Friday 9/22/00 - Answered Prayer! Timothy had a hearing test this week. He has 100% normal hearing! Praise God. We know many of you have been praying. Often times the radiation can damage the hearing. Timothy's temperature has continued to stay normal. His labwork is okay so he will start the next round of Chemo this Monday. We appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for your calls and encouraging notes and most of all, your prayer! Love, Ginny
Tuesday 10/3/00 - Timothy is doing really well. He had chemo. in the hospital on 9/25 - 26. He was released earlier than we expected because he didn't get really sick. Another chemo. infusion on 10/2 at the Clinic. Still doing well. The new prescription for appetite stimulant seems to be helping. Timothy is actually saying he is hungry now. He weighed in at 71 lbs on 10/2. On 10/9 he will go back to the Clinic for another Chemo. infusion, then 10/16 back to the hospital for a 3 day stay for more chemo.
Words from Timothy: "wWhat has been the scariest part of this whole ordeal for you?" "When they put the mask on my face and I felt like I couldn't breathe." (This was right before his 1st MRI. I was surprised that this was the most frightening of all the things that Timothy has been through.) "What thing do you dislike the most with all of your treatment?" "Radiation and throwing up!" The good news is , radiation is over and the throwing up part has subsided considerably. Thank you for your continued prayer and support. Love, Ginny
Note to readers: I apologize for the delay in recent updates. Yahoo! has made some changes to their system that has made things impossible. I may have to transfer Tim's web site to a company that has a more user friendly system. We will keep you posted. Webmaster, Carol L.
Saturday 10/07/00 - Timothy is doing great! His appetite continues to increase little by little. His favorite food these days is taquitos and guacamole. We have cut back considerably on his nausea medication because he is feeling much better. Timothy will get more Chemo on Monday at the clinic (out patient), then the following Monday 10/16 will be admitted for 3-4 days to get a different Chemo. Timothy's Phsical Therapist is working with him to regain some strength and balance, and his Tutor is working the brain! We're thankful all of this is done in our home, which has worked out so well. Timothy does have a bit of a cold (Dad and brother too), so if you would pray that it passes quickly with no complications we would appreciate it. If you have access to "The Learning Channel" in your area, they will be doing a CHOC special on Kids with Cancer this Monday evening at 10:00 p.m. Timothy's Oncologist is Dr. Shen. She specializes in brain tumors. Love, Ginny
Monday 10/09/00 - Timothy had a clinic appointment today and the GREAT news is that he gained 3 pounds last week!! We are thrilled. They will be tapering down on his nighttime nutrition and hopefully he won't need it at all in a week or so. The not so godd news is that he will need a blood transfusion this Wed. or Thurs. We were kind of expecting this, but were hoping he might not need it. After he has lab work Wed. a.m. they will let us know. This is done in the hospital, as before, but he should not have to stay the night if they start him early enough. Thank you for praying! Love, Ginny
Wednesday 10/11/00 - Timothy has not required ANY nausea medications today!! He has been tired, which is expected. His lab work indicated that he needs a transfusion which he will get in the hospital tomorrow. He'll be there 4-6 hours. Ed, Trenton and Timothy's colds are all getting better with no complications for Timothy. Thank you for praying. Love, Ginny
Thursday 10/12/00 - Timothy got his transfusion today. All went smoothly and Timothy should be having much more energy this weekend. What we didn't know when we went to the hospital was that Timothy (and the other children) would get a visit from Toby the dog. He looked just like the Wizard of Oz dog. Then a visit from 2 of the Mighty Duck team members. The children played broom ball with them in the playroom and they signed autographs. That was a highlight for Timothy. Isn't it nice that some place like the hospital can actually be fun sometimes! Love, Ginny
Sunday 10/15/00 - Timothy has had a wonderful weekend. He is feeling stronger each day and eating more. He's almost up the amount he used to eat. We went to the park on Sat. and rode bikes, fed the ducks and had a picnic. After Church today the "Make a Wish" foundation had a wonderful Bar B Q/Western Party. There was a Western Band, prizes, petting zoo and of course, food. Make a Wish makes a point of including the entire family in everything so the siblings don't feel left out. We're just beginning to get to know the organization and are overwhelmed by their generosity and the lengths they go to, to put a smile on a child's face. Being out in the sunshine the last 2 days makes heading to the hospital tomorrow a little bit easier. We are praying that Timothy's body will tolerate well this next Chemo drug, which he hasn't had before. He is scheduled to be in the hospital through Wednesday. Thank you for praying! Love, Ginny