of God's blessing. Thanking him for each and every day that we have to make a difference and follow the path that God has chosen for us.

Kendall's blood levels continue to improve in some areas and others we still are struggling to keep up. But her attitude and demeanor continue to amaze me throughout the day. I took Kendall and Tammy to the exercise room and had them on the treadmill today. Tammy continued to work on the puzzle as Kendall was waist deep in the scrapbook. As for me, I know you're thinking knitting, but I lost the needles and was unable to knit. I'm wondering if someone hid them. I didn't think the hats were all that bad. Well, I'm going to get a nice one tomorrow and continue the knitting of hats.

Don't want to be too long so I'll end it here. It's time to give Kendall her medicine for the night.

Normal

Friday is going to be an easy day for us today. The doctors appointment was not to early today. We were in and out really quick today. Only to have scheduled several more visits. Kendall's pain in her legs has increased a little over the last couple of days which could be because of the medications she is currently on or because of the chemotherapy treatments or a combination of both. We scheduled to have another MRI to be done next week to check Kendall's progress. Hard to say until the bone marrow aspiration is done but the doctors feel as if everything is going as planned. Kendall was feeling rather well today so we decided to go to Hobby Lobby and walk around. She wanted to find some stuff to "scrapbook" with. I bought some stuff as well that I will go into later. We then picked up some lunch and went back to the apartment to hang out. Kendall worked on scrapbooking and Tammy began to work a puzzle that she picked up the other day. And I began to knit. Yes, I said knit. You see, this morning when I went to give Kendall her IV, I noticed a more than usual amount of hair laying around the dresser and on the bed. Kendall had said that it started coming out last night. It wasn't so much that you could tell by looking at her but it is definitely coming out. The doctors told us that it would and some said it wouldn't. But either way, Kendall has been preparing for it. Kendall doesn't wear hats to often but does like to wear toboggans.She has been looking for one but has not been able to find one that she likes. So I decided that I would make her one.

As I sat in the chair knitting her yellow toboggan, I did think it looked a might odd, me a 250 pound bald guy knitting a yellow hat. But I don't care. If it will help Kendall ease through the transition with losing her hair, it's well worth it.So when I finished it, it looked....ok. Kendall and Tammy thought it looked better than what it should since I did it. So the reviews were so good, I did another one.

After dinner, Tammy and Kendall wanted some ice cream and Kendall wanted Dairy Queen. The nearest Dairy Queen is on the other side of Houston. So...off we go. Nice little drive that took about an hour and a half to complete. So we get back to the apartment and settle in for the night. It's about time I give Kendall her night dose of antibiotics and her PICC Line is clogged. Nothing would go in. I'm calling the nurse, the doctor to find out what we need to do......and you guess it. A trip to the ER. Just what we needed around midnight. Back to the car, we all load up and take the road trip to the hospital. The ER is not to full, they see Kendall fairly quick. They call in an IV nurse and she finally was able to unclog the line. The nurse said that it is normal that the lines clog up. Well, it wasn't normal for me. I was freaking out. Kendall had to have her medication and I thought maybe I did something to the line this afternoon. But the nurse said it actually happens all the time, it was normal. We get out of there right at 1:00am only to have to return this morning at 9:45am for more test.

On the way back to the apartment, we see a huge Possum in the bushes as we are pulling in. As we get out to walk up the stairs, Kendall yells "Possum" and Tammy screamed at the top of her lungs. All the neighbors are up now. Me and Kendall laughed all the way inside. Tammy was not very pleased. But it just goes to show you that Kendall is feeling real well and I'm glad that things are a little normal.

I also talked to Dylan several times tonight. He was at the football game helping out as one of the managers for the team. I want to thank Coach Myric for asking him to help out. He has been so excited all week about the game and I wish I could have seen him in action tonight on the sideline.



Proverbs 17:6
Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

AML

What does AML really mean. Acute Myeloid Leukemia. That's the medical term they use but how on earth can you decipher that. I've been doing doing alot of reading up on this subject and none of it is easy. None of it makes me happy. Especially when part of the diagnosis is t8;21. That too often reminds me of my birthday, August 21. So we fight through it, picking up a little more knowledge of this disease as we go along. Every day I understand it more than the day before. I don't know if that's a good thing. I think I would rather still be in the dark on this subject....

...Kendall had a few doctors visits today including more blood work and another Lumbar Puncture and chemotherapy treatment. Her blood levels were better and worse than they were yesterday. How can they be both. I could try and explain it but I would not do it justice so I'll just settle for it was both. Kendall was told she needed more platelets today before the procedure. They took her back and we saw Adrian waiting for us. Adrian is one of the Physicians Assistants that has worked on Kendall before. He really explains things well for us. We were glad to see a familiar face back there. Then I began thinking that if we now know the names of medical people that are working on Kendall, that we must really be spending alot of time at the hospital. I think I asked Adrian a million questions today. He was probably glad to get away from me. But now that I know a little more about Leukemia, I seem to know more questions to ask about.

We went to the apartment right after and Kendall went to sleep. She has been in a little more pain today than normal. I finished up some paperwork for the hospital and Tammy read some out of a book. Not much excitement went on today. While Kendall was asleep, I did get a chance to go workout at the apartment gym. Not alot of variety but I haven't been to the gym in about a month. There are two guys I work with that probably think they are going to catch up to me. Cotton....Baker....you guy's better stay after it because I only have one number for you....405.

Kendall was up around 8:00pm and did eat some dinner. Her energy level also picked up a little but not much. Rest will probably do her a lot of good. She can sleep late tomorrow because the doctor visits won't start until 11:00am. I think we will watch another movie tonight before we go to bed and enjoy Kendall's mood for awhile.

As far as the meaning of AML. Acute Myeloid Leukemia is one definition of the word and that just sounds so bad. Even though it is what it is, I'm going to look at it from a different point of view. " Another Miracle Lord" is what Kendall needs, is what her family and friends need and Lord it's what I need......

A.S.A.P.

ASAP (as soon as possible) is what the doctor said this morning while he was in Kendall's room. He was pleased that her fever was gone and again commented on her "happy" attitude. The doctor said that he wished more of his patients acted as good as Kendall did. But we didn't go home empty handed. Kendall is to continue her IV antibiotics from an outpatient status. Kendall will have to continue receiving her antibiotics through the IV instead of in pills. A nurse came around and showed us how to change out the IV and care and clean it just as if she was in the hospital. And more medications.

When we arrived at the apartment, their was a sigh of relief between the 3 of us. No, it's not home but it sure is better than being in the hospital. I began to rearrange Kendall's schedule as it all has changed a little bit. Reorganized her medications to dispense and review her new diet. The doctors haven't restricted her diet too much, but with some of the medications that she is taking we had to modify it a little. We then had to wait on a nurse to bring out all of Kendall's medication and supplies for the IV. As soon as that was done, Kendall wanted to get out for a while. We went to Target and walked around. It was good to get her moving instead of watching her sit in the bed. I think the exercise did her some good. We then ordered take out at a local Chinese restaurant and went back to the apartment to watch a movie. Dinner and a movie. I was a little sad because Dylan wasn't here to watch the movie with us. So we called the kids to see what they were doing. They had all ate together at Bragan's and Bretts house tonight. It was good to hear that things are carrying on as normal as possible in Gardendale.

I talked to some friends and family members tonight and wanted to thank all of them for keeping us in your thoughts. I feel so blessed to have a group of people not only in my life but also in Kendall's life that care about us the was you do. I had lunch with my mother today and was telling her that there are so many good people in the world and how thankful I was to just know them. Kendall's journey is definitely becoming life changing for many of us, me especially. I see things from a different angle. I'm learning more and more every day. I can't seem to find the words to describe exactly what it is that's going on but I will keep searching for them.

A.S.A.P. means exactly what it says. It may be now, an hour from now or even tomorrow. But As Soon As Possible in Gods time is soon enough for me....

Carpe diem

This morning was filled with great expectations as Kendall is going to get to come back to the apartment today. I know she is getting tired of hospital visits. I made the early morning visit as usual to find Tammy and Kendall ready and waiting on the doctor to come in to tell us that we can go. The great expectation was no more. They wanted to keep Kendall one more night and continue antibiotics. Even though Kendall's fever was gone, she is still at risk and they need to monitor her. This is not what we wanted to hear. Kendall didn't say a word. She just sat in the bed with that Kendall Thomas look. You know, the face that she would give Coach Myrick during a softball game when things wouldn't go her way. That same look she would give her mother when she yelled at her from the bleachers. That same look she would give me when she got hurt. And this one hurt. Kendall wants to go home! I know it and I want to take her there so much. As soon as the doctors left, she began to cry. And of course me and Tammy right there with her. I sat on the bed and held her as we tried to talk it out. Why can't we go home? How long are we going to have to be here? Only God knows the answers to these questions. But at some point, I have to look more towards a multiple choice type of answer and say pick the best one out of three, but yet all three could be right. And then there's the "none of the above" answer in there for good measure. It's hard not knowing how to answer these questions, knowing that I should turn to God for it. I do. But it's so hard to do when it is staring you in the face...

...I then talked with Kendall about understanding that we could be staying in Houston for several months. We have not really talked about it since all of this has started. I told her that we needed to prepare ourselves to stay longer should she have any more complications with the treatment. We don't know how her body is going to react to the treatment. Everything can change here on a moments notice. I didn't want to discourage her, because I don't want to be here any longer than we have to, but I do want her to completely understand that just a simple fever can turn her entire treatment program upside down. I think all of us realized more than ever that no matter how long the road is, we are ready to travel it.

We had a visit today from my parents. They were in New Orleans on a scheduled vacation trip and decided to drop in on us. A 6 hour drop bye visit. I love my parents! They went to lunch with Tammy while me and Kendall stayed in the room and colored pictures.. They visited a little longer and then they took all of us out to dinner. We ate at the MD Anderson cafeteria and Kendall was able to go with us, mask and all. We had to check her out of the room but she needed to exercises anyway. Kendall hates so much that she missed out on AUM's softball bootcamp with Coach Chris. Coach, I'm going to keep her in shape so she can make that one up. After we ate, we said goodbye to Tammy and my parents as they made their way to the apartment to spend the night. Me and Kendall went back to the room and got ready to go to bed.

As much as I want tomorrow to be here to take Kendall "home", I read this and am once again reminded of my priority.

Matthew 6:33-34
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

God, I pray.......

Started off this morning real early. The nurses came into Kendall's room all night about every hour or sooner. Taking her fever and getting her vitals. She ran a fever all night long. She woke up feeling ok but tired. The day nurse came in to tell Kendall that her blood counts were way down so she will be receiving blood and platelets this morning. After all of that and the antibiotics, her fever finally broke around lunch. The Doctor told that he was going to keep Kendall one more just for observation and may release her tomorrow, provided that she is not running a fever. The Doctor couldn't tell me what may have caused the fever but I think he was a little surprised at how good Kendall felt. He said he would be around tomorrow to check her levels again. Another day of coloring, word puzzles and the computer.

Kendall had another round of chemo in the Lumbar Puncture this afternoon and after that she really sleep the rest of the afternoon. Me and Tammy watched a movie and napped a little bit ourselves.

Today as I watched Kendall and Tammy nap, I began to re-read some of my earlier posts. Nineteen days have gone by since we found out the official diagnosis of Kendall's disease. How her life has changed, how all of our lives has changed. We have talked to many people about living with Leukemia since the beginning, Tammy especially. Everyone has had a different experience but yet all are somewhat related to one another. It affects other people the same way it has affected us.



I won't go in much detail but tonight I began to pray for everyone who has been diagnosed with Leukemia, their families and their friends. Somewhere out there, there is someone hurting because of this and I pray that God could be with that person. Nobody should have to go through this kind of Journey alone. I pray that God embraces them and makes them feel warm. I pray that He also is able to ease their pain by revealing His plan to them. They will no longer have to worry about what to do next. God will show them. God, I pray.........

Timing, it's all about timing!

Where do I begin? There has been so much to happen this weekend, I can't believe it's almost over. We started out Saturday morning with a scheduled trip to the hospital. Kendall wanted to Chase to go to help answer some of the questions that he has been asking. I told Chase that the hospital trip would be long and boring but I knew there was no way we were going without him. They had to check Kendall's blood levels. They were as expected, LOW. There was a lot of people there and it took several hours to just get the results. There were a couple of issues that the doctor said needed some attention and that would be our goal the rest of the day. We went back to the apartment to be greeted by Whitney, Emily, Michelle and Dylan. The day went much as expected. We broke out the Wii for a little while. Then we got tired so we watched a movie. Followed up by more games. The kids found out that there was a Buffalo Wild Wings down here so that was on the agenda for lunch. Kendall of course couldn't go so they brought every thing back and we had our own party in the apartment. The Houston Texans were also playing last night and there was alot of traffic and people out. The stadium is only a couple of blocks from where we are staying and I almost considered taking Dylan to a game. But we decided to go swimming instead. Me and Dylan went to the pool while the rest of them stayed inside. We swam for about an hour and then Dylan became hungry. We went back to the apartment to eat with everybody. Tammy was cooking spaghetti while Kendall and Emily were taking a nap. The rest of them went out to find a Texas Longhorn shirt.We all carried on into the night and before we knew it, it was after 11:00pm. I think everyone was tired from a long but very positive day for Kendall. She was so excited and glowing to see some of her family and friends. I didn't want to go to sleep for fear that when I wake up it was going to be a sad today because everyone had to go home. I wondered how Kendall was going to be after everyone was gone and she was left with me and Tammy. But we will face that tomorrow.......

.......I woke up early today, around 6:00am and everyone was still asleep. I watched the tv for a little while and then decided to go check on Kendall. I went in her room to check her temperature, which I do about 4-5 times a day, and she was running a fever. It was over the limit that they told us to watch out for. I told Kendall to get dressed, that we had to go to the emergency room. I woke up Tammy to tell her that we needed to take Kendall back to hospital because of she was running a fever. So instead of eating breakfast with everyone and giving them a proper send off back to Birmingham, we were headed to the ER....

...The ER took us back really quick and put Kendall in a room. Nurses began coming by and drawing blood and taking her temperature. Just like old times. Didn't we just leave all of this? We stayed there patiently until one of the doctors told us they were going to admit Kendall to the hospital to run some more tests. By now, the gang has arrived and are in the waiting room. I went down to tell them the news and to let a couple of them come up to say goodbye. I stayed with Dylan in the waiting room as they all made their way up to see Kendall. Dylan has been good all weekend and now he starts to get upset. This wasn't exactly the goodbye I had in mind. Dylan began to cry and told me that he loved me. He then asked when was he going to see me again. I didn't know what to say. I started to cry and told him that it wouldn't be long. We would be home real soon. I told him not to be upset and that it will be alright. I again received a hug identical to the hug I got when they first came to the apartment. I hugged everybody else and thanked them for coming and told them that it meant alot to Kendall for them to come. Tammy then walked them out to the car to say her goodbye....

...I went back to Kendall's room only to find her laughing with Chase like nothing at all was going on. Once again she has shown that she is determined to not let any situation bring her down. Chase stayed with her until it was his time to leave. I took him to the airport around 2:00pm. We talked about Kendall, of course, and about her treatment. I did comment on his attire today. He was wearing a Texas Longhorn shirt and ball cap. I told him that was odd, knowing what a big Alabama fan he is and then I thought, maybe there's hope in converting him to the Auburn side. When We get back, I think I'll take him and Kendall to an Auburn game. Maybe that will be enough.

Well now we are at the hospital, admitted to a room. Kendall's fever is down a little bit still to high. Hasn't lost her appetite and says she feels good. We will wait it out and find out what the doctor has to say about it tomorrow. Maybe we can go back to the apartment in a day or so. Her blood counts are still down really low and they are giving her some blood. Everything looks better in the morning, well I hope it does. It sure didn't look good this morning.

Thank you for the cards that we have been receiving. Kendall thanks you as well. It still is amazing the love shown by our God and by our family and friends during this time in Kendall's journey. This would not be possible without all of you.



I found another scripture tonight that I would like to share. As I was reading it, I began to think how many times could I have placed this scripture in a situation that I was facing. Trusting the Lord, that's what this is all about. I have been active, off and on in the church my entire life. I was saved in my senior year of high school and was baptised at my church several years ago at Gardendale First Baptist Church. All of this that I have done, but have I really been listening to what I have been reading about. I believe in God and know that he has a plan for everyone out there. He has given us a path to take and it is up to us to take it. I personally want to go the path with God at my side. I know Kendall has chosen this path as well.

Isaiah 42:16
"I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they have not known I will guide them, I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, I will not forsake them."

What's Happy About Today

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – (NIV)

Today was my birthday. This is the best present that I received. What else could one want? Well, I used my birthday wish on Kendall. Now you know I can't tell you what I wished for, but it's probably not to hard to figure out........

......We started early today as Whitney, Emily, Michele and Dylan arrived really early. Around 5'ish. Dylan was first to greet me with a bear hug that squeezed the breath out of me. Hard to believe that it has only been a week since I have seen him. I had to practically carry him up the stairs to the apartment. I barely got them settled into their room when Kendall woke up. She described it as waking up on Christmas morning. She peeked her head out of the room to see if anyone was there. I don't know if we were loud coming in or she was already awake. Nonetheless, the look on everyone's faces was bright and smiles all the way around. I tried to get Kendall back to sleep but their was too much excitement going on to be sleeping. I also knew that it was going to be more exciting later with the arrival of Chase. The girls wanted breakfast and went to McDonald's only to be disappointed to find out that they do not serve "gravy biscuits" out here. Not at the one they went to anyway. As soon as they were about to wind down it was time to pick up Chase from the airport. We were running a little bit behind schedule as today was the day we had to change the CVC dressing, I.V. connectors, flush the lines and still take her medicine. Not to mention that she had to fix herself up before she could see Chase. I had to threaten to leave her at the apartment because we were going to be late if we didn't go now. She then beat me to the car before we left....

....We arrived at the airport and were parking when Kendall received a text from Chase telling her that he had landed. I could tell Kendall wanted to go with me inside the airport to meet him but I was nervous enough with her just being outside. Of course, we had the mask on her but I really thought she might show up behind me anyway. I meet Chase inside and I began to talk with him about the flight. He said it was fine, no problems. We talked about Kendall as we walked out to the car. The closer we came to the car the more I could tell that Chase wasn't really paying attention to me anymore, he was looking for Kendall. We came within two rows of the car and Kendall had already got out and met Chase half way. I continued on to the car to find Tammy crying inside. After everybody collected themselves, we were off to the apartment....

...Back at the apartment, it began to storm and rain. It's like it was a huge cleansing from God to wash all the germs away so Kendall can have a good time with her family and friends. We ordered pizza and watched movies. We played dominoes and took naps. We even had birthday cake! All of this going on and I prayed that everything would be fine. I'm gonna tell you that I wasn't sure about having any kind of visitors until Kendall was "out of the danger zone" so to speak. I want to put her in a bubble to protect her from everything. I know that I can't. But that is exactly what I was going to do until I had a long talk with one of Kendall's doctors yesterday. He explained the risks to me of Kendall being exposed to bacteria while her white blood cells were down. But he didn't think that isolating her was the "best" medicine. There are ways to control her exposure through wearing masks, washing hands and just everyday cleaning. Human contact is very important to ones self healing and to keep her from any type of contact with loved ones would be placing more stress on her. He said they have had numerous successful patients come through the treatment without complete isolation. Being smart and aware is the key. I talked it over with Kendall and Tammy and it was decided that we would all be more aware of our surroundings and do what was needed to be done for Kendall. Kendall was happy with this, and deep down I was happy that she was happy but I still have my doubts.

It was so good to see everyone today and one could say that I had a good birthday. With all that is going on with Kendall, the last thing I wanted to do was celebrate a birthday. But I had both family members and friends remind me that today was a Happy Birthday to me. I love them and thank them for remembering me as well during Kendall's journey. I guess all of this kind of answered my own doubts about having contact, because I know how Blessed it made me feel to hear them and I could not possible take away those feelings from Kendall. I hope that she can forgive me for even thinking about it. Sometimes things cloud your judgement and it's always good for your family and friends to be there to pick you up when your down. I guess it's good to try and keep things as normal as possible but it's hard to do that when facing something like this. I want to make sure everything is perfect because I don't want to give any advantage to Leukemia. I pray that Kendall's journey is manageable and victorious. Any other way WILL NOT not do....

God Bless all of you tonight...

Looking for Friday

......I cannot find the words to describe the events of today. No matter how I re-word it, it still comes out the same. Today, Kendall began showing some noticeable signs of her battle today. Even though she tried to hide them, they were very visible to me. The fatigue was the biggest one today. I can see it in her eyes, her posture and even her voice. Don't get me wrong, Kendall is still winning, I can just the signs more clearly. We all knew that this is going to be a tough and long fight ahead of her....

...The day started with a minor trip to the doctor for blood work and a lumbar puncture. Once we were there, we weren't able to leave until around 5:00pm. Had a few unscheduled events occur while we were there. But we did get to leave. Kendall was tired the majority of the day as Tammy and me would try and lift her spirit up. All Kendall had to do is think about her visitors coming to see her on Friday and that would bring her up to speed. I know she is excited about seeing everyone. I do hope that she is feeling better so that she can enjoy being around them.

Dinner and movie was about all that was on the agenda tonight. Everyone was off to bed right after the movie so we can start fresh for our visitors tomorrow.

Family Time

If you were to tell me today that Kendall had Leukemia, there's no way I would believe you. I would probably get mad at you for even saying such a thing. Minus a little incident this morning, today was a day that I pray we continue to have until this disease is out of her completely. Kendall had a little pain this morning when we first woke up. It seemed to magnify over the next hour as I was on the phone with the hospital asking them what we needed to do. They ended up calling in a prescription to the pharmacy to help ease Kendall's pain. It was around lunch time before Kendall had any relief. After that, Kendall was the same ole Kendall the rest of the day.

I was busy today gathering and dispensing all of Kendall her medication. I also flushed her CVC, took her temperature and had to weigh her several times today. Of course, all of this I recorded into my Kendall notebook/daily planner. We cleaned her room and wiped down everything again today for good measure. And my hands, hand washing is a must. Every time we do something we are washing our hands. Whatever it takes right, or better, It's Whatever!

We rented some movies tonight and then just spent a nice, quiet evening at the apartment. No pain, no stress, no Kendall being sick. Tammy cooked breakfast and lunch and then told us we were on our on for dinner. I cannot seem to properly work the pictures tonight for some reason. I will continue to work on them so I can post them soon. I have been very tired today so I think I will turn in early because tomorrow Kendall has several doctors appointments in the morning. They will be checking her blood levels and I think she will be receiving another Lumbar Puncture.

This was a good family day but my family is not whole right now. Whitney, Chad and Karsyn, I miss all of you so much and greatly appreciate the things you have done for us. Bragan and Brett, starting out your new life together is hard enough, I want you both to know we wish we could be with you to help you share in your fresh new start with each other and we love you. Dylan, my son, I feel this is hardest on you losing not only Kendall but your mom and me as well. I so look forward to seeing you this weekend and hope that you can understand that even though I cannot be with you right now, that I will be with you soon, when Kendall is better. And that will be soon, I promise. I love all of you and promise to bring the family back together for those Sunday dinners.


Ecclesiastics 6:16 A faithful friend is the medicine of life; and they that fear the Lord shall find him.

A Step Forward

Blood draws, test results and a whole bunch of new faces. As we pass the last of chemotherapy in Kendall's treatment, I must say now, looking back, we are actually on that roller coaster ride that was talked about in our last group meeting. Though we get over this one hill, I see numerous more approaching and they are approaching fast. I do want to say how relieved we are to have Kendall discharged from the hospital. I know that all of us will probably rest better knowing that we have finished this first hurdle. Kendall is so happy and the smile she has is so brite. I don't want anything to take it away from her. ...

....The doctor came in this morning and said that things are where they are supposed to be and that they see no reason to keep Kendall in the hospital any longer. They gave us a list of things that need to be done once we leave. The biggest concern is Kendall catching an infection. We have to be so careful not to expose her to anything that could harm her...germs! How do you tell a 19 year old college student, who has an abundance of loving family and friends that want to see her, that everything she does or every person she sees for the next several weeks could potentially harm her. How do you protect someone like that. Here is where all that "tactical" training, sorry Chief, that I have received over the years comes in to play. Germs are the enemy and I'm here to wipe them out. Short of buying hand sanitizer and cleaning products, I will make the apartment Kendall's safe zone. She won't have to worry about anything in the apartment, right! Who am I kidding, of course she is. The hospital gave us a strict set of rules that we need to follow and we will. This goes for the inside the apartment or outside in the big open spaces of Texas. Masks are our friends. We all at one time or another will be wearing them. It won't be easy but we will learn to deal with it.

Kendall sat on the couch tonight spending a lot of time talking to Tammy. Nothing bad just girl talk, I guess. She was also texting and emailing her friends. It was good to see the two of them relaxed a little bit and enjoying each others company outside the hospital. We also got to talk to Dylan and my parents on the web cam for a little while. Dylan is excited about coming out here this weekend. Whitney, Emily and Chase will be here as well. I hope it is a good weekend for Kendall. The doctor said that Kendall could possibly have her worse symptoms a few days after the treatment has stopped. Either way it will be good to see Dylan, I miss him. He has had a rough time as well and I pray that I can comfort him a little more when I see him.

I don't want to take away the excitement of the day for Kendall being discharged from the hospital, so I'm going to close here. I have some new pics that I will post tomorrow of Kendall leaving the hospital.




Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Phillipians 4:13

I can do All things through Christ who strengthens me! I constantly remind myself of this every day. Every day I feel the weight pressing down on me and I keep pressing it up. I press back to the point where I think I can handle it ....and I drop it. I reach to pick it back up and it's twice as heavy as it was before. How much do we really know about Leukemia? Can this really change people's life as it has ours. Can it be worse? Can it be better? I don't know a right way or a wrong way to answers these questions but I know that God is in charge and he has lead us here to Houston for a reason.....

.....Today was the day we were supposed to take Kendall out of the hospital. I arrived at the hospital carrying empty bags to load up all of Kendall's belongings. The doctors made their rounds a little bit early today. I'm thinking every thing is going great and we might even get out of here earlier than expected. Well....that wasn't the case. They said they wanted to give Kendall another round of chemotherapy and monitor her overnight. I braced myself, because I know Kendall, and I knew that something was about to get broke. But instead, Kendall starred and the doctors and said "ok". Wow! That did not go as I expected it to either. They discussed their plans with us and said they would see us in the morning. Kendall was very calm but I could tell that she was not happy....

...Kendall was due to have chemotherapy around lunch time so we decided to go for a walk. We went down to the lobby and then back outside to our park bench. We sat there for almost an hour talking. She looked more relaxed once we were outside, I just hoped that we could stay outside a little longer. But we had to go back to the room for the last treatment.

Back in the room, they came to give Kendall chemotherapy, so me and Tammy went to a group meeting consisting of several other patients and family members from the 6th floor as well as a couple of nurses. We had a chance to meet other people that have or are experiencing the same thing we are going through with Kendall. We also had a chance to ask questions to other nurses about treatment and such. I want to start off by saying that this was a very tough time to get through. It wasn't required or anything, but did make me more aware of how powerful Leukemia is. Powerful in that not only does it consume the lives of the patients and I'm very sorry that anyone should have to go through this, but also consumes the lives of family and friends. I almost had to leave because I didn't want to hear it. Tammy told me later that she almost left as well. I think this was the time that we both grabbed the other ones hand and held on tight. We both knew that this is something we needed to hear. We were the only ones that are "knew" to Leukemia. The others in the room have experienced it for quite some time. One quote from someone in the class was "this is like a long roller coaster ride and I want off!" Others were saying how long their hospital stay has been, months at a time. Some of them have had frightening, near death experiences while some of them were having no trouble at all with their treatment. All I could think about was Kendall. I wondered what kind of ride we are going to have. Then I thought about Tammy, the girls, Dylan, family and friends and then the other people that this has affected. We are not the only ones that are going through this or that have been down this road. How did we get to this point. We are so thankful to our family and friends that call or write, and check on Kendall, of course, but me and Tammy as well. Or to check on other family members. Some of these patients down here have nobody to help them. We owe everything to God. God has placed you, all of you, in Kendalls path to help show us the way.

As we three sat in the room tonight, we were all quiet. I can't help but to stare at Kendall and then at Tammy, not knowing what lays ahead for Kendall. ......

......Tammy has went to the apartment, Kendall is laying here asleep and I sit here thinking of a prayer....will you pray with me?

The Lords Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen

One more day?

Hey everybody, wanted to let you know that the doctor told Kendall that she needed one more treatment. So we won't be taking her to the apartment tonight. It's quite a long story so I will update as usual tonight. Just wanted to let everyone know.

Sunday in the South

Another day almost officially over. The day seemed especially long today for some reason. Could it be that we are anticipating taking Kendall out of the hospital? Or is it that this will be her last chemotherapy treatment? Whatever it was, it made for a long day. Kendall was a little more tired today than the previous ones. I see that each day is growing harder for her, but she still smiles and laughs looking forward to Monday. Tammy came in this morning a little after 8:00am and said that going to the apartment didn't work. She slept for a little bit, but was up around 3:30am and could not go back to sleep. I think I would've had more sleep if Kendall had stopped hitting me with the pillow. Apparently, I have a snoring problem and kept her up. But Kendall sleep really good other than that. She said it's the most she has slept since we've been here. We did get up and share a midnight snack together. Doritos!!

We tried to get Kendall to go walk today and she said she didn't want to. She was quiet most of the day but did manage to color several more pictures. The nurse went over some of the procedures for being discharged tomorrow and said that the whole Leukemia team of doctors would meet with us to go over Kendall's treatment. She advised us of some of the things Kendall was going to have to do on a daily basis.

Not much else happened today, I'm leaving a little early to try and prepare the apartment a little more for Kendall's arrival tomorrow.


Philippians 4:13. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

A Ray of Sunshine

Saturday morning. Sleep late, cut the grass, maybe swim in the pool some or just be lazy and rest up from the long work week. How quick someones life changes in the blink of an eye. You never think it is going to happen to you or to a loved one. But change can be dealt with. Change can make us grow stronger and bring us closer together. Its the worry and stress that comes along with it that's hard to deal with. I can see early on that there will probably be more worry and stress than one person should have to deal with. Kendall has been so strong all through this journey. I know the journey is just starting and we realize that it will be a long one. But I feel her strength in her family and friends. Many of you call to talk and check on Kendall. Many of you write or post on this blog. She continues to amaze us all and I say again, you are her strength.

This morning was much the same as the last few mornings. She did appear a little more worked up today and I could tell she was wanting to get out and move around. Chase would walk with her around the hospital in Birmingham and she always felt better when she got back. So I decided to do just that, we were going out for lunch....in the meantime, Tammy had to attend one of the Infusion Therapy classes today so she can help with Kendall's PICC line. While Tammy was gone, me and Kendall had some time to talk about what all was going on. This is the first time, since we've been in Houston, that I could really tell that she was scared. As she began to tear up and talk to me, I thought to myself, this is it, my time to show her how strong I can really be. Didn't work out the way I wanted it to. I teared up and cried with her. I told her it was going to be alright as I wrapped my arms around her and held on. You would think with my 20 years of being a police officer that I could find a way to protect her and keep her safe. But I can't, it's totally out of my hands. But whose hands would be better if they couldn't be mine....Gods hand. I told her I would be with her as long as it takes and that we would pray for HIM and that we believe in HIM. I then told her that I love her and we will get through this.....together......ALL of us....together. Kendall then said that we better dry it up because momma would be back any minute and she didn't need to catch the both of us "having a moment".

By the time Tammy came back, we both were better. We talked to the nurse about walking Kendall around and she gave us a furlough. We took Kendall to lunch in the cafeteria. She ate a slice of pizza then said it didn't taste right. She tried some english peas and they were a little better. After lunch we walked outside and sat in a little park area. Kendall just laid back in the chair and soaked up the sunshine. It reminded me of a picture that our neighbor drew for Kendall. Noah drew a picture at school and he drew Kendall as the sunshine. How true was that picture. Kendall was getting a solar charge from the sun and spreading her sunshine all around. I didn't think that me and Tammy was going to be enough support to get Kendall back in that hospital. It was nice as we all sat there and talked about.....well it didn't matter what we talked about. The sight of her relaxed was conversation enough. We did manage though to take her back inside and back to the room.

Tonight, me and Kendall had to gang up on Tammy so she would go back to the apartment and get some rest. Tammy has been going since Sunday morning without hardly any sleep. I could see that she was tired but it didn't matter to her. She wasn't going anywhere. I know where Kendall gets her stubbornness from. I told her that she couldn't do Kendall any good if she wasn't able to perform herself, she needs to get some rest. Tammy resisted at first and became emotional with Kendall, but did agree to go to the apartment.

It's about 11:30 and they just gave Kendall her chemotherapy treatment. She's just laying there asleep soaking it all in..... I think I'll sit back and let some of her rays reach out to me....

...my title was inspired by the picture that Noah drew for Kendall....thank you Noah!

....Tammy ...I hope your resting ok... I love you.....


1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you

Kendall's Journey part 1

After many hours of computer work, I finnaly figured out how to post the pics to music. Once I did it it was so easy, I don't why I couldn't figure it out earlier. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first part of many to come. I think my favorite part is of course going to the part when we bring her home!

Day's are growing longer

I'm sorry it's so late tonight. I just had so much to get done. ....

......This morning was about the same as yesterday. I came in the hospital to Kendall sleeping and Tammy in the chair. Tammy said it was another long night and they didn't get much sleep. I sat their and stared at Kendall as me and Tammy quietly talked about all that's going on. I had to take my test today on being able to perform Infusion Therapy on Kendall. I passed! Kendall looked real nervous but I knew I could do it. So the nurse then gave me a package that contained about an 8 week supply of medical "stuff" to keep Kendall performing at top speed. Kendall looked really tired but she said it was only because they wouldn't let her sleep last night. They did the chemotherapy late again last night. Other than being sleepy, Kendall was feeling really good. ...

.....The doctor came in about 10:00am and told us that they were also going to give her chemotherapy through a spinal tap. They wanted to attack the Leukemia really hard. So Kendall is now getting chemo in the morning and at night. The doctor did tell Kendall that she liked coming in her room because she was always smiling. All the blood work so far is going according to schedule. Monday looks better by each day. Kendall also received some blood today and still an awful lot of pills.

Chuck stayed at the hotel with me last night and was able to visit with Kendall some before I had to take him to the airport. Chuck, we really want to thank you for bringing our car out here. So while Chuck was here, I got him to help me move into our apartment. I felt bad because by the time I finished the paperwork he had already taken all the heavy bags up to the room. Thanks again! I also wanted to give out our address. Some of the family and friends wanted to send Kendall some stuff so here it is:

2255 Braeswood Park Drive, # 2325
Houston, Texas 77030

You can address it to anyone of us and it will be fine.

So there wasn't much that went on today, it was just a long day for me. But Kendall doing as well as she is, I'd take it any day. I have been trying to add some more pictures and forgot how I did them last night. Hope to have them up before to long.

A Good Day

...As I lay in bed this morning, alone in the hotel room, I keep thinking that if I stay in the bed and don't get out that maybe we can skip this day in Kendall's journey. I mean, if I don't get out of bed, it must still be a dream. Those thoughts didn't last too long as I received a call from Dylan at 6:30am. Dylan began to talk as if he has been up for several hours. His voice was excited and he was eager to tell me to have a good day and that he loved me. He was feeding the dogs, usually my job, before he went to school. He made sure to tell me to tell Kendall hi and that he loved her too. He then said he had to call and he would call me later. That was enough to get me out of the bed and to get ready to go see Kendall....

..... Last night was Kendall's first chemotherapy treatment and I just knew it was going to be rough this morning, wondering how many of those side effects she was experiencing. She had also told me that she would call me when she got up this morning so I can expect to be up early. But Kendall's phone call never came. I walked in the hospital room a little after 8:00am to find Kendall still asleep. Tammy was awake and sitting in the chair. Tammy said that it was a rough night. The nurses were in the room all night and neither one of them got much sleep. I kissed Kendall on the head and she rolled her eyes up at me and I knew we were in for a long day.Tammy also looked like she was going to have a rough day as well. So I sat there quietly and flipped through some Leukemia paperwork until it was time to go to Infusion Therapy class.

Infusion Therapy class is exactly what I thought it would be like. It was a room full of people learning how to take care of a PICC Line for their loved one. What was interesting was that these people have the same blank and confused look on there face as I did mine. We all sat through it and listened to the nurse explain the procedure. Then we were told we had to complete a second class and then take a test for the third class to be "able" to properly care for the PICC Line.
It's Whatever it has to be because I'm going to go through it all. I went back to the room and Kendall was stirring around a little bit. She said she was feeling a little bit better and hungry. That's a good sign right?Hungry? Anyone that wants to eat has to be feeling ok. I went to the second class and it was the same as the one before. They just want you to have 2 logged in sessions of the class to make sure we understand. So I'm set to take the test and perform my first PICC Line change and flush on guess who? That's right, Kendall!!! I don't think she was very excited about that and asked if a nurse was going to be in here...

....By this time it was near 4:00pm and I had an appointment to look at some apartments. Besides that, Chuck, had drove our car out here and was back at the motel waiting on me. I take care of that and back to the hospital to see Kendall and Tammy. We all sat in the room for a while and talked and Kendall was glowing. No, not from the chemotherapy. She was just overwhelmingly in a good mode. Talking, laughing, texting and being herself. It was wonderful. She has made a complete turn around from this morning. I can only hope that she feels like this all the time. It was so refreshing to have her be in a good mood. Oh YEAH,....I forgot to tell you. The doctor came in to tell us that IF the treatment goes well and all the bloodwork is normal, we maybe able to take Kendall out of the hospital sometime Monday. Now there is alot of things that can happen between now and then but it was good news to hear. Life at the apartment will be very different but manageable. Adjustments will have to be made and it will throw Kendall out of her comfort zone a little but she is looking forward to leaving the hospital.

....Overall, it was a good day. Kendall turned in a positive day with minimal side effects, Dylan still loves me for leaving him in Birmingham, we were able to see a friend from Gardendale and are still receiving phone calls and emails of support from all of you. I want to thank you again for thinking of us and want you to know that we could not be here without you. Thank you!

I will post some information tomorrow with better details on donating blood. The doctors said that Kendall will possibly need blood and platelets during this time and that if anyone would be willing to donate, it would be a great help. There is a way that when you donate, it can be credited for Kendall to receive but could also help others with Leukemia as well. I will post more information on this tomorrow.

Don't forget to look at the pictures I put up !

The Results Are In

.....Wednesday morning....6:15am...I wake up in the hospital laying in a chair bed next to Kendall. She is the first thing I see. She is looking over in my direction....either out the window or at me. I tell her good morning and was not expecting what I heard next. The first thing out of her mouth was "I'm ready to get started with this." No time to wake up, get adjusted or even get a cup of coffee. She has made up her mind and is 100% ready to take on the big "C". When it comes to Kendall being ready to do something and she has it on her mind, there's no stopping her. I hope that I could be as confident as her in continuing this journey. She shows no fear. Now me, I want to do some recon on the subject and figure out the best way, tactically, to defeat it. But it has been very apparent today that the doctors here at MD Anderson have done all the recon necessary to help Kendall fight her battle. ...
......Tammy slept at the hotel last night as it was my turn to hold watch. I hope she got some rest because tonight could be the night that sets the pace for the first of Kendall's many treatments....

.....The doctors came in today around lunch time and explained to us what exactly what Kendall will be dealing with. Leukemia 8;21 was the final results of all this testing and retesting. The doctor said that it's a very "favorable" treatment but it will be intense. The first part of treatment is called Induction. It will be 5 days of chemotherapy treatment with 3 different types of anti-cancer drugs. They will monitor her blood for the next few weeks to see how she responds to the treatment. There's a chance that she will be discharged from the hospital next week but will be on limited action for 3 to 4 weeks. She will ,however, be with us at an apartment. The doctors then said if the first treatment worked then we can move on to part 2. So then part 2 will consist of 5 more additional treatments spanned out over the next 6 to 7 months. Each treatment consisting of a 4 day spell back in the hospital. The treatments should be about every 4 to 6 weeks apart. And in between these treatments we will be having to go to different doctors to draw and monitor blood about every 2 to 3 days. Dont let me forget that they will be performing bone marrow aspiration about every treatment period.....I know it sounds like alot and believe me we have another notebook full of information about what to do. I think you need to go to medical school just to understand it.

SO...with all of this fresh in our mind, what does Kendall think about....Hey, lets go cut my hair! Here we go again, wheeling her down to the beauty shop. This time no excuse was going to work. Kendall had about 5 inches of her hair cut off. Kendall said she wanted to start off gradually. I had left her with Tammy while I went off to handle some other business and when I returned I had to look twice to make sure this person was Kendall. I know it's only 5 inches but Kendall has always had long hair. The more I stared at her the more beautiful it looked......

.....Back in the room we still had some other doctors and her case manager came in going over more information. Kendall decided she wanted to take a nap so me and Tammy went and looked at some different places to stay that the case manager gave us to check out.

About 8:00pm, the nurse, Susan, came in to give Kendall her first treatment. The nurse gives her about 8 or so pills, put drops in her eyes, placed a couple of more bags on the IV poll and gave her several shots. As I prepare to leave Kendall with Tammy tonight, I cant help but think about what else I'm suppose to do for her. But right now its just to sit with her and learn about as much about this as I can.

Today was especially hard for a couple of reasons. Dylan started school today and I wasn't there to be with him. I can't hug him or see him get on or off the bus. I can't be there to see his facial reactions about his first day and I'm sorry. This is nobody's fault but I want to tell him I wish I could be there with him as well but I will see him soon. I love you Dylan.

I want to thank our family and friends for their continued support and prayers for Kendall. Know that we think about all of you every day and thank God that we have been blessed with loving people in our lives....

What Day Is It?

As day 2 in Houston comes to a close, I sit here, going through my notebook, trying to figure out what is the next move. I can't even remember what day it is, how long we've been here or what needs to get done now. I take notes when the doctors are in. I try and write down things they tell me I will need to do in the future with Kendall. Today, the doctors were telling us about the classes we need to take to be able to clean the pic line that is connected to Kendall. About how we needed to make sure something is flushed out and something is changed regularly. About how much we will have to do for this thing and how we need to handle that thing. I'm hurriedly making chicken scratch in one section of the notebook for care and then in the hospital personnel section when we meet a new nurse or doctor. All I could think is that I'm not even the patient and I have to do all of this. I cannot even begin to think how Kendall must feel. I want to take away her pain so much and I can't. So I look at Kendall to try and offer a smile of encouragement or to tell her that I love her and she looks so relaxed and comfortable like none of this is bothering her. The strength that she must have to take all this in is unbelieveable. I need to be taking lessons from her.......

.....So the doctors do more tests, more blood work and have even done more MRI's. They told us today that all the final test results should be in late tomorrow or Thursday morning. They will tell us what type exactly of Leukemia she has and how they are going to treat it. They also said that she could possibly make it to outpatient status in a few weeks. Outpatient status means we still have to be in Houston but she will not have to be admitted in the hospital. We will have to bring her in for daily treatments and doctors appointments. This could all last up to 4 to 6 weeks if everything goes well. All of this, of course, could change tomorrow and it could be that we have to be here for 6 months. It's Whatever it is cause I'm here for the long haul. We are staying in a motel right now, well I mean our stuff is there, but we are looking for something for an extended stay. The social services department has been wonderful meeting with us and helping us get adjusted. We have even meet some other people in the hospital and they have told us about their expierences living with Leukemia. Some of their expierences have been amazing while some of them have been stuggling for a year. I then began to wonder what kind of expierence ours is going to be with Kendall. If I know Kendall, it is going to be amazing because fighting for something has always been right up her alley. All I can say is watch out Leukemia, here comes Kendall.

They have been giving Kendall some chemo pills to help with her white blood count so they don't get too high. She says that she is losing her taste buds, nothing taste right anymore. Then she really became mad and said she was going to hurt someone if she wasn't able to taste Sumo's anymore. Sumo's is her and Chase's favorite place to eat. I swear I think they could eat there about every night. ...
......Kendall went to the beauty shop today with the intention of getting a hair cut. They have told her that she will probably lose it. I, of course, was against it and want her to wait. They closed at 5:00pm and it was about 4:20 when we went down. I was pushing her in the whell chair and told her I was going to push it real fast but instead, I took as much time as I could. I was even going to purposely get lost on the way down so She couldn't get it cut. Little did I know that the beauty shop was staring us in the face when we stepped out of the elevator. So much for that idea. However, the lady working said it was too close to closing time and she wouldn't have time to do all of that. So Kendall settled for a wash instead, but told she would be back. That gives me a little time to think up of another excuse. ....
.....I have been taking pictures and wanted to have some of them posted by now but I left the usb cable in the luggage that we weren't allowed to bring. I should hope to have some up by thursday so B.O.L.O for them. ...
....Tammy was alot better today as we discussed the "Kendall journey". I know she's worried about Kendall, Dylan, Whitney Chad and Karsyn, Bragan and Brett, her family and friends, her job, our neighbors and a dozen other things that I see in her face. I see the pain in her as well and am trying so hard to take her pain away . ...Tammy, I know you have a hard time reading these post without crying so I want to tell you that I love you, I support you, honor and cherish you.. We will make it through this and be laughing about all of this several months from now as we take Kendall HOME!!!! She will probably force us to let her drive home so she can get their faster and honestly, that will be ok with me. I will gladly pay for a speeding ticket if she gets one....

.....I came across this scripture while looking for inspirational bible verses that I would like to share:
Proverbs 16:9 In their hearts human beings plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

God does have a plan for Kendall, this might not have been what Kendall has planned for but I trully believe that there is a plan and that it is in Gods hand. He is holding her hand and I have no doubt that Kendall will follow......

"Houston, We have a problem!"

.........As we close in on the night of August 9th, we were told by the nurse at the hospital that a bed has become available in Houston. We were told that we will be leaving in a few hours!. Now, that just did not set well with me because we were told we would have a 12 hour window to prepare. Somewhere, someones owes me about 10 hours.....So as Tammy and me scramble to the house to get the luggage, Kendall becomes upset because she now believes that she is going to leave without getting to say goodbye to her friends. AT&T's switchboard probably came close to blowing a fuse because at that precise moment all the cell phones in the hospital began to call someone at the same time.

As I'm following Tammy to the house I begin to cry because I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I had not packed anything yet because I still believe that the hospital mixed up Kendall's records with someone else and at any moment they were going to realize that they had made a mistake. I just don't know what to say or do or how to be strong in front of Kendall. I tried to tell myself that there are no mistakes because God has a plan. He doesn't have to tell me what it is...I just have to trust in him and believe that this is in God's hands......
........So back to the hospital we go to find that Kendall is surrounded once again by her friends, family and loved ones. And to top it off...she is laughing and cutting up just like any other day. I began to look at several familiar faces in the crowd and started to cry again as I saw the love and support flowing through that room. One by one the crowd thins out as they say their goodbyes to Kendall. Kendall reassuring them that it will be alright....It's whatever.

Around 1am, we are finally in the air on our way to MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas. Tammy and Kendall try and sleep as I try to imagine what is in store for Kendall. The plane lands around 2:38am and an ambulance is waiting to whisk her away. MD Anderson welcomes Kendall with a trip through the emergency room. Here is where we will sit what seems like an eternity. Kendall has finally went to sleep as I hope this time it will be longer than an hour before someone wakes her up. Tammy is trying to sleep in the little chair but not having a lot of success at it. Kendall sleep until 9 o'clock this morning. The nurse tells us that the doctor should be in shortly and will talk to us and then all we have to do is wait on a bed to open up. Well I thought that is why we were here was because that a bed had opened up. Now that Tammy and me have passed the 24hour mark without sleep I'm beginning to think once again that all of this is going to get cleared up so we can go home. Not our luck..

....From about 11:30am to 2:00pm, Kendall's' day became a whirlwind. We met Jan! Jan is Kendall's nurse practitioner in the leukemia center. Jan began to talk and explain more about this disease than I really wanted to hear. But Jan is right. We needed to hear what is going on. I must finally accept that this is really happening and it is really happening to Kendall. Jan gave Tammy a big hug as she began to cry about the leukemia. Jan started out by doing another bone marrow biopsy on Kendall. This is the third one she has had in less than a week. Kendall then gave more blood followed up by them placing a pic line in her right arm. Jan said that the pic line will be used for them to run through the chemotherapy treatment. I think at this point there is no turning back, we are here for the long haul. Kendall's doctor then began to explain her overview of this whole situation. The only thing my mind remembers is that .." for the next nine months to a year." Is it really going to take that long to heal her.?

After the doctor left, me and Tammy began to try to plan our life for the next several months. I know this will work out and we will all come through this together.

Kendall Thomas

I started this blog so that the family and friends of Kendall can join her in her journey. I am new to this "blogging" so please be patient with me as I record her journey. I am Daryl Sutton, Kendall's stepfather. I have had the pleasure of helping to raise her for quite some time now and love her very much. Nothing is more important to me than helping her overcome this so she may continue to have the life of her dreams. With God in our hearts and your prayers and thoughts, I know she will come through this, as it is Gods plan. I will be with her through this entire journey as I know many of you will as well.

On Friday July 31, 2009, Kendall, her mother(Tammy) and myself went to the doctor to speak with them about an MRI that Kendall had the day before. Kendall was having back pain and leg pain for several weeks now. We were initally told that there was a small spot(tissue mass) at or near the base of her spine. Once at the doctors office, we laughed and joked around waiting for the doctor to come in.Kendall was commenting on how good the tie looked that I was wearing. It was the tie that she had given me for Fathers Day. Then the doctor came in and looked at Kendall, checked her out and asked her to go over the symptoms again. The doctor then told us that it was not what they originally expected. There was a large tumor mass tissue in her lower back and pelvis area. The doctor said it was pressing on the nerves and that is what is causing the majority of her pain. He then said he wanted to do surgery to remove part of the tumor from the nerves and then biopsy it to find out what it is. He said it could possibly be Lymphoma and that was about all I heard until Tammy interrupted him. Tammy asked, "Isn't that a form of cancer?" The doctor said yes. He talked for a while longer and showed us some films of the tumor. He asked if we had any questions and I had a million of them but couldn't say anything. He politely excused himself and said his nurse would be in to clear up some details. The very second the door closed behind him, all of us busted out in tears. None of us knew what to say, we just held each other for a while.........So then we make arrangements for surgery......

On August 4, 2009, we show up at the hospital for surgery. Waiting...waiting ..and more waiting for Kendall to come back when we saw the doctor who now tell us that Kendall can not have surgery because her blood is for a lack of better words "out of wack". They admitt her to a room and later that morning they perform a bone marrow biopsy. They said we would not know anything for another 24 hours.....

....On August 5, 2009, around lunch, Kendall was told by her doctor that she has leukemia. AML - Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. They also told us they wanted us to go to MD anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas. They are one of the best leukemia hospitals in the country.....

....On August 7, 2009, Kendalls sister, Bragan, is getting married. Kendall is the maid of honor but she cant leave the hospital. But we were able to get through the wedding with Kendall still here. I set up a web cam so Kendall could watch and the people at the wedding could see her. There was a little delay in the wireless feed but it worked out well. Bragan and Brett even went by the hospital to have pictures with Kendall in her dress. I would also like to add that Bragan, you looked beautiful, Brett, I'm glad to have you in our family...I love you both!

.......So now, August 9, 2009...we wait for a place to open in Houston. They want us out there as soon as possible. We were told that it could be at any time, so to be ready.

I also would like to thank the many family and friends that have came by to see her and called us to check on her. All of your calls and visits mean very much to Kendall, as well as to Tammy and me. You have made us feel very blessed to have the support and love of family and friends.

I will continue to post updates on Kendalls journey and as I become more familiar with this "blog".

I want to say one last thing about Kendall: I have always told Kendall a bible verse that I feel strongly about and hope that it has helped her in good times and in bad. I have always been a little private with her in regards to matters of the heart. But I feel as if I should share with you what I have always told her. The verse is from Philippians 4:13. It states that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Kendall is one of the strongest people I know and I know her faith is strong as well.