It is time for a blog update!
Four days in the hospital put me behind again. Not sure when I will ever catch up!
Last Friday night, Kendall and Abby and Victoria stayed up late baking cookies for our fundraising bake sale. When I say late, I mean LATE! I woke up at 4am and they were still going strong! I think massive amounts of cookie dough are to blame!
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41:10
With only a couple hours of sleep, these three girls were up and ready to start selling cookies! We raised over $380 in our small town!!! The money will be used to fill the toy closet at the oncology clinic and help furnish the new parent room. We are excited to start shopping and filling the closet. The girls will pick out the toys and deliver them one day next month. I think it is important for our girls and Sunday school kids to be a part of this ministry along with us. Kendall (middle in pic) is really becoming aware of what Jed and the other kids in clinic go through. She has been in the room with us when Jed gets his chemo and I have allowed her to go in the rooms with me as I visit some of Jed's friends. Seldom a day goes by that she doesn't ask about one of the kids.
Jed made his second appearance at church a couple weeks ago while his counts were still high. He loves going to church and it breaks my heart each week when he cries as Josh and the girls leave. He will see me ironing Josh's clothes and the girls' dresses and he will say "don't forget me, I want to go to church!" It kills me to hear him say that and I look forward to the day when we are all back in church together!
He sang two specials and one song that he wrote. "I want to sing for Jesus when he comes...I want to sing for Jesus when he comes...cause he loves me and I love him...I want to sing for Jesus when he comes" So precious!!!
Sunday night after church, Jed was full of energy! He played and ran and wore us out! lol He finally tired out around 11pm and wanted to watch a movie. While laying on the couch, he started to complain about leg pain. This is one of the most common side effects of the chemo drugs he gets weekly. He fell asleep and Josh moved him from the couch to our bed and as soon as he picked him up, we realized he was running a fever. His temp was 101.4 and anytime he reaches 101, we have to check in to the hospital. I called our dr and was told to give him 1tsp of tylenol and wait till 5am. While everyone slept, I cleaned out our car, finished several loads of laundry, scrubbed bathrooms, mopped floors, finished packing our bags and took a shower. All while checking Jed's temp every 20 minutes! Nervous energy. At 5am I called our dr back and Jed's temp was still over 101 so we loaded everything in the car and made our way to the hospital. Thankfully, my friend Lisa was able to come stay at the house with our girls. I don't know what I would do without her!
We spent four days in the hospital, three of which were on strict isolation which meant Jed could NOT leave the room at all! Thankfully, the play room volunteers brought in some toys for him.
Happy to see his first cousins!!!!! Thank you Sophie and Taylor for visiting us!
On the last day, Jed was finally removed from isolation and couldn't wait to go to the play room!!!!
Playing games and making snowcones is so much fun!!!
This past Saturday we were able to spend the day at Nana and Poppa's pool! Jed had so much fun! He is unable to swim in a river or lake so Nana and Poppa keep their pool extra clean for him to enjoy.
What could be better than pool side ice cream!!!
This past Sunday, Jed and I studied on The Garden Of Eden in our Sunday school lesson. He amazes me every time I ask him questions about our past lessons. He remembers so much! He truly has a heart for God. While we were getting ready to leave the hospital, the nurses were removing his port and bandages. One of the nurses said "now you can go home and be the boss of your house!"..Jed looked at her and said "Jesus is the boss of our house!" We all laughed out loud!!!!!
After answering all his questions, he was able to open his prize bag! I don't know what I was thinking giving him a toy hippo water gun! He sprayed me all morning!!
After our lesson, we started cooking lunch. Jed is such a big helper! We had picked up some fresh peaches at a peach orchard stand so peach cobbler was on the dessert menu. I think Jed ate 4 whole peaches while I pealed and sliced. I was worried that he would have a belly ache! 
We are so thankful to be home. We are so thankful we have prayer warriors from all parts of the world lifting up our sweet son.
Some scary events took place in the hospital this past week. After checking into the ER and getting prepped for admission, we were finally moved to a room. While settling into bed, Jed yelled "I need to poop" so I began to move him from his bed to the bathroom. I tangled up a bit in his IV wires and before we knew it, the floor was starting to splatter with blood. Josh and I both thought that I had pulled his port needle out of his chest so we quickly called for a nurse and began to lift up his shirt. His port was perfect and in tact. My mind started to race because we had no idea where the blood was coming from and then more blood started to flow and we soon realized that we had a big problem. Within minutes, doctors and nurses filled our room and it felt like the room was starting to spin. Xrays were ordered, bags were being hung on the iv poles, and medical terms were flying around the room that we couldn't understand. Josh and I would ask each doctor over and over again if everything was ok and all we would get was "we are taking care of this" or "we are just concerned, not panicked" but of course, we were PANICKED!
After 4 days of tests and several antibiotics they determined that Jed had a bad bacterial infection in his colon/intestines/gi tract.
The doctor later told us that he thought the problem was from aggressive chemo drugs. He said "your son has an aggressive form of cancer, therefore we treat it with aggressive drugs". These chemo drugs can cause damage to their little bodies. The doctor was concerned that the chemo had burnt a hole in Jed's bladder or intestines. He said "a simple surgery" would have fixed him right up. I'm not so sure it would have seemed simple to me.
Josh said something in his message this past Sunday that really hit home with me. He said that when our kids have a headache, we can give them tylenol. When they fall down, we can wash off the scrape and apply a bandage. When they are hungry, we can feed them. But when you find out that your child has cancer, there is nothing you can do. You turn it over to God because God is all you have!
During our stay in the hospital, our sweet friend Aubrie was moving close to heaven. I sat with Aubrie's mom until her dad could get to the hospital. Aubrie (2yrs old) was diagnosed in October with rhabdo and was already a stage 4 when the cancer was discovered. Her mother and I had a really good talk. She was curled up in the bed with Aubrie and I was sitting in a chair next to the bed at Aubrie's face. Before I left the room, I layed my hands on Aubrie's feet to pray for her. She let out a shriek of pain that broke me into. Just a small touch was so painful for her. The entire time I visited, she moaned with pain. Her mom asked me if I understood how she could actually want her child to go on, to let go. I prayed with her and then I began to speak directly to Aubrie. I talked to her, just as I did to Sam, about a place that was waiting for her where there was no medicine to take, no doctors, no hurting, no pain. A place full of happiness and fun and toys! I then talked to her about Jesus. How she would be able to see the face of Jesus. She opened her eyes for a brief moment and looked right at me. I told Josh later that I will never forget that moment as long as I live. Aubrie did see the face of Jesus, just an hour and half later. Never again will she have cancer! She is eternally healed!
During the night this week around 2am, my cell phone buzzed with a text. "R U awake?" It was Aubrie's mom. We text back and forth for a bit. I started to think about all the moms that I have grown to love. This type of late night texting has happened on several occasions. I can be sitting up at night, filled with worry and get a text from another mom. One mom who's little girl just finished chemo treatments for rhabdo, is quick to send me encouraging notes at all hours. She must remember the sleepless nights...and I'm sure she still has a few herself.
I have been thinking alot about the few moments in the hospital when Josh and I feared that Jed's cancer had returned. We have read and heard so much about this cancer that the thought of it coming back took our breath away. Satan knows that if he can plant one seed of fear in my mind, then I will start doubting that God completely healed my son.
I have talked on fear before but to be completely honest with you all, it is something that I fight on a regular basis during this journey with childhood cancer. I fear each scan, each time Jed is sick, each story I read on rhabo that doesn't end in the way I want it to. I fear and I let Satan start talking to me.
When I received the call from our urologist that changed our lives forever, the only words I remember hearing after "I have some bad news for you" is "highly malignant" "aggressive" and "rare". I know the doctor was speaking in full sentences but it was as if everything was muffled and those few words were magnified. Satan has used those words over and over and over again to bring fear into my life. The first few nights after diagnosis and before all the bone scans and staging, I honestly can say that I felt as if the devil himself was in my bedroom with me, whispering those words in my ear.
I have to daily choose to ignore Satan's attempts to put fear in my heart. I am so very very thankful for God's word. There is no better way for me to remove fear and anxiety than to open my bible and sit in a quiet spot and let the Lord talk to me.
I know I had read this verse many times in the past and honestly never focused on the true meaning until the call from the doctor about Jed's tumor results. I found this scripture the next day and it literally jumped off the page!!!
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing (RHABDOMYOSARCOMA) shall by any means hurt you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cling to that scripture daily and thank God for his great power!
Please be in prayer for our family. So much is happening in our lives and God is opening many doors of opportunity for us to spread His gospel. Pray that we will make the right decisions and be used in every way that God wants us, even if it is out of our comfort zone!
Pray for Jedidiah.....he will get chemo # 16 tomorrow morning. He has been experiencing frequent leg pain and we ask that you pray for that specifically.
Pray for all the families who are with us on this journey.
The Lord is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27: 1
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41:10
