TURKEY WADDLE!!!!

The whole Tyler Family that came out to run.

Check out Nate Braunhut's shirt. Is he awesome or what?
Getting ready to start.
Chris and Troy after the run.
My sister Holly stopped to pose for a picture. Check out her sweet headphones.
My dad running. What a great grandpa.


I finally got around to these pictures and I just had to post them because this was truly an amazing Thanksgiving morning. Once again, our friends the Packer’s put this all together and we had such a great time. The Dad’s club and PTSO at Abby’s school sponsored the event and sent out flyers to every student in the whole school. We so much appreciate all the time and effort that went into organizing, and running this event. Harmon Hawks rock!!!! A great big thank you to everyone that came out to run, we hope you enjoyed it. Start training for the London’s Run in February.

Future Doctor???

These days Troy likes to give himself his own medicine and chemo all by himself. It is just too funny and I’m glad he is so great at taking his medicine. The other night I was taking him to bed and he said, "Mom you forgot my medicine." Good thing the 3 year old is on top of things when I'm not. Almost every time we go to the clinic Troy has to get his finger poked and he just watches the blood go into the little tube. For every spinal tap Troy is put to sleep with anesthesia and this last spinal tap the anesthesiologist let him push the medicine into his port that puts him to sleep. He loves to watch the magic white stuff go through his tube. All these things are a little strange to me, for a 3 year, old but hey this his how he is dealing with all this. Anything that makes him feel more comfortable with all this change is just fine with me. He goes back to the clinic on Christmas Eve to check counts and then not again for 2 more weeks. Yea!!!!

Maintenance Here We Come!!!!!

We have finally made it to the maintenance phase and we are sooooo excited. Last week Troy’s numbers were back up and they approved him to start maintenance on Tuesday. He had a spinal tap and chemo through his port along with the steroid for 5 days. We started another oral chemo that he will take everyday for the remaining 2 ½ years. What a champ this dude has been and we are so proud of how tough he is. I know we still have a long way to go but I am just grateful to have come this far. We will go to the clinic every 2 weeks to check his numbers for the first few months and then just once a month!!! Thanks again to all our family and friends for your love and support. We could not have made it this far without all of you.

Gift Basket at PapaRazzinis

Christine and I with the check from the Penne a la Troy meal!!!

I did want to let everyone know that our friends down at PapaRazinnis are raffling off a gift basket full of great stuff as another fund raiser for Troy. Is this family awesome or what? Take a moment from this crazy time of year and have a nice dinner at their restaurant. You will not be disappointed. Here is a list of the items in the gift basket and the breakdown of the ticket prices. ENJOY!!!

Ticket prices:
1 ticket: $5.00
5 tickets: $14.00
8 tickets: $20.00

That's $2.50/ticket when you buy 8! It's like half off :)

Raffle Tickets available at:
PapaRazzini's Italian Eatery
1825 E Guadalupe
Tempe, AZ 85283
for reservations call 480.345.6560
Closed Mondays :)

Gift Basket Goodies!

Gift Certificates:
Jamba Juice
Starbucks
Bikram Yoga of Tempe
Salon Va Bella
Route 66 Salon
Frys Food and Drug
Changing Hands Book Store
All Night Auto
Mac's Broiler
Papa Razzini's

Wine Vendors:
Southern
Republic of Arizona
Action Wine
Valley of the Sun
Alliance Beverage

Gift Basket valued at over $500.
Raffle tickets available through 12/24
Drawing will be held on Christmas day

Weekend over!!!

Well we seem to have almost made it through this weekend without any fevers or issues. (Knock on wood.) I took Abby to the Polar Express and she had a blast while Chris stayed home with the boys. I was super sad that Troy could not come with us but hey there is always next year. Troy will go to the clinic tomorrow to check his counts and I am so curious to see what they are. I am hoping he will not be severely neutropenic, at least. If he is still neutropenic that’s ok as long as his numbers are improving. He is just bouncing off the walls still running around like crazy. I would think when his counts are low he should fatigued or tired but that is not the case at all. (Knock on wood again). Although, I still have a ton of Christmas things to get done, I truly think what does it matter. Chris and I realize what does mean the most to us and that is all that matters.

Homeward Bound

Well Troy had another clinic visit yesterday and we found out he is severely neutropenic. That means his ANC # is below 500 and he is very susceptible to bacteria. If he were to get sick he doesn’t have much of what your body needs to fight it off. We are washing our hands like mad and I have decided not to take him anywhere till his numbers are back up. The doctors told me last week that he was probably on his way to being neutropenic so I didn’t take him anywhere last week either. We have played Candy Land, made Christmas ornaments, looked at Christmas lights and played cars. Any other suggestions for stay at home fun would be great. Really, it is not bad and I am grateful that we have gone this long without him being neutropenic. The only real bummer is that we had a couple of fun events this weekend that we will not be able to do. We had tickets for the whole family to go on the Polar Express train ride this weekend and Troy was suppose to ride on the London’s Run float at the Queen Creek Christmas parade. I am just heartsick about him missing both events but Chris and I decided it is just not worth it. If Troy was to spike a fever up north we would have no hospital near by and that would just be stressful. I would love to have him ride on the London’s Run float but with all those people around that is also just too big of a worry. So home we will stay until his numbers come back up. They think that could take a few weeks so I am a hand washing Nazi. I know we have been so lucky thus far to have Troy do so well with all his chemo. We recognize our blessings daily and thank everyone for your support.

Poker Night and 45 days down!!!!

Abby, Troy and I, Kelly Bray (Dean of Students), Chris Lineberry (Principal), Nate Braunhut (5th Grade Teacher and member of the awesome Dad's club) You guys are amazing!!!

We have made it through 45 of the 56 days and we are thrilled to be almost done with this phase. I thought this phase was 60 days but, yeah, it is only 56. Monday Troy went to the clinic for chemo and we found out his numbers were pretty low. Tuesday he had a blood and platelet transfusion that took about 6 hours. Luckily, at the pediatric outpatient treatment center (POTC) they have a portable DVD player so he just watched movies and colored on cars paper of course. The blood transfusion will help him get more energy and give him a little color back. I didn’t even think he looked pale but the doctor could see it right away. The platelet transfusion helps his body with clotting. He seemed to be doing fine until last night. Troy was up coughing and gagging in the middle of the night. We had a bowl in his bed thinking he was going to throw up but he never did, thank goodness. Abby and Wyatt are sick with a cold and Troy has gotten it also. Luckily, no fever so he is doing pretty good. The doctors expect his numbers to drop even more, so this is the critical stay home and go nowhere time. Once his numbers come back up we could be in the maintenance phase as early as December 10th. Maintenance will consist of spinal taps once every three months, an oral chemo at home every day, the steroid drug 5 days a month, another oral chemo once a week at home, and visiting the clinic for chemo once every 4 weeks. It sounds like a lot but it is certainly less than what we are doing now. Yes, his hair has fallen out and there is something strange about washing your child’s head and feeling only skin. Although, I don’t like it because now he looks like a cancer patient, I still think he looks darn handsome.

A couple of weeks ago Abby’s school (Jack Harmon) sponsored a “poker night” to help pay for Troy's medical bills and prescriptions. The PTSO and Dad’s club put it on and it was a great success. Chris didn’t even know how to play poker but still had such a great time. Abby’s principal & faculty has truly embraced our family. They have taken on so much just to help support us. What remarkable people we are surrounded by. We are so grateful that people still want to help and we are touched daily by their generosity.

If anyone out there is looking for a way to help we ask if possible to donate blood or platelets. Donating blood does not take very long while donating platelets does take about a hour. How grateful we are that people out there take the time to donate. This week Troy has benefited from their small sacrifice of time. Next week it might be another child battling cancer who will benefit from your time. I truly never thought about donating blood or platelets until all this happened back in June. What an easy way to help out. Go out on a date and make it a “blood and dinner” date. Just kidding but I thought it was pretty funny. Once I get pictures of the Turkey Waddle I will post those but that was awesome also. Thanks to everyone, we love and appreciate all you do.

More Spaghetti Dinner/Silent Auction Pics & Troy's Update

Maren who seriously put the word out and collect a ton of items for the silent auction. Another MVP!!!
The guest of honor eating his spaghetti and loving it.
Justin was the auctioneer and did a wonderful job. He could have a career as a MC.
Jennifer and Jeff Stout who put so much time into the whole night. Jeff was the one who designed the website and he did a fantastic job. We love it. Yet two more MVP's.
Troy at the end of the night. It was quite a success.

RACAP:

There are no words to express how wonderful the spaghetti dinner and silent auction was. It was absolutely amazing how it all worked out. We were able to raise close to $7000 dollars for Troy. Every bit of it will go to pay for Troy’s growing medical bills, copays, and prescriptions. What a relief to have that burden taken off of us. Even if it is only for a little while, every little bit helps. So many people that I had never met before were there, and the kindness of strangers was truly fascinating. We had people in our neighborhood come over and say they had just eaten dinner and forgot about the dinner but still wanted to donate. My heart melted as I opened an envelope from a little sister and brother with a few dollar bills and change. What wonderful children with remarkable parents. Although, I hate to be on the receiving end of things, I have learned so much about people and their genuine concern for my family. That is how it should be, everyone taking care of each other. Alright enough of that or I will start crying. We must give a colossal THANK YOU to Susie and Dave Packer, Maren Urkov, Jeff & Jennifer Stout, Janae Heath, my family, all those that donated items for the silent auction, those that came out to the dinner that night, and anyone else that I might have forgotten. We truly appreciate all the hard work and planning that went into that night. . Get ready for the Turkey Waddle on Thanksgiving morning, the Harmon Dad’s club basketball tournament December 1st, and London’s Run in February. These are great opportunities to help and we so appreciate those who organize all these events. I know I sound like a broken record but we truly do appreciate everyone's kindness.

Troy's Update:

Well Monday was quite a long day at the Peds Outpatient Treatment Center (POTC). Troy had another spinal tap along with a shot of another chemo drug called cytarabine in his arm and another chemo drug called cyclophosphamide that was on a drip into his port. The cyclophosphamide is a very strong chemo drug that had to be diluted in Troy’s body. We had to hydrate him for 4 hours since the drug can’t sit in his bladder or else that causes bleeding. I am glad we are done with that for this week. A home health nurse comes for the next 3 days to give him the shot in his arm and then next week we do it all over again. Spinal tap on Monday followed by the shots for the next 3 days. I am happy to say we are done with 30 days and half way through this phase. Also for the next 14 days he will be on an oral chemo that we give him at home called thioguanine. Taking medicine has become a normal routine for him. Troy just might be the bravest little boy to go through all of this. He gets better and better at tolerating all the pokes and chemo. How grateful we are for the doctors and nurses who take such remarkable great care of Troy. Thanks again to all of you for your concern and support.

Spaghetti Dinner Pics

My sisters Kelli, Heidi, and other sisters Leah and Holly B. (A)
My twin sister Holly taking the money at one of the entrances.
My niece Emma serving salad.
Dave Packer, worked incredibly hard on the dinner night and all throughout the preparation of this event. You are a MVP Dave!!!
My sister Nat, Janae, Susie, and Brianna. These ladies worked so hard to put this night into action and it was Susie's idea for the dinner. I am so glad she has such a huge heart and wanted to do something to help. It was a "magical" night.

25 days down!!!! / Spaghetti Dinner Tomorrow

So we are 25 days down of the 60 in this phase and I am so excited. Troy is doing great despite the eating constantly and mood swings. Seriously, he is eating non-stop but that should wear off soon. We go on Monday for another spinal tap and several different chemo drugs so I am not looking forward to that. Then the next week we do it all over again. The later part of this phase is pretty intense and the doctors say he should be pretty tired. I can’t imagine him anymore tired than he already is. The dude wants to go to bed so early every night and I find him asleep throughout the day also. I guess the more rest the better for him. Almost half way through and we are so lucky to not have had too many issues. I can’t believe it has been 5 months since this all began. It sure has gone by slow but hopefully time will fly once we are in maintenance. We know in the end everything will be just fine.

Tomorrow is the big day for the SPAGHETTI DINNER/SILENT AUCTION. So much hard work has been put into this & I hope everyone who reads this can attend. There is so much awesome stuff up for auction and even more that has not been added to the website. Check out the items on the benefit link on Troy’s blog under spaghetti dinner. http://www.wendtfamilybenefit.org/ We are talking Suns tickets, zoom teeth whitening, photo sessions, and much much more. We are so excited for this event and appreciate all the hard work that has been put into this.

Tough Week

We have had quite a difficult week. The chemo drugs are really starting to wear on Troy. He is crabby, tired, and just feel like crap most of the day. I can tell he really is trying to be a good boy but he just feels so miserable. The other night we took him to the ER after he had been throwing up every 10 minutes for 7 hours. He then got a slight fever and blood in his throw up that we decided that is enough we need to take him to the ER. They re-hydrated him and gave him a different nausea medicine that seemed to work. After a horrible night of no sleep he finally slept for 5 hours and then took another nap later that day. He is just so tired right now and wants to go to bed so early. It is truly heartbreaking to watch your child in pain and not do anything to help take the pain away. We are going to try the new nausea medicine now at home and see if that works better for the tummy aches. I knew this phase was going to be tough but I truly hate it right now. Why do lifesaving drugs have to make you feel so crappy? For now we are just trying to get through this difficult phase and we look forward to the up and coming maintenance phase. Thanks for all the support from everyone. We are and will forever be grateful.

START OF FINAL PHASE

Tomorrow we will be starting the final phase before we are in the maintenance period. This phase will last 60 days and is the most intense we have had since the beginning. We start tomorrow with a spinal tap, back on the steroid, and several other drugs. Troy will be getting 18 does of drugs a day and his face will get plump again. He will be looking nice and chubby for Christmas. Good thing he looks great with chubby cheeks. We just want to get through these next few months and make it to the ever coveted maintenance phase. That will be a miracle in itself. Cars continues to be Troy’s obsession and every time we go to the doctor he gets to pick a toy from the closet or treasure chest and what he gets just about every time, a car. He truly loves them all and never gets tired of playing cars. One of the child life specialist got Troy started with a bead necklace that shows every time Troy has had a surgery, blood transfusion, chemo, days in the hospital, pokes, access of the port, and several other things. The necklace is already full and I can’t imagine how long it will be when we are done with all this. Troy wasn’t very interested in the beads so Abby finished it for him but they offer so many great programs for these kids. Any little thing helps in my eyes. Thanks to everyone for your support.

New Website

This picture was at his birthday a few months ago but he looks so great. Anyway, an awesome website has been set up for Troy with info about the spaghetti dinner or to donate to the silent auction. It is so great and the finishing touches are still being added but it looks amazing. Check it out at wendtfamilybenefit.org. Once again, many many thanks to all our support and to Jeff Stout for designing the web page. You did an incredible job.

****SAVE THE DATE****

Some friends of ours are planning to have a benefit spaghetti dinner for Troy. This will be on FRIDAY NOVEMBER 9th from 6:00-8:00. It will be $5 per person or $20 per family. Please spread the word and more info will be coming soon. As if a spaghetti dinner wasn’t enough they will also have a silent auction that night. If you would like to donate one of your talents, goods, services, or theme baskets that would be awesome. I know a lot of people with many talents to share so please sign up. I have also set up a Benefit Fund at Bank of America for Troy. If anyone can not come that night but still want to contribute you can call or go into any Bank of America. Just give them the name TROY TYLER WENDT LEUKEMIA BENEFIT FUND and you should be good to go. This of course will help Troy in his fight against leukemia. We appreciate everyone and their willingness to help. Once I get more info I will let you know so just keep that date open.

Very Grateful

I usually like to post a picture of Troy along with an update on how he is doing but he is taking a nap right now and I wanted to post this while I had the chance. Our family has been so lucky to have such wonderful people around us that are so willing to help at the drop of a hat. We have received so many cards, gifts for Troy and Abby, loving notes, meals, and just a genuine concern for Troy and all of us. If I wrote thank you notes to everyone I would be writing for days. I have been truly overwhelmed with how kind people have been. I know we have been so lucky to have Troy do so well with his chemo and all the love and prayers I believe has been a great help. This sounds cheesy but seriously I can’t help but be grateful for such amazing people around us. Thanks to you all.

VACATION

Well we made it back from vacation and boy did we have a blast. We are so lucky that we had no issues or problems with Troy since he had chemo 2 days before we left. The beach was certainly the highlight for Troy. Abby and Troy could stay all day and night if we let them. Most of the time they would just run from the waves and it made me tired just watching them run. The weather was perfect and everything went just great. We know that was a small miracle to not have any problems.

Troy did have an allergic reaction to one of the chemo drugs a week before we left. He got hives all over his body the day after he had a PEG Asparaginase shot in both legs. The drug that is substituted for that is not approved yet so at this time he will not have that chemo drug anymore. This was the first snag we have run into since this started so I can’t complain. I asked the doctor what that will do are far as his progress goes. He said we don’t know what the effects are when you don’t receive the shots but we do know that when the PEG shot is given in the high doses that Troy was receiving it is very effective. Kind of a bummer but what can you do? He only has one more of those shots on his protocol so that is ok. He goes this Thursday for some more chemo and then we start the intense phase which will last 2 months. By Thanksgiving or Christmas we should be in maintenance which will be heaven. I can’t wait.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU!!!!!

We have to send an enormous thank you to the family owned Italian restaurant PapaRazzini’s. For the whole month of July until Troy’s Birthday, August 20th, they have been doing a fundraiser for him. Customers could donate money and receive a picture of a car to color or just write on and in return they would receive a free dessert. The response was overwhelming to me. We went to the restaurant a few weeks ago and all the walls were covered with the cars with well wishes written on them. My sister in law Angie had put posters around the restaurant with pictures of Troy and we were amazed. It literally brought tears to my eyes to see all the cards and pictures. What a truly KIND family to do this for us. We were just strangers to them but once they heard about Troy they jumped in and wanted to help. PapaRazzini will be on News Channel 3 on September 4th at 11:50 to promote a special dish in Troy’s honor. They plan on picking the fundraiser back up in October. Could they be the nicest family ever? Not to mention the food was outstanding. If any of you are ever in the mood for some yummy Italian food with an awesome atmosphere head down to PapaRazzini’s. We are so lucky to know them and thanks to Angie and Courtney for getting the word out to this incredible family. Here is a picture of Christine from the restaurant with Troy and the check and Troy with all the cards that were hanging in the restaurant. GRAZIE!!!!!

Paparazzinis.netfirms.com
1825 E. Guadalupe Rd., Ste. F-110
Tempe, AZ 85283
Ph 480-345-6560

TROY'S HAD A BIRTHDAY SHOUT HOORAY!!!!

Troy’s birthday was today and I am happy to say he is now 3 years old. We had a party on Friday and he had so much fun. Grandma Val got him some race cars and he has yet to put them down. How can one boy be so obsessed with cars? He truly loves them. We also had a friend that ties balloons come over and boy did all the kids eat him up. He did an awesome job for us. Troy had, of course, a cars birthday cake and loved opening his presents one tiny piece of wrapping paper at a time. It was a fun night.

Well, we started another mini phase of phase II about a week ago. We go to the doctor every 10 days for 41 days, plus a couple days in between those for different chemo drugs, plus 2 spinal taps. Everything is so precise and I have an enormous calendar to keep it all straight. One of his doctors said, "he is breezing right through this." Easy for him to say, but really Troy has been doing great. I just wish I could 'breeze' right through this.

Our family had a vacation planned the week this whole ‘journey’ began that we had to cancel, so we are now going to try and go in a couple of weeks. I hope Troy is feeling good and he does ok. The doctors are going to give us a couple different phone numbers of oncologist in San Diego just in case we need anything. All in all, he is doing amazing and we couldn’t be happier about his progress. Troy is a tough little guy who is adjusting to all of this like a champ. Thanks to all of you who still pray and think about our family. We truly appreciate every one of you and all the support. We couldn’t do this without you.

2 weeks off from doctors!!!!!

Just wanted to update everyone on Troy’s progress. We have had 3 weeks of spinal taps once a week, plus clinic visits every week and now we get a little break from that. He is really quite the trooper I must say. The nurses are great and Troy is even giving them smiles when they talk to him. This is a vast improvement from not talking to them at all for fear of what they were going to do to him. We sat down with the lady at the bank and Troy said really scared, “What are they going to do to my arm?” He is just leery of anyone. The protocol Troy is on will get more intense as the months go by. In about 2 months he will have be having a lot of chemo drugs. I just want to get through this phase and onto the maintenance phase. Everyone says that the maintenance phase is a piece of cake. We are enjoying the break and loving having our old Troy boy back. I do have to tell about a lady we met while Troy was getting his spinal tap last week. Her name is Trish and her daughter Sammy was diagnosed with the same kind of Leukemia as Troy (ALL) in March. This lady was so bubbly and happy telling us that she spend a lot of time in the hospital so if I need to know where the good toys or good treats are just ask her. She went on to tell us that her husband passed away in September of Leukemia so she is doing this on her own. Trish said that she does not think “woe is me,” she is just grateful for everyday she has with Sammy ( her only child ). I could not believe what I was hearing. I though what the heck does she have to smile about but somehow she has found a way to deal with all of this by herself since she just lost her husband to Leukemia. It just goes to show when you think you have it rough it could ALWAYS be worse. I am so grateful that Chris and I have each other and our seriously AMAZING support system. We love all of you.

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN

Are these 2 related? Some people in the fam have said that Troy looks just like Nat. I just don’t see it. Are they talking about the nose, lips, or possibly the brown eyes, because I just don’t know? Troy has been SOOOOOO happy these last few days. He has been like himself , laughing, smiling, talking, playing and tormenting Wyatt like he used to. I never thought I would be so happy to peel Troy off of Wyatt. I used to spend most the day telling Troy to get out of Wyatt’s face and now I am just so happy to see him enjoying his brother again. Poor Wyatt has to feel the brunt of that situation. Good thing he is such an awesome baby. Troy has starting walking again which is great because carrying around a nearly 40 pound toddler has done a number on my neck and back. He even tried to run a little today which is really funny to watch. Troy just looks so great and life feels some what good again. Thanks to you all for your support. We appreciate everything that has been done for us.

YEA Troy's cancer is in remission!!!!!!

Well we got some awesome news yesterday. Troy’s cancer is in remission!!!! We could not be happier. The surgery to place his port went great and he is doing so super good. We have seen Troy’s smile emerging again and even him belly roll laughing. I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been to see a smile on his face again. Ever since he had his PICC line removed and we have been back home he has been so happy. Don’t get me wrong he still has his screaming spells but I know that will taper off eventually. I am just happy everything is happening just as it should. We could not hope for anything better at this point. Life is hard but things are looking up. Troy’s next clinic visit is on Wednesday and that is when we find out what protocol he has been randomized into. We will start a whole new set of chemotherapy in phase II, which will last 6-8 months. I know all our prayers have been answered and we just need to have a little faith.

Back in the Hospital

Troy had a PICC line in his arm that they have been using to draw blood, give anesthesia, and give chemo treatments through. This has been great since they haven’t had to stick him with an IV because they could use the PICC line. Well, on Friday his arm that the PICC line was in got very swollen. About double the size of his other arm. I did not call anyone about this problem until Saturday when the home health care nurse told me to take him to the ER right away. They did an ultrasound and luckily found no blood clots and he has not been running a fever so they didn’t think it was an infection either. All of this was good news. The doctor decided that the PICC line was doing more harm than good so they removed it and today the swelling had gone down some, enough to let us come home. I am so glad to be back home and what a horrible weekend it was. I know he will end up in the hospital every now and then but it still stinks to have your child in the hospital. I absolutely hate it. We go back to the clinic tomorrow and Thursday is D day. He will have all his procedures and have his port put in. For those who don’t know what a port is here is the definition. A port-a-cath (IVAD-Implantable Venous Access Device)- A small reservoir connected to a flexible tube which is surgically placed under the skin leading to a major blood vessel. This may be used for drawing blood or giving blood products, fluids, or medicines. Once the port is in they will be able to access it to give him chemo. Yes, I feel like I am talking about Star Wars with all this access port lingo. Hopefully, the next phase will go by fast and we will have our old Troy Boy back, which is all Chris wants. I will update after we hear the results from Thursday. Thanks again to everyone.

Big Cheeks

I can hardly believe how slow time is going by. It has only been 3 weeks since this whole “Journey” began and it feels like a year. Well Troy is doing OK so far he is on a steroid that makes you grouchy and hungry ALL the time. I tried to take a picture of his cheeks while he was looking in the pantry but he was not having that. He looks like a different child and has gained 5 pounds in 2 weeks. When you start out at 28 pounds 5 more makes a huge difference. I can’t help but laugh when I look at him which precedes him covering his face saying, “Don’t look at me!” Chris and I have got to learn to just get used to this plump faced Troy. We go back to the clinic on July 3rd to make sure all his numbers look good for another spinal tap and bone marrow aspiration on July 5th. Hopefully all the Leukemia cells will be gone and into phase II we should go. Phase II will last 6-8 months. As I understand it he will have highs and lows in Phase II. We could possibly end up back in the hospital if he gets sick at all. I am not looking forward to that but I won’t be surprised when it happens. We know Troy is in excellent hands since these doctors and nurses are seriously unbelievable. Even down to the gal taking my insurance card at the clinic, they are all incredible. I still wish every second of the day that this in not happening but I know this is reality and I just have to deal with it, no matter how much both Chris and I HATE it. I will let you all know after the result from the July 5th procedures come back. Thanks to all of you friends and family.

GREAT NEWS!!!!

Yesterday we got some great news from the doctor. Troy's bone marrow came back and he only shows 4.5% Leukemia cells left. This is amazing new to us but just what the doctors had expected. They hope to see only 5% or less by day 8 of chemotherapy. Troy is right on track and still considered a standard patient. We also found out he is a rapid early responder meaning now they know what path of chemotherapy to go down and how intense it needs to be. This is certainly an educational experience for our family but I'm sure by the end of the 3 years we will all be experts on this subject. What I do know now is that the cause of Leukemia is unknown. Contrary to what some have thought, you can not get Leukemia from eating bad meat or drinking bad water. I don't know why Troy has this disease and I will have to ponder that question later, but for now all I am focusing on is taking care of him and getting him better. Thanks to the Busby gals for starting this blog. It is a great way to tell everyone that cares how he is doing. You know I love you girls. Life is looking up and thanks to everyone for their love and prayers. I believe we have been blessed already.

We are starting to see some of our old Troy boy coming back. Today he insisted on dressing himself all by himself hense the inside out and backwards shirt. He is doing great at home. Yesterday was a tough day for the whole family especially Troy since he had a couple of procedures done. He is doing well enough to only go the the clinic once a week instead of the twice a week normally. By next Tuesday we should know how much of the leukemia is gone. They hope to only see 25% left. If they show more than that they will have to do another spinal tap and bone marrow aspiration next Wednesday. We hope to not put him through that again since he has just HAD IT with doctors, nurses, and hospitals all together. Little does he know this is going to be a long process and he will just have to adjust. This has certainly been a life altering experience for our whole family and I am sad that life will never be the same. I can't worry about that now though, all that matters is getting Troy better so he can have a happy normal life. Thanks again to everyone for all your help and support. We greatly appreciate it.

We are home!!!!

Well we finally got to come home on Saturday night. The moment we walked in the door Troy got the biggest grin on his face and we knew he was so glad to be out of the hospital. He is doing pretty good considering his leukemia. He takes 18 doses of medication everyday which can be a challenge to get a 2 year old to swollow medicine that taste like poop. But, we know he is trying his best. I can already see great inprovments just in the few days we have been home. He is finally eating a little bit, sleeping great and trying to be a good boy. Troy will go to the clinic and outpatient treatment center twice a week for the next month and they expect ALL the lukemia cell to be gone by the end of this month. We just can't wait till the 4th of July!!! The rest of his treatment will be about 3 years but we don't care as long as he gets better. That is the only option at this point. I have to tell all of our family, friends and ward buds how wonderful they all have been during this terrible time. I know that we are so lucky to have a great support all around us. Without it this would be impossible. I don't know how I will ever thank everyone for their help, words of hope, and prayers. Please know everything is appreciated and I know that is what will pull Troy through this. I'll try to update his progress as often as I can and pass along the good news when it comes. Thanks again.

Update - June 6, 2007

Troy had a spinal tap performed yesterday morning. There were no Leukemia cells found, which means that there was no sign of the disease in his spine or brain. He also had his first dose of chemotherapy yesterday afternoon. He is still in a lot of pain but he has been a trooper.

He loves his room at the hospital. It is filled with balloons and he has his bed and the table next to him full of cars. He holds on to two of his favorites at all times; right now it is Lightning McQueen and Sally. While Troy was in another room, Chris asked him if he wanted to go home. He said, "No, I want to go back to my room." Troy was also able to go on a couple wagon rides yesterday through the hospital and even outside. The hospital accommodations have been great and the nurses have done a wonderful job of trying to keep the whole family comfortable. Abby and Wyatt were able to visit Troy yesterday and Troy was happy to see his crazy sister and his little brother that is almost as big as him. He did have to keep telling them to be quiet so that he could hear the movie Cars though.

Leukemia Confirmed

It has been confirmed that Troy does have Leukemia. A catheter has been placed into his chest and chemotherapy treatments will begin as early as tomorrow morning. He has been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), which of all the kinds of Leukemia gives Troy the best chance for a full recovery. The doctors have indicated that Troy may be able to come home as early as Saturday where he will continue his treatment at home. Once the remission of the Leukemia has been achieved, Troy will continue his chemotherapy for the next few years in order to ensure that the remission is permanent. The remission rate for ALL is as high as 90%.

A ward fast will be taking place this Thursday on behalf of Troy and the Wendt family. Your participation would be greatly appreciated. With your prayers, we are sure that Troy will be on his way to a full recovery.

On Monday, June 4th, Troy went to the doctor to find out why he was so uncomfortable after a night of restlessness. Once the blood tests were returned, the doctors ordered him to Desert Samaritan Hospital. The doctors have indicated that the most likely culprit is Leukemia. Troy has spent the last few nights at the hospital undergoing several tests. We have created this blog to keep all those that know and love Troy Boy up-to-date with the latest information as to his health.

Some tests that have been performed include taking bone marrow samples from his hip and extensive x-rays of his chest. As of now, the doctors are not 100% sure that it is Leukemia or a really bad infection. However, they do say that it is extremely likely. They also say that it is not a typical case and they are running further tests to be sure. There are several types of Leukemia and the tests will tell us what type, if any, he will have to face.

This is all the information that we have at this time. We will post any new information to this blog so that Chris and Heather can concentrate on being with Troy. Phone calls are appreciated, but please check this blog first or contact the Houskeepers at 480-832-1464 in lieu of contacting the Wendts directly.

Also, for those who would like to send anything to the hospital, we have been told that flowers and latex balloons are not allowed in the ICU. The only balloon they will accept is the Mylar type, which is the metallic kind.

Thank you for your prayers and concern.