March 17 - 9:40 pm

Last report for the night. We have now made a huge transition, one from reaction to one of action. The chemo treatments have begun and praise God, no reaction yet. We know it is early but we warned the nausea could start immediately Spencer at least had a night where he finally had a bit of an appetite. Supper consisted of chips & salsa, a mini pizza and a vanilla milkshake. He is on anti-nausea medication and we pray that he can continue to have an appetite. Cathy brought up a game analogy earlier today. Being the sports family that we are, it is easy for Spencer to relate. This is a game that wasn't scheduled and we really don't won't to play but since it is required, we will play with all of our heart, mind an soul to win. With God as our owner, we have our teammates, the precious doctors and nurses here at St. Jude's, and what would a game be with out the fans? That's all of you who are supporting us and cheering us along. Our hats are tipped to you! Just passing on that we made a substitution and took out Dr. King at Heartland Hospital but we thank him for making the referral. With Cathy going into the cheerleading mode and me going into the coaching mode, Spencer just gives us that look. Thanks again for all of your encouraging words in the emails. Also, we got to bring a piece of home into the room tonight as we got to watch Pastor Brian preach live online. Technology is a great thing! Spencer is still experiencing some pain in his lower back making getting up and down out of bed difficult. We are believing that it will subside by tomorrow morning.

March 17 - 3:00 pm

The heart echo is done. We got to see Spencer's heart and all looks good. The line is in perfect place, so we are ready to start the treatment later today. Finally, we have completed the procedures so Spencer won't like he is being prodded all the time. Two people we've crossed paths with today, a nurse and a heart technician, shared their stories of having kids survive cancer. God continues to put the people in our paths just at the right timing to give us encouragement. Watching the Memphis - ORU game and resting.

March 17 - 1:00 pm

Spencer came out of surgery this morning and he is resting well. Since his white blood cell count has moved up a bit and his tonsils are swollen, the doctor has decided to start chemotherapy this afternoon. We went through Spencer's protocol with the doctor at 11:30, and know in our heart that this is exactly where and what he needs. If you can, we are asking that you become part of Spencer's team and pray hard for him between the hours of 4:00 and 5:00 pm this afternoon. Specifically, we are praying for that he responds well to the chemotherapy and he has minimal side effects. If we're going to fight, we're going to fight hard. Since we have to play this game, we are playing to win. Routine heart echo scheduled at 1:30 pm. 

March 17 - 8:45 am

Spencer just went into surgery to get the central line put in. We received word from the OR nurse and he is doing well. Please pray for specifically from Spencer's pain from his bone marrow procedure yesterday and no infections.. For Cathy and me, please pray for strength and healing as both have a bit of a cough that we need to clear up before Spence receives his first chemo treatment. Even though we haven't been able to respond to all of the emails, that does not mean we don't appreciate all of your support. You are helping each of us in ways you cannot even imagine.

March 17 - 6:00 am

Another new day. According to the nurse, Spencer had a pretty good night. He received two units of blood and rested pretty well. Cathy stayed with him at the hospital and got a couple of hours of sleep. I went over to the Memphis Grizzlies House and checked into our room. God continues to send us words of encouragement in different ways. Not able to sleep, I turned on the TV and the the song "Show Me the Way" was being performed by a symphony and singers. This really helped me get through the night.

Show me the way, show me the way
Take me tonight to the mountain
And take my confusion away
And if I see a light, should I believe
Tell me how will I know
Show me the way, show me the way

He will be leaving for surgery as soon as they are ready. Hopefully, sooner than later.

March 16

eMail Spencer at

spencer@bearcatslam.com