Turkey Waddle Anyone?

Last year our friends ,the Packers, started the “Turkey Waddle” out here in Queen Creek to benefit Troy. It was a 5K run and I am happy to say we are going to have the 2nd annual Turkey Waddle. Abby’s school, Jack Harmon, got totally involved and it was such a huge success. This year the Turkey Waddle is going to benefit the principal at Ranch Elementary. He was diagnosed with renal cancer and is doing well. I understand he is at St. Joe’s rehabilitating. He was able to try walking with a walker this week so he is making hugs strides to heal. I just wanted to get the word out that yes we will be having another Turkey Waddle on Thanksgiving morning at 8:30. We are super excited for the Turkey Waddle and the chance to help out another family struggling with cancer.

Troy is still doing so great and we couldn’t be happier about that. He had a spinal tap 2 weeks ago and this one was not bad at all. Tomorrow we head to the clinic again for another count check. They want to make sure his counts are still good since they upped one of his chemo’s. I’m sure his counts will be fine but they just like to make sure. Thanks once again to all of you who continue to think about Troy and our family. We are truly blessed.

'IRON TROY'

Troy’s friend Cooper told his dad that Troy was going to be Ironman for Halloween and his dad made this poster for Troy. I just thought it was so thoughtful and Troy truly loved it. All is well with our little Ironman these days. We had a quick trip to the ER last week for a fever but other than that Troy is still doing amazing. It is crazy to think where we were a year ago and I am so glad not to be at that place anymore. Life is good but cancer still stinks. Still we can’t complain about a thing right now. We are so excited for London’s Run again in January. If you haven’t registered yet go to the website and register now so you can’t back out. I’m sure it will be another inspiring day. Look for our family at a water station again this year. Thank you all again for your love and concern for our family and especially for our Troy boy!!!!!!

Troy Boy has turned 4!!!!

Our family had such a great summer. We were so lucky to not have any issues health wise for the entire summer. Then the first week Abby went back to school she got sick which, made Chris sick, which made Wyatt sick, which finally made Troy sick. After a night with 103 temperature we had to be admitted into the hospital. Troy felt miserable with wicked diarrhea, no appetite, dehydration, and a bad tummy ache. Finally 4 days later his temperature got better and we found out he had bronchitis. The whole situation was stressful to say the least but now he is doing great. They put a hold on all his chemo till his counts went back up. We just went to the clinic today and his numbers look good so we are starting the chemo again but only at half the doses he was receiving. We have another clinic visit next Monday to check his counts again and possibly give him another IVIG (or antibodies) to help him. Fevers are so scary for Troy to have with a suppressed immune system and I am so grateful that he is doing so well now. He was able to have his birthday party the day before the fever so that was a blessing. Also, last week his Make A Wish team came over to discuss what he would like to do for his wish. At first when we were told that we should talk to Make A Wish I though it was for kids that are terminal. I said NO THANKS, we are not even talking about that. But then I found out that it was for only terminal kids but now it is for kids with life threatening illnesses as well. They came over with balloons, gifts for all my kids, dessert, pop, plates, forks, etc. We did not have to provide or do a thing. They were amazing and everything was over the top. I’ll write later about the details of his wish but it is going to be a great time for the whole family. The Make a Wish team is a married couple with a family of their own that was just looking for a way to volunteer together so they decided to work with Make A Wish. I admire that and think they are awesome. Thanks to all of you for your continued love and support. Everything is appreciated and nothing goes unnoticed. We recognize how blessed we are everyday! Thanks again!!!!

Diamondbacks Game

Tonight we were able to attend the Diamondbacks game thanks to the American Cancer Society. They have a partnership with the Diamondbacks and a few times a year they have seats available for the American Cancer Society. We certainly had a blast and we felt like we received the star treatment with our seats being in one of the party suites on the Diamond Level. Free Diamondback hats were handed out and free duffle bags also. They also gave us a $20 voucher for concessions and even a parking pass. A great time was had by all and we realized the cancer has some perks. Very few but I’m trying to look on the bright side here. Tonight was amazing and the best part was just hanging out as a family together (minus Wyatt). He is just at way too crazy of an age so he will have to come with us next time. If you have a 1 year old you know what I am talking about. Anyway, we are coming up on our year anniversary of Troy’s diagnosis and I am so happy to have the first year under my belt. Troy started off the summer with a spinal tap and another round of maintenance. This start hasn’t been too bad and he really is doing so great. I love that you can look at him and not even know what an ordeal he has been through. Thanks for all the continued support and concern for Troy and our family. We are still so grateful to you all.

Quick Update

Just wanted to give a quick update on Troy since it has been such a long time since I last posted. Yes, the cast is off and we are so grateful to have that behind us. Bagging the arm in the bath is never fun. We had a to take Troy to the ER a couple weeks ago due to a fever. If he gets a fever at all of 100.5 or above we are to take him directly to the ER. Fevers are never good for someone going through chemotherapy. Luckily, we only had to stay for a few hours. They think he had some crazy virus or something. He is doing so awesome right now!!!! I can't complain about a thing. Chris and I are getting so good at the medicine routine. We remind each other and not to brag but we have not missed a dose yet. Actually, I am going to brag about it because it is dang impressive to remember and keep track of all these drugs. Mostly, becasue we realize missing is not an option. He HAS to have these life saving drugs. Literally, these are life saving and it is our job to make sure he gets them. We have realized that the first week of each course of maintenance is the toughest. Starting with the spinal tap, vincristine in his port, and the steroid at home just does a number on him. It is hard at that time because he doesn’t want to do anything and just feels like crap. At least it is only every 3 months. I can’t believe it has been almost a year since this all started. I am beyond grateful that Troy has responded so well to treatment and I feel like he is one of the lucky ones. Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

BROKEN ARM TAKE 1 & 2

Yes, Troy broke his arm AGAIN!!!!! Last week we were walking and he tripped over his own feet and landed on his wrist. Thus, another cast for a new year. After crying my eyes out for a day I am dealing with it much better now. Troy, on the other hand, is once again a little trooper and adjusting to the cast with ease. He will have to wear it for 4 weeks and we are already down 1 week. Yea!!! Of course, Troy wanted a red cast since Lightning McQueen is red. The dude is obsessed with cars and now even points out sports cars on the freeway and says he wants one of them. He better start saving his money now.

We headed to the pediatric outpatient treatment center (POTC) on Monday for another spinal tap. I can’t believe we made it through our first course of maintenance already. Time is finally started to move instead of crawl by. His hair is coming in so great and most days I have to comb it because it sticks up. For some reason Troy's hair coming back is just a wonderful thing for me. I think he was darling bald, but I am glad he is getting hair. All in all, things are going pretty good and the doctors and nurses are taking great care of him. We are so grateful for modern medicine. Thanks to everyone for your constant concern for Troy.

DISNEYLAND WITH "THE PASS"

A couple of weeks ago we took the whole family to Disneyland and California Adventure. Troy had never been before so we thought this would be a good time to go. The best part of the whole thing was being able to go on the rides through the exits. We went to guest services and told them that Troy was battling leukemia and the less people he is around the better. So they wrote us a "pass" to go on the rides through the exits. There should be some advantages to having leukemia right? It was just pure fun walking past everyone in line and having them stare us down. As fun as it was, I would gladly wait in line on every ride if it meant Troy wouldn’t have leukemia. But since he does it was a great perk. We all had a great time and I look forward to many many more Disneyland vacations with him.

LONDON'S RUN

Sorry, for the length of this post but it had to be said. I wish I was a writer to express this day better but here is my best.

Wow, wow, wow!!!! London’s Run was everything I thought it would be and much much more. The moment we arrived I knew this was going to be a special day. Once I got a look at the tribute tables with pictures of Troy, London, and Tucker the tears were flowing. One picture in particular was of London’s mom Heather and London cheek to cheek. London is bald as can be and yet they both have big smiles on their faces. That picture touched me a great deal because I think it just shows so much about them and their love for each other. Then to watch all the runners take off for the run was inspiring. People of all ages showed up to run the ½ marathon, 10K, and 2 mile fun run. The youngest person I saw was a little 6 year old girl who ran the ½ marathon. Her dad cried when she came through the finish line and so did everyone that saw her. I was inspired by her and what great people she must have in her life. What 6 year old decides to run 13 miles? It was pretty incredible. We also had a group of girls from Snow College in Utah come down just for the run. They all had t-shirts on that said Snow College runs for Troy. Then the back said miles ran……13, miles traveled……1160, saving a child’s life……priceless. Now come on, those girls were awesome. TaLisha and Jen you are amazing. I have to mention my sister Juliet who ran the 1/2 marathon with great determination. The Tyler's by nature are not athletic so that was a great accomplishment in itself. The Wendt side of our family is certainly athletic and Angie did awesome at the 10K.
Abby worked at a water station with Chris’s parents and loved handing out the water to the runners. I hear the water stations were quite a party and we appreciate all those that helped work those. Troy loved riding the mechanical bull, jumping on the bouncies, and getting his face painted with a spider. Wyatt on the other hand just wanted to wander anywhere he could and pick up every last piece of trash and put it directly in his mouth. I just love his devilish attitude. It was awesome to have our whole family out to support and a great thank you to them. We would not be able to accomplish anything without your help. To the Solomon family, we were honored to have been a part of this event and know that it is truly inspired. We will certainly attend every year from now on. Thanks to all those friends, and friends of friends, for coming out to London's Run. It was mind-blowing to see so many of you.

I could go on and on about these stories and some day I could write a book about this whole experience. Although, I hate Leukemia with all my heart and wish Troy didn’t have it, I am forever changed by this experience.

Abby handing out water.
Jules running the 1/2 marathon. Thanks for all the hard work!!!!

6 year old that ran the 1/2 marathon. That's over 13 miles people!!!!!
Angie and Alyssa ran the 10K. Way to go girlies!!!!
Snow College girls. Love em!!!
The whole crew.
Grandma Donna, Val, Don, Nat, Abby, and Jill working the water station!!!

Troy on the BULL!!!
Tribute tables


Leah, Lynn, and Holly B. Way to go girls!!!

London's Run coming up

So, we got to come home from the hospital the next day after Troy received his blood transfusion and IGIV (antibodies) to boost his immune system. Once that was completed we were able to come home. The cat scan showed he does have a sinus infection so he is on an antibiotic for that along with zyrtec for decongestion. These two drugs on top of all the others which is throwing me off a little bit. They will check his IGG level again in about a month and a half to make sure it is looking good. We have made it through half of our first phase of maintenance and things haven’t been too bad. Only 1 fever is something I have to feel lucky about. Once he gets over this sinus infection and we get his numbers looking better maintenance should be a lot better. He continues to take all his medicines and go to the clinic like it is just part of his life. Troy never fights us to take his medicine and sometimes when I get my shoes on to go somewhere he will ask, ”Mom are we going to the doctor?” How sad, but it is what it is. We are all still adjusting but life is going great.

So, I am soooooo excited for London’s Run coming up next weekend on SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2ND. The Solomon family, here is Queen Creek, lost their beautiful daughter London to Leukemia and started this run. They have turned their heartache and sorrow into inspiration and hope for others struggling with cancer. I want to send a personal invitation to all those reading Troy’s blog. Please, please come and be part of this event. Even if you are not a runner there are so many activities to do, even for children. Just coming by to donate blood/platelets would be awesome. I know that when we do service for others our problems seem less important. If you haven’t had a chance yet click on the link up in the right corner for London’s Run or just go to http://www.londonsrun.org/ to see all the awesome events going on that day.

Here are some of them:

Running, ½ marathon, 10K, or 2 mile fun run/walk
Breakfast & BBQ lunch ($5 per individual, $20 per family)
Kids Corner (Free)
Mechanical Bull (SWEET!!)
Silent Auction (awesome items up for auction, check them out at the london’s run website)
London’s Ride (equestrian trail ride)
Blood Drive (don’t forget your driver’s license)


Seriously, this is going to be an amazing day and we are so grateful to the Solomon family and everyone who has taken the time to put this event together. We truly feel honored to be a part of it.

Short stay in hospital

Yesterday Troy was admitted to the hospital for a short stay of 23 hours for a fever. His red blood counts are down so they will give him a blood transfusion. The doctors also did an IGG test (a component of your immune system) which was also down so he will have another transfusion of antibodies to boost that number back up. They also want to get a cat scan of his sinus area and a chest x-ray to see if anything is going on since he has had an ongoing cold. All of this should help him feel better since yesterday he felt like crap and threw up all over on the way to the clinic. So, hopefully by this evening we should be able to go home and Troy will be feeling better. He is in good spirits and had no qualms about going back to the hospital. Wish the same could be said for Chris and I. We know we have been so lucky to not have any major problems for this entire 7 months. I count my blessing daily and know how blessed I am. Still, it is difficult to go back to the place where it all began. I remember every detail of that time and what a whirlwind of emotions that was. Luckily, the nurses are still amazing and knowing it is just a short stay makes things easier. Thanks to my Jay Circle sisters (Holly and Heidi) and Holly B. for taking on my kids at the drop of a hat. We appreciate you so much and are thankful we live so close. Thanks to everyone for your support and concern.