May 8, 2013

Well we’re back in rainy ol’ Denver tonight.  Hard to cuss the moisture though, because we need it so badly.  Garrett’s had a pretty good week.  We finished the IV treatments at home just in time to come back up to Children’s hospital for more plasma treatments.  Although gets really tired, his spirits are good.  We’ve all been amazed at how well he’s been handling the treatments.   So much easier than last time so far. The picc lines are doing great and with the exception of a little bit of expected redness and itching, he’s had no problems so far.  As expected, he’s beginning to puff up a little bit, probably as a result of the methylpredinsolone.  The meds also make him really hungry so he grazes constantly.  He’s afraid he’s going to get “fat” and lose his baseball conditioning. 

This morning while he was hooked up to the plasma machine, I went ahead and donated platelets around the corner from him.  Kathy spent her time running back and forth checking on her boys.    If you’ve ever thought about donating, it’s a great way to give back.  Chemo and transplant patients need the platelets because of their weakened immune systems.

Dinger continues to wear something of his cousin Levi to every visit.  We lost Levi to cancer just a short time ago. and he always fought with a smile on his face.  Garrett tries to do the same….day in and day out.  I know Levi is proud of him just as we are.  He has some really good guardian angels watching over him in Levi, Noah and his “Uncle Dougie B.”  He thinks of and speaks of them often and draws strength from them.  Somehow I think my dad, who died just a couple of days after we were married, is also working hard to send him warrior strength that surges through his veins.

The outpouring of support we continue to receive blesses us immensely.  From food to baseball tickets to places to stay in Denver; Our church is allowing us to stay put for a while (which is huge so we don’t have to hunt a place to live right now); folks taking care of our animals while we’re gone, teachers who visit and my bosses and team taking up the slack and giving me the latitude to be with my family during this little trial……all of these gifts make these bumps so much easier to deal with.  You all know who you are and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

A very special gift came from Garrett’s little league today.  Last weekend, Garrett’s best friend - "his brother from another mother," put Garrett’s number, the #3, on his jersey in Dinger’s honor.  By today, the entire league of 13 year olds had done the same!  What a humbling experience for Dinger and all of us.  They’ve said they draw inspiration and courage from our cowboy warrior, and at home we often talk of and pray for courage and strength.  A web site we follow is called ‘Battle Ready’ and has daily meditations to prepare ourselves body, mind and spirit for the fight.  A recent post quoted Joshua, when God told us “Behold I command thee, take courage, and be strong. Fear not and be not dismayed: because the Lord thy God is with thee in all things whatsoever thou shalt go to.”  That's pretty clear!

With the encouragement we get from those who find Garrett’s journey an inspirational story, we will continue to find courage to glorify God in His perfect plan of which we are but a small part.  Garrett will lead the charge.

Be courageous!