Brandon's Updates - 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008
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Brandon's 2003 Updates
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Brandon's scan was stable!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for all of your prayers and positive thoughts this
afternoon!!!
The gamma knife treatment area shows increased enhancement. This is
expected and is most likely progression of swelling from the gamma knife
radiation.
Thank you for helping us get through the scan today,
Jeff
Happy spring everyone!
It's been too long since my last update.
First off, Brandon has his next MRI on Monday, April 21 (tomorrow) at 1:15 PM. I've been counting the days until this scan and will be quite anxious on Monday. Your extra "help" on this day will be very much appreciated. I will send out the results as soon as I can Monday afternoon.
Speaking of MRI results, I wanted to add some clarification to the last update. When I had said that the last scan (in February) was "clean" I meant that nothing new was seen. The recurrence area from December still shows up as an enhanced area, although it was different following the gamma knife treatment. It could be a while until this area stabilizes and we have a good indication on the effectiveness of the gamma knife.
It's been a busy last few months, here's what Brandon's been up to:
Back in February during his mid-winter break, Brandon and I went to Tucson to visit my parents and my sister's family. Brandon wasted no time after we arrived. The first day he and grandma baked cookies, started making a new quilt, and of course went for a trip in the golf cart. We took in a parade and many more golf cart trips. Not quite warm enough for swimming but we still had a great time. As usual I took a ton of pictures.
In mid-March Brandon helped out the gang at KMPS for the annual St Jude KMPS radiothon. This was Brandon's fourth year and was really excited to be down at the station. The initial plan was for Brandon to be down at the station on Thursday since Friday was his birthday. But after having so much fun Thursday, he wanted to go back again on Friday. So after a 1/2 day at school (to share birthday treats with his class) I took him down to the station after lunch. Along with his KMPS friends Flo, Tony, and Tall Paul, he had a great time hanging with Taryn and Lacy from St Jude and with Sara Stark. Sara is also an Ependymoma survivor. She is 9 years old and lives near Vancouver, WA. Here are pictures from the radiothon.
The day after the KMPS radiothon, Brandon and a bunch of his friends celebrated his 9th birthday at Jump Planet. Brandon had a great time running around with so many friends. I really enjoyed watching him have so much fun and enjoying himself. I made sure I "took it in"! It was a special treat to have his Bumpa visiting from Texas as well as Aunt Gina and cousin Ryan in from Boise. This year Kris and I decided to do things a bit different. We love to let Brandon have this kind of party, but since 20+ kids can be invited to Jump Planet we didn't think it was appropriate for his to receive that many gifts. Brandon was asked how he wanted to handle this. He remembered that he was inpatient at Children's on his 4th birthday and someone brought some presents to his room when he could not have a party. So he decided to ask all of his friends to bring an unwrapped gift to the party. The kids then wrapped them and made cards. It was great to see so much positive energy as everyone decorated their cards and thought of the kids that would be receiving the presents - very cool! Birthday party photos
In late March Brandon and Kris attended two other St Jude fund raisers, an Up 'till dawn at Seattle University and a dinner auction at Sip wine bar and restaurant in Issaquah. A few weeks ago Brandon decided to have a lemonade stand to raise money for Children's. His friends around the neighborhood helped out while Brandon and his friend Danielle canvased the neighborhood for pre-sale orders! The neighbors game out in force and Brandon raised over $200!!! Brandon asked if they would actually give the $$ to a family that was in patient at Children's. After consulting with his nurse Cory, Brandon and Kris went down to Children's and gave 2 teenage girls on chemo each $100. Both girls are away from their homes and Cory said they would appreciate the gift from Brandon. They were very surprised and thankful, it was really sweet! When they were done Brandon said to Kris "Mom, that felt nice".
On Friday, Brandon participated in the talent show at his school. He and Jet performed several dog tricks. Brandon (and Jet) performed very well. After the show were were surprised by the crazy weather, 1" of snow was on the ground! Here's a link to some pictures from the talent show plus others from this year.
Back on March 3rd Brandon had an Audiology follow up to check on his hearing and see how his ears were healing from an infection he got back in January. The infection appeared to have resolved itself. Dr. Sie was able to remove a lot of wax (this is a chronic problem for kids who have received radiation). This was quite painful and it was hard to watch Brandon undergo this procedure. Brandon is so cooperative and has a high pain tolerance but it was difficult to watch him cry because it hurt so bad. They then took another hearing test and there was no improvement. This was not the result we were looking for. We were hoping that the hearing would return once the infection cleared. We discussed the results with Dr. Sie who is one of the best in her field - we are very fortunate to have her here at Children's. She was surprised how well he was doing with the considerable loss and said that due to the full brain and spine radiation, in addition to the other radiation treatments, we could be seeing Brandon slowly losing his hearing. It may not come to that but she told us today about Cochlear Implants if it gets to that. Without his hearing aid he can barely hear, but with it in he is still doing pretty well. After this appointment I was sad. I felt that the writing was on the wall that Brandon would eventually loose his hearing. With all that Brandon has gone through and what he is still facing, it would sure be nice if he could catch a break with the hearing.
At the last follow-up with Brandon's Endocrine Dr.
she said that the growth hormone is doing its job and that he is
holding steady around the 20th percentile. He's certainly growing -
to the point where I can't pick him up so easily.
I want to thank you again for all of your support. Please have
Brandon in your thoughts and prayers on Monday. I'm keeping myself
distracted until then so I don't have that free time where my mind
starts thinking about things I'd rather not think about. Brandon
continues to do well. He's a very happy and funny kid most of the
time. He wakes up each day with a smile and a positive attitude (at
least until I ask if he finished his homework) and ready to get out
there and do it.
Love and friendship,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
Happy Friday everyone!
Just a quick note to let
you know that Brandon will be helping out at the
KMPS St Jude Radiothon
this afternoon. This is his 4th year participating. He has such a
blast helping Flo and hanging with Tony. Brandon will likely be on the
air, so listen for him if you can, 94.1 FM (for those of you not in
Seattle, you can listen online at
www.kmps.com).
More important, today is
also Brandon's 9th birthday! This morning over birthday breakfast at
Denny's he told he that he did feel older. :-) I'm so thankful to be
celebrating another birthday with this special boy. I'll send another
update with pictures from Brandon's birthday party and the radiothon.
Thank you for everyone's
positive thoughts and prayers of support.
Jeff
Hi all,
Brandon's MRI is clean!!!!! Thank you for all of your prayers and
positive thoughts!!
The Gamma Knife treatment area shows a little enhancement - likely
swelling, but from looking at the scans, the recurrent tumor appears
noticeably smaller!
love Jeff
Hi all,
I wanted to let you know that Brandon will an MRI tomorrow at 12:30 PM.
It was going to be next week, but they had a last minute cancellation.
This will be his first follow-up scan since the Gamma Knife and I admit
that I'll be quite anxious waiting on the results. We don't necessarily
expect to see conclusive results from the Gamma Knife procedure yet -
it's the other areas that make me nervous. There will likely be swelling
in the gamma knife treatment area which will make it difficult to
determine if there have been any changes to the recurrent tumor. Both
swelling and tumor tissue appear similar on a MRI scan. We have an
appointment at 2:00 following the scan and will get an update out later
in the day.
Brandon continues to do good and seems to be adjusting well to his
hearing aid. He received a new ear plug last week at Children's. This
one fits better and has eliminated the feedback problem he was having
with the old plug. they also enabled the program button so that Brandon
can change the sensitivity of the hearing aid for noisy situations (like
PE and music class). He's been skipping music class and going to the
library ever since he received the new hearing aid. Today he was going
back to music class for the first time and told me that he thought his
music teacher would be surprised to see him!
As Brandon is getting older he is thinking about his situation more. On
several occasions (typically out of the blue) he has asked both Kris and
I when we will know if the Gamma Knife worked. It's hard to answer,
especially since we don't have a good idea either - it could be many
more months before we know.
We consulted with doctors regarding a next phase of treatment. They want
to wait and see how Brandon responds to the Gamma Knife, so we will not
start any type of chemo at this time. We trust the doctors but at the
same time feel some anxiety around the thought that we need to try and
stay ahead of his cancer.
Some if you have asked about our trip to St Jude. We did not go back to
Memphis this week as was previously planned (before the recurrence).
Since he is now being treated in Seattle, Brandon's treatment team
thought it was best that his primary follow-up be done in Seattle. Dr.
Merchant will always be available to us when needed, however for now
will no longer be going back to Memphis for follow-up appointments.
A friend wrote that "Life is precious and should not be taken advantage
of". I cannot agree more. I'd like to ask all of you for a minute of
positive thoughts and/or prayers for a clean scan tomorrow. I am very
appreciative and thank you in advance.
Jeff
Hi all, I wanted to wish you all a happy new year and give a quick
update about Brandon.
He is doing great! You'd never guess he had Gamma Knife 6 days ago. He
has been playing and doing well!! Since Friday, however, there have been
a few more bumps to deal with.
Going into the surgery Brandon had a cold that caused an ear infection.
We took him to his pediatrician on Saturday and they prescribed an
antibiotic. On Sunday morning he woke up scared and in a state of panic
- he could not hear! (he is deaf in his left ear from the surgeries in
2003). He asked me, "Am I deaf!?!" This was heartbreaking and at the
time time traumatizing for me as I struggled to communicate with him. I
wrote messages to him to communicate and told him I thought it was the
ear wax causing the hearing loss. We called the radiation oncologist and
he felt it was attributed to the ear infection. He suggested waiting it
out for the day and see what happens. On Sunday night it was not any
better so we called Children's on Monday morning. They had us come into
ENT.
They cleaned out his ear, quite a bit of wax. They also had us do a
hearing test on his hearing as well they conducted a test to check the
strength of the nerve. Well, to our dismay his nerve function has
dropped considerably. He had lost some of the hearing in his right ear
as it was due to the radiation. (he is completely deaf in his left) So
on top of the ear infection he has lost more hearing in his left, down
to 80db. We are so bummed for Brandon. We want him to just catch a break
in all of this and it seems that since his recurrence it has been
anything but that. But we are so thankful he is doing well and we will
get this worked out!
So, school shall be interesting! His school district is awesome so we
know we will get this all figured out but it takes time. So everyone is
talking VERY loudly and there is lots of repeating! We have a follow-up
appointment with Children's this afternoon to see if they can re-program
his hearing aid to assist him with this diminished hearing loss.
Jeff
Friends and Family,
Thank you so much for thinking of Brandon today! Your prayers, good
thoughts, and positive energy were well received. Brandon finished the
gamma knife procedure today and is doing quite well. Brandon was a champ
throughout the day! He was his usual personable self, being chatty with
the doctors and nurses, but also making sure he knew what was going to
happen every step of the way.
After completing the treatment planning Dr. Douglas showed us the target
area and dosing information. The scans taken this morning showed an
outcrop portion of the tumor had progressed towards the brain stem. Also
the tumor was intruding on a cranial nerve canal. Both of these
situations would have made the surgical option that much more difficult
- this was a reassurance that we had made the right decision.
Brandon came out of recovery around 4:00 and was in good spirits. After
being sedated for almost 6 hours he was ready for some food!
The entire gamma knife team at Harborview took excellent care to
Brandon. A huge thank you to them, especially the anesthesiologists.
It'll be a few months minimum before we will know the outcome of the
gamma knife procedure. We'll have a follow up at Children's in about 2
months. We also have our previously scheduled appointments at St. Jude
on Jan 28 & 29th.
So for today, it is time to give thanks for Brandon coming through the
procedure so well. Next we turn our attention to following up on the
gamma knife results and consider proactive chemotherapy treatment
options.
Thank you so much for all of your support throughout this difficult
journey!!!
A happy and hope-filled new year,
Love, Jeff
Hi all,
After much research and several doctor meetings, phone calls, and e-mail
messages we think we're coming to a treatment decision. We will likely
move forward with gamma knife treatment this Friday in Seattle. It has
been an excruciating process with our minds circling all over the place.
Our 'preferred direction" has seemed to change after each meeting. But
after having the weekend for things to settle we seem to keep coming
back to gamma knife-only option. A very large thanks to all who have
helped us in this process - friends, family, and especially the doctors.
It is truly wonderful how supportive and caring Brandon's doctors are -
objectively laying out the options, offering their honest opinions, and
making themselves very available during the holidays.
On top of all of this discussion about treatment options is the bigger
issue of what each option means to Brandon. We find ourselves in
"business mode" when talking about the various treatment options with
the associated risks and benefits. But then step back and take in the
gravity of what each would mean for Brandon. Also coming to grips with
the fact that we are most likely working to manager rather than cure the
tumor makes it all the more difficult. BUT we are not loosing hope and
are not getting down on our knees!
After Brandon has recovered from the gamma knife procedure we will
continue to research the clinical trials for options for further
treatment should another tumor recur we want to be ready with a short
list of options which could again be Gamma Knife, surgery and or a
chemotherapy regimen. We are still very hopeful that Brandon will not
recur again, but, realistically his cancer is getting more and more
aggressive and we will likely be facing more tumors in the future.
We have until Thursday to make the final decision, but it is likely that
we will move forward with doing gamma knife this Friday at Harbor View
with Dr. Douglas from Children's/UW Medical Center. He will be there
just for the day and should be feeling better on Saturday. We had
thought we would do a surgery prior to the GK but the risks appear too
high at this point, especially considering that there isn't any
significant demonstrated benefit to adding surgery. Brandon is doing
very well now and it would be quite difficult to have him come out of
surgery with feeding tubes or even a tracheotomy, even though these are
not likely - they are certainly a possibility. Yesterday Brandon asked
Kris verbatim, "Mom, on a scale of 1 to 10 how good is Gamma Knife and
how good is Surgery and Gamma Knife?" How smart is he! She told him
surgery and gamma knife is about a 9 and gamma knife alone is an 8 or a
9. So when weighing all of this we have to listen to him although he
knows that this is ultimately his parent's decision. We could always go
back with a surgery if necessary, but at this point we have to go with
the best treatment that also preserves the best quality of life.
Thank you for your hope, prayers, and support. I wish everyone a
wonderful holiday on this Christmas eve day.
love,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
Hi all,
Yesterday afternoon we heard the results of the tumor board discussions
from Dr. Merchant at St. Jude and Cory (Hematology-Oncology nurse at
Children's) at Children's. Both hospitals agree that the scan shows a
local recurrence of tumor. They both agree that surgery followed by
gamma
knife treatment looks to be the best course of action. Both Dr.
Avellino (neurosurgeon at Children's) and Dr. Boop (neurosurgeon at St.
Jude) feel the tumor is resectable - what a relief! The recurrence is up
against the 12th cranial nerve (tongue functions). The previous
recurrence was up against the brain stem - a precarious location.
It is a big relief that they are both consistent in their
recommendations. To have differing opinions would certainly add stress
to this already unbearable situation.
Here's what is next:
- Follow up by phone with Dr. Boop in the next few days
- Meeting with Dr. Geyer (Brandon's oncologist at Children's)
on Friday morning
- Meet with Dr. Avellino at Children's next week, likely on
Monday
- Meet with Dr. Douglas (radiation oncologist at UW Medical
Center) next week to discuss Gamma Knife
The schedule beyond next week is dependant of what we hear from the
doctors. Brandon will likely be in the hospital for a week for the
surgery and then a shortly thereafter would be the Gamma Knife treatment
which lasts just 1 day. We are thinking both will likely be sometime in
January.
Brandon seems to be handling this news remarkably well - certainly
better than me. Last night he said that he knows his tumor just keeps
coming back every 2 years, he is so smart. Brandon was so brave last
night. When Dr. Merchant called he was not wanting to be in the room and
seemed frustrated. But after the call from Cory he asked what the
doctors said. He is sad his tumor is back but is ready to do what he has
to do to get rid of it again. His strength and ability to live in the
moment is very admirable and serves as constant role model for me (and
the rest of us adults). When I talked about the likely schedule with
Brandon he asked if we would still have our scheduled appointments at
St. Jude at the end of January. I said not likely and that we'd probably
go back for a follow-up in March. He told me ok, but that he didn't want
to be in Memphis during his birthday - another glimpse into the mind of
an 8 year-old.
Several have asked how I am doing and how I get through the day. I
thought of a good analogy - getting through the day is like walking
along a narrow trail besides a high cliff, you focus on walking ahead
and not looking down. It doesn't change anything, you know that the
cliff is still there, but it keeps you from focusing on the drop.
Another source of inspiration is the daily posts at the
NPR My
Cancer site.
Monday's entry, "The Strength to Remain Standing" was particularly
motivating.
I am so thankful for your prayers and positive thoughts. Please keep
them coming. Thanks also for the messages of support and hope these past
few days, it really helps the spirit.
Gratefully,
Jeff
Yesterday afternoon Brandon had an MRI at
Children's. The results were not good. The scan shows a new area of
enhancement, most likely a local recurrence.
We are devastated.
The Children's tumor board will be discussing Brandon's case tomorrow.
We will then have a follow up appointment with Dr. Geyer on Friday
morning. The scans are also on their way to Dr. Merchant at St Jude for
use by the St Jude tumor board on Wednesday.
Brandon is good, and continues to be happy and excited for Christmas.
Corey told him that something turned up on the MRI that we're concerned
about.
Please send Brandon your prayers, hope, and positive energy.
love,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
Hi
all,
Brandon will be officially 2 years off of treatment on December 15th!
We're having a party this Friday to celebrate this milestone and to have
an opportunity to see you all and to thank you for your support!
So please join us at your leisure that afternoon. Just bring yourself,
your presence is all we need and want that day! Again, not only is this
celebration about Brandon and his fight but it's about our chance to see
and thank you for all you've done for him and us.
WHEN: Friday, December 14th
4:00 - 7:00 pm Open House
WHERE:
104 236th PL SW, Bothell
206-409-2028
Enjoy,
Jeff & Brandon
A Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Brandon will reach his "2 years off of treatment" on December 15th,
YEAH!!! An awesome milestone! To celebrate we are going to throw a party
on the 14th and would love it if you could join us!
SAVE THE DATE!!!!
Friday December 14th, 4:00pm-7:00pm
We'll send out another invite in December but just wanted to give you
all a heads up so you could put it on your calendar!
Thanks!
Jeff & Brandon
Hi
everyone,
It's been a while since the last
update so I wanted to fill you in with what Brandon's been up to the
past few months. The first week in August Brandon spent another fun
week at
Camp Goodtimes on Vashon Island. He was a bit apprehensive about
being away from home for an entire week, but also wanted to get there
early so that he was sure to get a top bunk. This year's his counselors
were "Wasabi" & "Rudder". He saw Corrie from Children's along with
"Bacon" one of his counselors from last year.
Over Labor Day weekend Brandon and I went camping with his buddies Jack
and Ryan (and their dad Dan) at
Twin Harbors State Park (on the coast near
Westport). Brandon was super excited to use his new tent that he
won it a contest Sylvan. Of course the weekend was centered around the
fire pit - making smores and burning sticks. When we didn't have a fire
going we were hiking and exploring the beach. The boys collected sand
dollars and make a driftwood fort. All-in-all an excellent end to the
summer! Here are some
pictures.
The next day after camping, Brandon started 3rd grade! He wasn't all
that excited to go back to school, but was looking forward to his new
teacher, Mrs. Ikeda-Yee. The first couple of weeks were a bit rough as
he got used to the added responsibilities (and homework) that go along
with being a 3rd grader, but now he's getting along fairly well. We're
waiting for the IEP (Individualized Education Program) assessment to see
what the school recommends for this school year. Currently he goes to
the learning center twice/week for individualized instruction. He is
also continuing to attend 2 sessions per week at Sylvan.
Brandon decided to join the cross country team at school. His first
meet is tomorrow afternoon - he's quite excited and proud to be a member
of the team. He's also showed an interest in golf. Last weekend he and
I went out for a short twilight game. He had a blast (of course half
the fun was riding in the golf cart).
Brandon's growing at a good rate, a few inches over 4 feet now. The
growth hormone (Nutropin)
shots are certainly working!
Also, some additional information about Brandon's last MRI back on
August 2. Now there's a part of me that doesn't want to share this
information for fear of "jinxing" things, but I thought it is more
important to share it with all of you who have provided such endless
support. In the radiology report the findings include, "...Of note, the
previously seen small enhancing focus in the left brainstem is no longer
evident...". This is
incredible
news and means that the last MRI showed no signs of the tumor!!!
I included some pictures below - enjoy.
Love and friendship to all,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
(click below for a larger image)
Hi everyone, I wanted to give you a quick update on Brandon and let you know that he will be having an MRI at noon this Thursday at Children's. We're in the anxious time between one and two years out and are praying for another clean scan.
It's been a while since the last update. Rest assured that no news means good news! Brandon has been busy enjoying his summer - playing with his friends and not being in school! The week after school was out, Brandon and Jeff went down to Tucson to visit his parents and to see his sister's new baby, Kyleigh. Brandon kept himself busy with Grandma baking cookies and other projects not to mention the obligatory golf cart rides. We also went swimming and played boccie (once it cooled off below 100°!).
On 07-08-07 we went to the Future of Flight up in Everett to celebrate the rollout of the 787. Brandon wasn't that interested in the 747 testbed aircraft parked right outside, and spend a good amount of time in the 727 cockpit. As we were walking from the parking lot Brandon made me laugh when he said to me, "I wonder if Boeing will get an award, you know because they are putting the fun back into flying".
Two weekends ago we an annual party event at a friends. Brandon was really looking forward to "Rancho Relaxo" because of all of the kids - there must have been over two dozen. He was also excited to camp overnight in the tent. Brandon also got to learn how to ride "a real 4-wheeler" (as Brandon would say). He was thrilled (pictures coming soon).
Dr. Olson discussed the recent and highly promising discovery of tumor painting which will help surgeons distinguish between cancer cells and normal brain tissue hopefully allowing for more precise removal of the cancerous cells. The study published in the July 15, 2007 issue of Cancer Research received widespread coverage, including an article in Time magazine.
Dr. Ellenbogen shared with the group something that touched me deeply - Outside of his office he has the Wall of Heros. These Heros are not the children that have been saved, but are the children that didn't make it and serve as motivation to keep up the fight.
Let's see, what else. Last week Brandon had fun attending soccer camp and he is still attending Sylvan, going 2x/week to keep his learning skills going strong during the summer break.One more thing to share. I've been following the My Cancer blog at NPR.org. It is very honest and insightful. You may want to check it out.
Thank you for your support, love, and friendship,
Jeff
Hi everyone, Jeff
Brandon had an MIR this morning at Children's and there is continued great
news!!! To quote the radiologist's report, the tumor is "less conspicuous
than prior". Brandon was a champ today! He'll have another scan at
Children's in three months.
Between now and then we'll be looking forward to summer, Brandon graduating
2nd grade, and continuing to enjoy life to the fullest!
Love & friendship to all,
Hi everyone,
I wanted to let you know that Brandon's been helping out at the KMPS St. Jude Radiothon which runs Thursday and Friday. He and I went down this afternoon and (of course) he had a blast helping Taryn (ALSAC) and Flo (KMPS radio personality). We also got to see Sara Stark and family at the station. Sara is the same ago as Brandon and is also an Ependymoma survivor. Brandon and Kris will be at the station Friday afternoon. Listen in at 94.1 FM and you'll get a chance to hear Brandon on the air! (you can listen online as well). On Thursday they raised over $278,551 for St Jude! Brandon and Sara were helping Taryn update the tally board.
All's well for Brandon and I. The big boy is turning 8 on Wednesday - can you believe it!! He's really looking forward to his party Saturday afternoon. On Thursday he has an appointment to get his new hearing aid fitted. He's excited for this to happen as the hearing loss is noticeable for him.
Last month we started Brandon at Sylvan Learning Center to get him some extra assistance with his reading and writing. So far he's doing well and his interest and enthusiasm towards school has increased. Speaking of school, Brandon is doing an act in the Shelton View Talent Show at the end of the month featuring his dog Jet. His act is sure to be quite entertaining.
Other than that, not much to report.
Take care, and thank you for your friendship, love, and support,
Jeff
(click below for a larger image)
We've
been blessed by more great news - Brandon's scan was
clean!!! Cancer free 1 year+ from treatment!
Dr. Merchant saw Brandon yesterday and said he looked
great. PT, OT, & speech evaluations went very good as
well. At the eye clinic appt. his vision was 20/20 in
both eyes, an improvement over our last visit. At the
audiology clinic they measured a decreased response in
Brandon's right ear. The hearing loss is likely a side
effect due to the radiation therapy. He'll be getting a
hearing aid to restore the loss. They don't anticipate
that the loss will continue to worsen. Brandon seems
happy about it since he'll be able to hear better plus
the fact that he was able to pick out the colors. He
chose his school colors - dark blue.
The psychological testing revealed a decrease in scoring
from the previous evaluations, again a likely (and
common) result of the radiation. They weren't able to
finish all of the testing because we started late (they
had a challenging time getting Brandon's IV started this
morning).
So, Brandon's going to have some challenges with his
hearing and cognitive skills. BUT, no tumor progression
is by far the best news and far outweighs all the other
stuff. Thanks so much for all of your support!
With much appreciation,
Jeff
Hi everyone - Happy New Year!
Brandon's back at school today after 3 snow days. He is doing well and had a good holiday. A big thanks to everyone who made it out for Brandon's celebration party last month. Brandon had an excellent time.
Brandon and I spent the week before Christmas down in Tucson visiting my parents and sister. We had fun playing and relaxing. Brandon helped bake (and eat) lots of cookies!
In December Brandon entered a National PTA "Reflections" contest at his school . The theme was "My Favorite Place". Brandon wanted to enter and chose St Jude as his favorite place. He created a really neat visual arts poster using several of his special photos from St Jude as well as the feathers from his Thanksgiving Turkey. We just found out that he won for his age group and category at his school! The District judging is taking place this week and we expect to learn the results by the weekend.
We're traveling to Memphis on Sunday for another checkup. Once again, I'd like to please ask for good thoughts, prayers and positive energy for this next scan. We return Wednesday morning and I will post the results as soon as I can.
Here's Brandon's appointment schedule:
Thank you for your support, love, and friendship.
Positive energy is a powerful thing.
Jeff
Happy December everyone!
This Friday, will mark Brandon being off of treatment for
one year!! Awesome! Brandon wanted to have a party to
celebrate and share his excitement with all of you! We will
have an open house this Friday, December 15, from 4:30 pm -
7:30 pm at the house in Bothell.
Please come if you can make it and help Brandon celebrate
another huge milestone for him in his recovery! No gifts
please, just your presence of support and friendship!!!
WHEN: Friday December 15th
4:30 pm - 7:30 pm (come any time)
WHERE:
104 236th PL SW, Bothell 98021
Thank you for your support, love, and friendship,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
On this Thanksgiving day I wanted to share
with you something special written by Brandon. His class
made Thanksgiving turkeys and on each of the feathers wrote
the things they were thankful for. Brandon wrote that he was
thankful for:
...My loveable dog
...My janitor (explanation - Brandon left something in his
classroom a few weeks
ago. He and I went back to the school late in the day and
the Janitor let us in to get it)
...St Jude Children's Hospital - "St
Judes Caeren Hospitol"
...I survived cancer - "I
srfied kansr"
...I am still alive - "I
am stil aliv"
These last two broke my heart... I certainly didn't realize
the extent that he "understands" his situation and that he
is a true survivor. It's something we didn't want to ask him
specifically - what he really understands about things
regarding his health.
I too am extremely thankful for St Jude Children's Research
Hospital. I'm also so very thankful for all of you - for
everything you have done for us over this long and rough
trip since February 2003. You have contributed so much -
your email messages, cards, gifts for Brandon, donations,
and most of all your encouragement, prayers, and hope.
Getting through this would have been so much more difficult
without your support.
I hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday
today.
Love, Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
More great news - another clean MRI!!!
Thanks so much for all of your support! Have a great
weekend, I know I will.
With much appreciation,
Jeff
Hi everyone, I wanted to give you a quick update on Brandon and let you know that he will be having an MRI this Friday morning at Children's.
The past couple of months have gone pretty well. Brandon has been feeling quite good and is enjoying himself. At school he is in the chess club and serves as the student council representative for his class. Brandon has recently began one-on-one instruction 4x/week with a Special Ed teacher as part of an IEP (Individual Education Plan). He spends about 40 minutes each day outside of class with her to help him catch up. Reading and writing are specific areas where he is receiving assistance. So far, Brandon's been receptive to the individual support. He has told us that it makes him mad that he cannot do his work as quickly as his classmates. We're thankful for the wonderful support and caring the goes out towards Brandon at his school!
This year for Halloween Brandon decided he wanted to be Darth Vader. He was very excited to go trick or treating and made it a contest to see how much candy he could collect. He also wanted to be sure to get back to the house to be able to hand out candy to the other kids as well. Next year he said he wants to be R2-D2. Brandon has been quite interested in everything Star Wars since he and I watched Episode IV for the first time last month - it sure makes me feel old to think it was almost 30 years ago when I first saw Star Wars in the theater!
Speaking of Halloween, here are some recent pictures: http://www.brauns.smugmug.com/gallery/2078352
Thank you for your support, love, and friendship,
Jeff
Great news
from Memphis, Brandon's MRI was clean!!! We reviewed
the scans with Dr. Merchant this afternoon and the spot of
concern was no longer visible! YES! - this is
the best news possible! I was just praying that it would
remain stable, but this is so much better than that. No
surgery to worry about, no more appointments this year.
We'll come back in January for Brandon's next scan.
Thanks so much for all of your special thoughts and prayers
for Brandon today - it worked!
With much appreciation,
Jeff
We're heading back to Memphis on Tuesday for a MRI as well as our regular set of follow-up appointments. Most important with this scan is checking to see if there is any activity with the "spot" that's been the focus of our attention the past several months. Please send good thoughts and prayers that the spot is stable or even smaller.
Brandon finished up his third week of school last week and seems to be doing well - he even told me that it was "a little fun" the other day. He's got a great teacher - Miss Siccardi - who used to work at Children's for 25 years! (pictures from the first day)
Over the Labor Day weekend Brandon and I took a trip to Portland to hang out and ride the light rail. We took the entire trip by public transportation - bus from my condo to the train station in downtown Seattle, the Amtrak Cascades train to Portland and then another bus to our hotel. Brandon enjoyed the train ride and made several trips up to the snack car to get straws for a "project" he made. While in Portland we had dinner with my mom's cousin, rode MAX to the end of the line, did some laps at Malibu Grand Prix, explored Powell's Books and hung out downtown. We both had a great trip! (pictures from our trip)
On Saturday we went to the Puyallup Fair for some rides and good food. Brandon liked the aerial cable car ride and the a kiddie canoe ride the best. No rides for Jeff, wanted to keep my stomach in good shape for eating! (pictures from the fair)
Here's Brandon's appointment schedule for Wednesday:
Thank you for your support,
love, and friendship,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
A quick update to share the results of this morning's scan.
Nothing on the spine - it's clean!
The MRI at Children's couldn't detect the new "spot" that's been our concern the past few months. It's likely still there, just not able to be seen in this scan. The past couple of scans at St Jude have been done with their new T3 MRI (higher resolution).
This scan detected some enhancement at the piece of residual by the basilar artery. It looks stable but enhanced more then previously. This is residual from his second surgery (May 2003). They are calling it a stable scan but has some suspicious qualities.
Thanks so much for your prayers and positive thoughts today,
Jeff
Hi everyone,
I wanted to let you know that Brandon is having an MRI on Thursday of this week. He started with some symptoms again in the past few weeks - wiggly legs and also a burning feeling in his arms. The wiggly legs came last September after he recurred. Hopefully this is nothing but these symptoms can certainly be indicative of growth or swelling somewhere. The scan is at Children's and is first thing in the morning on Thursday.
On the lighter side, Brandon's continuing to enjoy himself this summer. This week he's going to flight camp at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. This week's theme is the Blue Angels (they arrive in Seattle this week for their annual Seafair performance). Brandon's been wearing his Blue Angels shirt each day so far. He's also continuing with gymnastics on Monday afternoons.
Last weekend Brandon was the honorary captain at the Seattle Storm (WNBA) game. He went out to center court before the game to meet the captains from both teams and get autographs from the Storm captains - #10 Sue Bird and #15 Lauren Jackson. Then on Saturday was the Storm season ticket holder party. Brandon and Jeff got me meet several of the players including LJ, Brandon's favorite. Also last week Brandon came in to work with Jeff to help with the office move to the new Sammamish City Hall. He was busy all day helping pack boxes and hook up computers. I added pictures from last weekend in addition to these below.
The scan is at Children's and is first thing in the morning on Thursday. I'll send an update as soon as we get the results but wanted you all to start the good thoughts and prayers now.
Thank you for your friendship, love, and
support
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
Hi everyone, sorry for the lateness in this update, I've been meaning to get it out since we got back from Memphis.
First off - the PET scan results. The scan did not show any tumor activity at the new spot of concern. This means that it was either too small to catch, not tumor, or inconclusive because ependymomas are hard to read with a PET scan. So for now we sit tight and concentrate on letting Brandon have a wonderful summer. Brandon's next MRI at St Jude is scheduled for September 20.
Only a few days after we got home Brandon was off for a week at Camp Goodtimes where he had an absolute blast! The first night away from home was rough but after that he was a champ. In his cabin (the "Space Hogs" ) he bunked under his buddy Nick from Tacoma who he met at the 2004 Ride for Kids. His counselors were Bacon and RockStar. Brandon especially liked RockStar, who himself is a cancer survivor and this was his third year volunteering at Camp Goodtimes. They fished, hiked, played, went on a cruise and just flat out had fun! We're so proud of him! I know that this experience built up his confidence and independence. I'm confident he will never forget his week at camp.
Since we've been back Brandon's been enjoying his summer playing with his friends. Last weekend Brandon and I went camping with his buds Jack & Ryan and their dad Dan. Yesterday Brandon and I joined friends on Camano Island for an annual party - Rancho Relaxo. There were lots of kids there and Brandon really enjoyed himself.
Brandon's been closely following the current space shuttle mission, STS-121 - his astronaut friend Piers Sellers (Bio, Interview) is aboard this flight as a Mission Specialist! Brandon met Piers during his Wish Trip to the Johnson Space Center last April. Piers has been quoted many times (and here) during this flight as he has conducted several successful spacewalks. Accompanying Piers on the spacewalks for this mission was Mission Specialist Mike Fossum who Brandon also met during his Wish Trip!
Other than that, I'm quite busy at work juggling several things. Brandon is starting another session of gymnastics tomorrow and is going to meet with a tutor for help with reading and writing. I'm just keeping focused on the here and now and enjoying spending time and having fun with Brandon. I've posted new pictures from the last few months, including Camp Goodtimes.
Thank you for all of your messages, love and support, especially during our last trip to St Jude,
Jeff
Hi all,
Brandon is finished with the PET scan and we hope to hear some information
on the results later this afternoon.
Yesterday afternoon we met with Dr. Boop (Brandon's neurosurgeon) and Dr.
Merchant to hear about their discussions at tumor board. They are quite
certain that it is either tumor or radiation necrosis. They said that this
spot is not on the brain but is just under the surface and in the tissue.
With this in mind, in addition to all of the scar tissue in this location,
Dr. Boop thinks that it is too small to go after. He and Dr. Merchant
recommend waiting for now and returning in September for another scan. We
were comforted to hear that Dr. Boop thought that the spot was located in an
area of the brain that he felt comfortable going in if and when that is the
recommended course of action. We were relieved that Brandon can have a
normal summer and simply enjoy himself.
Yesterday morning after Dr. Merchant examined Brandon we reviewed the scans
to see the spot in question. It's somewhat small, about 5 mm by 7 mm. Dr.
Merchant said he hopes it is necrosis and he is not sure if the PET scan
will provide us with any additional information. Either way he feels a
surgery is needed to resect the spot and determine what this is. If it is
necrosis Dr. Boop would resect it and then Brandon would do
hyperbaric oxygen therapy. If it is tumor, then he would still resect
but we don't know what to do from there. We pray it is not tumor because
that would mean that all of the therapy we have done so far has not worked.
This morning Brandon had an eye clinic appointment to look into his
"flip-flop" vision. Their thought was that it is certainly not a issue with
his eyes and that the mechanics appear to be working correctly, but rather a
processing issue with how his brain is processing the images. This is the
same information we received last month in Seattle.
Thanks for all of your love and support,
Jeff
Hello from Memphis.
I wish so hard that I was typing a different message to you now, but we've
been dealt another blow. The MRI results show progression of the
tumor/necrosis (still undetermined which it is). That's about all I know at
this point. We're looking to the PET scan on Thursday for possible
additional information. I'll let you know when we have more.
Brandon does not know any of this is happening and had a great day today at
the fire fighter's museum and at Mud Island.
I can't say enough for everyone's support during this very long journey,
love Jeff
Hi everyone, I hope all
is well with you.
We're heading back to Memphis on Monday to follow up on Dr. Merchant's
concerns from the last appointment in May. The anxiety is increasing for me
as the next scan is only a few days away. We're praying that the scan will
not show anything and that we'll just be back in three months for another
check-up - if only it could be that easy. Please have prayers and good
thoughts for a positive trip.
Brandon's enjoying his last few days as a first grader. His last day is on
Monday where he'll have a real short day and then head off to the airport.
Since our last update he's been busy going for trailer-bike rides with me
and has made three(!) trips to the new
Future of Flight
museum.
Our appointments are over three days this trip:
Tuesday
7:15 AM MRI with sedation
8:30 AM Sedation recovery
9:30 AM Assessment
Wednesday
9:00 AM Clinic follow-up w/ Dr. Merchant
10:30 AM Physical Therapy consult
11:30 AM Occupational Therapy consult
1:00 PM Speech Therapy consult
Thursday
9:00 AM Eye Clinic consult
10:15 AM PET presedate assessment
10:45 AM PET brain scan injection
11:30 AM PET brain scan
12:15 PM Sedation recovery
Brandon and I return to Seattle late Thursday evening. We'll
plan to get an update out from Memphis to keep you posted.
The flip-flop vision, as Brandon calls it, is still a struggle for him. He's
had very little interest in reading and writing which has increasingly
become an issue for these last few months of first grade. Brandon is being
evaluated for special education assistance during next school year for
reading and writing. Brandon's teacher Mr. Creager continues to be very
supportive and we are extremely thankful for this. He was seen by an
Ophthalmologist at Children's last month and is scheduled for additional
follow-up in mid-July. One of the observations the Dr. made was that the
surface of his left eye was too dry, causing blurred vision in this eye.
This is due to the eyelid not closing completely and often enough - a result
of the surgeries. We're applying lubricating gel several times throughout
the day to hopefully fix this.
This summer Brandon is looking forward to spending a week to
Camp Goodtimes on Vashon Island. He'll be there June 25 - July 1. He is
also looking forward to July 14th when he'll be an honorary captain at the
Seattle Storm game against New York.
Thank you for your support, love, and friendship,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
Hi everyone, we are
back from Memphis after a quick trip.
Brandon's MRI results are a bit mixed. The GOOD news is the the residual
tumor (from 2003) continues to be stable, we are very thankful for this. The
unsettling news is that there is a new spot of enhancement, on/near the
cerebellum.
The radiologist thought it was a new tumor, however Dr. Merchant thinks that
it may be
radiation necrosis. We are scared, shocked and deflated at this news. We
don't know what it all means at this time. We would normally take Brandon
back in another 12 weeks for his next scan but Dr. Merchant is worried
enough that he wants Brandon back in 6-8 weeks. This scan was done on a new
T3 MRI unit with a stronger magnet, which produces higher resolution scans -
you can see more detail.
Brandon continues to have challenges with his reversed-vision. The
occupational therapist noticed it while conducting her evaluation yesterday.
The optometrist (here locally) thinks that this is the result of the
disturbance to the brain stem from the recent surgery. However radiation
necrosis could also cause these symptoms. We are in the process of
scheduling vision therapy appointments to address the "flip-flop" vision as
Brandon calls it.
We will not tell Brandon about any of this at this time. We could not answer
any of his questions and we want him to enjoy his last 6 weeks of school. We
will keep you updated.
Love and Friendship,
Jeff
Good morning all, hope
you're having a good spring.
Brandon's next MRI will be on Monday the 8th of May at St Jude. He will just
have 1-day of appointments along with his MRI and our meeting with Dr.
Merchant. The pre-MRI jitters have set in. Please have prayers and good
thoughts for a successful trip and a clean MRI!!!
Here's our schedule of appointments:
8:00 AM Assessment
8:30 AM MRI with sedation
10:30 AM (recovery from sedation)
1:00 PM Occupational Therapy consult
1:30 PM Speech Therapy consult
2:00 PM Physical Therapy consult
2:30 PM Clinic follow-up w/ Dr. Merchant
A quick trip this time, Brandon and I fly out on Sunday and return back to
Seattle on Tuesday.
Brandon just started back with gymnastics and loves it! It makes me so happy
to see him completely enjoying himself in an activity that is all him. He is
also signed up for a week of day camp with the Museum of Flight (Blue Angels
week!). In June he'll go to "Camp
Goodtimes", a camp for children with cancer. At the age of 7 he has
"outgrown" some of the Skyhawks camps and now wants to "work" for mom.
Brandon is still experiencing challenges at school, we believe due to his
vision issues ("flip-flow" vision as Brandon calls it). He has shown a loss
of interest in the classroom. We're coordinating with the Vision Therapist
to begin weekly appointments to work on this. Brandon's teacher has been
very supportive of him and us as we work through this.
Also, I posted some new pictures:
Brandon's 7th Birthday
Easter &
Spring 2006
Look for an update when we return.
Thank you for your support, love, and friendship,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
Hi everyone, thanks for
all of your positive thoughts, prayers, positive energy, and good 'ol mojo.
Brandon's MRI was clean - ALL IS STABLE! Brandon did great this morning and
we're very proud of him. His arm was sore for a while today from the IV but
is all better now.
Next up is a follow-up with an optometrist on Monday. Brandon has been
experiencing reversed vision when reading items horizontally, possibly an
effect of the radiation. We're not quite sure what to make of this right now
and are looking forward to hearing from the eye Dr.
Brandon's next scan will be on May 8 at St Jude.
Thanks again for all of your support!
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
Hi all, Brandon will
have his next MRI at Seattle Children's this Friday at 7:30 am. We will then
meet with Dr. Geyer at 9:00 am. We'd like to please ask for prayers and good
thoughts for positive results.
Love and friendship,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
Hi all, we had a
successful but quick trip to St. Jude!
MRI - Dr. Merchant showed us the scans and said he is pleased. The tiny
residual pieces are stable. This is what he would expect at just less than 2
months out from radiation. He said that the radiation could have caused some
stress on the main arteries that supply blood to Brandon's brain. At this
time there is nothing to worry about but he will keep his eye on it.
Psych Evaluation - Brandon will do this once per year to see if the
radiation has any effect on his cognitive skills. At this time he did great,
results were the same as the previous test and they will not test again
until next February.
PT/OT/Speech - All signs were good here too! Brandon is such a trooper!!!
We had dinner with David and Julie on Tuesday night, so great seeing them
again! Nurse Michelle came and hung out with us on Wednesday as she had the
day off. Always great to see her, Brandon absolutely adores her!! Jeff and
Brandon fit in a quick visit to the Firefighter's Museum before his
appointments on Wednesday.
We will be back for our next check-up in May. Thanks for all of your
support, it is very much appreciated!!!
Love and friendship,
Jeff
www.brandonsgoal.org
HI all, B had
his MRI and all looks good!
Dr. Merchant called even before B was off of the table and said the scan
looked stable from his initial look.
We will get to review it with him tomorrow.
Psych test this morning showed him to still be quite smart, on track or
above average for his age and no signs of slowing down, we were very proud!!
Occupational therapy also said the same. Everyone is very impressed with how
he is doing and how he looks!
We will update more when we get home!
Love,
Kris
Hi all, we head back
to St. Jude tomorrow for Brandon's first post treatment MRI. Feeling like we
are back at square one and doing this all over again. We got to the point
where we were going back only twice a year to "hear good news" and now we
are back to 4 times a year and feeling so anxious.
We are praying for shrinking of the residual or stable residual. Brandon is
doing great in school and has really adjusted well being back in his normal
routine again.
We will be back on Thursday and will send out an update!
Kris
Hi all, we're back
home and enjoying our routine again! Brandon is doing remarkably well. He
has a ton of energy, is loving seeing his friends and organizing his room
and seems to be much happier just being home! We are so proud of him, he
really amazes us. He will start back to school on Tuesday and will likely be
back full swing as he is feeling so good!
Maui was such a needed rest for us. Beaches, no watches, no schedule, fun
with our friends and lots of sun and swimming! We did a snorkel trip and a
Luau on Christmas eve, other than that a whole lot of nothin' which felt
really nice!
THANK YOU! We have a list of thank yous to extend to so many of you!
OUR HOME DECORATED FOR X-MAS
Thanks to Kris' mom and dad and all of our neighbors who decorated our home
so when Brandon got here he could see that Santa did not forget about him!
He as so thrilled and we know you all spent a lot of time doing that for him
and for us, thank you so much!
AIRPORT GREETING
Thanks to everyone that came down. Long drive for a short visit but you made
Brandon's night!!! He kept talking about how many people were there and how
cool the signs were! Thank you for rallying around our boy!
KENNET DENKER
Kennet is a friend of Kris' from High School and lived at our home for 2
months to take care of our dogs. We can't thank him enough for doing this.
It was a huge relief knowing they were cared for! It was fun talking to him
as he would describe what the dogs were doing, they are a couple of
characters!!
JUST A HEART FELT THANK YOU
Once again our family, friends, community and a ton of people we don't even
know supported Brandon and our family during such a difficult time. All that
you did and do help to keep us afloat. We could never thank you all enough.
Brandon's next St. Jude appointment will be in early Feb. Around the 8-10th.
We feel a bit anxious that it is so soon but know that the doctors are
taking such great care of him.
Happy New Year!
Love,
Kris, Brandon and Jeff
Hi all, hope you're
well!
We are on our last 2 days here and as we pack up we feel sad to leave David
and Julie but happy to get home and be done here!
Brandon seems to have turned a corner today and is feeling better than the
past few days. He slept a ton over the weekend after his surgery and
obviously needed it! He is doing well and only has 2 more radiation
treatments and an MRI tomorrow, then we fly home!
GREETING AT THE AIRPORT! We know some of you have said you'd like to come
down, thank you! This will mean the world to Brandon and we are so
appreciative! Here is our flight info:
Northwest 161
Depart Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) 5:23 pm
Arrive Seattle (SEA)
7:08 pm
We will arrive at the N or S Gates so we will come up to baggage claim from
the big long escalators. Kris' mom, Dianne/Grammy is coordinating should you
want a contact for Thursday. Her cell is
206-930-4818 or you can e-mail her at r_dforth at msn dot com
Well this will be our last update from Memphis! We can't tell you how much
you've all helped us while here. You do more than you'll ever know without
doing anything specific! Just your love and support has helped us
tremendously!
A BIG THANK YOU TO DAVID AND JULIE DOUGLAS!!!!! THEY HAVE OPENED THEIR HOME
TO US, OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS SINCE OCTOBER 24TH AND HAVE BEEN MOST GENEROUS
WITH THEIR HELP AND HOSPITALITY. WE HOPE YOU TRULY GET TO MEET THIS
WONDERFUL COUPLE. THEY ARE THE KINDEST MOST GENEROUS COUPLE WE'VE EVER
KNOWN, THANK YOU, WE LOVE YOU!
Kris, Jeff & Brandon
Hi everyone,
Brandon is out of the hospital and is doing well. We actually got out around
the middle of the day yesterday! Brandon again amazed us with his
resilience, he is such a good patient - he was able to get a good night's
sleep and rested comfortable with no pain meds.
Saturday morning Brandon and Jeff walked all the way down to the cafeteria
(for those of you that have been to LeBonheur know that this is a long
walk). Back at the house Brandon laid low and slept for much of the
afternoon.
We are happy to have Sunny, Shelly, and Traci here to visit! They arrived at
the hospital yesterday just in time for us to get discharged.
We're on our last week and very thankful for that. Monday will be a full day
at St Jude as they need to re-simulate Brandon radiation due to the surgery.
Unfortunately these simulations require contrast so Brandon needs to get
another IV - this should be his last IV!
Here's Monday's schedule:
9:30 am Assessment & Triage (vital
signs, height & weight)
9:45 am CT Simulation
10:45 am MRI Simulation
12:30 pm Dr. Merchant clinic visit
1:00 pm Radiation Therapy
1:30 pm Speech Therapy Consult
2:00 pm swallow study
3:30 pm Physical Therapy Consult
love Jeff, Kris & Brandon
Hi all,
Well Brandon got through his surgery today amazingly well! Thank you all for
your thoughts and prayers! He said "I hope this is the last surgery I have
to have for a long time". Us too!
We started the day by dropping Grammy off at the airport. We were sad to see
her go and it was just as hard for her to leave when her boy was having
surgery. Jeff, Jeanne McDonald and Kris headed off to St
