THOUSANDS OF FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES »

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Chemo from France

The long awaited chemo from France arrived on Wednesday. It was stuck in Customs in Chicago. Dale received the first dose on Thursday and his second yesterday, Saturday. Because of his allergies, he is premedicated with antihistamines and
iv steroids which unfortunately give him headaches, eye pain, blurred vision and light sensitivity . It also makes him very sleepy. We've adjusted the doses so he won't be so sleepy all the time. This chemo(Erwinia - Aspariginase) is given as an intramuscular injection into the thigh. He ices it first so it won't hurt as much. He has been incredibly brave about this. He sits there quietly watching the needle go in. Derek has been by his side through all of the treatments so far, a promise he made to Dale when he was given the bad news a few weeks back. He held his hand during the last lumbar puncture procedure until his curiosity pulled him to the other side of the table to watch the doctor inject the chemo into Dale's spine.
In spite of the side effects, Dale still mangaes to play outside with Derek and Danny( when Danny is home) riding his bike and
skate boarding. He puts on his sunglasses and a hat so the sun won't bother him. He also went to the beach to ride his bike and play in the sand with the Morimoto girls. He came home, took a nap and woke up feeling great. I noticed that he tires faster now. He used to run from the hospital to the car but now he walks and stops for a break in between.
Dale's next chemo is scheduled for Tuesday , Jan 2nd. We will also be meeting with UCLA on Tuesday.
Thank you for your continued prayers. May you all have a happy and blessed new year.
Juliann

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Thank you

Day 7 of chemo today went well. Hopefully the long awaited chemo from France will
arrive today and Dale will receive it tomorrow. There has been a week delay due
to delivery problems and the holiday. Once this drug comes in , Dale will be going in 4 times a week for chemo.
We also received an email today from A3M letting us know that there were 233 donors this past Sunday (12/24) at the bone marrow drive held at Faith UMC for Dale. She also stated the it was the single biggest drive she had ever witnessed during her
past two years with A3M. Thank you all for getting the word out and a special thank you to all who took time out of your busy schedules to come out and register . Thank you to our dear friends who worked hard in a very short amount of time to make the bone marrow drives happen and to Faith UMC for allowing the drive to be held there. We are deeply touched by everyone's love and support. Words cannot express the appreciation we feel. This gracious show of support has given us the hope we need to continue the fight.
"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:31
Juliann

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Dale's First Day of Chemo

Juliann writes:
Dale's first chemo day went fairly well. His favorite nurse Terri was there which brightened him up. She gave him a pep talk before we got started. Dale was very teary. Dale was given ARA-C into the spine. However before the doctor was about to administer it, he noticed a discrepancy in the label. I looked at it too and there was a decimal point error. So while the needle was still stuck in Dale's back, he waited patiently until the nurse took the incorrect chemo and had the pharmacy remake it.
Dale was very brave. Not a peep from him the whole time This time the doctor inserted the needle into his spine without local anesthetics. He said it hurt less then the stick from the numbing agents. Dale also received two other chemo agents intravenously. So far so good thanks to the anti-nausea meds he takes.
Dale managed to make it back for a few hours of school. He made me run from the hospital room to the car. As we approached the car, before I even got in, he was yelling, "start the car!!!". Those of you who know Dale can probably picture this.
We are waiting for a chemo drug to come in from France. Please continue to pray for a fast remission.

Thank-you...Juliann

Monday, December 18, 2006

Dale's Journey

Dale is an energetic, fun-loving 8 year old boy with leukemia. Dale has been treated with chemotherapy over the last several years. He successfully entered into remission 3 times, the last remission unfortunately was very short, ending very recently. His most recent bone marrow study showed recurrence of leukemic cells. The family a week ago met with specialists at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles for consideration of treatment with investigational chemo agents. Dale unfortuanately could not enter into these studies as these protocols included a medication that Dale could not take due to an allergy.

Dale will resume the same protocol as previously used, starting this Wednesday. The doctors are attempting to accomplish another remission while awaiting a bone marrow donor match. It has been determined that Dales' best chance for a complete cure is a bone marrow transplant.
Time is of the essence. Efforts are being made through the Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M) to screen more suitable candidates.

Please keep Dale in your prayers for strength to sustain his bright spirit through this next round in his fight for a cure. Remember his family in prayer as well for their support of him.


Dale on Santa's lap - Christmas 2006

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Dale at the 2006 annual Long Beach Memorial Children's Hospital Cancer Run