Dad, Mom & Josh on Christmas night!


Merry Christmas everyone! We had a wonderful Christmas! Josh seemed to feel better that day than he has lately! It was wonderful for all of us to be together!

Josh was supposed to be admitted yesterday for the second round of 5 day chemo, but they sent him home and rescheduled it for next Friday. When he got out of the hospital the last time, they said he had a touch of pneumonia. I guess they're still waiting for that to clear up before they start the chemo. They did some blood work and his counts are better than they were before, so we can be thankful for that! The other thing is that the Dr. said his belly isn't as distended as it was before, so that could be a good sign that the tumors are shrinking. Josh has also said that the one he could feel, did feel smaller to him. Please pray that the pneumonia will go away and that everything will go as planned next Friday! Please continue to pray for his strength to fight this and win!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Josh got home from the hospital early this evening! YYYEEEAAAAHHHH!! They gave him another transfusion before he left and sent him home with a Rx for 2 weeks of oral antibiotics. Sorry this is short but I don't have all the details and I'm just too tired to type out what I do know. I'll try and find out more tomorrow!

Josh finally got out of the ER and into a private room around 4:30 this evening! He said his room is blue and has a bunch of the characters from Finding Nemo on the walls. He also said there are stickers all over his bed and there's a Mickey Mouse computer in his room! (It doesn't work though! :( ) At least it gives him something interesting to look at and it's a lot better than plain, boring, white walls!

All day they've been giving him blood and IV antibiotics. They'll continue to give him blood until the count is high enough. He's having a hard time eating much because he has painful sores all over his mouth. Mom told me the name of the infection but it was a pretty long name and I can't remember what it was. They say it's an infection that's common for patients to get after chemo, same with the sores in his mouth. There hasn't been anymore talk about when he gets to come home.

Mom spent the day up there with him and will be spending the night at Pam Anderson's house. (Pam is one of her co-workers who lives in Tucson and commutes to Sierra Vista.) Thank you Pam for offering your house! We feel better that she won't be driving home in the dark by herself.

Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery and that he'll be home for Christmas!

Well here we ago again! Josh is being admitted to the hospital up in Tucson today. He's had a fever all weekend and they told him to come up this morning and get blood drawn to see what's going on. I guess his one (I'm not sure if it's red or white) cell count is really low and they say he's got an infection. They want him to check into the ER right now so they can get IV antibiotics started. They'll move him to a regular room in the hospital when they get one, but at least this way they get the antibiotics started sooner and he's not just sitting around waiting. It sounds like it could be a few days in the hospital to get this cleared up. Please pray that everything works out the way it's supposed to and that he'll be home before Christmas! I'll post more when I know more about what's going on.

Just a quick update to let you know what's been going on since Josh got out of the hospital. On Monday they got it worked out at the last minute that he wouldn't have to go to Tucson for the shots that they normally give him after the chemo. That was a blessing that they could get it done here and not have to drive all that way just for a 15 min. appt. On Tuesday he went to Tucson to see the oncologist and find out what happens next. As far as I know he will have blood work done on Dec. 27th and be admitted to the hospital on Dec. 28th for another 5 days of intense chemo. There was also some talk about doing an ultrasound to see if there are pockets of fluid that they might be able to drain to give him a little relief. I don't know if that's something they're definitely going to do and if so, when they're talking about doing that! Sorry all 3 boys have been kind of sick and we didn't want to get everyone together and spread everything around! It's hard to hear him on the phone so I try not to keep him on there very long. They've also been very busy because Rosie's brother and his family are visiting for the week!

Yesterday he was supposed to be able to get a blood transfusion here, but Sierra Vista said they had to do another type and cross and that he couldn't get the blood until Friday. They tried all day to get him into Tucson and get it done right away, but that didn't work out either. What they finally got worked out was for Mom and Josh to leave at 5:30 this morning and get it done in Tucson today. I guess it's going to take most of the day. His heart was racing again yesterday and that's one of the main reason they wanted to get it done right away. He also didn't want to get it done on Friday, because the boys are in a little Christmas program at their daycare that he wants to be able to go see!

The next intense chemo MIGHT be in Sierra Vista. Yesterday Josh and Mom talked to one of the Dr.'s here about admitting him to the SV hospital to do the chemo so it wouldn't be so hard on Rosie and the boys. We all have several reservations about this though! The Dr. said there are very few private rooms and he didn't think that they would be able to get him one. Our main concern with that is that Josh cannot be exposed to anyone who is sick. We'd have to worry about the person he was sharing a room with and any of that person's visitors! Please pray that it will all work out the way it's supposed to.

There was some talk about him being able to have it done at home with some home health nurses, but that didn't work out. I didn't get the details as to why it didn't work out though.

Please continue praying for all of us and pray that God will keep him safe during this next round of chemo.

I also have another prayer request I would like to ask everyone to add to their lists. One of Josh's friends from high school has an aunt who is battling ovarian cancer cancer and her son is also battling cancer (sorry I can't remember what type). I can't imagine how much harder it is for mother and son to be going through this at the same time! Their names are Bea and Jerry. Please pray for their strength to fight this and for their family who is helping take care of them!

HE'S HOME!!!!!! Josh got to come home this evening! I don't know any details about what happens next, except that he's supposed to go back to Tucson tomorrow to get the shot(s) that he normally gets after a dose of chemo. I think it's going to be at least 2, maybe 3, weeks before he has to do it all over again. I will let you know more details when I get them.

I know this sounds like a broken record, but thank you so much for all your prayers. Keep them coming!

Hi everyone! I really don't have anything new to post. Yesterday Mom said he slept a lot more. They finally got the Dr. to give him something called Diloted (?SP) for the pain, instead of the morphine and he did much better with that! They're also giving him Ativan(SP?) and I guess that's supposed to help with pain and relax him. He did get sick at his stomach yesterday, but Mom thinks it's because they forgot to give him the nausea meds. before he ate. When he ordered his dinner they tried to get the nurse to give it to him to before his food got there, but unfortunately he didn't get it until after his meal came. They told him to wait 15 mins. before eating so it could take affect, but by then he was only able to eat about 3 bites before he fell back asleep! I guess the one good thing is that because he's on chemo he can order his food whenever he wants. Well up until 7:30 pm, but even after that I guess someone is supposed to be able to open the kitchen and make/bring him something simple!

The day that I was there they gave him laysics (SP?) to help with the water retention because the swelling from that was causing him a lot of pain. When I asked Mom about that yesterday she said they won't give him anymore because it doesn't ?mesh? well the chemo. I can't remember exactly how she put it! So his whole body is really swollen from all the fluids they have to give him!

One thing I forgot to mention about the day that I was there, was that one of the nurses who took care of Josh when he was there before (on a different unit) found out he was there again and came to visit him and tell him she was thinking about him!

Thank you again for everything! Please continue to pray! When you call, you don't have to apologize! You're not bugging us! Thank you for the emails also! I'm sorry I don't have time to reply to all of them, but I do read them and appreciate them very much! It's great to know how many people are praying for us!

I would like to add another prayer request to everyone's growing list! My friend Dawn's (we've been friends since pre-school) husband, Jimmy, has something wrong with the way his heart is beating and is going to have to have surgery to fix it. I'm not exactly sure what it's called, but when they made him wear a monitor they said a few times while he was resting, his heart rate went up to 200 beats per min and normal is about 70bpm! Please include their family in your prayers!

Also, some of you know Angie (our sister) and know about her husband Jim's back problems. He had another surgery! Please pray that this will be the last one and that it will fix the problem!

Hi! Parker and I went to see Josh today, but I don't have anything new to tell you. When we were there he was in a lot of pain. He said his stomach felt like it was about pop and he had a lot of pressure in his abdomen. The nurse came in to give him morphine, but for some reason the Dr. will not listen to Josh and Rosie when they tell him they want him to prescribe something different. Josh gets very sick every time they give him morphine so he's afraid to take it. He did take it though because he was in too much pain to argue and have to wait for something else. Please pray that the Dr. will agree to give him something else that won't make him sick.

Mom and Dad stayed in Tucson last night, but decided to come home tonight. They will be back up there first thing tomorrow morning. Rosie is staying up there at her brother and sister-in-law's house and the boys are here in Sierra Vista with Rosie's parents and her friend Shell (sorry if I spelled that wrong!)

Thank you again for all your prayers, emails, phone calls, etc. Please pray that we get a Christmas miracle and that Josh will be healed!

Josh's chemo finally got started around 5pm tonight. Other than that I don't have any news. I will probably be going up there tomorrow so I will try to post more info tomorrow night. Please pray that his body will tolerate the chemo and that it will knock out the tumors!

I don't have much info, but it's 8pm and Josh just called to say that the hospital FINALLY has a room for him! I don't know if they'll start the chemo tonight or wait until tomorrow. I will let you know when I find out more.

Please continue to pray!

Just a quick note to let everyone know what's going on tomorrow. Josh and Rosie are going to the Cancer Center in the morning. He has to have blood work done to make sure he doesn't have any infections. If that comes back clear then they just have to wait around in Tucson until they tell them they have a bed for him. I don't know if they will start the chemo tomorrow or not. Please pray that his blood work will be ok and that they will be able to get him a room right away. Please pray that they will get him a private room this time!!!!!!

He found out about a clinical study he could take part in in Texas, but he has to be treatment free for 28 days. At the time he spoke to them he had been treatment free for 14 days. The problem is that they don't think he can postpone any treatments that long to be eligible for the study.

Our whole family would like to say thank you for the everyone who has called or come by. We would also like to thank everyone who came to the decorating party yesterday! Several of Josh and Rosie's co-workers and friends came over yesterday and decorated the outside of the house! I will get pictures as soon as I can and post them! It was so thoughtful of you to come over in that nasty weather and make the house look so wonderful!

I will post more info as soon I get it! Please continue to pray!

WE NEED ALL THE PRAYERS WE CAN GET!

Josh with his bald head!!! I took this picture on Sunday during our Thanksgiving dinner!

I'm not sure exactly how to write this. Josh's Dr. appt. did not go at all how we expected yesterday! The CAT scan results show that the chemo treatments he's been having haven't done any good. The tumors have tripled in size since the last scan. They're telling him that the only option left to fight it, is if he gets admitted to the hospital on Monday and undergoes 5 days of very dangerous chemo. They're telling him that the chemo is so potent that it could kill him! If he chooses not to do it all they can do is make him comfortable. I guess the biggest problems are the tumor in his liver and one in his pelvic area. As of right now, the plan is to check into the hospital on Monday and fight it with everything he's got! He's looking into a place called MD Anderson in Houston, TX. If they can get him in right away and have any different options, he may reconsider and go there depending on what they tell him.

We're all terrified of this next chemo, but we know he's a fighter and he won't give up! Please pray for his strength to fight this! Please pray that God is leading him and the Dr. to do the right thing and that He will get him through this! Please pray for Rosie, for her whole family, and for our whole family! Please ask everyone you know to pray also! We need all the prayers we can get!

Dad was in NC last night. He's picking up a load in TN and then he's on his way home. If anyone needs to get a hold of Mom, please call my house. She stayed with Jeff and I last night and I think she'll be staying with us until Dad gets home.

Hey! Just a really quick update! Josh got to come home on Saturday! YYYEEEAAAHHHH!! They did some kind of renal test and couldn't find a blockage in the tube from his kidney to his bladder. They also did several blood test because they thought he had an infection. For a while they were afraid it was MRSA. Thank goodness the test came back and said it wasn't. They gave him antibiotics to fight off any other infection, just in case! I don't have all the details and Josh told me he read the blog the other day and said I got some of the things wrong. As soon as he gets a chance, he's going to tell me what's wrong and I will post the corrections.

Today he was supposed to go up to have the CAT Scan done and another round of chemo, but that may have changed. Josh and Rosie are on their way to Tucson now to talk to the Dr. and find out where to go from here. As soon as he gets back and has time, he'll give me the details and I will get them on the blog!

We had our Thanksgiving on Sunday and Josh got his beloved green bean casserole! :) It was nice to have everyone all together and even though it was a few days late, it didn't feel any different!

Please continue to pray for his recovery, his spirit, his strength, and that God will lead the Dr. to the right chemo!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Unfortunately things didn't go as planned and Josh is still in the hospital up in Tucson. He's still having problems with the colostomy and now it looks like they've found some sort of blockage in the tube that goes from one of his kidney's to his bladder. They were waiting on a urologist to come see him, but since it's Thanksgiving who knows how long that will take. Josh said they mentioned something about maybe having to put a stint in it, but he didn't know anything for sure or any other details.

Please continue to pray! We're really hoping things will start working again and that he'll get to come home tomorrow!

THANK THE LORD! I just got off the phone with Mom and they are sending Josh home tomorrow! (He could leave tonight, but it's too late and they're so tired that they're just going to stay until the morning.) The CAT scan doesn't show a blockage! They're going to irrigate the colostomy and see if that helps. They didn't say anything else about the CAT scan so we still don't know if the chemo has shrunk any of the tumors or not. Hopefully we'll get that info later.

So ignore the info in the last blog update! I posted it too soon! We are so relieved and thankful for this news! Now we just hope that Josh will actually get to eat tomorrow! :) When I talked to him tonight I was kidding him about ruining Thanksgiving and he said he was so upset because he was craving Mom's green bean casserole! Right now they have him on a liquid diet, but hopefully that will change for tomorrow!

Thanks for the prayers and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Josh has been admitted to UMC tonight! He got home around 11:30 lastnight and then today he was in a lot of pain so the Dr. told him to come up right away. As of right now he's still in the ER in Tucson. They did a CAT scan and they are still waiting for the results, but they think they're might be a blockage. We won't know anything for sure until they get the results and talk to the Dr., but he may end up needing another surgery to remove the tumor that's causing the blockage.

Please pray that this will work out! I'm so worried about him having to have another surgery! It was my understanding that if he had to have surgery while he was going through the chemo that it was very dangerous. That was the reason why he agreed to do the colostomy in the first place. It was also my understanding that trying to remove that tumor was too aggressive of a surgery for him to be able to handle!

Needless to say we are all worried and upset! Please pray for Josh and our whole family! I will post an update as soon as I have any info.

We need extra prayers tonight! Josh's heart was racing this afternoon so Rosie took him to the ER. They immediately put him in his own room to keep him from getting exposed to anything he could pick up from other patients. It looks like he's anemic again and this is causing his heart rate to speed up. It was up to 120 beats per minute and normal is around 70 bpm. They had it down to 105 bpm while they were waiting for the results of the blood test. They're going to give him 2 units of blood to help with the anemia. Each unit will take 4 hrs. so he will be at the hospital for at least another 8 hrs. They also think he might have an infection- maybe a sinus infection. Please pray that he doesn't have an infection and that they get his heart rate and the anemia under control!

He had his last round of chemo (for this cycle) last Tuesday and on Wednesday Parker and I took him to Tucson for 2 shots. One is supposed to boost his white blood count and the other is for the red blood count. They are trying to work it out with the Cancer Center here in Sierra Vista to give him these shots from now on. They were supposed to do it this time, but they didn't have the shots in time. I like taking him to Tucson because he always wants to go to Olive Garden when he's done, but it's not comfortable for him to have to drive all the way to Tucson for a 15 min. appt. each time! So hopefully it will work out next time to do it here.

He has a scan next week. Please pray that it will show that the tumors are shrinking. He will also start the next cycle of chemo that week.

I know this is repetitive, but I can't say it enough- Thank you all so much for the continued prayers, support, and kind words! We really do appreciate it! Please continue to pray for Josh and our family! Also please pray for all the others that have cancer and for their families! I also have another prayer request that I would like to add to people's prayer chains- my brother-in-law Mike took a contracting job doing medical support for a security detail in Iraq. He left on Friday and we are all very worried for him! It's very hard on the whole family to think of the danger he's in over there. Please pray for him, his wife, their 5 month old daughter, and the rest of our family!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! This is the perfect time of the year to focus on the positive and to remember and be thankful for all the blessings in our life!

Josh started the next round of chemo on Tuesday and saw the urologist. The urologist told him what we were all afraid of- the tumor is pressing on his bladder and that's why his bladder function hasn't fully returned since the last surgery. Lately he's really tired and he's having more problems with the nausea. He hasn't been able to eat as much either.

His hair started falling out so he had Rosie shave his head the other night. He was actually looking forward to that part! I guess the boys watched Rosie do it and when she tried to even out Aiden's side burns he wouldn't let her because he was afraid she'd shave it all off like Daddy's!

On Nov. 27th he has an appt. to have a scan done. We're all praying that it will show that the tumors are shrinking! After that the chemo will continue!

Please continue to pray for him and our family!

1st pic. (from back to front) Jeff, Parker, Gilma. Ethan, Nana, Aiden, & Josh on the hayride to pick pumpkins.
2nd pic.- Parker and Aiden playing with Josh's umbrella

3rd pic. -Josh, Jeff, and Parker pushing our pumpkins back to the tractor.

4th pic.- Josh is sitting behind the boys while the play in a big thing of corn!

Josh had his second chemo treatment on Tuesday. On Wednesday he went back up for a shot that's supposed to boost his immune system. I'm not sure of all the details so I'll post more when I find out more about it. We were told this chemo was really supposed to knock him down, but he's being feeling really good. He's a little tired, but he said Monday was the best day he's had since the last surgery. Last Saturday we all went to the Apple Annie's Pumpkin Patch in Wilcox and Thursday he spent the whole day at the park for a company picnic! We're praying that this energy and strength will continue! He has a week off from the chemo and then will go back for another cycle starting the first full week in November.

Yeah! Started chemo today!

The Whole Family

Back row (left to right): Rosie, Aiden, Josh, Angie, Jeff, Julie, and Baby ??
Middle Row: Nana and Pop Pop
Front Row: Ethan and Parker

(We took advantage of having Angie here and got everyone together to get some long over due family pictures! I will post more with future updates!)

YEAH!!!!!! Finally some good news! Josh started chemo today! The infection is still there but I guess it looked good enough to go ahead and get the chemo started! We are all so happy! He called me on his way home tonight and he said he felt fine, he was just tired! From what I understand his next chemo will be next Tuesday! Pray that everything continues to go our way. This next chemo is supposed to be the one that really knocks him down so we need to pray for his strength! He went up yesterday to have the port checked. They said it looked fine!

On a sad note, Josh lost his bird Sprocket yesterday! Rosie said they didn't notice anything wrong with him and then she found him dead at the bottom of the cage. Please pray that he will be able to deal with this new grief. It seems like he just keeps getting kicked while he's down! Today is hopefully the day that all of that turns around! Hopefully things will only continue to get better from here on out!

Josh and Aiden at swimming lessons last year!

Josh's blood transfusion went well, but because he still has an infection in his incision they won"t start the chemo.! AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! They gave him another Rx to treat the infection, but we don't know how long it will take to get rid of it. As of this morning he said it was still "oozing". On Friday I took him up to see the urologist and have the port put in. He's still having problems with being able to void on his own. When he saw this urologist he just gave him more catheters and scheduled him for some kind of test. I think that's in several weeks! He didn't even really tell him much about the test except that it will take an hour! The port was done through outpatient surgery and went really well. He's a little sore, but doesn't have any real complaints about it. After they did that we went to Olive Garden for lunch and he was able to eat a bowl of soup and his whole meal! I thought that was a good sign! Nothing like Olive Garden to fatten you up! He's supposed to go back up on Monday for them to check the port and then again on Tuesday to see the oncologist and HOPEFULLY start chemo! Please pray that the infection will clear up by then and that they won't have to put the chemo off any longer!

On a positive note: Our half-sister Angie is here from FL to visit for the week! I picked her up yesterday and will take her back on Friday! We haven't seen her since Jeff and I got married 5 yrs ago! We're going to try and get a whole family picture done while she's here! This is the first time she's met the boys and it will be nice for us to all get to spend some time together! Dad will be home in a few hours, so he'll get to see her also! Special thanks to Angie's family for giving her the money for the plane tickets and the time off from work! It's really nice to see her again after all these years!

Well that's it for now! Please continue to pray for the infection to go away, for Josh's strength to fight this, and for God to completely heal him!

Josh, Aiden & Rosie
(These were taken on their trip to Europe. They went over to visit Rosie's parents when they lived there.)

Josh just called on his way home from seeing the Dr. in Tucson. He was supposed to start chemo today, but like we expected they wouldn't let him because of the infection. They also found out he's still anemic and his potassium level is too low. They did a culture of the infection in his incision to find out if the antibiotics he's on will get rid of it or if there's something else he should be taking for it. Tomorrow he goes back up to have a blood transfusion to help with the anemia. He was supposed to meet with the pain Dr., but is going to have to cancel it because the transfusion is supposed to take anywhere from 5-7 hrs. On Thurs. he will meet with the oncologist and surgeon. They will do some more blood work to see what is the count is. If it's good he will start chemo that afternoon. On Friday he will have outpatient surgery to put in a port. The port will allow them to give the chemo, draw blood, give IV medicines, etc. Basically they won't have to poke him with needles for everything! If he starts the chemo this Thursday he will have the second dose the following Thursday. Then the Thursday after that he gets something else and I can't remember for sure what it is, but I think it's blood cells or more blood- something like that and then the chemo starts all over again. He said it's a 21 day cycle. I hope I have all of that right! When he told me that part I was in the car driving and couldn't write it down. He said the second dose of the chemo is supposed to be the worst. I guess it's usually the dose that really knocks people down. Please pray for his strength (mental, spiritual, and physical) to get through all of this! I know I say this all the time but- Thank you all so much for your continued prayers and support! It really means a lot to all of us! We know God is going to answer all of these prayers! We just have to stay strong and keep the faith!

Aiden and Josh reading a bedtime story!

Josh had a bit of a set back today! This morning he went to Urgent Care here in Sierra Vista because he was afraid that the incision was infected. He was right. They sent him home with a prescription for antibiotics. Pray that the antibiotics will clear up the infection without any problems. We got a prayer request answered though and his bowels are finally moving! YEAH! Please pray that the other will start working better and that he'll be able to get rid of the catheter within the next couple of days. He's supposed to start chemo on the 9th so pray that he's healed enough to do that and that the infection doesn't cause a delay. He also has an appt. with a pain management Dr. on the 10th. I guess the pains aren't all that bad right now, but his Dr. recommended that he get in with this Dr. just in case because it would be easier to get in later if he was already his patient!

He's out of the hospital!

Josh & Ethan

Josh, Ethan, & Dad


Thank you for your prayers! Josh is home! Yesterday they told him he could go home when he could void on his own. They waited all day and he wasn't able to so they sent him late last night with a catheter and taught him how to do it himself. Please pray that he will be able to get rid of the catheter very soon! As of right now that's all the new info. Please pray that he will heal quickly and that they will still be able to start the chemo on 10/9.

Josh and Ethan at the park

Mom and I spent the day in Tucson with Josh and Rosie at the hospital. Today was another bad day when it came to pain management! They finally came in and just removed the epidural and started over again. After they put the new one in he felt much better! He had a fever of 101 all day and he wouldn't listen to the nurse about doing the inspirometer (not sure how it's spelled- it's the breathing thing he's supposed to do). But he got up twice and went for a walk. He also sat in the chair for a little while. There still isn't any news on when he'll get to come home. I guess it depends on his pain and when his bowels start moving again. Mom will be going up again tomorrow and I will let you know if she has any news! Please continue to pray for a quick recovery and that he won't let this bring him down!

Josh and Aiden playing with light sabers! They both LOVE Star Wars!

We got back from CO this evening and stopped at the hospital to see Josh and pick Mom up. The surgery went as planned and he now has the colostomy bag. The Dr. wasn't able to remove any of the tumor. (I don't have any details as to why not though!)It sounds like he's still on schedule for starting the chemo on 10/9/07. I guess today was a rough day because they were having problems with his pain medicine pump and his epidural. Mom said they spent most of the day trying to get the things to work. They finally got the anesthesiologist to come down and he/she got it fixed. While we were there he was really drowsy, but we got to talk to him some. From what I understand Rosie took Aiden back to Sierra Vista, but she was going back up and spending the night at her brother and sister-in-law's house so she could go see him first thing tomorrow. Mom and I are going up tomorrow morning. The first day Josh was in the hospital he got to see the boys. Fortunately we knew one of the nurses and she was able to get Aiden and Ethan in. He got moved to another floor today and they allow kids over 2 yrs. to go into the rooms, but they said they would let Ethan in anyways since he's his son. We took Parker in to see him tonight. I'm sorry I don't have much info. but I will let you know as soon as I do.

Change of Plans- SURGERY TODAY!

Just a quick update! Mom called me in CO lastnight and said that Josh was being admitted to the hospital. He's having too much pain/pressure so they're going to do the surgery this morning insead of Monday. I talked to her a little while ago and she said the surgery was scheduled for 9:30am today, but it just got pushed back to 10:00am because there were 5 shootings in Tucson lastnight! Rosie, Mom, and Kathy are all in Tucson with him. He is going to have the colostomy done, but while the Dr.'s in there he's going to look at the tumor and see if he can remove any of it. He told Rosie that he didn't think he was going to be able to though. We have the wedding this afternoon/evening, but I will post an update as soon as we get home and I get more info. They haven't told Mom or Rosie how the long the surgery will take, so I might have news before we leave. PLEASE keep Josh, our family, and the Dr.'s in your prayers!

Omi and Josh (Sept. 15th, 2007)

MORE PRAYERS PLEASE!

Josh and Mom went to Tuscon to see the Dr. at UMC yesterday and didn't get the news we were all hoping for. I'm not sure I have all the details correct but here is what's going on. The Dr. said the CAT scan shows that the tumor the Dr. in KS didn't take out is pressing on him in a not so pleasant place and he's afraid it will grow into his intestines and cause a blockage. He said that if a blockage occurs during the chemo, that they would have to do an emergency surgery and it could be very dangerous! The Dr. wants to go in and give Josh a colostomy bag and then start chemo on Oct. 9th. (for those of you who don't know what a colostomy bag is here is the definition from Wikipedia. A colostomy is a surgical procedure that involves connecting a part of the colon onto the anterior abdominal wall, leaving the patient with an opening on the abdomen called a stoma. This opening is formed from the end of the large intestine is drawn out through the incision and sutured to the skin. After a colostomy, feces leave the patient's body through the stoma, and collect in a pouch attached to the patient's abdomen which is changed when necessary.)

The other option is to go in for another surgery to remove the tumor. The problem with that is it will delay him starting the chemo because they will have to wait for him to recovery from that surgery to be strong enough for the chemo. The Dr. doesn't want to put off the chemo any longer so he is suggesting that the colostomy is the best way to go. Josh is just starting to feel normal again after the first surgery and of course does not want any more surgeries! Either the colostomy or the removal! The Dr. wants to do this as early as this Thursday or the following Monday! Please pray that God will build Josh back up and give him the faith that he is taking care of things! Please pray that Josh won't let this bring him down and that he will have the continued strength to fight this. It was so heartbreaking for all of us to get that news yesterday, but it really tore Josh down! Please pray that God is leading the Dr. in the right direction and that this really is what needs to be done!

Right now it sounds like Josh is leaning toward the colostomy even though he of course would rather not! At least this time he won't be so far away and we can all go up to Tucson to be with him!

Jeff, Parker and I are leaving for CO tomorrow for Lisa's wedding. I will do my best to update the blog from there if I get any new information. We will be back on Sunday.

Please continue to pray for him and our family! I would also like to add a girl named Maggie to the pray list. She is a 16 yr. old girl in Tucson who has the same thing. Her mom and I have been emailing each other and she has given me some very helpful information.

It amazes me how many people we have all over the world praying for us! The other day I was in Walmart and I was talking to a lady who works there. She knows Rosie's mom and asked me how things were going. I was telling her about Josh when another lady who worked there overheard me and asked if I was talking about Josh! I told her yes, and she said her church was praying for him but she didn't know who he was. It's so wonderful to know how the prayer request has spread and to know that they're are so many people who are taking the time to pray for somebody that they don't even know! Prayer does work and we have to keep that faith that God will make him better!

PS. I don't know what's going on with text size. Sorry I can't get it all the same size!

These pictures were taken at both of Aiden's birthday parties. The first picture is on his actual birthday and the second one was taken the day of the big party!



I'm sorry I've been so bad about getting updates posted! It just seems like there's never enough time in the day to get everything done. Now that school has started back I've been subbing and tutoring twice a week and by the time I get home I'm ready to collapse!

Since the last post- Josh is still recovering from the surgery but seems to be doing better and getting stronger everyday! Last Tuesday Mom and Dad took him to Tucson to get some blood work done and see Dr. Cranmer at UMC. He was feeling very lightheaded and they were concerned. The blood work came back ok, except that it showed he's anemic. The Dr. said he's got to eat more and gain some weight! He put him on an ice cream diet. (Now that's a diet I could easily stick to!) He wants him to eat lots of ice cream and drink lots of shakes. He was having a hard time eating anything because everything tasted funny to him and certain foods just bothered him. The Dr. said that cold stuff might go down easier and taste a little better. He also told him not to waste his money on Ensure and Boost. He told him to get the Carnation Instant Breakfast drink mixes. During that visit he also got his staples removed. (Side story about that- A few days before this Josh showed Parker and Aiden his stomach with the staples in it! Parker's eyes almost came out of his head. He just kind of looked at him in disbelief! I told him it was ok and that Uncle Joshy just had a boo-boo. That night when I was putting him to bed we finished his devotional and then started to pray. We always pray for Josh, but that night Parker made sure he mentioned "Joshy's boo-boo"! He prays for it every night now!) Anyways- back to the Dr.'s visit. He still doesn't know when he'll start chemo because they want to make sure he's completely healed and his body is stronger. It might be another 2 weeks. Josh (and the rest of us) are very anxious to get it going! I guess he's also found a Dr. in Texas he may want to go see! I don't know a whole lot about that, but I will let you know when we do.

Yesterday (9/18) Mom took Josh to Tucson for a CAT Scan. He has another appt. with Dr. Cranmer on the 9/25 to discuss chemo/treatments. I don't know if that's when they'll find out the results of the CAT Scan or not.

He's gone into work a few times. One time was just to say hi to everyone and the last few times he's worked a few hours and then come home to rest. His job has been wonderful about his time off and he can also do some things from home. Well I think that's all for now!

He's home!

Josh and Ethan

We just got back from seeing Josh! He's so happy to be home and back with his whole family! It was so great to be able to see him and hug him! The flight home and the car ride home went well! He's still has the swelling and his back and legs are really bothering him. It seemed to help when we were massaging his legs, but then his back really started bothering him so he got up and walked around the house for a little while. After that Mom got out the massager for his back and that seemed to help. He also doesn't have much of an appetite. He's says everything taste funny. Tomorrow we will all be over there again for Aiden's birthday. Hopefully it won't be too much for him! Please pray that he will have a speedy recovery and that the pain will go away and he can be comfortable again. Please continue to pray for the miracle we need!

He's out of the hospital!

Josh and Aiden at Golf & Stuff

Just wanted to let everybody know that Josh was released from the hospital this morning! He will be flying home with Rosie tomorrow and they will be home late in the afternoon! I asked him what the other Dr.'s said about his case when it was presented to the group and he said they didn't really tell him anything. I guess they're still trying to figure out what will work best from him. When he recovers from the surgery he will start chemo in Tucson at the UMC Cancer Center.

Please continue to pray that they will find the right treatment for him and that they will have a safe flight home!

COMING HOME!!!!

Super Baby (Ethan) & Josh

THANK YOU JESUS! ONE PRAYER ANSWERED AND MORE TO COME! I just got off the phone with Mom. Josh just called her and told me not to buy the plane ticket for Kansas because he's getting released tomorrow or Saturday!!!!!!! They're going to present his case tomorrow and that's when they'll make the final decision. His doctor said he might even be able to fly right away if he promises that he'll get up and walk during the flight! If not I guess they're just going to rent a vehicle and drive home. We don't have all the details yet, but we're so excited!

The fever went away yesterday! Thank goodness! He still has the swelling but it looks like they may give him medicine to treat it at home. He's been up and moving around- even climbed a flight of stairs and I guess Rosie's been allowed to bring him regular food! He's having a hard time with the breathing thing but I'm sure that will get better soon. (I don't know what it's called but it's like what Dad had do after his lungs collapsed! It's a plastic tube kind of thing with a ball in it and he has to take a deep breath into it (as deep as he can) to get the ball to go up to the top.) They also took out a lot of the tubes yesterday and this morning.

Please pray that all of this will work out perfectly for him to come home, that they will have a safe and comfortable trip, and that the swelling will go down quickly! He's so excited to get home and see the boys! Please continue to pray for the miracle we need to make him healthy again! I know I say this every time, but we can't thank you enough for your continued prayers and support! We wouldn't be able to get through this without you!

Hopefully I will have more wonderful news to post tonight or tomorrow! We're so just so excited today! We really needed this good news!

Sept. 4th, 2007

Josh and Aiden playing video games!

Last night Josh got moved out of ICU and is now in a regular private room. He’s in room #5101. The cards I sent on Friday (that had the second room # on them) got there today. That was a lot faster than I had expected, especially for a holiday weekend. Now that he’s in a regular room we’re able to talk to him. I think that really made Mom feel better last night. She hasn’t been able to hear his voice for so long now and I think it was really getting to her. I talked to him twice today and he sounds good, but he’s really missing the boys! He did get to see them on the web cam today though. He hasn’t been able to see them or talk to them since the surgery.

His bowels just started moving, so yesterday he got to take a couple sips of broth. But he said it tasted horrible and made him feel kind of sick. This morning was the first time he really got to eat anything. I couldn’t hear him when he told me what he ate for breakfast but he had a turkey sandwich for lunch. He’s been wanting a calzone since right before the surgery, so hopefully he’ll get to eat one soon! He’s only allowed a very limited amount of liquids because of the swelling. The medicine they’re giving him for that is working, but it’s very slow. Unfortunately it sounds like that might extend the amount of time he has to stay in the hospital. Pray that the swelling will go away quickly and that he will be able to come home very soon!

The Dr. asked them for his x-rays the other day and either tomorrow or Thursday (Mom and I heard two different days) he’s going to get together with other Dr.’s and discuss Josh’s case! Pray that they will come up with a better plan for his treatment or another procedure that will work better. The surgeon came in this evening on his rounds and said that he had a low-grade fever. Josh said it wasn’t anything to be worried about and that they were just going to watch it. I thought that was a sign of infection and when I asked him about that he said it was ok. I asked him if he just wasn’t telling me everything because he knew we’d worry and he promised me he wasn’t! Please pray that the fever goes away and that he doesn’t get an infection!

Dad left today. He’s got a load in Omaha and then in Aurora, CO and then he’ll be home. He’s going to pick Mom up and then they’ll drive back out to Kansas. Mom thinks it will be Friday, but it just depends on how quickly he can get the loads and drop them off. When Mom gets there, I’ll fly out and meet her in KS. I don’t know how long we’ll be there. It just depends on when Josh gets released. I talked to him today about how he wants to get home and he really doesn’t seem to care either way. If he ends up having to stay in the hospital long enough, he may just fly home. I found a local RV rental today and the prices are great compared to all the ones I was finding online. The only problem is that they only have 2 and I can’t reserve it because I don’t know what dates we need it for yet! I also found out today that Rosie’s friend Shell has a friend who has an RV that they might be willing to let us borrow. I would like to thank everyone who is offering to help us in every way possible. Right now we don’t know what our needs are going to be until we know more about what’s going on with him getting released. We really appreciate the offers and we will let you know what we’re going to do as soon we know. If I do go to KS I will definitely need to take people up on the offers to watch Parker while Jeff is at work!

Well that’s all the info I have for tonight. I’ll post more when I have more! Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for a miracle for Josh and everyone else that is going through the same thing!

Patty- Could you please email me your email address? My email is julie_crowley@hotmail.com

September 1st, 2007

Josh & Aiden (Sept. 2004)









Josh & Ethan (Feb. 2006)

Hi! I know all of you have been checking for updates on Josh’s surgery and I’m so sorry that it’s taken this long to get it up here! The surgery was Thursday morning and ever since then the information we’ve been getting is in bits and pieces and I’m having a hard sitting down and figuring out how to write it all up.!

They were able to remove 75% (30 lbs.) of the tumors and they immediately started the hypothermic and IV chemo. Unfortunately it has spread to his liver. When they asked the Dr. about a liver transplant they were told it wouldn’t work because it was at the blood supply. We have to hope and pray that the chemo will shrink the tumors that they weren’t able to remove. Josh’s Dr. has sent samples to a lab to do more research on and they have put him on a list to try a new investigational drug. He is recovering in ICU and was doing very well breathing on his own so he didn’t need to be on a ventilator. Yesterday they removed his drainage tube and they gave him some insulin because his blood sugar was low. Today his blood sugar was ok. They still won’t let him eat because his bowels aren’t moving yet and they’re afraid of him getting sick and pulling his stitches. Right now the IV fluids they’re giving him to hydrate him aren’t going where there supposed to (into his bloodstream) it went into his body cavity and it’s making his lower body swell. They’re giving him medicine to get the fluids out and help his blood stream absorb it instead.

He should be able to come home in 10-15 days and then he will continue the IV chemo at UMC in Tucson. Rosie was going to call that Dr. yesterday, but I haven’t heard what she found out. We are still debating on how we are going to get him home. The Dr. told him he couldn’t fly for 3 weeks after the surgery, so we are trying to figure out the best and most comfortable way to get him back here. The Dr. says it shouldn’t be a problem for him to come back in Dad’s semi, but a lot of us are concerned about him having to get up into the truck. Mom and Jeff are talking about driving out next weekend either in Grandma’s van or a rented RV. Another option is that Dad is trying to get a load home so he can drop off the truck and he and mom and can drive out there together and get him. Dad is also looking into a Greyhound bus that has been converted into something like an RV that is used to get truck drivers home if they get sick while they are on the road. Right now we’re just trying to figure out what our options are! We can’t make any real decisions until we know more about when Josh is getting released and how he’s going to feel!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
On behalf of my entire family, I would like to thank the staff at Town and Country Elementary School (where Mom works) for such a wonderfully generous donation to help us with expenses! We cannot tell you enough how much we appreciate it and how overwhelmed we are with your generosity! We have not decided exactly how to use it but we think it will go towards getting Josh home! Thank you also for your kind words and prayers!

Although we didn’t get the results we were hoping for, we’re still praying for a miracle. Please pray that the chemo will shrink the tumors and that he will get to come home very soon!

August 29th, 2007

Here is a picture taken last October at Apple Annie's. Josh's family and mine spent the day there picking out our pumpkins for Halloween and eating lunch at the apple orchard.

Dad got to Kansas City yesterday and Josh arranged for him to stay at Hope House. It's a place where patients and their families can stay for free! Josh was admitted to the hospital today so they could get him hydrated and start "cleaning out" his bowels. The surgery is supposed to start around 7:30 a.m (Kansas time)/ 5:30a.m. (Arizona time). Josh told me yesterday that he thinks his Dr. will come out and update Dad, Rosie, and Shell when he takes breaks during the surgery. As soon as I hear anything, I will try to get it posted as soon as I can.

Please continue to pray for Josh, but also, please pray that God will guide the Dr.'s eyes and hands! I know it's going to be hard and that they most likely won't be able to get all of the !@#% (sorry- I just don't like using the "C" word!) out of him, but I'm praying that God will help them get every little bit out that they can! Please pray for our whole family as we sit anxiously praying and waiting for good news!

For everybody that wants to send cards, the address is below in the Aug. 27th post. The person that I talked to at the hospital said we have to put a room number on there. Even though it will probably change a couple of times she said if we at least have one of the room #'s on there, they will be able to find him. Right now he's in room #5116. After the surgery he will be in an ICU room and I will post that room # as soon as I get it. I'm going to go ahead and send at least one of my cards tomorrow with this room # on it.

Thank you to the people who have left comments:
Patty (Nathan's Mom)- Thank you for talking to Josh and sharing your stories with him! He told me about you and some of the things you told him. I think it made him feel better and a little more confident in going with this type of treatment! I will be praying for your son!
Tracy (Raymond's Mom)- Thank you for your comments and that website. I haven't done a lot of research on this because the stuff that I did read-I didn't like! All I know is that my brother is going to beat the odds that they give on those sites and I don't want to hear anymore of it! I did go to the website to see your son's page and the home page. It was WONDERFUL to read all the stories of the people who have been in remission and have beat this horrible thing! I like the way everyone on there is giving everyone the details on their treatments and what worked for them, and their Dr.'s contact info. I will be praying for your son also!

I would like to ask everyone that is praying for Josh to also add Nathan and Raymond to your prayers and ask your friends and family to do the same! We can never have enough people praying! WE ARE GOING TO GET THE MIRACLE WE ARE ASKING FOR! WE HAVE TO STAY POSITIVE AND BELIEVE THAT GOD WILL ANSWER THESE PRAYERS!

I hope Josh and Rosie don't mind the pictures I'm putting up, but I wanted everybody to see who they're praying for and these pictures at least brighten up such dreary information!

August 29th, 2007

Here is another family picture! This was taken Christmas 2006!

Hopefully Josh and Rosie won't mind, but since some of you have never met my brother and his family, I would like to show you who you are praying for!

August 27th, 2007

I talked to Josh today and got some more details. He will be admitted on Wed. morning to get IV fluids and for a bowel prep. (He has to have his bowels cleaned out before the surgery.) Then they will do the surgery first thing Thursday morning. I was wrong in the last posting- the surgery will probably take about 15hrs. and it's being done by a team of surgeons. The Dr. thinks that the cancer might be on his liver now, so they will most likely have to remove parts of his liver. He's also concerned that it could be in or on his bowels, so he may have to remove parts of that or "scoop" it out of there. The Dr. won't know any of this for sure until he gets in there and can see it better. Right now he can't even tell Josh how much of the tumors he's going to be able to remove. Josh said the Dr. told him that he would remove the peritoneum lining and the tumors that were stuck to that would come with it. They will start him on IV chemo and the Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy right after the surgery. He's guessing that he will be in the hospital for 2 weeks after the surgery and then he won't be able to fly home for another week after that. Josh thinks that Dad can just bring him home in the semi, but I think that would be too hard for him to get in and out of and I think it would be an awfully bumpy ride. He just said we'd figure it out when we got closer to the time.

I called and got the address for the hospital, but they said I have to have a room number to send it to. The address is :
University of Kansas Medical Center
3901 Rainbow Blvd.
Kansas City, KS 66160
(913)588-5000
Even though his room numbers will change they said I have to have a room # to start with. On Wed. I will call again and see if the first room he's in before the surgery will work and then I will put it on the blog.

When I talked to him today he sounded good. He went to a chiropractor and sat in the hot tub at the hotel for awhile and that seemed to help the pain a little. He was able to eat a little more today, but he's still not eating or drinking enough and that's another reason they want to admit him on Wed.

Well that's all the info I have for today. When I get more I will post it!

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR HIM, HIS DOCTORS, & OUR WHOLE FAMILY!!!!!!!!!

August 26th, 2007

Hi everyone! My cousin Lynn gave me the idea to start a blog and that way I wouldn't have to worry about only being able to email 50 people with the hotmail limitations. If it's easier for you to get the email than it is to check out the blog email me and let me know and I will continue to email the updates to you! I have to do it anyways for some of Mom's older friends that really only know how to check their emails or have very limited access to the web, so it's not a problem! I haven't done this before so bear with me! Hopefully I have this thing figured out! Below is the email I sent out last night. I will add more every time I get more/ new information.

Thank you Lynn for the great idea!

Julie

August 25th, 2007

Hi everyone! Josh flew to Kansas City, KS on Thursday and met with the Dr. yesterday. The surgery and the start of the Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy will be Thursday, Aug. 30th. I hope I have this right, but I think Mom said they were also going to be giving him some other type of IV chemo at the same time! He was originally told the surgery would be Mon. or Tues, but I guess the Dr.'s surgery schedule was full those 2 days. Rosie and her best friend are out there with him. As far as I know they will be staying until the beginning of Sept. Dad is home today and will leave tomorrow afternoon. He has a couple of loads to drop off and his final drop is about 200 miles away from where Josh is. After that drop he's going to take some time and go be with Josh. We're not exactly sure what's going to happen after that. The Dr. wasn't able to tell him exactly when he'd be ready to come home. The only thing he did tell him was that he couldn't fly until 3 weeks after the surgery. As of right now, Mom and Dad are talking about borrowing Grandma's van and driving out there to get him. The van's back seat can fold down into a bed so they think that would be the most comfortable thing for Josh for such a long drive!

Frank and Gilma (Rosie's parents). Mom, and I are taking care of the boys. Gilma is staying at Josh's house to take care of the boys, and when Frank leaves on TDY, Mom will also be staying there! They are trying to keep things as normal as possible for them. They set up a web cam the other night so Josh and Rosie could see them. Josh has also done some very special things for the boys to help put them to bed every night! He's such an amazing daddy!

Thank you again for all your continued prayers and kind words! We all really appreciate it and we know that God is taking care of everything! Please continue to pray for Josh, our family and the Dr.'s and nurses that will be taking care of him! Pray that God will guide the Dr. and will show him everywhere the tumors are so he can get them all out! It sounds like it's going to be about a 7hr. surgery.

I will let you know as soon as I find out anything else. I'm also going to try and get an address where we can send cards. As soon as I get that I will email that in case anybody would like it.

Love,
Julie

PS. I know some of you have asked me to add people to the email list. If you do not see the addresses above, please forward it on for me. Hotmail will only let me send one email to 50 people at a time. If you're getting this email twice I'm sorry. Mom has asked me to email each email I write to her so that she doesn't have to type up one for everyone on her list. Some of you are on both of the lists!