Antibodies Round Three - Happy New Year!

The last couple of weeks have been nice and relaxing. We had a bunch of family come over for the holidays and enjoyed a white Christmas (very rare for TX). The boys got way too many toys and Reilly's birthday is around the corner.

We just took Reilly to a pediatric opthamologist since his left eye turns in a little. The specialist said that he is significantly far sighted and has strained the muscles in his left eye (but it is correctable). He prescribed glasses (yes, for an 11 month old) and we are set to come back in March. If the glasses don't strengthen the eye muscles and straighten Reilly's eye, then we will try an eye patch. If the patch doesn't work, then he might have a minor surgery to fix his left eye...but that is many steps away. Did I mention that baby glasses are more expensive than Mommy's glasses?!? And they are not Coach or Prada! Luckily we had a very dear family adopt us for Christmas and their generous support covered this very unexpected cost. Thank You, again! God continues to provide! Pictures of our intellectual baby are coming soon....

William heads back to the hospital Sunday, with Aaron. Hopefully this round of antibodies will be easier than the last. Hopefully this year will be easier than the last. We have had an amazing year and an enormous amount of support from so many people. We just can't say 'Thank You' enough. Thank you God for all of the angels you sent us this year to weather this storm and for every day you give us the gift of life.

Happy New Year!
The Fallon Family

Home for the Holidays

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago and never posted it because I didn't have pictures from the the walk and marathon but here it is anyways...pictures soon to follow.

"William finished his second round of antibody treatments, late last Friday, and was able to come home. He still isn't 100% back to his normal self but he is making progress. When he went to the doctor yesterday, they said he doesn't have to go back to the clinic until New Years Eve. What a blessing! Usually he has at least one appointment, at the clinic, per week. Aaron is thrilled that he doesn't have to lug both boys to the clinic and back, for the next couple of weeks.


We would like to thank the many people that organized and came out for the "Will to Walk" 5K in our neighborhood, last Saturday. AND, thank you Amy Carenza for organizing a relay team to run the White Rock Marathon, last Sunday. Thank you to the relay team for running and all the folks that donated money to William's fund. We would also like to thank the family that adopted us for Christmas. What a blessing! We are overwhelmed with the support we've received over the last year. We really don't know the words...


Thank you sincerely,
The Fallon Family"

Many Thanks...

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day and I feel like we have a LOT to be thankful for. This morning I was on my way to work and I was listening to one of my favorite songs, "We Live" (right click and Open in a New Window) and I just felt so blessed for my life. I have a wonderful husband that spends every day taking care of our two beautiful boys who are healthy, growing bigger, sweeter and more precious by the minute. I have a loving family and friends who support me and a work family that is just as supportive. I am thankful for all of you. And most importantly, I'm thankful for a loving and forgiving God. I'm not perfect (yes, I said it and put it in writing) thankfully my God loves me anyway...it doesn't get more unconditional than that. Life is such a gift. So in the words of Superchick, "Get out and do what we we're meant to do. We live. We love. We forgive and never give up. Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above and today we remember to live and to love."

So, hug and kiss your family. Ask for forgiveness for your sins and thank God for all you have.

I would like to say Thank You to my best friend Amy Carenza-Offerdahl for organizing a relay team for the White Rock Marathon and raising money for William. Her team is called, "A WILL to Run" and here is what she is doing...

"In an effort to honor the strength William has shown us through these trials and raise support for his continued medical needs, the immediate family (and me) have decided to run the White Rock Marathon as a team. William's mother, father, aunt, uncle and me (the surrogate aunt) will be running on December 13th under the team name, "A WILL to Run." We are asking our friends and family to support us at this event by either sponsoring the team per mile or with a flat donation...there is no minimum or maximum gift - any amount would be appreciated.

If you're interested in supporting the team, please make your check out to "William Fallon Neuroblastoma Fund" and mail directly to my attention at the address below. Thank you so much for your consideration of this important cause.

Amy
Amy Carenza
SVP, Senior Client Manager
Middle Market Banking
901 Main St., 10th Floor
Dallas, TX 75202
214.209.0316"

Second, I would like to kick some shouts out to the Chiliheads in Albuquerque who supported their local Relay for Life, in honor of William...what a blessing from people who we've never met!

Finally, I would also like to thank our neighborhood - La Cantera. The entire neighborhood is hosting a 5K in William's honor, on December 12th. Here is more information:



Love, Angela

Maintenance Therapy

I've mentioned before that William is continuing with a maintenance therapy of antibodies, immunizations and oral accutane. If you would like to read more about said therapies, you can click on this link for a better explanation: http://www.curesearch.org/our_research/index_sub.aspx?id=7368

Right now he is taking accutane and visiting the clinic twice a week. His next round of antibody/immunization treatments are scheduled to start Sunday, after Thanksgiving.

Finally, here is a picture - from last night - of the boys in their matching jammies (courtesy of Nana)...

Love, The Fallon Family

On the home front...

William came home Friday afternoon so the whole family is home now...just in time for me to go on a business trip. :) Will looks great but he is still fussy and not feeling 100%. He goes in for a clinic appointment today and again on Thursday, just to check in. He will start the next round of antibodies, in two weeks.

Thank you for your continued prayers.
The Fallon Family

Update on Antibodies

William started the antibody therapy on Monday, and as we thought, he is in a lot of pain. Every day the doctors have to find the right mixture of morphine, Benadryl, Tylenol and Ativan. He is having mild allergic reactions and sometimes when he sleeps, his blood pressure will drop significantly low. All of his side effects have been manageable so far. His cocktail of medicines makes him sleep most of the day but wakes up starving at 2am (meaning Aaron is getting much sleep).

Thank you for your continued prayers - Reilly has recovered from his "jock itch". Please continue to pray for William's health and some rest for Aaron.

Graduation Speech - As Promised

Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, Faculty, Administrators, Friends and Family and, of course, the graduating Class of 2009. Good evening. Well Here we are. WE DID IT! You know it’s funny to think of myself as a college graduate. When my brother graduated from college he landed this great job with a commercial airline. So he shows up on his first day at work and his manager greets him with a warm handshake, and he hands him a push broom. He says “your first job will be to sweep out this hanger.” So my brother gets a little irritated by this and says “but sir I’m a college graduate.” And his manager, taking the broom from him, says “Oh, I’m sorry let me show you how to use it.”

In all seriousness it’s a big honor to be speaking to you tonight. A great deal of work has been done to get us to the point where we are this evening, so a few thank you’s are in order. To our professors, who throughout the years here at Embry Riddle have taken great pride in the academic success that we are enjoying tonight. Like many of us they have careers and work during the day, however they always go the extra mile to teach and give a real world, outlook to ensure our success in today’s demanding world. For that, thank you for your love and for your efforts. Thank you to the ladies in the registration office. Your guidance and administrative support is the backbone of our Fort Worth campus. Thank you to our classmates and friends that have been with us on our educational journey. They have been there with us in the good times and the laughter, but also in those tougher moments of family or personal crises. And most importantly our family, especially our spouses that have been there for us. They have supported us all these years picking up the slack while we were in class. Our parents that love us, care about us and continue to have huge dreams for us. On behalf of the class of 2009, thank you all for the combined efforts of our academic success. A big mental hug to you all. Finally, 2009, when you have a quiet moment in prayer, say thanks to your Maker, for he fashioned you and molded you and gave you the skills and talents you have been developing all these years.

For me, tonight is an accomplishment that less than a year ago seemed more than a million miles away. You see, in January this last year, my son William was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and had to stay in the hospital for a very long time. This all happened at the same time my youngest son was born 6 weeks premature. I had both my sons in the ICU at the same time and, then and there, school was the last thing on my mind.

Over time, with the help modern medicine, and a whole lot of prayer, William began to get better. He was put on a year-long protocol that consisted of aggressive chemotherapy, surgery, a bone marrow transplant, radiation and finally immuno-therapy. I spent many nights at William’s bed side with little sleep and the feeling, THIS, that tonight was not going to happen for me, and for that I am so thankful, to God, my wife, my family, my friends, and my family here at Embry Riddle. I’m also grateful to people who said a prayer, who wished us well and went out of their way to make a small difference in a little boy’s life, and by extension, a huge difference in my life and the life of my family. It’s that element of the human spirit that I wanted to address here tonight.

When my son got sick my wife encouraged me to study, and keep on keeping on during a time when giving up on classes would have made life much easier. Of course my job was, First to make sure that William was getting the best treatment possible, and second to make good grades in school. So this became a real learning experience for me. On one hand I was studying and writing research papers on aviation safety, and on the other I had to learn everything I could about my son’s disease. I studied all the new innovative and cutting edge technology to make sure that he was getting the best treatment possible.

When word got out about my family’s unfortunate situation, we had people from all aspects of our lives offering their help and prayers. My wife’s work started a foundation and donated money for medical bills, cooked meals and brought us cleaning supplies. At the same time my boss, co-workers, and people I didn’t even know donated their hard-earned leave so that I could be with my boy in the hospital and not be without a paycheck. These are just a few of many kindnesses bestowed upon us in our time of need. I bring all this up for 2 reasons tonight, the first is to say thank you. I know that without their love and support there would be no diploma for me. The second reason is to encourage everyone here this evening to be the kind of people who pro-actively look for opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives. After what has happened to us, it is my hope that we never again pass up a chance to do something for someone in need or to be an angel when one is so desperately needed.

In his epic poem Ulysses, Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote that “heroic hearts are made weak by time and fate, but they are strong in will, To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”. I would like to challenge everyone here tonight to find that heroic heart, that momentum to know that as you make your way out into the world tomorrow that you have left it a better place than when you’ve came in, that you’ve changed someone’s life for the better. My life has been changed for the better. My boys are both doing great and I cherish every moment I have with them. And so this evening, I wish all the best for my fellow classmates, the 2009 graduating class of Embry Riddle. May the dedication and devotion we have put into our studies here, reward each of us with success and a bright future. And when the time comes, may we be able to say that we have lived life to the fullest and that we did it deliberately. And if the chance ever comes to make the difference in the life of a fellow human being, it is my sincerest hope that we do it willingly and with our whole hearts. Thank you.

Graduation + Antibodies

Well, Aaron may have a couple of classes to finish but he has officially "walked". Like I said before, he was the student speaker for his graduation and did a great job...so great that he received a standing ovation. I will add his speech as a separate post later for those who want to read it.

William got a 6 hour pass to see his daddy speak and walk across the stage...

William will start antibody treatments today so please keep him in your prayers. We understand that the treatment is very painful. When the antibody attaches itself to the surface of the cancer cells (which are nerve cells since neuroblastoma attacks the sympathetic nervous system), a message is sent to the brain and the patient will feel pain. The pain can be localized to one place or felt in many places. Considering William's tumor was in his left side, I would assume that most of his pain will be in that region. Other potential side effects include high blood pressure, vomiting, and severe allergic reactions. Please pray that these side effects are minimized or non-existent.

More to come as Will goes through this new therapy...

Love, The Fallon Family

Checking in...

Sorry it has been a while since I've posted an update. It has been a really crazy couple of weeks and I'm a little tired. So, forgive me for writing like I talk and keeping it short...or as short as possible.

First, William's EKG came back completely normal. In fact, we think that the first doctor didn't read his chart completely, to realize that Will currently has a central line (looks like a flexible white tube that splits into two) in the right side of his chest and his metaport (looks like a small cylinder, the size of a bobbin) in the left side of his chest. The thickening (or possible clotting) that showed up in William's scans were due to the two lines in his chest. His heart is healthy. Praise the Lord! Another scare dismissed.

Second, I know I posted that William was supposed to start his antibody treatment on Monday but that has been postponed a week. The boys were planning to go trick-or-treating on Saturday but William woke up from his nap shivering, with a 102.6 degree fever. By the time we got to the hospital (less than a 20 minute drive) it had spiked to 105. He received some Tylenol, fluids, started antibiotics and was admitted to the Oncology floor for observation. He hasn't had a fever since Sunday but will continue antibiotics for 10 days.

So! Thank you all for your continued prayers. William will still need prayers to fight his infection and hopefully will not have an allergic reaction to the antibody treatment. Also please pray for Reilly as he is fighting off a stubborn yeast infection (almost two weeks now)...it's always something. And pray for Aaron and I as we spend almost two weeks apart and are both exhausted. A quick praise: Aaron is walking for his undergraduate degree this Friday and they asked him to speak at the commencement -- what an honor! His speech is about the journey we've been on, over the last year and how he has persevered to finish his bachelor's degree at the same time. It's going to be great and I'm so proud of him!

Love, Angela

Please Pray

I'm sure you are all in shock that I would update the blog twice in one day. I just got off the phone with Aaron; and William has an appointment with a heart specialist tomorrow. William's echocardiogram came back with a few places that need further investigation (look like potential clots in his heart). The neuroblastoma (NBL) coordinator at Cook Children's said that there is nothing to worry about, William has never had heart problems and it is normal for NBL patients to have abnormal echo results from the medicines they take. Please pray for him anyways...

Sincerely, Angela

Some Results & Boys Growing Up Too Fast...

We have received some initial results from last weeks scans. The CT scan and bone marrow aspirate/biopsy came back normal. The verbal response from the Oncologist was that the MIBG scan came back normal but we haven't seen it in writing yet. Please keep praying.

As for my two little boys, they are not so little anymore...little Ri-Ri just had his 9 month wellness check and he weighed in at 23lbs and 9 ozs! 29 and 3/4 inches tall! 90th percentile all around...The Dallas Cowboys haven't started calling yet but we are expecting the phone to start ringing any day now. :)

I think Will gets taller everyday and is saying more words. His last audiogram came back with additional hearing loss (his left ear worse than the right) and the audiologist said he may have trouble saying the F sound ('ph' included), the TH sound and plurals (an S on the end). However, Will and I were laying in bed last night and he pointed at the fan and said some word that did not sound like FAN. So laying just to the side of his right ear I said, "William, look at me (so he could see my mouth make the word), that is a FFFFFFan, FFFFan, like FFFFeet." He smiled and said, "fan." It was so sweet to my ears. I just praised him, high-fived, busted knuckles and we both repeated the word a couple more times. He thought it was a fun game but I thank God for proving the audiologist wrong! :) Maybe I'm just a little competitive. :)

Ok, ok more pictures...


Here is more from the FuzzHead - getting more hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes:




And Reilly Roo loving the bath tub and pulling up on everything!




Love to you all...The Fallon Family

Week of Scans + Crazy Animals

This week William will have a bunch scans back to back. Like before, he will go through a 12 hour urine/kidney analysis, MIBG scan, CT scan and and bone marrow aspirates...all to make sure their are no signs of progressive disease. After we get all of the results back, he will be admitted for four days to start his first cycle of antibody treatments.

Many people ask me what the antibody treatment is and it is a little hard to explain. The antibodies are a protein made in cultured cells, using DNA technology to morph/fuse a human antibody with a mice antibody (called ch14.18). The ch14.18 binds well to neuroblastoma (NBL) cells and to tumor cells that are positive for GD2 (a sugar lipid that is strongly expressed on the surface of neuroblastoma cells), and helps destroy cancer cells. It binds very little to normal tissue, unlike chemotherapy that kills most rapidly-forming cells, normally found in our bodies. So to put it a little more simply, these little cooties can ID, bind to and destroy the neuroblastoma cells, but only on a small scale and only specific types of NBL (there are many types). Sorry for going technical on ya...

We are grateful that the antibodies don't beat up on Will's immune system like the chemotherapy but the therapy does have it's own side effects. The treatment does cause significant pain because it is pulsing the nervous system.

Bottomline: Please continue to pray for William as he undergoes this week of testing. Pray for clean test results and that Will will endure the antibody treatment as amazingly as he has everything else. He is truly one tough blonde kid. Oh, did I mention his hair is coming back in, just as white blonde as before. :)

Here are a couple of recent pictures of the boys, in their halloween costumes:
This giraffe looks very excited...



Look who can reach the door bell (and the deadbolt!)...





Then things got a little silly when we gave William his favorite new toy -- a whoopee cushion -- to get him to sit down

New Fuzz Pic: you can see the fuzz on his head, if you click on the picture...

More updates to come...Love, Angela

Almost there...

William has two more radiation treatments (tomorrow and again on Monday). Then he will go through a week of scans, before starting antibody treatments. Five rounds of antibodies are the last step in William's treatment. Then he will have scans, regularly scheduled, for a long time. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel...

I keep getting requests for more pictures. So, here are two of William getting ready for winter.

This is Reilly's first shot at cheesey scrambled eggs.

And did I mention Reilly is sitting up, un-assisted? He's pulling up on things too. Aaron went to wake him up in the morning and he was pulling up in his crib. They grow up way too fast!

Thank you all for your continued support!

Love,

Angela

Radiation - Do Over

William was supposed to start radiation today but instead the radiologist decided to take additional x-rays. William is now scheduled to start tomorrow morning. The hold up is due to his kidney moving into the place of where the tumor used to be. The doctor is worried about radiating the left kidney and losing renal function. She took today to take additional scans of his mid-section and to consult with the oncology group, for William's treatment protocol.

Please pray for descernment for the doctors calculating the dosing and location of planned radiation treatment. Pray also that William will have minimal, or no adverse effects from the radiation therapy (growth stunting and loss of organ functions).

Thank you for continuing to pray for my family.

Love, Angela

I know, I know...

...it has been almost a month since I've updated the blog so I'm going to try to cram a bunch of updates into this one post.

When William and Aaron came home from the hospital, William had a new bed to sleep in! His Boppa (my Dad) made him an airplane bed. I Big Boy bed! Next step is potty training...keep us in your prayers. :)

William turned two almost two weeks ago! He had a Cars-themed party, some family over to celebrate and tons of presents to open...

Even managed to field a couple of phone calls...

Aaron has been doing his annual tour over the last couple of weeks and I'm getting to spend some quality time with both boys, which has been fun and exhausting all at the same time. William still has regular clinic appointments, to check his counts and get physical exams. In addition, he is starting radiation this week. He had a simulation on Monday and will begin the actual radiation treatments on Thursday (baring no change in plan). He will have radiation for 12 days -- Thursday and Friday this week and then Monday through Friday, the next two weeks.

I think that is all I know right now. Please pray for William as he goes through radiation. Hopefully, I will update this quicker next time. :)

Angela

The Whole Family Is Home!

William had his breakout party on Friday; and, for those of you who don't know, that is when a patient gets to leave the bone marrow transplant unit. Since he was in isolation for so long, they put up paper streamers for him to 'break out' of the unit doors, followed by a little party on a balcony outside the oncology unit.

Still Truckin Along -- Home Bound!

I forgot to mention, in the last post, that Will has been off the morphine drip since Sunday. His counts looked great on Monday and his white blood count doubled on Tuesday. The doctors think he may come home Friday or Saturday! Which means he will most likely be home for his second birthday, September 11th! I can't wait to have the whole family home again...Love, Angela

Doing much better...

William pulled his feeding tube out again on Saturday and the nurse told him that if he could eat, he could keep the tube out. He has made every effort to eat and has not had to put it back in yet (he had pancakes and bacon for breakfast today...he killed the bacon!). His counts are looking good. His white blood count looks in a normal range but his red blood count is a little low. He has already had one unit of red blood cells and two units of platelets, over the last week (both are very common). It is possible for his counts to go down again before they completely normalize.

William is in great spirits. He loves watching the Disney movie Cars and Sponge Bob (he just calls him Bob). :)

Thank you all for the continued prayers!

Love, Angela (mom)

Rebirthday pics

FYI...a rebirthday is the day transplant patients get their stem cells back.

During Transplant. (Me, Amy and Dr. Boots)

Rebirthday! Still crazy:)

Just Kidding...

Well, the "infections doctor" came by today with surprising news. He said that the blood culture taken three days ago does not have anything growing on it. That's right, I said NOTHING. That means that William does not have an infection, he does not have a fungus and does not have to have his port removed. AMAZING! The initial infection/fungus diagnosis was misdiagnosed. Praise God! Taking antibiotics for three days for a false infections stinks but better safe than sorry...

The Fungus Among Us

Well, the great news is that William does not have the fungus from his port, in his heart. The ultrasound of his heart, done yesterday, came back clear. He has been pretty fussy today but has managed to finish off some chocolate ice cream and plays with his cars most of the time (well, while not sleeping). I was holding him for a little while, over lunch; he wanted to be held but wanted to hold his cars while I was holding him. :) He is such a boy!

Nanny has made him a ton of blankets, which he calls 'babies' instead of 'blankies.' When he cuddles up in his hospital bed, he points at his blankets and says in his cute, little, sweet voice, 'babies...babies.' It is pitiful but oh so sweet. :(

Please continue to pray for William and Aaron. The nurse practitioner says that William is doing AMAZING! This is a tough, long procedure but he is doing really well, all things considered.

Love, Angela

Going through some hard times...

William needs lots of prayers right now. His counts hit bottom at the end of last weekend and he has a lot to overcome. He has sores down his GI track (it hurts swallow) and now has a feed tube (round 3 -- he has pulled it out twice already). He has been fighting a fever; all blood cultures have come back negative for an infection but we found out today that he has a fungus in his metaport (the initial central line, that goes directly to his heart). He has been on antibiotics since Sunday evening and if the new cocktail of antibiotics does not kick the fungus, he will have his central line surgically removed (only to have it put back in at a later time, for further treatment). William is very tired and having some pain, from all of his ailments, so he is on a constant morphine drip (with an hourly bolus=large dose push). He still giggles occasionally throughout the day and manages to sing to me when I call...even called me Mom last night (see joke from two posts ago).

Please pray for William that his 'fungus' clears up quickly and that his blood counts come back, with God's will. Continue to pray for Aaron -- the isolation is causing cabin fever and regularly finds himself starving! I think he forgets that many places deliver food! God love 'em. :)

Thank you for all of your continued support (spiritually, prayerfully, and emotionally).

With lots of love,
Angela

Checking in from the blue castle...

William here...just thought I would drop everyone a note to let y'all know I'm doing great. I had some cream corn-lookin stuff put in my cyborg port today -- Daddy called is stem cells. Whatever...it smelled like corn. I'm getting pretty bored hanging out with Daddy in isolation but as you can see from the last post, I have plenty of ladies to entertain! Plus, Boppa is coming to save the day and take over for Daddy tonight. I've been keeping Daddy really busy with LOTS of poopy diapers (especially throughout the night) and he seems to be really tired. I don't know why: we get a couple hours of sleep every night, between the pretty ladies coming in and out to check me out... oh yeah!

Anywho, I hope all is well with all of you. Thanks for the continued prayers for me and my family.

Love, Will

PICS FROM THE BONE MARROW UNIT

Me and Daddy...
Me and Nurse Sana...
...and all the ladies I flirt with!
Me with a penguin ball...
This is my good friend Joanna (she goes to church with us)...
This is my favorite bike to play with -- it is a tricycle that you pedal with your arms...

Another Quick Update & A Few Pics...

William finished his chemo on Monday and will get his stem cells transfused tomorrow. He is still running around like a crazy kiddo. When I get to talk to him on the phone he sings E-I-E-I-O and thinks it is funny to call me Mom (instead of Mommy, I guess like a nickname) so I call him Will (shortening his name) -- and then he cracks up. He has such a great sense of humor! Silly, silly...

Aunt Amy (my best friend since the 3rd grade) just got back from a mission trip to Sudan and brought Will an authentic Sudanese outfit. Here are a couple of pictures from her last visit to Funkytown:


In fighting stance...

And Lil' Bro "Ri-Ri" just popped out a couple teeth...here is a good shot of the new toofies (click on the picture and you can see it better -- along with the boogie in his nose :) ):

And one last picture of Will and Nanny playing in the pool (right before getting admitted)...

Love,
Angela (Mom)

Quick Update...

William had a second port put in yesterday and then admitted to the transplant unit. He started concentrated chemo this morning and will continue to receive chemo through Tuesday. By Friday, he will get his stem cells transfused; after that point, he will be trying to rebuild his immune system.

WE REALLY NEED YOUR PRAYERS that this intense chemo will not cause any organ damage and no further hearing loss. This is a very dangerous procedure. Please pray God will put His protection around William's organs and that William doesn't get sick from all the drugs. His daddy, Aaron, will be with him in isolation for this long period of time; please pray for the Lord's peace and strength to get through this difficult time....and for the medical team's wisdom to handle all of these procedures.

We are all so incredibly grateful that you stand with us in prayer for William.....may the Lord always be honored in all that we say and do....

Love,
The Fallon Family

And the answer is...

One stem cell transplant! We prayed that William would get exactly what he needed and we know that it is God's will to get randomized to one transplant. He will be admitted next Thursday, to an isolated room in the Bone Marrow Transplant unit, and begin consolidated chemotherapy Friday (which will kill every fast regenerative cell in his body, including the white blood cells that our bodies use to fight infection). A week later he will receive his own stem cells (that we pulled from his blood after the second round of chemo) to rebuild his bone marrow stem cells, which build red and white blood cells. There are many things that can go wrong with this procedure (organ failure, additional hearing loss, severe mouth sores that could lead to the need of a feeding tube, just to name a few). We ask that you continue to pray for William - to protect his body during the transplant and give him the strength to persevere. I, personally, ask you to pray for my husband, Aaron, who will be William's primary caregiver during this treatment -- that he will have the patience of Job with William and enough perseverance and peace to endure a month in the hospital.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Love,
Angela

Praise God -- No Cancer!!

One of my mom's wonderful friends recently said that heaven will be storming with prayers for our little boy! She was right. Thank you all for all of the many prayers for our family. We just received the results back from the bone marrow biopsy/aspirate, from last week, that went to the lab in LA...William is CANCER FREE! There is no cancer in his bone marrow or anywhere else in his body. Praise the Lord! Prayers do work!

Next week we start the stem cell transplant process and we should know, by tomorrow, how many transplants William will get. More to come...

Thank you, thank you for all of the prayers!

Love,
Angela

Updated Results...

Just got the results back from MIBG and CT scans...MIBG came back completely negative for signs of neuroblastoma & the CT came back with a small section of scar tissue, from the operation. Both of these are good signs that the "clusters" could just be regular bone marrow building cells. We won't know for sure until we get the lab results back from Monday's and last week's bone marrow tests, that will be sent to a lab in Los Angeles.

More to come...

Urgent Need for Prayers!!!

The stem cell transplant is officially getting pushed out. Unfortunately, I misspoke yesterday - the bone scan came back negative however the bone marrow aspirate came back (today) with "clusters of atypical cells, suspicious for metastatic neuroblastoma." We are now scheduled for another bone marrow aspirate and biopsy, on Monday. We have not received the results from the MIBG or CT scans yet.

As you can imagine, we are completely shocked. William has had four bone marrow scan and has never shown signs of cancer in the marrow. Not to mention, he has completed seven rounds of chemo and the tumor that was removed was completely dead - indicating that his body, and the cancer, reacted well to chemo. It just doesn't add up. In fact, the doctors are perplexed as well. The oncologist said that it does not make sense that the cancer would show up now, after most of his treatment is complete and not having it show up in prior scans. She does not think it is neuroblastoma but the biopsy and aspirate, on Monday, will confirm one way or the other.

Please, please, please pray for William. He will be under anesthesia during the procedure but will still have pain after he wakes up. Please pray that the cluster(s) is/are not cancerous and just an anomaly.

Thank you for the continued prayers and support.

Love, Angela

Double Good News!

1 - Will's bone marrow aspirate and bone scan both came back NEGATIVE for cancer. Praise the Lord!
2 - Reilly had his first two teeth break through today. He is growing up soooo fast!

More to come...

Recent Pictures - As Promised By Mommy...

Grandpa Fallon, in town from Japan, and my little bro Reilly (well, not so little anymore)!


Mei Mei (Grandma Fallon) & Me


Horsing Around With Daddy!


Me With A Hummus Mustache...


Here are a couple pics of Ri-Ri eating cereal for the 1st time...

Love,

William