last July 21st

Last year at this time

I was in the hospital with Boaz.

(that's no surprise).

His 1st port had come loose

and they were replacing it. 

We had been fighting to get a feeding tube also. 

We got it since he was already in surgery. 

He had gone through three cycles of chemo

and the cancer had grown.

We were ready to get him off of it.

You can read the story of how it all 

went if you scroll through and look 

at posts from this time last year.

He was sleeping so soundly, 

they made me wake him to give him the

medicine that would make him sleep???

So he wouldn't cry when they took him.

No wonder he cried!!

The way it all happened was a miracle. 

God took care of every detail so that

he could get the new port, the feeding tube, 

and get away from the chemo.

This is pretty much right out of surgery.

Maybe a few hours later.

He was such an incredibly happy boy.

He just had a way about him. 

While we were talking to the nurse about 

the feeding tube, the nurses gave Boaz

a whole roll of orange ace bandage and 

he had Aaron wrap his turtle, COMPLETELY. 

But look at that smile!!!

Driving off from the hospital that day

was like growing wings.

I know the decision is different for everyone,

but I knew I couldn't continue to keep him

on the chemo, watching the tumors grow, 

making him sick, and damaging his 

precious little body.

Just a few days later you'd have 

never known he had surgery.

He usually had this beautiful smile 

on his face. 

That smile was worth lots of sleepless nights.

Stonewall and Boaz were constant companions.

This is within the week and he was

running around the park playing.

 

one year ago

One year ago I was at the hospital,

not knowing my life would be changed forever.

My heart knew something............

 He was such a good boy.

here we were still in town

wouldn't I love to hold him again

just a few days before

laughing and playing at our beach

he was such a blessing

what I wouldn't give to hear that laugh again

his shirt says "too cool for school"

one fish is swimming the opposite way

one of Paige's favorite's =)

there were signs................

but who'd have known

Silas Boaz, "my love"

"My Little Man"

Where We Are Now

We are finally home from the hospital. Three times a day, I was taking Silas up to the hospital for his antibiotic infusions. After a week in the hospital an orthopedic surgeon did surgery on Silas to drain the infection. He kept some to culture and also did a biopsy on a spot. The cultures did not grow, likely because he had been on antibiotics for a week. The biopsy came back also. It was metastatic disease, a tumor. This cancer grows VERY rapidly. We havent killed it, we were just shrinking it. We had quit feeding it, and we were giving the body what it needed to fight it. When we had the infection in the last port we were not able to do the natural treatments. As of now, he has been without the natural treatments on a regular basis for too long.
His pedeatrition has been a huge blessing to us. After the minimum stay of two weeks in the hospital for antibiotics, we tried to wean Silas off of his IV antibiotics and go to oral. When we took him off the first one and all was well. But, when we took him off the second one he began running high fevers again, 104 or so. His doctor didn't want to keep him from his natural therapy any longer, so he discharged Silas on Saturday, allowing us to get the antibiotics outpatient.
Wednesday he began having sharp, extreme pains. By Thursday mid-morning it was too much, and the oral pain medicine wasn't working. I was afraid of bleeding on the brain also. We rushed him to the ER. They did a CT scan, which showed growth in the frontal region of the head. It is pushing on his optical nerves, and his brain. The doctors said that will cause the extreme pain he's having.
We have called in Hospice. He is doing better with the pain. We don't pretend to understand what is going on. Just three weeks ago he was running around playing like the other boys. We do know a few things. 1.God knows what he's doing. 2.This isn't a suprise to my Saviour! Before Silas was ever born God knew this day was coming. 3.We are not giving up on Silas! My God is a God of miracles. He can do whatever he wants. Which means he can also take Silas from us if he wants. Nick and I are ok with whatever the Lord chooses to do. We do not like to see Silas suffer. We will be fighting for Silas until he's all better, or the Lord chooses to take him to Heaven.

Back to the Hospital !

Sorry for the lack in updating the blog, Karen's computer is down ( it really needs a bullet) and I have been busy with ministry things, so here we go. Silas was readmitted to the hospital Friday the 9Th of October. He has had bad swelling in his right arm from the elbow down half-way to his wrist. The swelling has been fevered and bothersome to Silas. His Pediatrician, and other Specialists have determined he has a bad bone infection. They have put Silas on 14 days of intravenous antibiotics. One huge blessing is the infection is not in his blood. Silas' Pediatrician also has ordered his vitamin bags so he can continue his regular treatments. That is tremendous relief to Karen and I. Thank you to all who continue to pray Silas is doing well despite the small setbacks.

P.S. I will put updated pictures of Silas later this evening. NB

Prayer Request Silas is in the Hospital !!

I am acting like Aaron Maynard my buddy!! Below my Daddy and I have fun at the Chiropractor

Urgent Prayer Request !!

Please pray Silas was admitted to Gulf Coast Hospital, in Panama City tonight. Silas has been running a fever off and on over the last week and a half. The Doctor's are testing Silas for a Bacterial and/or viral infection in his I.V. port. They are thinking that Silas could be in the hospital 2-4 days. We are praying that the Doctor's can find out why this fever has been reoccurring and cure it, as the fever is hindering his treatments for the Neuroblastoma. If there is a problem the Doctor's will try and rid his I.V. of whatever is there, and if that is not possible, they will remove and replace his port as soon as he is better.