This is Jake's Story...

Jake is a 20-year-old twin who has been diagnosed with stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma, a very rare form of cancer. Going through a vigorous daily radiation treatment and weekly Chemo treatments make him extremely tired, weak and sometimes nauseous.

Jake is otherwise a normal teenage kid. He likes playing computer games, paintball, swimming and golfing. He loves hanging out with his four brothers, 4 wheeling, camping, and ruining his mom's laundry baskets while making home videos. He hopes to someday become a computer programmer.

This blog was started to keep his family and friends updated on his status.

Addendum: Jake became cured of cancer, free of pain and everything this world brings on September 29, 2010. He continues his journey in Heaven. He is doing awesome! Hope you're doing the same!

His family thanks you for your generosity in donations, love and service. God has shown us many tender mercies!
Thanks for being one of them!





Monday, February 28, 2011

Counts are up again!

Thanks for your prayers!  Jake's counts are up high enough to get chemo tomorrow!  Finally moving on!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Hoping for chemo this week!

We did a detox on Jake to see if it would help his platelet count.  Monday we will be getting a blood draw so they can check to see if the platelets are high enough.  Since life does not always work out the way I schedule it, I scheduled racquetball for Tuesday.  That way, if "life" is going to interrupt my schedule, I'll miss racquetball instead of chemo!  (a bit of a stretch, but we are trying anything now! haha).  Oh, and click on the word "detox" if you want to see pictures!  Warning!  Kinda gross looking!

Thanks for your prayers in our behalf!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Prayer time!

So, instead of chemo today, it was laundry and cleaning the kitchen (Yay!)!  I talked to the nurse today to see if there was anything we could do to get Jake's platelets up enough to get chemo, but she had nothing.  All I have is you guys and God, so if you could please say a prayer for Jake to get his platelet count up to at least 75 so he can continue with his chemo treatments so we can get this over with and he can get on with his life!

Jake's in really good spirits these days!  Sadly, he has lost so much strength in his hands and feet, just coming up the stairs is a hardship for him.  Sometimes he has to crawls up the last 5 stairs.  He told me yesterday he fell down and had to get help to get back up.  I asked him if he needed one of those geriatric gizmos so he could say, "Help!  I've fallen and I can't get up!"  I know it's more sad than funny, but we try to make light of the hard stuff so it doesn't seem like such a tragedy.  It's better than crying all the time!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Bad Platelets...bad, bad platelets!

Again with the low count of platelets, so....no chemo again this week!   Now it puts the end back one...more...week!  (Sigh!)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

No Chemo this week!

Again, his platelet counts weren't high enough to get chemo.  A little disappointed that we can't get on with the regimen, but it really is nice to have a break.  This will be a 3 week break for Jake.  It gives his body time to heal...I think that's a good thing!  It's all good! :)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Last third of the Chemo regimen

Monday starts the last third of Jake's chemo regimen!  I don't know if the hardest part is the middle, because the end looks so far away, or the end, because we have been through so much and it's hard to go one more time!  At least we can see the end...did you ever have to take yucky medicine for a long time and just the thought of it makes you gag?

I'm a little nervous for this next chemo.  I guess because the last one was a little too scary for me.  Well, let's just be grateful for a nice weekend!  Monday brings a double visit from the nurse!  She has to draw blood to check his counts, then come and start a bolus of saline around 10 pm.  Unfortunately, she will be on her valentine date.

If all goes as planned, his last chemo will be April 20th.  It's actually suppose to be on his birthday, April 19th, but he refused to spend his birthday getting chemo all day!  Can you blame him?

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Break!

Jake has a break from chemo this week and next week.  His platelets were low on Monday, but hopefully tomorrow they will be up!  All the other counts were fabulous!  We love the "one" shot thing!  The benefit is that the medicine stays in his body for the whole time between chemo treatments!  No more nightly shots!