Working Hard

We continue to see improvements in Sarah's ability to get around. We are becoming much more comfortable letting her crawl around the house on her own. She has such determination. She will get up and try to walk around, fall down, and get right up. We saw this quality in her before she got sick. It's nice to see it come in handy in this situation. She definitely is not content with just crawling. I know this is a gift that will serve her in her getting better. This picture is what she looked like after her therpay session on Friday. She was sweating like crazy! The girl worked so hard the entire hour. She spent most of the time walking around the basement with a push toy we have. She only lasted a short time with the "sitting" activities. The girl wants to be on the go!!

It happened!

The tooth finally fell out. When I say fell out, I mean that literally. For as much as we tugged and pulled on that tooth, it's kind of funny how it actually came out. Dave and the kids were playing nerf guns in the house yesterday. Alethea went to hide behind a chair, all of a sudden she stopped in her tracks and said, "Did my tooth fall out?" Sure enough it had fallen out while playing the game. We were able to find the tooth on the floor and of course I put it in a bag to save. She then had to make a bunch of phone calls to tell people her big news. We think she looks so much older. I can't believe I have a little girl who already lost a tooth. Isn't she cute!


Quick update from today. Sarah had chemo today, and so far she is doing well. Doesn't seem to be affected yet. I had company again at the hospital today. Janelle came and played with us for most of the day. She was amazing. Sarah's game of choice for the day was throwing everything on the floor. She had Janelle picking things up off the floor for hours. Janelle, thanks for sacrificing your day, for buying lunch and candy, and for bringing a backpack full of new toys for Sarah to play with. I loved having you with us!

Happenings

So sorry we have not done a better job this last week keeping you updated. You can be sure it's because everything is going well, and that nothing is wrong. I'll first give you the latest on Sarah. She has had a treatment the last two Fridays. Yesterday wrapped up the cycle for one particular drug. Over the last month since the actual chemo, her counts never really dropped. Good news. This next week will be very busy. She has a chemo treatment on Tuesday, occupational therapy on Wednesday, another different treatment on Thursday, and physical therapy on Friday. We also found out that starting on Monday we will be cutting her steroid dose in half!! That is great news. One prayer request would be that we would be able to give Sarah all her drugs successfully. She has discovered, no matter how far back in her throat we put it, how to spit out her drugs. Obviously not a good thing. The most exciting news of all is that over the last week she has attempted to stand and take a few steps! It is so exciting to watch her! It seems like forever since I have seen my sweet girlie walk.
This last Friday Jean came for a few hours. Once again she treated me to a great lunch from Chipotle, great conversation, and a new distraction for Sarah. Thanks for sacrificing your afternoon to be with me. Love you!!

You can check out her blog. to see more pictures from the day

Other happenings around here have been filled with lots of fun and memories. Here are a few of my favorite. Last weekend we had a 60th surprise birthday party for my dad. I can't believe we pulled it off, but the day was filled with lots of surprises, golf, and lots of old friends. It was such a great time. When Sarah first got sick we thought we wouldn't be able to do it, but it worked out that we could and she could be there too. The kids love their "Pa" as Sarah calls him. This picture is right after he walked in. The kids were so excited to be a part of the surprise.


The other big news is that Alethea is about to lose her first tooth. It has been a really big deal these last few days in particuar with everyone taking a turn at trying to pull it out. Here is the sequence of photos from tonight.

Before- it's the top one on her left. It is affectionately called "buck tooth"

This one she had just told Dave he could pull, and then wasn't so sure

She finally gave in and let him pull but to no avail.

We'll keep you up to date. This is major news in our house!

This last one I just think is cute. Dave was cutting the grass the other day, and Caleb ran inside to get his mower so he could help.

Honoring my wife

We are supposed to give honor where honor is due. For those of you who know Jen, the following will come as no surprise to you. Jen is walking through this trial with a tangible reliance on her God, and it has been evident to me from the very first moment our doctor uttered those fateful words, "The MRI has revealed a tumor in Sarah's body." Since that moment, we have been in the fight of our lives, and by God's grace, Jen is winning the fight. She has walked with a calm, peaceful dependence on God that is clear to everyone who is around her.

I came across the following email that our friend, Jerusha Sheffer (who went to Hopkins with Jen for the day) sent to Jen, and I wanted to let everyone in on what Jerusha encountered while being with Jen:

It was so glad to be able to spend the day with you. I enjoyed witnessing God’s grace at work in your life and Sarah’s life. She handled her situation EXTREMELY well, such grace that there was only one point where she was really “frustrated” and that was because she just wanted to sleep! God’s grace is meeting her. And you, my friend, amazing! The way you reached out to the nurses, trying to know them, the way you patiently loved Sarah through her challenges, the way you trusted in God and didn’t freak out when it seemed her blood pressure might be up. God is clearly sustaining you AS you reach hard for Him.


Thanks for letting me come. Love & prayers,

Jerusha <><

Humbled

We just wanted to take another opportunity to thank all of you who have carried this burden with us. Most importantly, how you have prayed for us. We are truly seeing your prayers being answered. We are also humbled by your generosity. Even before the Green Turtle event, there were so many of you that were quick to offer money for gas and parking. Just wanted to let you know that because of your generosity through the fundraiser, we will be able to make a wonderful donation to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation and have no worries about paying for Sarah's care. Some of you have asked how we plan on using the money. We plan on saving all the money and using it for things like medical bills, co-pays, gas, and parking (when you're there as much as we are, those things add up). Another thing would be having a professional cleaner come in so we can be sure the house is safe for Sarah while she is more susceptible to sickness.

We are so grateful for the support we have received throughout these last few months. There are so many times when we say to each other, how do people walk through something like this without a church, family, and friends. The way we have been cared for has truly been an expression of God's love and faithfulness to us. As much as we would like to write a personal thank you note to all of you, we realize that is not going to be a reality. So please accept this as a thank you. It hardly seems sufficient in light of all that you have done for us, but for now it will have to do. There have been so many people who have supported us. Some of you are dear friends, some of you we haven't seen in years, others are friends of our family, and others of you we have never even met. It is so neat to see how something like this draws people together. We will never stop expressing gratefulness to God for each of you, and will never tire of thanking you.

A Fun Day at the Hospital

I know those two things don't really go together, but today was actually an enjoyable day. Long, but enjoyable. My good friend Jerusha got a babysitter for her kids and joined me at Hopkins for most of the day. She brought a new toy and video for Sarah, was able to get us some decent lunch, and just sat and talked with me for hours. The day just didn't seem as long with someone else to talk to besides Sarah and the nurses. Thanks for being with me today Jerusha!!

Sarah did well again today. Unfortunately, because they need to check her vital signs for the first few hours every fifteen minutes, she was not able to go to sleep until she just couldn't fight it any longer, which was very late in the day. Needless to say, it was rough for a while. I feel so bad for her because I know how tired she is, but it's not the most condusive napping environment. Of course, I think she is amazing. Even with how tired and cranky she gets, she definitely charms the nurses that care for her. We also found out today, that her counts have not dropped from the drugs. I'm still learning what all that means, but what I do know is that we are not having to be crazy careful with who she is around. So, if you see us at church, it's okay, we got permission.

Here's a picture of us at the end of our day together.

Vacation?

No we're not on vacation, just wish we were. Caleb came to me this morning with his bathing suit and swim diapers and informed me that he wanted to go swimming today. This boy is too funny. He walked around all day with his bathing suit on and no shirt. He was sure we would go swimming sometime today. He even picked out a diaper and suit for his cousin Jacob. Maybe he's trying to tell me that we really need a vacation.

On to real life.... We have an all day treatment tomorrow at Hopkins. The steroids have definitely started affecting her personality, so if you would pray that I would be able to care for her effectively considering her mood swings. They will give her Benadryl again before starting the drugs to try to prevent any reaction. Last week she fell asleep for about an hour. I would love the same for tomorrow!

Thanks for praying!!!

"The Lord...does not grow tired or weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint and to Him who has no might, He increases strength." Isaiah 40:28,29

The Greene Turtle

On Monday was the big fundraiser for Sarah and for Neuroblastoma research. Jen and I want to thank everyone for coming! It really meant a lot for Jen and I to see our friends there with us. We know that you all are very busy, so it means even more that you would spend so much of your time supporting the cause. Some of our friends and family drove for hours to be there! We saw people we haven't seen in yrs! It was like an all day party, just hanging out all day. Thank you, again, for sharing this day with our family! We had a blast!


This entire event was the idea of my brother Brian, and his wife Jackie. They did an OUTSTANDING job putting everything together and hosting. They were the ones who coordinated with the Greene Turtle, got all the gifts donated, got there early to set up tables, blow up balloons, and do pretty much everything else. Thank you Brian and Jackie!



Our friends, the Kauflins, stopped by for dinner.


Mr. Boisvert was telling Mikaela stories from when he was growing up.


From left to right...Pa, Ra, Ma

Our friends, the Lowes, came with all the kiddos! As you can see in the other pictures, there were kiddos everywhere! It was tons of fun...





These were some more of the raffle prizes. The Terps neon light was up for silent auction (donated by the owner of the Greene Turtle). The golf bag on the left had a 4-some of golf, a bag, a full set of clubs, Titlest balls and a night away at a hotel. On the right was a golf bag, and new 3 wood tight lies, another 4-some for golf, and a night away. Another basket had 4 tickets to a Nats game, a 2 night stay at a Mariott, and a gift certificate to Outback! As you can see, my brother and sister got some pretty sweet prizes for this raffle.

So, my kids learned to work the system. They quickly realized that Grandma Brewer had a tab going for food purchases. So, all they needed to do was ask a waitress for food and they got whatever they wanted on the tab! Here they are downing some dessert after lunch!

There were so many really cool gifts that were raffled off.


Our friends, the Nelsons, stopped by for lunch. Sarah was able to be there for part of the day, but when it got really crowded at dinner, we had to take her out. Since she is on chemo, she can't be around lots of people.


Mikaela and "pa"


Jen's sister, Jessica, and "ma". Our kids love Jess, and they were hanging with her all day.


This restaurant is cool. They have flat screen TVs at every single booth! Pretty cool! The kids loved it. They turned the game off and put on cartoon network!