Update

Ethan is feeling much better.  Over the blah nauseous feeling.  Hasn't vomited at all since he got home.  

Yeah!  No mouth sores AT ALL!  

Going to class today, Wednesday.  Eating well. 

Special praise that he and his friend, Luke, were able to make panini sandwiches last night  and not catch anything on fire. (If you know Luke, you will understand!)

Ethan is home...feels lousy, but should feel better in a day or two.  Still no mouth sores! 

His next admission isn't until February 9th...Lots of blood count checks in clinic between now and then, but that isn't so bad.  :)

  
Please pray that his nausea can be controlled by his meds.  He was really sick this morning.

Pray, as always, that he can grow closer to Christ through the pain.

Thanks to everyone for coming alongside us in this journey. 

Tegan's sister wasn't willing to shave her own head in support of Ethan, but she did shave her cat!!  

Next Round

Ethan is all settled in for his next round of chemo.  Electronics are in place; Gatorade, Orange Crush and chocolate milk are in the fridge! 

Hopefully he will be home Sunday or Monday and then he gets a two week break from the hospital.  Yeah! 

 

     Pray that he doesn't get as nauseous as he did the first time he had these chemo drugs.  So far no mouth sores.  :)

Delayed

Hershey did not have any beds today and they would like Ethan's sore throat to heal some more.  

The plan now is to admit Ethan on Friday if his blood counts are okay.  His throat doesn't hurt nearly as much as yesterday, so  pray that he will be able to be admitted on Friday!

Home

Ethan came home around noon on Monday.  He is feeling good and so far does not have any mouth sores.  

He will be admitted again on Wednesday, but then he'll have two weeks off!  

Thanks for the prayers.  He has stayed in good spirits despite the Saints' defeat; football team that is!

Next Admission

Admission likely this evening depending on blood work drawn at 2 pm.  Ethan loves visits from friends....keep them coming! 

You can always call the main number 531-8521 and ask for his room or his nurse.  He will always be admitted to the 7th floor.  

We've discovered the teen lounge where there is a large TV and table to play games...it feels less like a hospital there. 

Thank you for the prayers and meals!  Keep praying he doesn't get mouth sores and that the chemo clears his system more quickly this admission.

Home

We are finally home from the hospital and feeling good.

Ethan is now addicted to Humans vs. Monsters on his iPad! :)

The next admission is Wednesday, but later in the day.

Thanks!

Saturday Update

Ethan's admission has gone as planned, but he has to wait a day or two more for the chemo to clear his kidneys before discharge.  Hopefully that will be Sunday, but it could be Monday . . . ugh . . . and then a readmission Wednesday, most likely.  So far only a little nausea from this round of chemo, but that has passed.  

His spirits are good . . . greatly encouraged by the gift from youth group kids and parents of an IPAD!!!  Thanks to Hana L. for spearheading that effort . . . he was speechless!  

Between that and the head shaving party, I think he is realizing that people really do care about him. :)  The support has been awesome. . . thanks to everyone who contributed and who has been visiting him in the hospital. 

I am so thankful that he can see the Saints game in the teen room at the hospital tonight, so Tegan and anyone else who wants to join them can come and watch!  Staff are so flexible and do everything they can to make this as positive as possible. . . what a blessing.

Thanks for the prayers, meals and encouragement!

Chemo begins....

Ethan starts chemo at 

midnight tonight, Wednesday. 

Mouth sores can be a side effect with this type of chemo, so pray that doesn't happen!

Today's Update

Well, Ethan will be admitted sometime today after his 9 am blood test results are in.  His spirits were lifted with the Head Shaving Party . . . thank you to everyone  for making that happen on such short notice!  It made this phase so much easier to take.

Pray that the chemo clears his system quickly so he can be discharged quickly. . . .usually about 3 days, but can take longer.  Praise that he could go to Algebra class today and the material for this week isn't difficult.  He's caught up in all his outside classes so far. :)

And always we thank God for the many friends that are coming alongside is in prayer and in practical ways.  We don't take it for granted.  It is truly amazing to experience such love and caring firsthand.  

Thank you.

Concert Update

For those who have been praying for Ethan's request to attend the August Burns Red concert, I think you'll appreciate how all that worked out!  

As you know, I was mentioning this to everyone at Hershey and his blood counts the Friday before the concert were looking good enough that I thought I better buy a ticket.  However, by then they were sold out!! I was totally bummed . . . much more than Ethan was, actually.  

A friend of Jordan's had a connection and I asked him to try to get Ethan a ticket.  In the meantime, I was trying to secure him a place "away from the mosh pit", because of his being immune compromised.

So, the day before the concert he had more blood work and his doctor said he could go . . . but still no ticket, so it didn't matter.  Later that night, Jordan's friend said he couldn't get him a ticket, but the band's drummer said he could get him a place stageside . . . really close to the band . . . but couldn't get him a ticket.

The day of  the concert, he got a call from a friend of his whose brother was unable to go and asked if Ethan would want his ticket!!!  I was so excited!  Tegan and I presented the option to Ethan and . . . can you believe it . . . he declined.  He said he just felt like the crowd would be too close and he would run the risk of getting sick and being admitted with an infection.  

We were so proud of his decision!  God worked this out in the best way possible . . . Ethan was able to control the decision of whether or not to go!  He said he would be able to see them next year when they are in Lancaster again . . . so cool!

Thank you for all of your prayers and support.  The head shaving turned a horrible day into a blessed one! 

 

We have a wonderful God and the best friends ever!