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NEW ADDRESS
Spencer/Cathy Barr
Target House II
1811 Poplar Avenue
Room 522
Memphis, TN 38104
PETITION
PHOTO GALLERY
(New 7/15)
MARYVILLE DAILY FORUM ARTICLE #1
MARYVILLE DAILY FORUM ARTICLE #2 April 30 - 10:15 pm
Kind of a slow day (literally
and figuratively). We got to the hospital for clinic at 11:30 am this
morning and did back to Target House until 6:30 pm. Nothing happens in a
hurry on Sunday at clinic. Wait for meds, wait for blood but all is good.
Spencer received hemoglobin and is much more active tonight. The boys are
watching one of their favorite movies, Friday Night Lights. Chayse is
pretty pumped since former Bearcat, Dave Tollefson was drafted by the
Packers.
April 29 - 11:00 pm
Wow, what a game! The whole
experience was awesome. Dirk Nowitzki hit a three to tie the game with 15
seconds sending the game to overtime. The Mavs opened up a 6-point lead and
captured the OT win gaining a 3-0 series lead. Following the game, thanks to
Casey Smith, Head Trainer for the Mavericks, Spencer received a ball signed
by the team. In addition, the Nowitzki jersey I bought Spencer last night
was taken to the locker room and was autographed by Dirk. As the players
came out after the game, Spencer was able to get a few cards autographed.
Probably the highlight for both of us was meeting Avery Johnson, the head
coach, Mark Cuban, the owner and Dirk Nowitzki. Spencer was able to get
pictures with each of them. Thanks DC for contacting Casey for us. After
seeing our first NBA game today, we won't wait long to see our second. All
four of us will be going to the game on Monday night court courtesy of Casey
and the Dallas Mavericks. We will be rooting for the Mavs to carry out the
sweep on when Monday rolls around.
Cathy and Chayse had a great
day as well. They spent the day shopping, went to On the Border and just
hung out. Chayse is more like Cathy when it comes to shopping. They can look
around and not buy anything. As for Spence and me, find it, buy it and go:)
April 29 - 12:00 pm
Happy Saturday! Rod and
Chayse arrived around 11pm last night safe and sound. Rod was ready to hit
the bed from being so tired and Chayse was ready to sit up and talk for
awhile. Spencer says his knee is better and is really excited about today's
game. So much so that he took a bath and got ready without being told! First
time for that since we've been here! Right now he and Daddy are going
through his cards deciding which ones to take with them for autographs. In
the meantime, Chayse and I are gearing up for our day together. Looks like
shopping, dinner and a movie are on our agenda--a regular date! Sorry,
Whitney, he's MINE this weekend! ;-)
April 28 - 9:30 pm
Good Evening! We spent the
afternoon lounging around and getting the laundry done. Afterwards, we
decided to take in a movie at the Peabody Place and then do a bit of
shopping. We saw RV with Robin Williams and both thought it was pretty good.
Spencer was wanting to find a Dallas Mavericks hat for tomorrow's game, but
so far we've struck out. After purchasing a knee band, Spencer's knee popped
and now feels much better. We ate pizza for supper and are now watching Mrs.
Doubtfire and waiting for Rod and Chayse to arrive.
April 28 - 12:00 pm
Wow! I can't believe it's
noon already! Since Spencer did not have clinics today, we were able to
sleep in until about 9am. He had a little better night without quite as much
pain as earlier. He has to get up several times in the night to go the
bathroom which must be a side effect from chemo he takes right before bed.
His knee is still bothering him this morning and he finds applying ice is
the best relief.
Right about now many people
are gathering at the University park having lunch to benefit Spencer. I hope
it's as beautiful in Maryville as it is here in Memphis. I know if Spencer
could have one wish today it would be to be right there with all of them.
We're expecting a call any time from Rod and Chayse telling us they are on
their way here, but not before they have a chance to eat lunch and say hello
to everyone at the park. It is really touching the support and love we
receive from our Maryville family and friends. Believe me, we are counting
the days when we get to come home for a few days to visit! Love and
blessings to each of you!
April 27 - 4:45 pm
Spencer is doing much better
this afternoon. His knee was really hurting him so an x-ray was taken and
thankfully all came back okay. He was given morphine via his line which he
always likes because it kicks in faster than taken orally. The doctor is
unsure if it is chemo related or perhaps an old injury has flared up.
He was also handed quite a
blow as we learned he will not be able to play any contact sports for the
next two years while his central line is in. His spirits were lifted when
Cherri, our social worker, came to visit with us about making a wish.
Spencer's wish is to go to the Super Bowl next year so now she will get the
ball rolling on making that wish a reality. If he can't play football he
wants to watch the big game in person!
April 27 - 8:30 am
Just a quick update before I
hit the shower. Spencer had a rough night with pain in his left leg. It
started out in the upper thigh and moved to his knee. Finally around 3:30am
he was able to fall asleep after alternating heat and ice with pain killers
and Tylenol. This is just like the devil to try to steal our joy after
giving glory to God last night. We are still unmoved and continue to pray
and believe Spencer will not have any lasting side effects. Thank you all
for standing in prayer in agreement with us. We have to leave for the
hospital for clinics in an hour, so I have to hit the shower! I will update
you after we return this afternoon.
April 26 - 10;00 pm
The day is coming to a close
and we're again very thankful for the blessings God has bestowed upon us.
Nothing huge happened today, but still we praise God for the peace and joy
we have every day, as well as the daily healing Spencer is receiving.
By the way, Corky's ribs
weren't too bad! Not nearly as good as Rod's, but still not bad at all, and
they only took about 20 minutes to cook.
April 26 - 12:30 pm
Good afternoon! We were only
at the hospital for an hour and a half today! It was just one of those days
where everything went smoothly. We never did meet up with Richard Davies;
perhaps he got caught up with the Looney Tunes. Daffy and Bugs were in the
front lobby this morning taking pictures with the kids and handing out
t-shirts. Of course, Spencer wasn't interested in getting his picture taken
or receiving a t-shirt, but there were tons of little ones that were! We've
already had our lunch and here in a bit will head out to Sam's Club to pick
up some more water and Corky's ribs. The omen came when we were walking out
of the hospital and there was a Corky's van parked outside. I guess they are
frozen ribs and all you have to do is heat them up. Hmmm...I know good and
well they won't be as good as Rod's, but we'll give them a try! He has
really spoiled us with his grilling abilities and we look forward to him
coming down on the weekends to cook for us. Poor guy! I'm the one who should
be spoiling him while he's here!
April 25 - 10:00 pm
Not much exciting happening
tonight, except thanks to the cold weather in Missouri, we've had
thunderstorm and tornado warnings all evening. We're expecting another spot
of bad weather Friday evening which will be when Rod and Chayse will be
driving here. I'm already praying for traveling mercies for them! Tomorrow
will be pretty much the same kind of day clinic wise, except Richard Davies
from ALSAC will be following us around with his video camera. That ought to
be interesting! Spencer has been a joy tonight with his wit and sense of
humor. I wonder if it will come through tomorrow with the cameras rolling??
April 25 - 4:00 pm
It has been a very quiet
afternoon. We had the usual morning at the hospital with clinics and then
have spent the afternoon hanging out and relaxing. Spencer has been playing
PS2 and I've had my Accounting book open all day, open but so far nothing
has gotten done! We're both going to have to get back in the swing of things
and get our homework done before too long.
Just by chance, I was able to
get my hair cut this afternoon. I call it chance, but know it was really
God. There is a salon that comes twice a month and does haircuts for free. I
didn't get signed up for one and since we got back early I decided to see if
there was an opening, and there was. I thought it was great I got in, but
the real reason was because there was another mom I met previously who
really needed someone to talk to. Her son has been battling leukemia for 5
years now and is currently in ICU because he coded in her arms yesterday
while at the hospital. Julie is a Christian and Cameron is just 14 years
old. She told me she felt God brought us here so Cameron and Spencer could
be friends. Cameron has fungus growing inside of him and his pancreas failed
him yesterday. They are unable to do another bone marrow until the fungus is
gone. I know you don't know this young man, but I am asking for prayer for
him. I know God has a plan for his life just as He does for Spencer. I was
able to leave some scripture CD's by her door this afternoon (thank you,
Mendi! I hope you don't mind me sharing them with her!). I know they will
bless her and minister to her. Please continue praying for good reports and
that our faith would not fail us! God bless you all!
April 24 - 8:00 pm
Well, we spent the entire
afternoon at the hospital receiving blood and chemo. Afterwards we stopped
and bought a few groceries before coming back to make chili for supper.
Spencer already seems to have more energy from receiving blood. We are very
thankful Spencer is not having any side effects from this new chemo. God
certainly is answering our prayers! Tomorrow is back to the hospital for
another round of chemo, but not quite as early as today. Hopefully we can
get to bed a little earlier than we did last night! We stayed up watching
Narnia on DVD until after 11pm. We really enjoy the movie and the comparison
to Jesus throughout. Aslan is definitely on the move! Amen!
April 24 - 11:30 am
Hello. We are back from early
clinic and Spencer is now taking a nap. While he has been napping, I've been
sweeping and dusting since inspections are tomorrow! The hospital will be
calling us to come back as soon as the blood and chemo is ready. It takes
forever to get blood ordered and delivered, so instead of hanging out there,
we decided to come back here for a few hours. Other than that, not much
going on here.
April 23 - 5:30 pm
Not much happening here
today. Spencer had clinic at 11:00 am this morning that lasted a couple of
hours. Rod took off for home about that same time and is now east of Kansas
City around Concordia. It will be good for him to get home early with an
early final tomorrow morning at 7:30am.
Spencer is handling the new
chemo with very little side effects. The one he gets at bedtime leaves a bad
taste in his mouth as well as restless so this afternoon he has done nothing
much but lay around.
Last night we didn't end up
staying at the hospital as long as expected. The nurse was able to convert
his chemo to a CAD pump which allowed us to leave the hospital. We took
advantage of it and went to Peabody Place to see the movie, Scary Movie 4.
Another stupid funny kind of movie. It worked out really well because the
chemo ended right after the movie did! Talk about good timing!
April 22 - 10:00 am
Good morning from beautiful
Memphis! We had a great day yesterday. Did not really do a whole lot but it
was just fun being together (wish Chayse would have been here though). We
went to the mall and much to my surprise we did not even make a purchase.
After stopping at Sam's Club to pick up a few items, we headed back to the
Target for a little KC style BBQ. With the Famous Dave's BBQ Sauce and 1 1/2
hours on the grill, the ribs turned out great. Spencer, the rib connoisseur,
rated them 9 out of 10 so I would say that they were a huge success.
Following supper, we found out that Spencer will get to go to the Dallas
Mavericks-Memphis Grizzlies playoff game next Saturday (thanks DC). Spencer
wrapped up the day by spending a bit of time on messenger visiting with
friends.
This morning, we have arrived
at the hospital for clinic. It appears that it will be a long day as Spencer
will be receiving a new type of chemo today as well as two others. It
requires 2 hours of IV hydration prior to and 6 hours following the chemo.
With that schedule, it looks as if we will be able to leave around 6:30
tonight. Again we are believing for minimal side effects to the chemo and
that the time will miraculously pass by. New photos have been posted in the
photo gallery.
April 21 - 9:45 am
Good morning! It is a rainy
day here in Memphis but still a great one! Rain always reminds me of the
blessings of God. Today was the first day I didn't have to get up early to
administer antibiotics via Spencer's line. Dr. Razzouk thought we could stop
that one for now. We all slept in and got some much needed rest. Rod says at
home he wakes up at 6am regardless of what time he goes to bed, but this
morning it was 8am. It's so nice to be together again. Not sure what the
plan for today is, but at the moment Spencer is wanting me to move so he can
play his PS2!
April 20 - 10:45 pm
Just a quick update before
heading off to bed! Rod arrived about 10pm and he and Spencer have been
chatting ever since. It's so good to have him here with us! We are really
looking forward to having Chayse with us next weekend. He has been busy with
school, track meets, and working at HyVee. He traded with someone to have
Friday off so he and Whitney can go to the Switchfoot concert at the
university. The trade means he has to work all day on Sunday, the day before
the big move into the new building. I'm sure he will be a tired puppy by
day's end. He is staying with the Wallace's while Rod is here with us.
It is so nice to know he is in good hands while we are away. Nothing better
than having two families! We have tomorrow off from clinics and will
most certainly find something fun to do. Time for bed now! Good night and
God bless!
April 20 - 1:30 pm
We're back from the morning's
clinics and IT therapy procedure. It was Spencer's last IT therapy (for
awhile at least). Next week he starts a new kind of chemo for two weeks and
then he will have two weeks off which will give his counts time to recover.
Sometime between May 10-15 they will do another bone marrow aspiration just
to be sure there are not any new leukemia cells. Of course, we KNOW there
won't be! After his counts recover, he will be inpatient again for 3-4 days
to receive a high dose of chemo and then will have 10 days off between
doses. From what I understand, it will go 3-4 days inpatient, 10 days off
for about 8 weeks. The good news is during the 10 days off we can make trips
home! Praise God! Please pray everything goes according to schedule and
Spencer continues to respond to treatments so we can come home for a visit
or two this summer.
On a very sad note, Maryville
is mourning the loss of Ann Heflin. She died of a massive heart attack
around 2:30am. She and I had a very special friendship, one that we both
agreed was precious beyond words. We had that kind of kindred spirit that
our hearts could communicate without ever saying a word. Her favorite
scripture was Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me
and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and
lead me in the way everlasting." Ann loved the Lord with all her heart and
lived her life to glorify God. Her love for her heavenly Father was
reflected in the love she had for her husband, Paul, and all her children
and grandchildren. I believe she has found the way of everlasting and is now
sitting in the presence of God and His Son, Jesus.
I was led to read in the book
of Job this morning. Job was a man of faith, patience, and endurance as well
a very generous and caring man. Of course, these attributes reminded me of
Ann, but the one thing that really stuck out in my mind was the lesson Job
learned from his life, and that was knowing God is better than knowing
answers. We certainly do not know why Ann died at such a young age, or why
Spencer was struck with leukemia, but we do know that knowing God is better
than knowing the answer to these questions. I pray the peace that surpasses
all understanding be upon Paul, Jenni, Karis, Erin, Jacob, their spouses and
children, and that they would look to God for their strength to get through
this very difficult time. So many people love and care about them and are
better people for knowing Ann. I know I am.
April 19 - 10:30 pm
Before I go to bed I thought
I had better do a quick update. We ended up doing a little shopping and then
went to see Benchwarmers. We both thought it was funny, him more so than me.
Just to warn you, there are some really gross parts! Typical boy stuff if
you know what I mean. Afterwards we played putt-putt and Spencer beat me by
one stroke. He wanted spaghetti for supper and we ate that while watching
American Idol. Tomorrow is an early morning with clinics starting at 8:30am
followed by IT therapy. I believe this is the last IT therapy. Thank God!
Spencer hates not having anything to eat or drink after midnight. Looks like
we're going to have to have the cable lady come back as we can't be on the
computer and have the TV on in the bedroom at the same time. I'm no
technological genius, but it looks to me like she forgot to leave us an
extra cable. It will probably be tomorrow afternoon before there's another
update. Even though we received a good report, please continue to pray for
no lasting side effects from the chemo. Also pray for traveling mercies as
Rod is driving to Columbia tonight for state contests tomorrow and then here
on Thursday afternoon. Grandpa Rick will be staying with Chayse while Rod is
here. Looks like Chayse will be busy working moving the new HyVee store this
week. If you see him be sure to say hello and tell him how much his mom and
brother love and miss him and are looking forward to seeing him again.
Blessings to all! Good night!
April 19 - 1:45 pm
Good afternoon! Praise God!
We finally got our Internet issues worked out and can now stay in touch
again. Just can't take anything for granted. We really haven't done much the
last couple of days, so you haven't missed out. Mom and Dad were here until
Tuesday morning when they left really early at 5:30am. We had hoped to do
something fun on Monday, but Spencer was still very tired from the weekend.
Mom and Dad understood completely and was just happy to "be" with us. How
can you ever thank your parents enough for all they've done for you? Both
our parents continue to be here for us to support us in so many ways! God
bless them!
Right now Spencer is playing
PS2 and as soon as he is done with his game, he will finally get cleaned up
for the day! We found our way to Germantown yesterday where all the good
shopping is, so we may find our way back there today. We both liked the shop
that has the massage chairs! Oh, yeah! It felt really good! :o)
April 17 - 9:15 pm
With Internet issues at the
Target House, tonight's update comes from Maryville via a cell phone
conversation. Most of the day was spent lounging around trying to recuperate
from the weekend. Spencer called me at about 5:30 to tell me that the MRB
report confirmed the initial reports from the bone marrow aspiration showing
no leukemia cells in the bone marrow. Cathy says Spence is being a bit
ornery tonight (imagine that) and he is requesting BBQ ribs for the weekend.
I think he must be feeling better:) Part of the night was spent playing
Phase 10, PS2 Arena Football and watching CSI.
April 16 - 2:30 pm
Before leaving for the 'Vill,
I just wanted to say Happy Easter to everyone! We are continually blessed to
have such wonderful family and friends. More importantly, we are so blessed
to have an awesome God that gave us his son that we might have life, and
life more abundantly. We continue to rejoice in what God is doing. God
continues to send us people here in Memphis that are tremendouns blessings.
Last night at the ball game, we met an elder from Faith Hope Christian
Church who offered to help in any way he could while we were in Memphis.
Just to know that we have someone to call if we need somethin is very
reassuring. We have had an awesome weekend and I can't thank Mike, Michelle,
Marcus, Whitney and Jordan for bringing a bit of Maryville to Spencer this
weekend! To Rex and Tracy for sharing your daughters with our family this
Easter weekend, you are commended! What would Easter be without family.
Thanks to Larry and Dianne for being here to make the weekend special as
well. Spencer's Easter dinner request of roast beef, noodles, potatoes,
carrots, hot rolls was a big hit with everybody. Although we melted handle
on the lid to the crock pot, dinner was a huge success. Spencer even allowed
his picture to be taken with his friends and it will be posted tomorrow. It
is now nap time since I think we may have worn Spencer out this weekend.
Time to hit the road and get back home although it is never easy to leave.
Have a great rest of the day and God less!
April 15 - 10:45 pm
Hallelujah! What a glorious
day! First and foremost, we want to give glory to God from whom all
blessings flow! We found out this morning that the preliminary bone marrow
test showed ZERO leukemia cells! Now, that's what I call a birthday
present!! That's exactly what we were praying for and the only gift that
really mattered today. All of us have been ecstatic!
The day flew by with some of
the gang shopping, the two boys playing PS2, while others hung out and
visited. All ten of us went to the Memphis Redbirds game and witnessed their
first victory against the Omaha Royals. The Red Hots Cheerleaders came over
for a quick visit and Spencer got his picture taken with all of them. No
problem getting a smile out of him for that one!
I want to thank all of my
wonderful friends who sent gifts for my birthday. Spencer had a ball opening
all his gift from home, too. You would have thought it was Christmas! I'm
sure the ride home will be much more comfortable without their vehicle
crammed so full.
Rod is grocery shopping for
Easter dinner tomorrow. Spencer requested roast beef, potatoes, carrots,
noodles and hot rolls. Yep, it sounds like a celebration dinner to me.
We look forward to church
again tomorrow morning and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and
Savior. God bless you all and thank you for your continued prayers.
April 14 - 10:00 pm
Sorry for the late update but
we have had a busy day. After arriving at 2:30 am this morning with the
Grudzinski's and the Wallace girls, the knock on the door woke up Spencer
but I think he was glad to see me. After a few hours at the hospital this
morning for procedures, I went back to the Target House and helped Spencer
prepare lunch. With the bone marrow aspiration, Spence has not had as near
as much pain as the bone marrow aspiration and we are praising God for that.
We may hear some preliminary results tomorrow when we go to clinic.
Following opening cards and presents form home, Spence laid down for a short
nap only to wake up 90 minutes later to declare that he was bored. Off to
the Family Fun Center for a couple of go-kart races and a few arcade games.
We are finding out that Cathy has some talent at the drums (at least on the
arcade game). I will have to say that we saw some competitiveness come out
on the track though. Spencer took out Marcus and was pretty proud of it and
Jordan would not allow me to pass for several laps. Oh yeah, Cathy decided
to spin me out on the opening lap. After returning to the Target House, we
were able to cook-out having steaks and hamburgers outdoors in the Tiger
Woods' Pavilion area. It was fun to see Spencer, Marcus and Jordan hanging
out catching up on everything that has been happening in the 'Vill during
the past month. Special thanks to everyone, (kudos to Cindy Kenkel for
organizing this event) involved with the Game Night held tonight at
Northwest. Marcus is able to stay with Spence tonight for a good, old
sleepover. Again we continue to thank everyone for their tremendous support
and blessings to our family!!! Time to call it a night even though I have a
feeling the boys will be up for a while:)
April 13 - 10:15 pm
After watching Survivor,
Spencer and I headed out to buy some peanut butter to satisfy his craving,
then we dropped off our movie. We then made our way to the hotel where Mike,
Michelle, Marcus, Whitney, and Jordan will be staying because I had a
discount card they needed for the St. Jude rate. Good thing the hotel is
only about 2 blocks from here since they won't be arriving until about
2:30am. It will be easy for them to find after they drop Rod off here.
Spencer is very excited for them to arrive and has high hopes of staying up
until they arrive. My hope is he doesn't and drifts off to sleep soon.
Tomorrow is a big day for him starting at 8:45am with clinics and then IT
therapy and bone marrow aspiration at 11:00am. The bone marrow aspiration
will tell us how many cancer cells are left. Of course, we are believing for
ZERO!!!
April 13 - 7:00 pm
Good evening! Thanks to my
sister-in-law, Janet, I have corrected the dates from the past couple of
days. You were all probably thinking April 11 was never going to end!
We've had a great afternoon
visiting with Grandpa and Grandma Beard. Spencer and Grandpa spent most of
the day sorting through all the sports cards he has received, while Grandma
and I walked around the beautiful grounds here and found out where the
fitness room is. I guess now I have no more excuses! We really had a nice
visit and a gourmet meal of hamburger helper. Spencer and Grandma thought it
was yummy, while Grandpa and I had other thoughts and opted for hamburgers.
April 13 - 8:15 am
Good morning! It is another
beautiful day in Memphis! Spencer decided he wanted to sleep on the air
mattress in the living room. For some reason, he finds it to be more
comfortable than any of the other three beds here. Whatever he wants! The
first thing he said when I got up this morning was he was hungry! On the
menu this morning was a cheese omelet, bacon, toast and milk. I'm sure by
now, Grandpa and Grandma Beard have left St. Louis and are on their way
here. We are really excited they are coming and will spend a few days with
us.
April 12 - 6:30 pm
Good evening! We've had
another quiet afternoon of resting. Spencer watched some baseball on TV and
then took a nap. He has been much more tired lately. We had just finished
chicken tortellini with garlic toast for supper when we received a call that
his meds had been delivered, so I went downstairs to pick them up. While I
was gone, he got into the chili banana peppers, which are pretty hot and
spicy. I walked down the hall to throw a load of laundry in and by the time
I returned he was looking for milk because those peppers got a bit too hot!
He drank the milk pretty fast and has been suffering ever since. He had
forgotten that chemo shots and spicy foods don't mix!
April 12 - 2:45 pm
Good afternoon! We just
recently returned home from our appointments. Spencer was feeling a little
puny this morning, but is feeling much better now. He has only found two
nurses so far that really know how to administer the chemo shot without a
lot of pain. He didn't get one of those nurses today, but still he was a
trooper. The doctor told us not to be surprised if he gets a fever as his
counts are still very low. Pray his counts rise so he can avoid any fever.
They are moving the IT therapy to Friday because the bone marrow aspiration
was scheduled for day 15, which is Saturday, so instead of putting him under
two days in a row, they will do both procedures at the same time on Friday.
Please continue to pray in agreement with us that the chemo is working and
they will find less than 6% leukemia cells in the bone marrow. I'm putting
my faith out there and believing God for 0%! The other day I was reading in
Exodus where Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. The Israelites were
grumbling and complaining to Moses and even said they would have been better
off staying in Egypt than to die in the desert. Moses answered them, "Do not
be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring
you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord
will fight for you; you need only to be still." As I was reading this
passage of scripture, the Lord told me to replace Egyptians with leukemia.
"The leukemia you see today you will never see again." Amen!!
April 11 - 10:00 pm
Spencer really enjoyed
talking with his friends online tonight. It was so good to see him interact
with them! It brought lots of smiles and a few giggles! A much better
evening! We watched "Fun With Dick and Jane" and never got around to
watching "Napoleon Dynamite" but we have until Sunday to do that. Rod called
and said he had a good day with contests and was really glad to be able to
visit with Spencer before saying goodnight. Our appointments start a little
later in the morning, but I've already been asked to make pancakes and bacon
for breakfast, so not sure there will be time for a morning update before we
leave. I'm loving this domestic "Mommyhood" stuff! I want to thank you all
again for praying today as I know it was the power of God that kept the
fever down and glucose in check. Keep them coming, for we serve an awesome
God! Good night!
April 11 - 7:00 pm
We've just finished a supper
of homemade cheese pizza. Finally! I made something he really thought tasted
good! He's had a good afternoon, and thanks to all your prayers, his
temperature stayed down and the glucose never raised again. Give all glory
to God! We rented a couple of movies and plan on watching them right after
American Idol. It looks like all his friends are popping up online while I'm
typing this, so I'm going to get off so he can talk! Good night and God
bless!
April 11 - 1:30 pm
Well, praise God! Spencer's
determination is paying off. No fever! He's been chilling out watching TV
and now we're getting ready to head out to Walmart and Kroger's to pick up a
few things. It looks really beautiful outside with the sun shining brightly.
Thank you again for your prayers.
April 11 - 10:30 am
Talk about one determined
young man! Spencer absolutely refuses to have a temperature. It got really
close by only one tenth from having to go to the hospital, but then it
dropped. Earlier he said his knees were hurting so I laid my hands on him
and prayed and almost immediately he said they felt better. Thank you for
your continued prayers coming against all the side effects. Today is a big
day for Rod with contests. I know he would rather be here with us, so please
pray for him as well. Thank you!
April 11 - 8:25 am
Good morning! We had a
peaceful night of sleep and this morning at 6:30am when I checked Spencer's
urine, the glucose was back down. Praise God! However, his temp is starting
to rise slightly and I'm keeping a close eye on it. It's not quite to the
point where I need to call the hospital, but close, so please be praying
against infections. I have to give him his meds now, but will keep you
posted. Thank you all for your prayers! We so appreciate them!
April 10 - 10:00 pm
Sorry about the lateness of
this update. We've had a bit of an emotional evening. I have to change
Spencer's dressing and clean his lines every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Even though I am very careful, Spencer gets really uptight and nervous
during this because he's afraid I will accidentally pull his line out. He is
really looking forward to the day when life will be "normal" again. He is
missing Daddy, Chayse, and all his friends and family. Thursday can't come
soon enough because that's when Grandpa and Grandma Beard will be here and
then Daddy, Jordan, Marcus, Michelle and Mike will be here later that night.
Chayse has to work all weekend and can't come.
For some reason, the doctor
told us they would do his IT therapy and bone marrow aspiration on Friday
instead of Thursday. I've also been testing his urine for glucose and ketone
and up until tonight both tested normal. His glucose is a little higher but
still in the normal range. Of course, I will test it again first thing in
the morning and try to keep it under control by diet. The doctor warned me
he could develop temporary diabetes, but I don't want him to have to deal
with that too, so please stand in agreement against it.
Thank you all for your
continued prayers and support. God bless and good night.
April 10 - 6:30 pm
Not much going on this
afternoon. We were both tired from our early morning and rested this
afternoon. Spencer wanted my bean and cheese dip for supper. He's been
getting some wild cravings like that! He actually has been doing more
grazing instead of eating big meals. We are going to watch Madagascar
tonight and hang out. Tomorrow we get a day off from clinics and still need
to plan what we will do.
April 10 - 1:20 pm
Good afternoon all! We're
home early from our day at the hospital. Praise God, every appointment was
on time and we even got in early to see the teacher. Looks like she will
have to contact the school for Spencer's assignments as we did not make it
down here with them. Oh, darn! Spencer was so disappointed! ;o)
Today was a great mail day
with a couple of packages and lots of cards. Thank you, thank you, thank
you!!
Spencer is feeling good today
except he's tired and that's to be expected. Later on we'll get out again
and make a trip to the grocery store.
April 9 - 6:45 pm
Good evening! We got out for
awhile today and did some shopping. We found our way to the Target store as
well as a different Walmart. We didn't spend much time in either one as
Spencer gets hot with the mask on, still it was good to get out for awhile.
He wanted chicken enchiladas for supper and we bought ice cream for later.
It was almost 80 degrees here today and absolutely beautiful. Tomorrow we
have an early morning starting at 8am with all the clinics and will wrap up
the day with school from 3pm-4pm. He's not really looking forward to school
because he's not sure what to expect. However, I'm sure he will adjust fine
and even make some new friends.
April 9 - 10:45 am
Well, good morning friends and family! It certainly is a
beautiful day! Spencer and I just finished watching church online and are
looking forward to another blessed day and week in the Lord. Today is Palm
Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. This is the week Jesus was sorrowful
because He knew what was coming. He even prayed to God, "Let Your purposes
be accomplished even though I have to go through this". Wow, that really
touched my heart and instantly I prayed the same prayer for Spencer and our
family. To God be the glory for what the devil intended for evil, God will
turn around for His glory! Amen!
After we get cleaned up, we will fix some lunch and then
head out to do a little shopping. I think we will find our way to Germantown
and see what there is to do there. We hope your weather is as beautiful
there as it is here. Get out and enjoy it! And, by the way, Happy
Anniversary, Mom and Dad! We love you!
April 8 - 9:45 pm
I didn't have much to tell
you up until a few minutes ago. I was doing laundry and met a wonderful
Christian lady who lives right next door to us. It was so refreshing to meet
such a positive and faith filled woman. Her 15 year old son has a rare kind
of lymphoma but has been responding very well to treatments. We both agreed
it was not a coincidence but rather a God connection. God is just so cool!
Spencer has had a good
evening except for a bit of a tummy ache. We avoided spicy foods tonight and
it made a big difference, so no more spicy foods on chemo shot days.
We've talked to Rod a couple
of times and he is getting things ready for contest next week. He is doing
well and has enjoyed being with friends watching girls basketball. Thank you
all for helping him out back home! We so appreciate you all!
April 8 - 3:30 pm
I can't believe it's 3:30 in
the afternoon already! We were over an hour late leaving the hospital
because we had to wait for the chemo to come up from the pharmacy. Another
lesson in patience. On our way back to the Target House we noticed the
stoplights weren't working, and when we arrived we were told a power station
was having problems. Not sure how long the power was out, but it came back
on within 30 minutes of arriving. Since then we've just been chilling. My
nephew, Ryan, called and we had a nice visit. He will graduate tech school
from the Air Guard the end of April and has promised to come visit
afterwards. Spencer is excited about him coming and so am I. We have
tomorrow off from clinics and are looking forward to sleeping in and then
having church via the Internet. We hope you are all enjoying your Saturday!
April 7 - 7:45 pm
Good evening! We have had a
wonderful day! We lazed around all morning until we got a knock on the door
telling us we needed to get downstairs because of an emergency. We were
under a tornado warning and one had touched down about 15 miles from here.
By the time we threw some clothes on and got downstairs, the warning was
lifted. We came back to our room and then cleaned up for the day. We decided
to find Sam's Club before our interview at 3pm, which we found without any
problem. It was when I decided to take the interstate back around to the
hospital that we got lost, and ended up in south Memphis. We found our way
back to the hospital only a few minutes late. The interview was amazing!
Spencer did an outstanding job and they were really impressed with his
ability to speak! I guess not many teenagers will open up to them, and
because he did, they want to follow us throughout his treatments. We were
more than willing to give our testimony of how God brought us here to St.
Jude's and how He is using the doctors to heal Spencer. We give all glory to
God!
After the interview, we made
our way back to Sam's Club and then went back home to make supper. Spencer
wanted spaghetti and has tolerated it well. Thank God! Right now we are
listening to Word of Life Church via the webcast. We are so very blessed to
have our church come right into our living room! Thank you, Pastor Brian and
Peri for doing this week after week!
We have a very early day
tomorrow with clinic beginning at 8am, so it may not be until tomorrow
morning before you hear from us again. Keep the prayers and keep the faith!
Good night and God bless!
April 7 - 10:30 am
Good Morning! This morning we
are just hanging out watching TV after eating a good breakfast of eggs and
toast. Grandpa, Grandma, and Chayse got off this morning around 9am on their
way to Joplin. Tiffany has a bridal shower on Saturday and then they will
head back on Sunday. We sure enjoyed having them here! Later we may venture
out to see if we can find Sam's Club before our interview with ALSAC later
this afternoon. We pray you have a wonderful blessed day!
April 6 12:00 pm
Just got off the phone with
Cathy and we have a couple of God reports. The results are back on Chayse
for matching bone marrow and it looks as if he is a perfect match. We have
always known that Spencer and Chayse were very, very close and God confirms
it! We are still believing that a bone marrow transplant will not be
required. In addition, the microbiology report on the Spencer's bone marrow
that was pulled last Thursday shows only 17% luekemia cells rather than the
28% initially thought. Tomorrow, Cathy and Spencer will be interviewed by
ALSAC (the public relations/fundraising arm of St. Jude's) to share our
story to the nation. Pray that Spencer is receptive and open since he is a
bit shy. We serve an awesome God!!!
April 5 - 10:30 pm
I'm sorry for the lateness of
this update. Spencer has been sleeping since soon after supper was finished.
He is exhausted from our fun filled day. He has another big day tomorrow at
the hospital with clinics and procedure. Thursdays are IT therapy days and
not only will he have that done at 11:30am but also a chemo shot afterwards.
Our day will start at 9:15am and if everything is on time, will end about
4pm. I'm not sure I will have time to post anything before we leave and it
may be after we get home before I can do it again. Keep the prayers coming
as we really do appreciate them! Good night and sleep tight!
April 5 - 7:00 pm
Whew! We are all exhausted!
The Family Fun Center was all we hoped it would be with laser tag, arcade
games, putt putt golf, batting cages, bumper boats, and go carts. We about
did it all, too! Chayse was the champion laser tag player even with his
white shirt. :o) I bet we rode go carts 5 or 6 times and just had a ball. I
really got a kick out of watching our faces because every last one of us had
looks of pure determination. Grandma started the "bumping" and once we knew
we could get away with it, we were all doing it! We absolutely had a
wonderful time!
On the way home, we found a
much nicer Kroger's store and picked up a few more groceries for dinner.
Spencer must have really worked up an appetite because he had two plates
full of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn and rolls. Not too bad for
boxes and jars!
Grandma is doing a load of
laundry for me right now, Chayse is catching up on some homework, Spencer is
napping in the bed right next to me, and I think Grandpa may be snoring in
the chair! LOL I'm sure we will all sleep good tonight!
April 5 - 7:30 am
Good Morning! Once again it
is a quiet morning here with both boys still sleeping. Praise God, we had
another good night. Soon I will administer Spencer's antibiotic and other
meds which stir my sleepy little angel awake, which in turn will arouse my
other sleepy big angel. ;o) There is still not a plan for what we will do
today. I am so thankful we have days off from going to the hospital to
enjoy. I know no matter what we do, it will be fun, especially with Grandpa
and Grandma.
Last night before going to
bed, I was reading Psalm 105 and was so encouraged and wanted to share it
with you. It is quite a long passage of scripture, but basically it
encourages us by remembering all the miracles God performed for others. What
He did for them, He will do for us. Here are the first few verses:
Give thanks to the Lord, call
on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him,
sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his
strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his
miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, O descendents of Abraham his
servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones. He is the Lord our God; his
judgments are in all the earth.
April 4 - 9:45 pm
Sorry about writing so late,
but we had a little bit of a rough ride earlier tonight. We ordered Dominoes
pizza and it did not agree with Spencer at all. Shortly after eating, his
stomach started cramping and finally he was able to rid himself of some of
it. He thinks it was just too greasy, and he could be right, or it may be he
can't tolerate spicy foods with the chemo. Either way, we won't chance it
again for quite awhile! But don't worry about him, because now he is up
playing PS2, smiling, and having fun.
Grandpa and Grandma Barr
stayed until 8pm, which is when guests have to leave. Not sure what we'll do
tomorrow as we do not have clinics or chemo until Thursday, which will be a
big day. It will start at 9:15am and not finish up until about 4pm because
he will have clinic, IT therapy, and chemo. Please start praying now for the
IT therapy as this is where they take spinal fluid and check his bone
marrow. It is always very uncomfortable and painful for a few days
afterwards. However, the last time was not as bad because of all the
prayers. Have a peaceful night of rest! God Bless!
April 4 - 4:00 pm
Grandpa and Grandma Barr are
here with us now. They were waiting here at the Target House for us to
return from clinic and shopping at Kroger's. Let's just say shopping for
groceries at Kroger's is not the same pleasant experience it is shopping at
HyVee. There is definitely not a helpful smile in every aisle! I bet both
times I've been there, I've waited close to 20-30 minutes just to get
checked out. Chayse kept saying how HyVee would do things. We're going to
try a different Kroger's the next time we need groceries, just to see if
they're all alike. I'm sure there is a lesson to be learned in this, and I'm
thinking it's patience! :o)
April 4 - 7:15 am
Good Morning! Not much
happening yet around here as both boys are still sleeping. Our day at the
clinic starts at 9:15 am and should finish up around 1pm. I imagine Grandpa
and Grandma Barr will be arriving around that time.
I've had a song in my head
ever since I woke up this morning and I'd like to share it with you. "The
steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning, new every morning, Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh
Lord, Great is Thy Faithfulness!"
April 3 - 9:15 pm
Not much happening here
tonight. I made burritos for supper which is one of the boys' favorites.
Chayse has spent much of the evening either on the computer or on the phone,
while Spencer has made his nest in front of the TV. He seems tired this
evening as I'm sure we wore him out today! Tomorrow we have clinic again and
then Grandpa and Grandma Barr should be arriving in the afternoon. We are
looking forward to seeing them again for a few days!
April 3 - 5:15 pm
We have really had a good
afternoon. We found our way to the Peabody Place where there are
restaurants, shops, and movie theatres. By the time we arrived, about the
only choice for a movie was Ice Age 2-The Meltdown. It was cute but I'm not
sure the boys really enjoyed it all that much. From there we navigated
around the downtown area with all the trolley cars. We definitely want to go
back and spend more time there as I want to take the boys to the Peabody
Hotel when the ducks parade through the lobby. After we left, I thought it
would be a good idea to see if we could find this family fun center across
town. This entailed getting on the interstate at rush hour. Needless to say,
I got off at the first exit and made my way back to the Target House! The
people down here are maniac drivers! Let's just say I'm thankful for angels
that keep us and my van safe!
April 3 - 9:00 am
Good Morning! This is the day
the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! It's pretty quiet
around here this morning as both boys are still sleeping. It was well after
midnight before we all finally went to bed. I think the boys would have
stayed up all night but I insisted they turn the TV off and go to sleep. It
amazes me how God gently wakes me up every morning at just the right time to
set Spencer's medicine out from the fridge so it will be room temperature by
the time I need to give it to him.
In my quiet time this morning
I got my Bible out and was led to the very first scripture the Lord gave me
when this whole journey started, Revelations 12:11. This time I started in
verse 10 and went through verse 12 and really took time to read the
commentary and other scripture reference. I have a Life Application Bible
that Gayle gave me and I really enjoy it and highly recommend it. This
passage of scripture reminds us that even though the devil is permitted to
do his work in this world, God is still in control and Jesus has complete
power over him. Jesus defeated the devil when He died on the cross and was
resurrected! This was the critical blow to the devil!! I received an email
last night from a very dear and close pastor friend of mine. She wrote about
the scripture in Matthew where it says, "Upon this rock I will build my
church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it". The word prevail
here means we are coming from a winning position as part of the church. She
summed it up like this: We are on the team that is so much better than the
other that there is no way the other team can win. They are defeated before
the whistle even blows! I really like that!!! I don't know how many times
we've sat at ball game after ball game where our team has obviously had the
upper hand and how much fun it was to throttle the other team! That is what
is happening! We are throttling the devil!! We win and he loses! Glory to
God!!
April 2 - 7:30 pm
Ah! Finally got the computer
back from Chayse! He spent quite a bit of time on MSN chatting with his
friends back home, while Spencer played PS2 and I took a nap.
Spencer did not have a
reaction to the chemo shot and now doesn't have to go back to clinic until
Tuesday morning. Yea!! Praise God! The only difference I see in Spencer
since changing protocol is his appetite because of the Prednisone he has to
take three times a day. In some ways this is good because he was barely
eating before. It is just very important he eats the right foods to control
his blood sugars.
Having Chayse here has been
wonderful! He really can get Spencer laughing and even pushes him a little
bit more than Mom and Dad do. This is a good thing! After clinic this
afternoon, we drove until we found a mall and then got out and did quite a
bit of walking until the mask became too much and we left.
Rod called about an hour ago
and said he rode the storms out with friends, Kirk and Jane Matthews in St.
Louis. I guess there were tornados all around. The clouds are getting dark
here and I hear thunder. I did find out what county we were in just in case
of warnings and watches. :o) Have a blessed evening and God bless you all!
April 2 - 1:20 pm
Right now we're just hanging
out waiting for the hour to be up to see if Spencer reacts to the chemo shot
he received. The boys are playing an oldie but goodie-Guess Who? They are
having a good time and I'm seeing lots of smiles and hearing lots of
giggles. Before heading up here to the second floor (which is where his room
was while inpatient) to play a game, we visited the gift shop where I bought
each of them a St. Jude t-shirt.
Tomorrow we will have a day
off from clinic! Spencer is pumped about that because now he can sleep in!
:o) I can't say I'm not excited about that or Chayse for that matter!
Grandpa and Grandma Barr will come tomorrow and stay a few days with us. Not
sure what time they plan on arriving, but it will be a good day to get out
and explore Memphis.
I imagine Rod is getting
close to St. Louis by now. Sure hope he hasn't run into any bad weather. I
know he wasn't excited about leaving us, but I was able to get a picture of
my three Bald Barr Boys on my new camera phone, so we can look at it any
time we start missing him.
The hour is up so we need to
head back downstairs to the Medicine Room to have his injection shot
checked. From what we can see, there has not been a reaction. Praise God!
April 2 - 9:30 am
Spencer is a bit tired this
morning and really does not want to get out of bed (sounds like a typical
teenager). We will be heading to clinic shortly and I will be starting the
trip back to the 'Vill. Hopefully by the time I get home I will have figured
out the question of the day. When you are bald, do you use shampoo or soap?
We serve an awesome God and we will overcome!
April 1 - 10:20 pm
We have Internet access at
Target after hitting a road block earlier in the day but all is good.
Tonight, we had the family haircut party (mom did not participate). Since
Spencer's hair started falling out, we decide to shave it off, as well as
Chayse and Dad's. The funny thing is that Grandpa Rick, unknowingly to us,
shaved his head tonight at nearly the same time. We had a great day with a
trip to Wal-Mart after getting out of the clinic. Chili was on the menu for
supper and we watched the two blowouts in the NCAA semi-finals. Time for bed
since we lose the hour of sleep tonight. Thanks for everything. You mean
more to us than we can ever say!!! By the way we are having some issues
sending emails. Hopefully that will be resolved before tomorrow when I
leave.
April 1 - 10:45 am
We have been updated by the doctor and we will be starting the ALL
protocol today. It is not that the AML protocol did not work. When we
started, 96% of the cells in the bone marrow were blastocytes. At this time,
there are only 29% blastocytes in the marrow. Not where we want to be yet,
but we have made great progress. With the new protocol, the bone marrow will
again be checked in two weeks to determine the blastocyte level. Please pray
that the blastocyte level continues to decrease and specifically goes below
the 6% level so this protocol will be followed for the duration of the
treatments. The nice thing about this protocol is that we would be able to
return back to Maryville for a few days between treatments. As for the bone
marrow testing, we have found that Dad is a better match than Mom by one
marker (I knew I would win) but we all know that Chayse will be better than
the both of us. Hopefully we will be out of the clinic by noon, as Chayse is
getting a bit restless since I am using the computer and he is much bigger
than me!
April 1 - 8:30 am
We are some what settled in
at Target House. A bit smaller than we are accustomed to, but it can be
called home. Hopefully, we will have Internet access there later this
afternoon. The cable company is coming for installation sometime later
today. Last night, I went and bought a few groceries at Kroger's (not Hy-Vee
where there is a helpful smile in every aisle). It only took me a half an
hour to find a pizza crust mix but I now know more than three of the
Kroger's employees but it is all good. After returning, we made homemade
pizza and the boys watched a little TV. God continues to give us signs that
we are in the right place. Above the bed in our room here at Target House
hangs a picture of three lighthouses, two of which we visited last summer in
Maine ( The Nubbell and The Portland Head).
We received word yesterday
that there are still leukemia cells in the bone marrow with the spinal fluid
being clear. With the cells that are present, they are going to switch to
the ALL protocol. Once we have read through and understand what will be
happening, we will post and let you know.
Spencer is in clinic as I
type so I better join him to find out where we go next. Plans for the day
include a trip to Wal-Mart and haircuts for dad and the boys.
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