I Don't ♥ Cancer

Today was Zak’s 3 month follow-up appointment with Dr. Goodell (his oncologist).  Boy has time flown by!!!  Needless to say, Zak remains CANCER FREE!  We are scheduled to go back in April for a CT scan.  I have no doubt that those results will come back great as well.  2010 is going to be a great year!

So if you haven’t already received a phone call or a text, or if we are not friends on facebook . . . the verdict is . . . ZAK IS CANCER FREE!!!!!

Here is what happens next.  First we will schedule surgery to have the port removed.  After that life will return back to normal for Zak, and our entire family.  He is scheduled to go back in January for bloodwork, chest x-ray, and exam.  Come April, he will go back again for the same, plus a CT scan to make sure we are still in the clear.  Not sure yet what happens after April.

Needless to say, we pulled Demi and Colin out of school and celebrated by having lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings.  That’s Zak’s favorite place to eat.

I know I have said this a thousand different times in a thousand different ways, but we could never have done this without each and every one of you!

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nick, Traci, Zak, Demi and Colin

We just got home from our FINAL (fingers crossed here) chemo treatment.  Counts are fantastic as usual!  How cute is this?   The nurses actually had a good-bye party for Zak.  They had an adorable ice cream cake with a football on it, and even sang to him.  We are feeling extremely optimistic right now.  Moving forward – Zak will have another PET scan and a CT scan in approximately 3 to 4 weeks.   At this time it will hopefully be confirmed that the cancer is gone!!!  Until then, we will keep very busy and remain very positive!!!

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!!!

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!!!!!!

We are just about done with Zak’s first day of chemotherapy. We have been at Lutheran General since 9:00 a.m., and it is now almost 4:30. Phew – what a long day. All went as well as can be exptected. The staff here could not have been more hospitable. The doctors and nurses are fantastic! If he’s going to show any side affects, they may not occur until tomorrow night or Friday. Either way – we are now one week closer to the end of treatment.