Last chemo treatment and port removal! YAY!!!

Monday, September 23, Max went in for his final chemo treatment. He had had scans the Friday before and everything looked great, so we were all set to be done with this nightmare! He did a great job getting both chemo meds, and even sat on Dr. Barnettes lap to get a few pics. He was such a tease to the doctor and nurses that day. I think he could tell it was all coming to an end. They finished off his last chemo treatment by singing him a song, bringing him out a poster and a gift basket, and having him ring the bell 3 times on his way out. Of course I bawled like a baby and felt so much relief that my baby wouldn't have to be poisoned anymore. Once he finished chemo, they took us straight to same day surgery and removed his port. It took about an hour for them to take it out and for him to recover. As we sat in the parent waiting area, I thought back on the last time we had been in the room and how much I had cried and how stressed out I was. This time, Nate and I were still a little worried, as parents always are when there has to be a surgery. But we both had such big smiles on our faces knowing that we had made it through the storm and this was finally coming to a close. Max cried a lot when he first woke up from surgery, but calmed down once I got in the room with him. He threw up on the way home, but that was the worst for us this week. I thought he would have a rough week after his surgery and getting chemo all in the same day, but as usual, he amazed me and has been playing and running around all week. He's such a hero! He has fought this disease with all his might and has come out of this so strong. I'm just so proud of him! He also has just a little bit of fuzz coming back on his head and a few eyebrow hairs coming back in! I can't wait for his beautiful hair to come back.

We had a great raffle fundraiser on Max's 3rd birthday a few weeks ago. We had an awesome turn out, even with the crazy storm that blew through Utah County that day. We had an awesome rockin' band called "Geezer", an adorable clown named "Lollipop", as well as popcorn, lemonade, and some amazing gifts to raffle off. We had so many donors and sponsors for this event. I was truly humbled by those that were so willing to give. We were supposed to have a bounce house, which my boys were looking forward to the most, but it was too stormy for them to set it up. But they still had a great time with the balloon animals our clown made and dancing to the music. Thank you again to everyone that came out that night and supported us. And to those who also supported us online. I will post some pics from the event under here. The amazing Megan Hess did the photography for our event and the pics were priceless. Thanks again Megan!

We have a lot to look forward to the next couple of months. Nate started a new job and will hopefully be starting school before the end of the year. We are also going on a two trips to Florida in October. The first is called The Lighthouse Family Retreat which is for families who have a child who has/had cancer. They are paying for us to fly to Panama City Beach, FL to stay in condos with other families and talk about all of our different experiences. They pay for our stay and all our food. What a great organization to help families make friends with other cancer families, share stories, and have a good time on the beach as a family, not having to worry about anything for a week!

Our second trip will be our Make-a-Wish trip to Disney World. We couldn't be more excited for this one! We get to stay at a resort just for wish families called Give Kids The World, and we get to visit all the Disney Parks as well as Universal Studios Orlando and SeaWorld. I think I'm most excited for Harry Potter World! I know, I'm a total nerd! I think it will be so much fun to be at Disney World during Halloween time. I can't wait to see how it's all decorated.

I'm also going to be going to seminars over the next few months to learn to be a Jin Shin Jyutsu Practitioner. It's a Japanese art of healing. It's kind of like acupressure, not acupuncture. I'm very interested in this for many different reasons, but especially for Max as it's been used to help cure cancer, as well as help cancer patients not have as bad of side effects from their chemo treatments. My sister is already a practitioner and has worked on me and my boys and I am amazed by the way the body can heal itself. If anyone wants me to practice on them before I'm certified, just let me know! I go to my first week of seminars the week we get home from our first Florida trip. I will literally only be home in October for 1 week. lol Oh how I'm going to miss my own bed! But it's going to be an exciting month.

Again, I can't express how much we have appreciated everyone for your prayers, support, love, donations, time, and help. I find myself telling people more often how much I love them. Even people I've never said that to before, but I just feel so much love in my heart for all the help we have received from family, friends, and even complete strangers. So, if I tell you out of the blue that I love you, don't be too wierded out! lol

 Our lovely clown Lollipop

 The beautiful Gwen Hales manned the popcorn and lemonade station for us all night. She's truly amazing!

 These were our balloons that were to be our decorations since it is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, but they only lasted a few seconds before they blew up into the power lines. lol Oh well, at least I tried!

 Our rockin' band Geezer.

 These were just a few of the amazing items we had to raffle off.

 Max loved his balloon pirate sword and pirate belt!

 Max just adores both his Grandpa's.

 Sam showing off his dance moves on the stage.

 The SIC Tattooing shop were our biggest sponsors, donors, and even closed their shop early so they could all come out and support us. These are some seriously amazing people!

This is the saying under the bell. It brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.

Last Chemo!!! YAY!!!

 Headed back for surgery.

                         Max with Dr. Barnette. Seriously, this guy is an amazing, fun, and a very caring doctor.

It's been a while since I wrote on here. I've been crazy busy getting Max's raffle fundraiser put together and taking care of him and Sam. I hope it will be worth it in the end. We have over 100 raffle prizes now plus quite a few sponsors that helped out. It's going to be a really fun event. I'm really looking forward to it. I just hope that Max will be feeling well enough after chemo on Tuesday to be able to go. He is now going every 3 weeks because he is on such high doses of both chemo meds. He has two treatments left as long as all the scans come back good at the end of September. Then, if all is well, we will be heading to Panama City Beach in Florida for The Lighthouse Family Retreat for families with a cancer child. They are paying for all our travel, all our food, and our lodging. We will have meetings every morning with the other parents while our kids are having fun doing different games and activities with the volunteers. I'm really looking forward to this and being able to relate to other cancer parents. Then, at the end of October, Make-a-Wish will be sending us to Disneyworld for a week. We get to stay at a special resort called Give Kids the World that is just for wish families. We have heard that the resort is almost better than the Disney parks. The boys are SO excited for our Disney trip. Sam makes us watch the Disneyworld documentaries on Netflix almost every day. This has been something for us to be excited about to celebrate that Max has made it through his treatments.

We decided to brave the outdoors on Saturday and took the boys up to Strawberry Reservoir with Papa Shirl and his boat to meet my parents up there. The boys love fishing, especially on Papa's "pirate ship". Sam caught a pretty good sized rainbow trout, but I (with my pink sparkly fishing pole that sparkles as you reel it in) caught the two biggest rainbow trouts. I even touched it to hold it up for a picture and got my fingers all slimy! I was feeling pretty proud. We went back to my parents campsite for lunch and my mom cooked up the fish for the boys. Then the men went back out fishing, in the rain, while my mom and I entertained the boys in the trailer. I have now learned that a little trailer is not a good enough place to entertain a 2 and 4 year old while it's raining outside. They got pretty bored after a very short time. But all in all, it was a pretty fun day.

Sunday, Nate and I met with our Bishop. He wanted to check up on us and how Max was doing as well as Nate with the job search. Thankfully, Nate has found a job. I know everyone's prayers helped!
The Bishop talked to us about how we were feeling with Max going through having cancer. He said that there are two choices we can make, either hardening our hearts or being humbled and growing stronger through this trial through faith and prayer. I told him that for me, it's a daily battle between the two. I don't normally talk about how I'm feeling about all of this because I bawl like a baby when I do. Some days I'm angry and sad and just downright mad at the world that my sweet little baby has cancer and has to go get poisoned with chemo to try to cure him. It breaks my heart every time he throws up, every time he cries that his legs hurt so bad, and when I see his bald little head and his eyebrows and eyelashes now starting to fall out. It hurts me that he couldn't have a normal summer and that Sam had to be effected by this so much as well. But then, other days, I am humbled by all the love and support we have received. A simple post or message on FB from others sending their love and prayers melts my heart and brings me to tears. Donations made in any way, big or smal,l humbles me speechless that others are so willing to give to help us through this rough time and to help with Max's medical bills. A general manager from a restaurant cried with me as I explained to him about Max. The owners of a Tattoo shop donated more than any other business because they said it was their dream to be able to help with a child going through cancer. And so many other stories of others opening their hearts to us. It has overwhelmed me with joy and the love of Christ through others. Those are the times when I can't regret being thrown into this because I have learned so much and been touched so deeply by the kindness and love of others. I have met so many amazing people through this experience that have truly changed my life. But, being honest, it is a daily battle of all those feelings, good and bad. But we wouldn't be human if we didn't go through both. I do have faith and every hope that Max will get through this. And if the cancer ever comes back, I know that it is the Lord's plan and that he will see us through that as well. Whatever the outcome. I know that most of you can never fully understand what a parent goes through when having a child go through a life threatening illness, and I pray that you never do. But this was something that our little family had to go through and I feel like it has brought us closer together and so much more appreciative of our time together. Almost being at the end of Max's treatments has finally let me see the light at the end of this very dark tunnel and I just pray that Max can someday understand just how much I love him and would do anything for him. I have fought this battle right beside him the whole way and it has changed me forever. Max, I love you and am so proud of how hard you have been fighting this disease. You are truly my hero.

This is Max with his "Hero Package" from Gamerosity. They sent him an iPad mini with all the bells and whistles to help him get through his long Dr.s appointments.

 Nate and Sam hanging out in the hammock out back. Sam calls it a hamster. lol

 This is us a Strawberry Reservoir with my parents and the big rainbow trout I caught.

 Enjoying a campfire in the backyard and making s'mores.

 These are some pics that a very sweet lady took of Sam and Max for Max's poster.

 These pics are ones that another friend took for us up in the canyon.