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Saturday, December 11, 2004 8:40 AM CST

If you're like us you're busy as ever getting ready for the holidays! We feel so blessed this year with Logan doing so well. He is truly a miracle!

We had a bit a milestone yesterday. Logan was able to get his immunizations yesterday. He is quite behind on then, so these were his 12 month immunizations. He'll be going back for his 15 month immunizations in March.

In addition, in March he'll also be going back for scans again. March 1 to be exact. So, we have just short of three months to go. We know that they will be fine though - thanks to all of your prayers and God's healing touch.

We hope that the holidays bring many blessings to you and your family. Happy Holidays!

Friday, November 12, 2004 7:26 AM CST

I have to apologize - I put an update on the site Wed evening and somehow I guess it didn't get saved and I didn't realize it until someone told me last night that they worried about Logan's test results because I hadn't posted an update. Well, there's absolutely nothing to worry about because his scans were all CLEAR!! Yeah!! We are so thrilled and relieved. We don't have to go back for scans again until sometime in Feb or March!

We have all of you to thank for this wonderful news! God has certainly listened to all your prayers and he has answered them. We can't thank you enough for all that you have done for us.

Have a Blessed Holiday Season!

Tuesday, November 9, 2004 7:47 PM CST

Tomorrow's the big day - we get Logan's test results! We know there are lots of prayers going out to Logan and we just appreciate them so much! We'll post the test results as soon as we get home!

Thanks so much!

Friday, November 5, 2004 3:09 PM CST

Hi there! Thanks for checking in. Sorry I hadn't had a chance to post an update yet.

Yesterday Logan had his CT and Bone scans and he did absolutely fabulous! I can't tell you how proud we were of him. He cried just for a second when they put the IV in and then he basically forgot about it. The nurses asked us if we wanted to try the CT without sedation so we said why not and he made it through with flying colors. He laid very still throughout all the scans (Mommy & Daddy were right next to him helping hold his arms down and his head in the right position) and they were able to take the IV out and he could eat.

We won't know results until we go back to see his Dr. next Wed though - torture waiting that long! I'll let you all know as soon as we get home.

Check out our little lion in the photo album!

Saturday, October 23, 2004 10:35 AM CDT

Thank you so much for all the Birthday Wishes for Logan! We have been flooded with cards & packages for him and he has been in heaven. We had a great birthday party last night. The weather held out for a weiner roast and hay ride and then we went inside for cake, ice cream and presents. I added a new picture for you all to see. He doesn't even look like the same kid he did two months ago - he's getting bigger every day and that hair - he needs a hair cut finally!

Our next scans are scheduled for November 4th - it will be a long hard day for Logan. At 8:30 he gets the dye injection for the bone scan, the bone scan is at 11:30 and the sedated CT scan is at 1:30. He can't have anything to eat or drink all day and they'll be putting in an iv line.

I'll be sure to add a picture of Logan in his Halloween costume next week!

Thanks for checking in.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004 7:56 PM CDT

Hi everyone! Just wanted to give a quick update, since it had been a while.

Logan's doing great! His incision from where they removed his port is all healed up, just a small sign of a bruise, but other than that, it looks great. He's been doing absolutely fantastic and we've really been enjoying the great weather. I'm home about 4-5 das a week with him now. I've been substitute teaching a couple days a week. I really enjoy being able to stay home with him - not that we've been staying home much. He's gotten to be quite a Mommy's boy these past few weeks, although when Daddy gets home at night his eyes really light up! He hasn't been seeing much of Daddy lately, since they're going strong in the field. Almost done shelling corn and will be starting on the beans probably within a week or so.

We're starting to plan the big 2nd Birthday Party. In fact, its a month from today. I can't believe Logan's going to be 2! Wow, where did this last year go?

I added a new picture in the photo album - this one was taken this past weekend at the Childhood Cancer Survivor Days that Vanderbilt put on for the kids. Logan had a great time and was so wore outfrom playing so hard with everyone that he slept the whole way home!

Thanks for checking in on us!

Wednesday, September 22, 2004 7:56 PM CDT

Hi everyone! Just wanted to give a quick update, since it had been a while.

Logan's doing great! His incision from where they removed his port is all healed up, just a small sign of a bruise, but other than that, it looks great. He's been doing absolutely fantastic and we've really been enjoying the great weather. I'm home about 4-5 das a week with him now. I've been substitute teaching a couple days a week. I really enjoy being able to stay home with him - not that we've been staying home much. He's gotten to be quite a Mommy's boy these past few weeks, although when Daddy gets home at night his eyes really light up! He hasn't been seeing much of Daddy lately, since they're going strong in the field. Almost done shelling corn and will be starting on the beans probably within a week or so.

We're starting to plan the big 2nd Birthday Party. In fact, its a month from today. I can't believe Logan's going to be 2! Wow, where did this last year go?

I added a new picture in the photo album - this one was taken this past weekend at the Childhood Cancer Survivor Days that Vanderbilt put on for the kids. Logan had a great time and was so wore outfrom playing so hard with everyone that he slept the whole way home!

Thanks for checking in on us!

Friday, September 3, 2004 8:10 AM CDT

Logan's port removal went great yesterday, once it got started. His 7:30 am surgery got moved to 11:00 am due to an emergency surgery that needed to be done before him. Long wait in the holding room, but Logan did good - he was starting to get thirsty and hungry though - he couldn't have anything to eat or drink because of the anesthesia. We got to see him about 12:30 and by 2:00 we were out of the hospital. He wasn't very happy though since he had an actual IV in his arm and then a big brace on his arm over it to keep him from pulling it out - they usually put the braces on little guys/girls so they don't pull out the IVs.

He ate good and drank good on the way home, but then as soon as we got home, he pulled all of his steristrips off of the incision - Daniel put tape on it and we managed to find a couple onsies that fit to put on him so that he couldn't get to them anymore.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

Thursday, August 19, 2004 3:39 PM CDT

We've been having such a great summer! Last weekend we spent 4 days at the Illinois State Fair. My dad had cattle there that he was showing so we went up to help. We have some friends that let us borrow their camper and it worked out great! Logan just loved all the cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, and people! We took him on a few rides and he really enjoyed them too. He was pretty fearless around the cattle in the barns and would walk right up to them. So to avoid him getting kicked or trampled on we spent alot of time walking around, which he enjoyed too. That was about the only way we could get him to take a nap - he was too wound up in the barns and excited about all the cattle!

I just talked to Dr. Neblett's office, who will be taking out Logan's port. They've rescheduled his surgery for Sept 2nd instead of Aug 31st. That will still work out good though because then we'll only have to stay 1 night. It will still give me time to volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House while we're there. I've really enjoyed doing that. His surgery is at 7:30 am, and we have to be at the hospital at 6 am! It'll be a long day!

I haven't gotten any calls to substitute yet - school just started this week though. I talked to the Superintendent's office today and they haven't had to call in any substitutes yet, but they expect by next week that they'll probably have teachers calling in by then. It's been nice to spend some extra time with Logan before having to start working again. I've really enjoyed it.

Thanks for checking in!

Saturday, August 7, 2004 3:12 PM CDT

Just thought I'd give you all something new to read. Not much really to update about though. Logan's having surgery on August 31st to have his port removed. Then we see Dr. Engel (his oncologist) and Dr. Schwartz (the orthopaedic Oncologist) on Sept 1st. We're going to stay in Nashville for a couple days at the RMH and I'm going to volunteer while we're there. I went down yesterday and volunteered for the first time as a receptionist. It's a little different being on the other side of the desk, knowing that every family staying has their own story. I feel really fortunate that I can give back a little bit to an organization that has really meant alot to us.

Logan will have scans again on Nov 4th. That will be almost 2 weeks after his 2nd birthday. I'm glad its not any closer to his birthday so we can enjoy it with out being too stressed out waiting for results.

I added a new picture to the photo album. You'll get a real kick out of it.

Thanks for checking in!

Wednesday, July 21, 2004 3:57 PM CDT

We just got home from our visit with Logan's dr and got the best news - Logan's scans were all clear! All of our prayers have been answered!

So, the next step is to have his port removed. That will probably happen sometime in Aug/Sept. It is just a source of infection now that its not being used on a regular basis. It will be a minor out-patient surgery.

Logan's next scans will be in three months. We'll all be on pins and needles as the time approaches, but for now, we get to enjoy life a little bit! My last day at work is next week and I'm looking forward to working part-time as a substitute teacher and spending more time with Logan. I'm also going to be doing some volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House in Nashville. Please be sure to save your pop-top tabs from soda cans and drop them off at our house (that is if you're close to us) and we take them down on a regular basis. They make more from recycling the pop-top tab than the do from the entire soda can!

I know we have told you all time and again how much we have appreciated all your support and prayers this past year, but I can't help but repeat it again - all of our prayers have been answered and Logan is cancer-free. Please continue to keep Logan in your prayers so that we can keep him cancer-free and he can lead the life every child deserves.

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 8:38 PM CDT

Well, tomorrow's the big day - we get the results of the scans. I'm a nervous wreck - Daniel's all cool & collected. Our appt is bright and early tomorrow morning, so we have to leave even brighter and earlier - I wouldn't think the appt will take too long, regardless of what the turn out is. Hopefully we should be home sometime mid afternoon. I'll be sure to post as soon as I get a chance.

Please say an extra prayer for us tomorrow.

Thursday, July 15, 2004 9:10 PM CDT

We're home from scans. The day went very well...now if we could only fastforward to next Wed when we get the results.

We had a great evening last night - visiting with Gabe and his family - they were gracious enough to put us up for the night, since we had to be at the hospital to early this morning. The boys got along great and it was all we could do to get them to go to sleep last night. Thanks so much for your hospitality!

I went through a training session yesterday at the Ronald McDonald House so I can volunteer there. They have done so much for us, its the least I can do to give back. I learned alot about the House that I didn't know and really look forward to volunteering a couple times a month.

Well, I know that we were in many prayers this morning and I can't even begin to tell you how much we appreciate them! Please continue to keep Logan in your thoughts. I'll post as soon as we get the results.

I've posted some new pictures. Hope you enjoy!

Monday, July 12, 2004 9:43 AM CDT

Hi everyone! The big day is approaching fast - Thursday is the day of Logan's first post-chemo scans! We're starting to get really nervous about them.

Daniel's birthday is next Monday. I asked him last night what he wanted for his birthday - he said clear scans for Logan!

Please everyone be thinking of Logan and say an extra prayer for him Thursday morning.

We won't get results until the following Wed so I'll let everyone know as soon as there is news.

Check back later for new pictures!

Thursday, July 1, 2004 3:55 PM CDT

Hopefully Logan got his last blood and platelette transfusion yesterday that he will ever need! His color really perked up after the transfusion! Thank you so much to all our friends/family that have donated blood and platelettes for Logan - it's been such a big help!

Scans on July 15th...until then.

Monday, June 28, 2004 10:13 AM CDT

Sorry it's taken so long to update - our computer got zapped a couple weeks ago by lightning, so I don't have alot of time to be online until we get our new one hooked up.

Yes, Chemo is over! We're so glad it's all done, but I don't think Daniel or I really feel like we can breathe that last sigh of relief until we get hear "Clear Scans" - Logan's scans are July 15th and we'll get the results on July 21st.

We'll probably be going to Vanderbilt this week for a blood transfusion, but then won't be back until the scans.

Again - thanks for all the prayers and support this past year - we couldn't have done it without all of you.

Tuesday, June 22, 2004 1:58 PM CDT

This is it! We have finally made it to the end of our long journey! Logan will be in the hospital tomorrow and Thursday for his last chemo treatment. I can't believe it's finally here - of course, we still have scans scheduled for July 15th that will be critical, but for now I feel we can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

The support, love and prayers you have all given us this past year has truly meant the world to us. We will never be able to repay you for all you have done, but just know that from the bottom of our hearts, we truly appreciate it all.

I will let everyone know how chemo goes!

Thursday, June 10, 2004 8:53 AM CDT

Hi all! Sorry I haven't been doing a very good job keeping up here - Logan's doing great! He got a transfusion yesterday. That went fine. He has next week off and then his last treatment the week after that.

The Relay for Life was awesome! Logan had such a great time - it was hard to keep up with him. Our county's goal was $100,000 and we raised $137,000! Unbelievable. I'm going to try to get some pictures on this weekend. Come back and look!

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 9:44 AM CDT

Hi everyone! Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend. We had a great time at my parents' and visiting some friends. The weather was a little threatening, but all was okay. After going through a tornado - the slightest threat of bad weather makes you pretty jumpy!

Busy week ahead of us. Logan will be in the hospital tomorrow for his chemo treatment and then this weekend is the Relay for Life! We're hoping that the weather will hold out for us!

Not much else to report right now. Will let everyone know how chemo goes! We only have two left (including this week) - we just keep getting closer and closer all the time.

Thanks for all the prayers!

Monday, May 24, 2004 9:43 AM CDT

Okay, I've been catching alot of slack for not updating last week (you know who you are!) - so here goes...Actually there's not too much to report. Logan got his vincristine last week, and a blood and platelette transfusion. This week should be his final vincristine injection, then only two more big treatments (in the hospital) and then we'll be done! I can't believe in only a few weeks the nightmare will be over.

Logan's been helping us do lots of work in the yard this past week. We finally have grass growing and yesterday, thanks to lots of help from our family, we were able to get some of our shrubs, trees and flowers planted. It actually looks like a home when you see it now and not just this house on a barren lot like it has for so long now. I just love seeing Logan running through the grass!

I've been really busy with Relay for Life activities. It's a short two weeks away. Logan may be featured on WPSD (our local NBC affiliate) next week - it's still up in the air. If any of you can stop by the RFL, it will be June 5-6 at the MCHS football field. Although the walk doesn't start until 4:30 pm, there will be lots of activities for the kids and lots to eat all day long! Please come out and support the cause! I found out last week that the American Cancer Society has 12 Hope Houses throughout the country, that run alot like a Ronald McDonald House, except for adults. The Hope Houses operate soley from funds raised through RFL events. The closest one to us is in St. Louis and there is also one in Indianapolis.

My exciting news - My last day with SIDEZ will be July 31st. I turned in my resignation last week. I'm in the process of getting certified to be a substitute teacher. I just plan to do this on a part-time basis (2-3 days a week), so I can stay home and spend more time with Logan. Well, I don't know about the staying home part, but definitely spend more time with Logan. I am really looking forward to it.

Logan shouldn't need any transfusions this week, just vincristine, but I will let everyone know how it goes.

Bye for now!

Friday, May 14, 2004 8:40 PM CDT

Sorry I haven't updated yet - I know you're all wondering how Logan's treatment went this week. It was a little different that usual, but all in all, it went okay.

First thing that happened was that we got a call on Tues that there may or may not be a bed for Logan so we were to call Wed morning around 9 am to find out - our appt was at 10:45 so this meant that we wouldn't even be able to get to our appt on time. So, we all slept in Wed morning (until 6 am!! Yeah!) and called the Clinic like they said, but they didn't have any answers for us yet. This around 9:30, Miss Donna, one of the wonderful nurses called back and said to head south - they were going to hydrate Logan in the Clinic and give him his chemo there and then he'd be admitted to one of the other floors on the hospital - not one the chemo pods, because they were all full. So, this meant that we would have nurses that knew nothing about Logan or his history, which isn't great, but would have to do.

Usually, it takes an unusually long time to get Logan hydrated enough to where the specific gravity of his urine is diluted enough for him to get his chemo - sometimes much as 8-10 hours even. When we got at the clinic and told the clinic nurses this, they said they'd make sure he was hydrated and had his chemo before they went home. So at about 1 pm they got him hooked up the fluids and by 4pm he was getting his chemo. Guess they were right - they increased the speed of the fluids going into him, so it didn't take so long - which is okay every now and then but you don't want him on that rate all the time.

We were in our room by around 5:00 and Logan was throwing up by around 6 pm. He continued throwing up until bedtime, so we had the nurse bring him some benadryl, which did the trick - he slept until about 8 am. He ate a little bit of a banana and kept that down for about an hour or so. Back to sleep around 11 am and slept until 1 pm. We finally got released about 2pm and he threw up again as soon as we put him in the jeep - he slept the whole way home and by the time we got home, he was back to his normal, happy self - running and dancing all over the house.

Its a rough 24 hours or so, but we're very thankful that it only gets down for just 24 hours and not days on end.

He's down to only 8 weeks of treatment left! Unbelievable! We've come so far. Only two big treatments and then scans on the 15th of July.

Might have some news about Logan being a tv star in the next week or so, so stay tuned!

Thursday, May 6, 2004 8:56 AM CDT

Yesterdays treatment was fast and painless. Just got vincristine so no side effects really to worry about. We were home in record time yesterday (2:30 PM).

Logan's dr is leaning more and more toward putting a feeding tube in. I think this is probably going to happen next week. Not looking forward to that at all. He's not malnurished by any means, but he really hasn't gained any weight at all in the past 9 month - he kind of bounces back and forth - he'll gain a pound, lose 1/2 pound, lose 1/4 pound, gain 1/2 pound - etc. We're going to try to pump him full of high fat and lots of carb foods this week and hopefully we'll see a gain next week. We're also giving him Boost energy drinks (not that he needs the extra energy), but hoping that will maybe help him actually gain a little. He likes the Boost Breeze drinks - they taste just like juice.

Not much else to report. Next week is Big Chemo (only three left!) so we'll be in the hospital. Will let everyone know how it goes and what happens as far as weight gain goes.

Monday, May 3, 2004 9:46 AM CDT

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. Last week nothing much happened. Logan did get another platelette and blood transfusion on Wed when we were in the clinic. Everything went great.

Had a little bit of excitement yesterday. We were walking out the door to go to church yesterday morning and Daniel was carrying Logan. We have two wooden steps that go into our garage and as he stepped onto the first one it broke and he fell down. He dropped Logan at some point, but don't really know when, it all happened so fast. Logan hit the back of his head but again, we're not sure what on. Either our freezer or the concrete floor. He had a pretty good knot on his head, so we took him to the emergency room, just to be safe. We called Vanderbilt on the way to the hospital, to let them know what had happened and see if we needed any special instructions or anything. The on-call dr. basically just said to have them check Logan's blood counts since his platelettes had dropped back down on Friday and if they were low enough he would need CT scan of his head. Well, after 5 hours in the emergency room, we finally found out his platelettes were up a little so no need for a CT scan. He was acting fine, but just considering everything, we thought it would be safer taking him to the emergency room. So we had our first trip to the ER. I'm sure it won't be the last, but we can always hope, right?

Logan will be back at Vanderbilt Wed for chemo (just vincristine). His counts should be good so he shouldn't need any blood products. Hopefully it will be one of those quick trips.

We had a rummage sale at our church Sat to benefit our Relay for Life team. We raised $520.25! Not bad. We're also collecting change every Sunday this month as well. We had $178 yesterday collected. I'm hoping we can raise over $1,000 - we're well on our way. Thanks to everyone for your support of our team!

Thursday, April 22, 2004 8:35 PM CDT

Hi All! Logan got along fairly well with his treatment this week. We were told it was iffy whether we'd get a room at the hospital or not and that since Logan's so far along in his therapy now that he'd be one of the first to get bumped, but by 3pm we were settling into our room and he was getting his chemo around 7:30 pm. It was nice to not be awake at midnight with the chemo just getting started! He was done with the chemo by 8:30 and asleep by 9:30. He woke up (sort-of) and got sick around 2 am and then slept until about 6:30 when he got sick again. He slept off and on and was getting sick in between so around 9 am we had the nurse give him some benadryl and then he slept until noon. We got out of the hospital around 1 pm. He got sick again while we were putting his clothes on. We hit a massive traffic jam on the interstate due to a bad wreck. After creeping along in traffic for an hour and a half, we finally got off the interstate and took a 2 lane road because the traffic didn't seem to be letting up. He got sick once while we were stuck in traffic, but I was sitting in the back seat with him to catch it. He slept most of the way home and like us, was happy to hit the driveway! He did get sick once after we got home, but we gave him some more medicine, so hopefully he'll be over the worst of it!

He was starving at supper, since he hadn't eaten anything all day. We reluctantly gave him some broccoli/rice casserole - his favorite, which he devoured! Let's hope it stays down.

We are down to only THREE MORE hospitalization treatments left! Yeah! 12 weeks to go. It's just amazing that we're almost done. Today Logan is 18 months old. It seems like just yesterday that we were sitting in Dr. Schwartz's office and found out that Logan had cancer, but then it also seems so long ago! He was just over 9 months old then. We've learned so much in the past 9 months - but mostly how much we are loved by all of wonderful friends and family - we never would have been able to keep up our strength and courage without each of you and your prayers, thoughts and kind words.

God Bless all of you!

Monday, April 19, 2004 8:26 AM CDT

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by - not much medical stuff to report on right now, but thought everyone would like to read something new.

We had a pretty good weekend with Logan, except for an awful diaper rash - by Sat evening he was feeling a little better though and we went out to eat with Grandma and Grandpa Korte - nice to get him out of the house!

Sunday we had a great day! Some friends of our took Logan for the afternoon while Daniel and I attempted to go fishing - it was way too windy though. Logan had a great day playing with our friends' kids. They went to visit some other friends who have new baby goats. He really liked them! He was pretty worn out when we got him home though - didn't take long for him to fall asleep last night.

This week is our Big Chemo week - please keep us in your prayers this week - hopefully all will go well. For the next six weeks now Logan will have a treatment every week again. That will be hard to get used to again after being off of that schedule for six weeks.

If you haven't checked out the new pictures, be sure to!

And if you're thinking about sending a donation for the Relay for Life or purchasing a luminary in honor of Logan or anyone else you know that has been touched by cancer, please try to get it in the mail to me in the next couple weeks - the Relay will be here before we know it!

Bye for now!

Monday, April 12, 2004 9:24 PM CDT

Hi all! Logan's doing great! We had a wonderful easter. Logan really enjoyed hunting easter eggs and liked all the gifts the easter bunny brought him. Thank you to everyone who sent him easter gifts.

Logan's blood counts were really good today. So, no trip to Nashville until next week when he's admitted again for chemo.

I uploaded some new pictures in the photo album. Please take a look - I'm still trying to figure out how to change the one on the home page - there may be a new one there in the next couple days as well.

Wednesday, April 7, 2004 10:34 PM CDT

The Saga Continues - Part 2 -
I'm just tacking this onto yesterdays journal so you can get the full story if you haven't already read it - go down and read about yesterday's saga and then come back up and read this.

Logan continued to have a bloody nose last night for a while, even after we put him in bed. It did eventually let up. This morning when he woke up his nose was full of crusty blood, so it had been bleeding during the night and it started to bleed again, so we once again called the hospital and spoke to the on call dr. about the situation. She told us to go ahead and come back, so we were on the road again by 7:30 am this morning. Got there around 10 am and they took blood for more counts. While his PCV (hematacrit) had went from 18 on Tues to 28 today after getting the transfusion Tues (thanks Tanya for the direct donated blood!), his platelettes only went from 20 on Tues to 25 today when they actually should have doubled or tripled. So, the kind nurses went ahead and ordered him platelettes, even though we really should have seen the dr. first. By the time the dr. did get into see us, Logan was about half way through getting his second platelette transfusion in two days.

The dr. put things into perspective for us a little bit better though - let me explain - while the blood products he gets when he gets a transfusion are the same blood type, the body recognizes them as being a foreign body and can make antibodies to fight them off - this is what is probably happening when he gets platelettes - while his body did accept some of them, they didn't accept most of them, therefore his platelette count didn't jump up like it should have. So, we decided that we go grab some lunch when the transufusion was finished, then go back to the clinic for another blood count to see if this platelette transfusion took or not. And low and behold his counts went from 25 this morning to 104 after the transfususion! Yeah, they worked and our second trip to Nashville in two days was worth it! His counts should be high enough now and keep rising on their own for the next week so we should not have to go back until our next hospital admission on April 21.

We did get to run into some of our friends while we were there today. We accidentally bumped into Gabe and his Mommy - unfortunately luck is just not on Gabe's side and he will be having surgery to repair a hernea next week. But like Lu (Gabe's Mom) put it, she was that it was just a hernea that was causing his pain and not something worse - something that automatically comes to the mind with a cancer parent when your child is experiencing pain. They have a fun weekend ahead of them, as long as Gabe is feeling up to it. They will be traveling to Washington D.C. this weekend to partipate in First Lady Laura Bush's egg roll on the White House lawn with other children with life threatening illnesses. Oh, the fun things you can do when you're off treatment!

Well, if I don't post another update before Sunday, we hope that you and your families have a Blessed Easter.

Tuesday, April 6th
Well, it's been another one of those days! Yesterday the home nurse came and drew blood so we could get counts. His red blood count and platelettes were both low, so we were told to get to Vanderbilt today for transfusions. Both went great - we were out of there by 1:30 today - practically record timing for a transfusion - especially considering the last time Logan got red blood and platelettes - he had a reaction and ended up in the hospital for 4 days.

So, we get home, everything's going great - and while Logan and I were on a walk this evening - he sneezed and - sorry to be so graphic - but a big bloody clot came out - and before we made it back home he did this again. This didn't really surprise me though, because he had some bloody snot yesterday and since his platelettes were low, that was sort of to be expected, even though, this was the first time it had actually happened to Logan. So, again, I didn't think much of it and we came back home and were doing our thing - Logan was just playing up a storm, after being cooped up in the Jeep and in the Clinic all day. Then I noticed, he had blood running out of his nose. Not gushing out - just steady - so I try to get it stopped but couldn't. It's not like a typical nose bleed that I'm sure everyone has experienced at one point in time where your nose bleeds heavily for a couple minutes - you fill a couple tissues, apply presse and it stops. Instead, its just sort of bled all night long - real slowly though.

This shouldn't be happening since he got the platelettes today - so I called the hospital and got ahold of the dr. on call who tells me to pack his nose for a couple of hours and see if it clots - I wanted to tell her - you do realize he is only 17 months old and the likelihood of him letting us do this, let alone it staying in are slim to none - but I didn't. So, we attempted to try this - only to make Logan really mad. He was pretty sleepy at this point though so he eventually quit fighting us as we held his arms down so he didn't pull it out. That lasted about 20 minutes - we gave him a bath - thought it had stopped - then it starts bleeding again.

So, we're having the home nurse come again tomorrow morning and I would suspect that we'll be making another trip to Nashville either tomorrow or Thurs for more platelettes. And we even had a friend who was going to direct donate platelettes yesterday, but since I knew they wouldn't be ready for us to use today I told him not to worry about it - now I wish I'd had him go ahead and give.

If I could have one wish granted at this point time, it would just be for life to be normal once again. It's getting to be such a busy time for Daniel with planting season just around the corner - actually they could probably start any day if the weather holds out - and to not know where we'll be from day to day is really getting to be a strain. We have 14 weeks left before Logan's treatment is over -5 more big treatments where he'll be in the hospital - I just don't know what we'll do with ourselves when we don't have to go to Nashville 1-2 times a week. It would be one thing if it was 30 minutes away - but when it's 6 hours round trip - it gets to you after a while.

At least we don't have to worry about any chemo this week or next week - we get these two weeks off from treatment again, but then after his next hospital treatment, we'll be back to once a week chemo for another 6 weeks.

For all you Moms and Dads out there that have healthy kids - you truly don't know how lucky you are - give them a special hug tonight and tell them how much you love them and pray to God how thankful you are for their health. And while you're praying - please say an extra prayer for Logan's Mommy and Daddy - to give us the strength to make it through these next 14 weeks and to protect us as we travel and also to make these next 14 weeks as easy as possible on Logan - for he's the one that matters the most.

Thanks all and good night!

Friday, April 2, 2004 11:16 AM CST

We have made it through yet another round of "Big Chemo". It just seems like each time Logan's in for chemo, nothing goes the same as any other time he's been there and it gets harder and harder on him each time.

After not knowing whether or not we would even get a bed Wednesday, we left the clinic and went to the mall to kill time, only to be called back within 4 hours - they did have a bed. Chemo finally got started around 10 pm and was over by 1 am, but then the vommitting started at around 4 am. Not to gross everyone out, but this isn't typical vomit - it's neon yellow bile type stuff that burns if it comes into contact with your skin - from the chemo. Logan continued to get sick off and on until about 9 am or so when the nurse suggested a different med to help control it. We were a little skeptical over trying anything new, but we did. The nurse told us this med had a sedative type effect, but we thought we'd try it anyway. He fell asleep around 10 am and we finally woke him up around 3pm, since we wanted to go home. We milled around for another hour or so, until he was more awake and finally left the hospital in the middle of rush hour! Took us a while to get out of Nashville, but we made it home around 7 pm. Logan slept the whole way.

He was at about 90f his normal activity level last night when we got home. He ate a little supper and played, then we gave him a bath and got him ready for bed. Then we attempted to give him his anti-nausea med only to have him gag and puke everywhere - all over Daniel, himself, the recliner, the carpet - everywhere. So, back in the tub he went. It took us a while to get him to settle back down, but we finally put him down at about 10 pm last night.

Daniel and I are exhausted of course, but what's new. We get the next two weeks off again - no treatment! But, we suspect that we'll probably be making a trip to Nashville next week for a blood transfusion. His counts were high enough that he didn't need one this week, but if they drop, like they normally do, he'll probably need one next week.

We plan to stay home all weekend and hopefully spend some time outside in the pretty weather.

If you have a chance, please visit http://www.tumbleweedfoundation.org - Logan is featured on this website this month along with several other kids with various types of cancer. I've put a link at the bottom of this page.

Thank you for all the prayers this past week and for your continued prayers in the future.

Thursday, March 25, 2004 11:18 AM CST

Hi All! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but you know the saying...no news is good news. These past two weeks Logan hasn't had any treatments. Not because there was anything wrong, but just to a point in his treatment that he gets to skip a couple weeks here and there. He will be in the hospital next week for his treatment.

I gotta tell you, it's been so nice not having to go to Nashville! Is this what life will be like when this is all behind us? Well no, because then we'll actually be able to take Logan out in public and not worry so much about him getting sick and getting stuck in the hospital.

His blood counts were off the charts on Monday, so we were able to stop the shots - I'm sure he was quite glad! I took him yesterday to get his Easter pictures taken. I'll post them when I get them back in a couple weeks and you can see what a ham he is! LOL!

He is learning more and more words all the time. His vocabulary now includes: duck (of course), ball, what's thaaaaaat?, uh-oh, juuuuuuice, bubble, shoe, fish, Blue (as in Blues' Clue) and LaLa (as in Elmo). And instead of calling a cow a cow, he say mooo, same for sheep - baaa, and horse is neigh. Too funny.

Last night a reporter from our local newspaper interviewed us for a feature story on Logan and the Relay for Life, since he is an ambassador this year. It will come out sometime in May as our Relay is the first weekend in June.

Well, check back in next week - I'll let everyone know how chemo goes.

Tuesday, March 16, 2004 9:23 AM CST

Logan's blood counts were pretty good yesterday so it doesn't sound like we'll be going to Nashville this week - a true week off! Yeah! As long as they stay up, we shouldn't have to go next week either. It's so nice to get a little break.

And if he keeps eating like he has these past few days, he may even gain some week these next couple weeks. That would be really nice - he hasn't really gained much at all since last August when his treatments started, which has started to cause a little concern. He's definitely getting taller, but just not putting on any weight. The nutritionist wanted us to give him Pediasure, but he really turned his nose up at that. So instead we've been loading him up with Carbs and other yummy foods! It's so hard to eat healthy when you're fixing all this good food with lots of calories for your child! LOL!

Thanks for checking in on us. The home nurse will be taking blood counts again on Thurs, so then we'll know for sure if we have to go to Nashville Friday or not. We'll let everyone know how it turns out.

Friday, March 12, 2004 9:42 PM CST

I tell you what! The further we get into Logan's treatment, the more things seem different from week to week. After Logan was finally hydrated enough to get his chemo at 5 am yesterday morning, he spent the rest of the day playing and acting like he felt great for a while, then he'd get sort of puney and take a nap for a while. He was like that all day. At about noon they decided to go ahead and give him a transfusion. Thanks to our friend Kelly, we had direct donated blood, so we hoped that Logan wouldn't have a reaction to the blood like he did the last time and end up in the hospital for four more days. Well, since they're in the new hospital now, it took almost 4 hours for the blood to get to our floor, so now it's finally 4 pm and he's just getting the transfusion, which takes about 2 - 21/2 hours! And he still needed to get one last dose of decodram (I know that's mispelled) which takes another 1/2 hour to give, so it was 7 pm before we finally left the hospital.

We did have a visit from our friend Holly, one of the wonderful radiology techs that we met when Logan was going through radiation treatment. Thanks for stopping by Holly!

We managed to get by with Logan only getting sick a couple times, but nothing too bad. And today he's had a great appetite, which is really unusual right after chemo. Maybe he'll gain a few ounces this week.

We get a little bit of a break these next two weeks and don't have to go to Vanderbilt unless Logan needs a transfusion - keep your fingers crossed!

Thanks for all the prayers this week. We really appreciate all of them!

Tuesday, March 9, 2004 11:33 AM CST

Just a quick update - sorry I haven't updated in a while. Logan's doing really great right now. We were able to spend this past weekend with my parents which was nice. We hadn't been there since Christmas.

We got blood counts done yesterday and everything is low again, except Platelettes, which are good. Logan will most likely get a blood transfusion tomorrow when he's admitted for Big Chemo.

Yes, it's been three weeks already and time for another round of VAC! Please say a special prayer for Logan that all goes well and we only have to stay overnight. I'll update when we get back home Thursday (I hope)!

Saturday, February 28, 2004

Saturday, February 28, 2004
Well, we're still in the hospital and keeping our fingers crossed we can blow this joint today. Logan has had three platelette transfusions since Wednesday and finally they are at an acceptable level. Yesterday the dr. told us that we couldn't leave until his platelettes and white blood count went up and they have finally went up, so we're keeping our fingers crossed. He's not eating much besides his favorite Goldfish Crackers, but at least that's something.

If we get released today, the jury is still out on whether Logan will make an appearance tomorrow at his benefit. We don't want him to get sick and end up back in here again. I know everyone wants to see him, but I also know you will understand if he can't be there.

****************************************

Thursday, February 26, 2004
Another not so good day yesterday. We knew Logan's blood counts were low before we got to the clinic yesterday. After getting the results, Logan's dr. decided to transfuse him with red blood and platelettes. No problem, we've done that before. The problems started though when he was getting the red blood. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to get a red blood cell transfusion and throughout the transfusion they check vitals for reactions to the blood. Well, throughout the transfusion, Logan's temp kept creeping up and by the time it was through, his temp was up to 101.6 - quite an increase from the 98.5 when we arrived at the clinic yesterday morning.

Any temp over 101 is an automatic hospital stay - so we spent the rest of the day waiting for a bed. Finally at 7 pm last day, we got a bed. Logan seemed as though he was feeling fine - playing in the hall ways of the clinic after all the other patients had left, running around, etc. He didn't eat much yesterday, other than goldfish crackers, but that's not necessarily odd for him - he just doesn't eat good after he's had his big chemo treatment, which he did last week.

Once we got our room in the hospital, Logan was in the bed for about 30 seconds and he threw up - no wonder he didn't want anything to eat yesterday. After throwing up he seemed to feel a little better. Daniel gave him some milk a little while later and that didn't stay down either. His temp was still up so obviously he's picked up a bug somewhere or we brought one home to him.

They don't know how long we'll be here - initial talk was at least a couple days. They drew blood cultures and have started him on antibiotics. The initial reading of the cultures should be around 3 pm this afternoon - 24 hours after they were drawn. Let's hope nothing's growing!

We're going to try to get him feeling better so he can be at his benefit on Sunday, but after this week's events, we can't promise anything. His health comes first so if he is still neutropenic (immune sypressed) he will not be there. I know everyone will want to see him and talk to him if he is there, but please be considerate - if you or anyone in your family or that you work with has been sick, please keep your distance from Logan - we don't want to end up back in the hospital with him. I know you all understand.

Please say a prayer for Logan that he will feel better soon!

Thursday, February 19, 2004 9:32 PM CST

What a roller coaster of a day we have had! Logan was admitted to the brand new children's hospital yesterday for his big chemo treatment. This was the first time that he had received all three meds since Christmas. Since the one med doesn't mix well with radiation he didn't get it at all last month.

We had problems as always getting the specific gravity of his urine to the right level and after cranking up the fluids at about 7:30 pm last night, it finally got to where it needed to be. So, they gave the anti-nausea meds around 9 pm and started the chemo meds about 9:30 - with it being complete by 11 pm. Since all the meds go in his iv line, he was asleep already while getting all the meds. He only woke up once last night - around 3 am. I rocked him for a while, then Daniel took him. Daniel eventually laid him back down and he slept for a couple more hours. When he woke up around 6 am, you could tell he didn't feel good, but we were so glad that he hadn't gotten sick. He kept asking for his juice, so we let him have it. BIG MISTAKE!!! After sucking down half a cup of juice, it all came back up! Not long after that, it was time for his pepcid. It can be given orally or through his iv. Well, the orders were written for his to be given orally - he threw it up also. By this time, it's about 8 am already - not so great of a morning, after such a good night. Logan kept asking for juice and drink, but we didn't want to give it to him and he get sick again, so we tried a cracker. He ate one saltine cracker and within half an hour threw that up as well.

Finally, we got him back to sleep about 10 am. And he slept, and he slept and he slept. The drs all did rounds and the word was that we would be staying another day, unless he could keep some food/liquid down. Well, Logan finally woke up about 1 pm and he was hungry and thirsty. We started with water and he kept that down, so then we tried crackers again - he ate three this time - and he was playing and acting like he felt much better. Low and behold, we got released at 3 pm and were on the road home by 3:30 pm! Yeah! Seems like when he gets sick in the morning, usually if he goes back to sleep for a couple hours, when he wakes up, he's feeling much better, just like today.

We got home at about 6:30 tonight and as always, Logan's face lit up when we walked in the door and he was able to play with his own toys, in his own home.

We had a nice treat this afternoon at the hospital. Lu, I'm sure you've heard this story already, but I still have to tell it. We have gotten to know Gabe and his Mommy Lu pretty well these past few months, but we have yet to meet Gabe's Daddy, Rob. He works for the construction company that built the new hospital and is very busy. Well, today I was walking down the hall in the hospital and saw a man with a hard hat on that was a spitting image of Gabe. I asked him, "you wouldn't happen to be Gabe's Daddy, Rob would you?" He said yes - and who are you. I told him I was Logan's Mommy and that I knew he just had to be Gabe's Dad. They look exactly alike! Small world huh? He was able to take a couple minutes and come down to our room and meet Logan and Daniel. Hopefully we can get together with them soon.

We had a whole new crew of nurses at the hospital. Since they've opened the new hospital, there are different nurses working different areas. I was a little uncomfortable with it at first, since the nurses we are used to know Logan's history so well by now. But, we had two awesome nurses, Nicole and Angela. They took really good care of Logan and Mommy & Daddy. Thanks so much guys! We did see some familiar faces, so that was nice too.

We're just over half way through Logan's treatment now. All we have left now is chemo, so this last half hopefully won't be as long as the first half, since that included the surgery and radiation. If we can keep him going with out getting any infections and if his blood counts can stay up, we'll get through this last half easy as pie!

We know that Logan's treatments would never have been so easy on all of us without all your prayers and support. You know how much it means to us, but thanks again for everything you all have done and are continuing to do for our family! God Bless!

Tuesday, February 17, 2004 4:07 PM CST

I received a call this morning from one of the nurses in the Clinic and Logan's blood counts are high enough to get his big chemo treatment tomorrow. So, that means when he is admitted to the hospital tomorrow, he'll be admitted into the brand new children's hospital. It's actually kind of exciting, since it will be our first stay there. We're keeping our fingers crossed that his treatment goes as well as the last one did - no puking!

Logan's got a nasty cough and the runny nose again - Daniel and I both have sore throats - so we're assuming Logan gave his cold to us! Urggggh! Hopefully it won't stick around too long.

Plans are going great for Logan's benefit on the 29th. I hope everyone can attend. There's going to be great food and door prizes also.

I'm attending a Relay for Life meeting next week and will hopefully get the materials needed to sell luminaries. Check back next week and I hope to have information on here for anyone that wants to purchase a luminary in honor of Logan.

I'll let you all know how chemo goes in the next couple days! Bye for now!

Wednesday, February 11, 2004 9:30 PM CST

Well, things didn't go as planned today when we got to the clinic for Logan's treatment. The first thing that is done every time when we get there, upon arrival is to access his port and draw blood for blood counts. When his counts came back, his white count was too low to get his chemo treatment. He was scheduled to be admitted today for his big treatment. So, we were sent back home instead. We're going to keep our fingers crossed that when the home nurse comes on Monday, that his white count will be much higher so he can get his big treatment next week instead.

This doesn't really hurt anything - just throws his schedule off by a week. His white counts are staying low right now since he's had so much chemo already and the radiation really zapped his bone marrow. Even though radiation has been over for a couple weeks, there's still radiation in his body working.

So, we played Cupid today and delivered Valentine's Day cookies to all our friends at Vanderbilt - at the clinic, on the floor at the hospital, in the Radiology department and at the Ronald McDonald House. Everyone said they were really good. I'm so glad, because I wouldn't let Daniel have any!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. We're expecting friends in from out of town for the weekend. They have a son that is a couple months older than Logan, so we'll have a fun weekend.

Until next week...

Saturday, January 31, 2004 5:10 PM CST

We are so happy to announce that radiation is over! All the folks in the radiation department at Vanderbilt are absolutely wonderful - don't get me wrong - but just knowing that we are home for a while is great! Now we're back on the chemo schedule - every three weeks Logan will be in the hospital and get three meds and then the two weeks in between, we'll be down there and back in the same day so he can get one med.

His arm is really red from the radiation burns, but it doesn't appear to be hurting him. They told us that it will take a couple weeks before it will actually start to look better.

I found out today that Logan may get to be a co-ambassador for our Relay for Life in June. As soon as I find out some more information about it, I'll let everyone know how to purchase a luminary in honor of Logan.

There is a benefit luncheon for Logan tentatively planned for February 29th. I'll post more information about when the date becomes final.

Thanks for all your prayers this past month. I truly think it was harder on us than on Logan.

Thursday, January 22, 2004 5:04 PM CST

Chemo went great!

Daniel and I have been so worried and nervous about chemo this time. We just hate it when Logan is throwing up and getting sick but we got lucky and he didn't get sick and we were out of the hospital by noon today! Logan's such a little trooper! He's already eating good and playing just like chemo's no big deal.

We only have 5 more radiation treatments left so we're really starting to count down the days now! Next Thursday will be the last one! We're really looking forward to staying home for more than two days at a time!

Thanks for everyone's prayers!

Thursday, January 22, 2004 5:04 PM CST

Chemo went great!

Daniel and I have been so worried and nervous about chemo this time. We just hate it when Logan is throwing up and getting sick but we got lucky and he didn't get sick and we were out of the hospital by noon today! Logan's such a little trooper! He's already eating good and playing just like chemo's no big deal.

We only have 5 more radiation treatments left so we're really starting to count down the days now! Next Thursday will be the last one! We're really looking forward to staying home for more than two days at a time!

Thanks for everyone's prayers!

Friday, January 16, 2004 5:56 PM CST

Although we didn't get home until almost 4 pm today, we are home for another weekend! Yeah! Logan's eyes just lit up when we drove in the garage and he realized where he was! He's just as happy as I am to be home.

Radiation went great again this week. We're over half way done. Logan will be in the hospital next Wed for chemo, so next week may not go as well, but we're making progress.

We have an exciting benefit dinner that we will be attending Sunday night at The Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. Vince Gill, Linda Davis and many others will be performing and Logan is a "special guest"! Look for some new pictures next weekend!

Also something else that's pretty exciting that will be coming up - the staff at the Ronald McDonald House have asked us to be taped for their telecast fundraiser. We will tell our story about how we found out about the McDonald House and the benefits it has to offer. They raised over $200,000 last year with the telecast.

I'll let everyone know how chemo goes as soon as I get a chance!

Friday, January 9, 2004 9:20 PM CST

Wow! It's been a while huh? I know everyone's been anxious for an update and I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to post one until now. There have been problems with the internet connection at the Ronald McDonald House all week, so now that we're finally home, I have a chance to update.

That's right! We're home! At least for a couple days. Logan's radiation has been going great! He did need a blood transfusion this past week and thanks to a gracious friend who direct donated blood last week, it was waiting for us when we needed it at the blood bank. Between the radiation and last week's chemo treatment, Logan's hemoglobin and hematacrit were both pretty low. So Wednesday, we sat in the clinic and watched Blues Clues videos for three hours while he got the transfusion.

His arm is starting to show some signs of redness setting in, but nothing too bad yet. He does really great with the anesthesia. Asleep one minute, wide awake and raring to go the next! That's the way we like it.

There will be a total of 23 radiation treatments and today was #9. Only 14 left - Jan 29th should be the last one.

We were lucky enough to get to come home this weekend, but Logan's white blood count is pretty low, so he won't be leaving the house. His platelettes were great on Tuesday but they've started to crop also, so he'll probably need a platelette transfusion sometime next week.

We'll be heading back to Nashville on Sunday for another week of treatment.

Thank you once again for all your thoughts & prayers.

Monday, December 22, 2003 12:45 AM CST

Time for an update! I know everyone is anxious to hear what we found out when we met with the Radiologist.

Things were explained much thoroughly and we were given lots of statistics about what's successful and what isn't. After hearing all this new information, we decided that Logan simply has to have the radiation. By him having the radiation, it decreases the chance of reoccurence in that spot by as much as 15-20%. Because it has been determined that he has a more agressive type of Rhabdo (alvelor -I think that's how it's spelled), there are chances that it could come back, but hopefully the radiation will make sure that doesn't happen.

No, Logan's arm will not be the same length as his other arm, but it will only be a couple inches shorter. And it won't really show up as being shorter until he reaches his teens and his that last growth spurt. Basically his arm should double in length before he is quits growing, but one of the growth plates in his arm will quit growing, so his humerous bone (the one from his elbow to shoulder), will only get half as long as it normally would, but his forearm will continue to grow at a normal rate. This just means that he'll be the punter instead of the quarterback of the football team!

We are back down at Vanderbilt right now. Today Logan had an MRI of his head. Since he does have the more agressive Rhabdo, there is a chance that it could spread to his nervous system. This is something else that we will have to keep a close eye on now. Tomorrow Logan will undergo the simulation to prepare for the radiation treatment that will begin next Monday. We did find out that the radiation should only last for 4 1/2 weeks instead of 6 weeks as we were originally told.

He's finally over his little bug that he had and is back to his normal mischievious self! His platelette count was pretty low last weeks, so he did need a transfusion, but they were back to normal today. He won't get another chemo treatment until January 2nd.

We would really appreciate everyone's continued prayers as we prepare for the radiation. Have a Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 13, 2003 11:11 AM CST

Not so great news to report.

Yesterday/today was Logan's first visit to the Hemotology/Oncology Clinic to see his oncologist and get a chemo treatment since Halloween. We thought we were on the downhill slide - just 30 weeks of chemo left. Not so lucky though.

When the dr. came in yesterday, he asked us if anyone had talked to us about radiation yet. We replied cheerfully: "yes, Ann (his nurse) told us last week that the tumor board decided Logan wouldn't need radiation!" His reply: "I don't know why she told you that, because Logan does need radiation." Our hearts sank. We were confused and mad! Why were we told by his nurse that no radiation was needed, and now we're being told differently?

Well, to make a long story short, there was HUGE miscommunication between the dr. and his nurse. She didn't think Logan needed radiation because his message to her didn't specifically say anything about radiation. It did however say that they would follow protocal and protocal includes 6 weeks of radiation treatment.

In the discussion with the dr about whether radiation is actually necessary or whether it would be overkill, he told us that the sub-type of Rhabdo that Logan has isn't what they thought it originally was when they did the biopsies. The tests after the surgery have determined that Logan has the more agressive type of Rhabdo, which makes radiation extremely important. Also he informed us that they will be doing an MRI of Logan's head sometime in the next couple weeks because this sub-type of Rhabdo can get into the nervous system. Not good news at all.

So, next step...we meet with a radiologist next Friday to get some more definite answers on the long-term effects of radiation - specifically will his arm grow anymore or not!

We really feel like we're stuck between a rock and hard place right now. The surgeon, an orthopaedic oncologist is telling us that radiation isn't necessary and Logan's arm won't grow anymore, but the ped oncologist (and tumor board) is telling is it is necessary to ensure that the Rhabdo doesn't come back.

So, it looks like sometime after Christmas, Logan will begin daily radiation treatments for six weeks here at Vanderbilt. We will most likely stay at the McDonald House during that time, and hopefully will be able to come home on the weekend.

Now, as for his treatment this weekend. We thought all was well. Beds were tight in the hospital, so he got his meds in the Clinic while we watched Blues Clues and Baby Einstein videos all day long. We finally got into a room at 6:30 last night. At 12:30 Logan was throwing up and then again at 2 am. We couldn't understand why because the anti-nausea med that they give him always worked like a charm before. Well, the orders were written up wrong - he was supposed to get it every six hours but the orders said 12 hours, so basically it had worn off and he was getting sick.

We're not awaiting the drs. to do rounds so we can get out of here and get back home. We're exhausted, both physcially and mentally and just want to get back home to our family and friends.

Oh a lighter note, Logan's friend Gabe had his tumor resected Monday and they are going home today. His tumor was in his jaw area. His Mom said that he was eating popcorn yesterday, so he obviously has the ability to swallow back, which was of concern. We're so thankful everything went well for them.

More next week, as we know more.

Friday, December 5, 2003 1:00 PM CST

GREAT NEWS!!! NO RADIATION!!!

I just talked to the nurse and the tumor board decided yesterday that Logan wouldn't need any radiation. Even though Daniel & I had decided that we didn't want to go the radiation route, it would have been very hard to go against the recommendation of the tumor board. So glad that we didn't have to make that choice!

So, Logan will start back with his regular chemo schedule next week. He'll be in the hospital next Friday, the 12th for Big Chemo, then in the clinic the following two Fridays for Little Chemo. We've got 30 more weeks to go now and hopefully this will be behind us!

I know that our prayers were answered this time! Thank you so much everyone!

Thursday, December 4, 2003 8:20 AM CST

I know many of you are anxious to find out what Logan's next course of treatment is, but unfortunately, we didn't find out much yesterday at the post-op appt. We were hoping to find out if he would need radiation therapy, but apparently that decision still hasn't been made. The tumor board hasn't met yet to discuss Logan's case, since last week was a holiday. They will be discussing it today though.

After discussing the pros and cons of radiation therapy with the orthopaedic oncologist yesterday, Daniel and I are leaning towards no radiation, regardless of what the pediatric oncologist recommends. The radiation may and most likely will cause the bone in Logan's arm to quit growing, which would cause him to have a useless arm. We don't want this for him at all. In addition, radiation can cause a secondary cancer to form in his arm several years down the road. Of course, we'll discuss these with the pediatric oncologist and get his opinion on these things as well.

So now we're playing the waiting game once again. Waiting for the ped oncologist to give us a call and find out when we come back.

The dr did tell us yesterday that he thought the incision looks great and is healing nicely. He had Logan reach for things to see how he's using it. He did tell us that because so much of the deltoid muscle was removed that Logan's shoulder will probably be considerably weaker than the other, but we can deal with that. It was unclear yesterday whether or not he has any feeling in his arm though. We go back to see him in two months and we'll hopefully be able to tell if he does or not.

We know we have been in so many thoughts and prayers, especially these past couple weeks. We also know that Logan made it through his surgery so well because of those prayers and they are truly appreciated.

Thursday, November 20, 2003 9:40 AM CST

Surgery Went Great!

Although Tuesday was a pretty rough day for Logan, he really got along well, considering. The surgeon told us that they were able to save the nerve in his shoulder, which was of a concern to him and all they had to remove was the center portion of the deltoid muscle. Since they were able to save the nerve, he shouldn't lose any mobility or function of his arm. The surgeon also told us that there were "good margins", which means that the tumor was pretty much in just the one area and didn't have any tentacles reaching out into surrounding tissues.

Logan ate a good dinner Tuesday night and was able to get by with just Tylenol for the pain. We originally thought he'd be in the hospital for a couple days, but we were on our way home by 10:30 am Wednesday and made it home by 2 pm! If you didn't know he'd had surgery, you'd never be able to tell, considering how well he's getting around. He's even using his arm to pull himself up, crawl, play, etc. The drs told us that he'd know his limits and apparently he does because he's not acting like it hurts him to use it.

Next step...we go back to see the surgeon in two weeks. They will have the results of the pathology tests by then and will be able to tell us whether or not he will need to have radiation treatments. The surgeon was leaning toward no radiation, as long as the cells are dead and they could get it all. He said that typical protocal however is to follow up with radiation and that he may be outnumbered. Logan's case will be discussed in the Tumor Board meeting today. All the oncologists get together to discuss patients and treatments. So, it's good knowing that not one doctor is making all the decisions by himself. They also consult with other hospitals around the country as well.

I've posted new pictures of Logan both before and after the surgery. The one of before the surgery shows the lump on his arm pretty good, so that those of you that haven't seen it, will know what all the fuss is about. It was about 1/2 the size it had been by the time of the surgery. It really responded well to the chemo.

We know that Logan has been in everyone's prayers and everyone has done so much for us these past few months. All the gratitude of our friends is so truly appreciated.

More to come in a couple weeks, when we know more.

Thursday, November 13, 2003 7:48 AM CST

Okay, I finally got Logan's halloween picture posted! Sorry it took so long, we're having issues with internet at home.

So far no chicken pox! That means surgery is a go for next Tuesday. We don't know how long Logan will be in the hospital for, but if you try to call and check on us, DO NOT use the phone number on the cover page of this website...I can't get it deleted and that's a direct room number that we stayed in way back when. I'll do my best to post an update as soon as I get a chance, but don't know how soon that will be.

My parents and Daniel parents will be at the hospital with us, but Daniel parents are coming back home, maybe on Wednesday, as long as everything goes okay. If I don't get a chance to update the website, feel free to give them a call, or you can always call SIDEZ - I'll let them know how things went as soon as I get a chance as well.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers next week.

Wednesday, November 5, 2003 2:56 PM CST

Your Prayers are Needed

We just found out that Gabe, another little boy that we met in the Clinic that also has Rhabdo, will have to go through another round of treatment. Gabe just completed his 40+ weeks of chemo and should be celebrating right now, but recent tests showed that the cancer is still active and he will have to go through another round of chemo, which will take almost a year. You can read his story at www.gabesmyheart.com It just makes us realize how vulnerable we all are. Please keep Gabe, and his Mom & Dad, Lu & Rob in your prayers.

Thanks!

Wednesday, November 5, 2003 2:49 PM CST

Your Prayers Are Needed.

The other little boy that we have met in the clinic, Gabe, who also has Rhabdo should be celebrating right now. He was through with his chemo and he should be leading the life of a normal two year old (he'll be 2 on Jan 1). However, they just found out that the cancer is still active and he will have to go through another round of chemo, which will take almost a year, and also surgery to extract the tumor. You can read about his story at www.gabesmyheart.com Please keep Gabe and his Mom & Dad, Lu & Rob in your prayers.

Monday, November 3, 2003 9:56 AM CST

A frustrating day in the clinic last Friday! Logan's treatment went fine, like always. But the dr. caught us in the hallway and said that he needed to speak to us about something. So, of course I'm freaking out thinking something is wrong! After what seemed like forever, the dr finally came in to see us. Apparently a staff member had the chicken pox the previous week and since Logan was there for a treatment, he has been exposed. So now, the upcoming tests, etc. have been rescheduled until after the incubation period, which will be November 14th. The surgery is still scheduled for November 18th (so long as he doesn't come down with chicken pox), but the scans & MRIs that were going to be this Thursday, are now scheduled for November 17th. We don't know now if we'll be able to discuss the results of those scans with the surgeon prior to the surgery now, due to tight scheduling.

I finally found out which staff member it was that had the chicken pox and Logan was not in direct contact with her, but just the fact that he was there and she was there, means he was exposed. I really don't think he'll come down with the chicken pox, it's just yet another bump in our rough road!

On a lighter note, Logan really enjoyed the almost 80 degree evening we had for Trick or Treating Friday night. He got lots of good stuff. Check back for a picture of our little kangaroo later this week.

Monday, October 27, 2003 10:32 AM CST

Logan's treatment Friday again went very well. Took a little longer than the past couple weeks, but we finally got out of there.

His counts were great, so he was able to enjoy his birthday party Saturday night. The weiner roast got rained out, but it certainly didn't put a damper on the evening! Logan got lots of great new toys. He especially likes his John Deere tricycle that Mommy & Daddy got him and the John Deere Gator that Grandma & Grandpa Henry got him. He loves playing with the tires! He's a fix it boy! Of course he loves all the toys that play music and light up as well.

I'll have a picture up later on this week of Logan devouring his birthday cake. Took him a while, but he finally decided to dig into it.

This Friday is his last treatment until after surgery. November 6th is the day he goes for scans and MRI, then we meet with the surgeon on the 11th to find out what the game plan is and then surgery is the 18th. Getting very anxious to get it over with! Will keep everyone abreast when we have more information. At this point in time we don't know how long he'll be in the hospital for, whether he'll need radiation, when it will start if he does, etc. Lots of unknowns that will hopefully get answered in the next 2-3 weeks.

Please continue your prayers. They have really helped!

Monday, October 20, 2003 8:38 AM CDT

Logan got along fairly well with his treatment Friday. We had a hard time getting his specific gravity of his urine to the right level, but we did eventually. Unfortunately since it did take much longer than normal to get this accomplished, it was 11 pm before he got his meds Friday night. No one got too much sleep!

We did have one minor mishap before leaving the hospital Saturday morning...we had a new nurse and we had failed to tell her that the decodrom (I have no idea if this is the correct spelling or not) makes Logan sick and it needs to be given to him very slow, through his iv. Well, she gave it to him before I had even realized it and of course, he got sick. Right before we were leaving too.

Other than that, we got along quite well. This was the last time Logan will be in the hospital for his treatment until after his surgery. The dr. told us that there is a possibility that he may not even need radiation, but that will all be determined after the surgery.

Our big boy has a birthday in two days. My how time flies!
We're hoping his counts stay good enough through the week for him to enjoy his birthday party Saturday night.

Thursday, October 16, 2003 10:09 AM CDT

We have a date for surgery for everyone to put on their calendars. November 18th. Don't know time or any details yet, other than the date. Logan will have scans and MRIs on November 6th and if all looks good, then the surgery will be a go. We're not sure when radiation will start. The surgeon will have the final say-so once he examines the incision and sees how well it heals.

We're heading for Nashville tomorrow for a Big Treatment. Will let everyone know how that goes.

Tuesday, October 14, 2003 9:50 AM CDT

I hope that no one experienced too many problems trying to access the page over the weekend. Caring Bridge was switching servers so their site was down for a couple days. In fact, today is the first time I've been able to get on to post an update on Logan.

His treatment on Friday went very well! We were in and out of there in record time! Back home by 3 pm!

This coming weekend, he's back in the hospital for a big treatment. We're hoping that will go as well as it did the last time. Also hoping that we will get admitted on Friday, as planned and not have to wait an extra day. Once the new children's hospital opens, there should be plenty of beds available and we won't have that problem any more. It is expected to open on December 15th. We see noticable changes every week when we're down there.

We're in the midst of birthday party plans! I just can't believe that Logan will be 1 next week! What a year huh?

Monday, October 6, 2003 1:12 PM CDT

Another great report from the Dr. at Friday's treatment! He said that the lump feels like it's just a mass of dead cells, which is great news! It was really hard and firm when we first found it. It's so relieving and comforting to know that the chemo is working!

Logan had a great time at the car show at Damon's Saturday. We got there just in time to pick out "Logan's Choice". Check out the picture under the picture tab. Of course we didn't think about getting a picture of the car until the owner had left, but it was a really pretty blue camaro. Logan wanted to take the trophy home and not give it to the winner though. All the proceeds from the benefit car show will go toward Logan's medical expenses and our travel expenses. Thanks to Tara, Teresa and all the Damon's staff for such a great event and for all your generosity!

Tune in next week for another report!

Tuesday, September 30, 2003 8:51 AM CDT

Finally an opportunity to give an update. Logan was in the hospital this past weekend for "Big Chemo". Daniel & I were both pretty nervous, considering all the complications last time, but everything went great.

We didn't get admitted on Friday, as we were scheduled to. Another little boy in the Clinic, not much older than Logan was running a very high temperature and had a seizure. There was only one bed left on 5 South (where all the cancer kids are at the hospital) and he got Logan's bed. So we stayed at the McDonald House Friday night, hoping someone would be discharged so Logan could get his treatment. We received a call Saturday morning that they had a bed for Logan and rushed right over. He got his treatment at about 5:30 pm. We had absolutely no complications! We tried a new med for nausea and it worked wonders.

After a long wait on Sunday, we were finally discharged at 3 pm. And guess what! We got to sleep in our new house Sunday night! Daniel's family and a few friends graciously took on the task of moving our furniture and whatever else I didn't have time to move myself on Saturday! It was so nice to be back in our home! Although, there's lots of unpacking still to be done.

Logan's been exploring and getting into everything! I wish I had a dime for every time I had to tell him "No, don't touch that" yesterday. Hopefully we can get all these boxes unpacked and take away some of the temptation from him.

For anyone that doesn't already have our new address it's 4762 Staton Ridge Road, Belknap IL 62908.

We're back in the Clinic this Friday for Vincristine. On Saturday we'll be attending the Damon's Car Show. Logan is the "poster child" for the benefit car show. He gets to give special award to the car of his choice! I hope to have a picture up on the website next week.

Monday, September 22, 2003 12:37 AM CDT

Some three days later, I finally find a moment to update on Logan's treatment Friday. It was such an easy trip to Nashville and we were in and out of the clinic in record timing. Our wonderful nurse Wendy had the Vincristine awaiting our arrival. So what is usually a two hour visit, only lasted about an hour! Since Logan was doing so well though, Grandma Neetie (my Mom) and Aunt Marguerite, who went with us, and Logan and myself had to make a couple extra stops in Clarksville on the way home. Needless to say, we didn't get home any sooner than normal.

Logan was able to spend most of the day yesterday with me in the new house as we are preparing to get moved back in. It sounds like Daniel's family and our friends are going to move us while we're back in the hospital with Logan this weekend for "Big Chemo". God bless them!

And Logan's milestone...he has started taking a couple steps! Usually that's about all he'll take before he plops down but he's making progress! We'll be chasing him around the house before too long!

Again, we're back in the hospital this coming weekend. Don't know what to expect, but we will definitely be keeping an eye on those sodium levels! Please say a prayer for us.

Wednesday, September 17, 2003 3:02 PM CDT

Received good news this morning that Logan's sodium levels are still very good, which just goes to prove that it was definitely the chemo that made it drop so drastically when he had the seizures. Not to say that I won't be incredibly nervous next weekend when he get his next Big Chemo treatment, but at least we know what the cause was and that we need to keep an eye on his sodium levels. The drs were even talking about giving him a straight saline drip to make sure he has plenty of sodium in his system before he even gets the Chemo.

Logan and I are going to be accompanied by Grandma Neetie (my mom) and his Great-Aunt Marguerite (my dad's sister), when we're in the clinic on Friday. Looking forward to it!

Monday, September 15, 2003 1:43 PM CDT

After a long weekend working on our house and buying materials for it, I have finally found a couple free moments to give a brief update. Logan did so wonderful in the clinic on Friday! His counts were great and he behaved so well. It's a really long day for him to sit in the car for almost six hours and also sit in the clinic for a couple more hours! So glad to report that the appointment was uneventful, as compared to the previous weekend!

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 10:20 AM CDT

We finally got discharged from the hospital at 3:14 p.m. on Monday afternoon, after waiting most of the day to see a neuphrologist (kidney dr.), who basically told us the same thing we already knew, the chemo caused Logan's sodium level to drop. We got home about 6:30 p.m. and Logan was thrilled to be able to play with all his toys and crawl around the house. Although he did surprise us and stayed standing up after we let go of his hands. He's so proud of his new accomplishment!

Tuesday the home nurse came to take blood for chemistries and his sodium levels turned out to be well within the normal range! We're so pleased!

We'll be back in the Clinic this Friday for "Little Chemo". He just gets one of the meds on "Little Chemo" day.
Hopefully it will go well and we'll be back home by dinner time Friday night!

Monday, September 8, 2003 8:53 AM CDT

Logan is doing so much better today. The meds have pretty much worn off and he is acting like himself again. He seems to have his balance back. We're anxiously awaiting the playroom to open so he can work off some energy before we are released today and start our 3 hour trip home. His sodium levels are well within the normal range, last time they checked at about 3am this morning.

Sunday, September 7, 2003 3:56 PM CDT

We have been in the hospital since Friday, September 5th. Logan received his second "Big Chemo" treatment at about 9:30 pm Friday night. Things didn't go so easily this time though. Although he slept all night long, due to the meds they had given him, he was sick throughout the night. He was still sick Saturday morning, so the drs tried a new medicine on him to ease the vomitting. Daniel was holding Logan as the nurse gave him the new medicine, through his port. Almost immediately after getting this medicine, Logan had a seizure. He started shaking, his eyes opened and rolled back in his head, his pulse ox dropped and his lips started to turn blue. The drs and nurses gave him medicine and oxygen to stop the seizure. Over a period of a couple hours, Logan had three more seizures. They then gave him a different med to control them. We initially thought he had an allergic reaction the medicine the nurse was giving him to control the vomitting, although results from blood work showed that his sodium levels were dangerously low.

A CT scan was done which showed no damage and the neurologists have assured us that the seizures did not last long enough to do any damage. We are so thankful to God for that.

Logan spent last night in the PICU so they could watch him more closely and give him sodium. This morning at 7 am they moved him back to his room on the floor. He's been awake, has eaten and has played, although he is still sleepy from the meds.

The drs are very confused about why his body dumped so much sodium over such a short period of time. One of the chemos he is taking can cause a realse of a hormone in his brain that would release the sodium, although Dr. Whitlock, the head of the Pediatric Oncology Department here at Vanderbilt has never seen this happen in his 20 years here. Logan's sodium levels were well within normal range on Friday. They are doing some more tests to see if they can find anything else out as to what was the the cause.

So, in the future, when he gets his chemo treatments, they will keep a close eye on his sodium levels and give him sodium if needed.

It looks like we will get to go home tomorrow!

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