11-5-03 - As you have probably noticed....there's a new archive button. Any of the content dating back through 6-03 will be found under the newest
button.

Beth went inpatient today for round #6 of chemo. She was a bit weepy to be leaving home for a couple of days and was sad because we had such a
great month. She said that "I felt normal and now it's over again". Hard to choke back the tears. Man I wish I could take her place. So.....please keep
her in your prayers. I will post again when we get home and let you all know how it went.

11-8-03 - Beth has finished the in-patient portion of round #6. Now just two out-patient doses of vincristine to finish it up over the next two weeks. She
is feeling pretty well and tolerated treatments well at the hospital, only throwing up twice. Her tummy hurts a little this morning but some oatmeal has
seemed to fix that right up! Beth is sitting by the nice warm fire place doing a craft project adn watching the Disney Channel. Kind of cold out there
today. Beth was happy because I spent a few hours and put up all the outside Christmas lights yesterday. A little early I know but........considering
what we are celebrating I don't mind lighting things up a little early.........we have so much to be thankful for! Bethy got this years school pictures back
the other day. It is my absolute favorite picture of her. Her head is held high and proud.........now that's my kid!!!! My scanner is toast so I will be
attempting to get another one..maybe today. I will post her school pic asap.

11-17-03 - Hi everybody! Sorry this post is late. We have been caught up in normal, everyday things and it just got away from me. Beth has been doing
really well. She is in school as we speak. She had blood drawn this morning just to make sure everything is as it should be. She has been slightly on
the tired side but not bad. One more injection of vincristine this Wednesday will complete chemo round # 6 of 8. The light at the end of the tunnel is
starting to widen now and we are happy that chemo is almost over. The MRI scans will continue every three months for another year and slowly taper
off after that. The next issue we will be dealing with is growth. Beth hasn't grown at all in the past year since diagnosis and treatment. She will be
seeing an endocrinologist reference this who will do some tests and decide if growth hormone is appropriate and when it will be given. Beth has a
thyroid test last week which came out normal....so that's good news. Anyway.....Mikey is nagging me huge to paint........so I have to go. Thanks for
stopping in!

11-19-03 - Jen took Beth for her vincristine this morning and the nurse noticed that Bethany was looking a little pale. Blood was drawn and checked to
discover that her hemoglobin was borderline. Because Beth will be starting her three week break from chemo today and also because Thanksgiving is
next week, the nurse went ahead and ordered a hemoglobin transfusion so Beth will be feeling well and wont have to come back......hopefully. So,
that's another three to four unexpected hours sitting at the hospital....but we are used to it now........no biggie!

11-23-03 - Beth went to church with her Mimi this morning. She looked so pretty that I had to get a picture when she came home. I put the pic at the top of
this page. It's the first time I've seen her in a dress in about a year! She was cracking me up, saying "These panty hose are killing me". She is really
doing fantastic and we thank the good Lord everyday for it. I calculated her chemo and, if all goes according to schedule, she will be done the first week
in February. We can't wait but know we will be stressed because we will no longer be doing anything proactive. I guess we just have to accept the fact
that this is something that will be an ongoing trial. But we are very upbeat and are having a great time preparing for the holidays. I have Thanksgiving off
next week. We have never really knew what thankful is until now. We are blessed to REALLY know....to bad it had to come at such a price.

11-30-03 - Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Both Jenni and myself had Thanksgiving day off of work. We slept in and then got up with the Mikey
and Beth and decorated the Christmas tree, which was already standing, with ornaments while listening to Christmas tunes. We basically lounged
around in our P.J.'s all morning and then headed to visit with family at Mimi's (Jenni's mom) house where a Thanksgiving feast was consumed. Beth
had a great day but grew tired around 9:00 P.M. so we headed home and went straight to bed. The next afternoon, with family still staying at Mimi's
house, we gathered up all the kids and took them to see The Haunted Mansion. It was a very cute movie. It was also the perfect post-Thanksgiving day.
The snow flew all afternoon with about two inches of accumulation which really got everyone into the Christmas spirit! Beth is doing well but I suspect
her hemoglobin may be low because she is tiring easily. I love the holidays but it sure complicates and prolongs things because the "clinic" is closed. I
will take her to the lab for a blood draw first thing Monday morning. It's a crazy life.........but it's a life........and I'm thankful for it everyday, every second!

12-05-03 - Well......the Christmas season is officially underway! We all went out to the mall yesterday and the kids got to see Santa (see pic above). Then
we spent a little time shopping and got some stuff for the kids. Afterwards we headed home to spend a couple of hours wrapping gifts by the fire and
taking it easy. It was a very nice time. Beth is feeling great! Her counts are up and has been attending school regularly. We got the results of Beth's
growth hormone test. She is still in the "normal" range but on the lower end. The doctor will monitor this closely and will refer us to an endocrinologist
towards the end of treatment. She says that if Beth does end up needing growth hormone that the Endocrinologist wont give any until at least a year off of
treatment. This is because the greatest risk of recurrence is the first year off of treatment and they don't want to do anything chemical at all during this
period. We are trying really hard to make this a very special Christmas for Beth since she entirely missed the holidays last year. We simply don't have the
energy to do Christmas cards this year. We hope everyone will understand. So there ya have it!

12-9-03 - A great day today! I accompanied Beth to her class field trip which was at the Meadowbrook Theatre to see a stage play of A Christmas Carol. It
was really fantastic and Beth loved it! Afterwards Beth and I ate an early dinner at Montana's Cookhouse where we both had a nice juicy steak. We then
headed home and Jenni arrived with Mikey a short time later. We just snuggled by the fire and watched Rudoph the Rednosed Reindeer on T.V. What a
perfect day! Well folks.....the one year anniversary of Beth's diagnosis is coming up on December 17th. Ironically enough, Beth's seventh inpatient chemo
is on the 17th. I think the next year is going to be the hardest on everyone. Beth will be done with chemo but psychologically we have to deal with the
fact that we are no longer doing anything proactive. As if this isn't enough, statistics show that most recurrences happen the first year following the end
of treatments. So.......I may be a bit cranky with stress from time to time, especially around MRI time. The great thing is that it is all in God's capable
hands!

12-19-03 - Beth finished her inpatient portion of round #7 today. I got the nurse to take blood for labs at about 4 A.M. and basically told them that we weren't
waiting around for the doctors to make the rounds in the morning, which would have kept us there until about 11 A.M. Beth and I blasted out of there at
about 8 A.M. and picked up Mikey and then headed home for a great day together. Thankfully my court got adjourned. Beth did well during her stay at the
hospital and only threw up a couple of times. I will be taking Beth in on the 23rd and the 30th for her outpatient visits, one day early, so she doesn't have to
be at the hospital on Christmas eve and New Years eve. It's definitely going to be a madhouse so we are planning to be there when the doors open in the
morning. We had a great roomie this time who we have seen at the playroom in the past. Her name is Nicole and she is also 11. She and Beth got along
famously and did some fun things together. They were both receiving chemo so both had times where they weren't feeling the best but definitely made
the best of it! I started another picture page with some Christmas pics on it. I finally convinced Mikey to try the Kitty Kat snowmobile which has been
sitting in the garage for a couple of years. Once he built up the nerve to try it I couldn't get him off the stinking thing! I included a pic showing him on it....it's
very cute. Beth has her next brain MRI on 1-4-03.......so keep her / us in your prayers. Have a great Christmas everybody!

12-28-03 - Beth received her second dose of vincristine for round #7 last Tuesday. We were there at 8:30 A.M. sharp and got right in. We waited longer than
we had to for blood results to make sure she didn't need anything........the last thing anyone wanted to do was to go back on Christmas Eve. It turned out
that everything looked good so we headed out at about 10:30. The waiting room was a zoo as we were leaving.......guess it's true what they say about the
early bird! Beth had a couple of stomach cramping / nausea episodes on Christmas Eve day and also on Christmas Day. It has been smooth sailing since
then though. We head back on Tuesday to finish up round #7. Boy are we getting close to the end of chemo! We had a fantastic Christmas. The kids drug
us out of bed early Christmas morning and the madness began. So much paper....so many boxes and bows. What a mess!!! But a great Christmas it was.
Jen and I got the greatest gift a parent could receive........being together with each other and our children. Thanks to the chemo angels who sent presents
to Beth and Mikey.......they loved them. Again.....our apologies for the lack of Christmas cards from us this year. We just didn't have the energy.

1-2-04 - Happy New Year Everyone! Chemo round #7 is complete!! Only one more to go. As usual, Beth has done pretty well with only some stomach
cramping. Now she is on her three week break until round #8. She will go inpatient on 1-28-03 for two days. Beth's brain MRI is this Sunday so please
send the prayers. She has been doing well and stayed up past midnight on New Years Eve to ring in the new year at a party we went to at the neighbors
house. The doctor says that at Bethany's next MRI's (in about 3months) another spinal tap will be done just to check her CSF to make sure no tumor cells
are detected. I'm not looking forward to that and see no reason to get Beth all worked up about it this early. But the knowledge is definitely worth it.
Beth's face is doing much better since the original surgury. At that time the right side of her face was completely paralyzed. Now you can only tell when
she is laughing very hard, which is more and more frequent. When she smiles it looks almost perfect. Her right eye is now pretty much closed when
she sleeps, sometimes cracked just a little. We have a prescription ointment to put in her eye at bedtime but Beth will have no part of it......haven't used it
once. Anyway.....just wanted to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

1-8-04 - Sorry this post took so long. We just got the results from Beth's brain MRI this morning. All clear!!!! We are going out to a movie tonight to
celebrate. Beth is very happy with the news. I think it's kind of rediculous to have to wait four days for the results. Don't these people know that every
second of waiting is a gut wrenching eternity for parents? Guess not! Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts, they are very appreciated and needed.

1-18-04 - Everything is going fine! Beth and Mikey are enemies one minute and best friends the next. Typical sibling stuff thats so fun to watch. No word
on the spinal MRI yet. I'm really not expecting to hear anything until Tuesday (hopefully) as Monday is a holiday. Beth has been going to school regularly
and I have been learning a bit while helping her with her homework. The elusive and final round #8 of chemo starts at the end of this month and will
finish in early February. We are praying so hard that this terrible thing doesn't come back again. What a horrible disease. Just when we start to feel
sorry for Beth and ourselves we see so many other kids so much worse off. I pray we are never in their shoes. Some days everything seems so
normal that we almost forget any of this ever happened. Other days you can't forget it. Please keep the prayers coming, they are very much
appreciated!

1-20-04 - Beth's spinal MRI looked good!!!! (that was for you Guy...heh heh). Anyway, I called and spoke to our doctor today said she had reviewed them and
that there was nothing alarming on it. Remember when we had the big scare and were told that it had come back in her spine? Well, those were changes
from radiation which continue to show up on the MRI. According to our doctor and the doctor who read the MRI, these appear to be bloodvessels and
there is "less seen from the last MRI". So........the official word is that we have a cancer free MRI scan! Yeah Beth!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I picked her up from school and
told her the news as we walked out to the car. Her face lit up and she smiled really big and said "Cool". She doesn't say much when we are waiting for
scan results but I know she worries alot. As usual we will be getting copies of the scans and coinciding reports and sending them to Dr. Gajjar at St.
Judes in TN for their official take on them as well. Thanks to everyone for all the prayers.........keep em coming cuz they are working!!!!

1-26-04 - Beth got her report card yesterday. We have been working hard with her at home with help from Mrs. McDowell who comes out to the house once a
week. She got one A, three A- and four B+. Isn't that fantastic???!!!!!!!! There is also a number from one through four with each subject. She used to get at
least three's in every subject which means she is demonstrating grade level skills. She got a two in every subject this time which means she is developing
grade level skills. Hey.....I'll take that any day of the week! We are so proud of Beth. She is truly my inspiration. I love my little girl!

1-30-04 - 8th and final in-patient round of chemotherapy was completed today! Beth was awesome and never even threw up! Beth also had an
opthamologist appointment right after she was discharged. This took awhile....they were sooooo slow. But, everything looks good with a follow-up
appointment scheduled for the end of May. Her eyeglass prescription is now slightly stronger and we were given a prescripton for the lenses. We had the
roommate from H-E double toothpicks! She had a sixth month old with some sort of cancer. The baby seldom made a peep but the Mom watched T.V. and
talked loudly on the phone until almost 2 A.M. How inconsiderate can you get!!! I finally just walked over to her side of the room and manually shut off her
T.V. as I passed. She never said anything nor did she turn it back on. Between that and getting up every half hour to take Beth to the bathroom.....we are
whipped little puppies today! On Thursday morning Beth's MRI films were sent to Dr. Gajjar at St. Judes for his evaluation as usual. Anyway......that's the
news.

2-6-04 - Beth did well with her vincristine on Wednesday. Only one more to go. This Wednesday is Beth's LAST chemo treatment!!!! I can't believe it. She is
very excited to have it over with and so am I. I can't wait to see her feeling so much better in a couple of months from now. Her endurance and strength will
increase and muscle tone will follow. We received an email from Dr. Gajjar who said that the MRI films we sent him were very poor and some were even
double exposed. I called the hospital and will now be receiving the MRI films in digitized form on CD so they will have the exact same thing our hospital
does. I love technology. School is going well. Beth, as usual, is a very hard worker and loves to be at school with her peers. She is becoming more and
more self confident. Her teacher emailed me telling how well Beth is doing and said that Beth takes her hat off in class more and more while she works. I
am so proud of Beth. I tell her several times every day how much I love her and how beautiful she is. She gets sick of hearing it........but I don't care! There
is no one who inspires me more. There is a couple of new pics on the lastest pic page.

2-13-04 - Happy Valentines Day everybody!! Well......Beth had her last chemo treatment on Wednesday!!! It went really well. Beth and Jen had spent hours
baking cupcakes the night before to take for the doctors, nurses and other patients at the clinic. They both proceeded on a shopping spree and steak lunch at
Logan's Steakhouse afterwards. Jen called me on her cell while in the car after just leaving the clinic. She said you have never seen such a smiling little girl
as the one in the seat next to her at that moment. We are so pround of Beth and the way she has endured some very unpleasant things. She is very happy to
be done. Of course there are still checkups, MRI's and new doctors such as endocrinologists we will be seeing. But.....we are used to doctors and trips to
Detroit now so it's not quite as bad. Yesterday and today Beth has been very tired when she wakes up which seems to get better during the day. Her counts
are borderline low so may need a transfusion sometime in the next few days. We will have her blood checked at the lab on Monday. We are happy happy
happy!!!! I got a cool new phone with a camera in it so I am getting all kinds of cool, everyday pics. Check out the latest pic page.

2-20-04 - Hi everyone! Beth had to go down to Children's Hospital yesterday for transfusions of hemoglobin and platlets due to low counts. We got in early and
were back on the road by 1 P.M. Not to bad. She was feeling a little sick before bed and then woke up at 3:30 A.M. and threw up...poor kid. I wish it was me.
Beth slept in until noon today....I guess she needed it. We got word from St. Judes about the last MRI scans done at Childrens which mentioned a minor new
enhancement in the T1 area of Beth's spine. St. Judes concurred with Childrens opinion that it is most likely vascular (bloodvessels) and advise an axial scan
(kind of like taking a slice) at the next MRI (end of March) to confirm. Neither hospital is worried....so don't anyone else be either! Just please continue to pray
for Beth. She is doing so great....wrapping a present right now for a birthday party she is going to this evening. I hope to have a new pic page up in a couple of
days...so watch for it.

2-25-04 - Got the new pics page up. It has some pics of Beth that are only about a week old. In them you can see that her hair is coming back in. It's kind of
fuzzy right now but Beth is having fun with it. She still doesn't have a trace of hair on the back of her head where they did the radiation boost but it will be
covered by the hair above when it grows out. She is my little princess and I think she looks absolutely stunning. Beth is feeling great and the effects of this
last round of chemo are fading leaving Beth feeling better every day. She is plugging away at school and basically trying to get back into the groove. Beth is
excited because we are having dinner with her favorite author, Jonathan Rand, tomorrow evening. He is in town for some book signing and we decided to get
together. I will make sure to get some pictures!