Is This Our Final Week?

Well, I thought that we might be packing up and getting ready to drive home. Kendall went to the doctor today to have her blood work checked. The doctor said they were starting to improve but that they were not where they wanted them to be at before she goes home. So instead of packing we have one more weekend to spend in Houston. Kendall did not need any blood or platelets today and her white blood cells are really starting to climb. Some of it may have been due to Kendall being sick the last 3 days. Nothing but laying in the bed with headaches and being nauseous. When I got up this morning I noticed that she had gotten up sometime during the night and fixed popcorn, so I knew she was feeling better.

Kendall goes back to the doctor Tuesday and that might be the day we can come home, as long as her blood counts are still improving. But the doctor wouldn't say for sure. Kendall was a little upset, I know she's ready to come home. She didn't have to say anything, her facial expressions said it all. When we were in the car on the way to the apartment we talked about it a little. She was looking forward to packing up today and heading home. But she said she guessed she could stand a few more days but not many more. I'll find us something to do to take her mind off of it. But it ain't going to be easy.

We have to go back to a physical therapy session this afternoon to start Kendall's road to complete physical recovery. They're gonna show her how to start off slow and work into a regular training routine for exercise. Kendall is really excited about that visit. I still can't get her to go walk with me outside. I can't really blame her though. The last time I made her walk outside with me, she threw up in the parking lot and she reminds me of that every time I ask her to walk.

Kendall's going to get a nap to rest up for the appointment this afternoon. Maybe by Tuesday I will telling you that we are driving home.


Hebrews 3:13
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness

The Verdict Is In

I'm sitting at work today doing some paperwork. My cell phone rings and it is MD Anderson hospital. A million things begin to go through my mind as I answer the phone. It's one of Kendall's PA's(physician assistants)calling to tell me some news about Kendall. She says that Kendall no longer needs to have anymore lumbar punctures or chemotherapy. Kendall is 100% tumor free and she has 0% leukemic cells. Speechless! All of Kendall's test results from last week were very good. At this point, I don't seem to hear anything else. The last 7 1/2 months flash before my eyes. Is it really over. Can Kendall come home to stay this time? I didn't know what to say. I hang up the phone and almost instantly get a phone call from Kendall. I will never forget the excitement in her voice as she begins to tell me what the doctor told her today. I tried so hard to reach through the phone and hug her. This is almost over and we can make that final journey back home. Then I talked to Tammy and the excitement continued. Tammy was crying so much I could barely hold mine back.

After several hours of the news sinking in...it was such a relief to finally just say out loud that Kendall's cancer is gone. Can she now resume her life before it was so abruptly changed?

Dylan and myself are going out to Houston this weekend for one last visit. Then Dylan and Tammy will come home while I finish out Kendall's journey in Houston for the next couple of weeks. It will be so great to load up the apartment and head for home.

I can't wait!!!!!!


John 16:32
But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

The Official Last Round of Chemo

Once again, I take Kendall and Tammy to the airport for their final journey back to Houston for Kendall's last round of chemotherapy. I dropped them off this even and gave each of them a long hug and kiss and told them that I loved them. Letting go still remains hard for me to do as I know the day nears when Kendall is off to college again. That is already storing a supply of tears to fall. Kendall has been so anxious this last two weeks and is also so confident about getting started. They made it back about 7pm and safely entered the cozy surroundings of the "apartment". I am so looking forward to packing it up and moving back home.

Kendall will be at the doctor early this morning to get things started. I pulled up her schedule and the next 30 days is filling up quick with things to do. I will make sure over the next couple of days to post the last reports of her doctors visits and procedures as they happen. God has performed such a miracle already and I want to make sure that to God be the glory. He has been with my family extremely close over the last 7 months and we all have been truly blessed and touched by his power.

I always meet someone around Gardendale that asks about Kendall or the family and it is another blessing that we have received from all of you and your prayers and thoughts. I mean it when I say that you have meant a great deal to Kendall and my family as well and I hope to be able to personally thank and hug each of you and touch you as you have touched my heart.

Well as you can see by the time stamped post, its past 3:30am and I can't sleep. Anxious, nervous and praying that this goes well one more time. Good night.


Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Catching Up To Do

In just over a short week, so much has happened in the way of Kendall's schedule, I wasn't sure what I needed to write because things changed so fast.

On that Friday, February 26, Kendall did have to have platelets again that morning at the hospital. But we did manage to make the late afternoon flight to come home. Wasn't sure we were even going to get to come home. Kendall has had several more infections come up and that has caused her blood counts to really be out of line. But we did come home. Kendall was still really tired and she didn't do much while we she was home. The only thing she really wanted to go and do was to see her team play softball on that Friday. They were playing at 1:00pm, nut we were late coming in. So I wanted to tell Coach we're sorry we couldn't make it but maybe we can catch one soon.

Kendall and Tammy flew out on Tuesday afternoon headed back to Houston. Kendall has to have another lumbar puncture with chemo in her spine and also have a bone marrow aspiration. I especially couldn't wait to get the results of the bone marrow aspiration. This test was going to assure us that Kendall was still in remission. Her last test showed that she had around 3% blasts cells (leukemic cells) in her body. They want that number to of course be at zero(0). But anything under 5% and she is still in remission. Even a lower number than the previous will shoe=w that her treatment is still working. That test was giving on the March 3rd and she had to meet with her doctor on March 4th to get the news.

On Thursday, March 4th, we received the results for the aspiration and it showed around 1% blasts cells. Which was GREAT news! It could still go a little lower and maybe when the next treatment is over it will be lower. But around 1% is just what we all needed to hear. Kendall could have left the doctor's office that day and everything would have been a great day. But then she received some other news about her blood counts, The doctor said her blood counts were too low to start the next round of chemo. She said the blood was working on its on now but that they were just not recovering enough to go through the next round. Tammy said Kendall's face turned red as they told her it would need to be post poned for a week. Then I think Kendall had steam coming from her head as the doctor told her that she needs a two week break instead and told her to go back home to rest. I knew Kendall was furious as she was so ready to start the next round to get through. Tammy called me to tell me all of this news and and I felt like I was back on the roller coaster, up and down up and down.

I booked Kendall and Tammy a flight home for Friday, March 5th and anxiously awaited their return. I spoke to Kendall later on that day and she was a little better. She was still upset and disappointed that she couldn't start chemo but was instead dealing more with being sick from the lumbar puncture. So we had a reunion on Friday only though Kendall was gone for just a few days but we still celebrated the results from the blast cells. Kendall is still in remission.

Over the next few days, we will look over her schedule on exactly what day Kendall and Tammy will be going back out. But for now I will enjoy my family all together for a short week or so. And Tammy wasn't even mad that I had not done anything on my "to do list" that she gave me because they weren't gone long enough for anything other than me to read it. I of course was working on a game plan to tackle the lists. But now that list is gone as Tammy has already revised it for a newer one.

Sleep, Rest...we need it

I thought I would be writing this post from Gardendale tonight but Kendall and me are still in Houston. Kendall and myself spent 3 wonderful nights in the hospital with Kendall's fever. Running test and drawing blood. Well her fever broke but she still had a slight infection but we were able to go back to the apartment. Although she is having to take IV antibiotics for the next 13 days. Every 6 hours. Try sleeping with that routine. The medicine is refrigerated and had to be room temperature prior to giving it, then after running for an hour it has to be unhooked and the lines flushed so they won't clog. Midnight and 6am are the toughest but so far it has been ok. An hour of sleep here and an hour of sleep there. Not to mention that Kendall has all of her other medication that she is taking twice a day.

Back to being home. The lab showed that her platelets are not recovering very fast and she is having to have them transfused every other day. Some of it was due to the fever and infection. It leaves her really tired and doesn't have a lot of energy to do anything. She has also been bleeding more than normal from her mouth as the result of low platelets. They have been low before but not for this long. The doctor said Kendall needed to stay around close because of the way her platelets keep dropping so fast. She goes back Friday for another check and maybe by then we will be able to go home. They want to start the last round of treatment next week. So much has to happen before she can start again. For now, I make sure she is resting and eating some hoping that her body pulls itself together for this last cycle.

Fevers Means Larger Hospital Rooms

Back in the hospital for those long nights,no sleeping and general discomfort. Kendall ran a fever that could not be avoided so we made the trip to the Emergency Room. 3pm till 2am is not as bad as it seems. Really, we were able to sit in the er with lots of people that even somelooked to be in more pain that Kendall. I tried to be patient>The nurse told me that she was putting us in a wing that nobody is using. I said you will forget about us and we'll be here forever. She assured me that, that would not happen. Well it did, we didn't see a nurse for hours. Finally got in the roomabout 2am and Kendall slept a little but I could not. The nerses where in her room every 39 minutes now. So I stayed up and are now feeling the affects of no sleep.

Kendall hasreceived two units of blood and 6 units of platelets and on all the antiobiodics anyone could imagine. She's doing fine,just notreal social causeshe is tired so much. Won'tkeep you long just wanted to give the quick update.

Steady Is The Path

I don't know how this past week has slipped by me. It just seemed liked yesterday that Kendall was starting her chemo and we were getting settled in. Kendall has had, so far a good beginning. This past week, Kendall hasn't done a lot because she has been tired. She did give me a scare last night when she started to run a fever but it came down and we avoided a hospital trip. She told me that she was due a trip to the emergency room and had already packed an overnight bag to go. She is starting to become more comfortable with the realization that she has leukemia. She knows what she has do and has no problem in getting it done. I know she still gets upset about it, but I have begin to see how much she has grown through this experience. And she has handled it extremely well. I am very proud of her for the strength and courage she has shown throughout this.

Kendall's blood counts have been really low this week and haven't begun to recover yet. Hopefully by the end of the week they will start to recover. She has had to get platelets every other day. But even though she's recovering slower that usual, she has more upbeat days than down days.

We meet some new people this week at the hospital. We were laughing at how we can tell what people are new to MD Anderson and what people have been around for a long time. The new people we met are from Kentucky and have only been out here for a month. Kendall and me felt like regulars as they were asking how to get around the hospital and about things around Houston. As I carried on my conversation with them, I couldn't help but think how familiar I have really became with the hospital and even with the city of Houston. Then I began to think about how much I missed our home, our family and our neighbors. I began to get sad thinking about that so then I began to think about how close Kendall is to being through with her treatment and we can get back to all those things that we miss.

Psalm 68:13
Even while you sleep among the CAMPFIRES, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold."