The True End to Chemotherapy

January 31st marked a day of extreme happiness for Sawyer. The first day day since October 20, 2011 that he didn't have to take some form of chemotherapy. The daily regime of morning and evening pills is over! Mark and I wished we could have been in New Paltz to mark the day but we had to be satisfied with a phone call and sending a card (with some money so Sawyer could do something fun). We were thrilled to hear that Sawyer's friends planned a celebration for him: cookie cake, dinner out at his favorite restaurant, and some rounds of pool afterward. Sawyer said "it was great!" He sent us the above picture as he posed with the group. Now we look forward to hearing how Sawyer starts to feel as his body rebuilds its immunity and totally flushes everything out of his system. It will take a few months but hopefully day-by-day he notices more energy and overall just feeling good. He'll get his medical port removed in mid-March at the same time of his next check up. Keep your fingers crossed that those checkups over the next 2 years continue to show he's in remission! How blessed we feel to be at this point, knowing too many other families never make it this far. Continue to appreciate each day and remember to tell your loved ones "I love you" - life can change in an instant for many reasons. October 20, 2011 was that day for us. Sharing our journey with all of you helped us each step of the way. Thank you.

The Long Awaited Day

Yes, January 12th finally arrived, the last chemotherapy injection!! 40 months, conquered.

I filmed the short ceremony performed by the nurses at Strong (in the pediatric oncology unit). They wrote the words to the song and it's wonderful! If technology works like it should, you can watch the video at: http://youtu.be/JFAnLKXSzTE (Be prepared to tilt your head; I didn't realize I shouldn't have turned my phone to capture it. Hopefully I can figure out a way to rotate it later, but wanted to get it out to everyone :) Make sure to turn up your sound).

We had a small party at our house on Sunday, Jan. 11th with family and close friends to mark the occasion. We're so lucky to have such a wonderful and caring support group and community to watch over us for over 3 years. Hugs to each and every one of you.

Sawyer returns in mid-March for a check up and to have the medical port removed from his chest. Then he'll have ongoing check ups for the next couple of years. I'm sure I'll post a few more times on this blog, but hopefully it's time to wrap things up. Thanks for being with us every step of the way!

Let the Countdown Begin!

Yup, the official countdown has begun.... only 28 more days of chemotherapy!!! One more trip to the hospital for an infusion (Monday, Jan. 12) where Sawyer will get to ring the bell in the oncology ward signalling the end of his treatment. Guess who's going to be crying with joy that day...

December rounded out as a good month. Sawyer got all A's for his first semester and is ready to go back to get started with the spring semester. I'd say that was a great sign!

Sawyer is spending his break staying up late, sleeping in, and catching up with high school friends as well as doing some "light" reading on Applied Hydrology to help prepare him for (fairly certain) research with his advisor/department chair over the summer.

We had nice Christmas celebrations with our families and just returned from a four day trip to the Adirondacks. We highly recommend the First Night activities sponsored by Saranac Lake. All in all very relaxing, making it hard to want to get anything accomplished at home!

Happy New Year!

November update

Happy Thanksgiving! We, along with so many other people, have much to be thankful for in life.

Sawyer came home Tuesday evening from school and went home today. As to be expected, it was a pretty busy break! Wednesday morning began at Alfred-Almond School for a catch-up with his high school coach/mentor and the wrestling team, along with a quick lifting workout. Then on to Rochester for the monthly chemo appointment (went well, 2 more to go!!!). We enjoyed lunch at a brick oven pizza place and did some shopping at a couple of our favorite stores (Barnes & Noble, EMS, Trader Joe's).

Thursday (Thanksgiving) was spent in Bradford with Mark's family, Friday was a sleep in/relax kind of day, Saturday was Thanksgiving with my family at the farmhouse/hanging out with high school friends, and today he left about lunchtime to head back to New Paltz (caught a ride with someone from his class that also goes there).

It was great to spend some time with him, and I'm delighted that he was also able to catch up with both sides of the family and see some of his "old" buddies. He's really doing well, blossoming at school, loving his classes, and enjoying his new friends. He's registered for classes next semester: Chemistry II, Physics I, Geomorphology, and History of Rock (Music). What a mix!

We'll see him in a couple of weeks as we travel to a gathering in NJ with some of my Alfred U. college friends to watch the Army-Navy game (an annual tradition with the same great folks we spend a week with in the summer for PirateFest at Lake George). Sawyer will be home for a month beginning Dec. 19th -- it will go fast as we fit in the penultimate and the final chemo appointments, dentist appointment and haircut, Christmas, New Year's, and hopefully a trip to Lake Placid in early-mid January to celebrate the ending (THE END!!!!) of chemical injection and daily pills. Not even sure how to describe the emotion that all brings about (just want Feb. 1st to get here so he can really start to enjoy his life and health). Certainly Sawyer's health and overall positive outlook is the biggest thing that we are thankful for during this time of giving thanks.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and was able to spend time with loved ones. We are thankful for each and every one of you who has continued to support us through this long journey.

October update

Sawyer was home Oct. 11 - 14 for his mid-semester break. It was, of course, great to see him for a few days! He was able to catch up with a number of his high school buddies since their college breaks were at the same time. He did have to think about school work though since two of his classes were holding their mid-term exams the day after break... not very nice of them. He's doing really well. Enjoys the group of friends he hangs out with. Had all "A" grades in his mid-term report card. Must be planning on going to a Halloween party since he was talking about gathering items for some sort of costume. Many of his friends are performing arts majors and the type that like to perform and not be shy about dressing up!

The Monday of his break was the monthly trip to Rochester for his chemo treatment. That went well and was routine. He had an additional appointment to see the orthopedic oncologist for a check up on his hips. New x-rays showed they have gotten a bit worse. The top of the normally round hip joint has started to flatten out. The doctor said the stiffness he has is arthritis and told him to not do any running (for at least a year), and to expect hip replacement surgery in the next 5-15 years. Not news any running-loving, fitness geek, 19-year-old wants to hear. He was understandably bummed at the news but by Thursday said he'd come to terms with it. He can still lift weights, bike, hike, and do other general activities. He is going to sell the skateboard he purchased a couple of months ago since that does bother his hips.

Last weekend he got a chance to finally go hiking in the area around New Paltz. He's been wanting to do that for awhile. He'll probably take his car to campus next semester which will facilitate getting around easier and make it more possible to plan additional hiking/snowshoeing trips. This weekend he is going on a daylong geology class field trip. He's looking forward to that!

He comes home next for Thanksgiving break. Will get home on Tuesday evening, return on Sunday, with the next chemo appointment on Wednesday.

Four more to go!

We got to see Sawyer over the weekend since it was time for his next treatment in Rochester. He was only home for Sunday afternoon/evening but enough to get caught up and enjoy his company. The dogs were happy to see him, and vice versa. Itching to cook, Sawyer even made dinner! Food is fine at school but eating in the dining hall every day does get old. Typically he eats breakfast in his room, and has "dining dollars" on his card to be able to eat at campus cafes and a few restaurants in New Paltz.

We drove to Rochester early Monday morning for the appointment, then headed across the thruway to Albany and down Rt. 87 back to New Paltz, arriving early evening. The trees are just starting to show color. Too bad we weren't traveling in a couple of weeks when everything will be decked out in multi-color. I think the fall colors this year will be spectacular.

All is good with his health. This was his penultimate spinal tap, one more to go in December. He has 4 more treatments, then done!!!!!! If counting by numbers, he started at 40 [months]. We'll have to figure out some sort of party in January.... just hope time doesn't drag between now and then ... I'm so excited for him to be done with all of this!

Settling In

Sawyer's been at college for 2 weeks now and seems to be settling in very nicely, whew! He's made a few friends to hang out with. has a study partner for Calc III, has decided that skateboarding around campus is better than biking and has therefore purchased a long board, has been happy to let us call him a few times to check in, and seems to enjoy his classes.

Not that we were particularly worried about his transition but it's still a relief to know that it's going well! One of his classes was required as part of the special interest housing he signed up for: First Year Initiative. The class is "College Student Success" taught by the psychology department and I think it will be very useful to him. There's about 120 students in the FYI program. They're all supposedly interested in things like community service, campus leadership, and doing well at school. They all live in the same building, have additional upperclass mentors, and will do some projects together. In addition to the success class, they're also all together in their English composition classes. Should all help to build a group of people they see regularly and can get to know. They had a retreat today at the nearby Mohonk Mountain Preserve (no details yet, haven't talke with Sawyer).

Tomorrow he's scheduled for a bus trip to the NY Renaissance Festival, about an hour south of New Paltz. He's also planning on signing up for a student organization or two. Wants to get out for some hikes and nature-related trips on the weekends.

We try not to pepper him with a bazillion questions when we talk with him or as text messages, but so far he doesn't seem bothered by the level of our inquiries. It will be interesting to see how he reacts to being home in a couple of weeks. It will be a quick trip for  him, probably only home for 18 hours max before heading to Rochester for his treatment, then straight back on the road back to school. Only 5 more treatments to go!!! I don't usually wish for time to go by quickly, but getting to the end of January with no complications and an all-clear from the doctor can't get here fast enough!!!!! What a relief that will be to Sawyer to stop taking all the medications and for his body to start rebuilding itself without constantly getting hammered by drugs.

This morning Mark and I participated in the CURE Childhood Cancer 5K in Rochester. It was our 3rd year and each time I tear up when they mention how many families benefit from their support and services. They made such a difference for us.