Saturday, March 2, 2013

Long Overdue

I know it has been a while since I have posted, once again.  We have had a very busy few months and the last thing on my mind has been blogging.

Since October, we have found out that there are some new spots on Freddie's back.  There have been multiple tests ran, and we are actually currently at the hospital while he undergoes another PET scan.  The doctors want to ensure that it is not affecting the bone on his spine or any of his spinal chord.  Hopefully, these tests will also give them additional knowledge in knowing how we should move forward with treatment.

Freddie has also been very sick and extremely exhausted.  This last cycle has been hard.  The doctor has decided to lower his dosage, for now.  He is on the highest dosage of any of his patients and responded well to the Sutent so far.  Because it has shown such progress on the tumors around his lung, we are hoping to begin to see some of that progress on the other spots in his back.

I began a new job back in December.  I'm working for an educational technology company called Agile Mind.  We work with an education research arm of UT called the Charles A. Dana Center.  My company publishes their work into teaching and learning systems that can be used to teach mathematics at the secondary level.  I am very excited to be there.  They are very forward-thinking and putting in all the best practices I learned while studying for both of my degrees.  We work toward closing the achievement gap and transforming learning in the classroom.  It is really neat to be a part of and I am excited for something new.

William continues to be our joy.  His words are now endless and conversation is becoming very fun.  Some of his favorite things are "choo-choos", iPad games, playing outside, rough-housing with Callie, puzzles, reading books, and pretty much expending as much energy as possible.  He loves his new school and we are excited to see evidence of all that he is learning.  I think it has been a wonderful transition for him.  He is very social and loves to learn.  He talks constantly about his teachers (which makes me wonder if my students talked about me that much! HA!).  We feel so abundantly blessed to have him and thank God that He entrusted him to us.  There is never a "tiss" (kiss), "te amo", snuggle, laugh, or dance-off far away and I find joy in these small moments (Freddie does too).  It is so fun to share jokes and special moments together.  Our favorite times continue to include just the three of us eating, laughing, playing, or watching a movie together.  I can't wait to see what Will becomes and what God has in-store for him.

We continue to be humbled and grateful for the prayers and support of our loved ones.  Trust me, they are all felt and deeply heard.  God is teaching me so much about what it means to live in the moment.  I continue to seek His daily grace and peace and trust that He will see us through this struggle.  Cancer doesn't just affect your health.  It tries to destroy your finances, your relationships, your faith, your trust, your confidence; basically your entire life.  We continue fighting to keep that from happening.  It is a daily, moment-to-moment burden, but we pray that one day we will hear those magical words "remission" and "cancer-free".

Thank you for enduring this with us and your constant thoughts and prayers.  So many of you have come through, even on simple things, and you can only imagine how much they mean and how grateful we are for them.  Please know that we fully appreciate every single one and hope that one day, we can return those favors - whether they are to you, or paid forward.

For now, we will rest in His peace and pray for His grace for today.

With Love,
Emily