Troy's final chemo at home!!!

T-2.5 Months left of chemo!!!

Yes, it is finally happening. We have about 2.5 months left of chemo and we couldn't be happier about that. Even Troy is jazzed to be done although I don't think he minds it either way. It has been a long 3+ years and we are just ready to be done and move on cancer FREE. I don't know if anyone reads this blog anymore but just in case you do we are planning on having a big end of treatment party. Probably in August at a Jr. High swimming pool. We would love to invite everyone that has helped us throughout the years. I know there are people out there and we would love to have you come and celebrate with our family. If you would like to come please email me or leave a comment so I can send you an invitation. It is going to be a PARTY so don't be shy!!!!
hwendt23@yahoo.com

London's Run/Ride

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Another wonderful time was had at London's Run/Ride this year!!! Each year I love it more and more. All the training and hard work pays off for me when I run it. The day started with the opening ceremonies given by Heather Solomon (London's Mom). I stood there with Troy and all the other children that have benefied from London's Run throughout the years. To stand next to these parents and kids was very difficult for me but yet I felt so grateful to be a part of it. Heather talked about how much these kids go through on a daily basis. She said the reason they wanted to have a 1/2 marathon was because that is something very hard to do. Just like what these children go through is very hard too. By the end of the opening ceremonies I was a crying mess but I got myself together to run. My favorite part of the race was all the pictures along the course. Seeing my Troy boy on the posters gave me all the motivation to keep going. My family and friends at the water station is always a treat as well. Seeing them cheer me on is something I look forward to. At every corner I saw a Troy's Army shirt and I loved that. From the beginning of this journey I have recognized how blessed my life truly is but on a day like London's Run it is nice to be reminded. Thank you all so much for being a part of Troy's Army this year. It was a journal entry day for sure. I love all the people that organize this event each year and I look forward to next year already. It is amazing how many lives one little girl named London has changed. Thanks again everyone!!!

Like mother like daughter

If any of you know my mother you know that she has a difficult time throwing things away. Seriously, she has old check books from the 80's and just can’t part with much. I usually am quite the opposite of that but the other day I realized I am more like her than I thought. As I was cleaning out some files I found all these cards and notes that I didn’t realize I had kept. They were from when everything "went down" back in June of 07. At that time I remember thinking I wanted to throw everything out that I got. Not because I didn’t appreciate it because I certainly did, but because I didn’t ever want to be reminded of that time in my life. I took NO pictures of Troy in the hospital what so ever simply because I didn’t want to remember at all. To my surprise finding these gems was kind of fun and humbling. I was reminded how blessed I was and am to have truly remarkable people in my life. Not only family and friends gave cards and gifts. Even parents of friends and strangers took time to send us a note and let us know they were thinking about Troy and my family. As we are in the serious count down from this journey I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with all the support throughout the years. Thank you, thank you, for EVERYTHING!!! And, thank you mom for giving me the don’t thrown anything out gene. I am glad that gene comes out every now and then. By the way, we will be having a huge end of treatment party when we are done in August so clear your calendars for that.

Turkey Waddle Anyone?

Yes, this picture is from 2 years ago but I just love it. It was taken at the 1st Turkey Waddle which was held at Harmon Elementary School. Since then the Turkey Waddle has been a new tradition for my family and many others. This year will benefit 2 amazing young ladies. Natasha is a mother of 3 who has been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She is only 33 years old and has such a remarkable outlook on life. A true rock star!!! Hana is a young student at Combs High School who is in need of a heart transplant. Being a teenager, I can’t imagine going through that. What a fighter!!! 100% of the money raised will go to these two families. So come on out and run/walk a few miles before your Turkey dinner. I promise it will be worth it. http://www.turkeywaddle.com/

Summer is Over

Well the summer is over and school is back in. Time just keeps racing by us. We had a great summer with lots of swimming, camping, summer movies, hanging out with family and thankfully no ER visits. Troy is always healthy in the summer and for that I am so grateful. The dude loves to swim and I do enjoy watching him jump in the pool saying, "Cannonbunga". It just never gets old hearing that. We did find out that Troy now has 1 year from August 13th left of treatment. I never thought the time would come but I am so ready for the down hill part of the 3 plus years. Sometimes it feels like yesterday this whole journey started and sometimes it feels like forever ago. Either way I will feel a lot better when he is done. I look forward to the day he doesn’t need to take medicine every day and go to the clinic. But for now we will keep doing what we have been doing and keep being grateful for every day. Troy started Kindergarten and couldn’t be happier about that. He loves going to Abby’s school and even more he loves being in his cousin Vinny’s class. (Yes, Troy has a cousin named Vinny.) The school has been so wonderful about Troy’s whole illness and is working with us to keep him as healthy as possible. I will keep my fingers crossed for the fall and winter which are always harder on him. Thanks for all the continued support and concern for our family. We are doing great!!!!

Cousins camping

Tired from swimming



Troy and his cousin Vinny on the 4th of July



Pre-school graduation

When you WISH upon a star.....

When Troy was asked what he would wish for if he could get or do anything in the world he wished for a new car. Not a car to actually drive but a play .97 cent car. We knew we needed to think a little bit bigger for his Make-A-Wish so we decided as a family to go on a Disney Cruise. Never would we be able to afford that so we thought that would be fun and it turned out to be the BEST VACATION EVER!!!! Here are some of the reasons why we love Disney and Make-A-Wish:

Killer send off party at Amazing Jakes. Here is Troy with his Wish Team. Most of our family was there and it was a PARTY!!!

A limo took us to and from the airport. Yeah, we felt like rock stars.

Safety drill before the boat set sail. I always think this looks so funny when everyone has these life jackets on.

The kids loved the pools on the boat. One had a slide and two Mickey Mouse ears that Troy thought were jacuzzi's.

View from our rooms. Ahhhh, I want to go back.

Dolphin encounter which was Troy's favorite part of the whole vacation.

Cruises usually have great service but nothing can compare to the service you get on a Disney Cruise. First class all the way!!!

Disney has it's own private island and we were able to ride bikes around the island, eat a wicked good BBQ, snorkel, and just hang out on the beach. (This was my favorite day!!)

Pirate night on the boat was so fun. Too bad it was at 10:30 at night so the kids were beyond tired and grouchy but my dad and I had a great time. Can I just say they had a firework show off the boat. It was pretty amazing to see that.

Every time we got into our room there was a little something for Troy from Make-A-Wish. Just something a little extra for him and our family. One day they gave us gift cards to use at the arcade on the boat.

By the way, we stuffed our faces the whole time. 24 hour ice cream, soda pop, and room service, pizza till midnight, fruit galore, just food, food, food. I was in heaven!!!

All good things must come to an end. This is the limo ride home and Troy still had a smile on his face.

I knew we were going to have a fun vacation but both Chris and I said it was the best vacation ever and we will never be able to top it. Everything was over the top amazing from the shows every night to the kid play centers. I wish our whole family could have come and shared this experience with us but I am grateful my parents could go. We had so much fun with them there.

If and when we ever make a lot of money we are donating to Make-A-Wish. I love the idea of Make-A-Wish. We were able to have fun as a family and forget about leukemia for a short while. Memories were made that we will never forget thanks to Make-A-Wish!!!