Good morning, everyone. Grant seems to be feeling better today. Yesterday we had out typical day of nausea following chemo. He had a low grade fever for most of the day and spent a lot of time hanging out in Grandma's big bed!
We had a fine trip this week. On Monday evening Grandma, Grant and I made our way first to Raleigh to visit Leah and her family, and then on to Chapel Hill to spend the night at our new home away from home, The Hampton Inn. We got to the hotel a little early so Grant could enjoy the pool. He is learning how to doggy paddle, and thinks that pools are just the most fun ever! We hear that Grandma may be getting a pool at her house sometime this summer - a desperate ploy to get her kids and grandkids to visit her more often!!! Do you hear me laughing, mama? I hear you!
We arrived at clinic a little before 7 am and found ourselves first in line this week! We checked in with Ms. Cindy and got plugged in (had his port accessed) with Ms. Mary and went straight in for sedation and spinal tap. Grant had gotten a pretty nasty splinter earlier in the week, so I used sedation as an opportunity to "operate" on his foot! One of the many perks of our current situation! ;) The anesthesiologist was very cooperative and even helped me a little! He says that parents do all kinds of weird things when their kids are under - clean their ears, change little girls earrings, remove splinters etc.... It was funny!
Grant favored everyone in the post-op room with his best druken rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"! He's a funny kid. Does everyone know that every week I also must favor all of the nurses with singing "Fuzzy Wuzzy Was a Bear" while Grant is having his port accessed? Yes, I do! Luckily I am used to singing in front of large crowds! The clinic is so small that everyone in the whole place hears me every week!!!
His numbers were low this week, which is to be expected. His neutrophils were .4, so he is considered neutropenic and needs to be basically secluded this week. His hemoglobin was 7.7, very low as well. He is on the verge of needing a blood transfusion, but it wasn't a neccesity this week. Hopefully, his numbers will come up on their own this week.
Next week we will do blood work at home on Monday with home health to determine if he is well enough to start the second round of Ara-C in this phase of treatment. He does this one at home for 4 days in a row for two weeks. It is what causes his numbers to fall, so they don't want to begin again until his numbers are up again. We will see what happens on Monday.
Today we are going to hang out at home and enjoy the beautiful weather. If the mosquitos would go away we could really enjoy things! We thank everyone again for your continued prayers for our family and especially for Grant. Have a great weekend!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Relaxing at Grandma's House
Grant is becoming quite the model. Whenever I take out my camera, he strikes a pose! You can see that his hair is growing and he is beginning to look more and more like himself. He had a good day yesterday in Chapel Hill. I'm sure Em will update later on his exact numbers and such, but he is enjoying a day of rest and relaxation at Grandma's house today. 
Monday, June 25, 2007
A note from some friends
We received this email from some friends last week, and I'd thought I'd share. Thanks so much for all the support!
I wanted to express our love for your family, especially in light of recent events with Grant’s cancer. Ever since we heard about it from Sandra, we’ve been regular visitors to the “Super Grant” blog, and we’re very, very grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who is supporting you all, especially Emily & Kevin & Grant.
I also wanted to share this with you. Matthew and I were both due for haircuts this morning, we I decided we should express our support and love for Grant my following the example of the rest of your boys. I’ve attached a picture of the result.
Please share this with Grant if you think it might help him to know that Matthew and the rest of our family are thinking of him, and praying for him and his mom & dad.
Love,
Ryan & Matthew Corradini
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tuesday's Report
Hi, everyone! I apologize for taking so long to report. Life is super busy these days.
We had a great trip to clinic this week. Kevin and Grant and I made our way to Chapel Hill on Monday evening. We left around 4pm, stopped in the terrible traffic in New Bern and ate dinner, then arrived at the Hampton Inn around 9pm. Grant was more comfortable this week with the knowledge of his upcoming appointment. He was in a fine mood for our travels and even acted more like himself at clinic.
We made #4 again this week, so we were seen very quickly. Grant and Kevin had a great time playing with his friend Doris. She is 5 and is from a Spanish speaking family. She is the only person in her family who speaks English, so we haven't really learned a lot about her situation yet. However, we do know that she thinks Grant is the coolest! And she is pretty impressed with Kevin too!
Grant's numbers were as expected this week. His WBC (white blood count) was low and ANC (absolute neutraphil count) is on the way down again. He was a 4.1 last week and down to 1.3 this week. So, he is responding just the way he should to this round of medicine. The low counts do mean that we have to be more careful about exposing Grant to any germs as he would be unable to fight off any kind of infection. His hemoglobin was also getting low, so he may need another blood transfusion next week. This is a very painless procedure, but it does take several hours, so our trip could be a longer one next Tuesday.
So, we are hanging out close to home this week. All of the kids are enjoying the warmer weather and finding plenty of time for lounging in the pool. Leah has been home this week with her family, so we are enjoying visiting with cousins and getting to know baby Carter. She will return home to Raleigh tomorrow and we will miss her and hers!
Grant's hair is growing back quite a bit these days. I think that when it initially fell out, it basically just got really thin. So, the hair that is growing back now would have been hair that stayed behind had we not shaved the whole thing! Hindsight! It does however seem to be quite a bit lighter than before. We will wait and see.
He also weighed in at 52 lbs. yesterday, so we are only 2 lbs. off of his starting weight at diagnosis. He had lost weight from all of the sickness prior to be diagnosed, so he actually looks more like himself now. All of his clothes are fitting again, so he is much happier. His larger shorts were pretty long, so he didn't like wearing them so much! Today he is wearing his favorite pirate shirt from Charleston and his camo pants and he looks very much at home in them!
We were very saddened to learn this week that Dr. John Knelson, our family pediatrician has been diagnosed with throat and esophogial cancer. He is being treated at UNC as well and will be doing radiation treaments for an extended period of time. Dr. Knelson is a sweet and kind man and also a man of great faith. We will pray for him and his family and ask that you do the same.
Life is settling into more of a normal pattern these days. We have learned the roads to Chapel Hill very well and feel very comfortable with our new friends at the children's clinic. We are reminded every week just how blessed we are to have found Grant's cancer at such an early stage of development. There are so many children who were not so fortunate and who have a very hard road of treatment.
Thanks to all of our family and friends who continue to buoy is up with your faith and friendship and acts of quiet giving. We pray that you know of our depth of gratitude.
Until next report.........
We had a great trip to clinic this week. Kevin and Grant and I made our way to Chapel Hill on Monday evening. We left around 4pm, stopped in the terrible traffic in New Bern and ate dinner, then arrived at the Hampton Inn around 9pm. Grant was more comfortable this week with the knowledge of his upcoming appointment. He was in a fine mood for our travels and even acted more like himself at clinic.
We made #4 again this week, so we were seen very quickly. Grant and Kevin had a great time playing with his friend Doris. She is 5 and is from a Spanish speaking family. She is the only person in her family who speaks English, so we haven't really learned a lot about her situation yet. However, we do know that she thinks Grant is the coolest! And she is pretty impressed with Kevin too!
Grant's numbers were as expected this week. His WBC (white blood count) was low and ANC (absolute neutraphil count) is on the way down again. He was a 4.1 last week and down to 1.3 this week. So, he is responding just the way he should to this round of medicine. The low counts do mean that we have to be more careful about exposing Grant to any germs as he would be unable to fight off any kind of infection. His hemoglobin was also getting low, so he may need another blood transfusion next week. This is a very painless procedure, but it does take several hours, so our trip could be a longer one next Tuesday.
So, we are hanging out close to home this week. All of the kids are enjoying the warmer weather and finding plenty of time for lounging in the pool. Leah has been home this week with her family, so we are enjoying visiting with cousins and getting to know baby Carter. She will return home to Raleigh tomorrow and we will miss her and hers!
Grant's hair is growing back quite a bit these days. I think that when it initially fell out, it basically just got really thin. So, the hair that is growing back now would have been hair that stayed behind had we not shaved the whole thing! Hindsight! It does however seem to be quite a bit lighter than before. We will wait and see.
He also weighed in at 52 lbs. yesterday, so we are only 2 lbs. off of his starting weight at diagnosis. He had lost weight from all of the sickness prior to be diagnosed, so he actually looks more like himself now. All of his clothes are fitting again, so he is much happier. His larger shorts were pretty long, so he didn't like wearing them so much! Today he is wearing his favorite pirate shirt from Charleston and his camo pants and he looks very much at home in them!
We were very saddened to learn this week that Dr. John Knelson, our family pediatrician has been diagnosed with throat and esophogial cancer. He is being treated at UNC as well and will be doing radiation treaments for an extended period of time. Dr. Knelson is a sweet and kind man and also a man of great faith. We will pray for him and his family and ask that you do the same.
Life is settling into more of a normal pattern these days. We have learned the roads to Chapel Hill very well and feel very comfortable with our new friends at the children's clinic. We are reminded every week just how blessed we are to have found Grant's cancer at such an early stage of development. There are so many children who were not so fortunate and who have a very hard road of treatment.
Thanks to all of our family and friends who continue to buoy is up with your faith and friendship and acts of quiet giving. We pray that you know of our depth of gratitude.
Until next report.........
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Good counts today!
Hi, everyone. We are back at home after a very fine day. Grant's counts were great today. His neutraphil count was basically normal, so we get another week of no mask! We made it to clinic by 7 am, and were #4 for sedation today, so we were out fairly quickly.
We stopped to see beautiful baby Carter in Raleigh and visited with Kevin's boss in Garner. Other than those few stops, we had a very quick trip.
Its late, so I will update more tomorrow.
Good night to all!
We stopped to see beautiful baby Carter in Raleigh and visited with Kevin's boss in Garner. Other than those few stops, we had a very quick trip.
Its late, so I will update more tomorrow.
Good night to all!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The Many Faces of Grant
Grant was in a funny mood the other night and did quite a bit of posing for me! He was so cute and so funny. I thought you'd all enjoy seeing his pretty face.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Saturday morning....
Good morning! Thankfully there is not much new to report today. Grant has had a very long week of much medicine! He is doing great though, and we are very excited to have the weekend off.
This has been Grant's first week of at-home chemo. He has done great, but has had more nausea because of the amount of medicine he has been receiving. Yesterday was a rough day, but it was his last day for this time, so we are looking forward to improvement today. He already felt much better last night.
Let me also take the time to thank Allen Petit and the Downeast Band for sponsoring a fundraiser in our behalf at their Spring Concert. I have known Allen since I was in middle school band and he worked with Mr. Bottoms over in Morehead City. He (Allen) has been a faithful watcher of Grant's page and wanted to do something to help, so he organized this fundraiser at his concert. We are very appreciative of his help and of the kind offerings made by so many of our friends at the concert. I keep telling Grant's doctors that we just live in the best place!!! I can't explain how blessed we feel that we chose to live and raise our family in the place where we grew up. We could not do this - fight this cancer - anywhere else! You all continue to buoy us up with your faith, your kindness, and your help.
So, today Eden has her end of season softball tournament. Zac Dart (Aly's 3 year old - and a baseball fanatic) is one excited boy to be able to see some serious ball today! Our boys are going to see Kevin's mom so we can watch Eden. Its a little too hot for Grant at the ball field today.
We will be traveling back to Chapel Hill on Monday evening. Grant will have more of a normal visit this week - spinal tap and medicines, but no 8 hour observation! I will post more as we know more!
This has been Grant's first week of at-home chemo. He has done great, but has had more nausea because of the amount of medicine he has been receiving. Yesterday was a rough day, but it was his last day for this time, so we are looking forward to improvement today. He already felt much better last night.
Let me also take the time to thank Allen Petit and the Downeast Band for sponsoring a fundraiser in our behalf at their Spring Concert. I have known Allen since I was in middle school band and he worked with Mr. Bottoms over in Morehead City. He (Allen) has been a faithful watcher of Grant's page and wanted to do something to help, so he organized this fundraiser at his concert. We are very appreciative of his help and of the kind offerings made by so many of our friends at the concert. I keep telling Grant's doctors that we just live in the best place!!! I can't explain how blessed we feel that we chose to live and raise our family in the place where we grew up. We could not do this - fight this cancer - anywhere else! You all continue to buoy us up with your faith, your kindness, and your help.
So, today Eden has her end of season softball tournament. Zac Dart (Aly's 3 year old - and a baseball fanatic) is one excited boy to be able to see some serious ball today! Our boys are going to see Kevin's mom so we can watch Eden. Its a little too hot for Grant at the ball field today.
We will be traveling back to Chapel Hill on Monday evening. Grant will have more of a normal visit this week - spinal tap and medicines, but no 8 hour observation! I will post more as we know more!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
First trip to Carteret General
Well, it was bound to happen- Grant got a fever yesterday evening. So, Emily and Grant headed to Carteret General after speaking to the doctors in Chapel Hill. They checked his blood levels, kidneys, etc... and gave him some fluids and antibiotics in his port. Long story short, Pa was on his way home from Raleigh meeting his new grandson, and was approaching the vicinity of the hospital as Emily arrived with Grant- so she had a very good Pa to stay for the tests.
About 11:30 pm, fever was gone, Grant was feeling better, levels checked out ok for him to come home...
All is well, seemed a bit scary last night though. We will get more used to it with time.
Keep the prayers coming...
About 11:30 pm, fever was gone, Grant was feeling better, levels checked out ok for him to come home...
All is well, seemed a bit scary last night though. We will get more used to it with time.
Keep the prayers coming...
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Back at home!
Good morning everyone. We are happy to be back at home and done with a very long day at the hospital yesterday. Grant was a good boy considering the amount of time time and the unbelievable amount of meds taken!
He is indeed in full remission - no residual cells!!! So - we are now entering the Consolidation phase of treatment. We will continue our weekly clinic appointments for another 8 weeks. THis week and next we will also do at-home chemo with home health on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Because of the home meds, Grant's port will have to stay accessed for a good portion of the week. Bad news is no swimming! Good news is - no needles! We'll take it!
We had quite a whirlwind trip. Shortly after we arrived in Chapel Hill on Monday night, my sister Leah called to say that she was in labor (nearly two weeks early!) and was heading to Rex Hospital in Raleigh. Luckily, Grandma and Mike were with us for this trip, so Mama spent the night with Leah's other two boys and Mike relieved her in the morning so she could make it to the hospital for the delivery of Carter Michael Steelman. He is quite a handsome little fellow - looking remarkably like his brothers and cousins and especially his beautiful mommy! We will post photos later!
We were also happy to visit with Dr. Romano for a few minutes yesterday. Grant was having a grumpy day, so he wasn't acting too excited about anything, but he was still happy to see her! We also saw Michael McKinney - who is looking so much better this week! Colby spent most of the day with us. He was waiting to be admitted for another 5 days straight, so he hung out in the clinic until his room was ready. This made our very long day much more bearable! Grant and Colby built Lego's and watched several movies! Colby will turn 6 on Saturday! Happy Birthday, big guy!
OK - am I updated??? Home health will come today. Eden has dance. School is out tomorrow. Joella and her family are on vacation. Leah has a new baby. Mike is flying to Utah today for summer school. Aly is unpacking. Joel is hanging out with Pa at the office. I am sleepy! That's all I got!
He is indeed in full remission - no residual cells!!! So - we are now entering the Consolidation phase of treatment. We will continue our weekly clinic appointments for another 8 weeks. THis week and next we will also do at-home chemo with home health on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Because of the home meds, Grant's port will have to stay accessed for a good portion of the week. Bad news is no swimming! Good news is - no needles! We'll take it!
We had quite a whirlwind trip. Shortly after we arrived in Chapel Hill on Monday night, my sister Leah called to say that she was in labor (nearly two weeks early!) and was heading to Rex Hospital in Raleigh. Luckily, Grandma and Mike were with us for this trip, so Mama spent the night with Leah's other two boys and Mike relieved her in the morning so she could make it to the hospital for the delivery of Carter Michael Steelman. He is quite a handsome little fellow - looking remarkably like his brothers and cousins and especially his beautiful mommy! We will post photos later!
We were also happy to visit with Dr. Romano for a few minutes yesterday. Grant was having a grumpy day, so he wasn't acting too excited about anything, but he was still happy to see her! We also saw Michael McKinney - who is looking so much better this week! Colby spent most of the day with us. He was waiting to be admitted for another 5 days straight, so he hung out in the clinic until his room was ready. This made our very long day much more bearable! Grant and Colby built Lego's and watched several movies! Colby will turn 6 on Saturday! Happy Birthday, big guy!
OK - am I updated??? Home health will come today. Eden has dance. School is out tomorrow. Joella and her family are on vacation. Leah has a new baby. Mike is flying to Utah today for summer school. Aly is unpacking. Joel is hanging out with Pa at the office. I am sleepy! That's all I got!
Friday, June 1, 2007
Good Test Results!
Emily heard from Dr. Blatt bright and early this morning. She says the results look great - there are no more detectable cancer cells! Samples have also been sent off to another facility that does a stronger analysis to see if there are any residual cells, but it will be a few more days before we get those results. We'll post when we know more.
Thanks!!!
Thanks!!!
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