I Don't ♥ Cancer

Even though Zak had a very rough night Wednesday, he was still able to attend school on Thursday and Friday. He continues to feel pretty good, and will be attending Homecoming tonight. We are so excited!!!!

As our day comes to an end, this completes the 1st day of the 3rd cycle. Once again, we will wait to see if any side effects occur.  Let’s hope not, especially since it is Homecoming weekend.  I will keep you updated.

Thank you and have a great day

FANTASTIC NEWS!!!

COUNTS ARE AWESOME!!!!

CYCLE 2 COMPLETE!!!!!!!!!

YYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Visit number 5 is officially over!  This means we are more than half way there   Zak’s counts remain excellent!  Now we will watch for side effects – and hopefully there will be NONE!  Homecoming is coming up right around the corner so that is definitely keeping us busy.  We are very much looking forward to it.

In case I haven’t mentioned this recently, we could not do this without the support of each and every one of you!!!

I probably should have updated yesterday to let you all know that Zak was feeling MUCH better!  He went to school and attended both the Sophomore and Varsity football games at Grayslake North last night. Wednesday and Thursday were just a minor bump in the road . . .

We knew it was just a matter of time until some of the side effects kicked in.  Boy did they kick in last night.  Zak became very ill shortly after we got home from treatment.  He will not be attending school today – which is a first for him (besides the days he has treatment).  His body is definitely in need of rest and hydration.

So we have about an hour left before day 1 of cycle 2 is complete. Although it has been another very long day – we are that much closer to the end. As the chemo builds up in Zak’s body, there is some concern that the side effects may become more severe. LET’S HOPE NOT!!! As some of you may have noticed, he has lost a significant amount of hair.  His counts are back up, which is very good news. Had they remained low, there would be a possibility that Zak wouldn’t have been able to receive treatment today. We certainly don’t want any setbacks.  We continue to stay strong and positive.  Thank you for your continued support!!!!!!

Well . . . I’m not quite as excited as I was last week, but non-the-less, things aren’t that bad. Zak’s blood counts are definitely dropping. He’s absolutely not feeling 100%, and this weather doesn’t help much either. Zak will not be participating in gym for the next 2 weeks. He is beginning to lose his hair. It’s not that noticeable yet, but we can tell. Now we need to pay close attention to colds, sore throats, fevers, etc. If he has a fever of 100.5 or higher, he will be admitted into the hospital. He did receive his flu shot today, and the rest of us will get ours next week. His spirits remain strong, and that’s most important. Regardless of any of these minor side effects – we are one third of the way done! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So today was Zak’s 2nd treatment. I am happy to report that his bloodcounts remain EXCELLENT! That is half the battle right there!!!

Although this was a much shorter visit, he did still receive chemotherapy through his port. Side effects this time could include numbness and tingling in his fingers, toes, and throughout his entire body. The biggest side effect – hair loss. We shaved Zak’s head Tuesday night as a precaution. Who knows – he beat the side effects last time – maybe he’ll beat them again this time too.   With or without hair, he will still look as handsome as ever.

2 weeks down . . . 7 weeks to go . . .

As you know, Zak’s first treatment was this past Wednesday. We were told by Dr. Goodell (Zak’s oncologist) that he may experience side effects come Thursday night or Friday. I am so excited to tell you that Zak’s side effects have been very minimum. He has been a little achy, and his mouth/jaw is sore. Other than that, my son has not missed a beat. He was able to attend school both Thursday and Friday, and even participated in gym. He still felt good after school on Friday, and was able to hang with friends. I couldn’t be prouder of his strength!!!!!!