Round 3

Nate had his third chemo treatment on the 27th.  The plan is 6 chemo treatments before the stem cell transplant- so he is halfway done!  It was hard for Nate to go to this chemo session because he was feeling so good.  The doctor understands that, but he also reminded us that all of this is to hopefully make Nate feel good for a long time.

Nate is not feeling great after this chemo round.  Please pray for minimal side effects.  And our kids have a cold so please pray for everyone's health.

Almost Christmas

We have been quiet on the blog because life has been quiet- we are thankful for that!  Our family has been doing normal for the past week or two.  Nate is working and feeling good.  The kids have their last day of school today and then two weeks of Christmas break, we'll see how that goes! We are missing a couple family Christmas gatherings which is disappointing, but we do what we have to do. Nate's brother Reuben from PA visited us for a couple days last week.  His brother Pete and wife Jess from CA will visit us next week.  We are grateful for family.

Nate and I went to an informational meeting at Gilda's Club in Grand Rapids.  Gilda's Club is a cancer support community.  We would not have necessarily searched it out for ourselves, but we think this could be helpful for our kids.  Every Thursday night at Gilda's Club is family support night.  They serve dinner and then have groups for all of us.  Nate can attend the cancer survivor group, Stacy the family/friends group, Caleb the tweens/teens group, Isaac/Julia the Kids Talk group and the littles have an awesome child area to play in.  We will attend as a family a couple times in January and see if we find it beneficial.  And Gilda's Club is free- bonus.  So I am thankful for this resource. But, I also left Gilda' Club feeling a little angry.  I do not like that our family even has to attend this place and make space in our family schedule.

Nate has outpatient chemo on the 27th here in Holland.  We are thankful he has been healthy!  Please pray for continued health for Nate and the rest of the family.

Thank you again for all of the meals, treats, cards and emails.  You all have been a blessing to us.  We hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

-Stacy

Meal sign up

The meal sign up schedule has been extended, just click on the link on the right hand side of the blog.  Having meals provided has been a tangible reminder of support from our community.  Thank you to everyone who has blessed us with a meal!

Packers

This past Sunday, Nate went to his first Packers game at Lambeau field!  A generous friend gave us tickets a while ago.  I was praying that Nate would feel well enough to attend the game and he felt great!  Of course it was a chilly game, but the Packers won.

Our insurance company informed us that Nate will not be able to have his stem cell transplant in Grand Rapids because the transplant unit is too new to be considered a center of excellence and therefore not in network.  So he will have to go to Ann Arbor, Detroit or Chicago.  This is not good news.  The transplant will be at least a 3 week hospital stay.  It will be challenging for friends to visit Nate if he is a couple hours away from Holland.  The kids will not be able to visit Nate, maybe on the weekends.  And I do not know what I will do.  How can I be with Nate and the kids?  My anxiety level rises the more I think about it.  We are going to appeal the insurance company's decision.  However, the Grand Rapids hospital told us other patients with our insurance have been in the same situation and there is not much to be done.  The paperwork is in process for our insurance company to recognize the GR hospital as a center of excellence, but it won't be done in time for Nate's transplant (sometime around March).

 Please pray for resolution to this mess.  We are praying his transplant can be done in GR, but also praying we can accept and brainstorm how we will do life if the transplant is done elsewhere.

-Stacy

Nate is home

Nate is back home!  We were home for about 10 minutes and then we were off to Caleb's band concert.  We are thankful we made it back in time. Nate is feeling pretty good.  His energy level is decreasing a little.  Please pray for his energy, appetite/no nausea and no illnesses.  One of our kids was complaining of a stomach ache tonight, please pray it's nothing serious.

I feel vulnerable sharing this next section. We all have stories to share, human struggles are all the same. But, our story is unique to us. And I love hearing people's stories- the connectedness that brings. We are on this life journey together and God is faithful. May we find "strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow."

While Nate was receiving chemo, he learned that his company- Palisades nuclear power plant is closing in 2 years.  It was very shocking news.  Nate is confident he will find a job and he is not worried.  If I'm honest, I am a little anxious.  Our future feels so unknown already, this just adds another layer.  But some Facebook memories have been popping up recently that reminded me of God's faithfulness in the midst of our uncertainties.
   
     -Four years ago today, I wrote this post:

"Some things make me so thankful I just have to share. When Stephen had the newborn rare disorders screening done he came out as slightly positive for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disorder. So he needed a 2nd blood draw to see if it was a false positive. Well they botched the 2nd draw and he needed to get another one. Meanwhile we get a letter describing SCIDS and that the treatment is a bone marrow transplant. That will make your heart stop. We got word yesterday that his blood test is normal! Such a huge sigh of relief and praising God continuously!"

    -Seven years ago today we were in Korea, meeting Julia for the first time- we all had swirling emotions
    
     -We adopted Lexi.  We were nervous and confident in God's faithfulness. 
    
I could share more, but these are ones that I've been remembering recently.  Through God's strength and the support of our community we keep taking the next step forward.  Tonight I think our family just feels spent.  I'm hoping we all have relaxing moments this weekend.  

-Stacy

Second Day

Nate began the new drug and is doing well.  No weird reactions or side effects.  He is feeling good and we are thankful.  We had a variety of friends visit today and that was a pleasant way to pass the time.  I went home with the kids tonight as they need me more than Nate right now.  I sometimes wish I could be in two places at once.  We are hoping Nate will be discharged Thursday afternoon.  Please pray that will happen and that the predicted snow storm does not delay his return home either.

-Stacy

First Day

We arrived around 9:30 am. His first chemo drug was administered around 3 pm. The new drug will start around 9 pm. We learned that for the next impatient stay we need to arrive earlier in the morning so things start moving sooner. Today was mostly waiting. The kids arrived after school. We ate in the cafeteria and watched some TV in Nate's room. The kids were okay until they went home and Nate and I stayed here. Lots of tears from the younger kids. And here is some honesty- this stinks. Cancer sucks. We don't want our kids to have to hang out at a hospital or cry because they want their parents home.
Thanks for the continued prayers.
-Stacy

Oncologist Update

We met with the oncologist today and everything looks good!  Nate's blood counts are good and he got the go ahead for inpatient chemo this week.  Spectrum hospital should call this evening with details.

It was encouraging to hear that Nate's blood counts overall are better than a month ago.  And Nate feels much better than a month ago.  The chemo is reducing symptoms.  His back pain is gone, swelling is gone, intestinal issues have reduced, and his energy level has returned.  We are thankful!

Nate will receive a different chemo drug this week. He receives a total of 4 doses every 12 hours, so that is why the drug is administered inpatient.  The doctor is hopeful that because Nate tolerated the first chemo drug well that this one shouldn't be too difficult.  He said the main side effect during the hospital stay will probably be boredom. ;)   Please pray for a smooth hospital stay and minimal side effects.

The doctor explained he did not think it was a good idea for Nate (and our family in general) to attend large family gatherings during the holidays- we don't want to expose Nate to germs unnecessarily.  It was disappointing news, but we will talk thru our options.  Please pray our kids do not pick up too many sicknesses this winter and that Nate can stay healthy.

We appreciated having a positive appointment with the oncologist.  Personally, I feel like my thoughts and emotions are a balancing act.  I am so thankful there are treatment options for Nate.  But, we know the cancer will come back someday.  How does one truly enjoy the gift of today, not being fearful of the future, but also not being naive about the future?  We have friends that are praying for a miracle- that Nate's cancer will truly be gone forever.  And I pray for that too.  But.. I can't pray only for that.  I pray that God gives us strength for each day. That our family thrives, not just survives this journey.  I want us to be able to walk through whatever the future holds- whether Nate gets a miracle or whether cancer comes back.  I have had nights where fear is overwhelming and days where I feel like we are walking this road like a BOSS.  I am thankful for friends who are praying because I often do not know what to pray for.

And I just want to give a shout out to my sister!  Steph spent about 10 days here, helping us out.  The kids always love Aunt Steph (although Uncle Ben is pretty awesome too) and we enjoyed having her support and encouragement.

We will update from the hospital, although hopefully there will not be much to report!

-Stacy

Quick request

Some of Nate's friends shaved their heads this week.  We are grateful for our friends and family!


Nate got a cold this week.  He has blood work and an appointment with the oncologist on Monday.  Please pray that his blood counts are good and that this cold hasn't lowered his white blood cells too much.  We really do not want this hospital stay postponed.  And pray that he recovers from his cold soon.

-Stacy