We Need Your Help!

Hi! I've emailed several people, but I know that I don't have the email addresses of everyone who checks this blog. I would like to ask all of you for your help to make this Mother's Day very special for our mom! One of our local florists (Bloom Country) is having a Mother's Day Contest and I have submitted Mom as one of the nominees. (SHHH! She doesn't know!) If she's the winner she will win free flowers for a year! I think that just might brighten up her year a little! All you have to do is go to the website, register, and then vote for Mom by clicking on our family picture that I submitted. (If you don't know which one it is, underneath our picture it says Submitted by Julie C. Added 05/02/2008) The website is www.bloomcountry.com I know all of you have wonderful mother's, but if you haven't entered your mom in this contest, I was wondering if you could help me and vote for our's! I entered her in another Mother's Day contest with KVOA 4 News but we haven't heard anything on that one yet and I'm afraid that one has so many entries that we have a better chance winning this one. If you could also pass this on to other friends and family members who would do this for me I would really appreciate it. The contest ends on May 10th so please get your vote in as soon as possible. Right now she's winning and I'd like to keep it that way! :)

I would like to thank all of you in advance for you help and I will let you know if/when she wins! I would also like to thank you again for all of your prayers and support over the last several months! This is such a difficult time for all of us and we couldn't make it without your prayers and your friendship! Please continue to pray for Josh and the rest of our family as we wait for God to heal Josh!

Second treatment in CA

Josh got back from his second trip to CA on Thursday. This time he had to stay an extra day. They didn't call him before he left to tell him that his labs showed that his blood count was too low. He had to get a shot to boost the count and then the next day they gave him the chemo. He's supposed to have a scan on May 14th and then go back for the next treatment on May 20th. Thankfully he gets to have the scan done in Tucson! Please pray for great results! I'll let you know as soon as we know anything.

Here are some pictures from Josh's surprise birthday party! Jeff made the cake to look like Josh's Toyota Land Cruiser!

I'm sorry there haven't been any updates lately. Josh said there was info he needed to give me to correct somethings that he told me before. The easiest way for me to get the info correct is to just cut and paste what he wrote.

Met with the Dr. in Santa Monica yesterday. Unfortunately the R1507 trial is temporarily closed. This is the one that targets the IGF1R receptor. He hopes to have it re-opened in about 2 months. In the mean time they put me on the ET743 trial. This drug "Yondelis" is a form of chemo so the side effects will still be present. They said it won't be a fraction of how bad the AIM side effects were, but I should still have the nausea and low blood counts. This trial is every 3 weeks in Santa Monica. I start next week so I'll be flying out Tuesday morning and returning Wednesday night. When the R1507 trial gets re-opened, if this treatment isn't working, they'll move me over to it. The R1507 trial is every week so that means even more travel. This is gonna be $$$$$. At least I don't have to pay for the drugs.

His next treatment is April 29th. Please pray for a safe trip! He's still feeling good since the last treatment, please pray this will continue after this treatment!

Sorry it's taken so long to post an update. I've been waiting on Josh to give me some info to correct. Josh had a great trip to California. The treatment went very well and since then he has been feeling very well. He's gone to work several times this week and has gotten some work done around the house that he's been wanting to do. He also got the opportunity to go to Tucson on Saturday and visit with his friends that are working on his Land Cruiser.

Just an added note: Saturday is Josh's 28th birthday! Happy Birthday Little Brother!

Just a quick update! Josh leaves tomorrow (4/8) for California. He goes to the clinic to get the treatment and then comes home Wednesday night. Please pray that he will have a safe trip and that everything will go well!

Josh,
Julie, Grandma, Mom
Parker & Aiden at Grandma's 80th Birthday Party!

Josh and Rosie met with the Dr. in CA today. Josh is able to be part of the study, but it's not the one he had researched before. That one is closed for 2 months. Next week, on Tuesday, Josh will go back out to CA and start the one that they talked about today. I'm getting all this info from Mom and Josh didn't tell her what it's called. What we know about it, is that it's not a shot like we all thought it was going to be. It's a type of chemo. When he gets there they will put the drugs in a pump and then he can go back to the hotel. The next morning he will go back to the clinic for them to remove the pump and then he will get to come home. He will have to go to CA once every 3 weeks. After 6 weeks they will do a scan to see how it's working. If it shows progress they will keep him on it, but I don't know how long they will do that. If it doesn't show progress they will let him start the other one when it opens back up. If he does that one he will have to travel to CA once every week.

Please pray that Josh and Rosie will have a safe flight home tomorrow and that everything will work out with this new treatment!

Results of the scan- Part 2

I still don't have all the info. but this is all Josh has also. Rosie and Josh are flying out to Santa Monica, CA on Sunday. They will meet with a Dr. on Monday morning to discuss the details of the treatment and find out if he qualifies for it. From Josh's and his Dr.s' understanding it shouldn't be a problem. The only thing that keeps people from being able to do it is if they have high blood sugar. Thankfully Josh's blood sugar is just fine! The shot he's going to get is called IGF-1R Antagonist. From what Josh knows about it, he'll have to get it once every 3 weeks. He's very excited about doing it. A lot of people that have been given this have had great results! They plan on flying home Tuesday morning, but if they need to stay longer they can change their tickets. Please pray for a safe trip, that Josh will be able to get the shot right away, and that the shot(s) work! I will let you know as soon as I find out any other info.