|
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 May 29
It's great to be home (especially with no
trip to the e-room)! Nothing too exciting going on at the Barr household
today. Yesterday, after arriving at KCI, Spencer had the craving for steak.
Following a trip to the Outback, we made it home in time for Game 3 of the
Mavs-Suns series. Way to go Mavs!
Today has been spent not doing too much.
We will be BBQing tonight as Spencer has requested grilled hamburgers and
hot dogs. We hope you have had a tremendous Memorial Day weekend.
May 27 - 1:00 pm
Spencer has been released to go home but
we're going to wait until tomorrow to fly home. He is feeling good and is
ready to be home again, but I think it's best to hang out and relax one more
day. Our flight will depart at 2:27pm and arrive Kansas City at 4:07pm on
Sunday, so that gives Rod and Chayse enough time to go to church and then
pick us up. We are looking forward to a nice, relaxing, uneventful week at
home!
May 26 - 5:30 pm
It looks like we'll be released soon from
the hospital. We'll hang out at the Grizzlies House tonight and then
come back for clinic tomorrow morning. There is a possibility we may
change our airline tickets to come home Sunday instead of Monday. We'll know
more tomorrow after clinic. Since we don't get Internet connection at the
Grizzlies House, this will be our last update for today.
May 26 - 12:30 pm
Good afternoon! TGIF for all you hard at
work this week. Spencer had a good night and we were able to get some pretty
good rest in spite of getting up every two hours to use the bathroom. It
looks like we can be released this afternoon from the hospital and chill out
at the Grizzlies House for a day or two. We, of course, will have to come
back to check in with the nurse before we can come home. We are anxious to
come home again, but also do not want to rush it too soon.
Yesterday's news of the bone marrow
transplant has had a chance to sink in, and we're adjusting. I was reminded
in the night how important it is to live one day at a time and not to worry
about tomorrow. I had such a grasp on that earlier on in this journey and
seemed to lose focus on that the last few weeks. No matter what life throws
at us, we trust God to see us through everything. I also remember either
dreaming this or thinking this last night, but our whole family was playing
a baseball game and the bases were loaded with Chayse, Rod, and me all on
the bases with Spencer up to bat. The crowd (all of you) was going wild
cheering for him and then the pitch came and Spencer smacked it out of the
ball park for a grand slam. As he rounded the bases, we were all there
waiting for him to come home. I believe God gave me that vision as a means
of encouragement and I hope it encourages all of you as well.
Michelle, our nurse practioner, came in to
see us this morning to answer any questions and to also make sure we were
doing okay. She reminded us that she is continuing to pray for Spencer and
we visited for quite awhile. It is so good knowing the doctors and nurses
here are praying for Spencer. St. Jude's is a fertile ground for miracles
and the anointing flows directly from the throne of God to heal children
here.
May 25 - 9:15 pm
The chemo got started around 4pm and
Spencer is still feeling good. He has played PS2 and we've watched a movie
on TV. We visited with Chayse on the phone and he said his thumb was feeling
okay. He also had a little bit of a fender bender, but thankfully, there
wasn't any damage to either vehicle. We hope you all have a good night of
peaceful rest.
May 25 - 3:00 pm
We are finally settled into the hospital
room and should be getting the chemo started shortly. The ultrasound this
morning looked normal and we praise God for that! However, we did receive a
bit of news that caught us off guard. Spencer has an abnormality called
FLT3-ITD in his bone marrow which means he will have to undergo a bone
marrow transplant after his fourth round of chemo is done the end of June.
We still need to meet with the bone marrow doctors to know exactly when, but
we do know we will have to stay in Memphis for at least six months during
the transplant time. The good news is we will still get to come home two
more times before this happens. Even though this news came as a surprise, we
continue to look to God, the Author and Finisher of our faith. We serve an
awesome God who still sits on the throne and is still in control of this
situation. Chayse had to have a couple of stitches in his thumb this morning
after an altercation with a box cutter. Please continue to pray for Spencer
and our family during this time.
May 25 - 10:00 am
Spencer and Cathy left for Memphis
yesterday and arrived safe and sound. Spencer started hydration around 7:45
pm last night and spent the evening watching the Mavs-Suns game. Not how we
wanted it to turn out but the Mavs will bounce back. This morning Spencer
has an ultrasound of his kidneys, A clinic and his IT therapy. We continue
to believe that all is good and there won't be any complications or ill
effects to the protocol. He is scheduled to be admitted at 2:00 pm this
afternoon if the bed is available. Have a great day and keep on believing!
May 24 - 6:30 pm
Well, we're back in Memphis waiting in the
Med Room for the fluids to become available. In the meantime, they will draw
labs and get Spencer prepared for tomorrow. We arrived at the Grizzly House
around 1:00pm but had to wait over an hour for our room to be ready. Good
thing they have nice comfortable leather chairs to crash in to watch TV. We
were disappointed when we got to our room and discovered it was more like a
hotel room instead of a suite. It's still pretty nice and we're not
complaining because this room gets dark enough to sleep in! We're hoping to
get a good night's sleep before Spencer has to go inpatient tomorrow for
chemo. Tomorrow morning around 8:30am Spencer will have an ultrasound done
on his kidney to be sure everything checks out okay. Not much left to
report except it still gets hot in Memphis!
May 22 11:00 pm
Spencer had another awesome day. He was
able to go to St. Joe and watch some of his friends play baseball this
evening. He was able to make it home for the fourth quarter of the Mavs-Spurs
game. The Barr family is pretty excited that the Mavs were able to pull out
the overtime victory. We are ready to continue to cheer on the Mavs in the
Western Conference Finals.
May 21 - 8:30 pm
Sorry for the lack of updates but it has
been a bit of a whirlwind since we got back home. Everything is going very
well and Spencer is feeling great! He was able to visit MMS on Friday
afternoon. He spent time visiting with his teachers the staff. All of the
7th graders were in the gym signing yearbooks so Spencer got to spend quite
a bit of time visiting and signing as well. After a relatively quiet night
at home on Friday evening, Saturday was a full day. Spencer and dad made an
appearance at ball practice and even played a little catch. Following that
Spencer went over to spend time with the Peve's. We also made our way over
to Grudzinski's to celebrate Morgan's pending high school graduation. We had
a great time meeting all of Mike and Michelle's family. The night wrapped up
kind of like old times as Marcus and Tyler spent the night at our house. The
basement was buzzing with PS2 for quite a bit of the night. This morning we
attended WOLC for the first time as a family since mid-February. We were
able to visit with many of our church family. Following church, we went over
to spend time with family. Thanks to Ron and Janet and the kids for the food
and fellowship. Although we didn't get to spend as much time as we would
have liked (Chayes had to get back to work), it was fun. They rest of the
afternoon and evening has been spent resting and playing PS2. Spencer still
has the upperhand on me in NCAA Baseball but I am making a better showing
(6-5 loss in 16 innings). Like I said, we have been very busy but it is all
worth it. Seeing some of the smiles this weekend has been awesome. Spencer
and Cathy will fly to Memphis on Wednesday. Plans are to spend an extra day
in Memphis and return home next Monday. Hopefully we will see more friends
and family before they return to St. Judes.
May 18 - 5:15 pm
We are on the way back to Maryville!
May 18 - 1:00 pm
The nurse was right. Spencer will be
discharged this afternoon or early evening. He will receive one more unit of
blood and out we go.
May 18 - 12:30 pm
Just waiting on the doctors to find out if
we can get out. Spencer is getting a bit restless as he is feeling very
good. They gave us the name of the inflammation in his neck and said it was
nothing to be concerned about earlier this morning. The nurse has hinted
that good news is on the way so we are a bit impatient. Hopefully, we will
be back in the 'Vill tonight.
May 17 - 10:45 pm
Not much news tonight. We
have watched American Idol and CSI. Can't watch the NBA Playoffs due to the
fact the hospital does not get TNT. We are keeping updated by watching the
ESPN web site. Go Mavs!! Spencer is feeling pretty well tonight (being a bit
ornery with syringe and water) and is hopeful that we will be able to get
out tomorrow. We will just have to wait and see.
May 17 - 3:30 pm
Praise God! We have received a good
report. The CT scan revealed only some inflammation instead of anything with
the appendix or kidney. The doctors were still a bit concerned about the
enlarged lymph node on his neck, but even that has not been tender today and
they say that is a good sign. It does look like we'll be staying at least
one more night as they want to see how the cultures test out.
On another positive note, Spencer is
feeling incredibly better after receiving hemoglobin and eating KFC. Right
now he is playing PS2 and having a good time hanging out with Chayse, Rod
and me.
May 17 - 11:00 am
Good morning to everyone from
the Barr family! Even though we aren't home, it feels a bit more like home
than Memphis. At least I know where I am going in Kansas City:) Spencer is
resting and we are awaiting the results of the CT scan. He is pretty tired
as his hemoglobin was at 6.5 earlier this morning. With that, he is
receiving blood to bring that up making him feel a bit more lively. The
biggest complaint he has at this time is he's hungry. He hasn't had anything
to eat since night before last so he is a bit irritated. Once we get the CT
results, he should be able to eat and hopefully that will lift his spirits a
bit. As soon as we get the results we will post them. Have a great day and
God bless.
May 16 - 3:10 pm
It has been an eventful
afternoon as we are preparing to go to Children's Mercy in Kansas City.
Another radiologist took a look at the CT and still thinks Spencer may have
appendicitis. Additionally, St. Francis doe not have the antibiotic that Dr.
Razzouk wants to administer. We are heading to KC and will update ASAP.
May 16 - 12:42 pm
Sorry for the delay in
the updates. The computer went back with me on the return trip home so Cathy
was unable to post and I was on the road. A lot has happened since we last
updated. Spencer and Cathy made there way back to the Show-Me-State via
Northwest Airlines yesterday afternoon at 4:00 pm. Thanks to Joey, Sandy and
Trey for meeting us at the airport. A huge thank you to Brandon for helping
out with transportation back to the 'Vill (and helping Chayse with his
Spanish homework). After a stop at the "Fun"draiser night at Pizza Hut
visiting with friends and family, we went home for what we thought would be
a relaxing night watching the Mavs-Spurs game. Sorry to say that was not the
case. After watching the first part of the game, Spencer complained of being
a bit warm. After finding that his temperature was 100.7, a trip to the
emergency room ensued. With his temperature, standard protocol is followed
of taking blood cultures, a CBC and a urine sample. X-rays taken were
negative and his CBC showed that his counts are holding well. The problem
was the urine sample that showed some white blood cells that caused the
doctor to be concerned about his appendix. To rule out
appendicitis, a CT scan was ordered.
In addition, Spencer received an antibiotic and by 2:00 am his fever had
subsided. At 4:00 am we found that it was not appendicitis but rather a
slightly enlarged lymph node. We were able to get back to the welcome
confines of our home around 4:30 am After visiting with Dr. Razzouk this
morning, he thinks the enlarged lymph node could be either a reaction to the
chemo or the possible start of an infection. Something we will be keeping a
very close eye on. We also found out the latest results of the bone marrow
aspiration that was taken last week. The MRD shows .0245% ALL cells in the
bone marrow. The last MRD report that was taken showed less than .1% AML
cells which they consider clean. The previous MRD did not take a look at ALL
cells. What does this all mean? It means that we are not out of the woods
but is not a bad report. We started at 96% and are now at .0245%. In two
weeks we will take another look and see where we are at. We believe in the
healing process is at work in Spencer. For right now, we will be enjoying
our stay and home and the plan is not to return to Memphis until next
Wednesday. Oh by the way, the stay at the emergency room wasn't all bad. We
did get to see the Mavs win in overtime and take a 3-1 lead in the series.
May 14 - 4:15 pm
Looks like Spencer will be
discharged shortly after his next med at 4:38pm. Rod will take off for
Maryville tonight and stop somewhere along the way and then plan on picking
us up tomorrow at the Kansas City airport. I will have to contact St. Jude's
travel agency in the morning to set up the flight, but we are really hoping
to get on the 2:37pm flight that arrives at 4:04pm Monday. If not, there is
a later flight that evening or we'll have to wait until Tuesday.
By the way, just in case
you're wondering, Rod could not defend himself against Spencer in NCAA
baseball. He lost five in a row, but insists all that matters is he won the
first one. Again, Spencer says it was just a fluke and proved it by
defeating him.
May 14 - 9:20 am
Let the games begin!! Rod and
Spencer are back at it as it is rematch time for NCAA baseball. It's the
bottom of the second and Rod is ahead 1-0.
Spencer is fever free with a
temp of 98.6 as well as an ANC of 4500, which is up from 4200 on Thursday.
Now that's a praise report! Glory to God! One of the doctors was in awhile
ago and said she would check on a few things, but it looks like we may be
free to go today.
"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY" to all
the Mom's out there this morning, but especially to two of the very
best--Dianne Beard and Joanie Barr. Your unfailing and unselfish love,
guidance, support, and prayers for us have been amazing, not only during
this time of our lives, but during all others as well. Rod, Chayse, Spencer
and I love you and praise God for giving us mothers as precious as you. We
pray God's blessing to you this Mother's Day and every day.
May 13 - 10:15 pm
Spencer's temp continues to
fluctuate. His last temp was 100.9 so the doctors have decided to put him
back on an antibiotic as a precaution as well as do cultures to see if there
is an infection. We plead the blood of Jesus over Spencer and pray that no
weapon formed against him shall prosper.
On another note, way to go,
Mavs!! Woo Hoo!
May 13 - 8:25 pm
The temperature is coming
down. Currently it is 100.2 which "legally" is not a temp, 100.4 is, so they
will take it again in an hour. Keep praying! His pH is at seven
which is really good. Earlier it was at six and they had to give him
sodium bicarbonate to raise it since the range is 6.5 to 8. He is feeling
good and is getting his appetite back and has even sent Daddy on a mission
to find pizza rolls. Oh, yeah, by the way, he beat me big time in Yahtzee.
May 13 - 7:35 pm
The nurse was just in and
took Spencer's temperature and it was 100.5, which they consider a fever.
They will recheck it in an hour so please be praying against this fever! It
must not be too bad because Spencer is challenging me to a game of Yahtzee!
May 13 - 7:20 pm
Okay, I repent! Rod rose to
the occasion and miracle upon miracle, he actually beat Spencer 3-2. Spencer
wants everyone to know he got all this points in the first inning and got
lucky and plans on kicking his behind the next time. Rod says it's a win
regardless of Spencer saying it was a fluke. Score board never lies he says!
I definitely see a rematch soon! But for now, the Mavs are on!
May 13 - 6:30 pm
We're heading down the last
stretch of chemo with only 4 1/2 hours left. Thank God he has had little
discomfort or side effects. He has had little appetite and his back is a bit
sore and stiff from procedures yesterday. We are in the opposite wing than
previously because inpatient beds are limited. This side mostly treats kids
with tumors. We have not received a report from yesterday's procedure, but
we know in our hearts what it will be--CANCER FREE!!!
Right now Rod is hooking up
the PS2 and is willing to take Spencer on in NCAA baseball. Poor guy! He is
such a glutton for punishment! Of course it will be a quick game because the
Mavs come on at 7pm, so that will give him an out for getting beat so badly.
Ha! Ha!
The apartment is completely
torn up with boxes all over the place. I went back for a few hours to get
the laundry done and hoped to get a little rest, but of course, there was
just too much to do for that! We are so looking forward to coming home and
living together under the same roof as a family again! Get ready, Chayser!
Momma is coming home!
May 13 - 12:15 am
Spencer is receiving the
methotrexate as I type. We continue to pray and believe that the bone marrow
aspirate taken on Friday comes back with 0 leukemia cells and Spence has no
side effects to this new chemo. Spencer is feeling pretty well and he and I
played three games of Yatzee (let's just say dad was very lucky). It has
been a long day of waiting and time to catch some sleep. What a difference
two months makes. It has been nearly sixty days since we found out that
Spencer had leukemia. At times, it seems like an eternity since that morning
and at other times, it seems like it was almost yesterday. Again, we cannot
express our thanks enough for the emotional, spiritual and financial support
we have received. It is truly appreciated more than you will ever know!
May 12 - 5:00 pm
Today's procedures are behind
us and we are now waiting until 5:45pm when we will go back to the hospital
to be admitted. Spencer is sleeping at the moment on the couch, Rod is
watching TV in the bedroom, and I'm sitting amongst many boxes typing this.
Ah, moving day will be here before we know it! We will know more in a few
days as to when we will get to come home, but probably Monday or Tuesday.
We'll keep you posted! In the meantime, please continue praying for no side
effects, infections or complications.
May 11 - 4:30 pm
We just returned back from a
day out on the town. We started our day at the Peabody Hotel watching the
ducks and then drove to Germantown Parkway and ate lunch and did some
shopping. Tonight we have to have Spencer back to the hospital at 7:15pm to
receive fluids before tomorrow's chemo. He will have IT therapy and a bone
marrow aspiration tomorrow morning starting at 10:30am and then will be
admitted around 1:30pm. We picked up some boxes and now need to start
packing our things up!
May 11 - 9:00 am
Top of the mornin' to you!
Ha! I guess I'm feeling a bit Irish this morning! After the last couple days
of rain, everything seems so much greener outside. I love the rain the way
it washes away all the dirt and leaves everything sparkling in the sunshine.
Much like the the cleansing blood of Jesus the way it washes away our sin so
we can shine in the light of the Son!!
May 10 - 4:30 pm
We have another praise
report! Spencer's counts have totally recovered and they plan on doing the
IT therapy and bone marrow aspirate on Friday as well as admitting him back
into the hospital for the high dose chemo. The nurse told us today it was
unusual for the counts to recover so quickly, especially less than seven
days. We give all glory to God for His healing hand on Spencer.
May 10 - 11:15 am
It's a good morning here in
Memphis after a night of thunderstorms. It still looks cloudy but the rain
has stopped. Spencer has clinics at 2pm today and then we hope to go see the
ducks at the Peabody Hotel. The "Duck Master" is out of town so we won't get
all the bells and whistles, but it will still be fun. Now that we're going
home next week, we want to get in all the things we haven't done yet. Rod
will drive our van home so when we do come back and forth we won't have a
vehicle to get us around to do things, but that's okay since we'll only be
here a few days at a time then.
May 9 - 11:00 pm
After a movie and supper at
Jillian's, we have been watching the Mavs take out the Spurs. For those of
you that don't know, we have become pretty avid Mav fans. A little
excitement tonight on our way back to the Target House after supper. The
Walgreen's store two blocks from the Target House had an armed robbery in
progress as we were right there. It just makes us thankful for Maryville and
Northwest Missouri.
May 9 - 4:00 pm
Rod made it here after a
bumpy airplane ride and Spencer and I found our way to airport just fine.
The sun has found its way back after a stormy afternoon. Rod has been
napping after having a couple of late nights getting his online class ready
as well as getting ready to come here. We are now going to go to the Peabody
Place to catch a movie and maybe a round of putt putt golf.
May 9 - 10:00 am
Good morning all! This the
day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! What a beautiful
day here in Memphis with the sun shining and flowers blooming. I hear the
sound of mowers which always makes me think of spring and summer. Rod is on
his way to the airport in Kansas City and Spencer is still sleeping. I need
to get cleaned up and get my map out so I can find my way to the Memphis
airport to pick him up. I just wanted to say "Good Morning" and pray you all
have a blessed better than ever day! (that's what Rod always tells me!)
May 8 - 11:15 pm
We're about to call it a day
after celebrating our good news with dinner out at On the Border and a
victory with the Red Birds against the Iowa Cubs. Spencer felt such freedom
without his mask and we really enjoyed our time together. We are looking
forward to Rod coming tomorrow as I'm sure we will continue the celebration
with him. We continue to praise God for His timing for coming home next week
and look forward to seeing you all then! Good night and God bless.
May 8 - 4:45 pm
Glory! Hallelujah! Praise
God! We have received some really good news! Spencer's ANC count is 2000
which means he does not have to wear his mask and it also means he can eat
out tonight. The doctors are still watching his other counts and want to be
sure his hemoglobin stays up as well as the platelet count. His blood
pressure was also perfect today--another answered prayer!! They may start
his high dose chemo as early as Friday, or Saturday for sure, which means we
may be home as soon as next Monday or Tuesday! On Friday they will do
another bone marrow aspirate as well as IT therapy. We are so excited and
overjoyed and give all glory to God for the continued healing He is
providing for Spencer. Please pray for Rod as he will fly down tomorrow and
be with us to get our things packed up to take home. Since we will be gone
from here more than ten days, we will have to move out of the Target House
and will stay at the Grizzlies House while we go back and forth between here
and home the next eight weeks. We cannot thank God enough for His wonderful
grace!
May 8 - 11:30 am
Hope this update finds you
all doing well and enjoying the first workday of the week. I remember all
too well the feeling of having the weekend over and having to go back to
work. It seems like forever I've had that feeling, but nonetheless, I
remember!
We ended up only staying for
about half the Red Birds game yesterday and then decided to see Mission
Impossible 3. We highly recommend it if you like intense drama. We had
really nice telephone visits over the weekend with some of our favorite
people!
We've already been shopping
this morning as Spencer has saved his money and bought a video game rocker.
He is enjoying it right now while playing NCAA football.
We have clinic today at
2:00pm and are anxious to see what his counts are. We expect to have a
better idea today of when he will receive the high dose chemo.
May 7 - 11:45 am
Happy Sunday! The first day
of the week! We are so looking forward to coming home in a few weeks and
going to church again. In the meantime, we try to watch our home church
online. This afternoon we are going to the Red Birds game and then will come
home to a supper of roast beef, carrots and potatoes. This time we won't put
the crock pot in the oven! (A few of you know what I'm talking about!)
Yesterday afternoon, we went to Target and Spencer found a snow cone maker
and a slushie maker and just had to buy both. He has been craving Sonic
slushes and since he can't eat out yet, this is the next best thing. We
bought five different flavors and even bought ingredients to make cherry
limeades. He really enjoyed his blue raspberry slush last night and I'm sure
he will create something even yummier tonight.
May 6 - 3:45 pm
My goodness has this day
gotten away from me! We slept in until 10am or so from staying up late
watching Mission Impossible. I convinced Spencer to work on his homework for
awhile and I worked on mine. Only thing is he quit after an hour and I
continued. We both have quite a bit more to do, but we'll get it done sooner
or later. We've had nice visits on the telephone today as well. Please bear
with us as we strive to sort through everything and get "thank you's"
written and sent. We can't thank all of you enough for the many cards,
gifts, phone cards, and money that has been sent. We are overwhelmed by your
generosity and love! I am reminded of a scripture found in Luke 6:38 and we
pray this for all of you who have so freely given to us.
"Give, and it will be given
to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will
be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured
to you."
May 5 - 10:30 pm
We haven't been home from the
hospital all that long. Spencer had to get two units of hemoglobin and is
now wired, so we stopped at Blockbuster and rented Mission Impossible. We
were hoping to get Mission Impossible 2 but for some reason, they didn't
have it to rent. We could have bought it for $7.99 though. Go figure that
one out. Anyway, we thought we would watch the first two movies and then see
the third one that came out tonight later this weekend. Other than that, not
much happening! Have a good evening!
May 5 - 4:15 pm
We just returned from the
hospital and the grocery store. We will grab a quick bite to eat before we
head back to the hospital so Spencer can receive hemoglobin. At least we
didn't have to wait around the hospital waiting for the blood to come. We
had thought we may take in a Red Birds game tonight, but it doesn't look
like we'll be done in time, so maybe some time over the weekend. The Iowa
Cubs are in town so it may be a toss up as to whom I will root for! :o) It
really won't be that difficult of a decision as we've all come to be Red
Bird fans.
May 5 - 9:15 am
Good morning! It's Friday! We
hope you all have an enjoyable day and weekend. It's rainy again here today
and will be on and off all weekend. Spencer's appointments today do not
start until 1pm and there's a pretty good chance he will need hemoglobin, so
we're expecting a long day at the hospital. Tonight is his last night for
oral chemo and then we wait for his counts to rise before he goes back into
inpatient for the high dose chemo. I will update again when we get home
later today.
May 4 - 1:00 pm
Oh, my! Not sure where the
morning has gone! Spencer and I got our morning wake up call from Rod around
9am and since then we've been lounging around. Spencer fell back asleep on
the couch and I've spent the morning chatting with friends and family on the
telephone. It's always so good to visit! We do not have anything scheduled
for today, so it's rather nice to just hang out for once. In my many
conversations this morning, I was reminded of a praise report that I think
needs mentioning. One of the first things they did when Spencer
arrived was take his weight and height and then just the other day they
measured his height again and he has grown 2 centimeters! Now, most of you
would not find that much of a praise report, but we do because one of the
side effects from chemo can be stunting of growth. We continue to praise God
for no lasting side effects and good reports and hold tight to the promise
of Jeremiah 29:11.
May 3 - 6:30 pm
Rod and Chayse took off for
home a little after 10am this morning. This was the hardest departure for me
yet, as we had such a wonderful time together as a family. I know we will
see Rod again in a week, but not knowing when we'll see Chayse again really
tore me up. It is so hard to let your children go no matter what their age.
I am so proud of Chayse and the young man he is becoming and look forward to
seeing him again really soon.
We spent another afternoon
waiting around at the hospital. Spencer's blood pressure has been a bit high
for a couple of days. Earlier the doctors thought it was because of the pain
he was having in his knees, but with no pain today, they now think it's a
side effect from the prednisone. We also need to really watch his salt
intake. Only two more days of the oral chemo and then we wait for his blood
counts to rise back to normal. Once that happens, they will do another bone
marrow aspirate as well as put him back inpatient to administer the high
dose chemo, which will take 3-4 days and then we'll get to come home for 10
days. This routine will alternate for 8 weeks. Again, all this hinges on
when his blood counts go back to normal.
Dr. Razzouk has returned from
Amsterdam and Lebanon and just had to tell me he met Dr. Gamis from Kansas
City's Children's Mercy at the conference and discussed Spencer's treatment.
The really cool thing about this meeting is Dr. Gamis is the doctor that was
recommended by Dr. Julie Brown the day after Dr. Razzouk left the country. I
had told the staff he was the doctor we wanted to administer the chemo for
Spencer when we're back home. Dr. Razzouk was really surprised when he
returned home to find Dr. Gamis was the doctor we requested. Yet another
testimony of how God is granting us favor and working all things for
Spencer's good.
May 2 - 11:30 pm
Another late night for the
Barr family as we went to the Memphis Redbirds game tonight. Pretty exciting
as the Redbirds came from four down in the bottom of the ninth to win
against New Orleans We had a lot of fun and watch out Grandpa Rick, Spencer
may be catching the sports photograpthy bug (will post some of his shots
later in the week). We have had a great time this weekend being a somewhat
normal family doing what we enjoy, watching sports. Spencer is feeling
pretty good. The chemo he receives in the afternoon makes him a bit tired
but after a short nap, he is ready and anxious to get out and do something.
It has been fun watching Chayse and interact. They are so different yet so
much alike. Spencer received a package from the Memphis Grizzlies today
after we emailed them last night after the game (long story, but all is
good). They provided him with some autographed memorabilia, t-shirts, hats
and a huge bag of snacks. Thanks to Tyra of the Grizzlies!
May 1 - 11:00 pm
We just returned from the
Mavs-Grizzlies game. Not much of a contest after the halftime break. Way to
go Mavs! Congrats on the sweep! Spencer wanted something to eat following
the game so we stopped and got a couple of frozen pizzas and his new
favorite soda, Cherry Vanilla Coke. Now that we have eaten, Spencer has to
wait a couple of hours before taking his oral chemo. We will let him go to
sleep and then wake him. Spencer continues to amaze me with his attitude and
how he is doing. Earlier today, Spencer said "Dad, I really miss Maryville"
but then a few minutes later had a big smile on his face. No clinic until
tomorrow afternoon so I expect the Barr family to sleep in:) Chayse and I
are planning on journeying back to the Vill Wednesday rather than tomorrow.
April 1-30
March 28-31
March 27
March 26
March 25
March 24
March 23
March 22
March 21
March 20
March 19
March 18
March 17
March 16 |
