Friday, September 16, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Happy 3rd anniversary Justin!
Today is my 3 year wedding anniversary! I can’t believe it’s been 3 years! I just want to tell Justin what an amazing husband and father he is. He came into our life when we were in the middle of Tucker’s first round with cancer…. And he’s been with us ever since. Justin never batted an eye at the cancer thing- he just stepped right in and became my support, my strength, my light at the end of the tunnel… my hero & Tucker’s hero. Justin is my best friend, my life & my love. I’m amazed at him every day. I feel like I ask so much of him and he never fails to step up to the plate and blow away my expectations of him as a father, husband, and best friend. We had a goal, that by our 3rd anniversary we would go on a honeymoon- well, that didn’t quite work out (as I’m spending our anniversary today up with Tucker getting chemo), so i’m thinking we will push that honeymoon back to (hopefully) the 5th year? *crossing fingers*. Justin works so hard everyday to support this family, put food on the table, and juggle the cancer life with Tucker. He is running all over the place all of the time and I appreciate him so much for all that he gives to us and all that he does for us. For the longest time I was in total shock that we have to do this cancer thing with Tucker again, but then it occurred me, I’m so grateful and so lucky that I have Justin with us for this battle, I don’t know how I did it without him, and I don’t know what I would do without him now. He has sacrificed so much for us and I want him to know that I know & I will forever be grateful for everything he has done. Justin, you’re amazing, you’re so talented and skilled and you’re gorgeous… HUBBA HUBBA *wink*… I love you. Oh and honey, while I’m buttering you up- this would be a good time to tell you, In the caramel rolls I made the other night, yes- I did leave an egg shell in the mix, I felt really guilt about that until I saw how pretty the rolls turned out… so I thought it was best to just not mention it.
Tucker is getting chemo done today- 2 different ones- and 1 of the 2 sure to make him good and sick *ugh* it’s going to be a long night. This chemo called Cytoxan, will make you sick for about 24 hours after you get it. But his check up today was good. We got to see Dr. Afify- when Tucker saw her in the hall way he gave her a HUGE hug- he is taller than Afify! It’s so cute! Some concerns we had today was Tucker’s small headaches he keeps having, I guess it takes anywhere from 3 months to 6 months to have the brain recover from radiation. So as long as they are not getting worse, we will just wait to see and hope they start getting better. They said they will do an MRI if it would make me feel more comfortable, and I’m thinking no- less is more in this case, let’s give it some time and see how it goes. Tucker’s in a lot of pain today, so they gave him a good dose of IV morphine, and Dr. Afify just states that he will have good days and bad day, good weeks and bad weeks & that is so true.
Love to all, & happy anniversary Justin..
Amber & Tucker (and Justin)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
September: Childhood Cancer awareness month, did you know?
A friend of mine, another cancer mom, recently posted that she went into a store the other day and everywhere she looked was pink ribbons for breast cancer, pink pen’s and pencils, pink this and pink that and it all is all in awareness of breast cancer, but what about childhood cancer? Did you know that September is Childhood Cancer awareness month? I say bring out the GOLD! Where are the gold ribbons? The pens & pencils stating childhood cancer awareness, where are the things and more things…the Gold Ribbon Jewelry? The Gold Ribbon Clothing? The Gold Ribbon Gifts? Where is all the stuff supporting childhood cancer awareness? Look around the next time you’re in a store, I bet you can’t find anything.
One of the most common questions I get is “Amber, how did you know Tucker had cancer? What were the signs & symptoms? “ Maybe had I been more aware of childhood cancer signs and symptoms back in the day Tucker wouldn’t have gotten as bad as he did- twice now. Before I was hit with the bulldozer statement of “YOUR CHILD HAS CANCER” I was blissfully unaware of this life, I had no idea what to look out for and what to be worried about. I was concerned about the normal things that all mom’s worry about- Tucker don’t talk to strangers, Tucker don’t cross the road without an adult, No you can’t hold a snake, no do NOT play with spider they are not pets!…Tucker- time for the dentist…… cuts and bruises, stitches and cold packs, starting school, soothing nightmares & Tucker went through a stretch of eating dirt that had me concerned, the tooth-fairy, Santa Clause, ear infections.. I could go on and on all about the “normal” worries. But never had I paid any attention to childhood cancer, sure I’ve seen it before, we all have, those sad commercials late at night where they show the bald sick kids & ask for donation (but never actually state signs & symptoms of childhood cancer)- and for a brief moment- we feel sad, and then we think… WHEW, GLAD THAT’S NOT MY KID….. hummmmmmmmmmmmm….. and that was all of childhood cancer I was ever aware of. Until January 5th, 2005 & then everything changed. I can look back now and see that Tucker started getting sick long before the day we were actually diagnosed , but that comes with many years of being in this world now.
The one thing I can do to help bring awareness to childhood cancer is to tell you how this all started out… at the time I had NO CLUE what was happening to Tucker but now knowing what I know I can look back to the 3 months before Tucker was first diagnosed and I can see the signs, so obvious to me now, that were not obvious then. I think one of the most difficult things about childhood cancer is the signs and symptoms could be written off as SO many other things, and they were “written off” by other doctors at that time.
Vomiting (what kid doesn’t throw up?- so that was written off as the flu-yes by the “doctor”)
Pain in bones- mostly legs in Tuckers cancer- so that was written off as “growing pains”, I’m 6feet tall, obviously Tucker is going to be tall- so that was a easy write off (yes by the “doctor”).
Excessive busing- Tucker is a boy! He love to play and be rough, all the bruises were written off as just that (also, by a “doctor”).
Constant tiredness- this is what started to get my notice, but then I figured, he does play really hard, I’m sure he’s just tired it goes with the growing pains that the doctor and I had already talked about.
Eye or vision changes which suddenly happen- Tucker already was having eye problems (you’ve seen the glasses? He got them when he was 2).
Now all these symptoms didn’t just BAMB happen one day, it was a period of about 2 months where they started and I took him into the doctor A LOT- but as I stated above, all of it was “written off”- even at one time when Tucker’s leg pains got SO BAD the “doctor” had X-RAY his LEGS to see if they were broke- I remember looking at this so called “doctor” and telling her I THINK I WOULD KNOW IF TUCKER BROKE HIS LEGS! But because I didn’t know anything else we got the X-ray done and sure enough his legs, were NOT broken. Now the last 2 weeks before we were diagnosed I called into this doctor- a lot- because I started noticing all these little purple spots all over Tucker (now I know it’s obvious pitikia), I called and said “what about all these spots? They look like a little rash?” so they said “well obvious it’s a rash, changed your detergent and see if that helps.” So I did, and guess what- it didn’t help. So in rush one night I took Tucker to see a different doctor, and I remember when he walked into the room I said to him “I know Tucker doesn’t have a cough, or a fever and I know he’s not sick, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM! I’M NOT CRAZY! I’m not making this up! I’ve been taking him to see so&so and this is all we have done & all she has said- but THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG, he’s getting worse”. Taking Tucker to another doctor saved his life- this doctor was wise enough and knew enough by just LOOKING at Tucker to know something big was wrong, he did a CBC and sure enough his blood counts were SCARY! Had the first doctor just ordered a SIMPLE little, quick, CBC on Tucker back at the start, he never would have gotten that far progressed, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a cancer to your white blood cells, and that pop’s right up in a CBC, well that blood count showed extreme high levels of white cells and extremely low levels” of his red cell and plates- in a matter of an hour had us in an ambulance in transport to Primary Children’s Hospital. Of course by that time Tucker’s cancer had gotten very far progressed and because of that, he was diagnosed with “high risk ALL” on January 5th 2005. I remember before we were rushed out by ambulance that night I had all my family & friends there with me ( I think I called them but I can’t remember), my sister Charity was standing in front of me crying & talking to me and I vividly remember looking at her – I could not hear her talk, I remember looking at her mouth & it was moving in slow motion & no sound was coming out- I remember trying to focus on her, thinking- I know she is talking- but I can’t hear her… and I slowly looked around and other people were talking to me, but I couldn’t hear them… and it was all moving so slow. It was one of the most surreal moments in my life, its one of the most strangest memories I’ve ever had- as I look back to that night at that moment my memory is just like that- everybody was talking in slow motion, and no sound was coming out. From that day on, childhood cancer has been our life. If you want to see how Tucker was diagnosed for the 2nd time (ALSO a frustrating story) you can start back at the beginning of this blog.
My biggest regret back then was not taking Tucker to see another doctor sooner for a 2nd opinion. I kept taking him back to the same lady because I trusted her. Had I known of the signs & symptoms of childhood cancer back then, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten so bad, and maybe we wouldn’t have to be doing this again.
Here is one of the best lists of the signs of childhood cancer I’ve found. I found it at
http://ped-onc.org/diseases/SOCC.html
So read up, be aware- awareness can be contagious… so make sure your spreading it.
Signs of Childhood Cancer
Continued, unexplained weight loss
Headaches, often with early morning vomiting
Increased swelling or persistent pain in bones, joints, back, or legs
Lump or mass, especially in the abdomen, neck, chest, pelvis, or armpits
Development of excessive bruising, bleeding, or rash
Constant infections
A whitish color behind the pupil
Nausea which persists or vomiting without nausea
Constant tiredness or noticeable paleness
Eye or vision changes which occur suddenly and persist
Recurrent or persistent fevers of unknown origin
Childhood cancer is rare. It is unlikely that your child will develop cancer. Still, as a parent, you need to be aware of the symptoms of childhood cancer.
Observe your child for any sudden, persistent changes in health or behavior as listed above. Since most of the symptoms of cancer can also be attributed to benign conditions, the diagnosis of cancer can be a long process. You must trust your own instinct and work as a team with your doctor, using your knowledge of your child and your doctor's knowledge of medicine to protect your child's health.
________________________________________
Leukemia
Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow, the spongy center of the bones that makes blood cells. It accounts for approximately 35% of all childhood cancers; approximately 1 in 1000 children will be diagnosed with leukemia by the age of 19, although it is more common in children under the age of 10. In leukemia, abnormal white blood cells divide out of control and crowd out the normal cells in the bloodstream. The abnormal white blood cells are not mature, and therefore cannot carry out their infection-fighting function in the blood. These cells crowd out healthy white blood cells, as well as the red blood cells which carry oxygen to the body and the platelets which cause the blood to clot.
Leukemia is treated by combination chemotherapy and sometimes radiation. The five year survival rate for children diagnosed with leukemia and subsequently treated is approximately 70%.
Signs and Symptoms
• lethargy, weakness, paleness, dizziness
• back, leg, and joint pain, headache, trouble standing or walking
• easy bruising, unusual bleeding, frequent nose bleeds, bleeding gums, petechiae (red pinpoints on the skin)
• repeated, frequent infections
• fever that lasts for several days
• loss of appetite, weight loss
• swollen lymph nodes, bloated or tender stomach, swollen liver or spleen
• night sweats
• irritability
A child in the early stages of leukemia may show some or all of the symptoms above. These same symptoms are also attributed to the common flu; this fact makes diagnosis extremely difficult. Each parent of a child with leukemia has a different story of how the child was diagnosed. But, most parents remember that their child was more tired than usual in the weeks before diagnosis. A child with leukemia may seem to be struggling to keep up their typical activity level or they may not have the energy to do even their favorite activities. Many parents report that their leukemic child had an infection or the flu that would not go away. Looking back, they realize that the child had some of the other symptoms mentioned above as well. Many parents report that they had a feeling that there was "something wrong" with their child: they knew that something was not right but they could not pinpoint what it was.
What To Do
Take your child to the doctor. The doctor should:
• check for enlarged liver, spleen, or lymph nodes
• take blood for a complete blood test (CBC, with differential)
The blood test is crucial to the diagnosis. A blood test is relatively inexpensive, and you should insist on one if you have read the above list of symptoms and feel that your child could possibly have leukemia. If your primary care physician will not order a blood test, go to another doctor. Do not wait: leukemia progresses quickly and must be treated promptly.
A child with leukemia will most likely show a blood test with:
• decreased red cells (low hemoglobin count)
• possible blast cells (lymphoblasts, leukemia cells)
• decreased platelets
• a low level of normal white blood cells
• increased lymphocytes
Keep in mind that about 10% of the patients with leukemia will show a normal blood test at the time of diagnosis. To confirm that the disease is leukemia, a bone marrow test must be done.
LOVE TO ALL,
AMBER, JUSTIN & our long time fighter of childhood cancer, Tucker.
One of the most common questions I get is “Amber, how did you know Tucker had cancer? What were the signs & symptoms? “ Maybe had I been more aware of childhood cancer signs and symptoms back in the day Tucker wouldn’t have gotten as bad as he did- twice now. Before I was hit with the bulldozer statement of “YOUR CHILD HAS CANCER” I was blissfully unaware of this life, I had no idea what to look out for and what to be worried about. I was concerned about the normal things that all mom’s worry about- Tucker don’t talk to strangers, Tucker don’t cross the road without an adult, No you can’t hold a snake, no do NOT play with spider they are not pets!…Tucker- time for the dentist…… cuts and bruises, stitches and cold packs, starting school, soothing nightmares & Tucker went through a stretch of eating dirt that had me concerned, the tooth-fairy, Santa Clause, ear infections.. I could go on and on all about the “normal” worries. But never had I paid any attention to childhood cancer, sure I’ve seen it before, we all have, those sad commercials late at night where they show the bald sick kids & ask for donation (but never actually state signs & symptoms of childhood cancer)- and for a brief moment- we feel sad, and then we think… WHEW, GLAD THAT’S NOT MY KID….. hummmmmmmmmmmmm….. and that was all of childhood cancer I was ever aware of. Until January 5th, 2005 & then everything changed. I can look back now and see that Tucker started getting sick long before the day we were actually diagnosed , but that comes with many years of being in this world now.
The one thing I can do to help bring awareness to childhood cancer is to tell you how this all started out… at the time I had NO CLUE what was happening to Tucker but now knowing what I know I can look back to the 3 months before Tucker was first diagnosed and I can see the signs, so obvious to me now, that were not obvious then. I think one of the most difficult things about childhood cancer is the signs and symptoms could be written off as SO many other things, and they were “written off” by other doctors at that time.
Vomiting (what kid doesn’t throw up?- so that was written off as the flu-yes by the “doctor”)
Pain in bones- mostly legs in Tuckers cancer- so that was written off as “growing pains”, I’m 6feet tall, obviously Tucker is going to be tall- so that was a easy write off (yes by the “doctor”).
Excessive busing- Tucker is a boy! He love to play and be rough, all the bruises were written off as just that (also, by a “doctor”).
Constant tiredness- this is what started to get my notice, but then I figured, he does play really hard, I’m sure he’s just tired it goes with the growing pains that the doctor and I had already talked about.
Eye or vision changes which suddenly happen- Tucker already was having eye problems (you’ve seen the glasses? He got them when he was 2).
Now all these symptoms didn’t just BAMB happen one day, it was a period of about 2 months where they started and I took him into the doctor A LOT- but as I stated above, all of it was “written off”- even at one time when Tucker’s leg pains got SO BAD the “doctor” had X-RAY his LEGS to see if they were broke- I remember looking at this so called “doctor” and telling her I THINK I WOULD KNOW IF TUCKER BROKE HIS LEGS! But because I didn’t know anything else we got the X-ray done and sure enough his legs, were NOT broken. Now the last 2 weeks before we were diagnosed I called into this doctor- a lot- because I started noticing all these little purple spots all over Tucker (now I know it’s obvious pitikia), I called and said “what about all these spots? They look like a little rash?” so they said “well obvious it’s a rash, changed your detergent and see if that helps.” So I did, and guess what- it didn’t help. So in rush one night I took Tucker to see a different doctor, and I remember when he walked into the room I said to him “I know Tucker doesn’t have a cough, or a fever and I know he’s not sick, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM! I’M NOT CRAZY! I’m not making this up! I’ve been taking him to see so&so and this is all we have done & all she has said- but THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG, he’s getting worse”. Taking Tucker to another doctor saved his life- this doctor was wise enough and knew enough by just LOOKING at Tucker to know something big was wrong, he did a CBC and sure enough his blood counts were SCARY! Had the first doctor just ordered a SIMPLE little, quick, CBC on Tucker back at the start, he never would have gotten that far progressed, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a cancer to your white blood cells, and that pop’s right up in a CBC, well that blood count showed extreme high levels of white cells and extremely low levels” of his red cell and plates- in a matter of an hour had us in an ambulance in transport to Primary Children’s Hospital. Of course by that time Tucker’s cancer had gotten very far progressed and because of that, he was diagnosed with “high risk ALL” on January 5th 2005. I remember before we were rushed out by ambulance that night I had all my family & friends there with me ( I think I called them but I can’t remember), my sister Charity was standing in front of me crying & talking to me and I vividly remember looking at her – I could not hear her talk, I remember looking at her mouth & it was moving in slow motion & no sound was coming out- I remember trying to focus on her, thinking- I know she is talking- but I can’t hear her… and I slowly looked around and other people were talking to me, but I couldn’t hear them… and it was all moving so slow. It was one of the most surreal moments in my life, its one of the most strangest memories I’ve ever had- as I look back to that night at that moment my memory is just like that- everybody was talking in slow motion, and no sound was coming out. From that day on, childhood cancer has been our life. If you want to see how Tucker was diagnosed for the 2nd time (ALSO a frustrating story) you can start back at the beginning of this blog.
My biggest regret back then was not taking Tucker to see another doctor sooner for a 2nd opinion. I kept taking him back to the same lady because I trusted her. Had I known of the signs & symptoms of childhood cancer back then, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten so bad, and maybe we wouldn’t have to be doing this again.
Here is one of the best lists of the signs of childhood cancer I’ve found. I found it at
http://ped-onc.org/diseases/SOCC.html
So read up, be aware- awareness can be contagious… so make sure your spreading it.
Signs of Childhood Cancer
Continued, unexplained weight loss
Headaches, often with early morning vomiting
Increased swelling or persistent pain in bones, joints, back, or legs
Lump or mass, especially in the abdomen, neck, chest, pelvis, or armpits
Development of excessive bruising, bleeding, or rash
Constant infections
A whitish color behind the pupil
Nausea which persists or vomiting without nausea
Constant tiredness or noticeable paleness
Eye or vision changes which occur suddenly and persist
Recurrent or persistent fevers of unknown origin
Childhood cancer is rare. It is unlikely that your child will develop cancer. Still, as a parent, you need to be aware of the symptoms of childhood cancer.
Observe your child for any sudden, persistent changes in health or behavior as listed above. Since most of the symptoms of cancer can also be attributed to benign conditions, the diagnosis of cancer can be a long process. You must trust your own instinct and work as a team with your doctor, using your knowledge of your child and your doctor's knowledge of medicine to protect your child's health.
________________________________________
Leukemia
Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow, the spongy center of the bones that makes blood cells. It accounts for approximately 35% of all childhood cancers; approximately 1 in 1000 children will be diagnosed with leukemia by the age of 19, although it is more common in children under the age of 10. In leukemia, abnormal white blood cells divide out of control and crowd out the normal cells in the bloodstream. The abnormal white blood cells are not mature, and therefore cannot carry out their infection-fighting function in the blood. These cells crowd out healthy white blood cells, as well as the red blood cells which carry oxygen to the body and the platelets which cause the blood to clot.
Leukemia is treated by combination chemotherapy and sometimes radiation. The five year survival rate for children diagnosed with leukemia and subsequently treated is approximately 70%.
Signs and Symptoms
• lethargy, weakness, paleness, dizziness
• back, leg, and joint pain, headache, trouble standing or walking
• easy bruising, unusual bleeding, frequent nose bleeds, bleeding gums, petechiae (red pinpoints on the skin)
• repeated, frequent infections
• fever that lasts for several days
• loss of appetite, weight loss
• swollen lymph nodes, bloated or tender stomach, swollen liver or spleen
• night sweats
• irritability
A child in the early stages of leukemia may show some or all of the symptoms above. These same symptoms are also attributed to the common flu; this fact makes diagnosis extremely difficult. Each parent of a child with leukemia has a different story of how the child was diagnosed. But, most parents remember that their child was more tired than usual in the weeks before diagnosis. A child with leukemia may seem to be struggling to keep up their typical activity level or they may not have the energy to do even their favorite activities. Many parents report that their leukemic child had an infection or the flu that would not go away. Looking back, they realize that the child had some of the other symptoms mentioned above as well. Many parents report that they had a feeling that there was "something wrong" with their child: they knew that something was not right but they could not pinpoint what it was.
What To Do
Take your child to the doctor. The doctor should:
• check for enlarged liver, spleen, or lymph nodes
• take blood for a complete blood test (CBC, with differential)
The blood test is crucial to the diagnosis. A blood test is relatively inexpensive, and you should insist on one if you have read the above list of symptoms and feel that your child could possibly have leukemia. If your primary care physician will not order a blood test, go to another doctor. Do not wait: leukemia progresses quickly and must be treated promptly.
A child with leukemia will most likely show a blood test with:
• decreased red cells (low hemoglobin count)
• possible blast cells (lymphoblasts, leukemia cells)
• decreased platelets
• a low level of normal white blood cells
• increased lymphocytes
Keep in mind that about 10% of the patients with leukemia will show a normal blood test at the time of diagnosis. To confirm that the disease is leukemia, a bone marrow test must be done.
LOVE TO ALL,
AMBER, JUSTIN & our long time fighter of childhood cancer, Tucker.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tucker's Post
Hi everybody it’s me tucker and I’m writing my very first blog post ever. So I hope u like it a lot. Having cancer really sucks because you have to get poked a lot, you go to the hospital a lot and there’s nothing to do up there. So I hope you don’t go through this. But I’m still having a really fun time at school.
Even though I hate it so much there’s still some good things about having cancer. Like i get a lot of time to hang out with my mom, toys, money, visitors, games and I get to meet a lot of new people like scot my nurse. I tease him about being a bad nurse but he is actually a really good and cool nurse. And I meet nurses up at the hospital a lot. And my favorite nurse is Irish.
I hope u keep reading this blog cause I’m going to keep writing.
Love,
Tucker.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Headbands
Email from Jealin Dickamore (Amber's Sister in law):
This is my niece Lexi. When she heard about Tucker she was so upset and wanted to do something to help. She crocheted headbands and sold them door to door and in the schools in Tremonton. She crocheted and sold over 40 of them all by herself. She is the same age as Tucker. After she met Tucker she said (exact words) "Aunt Linny, Tucker is AWESOME." She even said that they were going to invite each other to their next Birthday parties. Here are some pics of them together (She is the one with braces) Also a pic of what the headbands looked like.
This is my niece Lexi. When she heard about Tucker she was so upset and wanted to do something to help. She crocheted headbands and sold them door to door and in the schools in Tremonton. She crocheted and sold over 40 of them all by herself. She is the same age as Tucker. After she met Tucker she said (exact words) "Aunt Linny, Tucker is AWESOME." She even said that they were going to invite each other to their next Birthday parties. Here are some pics of them together (She is the one with braces) Also a pic of what the headbands looked like.
 |
| Super Cute Headbands handmade by Lexi |
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
1 pill, 2 pill.... red pill, blue pill...
One pill, 2 pill..
red pill... blue pill
long pill, short pill
its just our normal drill
*** This is a video i took of Tucker on his Wednesday night pills**** its self explanatory.... its AMAZING that he doesn't throw a fit... or just say NO MOM, NO MORE...
but as of yesterday we just added 2 more pills to this- and his morning pills is about 5... so watch this video and add 7 more...
Love you all..
2 posts in 1 day! Ya for me!
red pill... blue pill
long pill, short pill
its just our normal drill
*** This is a video i took of Tucker on his Wednesday night pills**** its self explanatory.... its AMAZING that he doesn't throw a fit... or just say NO MOM, NO MORE...
but as of yesterday we just added 2 more pills to this- and his morning pills is about 5... so watch this video and add 7 more...
Love you all..
2 posts in 1 day! Ya for me!
Maintenance, not just for cars…
Refrigerators need maintenance
Washers & dryers need maintenance
Things like, computers- phones- and Xbox’s need maintenance
Also….. boys pants need maintenance, my hair needs constant maintenance…. Oh and Justin -FYI the ice maker on the fridge is over due by 2 years for maintenance… HINT HINT- NUDGE NUDGE *pointing over to the fridge* Honey, its right there… it would sure be nice to get ice out of the amazing ice maker-thingy that makes the ice… I’m just saying, it’s a perfect opportunity for maintenance…
Oh and that reminds me MARRIAGES need maintenance- (HA!) But they would need considerably less maintenance if the ice maker on the fridge worked…
To all you husbands out there that are reading this thinking “yes, I do need maintenance on my marriage.” Have you check to make sure your icemaker on the fridge is working? You never know… that could be it. (Justin, I’m teasing- I love you.. I’m kidding about the marriage maintenance, but not about the ice maker… hey, our anniversary is coming up & that would be a wonderful present…ice, from the ice maker...amazing concept I know.).
What is maintenance, really?
Mom’s definition: What you need to do to maintain an item or thing to keep it going, or up and running & in good condition- in a way the ultimate definition of “maintenance” can be summed up by gray hairs on your head- not my head- but lets just say if I did have gray hairs-I don’t- but if I did then I would need to maintain my hair, keep it colored every other day just to be sure that no pesky gray hairs will show though, so I’m maintain my hair-a lot- if in fact I had gray…the point is the constant work at keeping the world fooled into thinking I, eerr… I mean-you don’t have gray hair.
Childhood Cancer “maintenance”- does this apply as a oxymoron? Possibly- anyways Tucker has officially started into his “maintenance” schedule- what does this mean? Well, it means we drop into a different, less “mean” type of chemo - we “maintain” chemo in his body but not at the dangerous high does he was at previously. We will be on maintenance unit we are done done done with this whole ordeal in 2013. Our schedule is set- we do 6 weeks of home chemo, 4 weeks of IV chemo at the hospital, then repeat- 6 weeks home, 4 weeks hospital- ect ect ect. The major radiation that we did let us jump right into the maintenance phase of the chemo course, its like rolling the dice and landing on the “ladder” if we were playing Chutes & Ladders- we just took the “ladder” to the maintenance for Tucker- and what everybody needs to keep praying for is that we don’t land on a “chutes” & have to start over- or back any spaces, this is not a game we want to lose.
We have had a fun past couple weeks. Tucker started SCHOOL! YA!!! He started 5th grade at possibly the BEST SCHOOL EVER! Quest Academy in West Haven, UT. Tucker is so far, doing great. He is completely bald and as of yet there is no sign of growth sprouting… but the kids in his class thinks he is cool, and I love his bald head.
Anyways, we also had the opportunity to take the family and go camping before school with our good friends Tom & Mary. Their son, Braxton was in Tucker’s class last year and got to move into the same class with Tucker this year. We went up to Tony’s Grove and it was BEAUTIFUL- I’ve never been there before this and I highly recommend it to everybody. Wow, it was beautiful. Tucker did great, but lets be honest, the amount of morphine he is on would make ANYbody do “great”… LOL. He was so proud of himself, he walked around the camp multiple times without having to rest. When I got up to the camp he came running up to me and said “MOM! You & my doctor are going to be so PROUD of me! I have gone on 3 walks AND I dint have to rest AND my legs don’t hurt that bad!”. Of course the next day he slept for a few more hours, but a milestone is a milestone-
We have had to do one blood transfusion in the past 2 weeks, but other than that things seem to be going smooth. I’m amazed at Tucker everyday. I could not ask for a better child. Tucker has his last radiation appointment on Monday and it was the LAST appointment. It was the sign-off, we are done with you, don’t come back- type of deal- thank GOODNESS- I really (really really) hated radiation, we all did.
I can’t believe we did radiation and I also can’t believe its over- I don’t hardly even remember July- man, time is a funny thing.
Love to all
Amber, Justin & Tucker-man
Washers & dryers need maintenance
Things like, computers- phones- and Xbox’s need maintenance
Also….. boys pants need maintenance, my hair needs constant maintenance…. Oh and Justin -FYI the ice maker on the fridge is over due by 2 years for maintenance… HINT HINT- NUDGE NUDGE *pointing over to the fridge* Honey, its right there… it would sure be nice to get ice out of the amazing ice maker-thingy that makes the ice… I’m just saying, it’s a perfect opportunity for maintenance…
Oh and that reminds me MARRIAGES need maintenance- (HA!) But they would need considerably less maintenance if the ice maker on the fridge worked…
To all you husbands out there that are reading this thinking “yes, I do need maintenance on my marriage.” Have you check to make sure your icemaker on the fridge is working? You never know… that could be it. (Justin, I’m teasing- I love you.. I’m kidding about the marriage maintenance, but not about the ice maker… hey, our anniversary is coming up & that would be a wonderful present…ice, from the ice maker...amazing concept I know.).
What is maintenance, really?
Mom’s definition: What you need to do to maintain an item or thing to keep it going, or up and running & in good condition- in a way the ultimate definition of “maintenance” can be summed up by gray hairs on your head- not my head- but lets just say if I did have gray hairs-I don’t- but if I did then I would need to maintain my hair, keep it colored every other day just to be sure that no pesky gray hairs will show though, so I’m maintain my hair-a lot- if in fact I had gray…the point is the constant work at keeping the world fooled into thinking I, eerr… I mean-you don’t have gray hair.
Childhood Cancer “maintenance”- does this apply as a oxymoron? Possibly- anyways Tucker has officially started into his “maintenance” schedule- what does this mean? Well, it means we drop into a different, less “mean” type of chemo - we “maintain” chemo in his body but not at the dangerous high does he was at previously. We will be on maintenance unit we are done done done with this whole ordeal in 2013. Our schedule is set- we do 6 weeks of home chemo, 4 weeks of IV chemo at the hospital, then repeat- 6 weeks home, 4 weeks hospital- ect ect ect. The major radiation that we did let us jump right into the maintenance phase of the chemo course, its like rolling the dice and landing on the “ladder” if we were playing Chutes & Ladders- we just took the “ladder” to the maintenance for Tucker- and what everybody needs to keep praying for is that we don’t land on a “chutes” & have to start over- or back any spaces, this is not a game we want to lose.
We have had a fun past couple weeks. Tucker started SCHOOL! YA!!! He started 5th grade at possibly the BEST SCHOOL EVER! Quest Academy in West Haven, UT. Tucker is so far, doing great. He is completely bald and as of yet there is no sign of growth sprouting… but the kids in his class thinks he is cool, and I love his bald head.
Anyways, we also had the opportunity to take the family and go camping before school with our good friends Tom & Mary. Their son, Braxton was in Tucker’s class last year and got to move into the same class with Tucker this year. We went up to Tony’s Grove and it was BEAUTIFUL- I’ve never been there before this and I highly recommend it to everybody. Wow, it was beautiful. Tucker did great, but lets be honest, the amount of morphine he is on would make ANYbody do “great”… LOL. He was so proud of himself, he walked around the camp multiple times without having to rest. When I got up to the camp he came running up to me and said “MOM! You & my doctor are going to be so PROUD of me! I have gone on 3 walks AND I dint have to rest AND my legs don’t hurt that bad!”. Of course the next day he slept for a few more hours, but a milestone is a milestone-
We have had to do one blood transfusion in the past 2 weeks, but other than that things seem to be going smooth. I’m amazed at Tucker everyday. I could not ask for a better child. Tucker has his last radiation appointment on Monday and it was the LAST appointment. It was the sign-off, we are done with you, don’t come back- type of deal- thank GOODNESS- I really (really really) hated radiation, we all did.
I can’t believe we did radiation and I also can’t believe its over- I don’t hardly even remember July- man, time is a funny thing.
Love to all
Amber, Justin & Tucker-man
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| Amber & Tucker August 10 |
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| Tori & Tucker: August 10 |
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| Getting CT scan on August 10 |
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| Getting more blood, August 10 (sorry blogger flipped the picture) |
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| Tucker & Braxton eating pizza at Bear Lake |
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| Justin & Amber playing cards while camping |
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| Tucker and Raven |
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| Tucker and Raven |
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| 5th grade, baby! |
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| August 15, 2011 1st day of school |
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