Horse Riding Therapy

Even though he doesn't look like it in this picture, Ben had a great time riding his horse. It was a lot of really hard work for him, both mentally and physically. When we asked him if he had fun, he nodded his head "yes," and then made the sign for "home." In other words, "Yes, I had a great time, now take me home and put me in bed!"

8th Chemo Treatment

Ben is coming home today after having his 8th chemo treatment, which means we only have one left!!! He gets six weeks to recover from this treatment, and then he'll get his last treatment in early March. A year ago we never thought we'd be this close to finishing he treatments, but here we are. And it is a very happy day!

Ben also had an MRI on Monday to make sure the tumor isn't starting to come back. Gratefully, he had a clean scan, which means there was no visible sign of tumor regrowth. We are always on pins and needles waiting to find out what the MRI says, so this was very good news. He will continue to get MRIs every three months or so for quite a while after he stops his chemo treatments, then every six months, then every year, etc. If he goes five years after treatment with no relapse, then he is considered "cured."

We are starting a new therapy for Ben this Saturday. It is horse riding therapy, and it is supposed to be very effective in helping to rewire the brain. We found a lady in Spanish Fork who has been doing this for 15 years, and after talking with her, we feel really good about her. We just hope, and especially pray, that reality lives up to all of the hype!

One Year Ago....

How do we describe the past year? Words aren't adequate. There have been tears and laughter, concern and rejoicing, setbacks and triumphs. Most of all there have blessings and love. The Lord preserved the life of our son, of that we have no doubt. He placed the right people in the right place at the right time, and we are forever grateful for that. And the blessings didn't stop there. He has been with us every step of the way. Many of those steps have been very hard, but with His help we have made it through.

Our little Ben has been a fighter. He hasn't given up, and works hard every day to get back to where he wants to be. The determination in his personality that was hard to deal with before all of this turned out to be a huge blessing now. His therapists are always commenting on what an unusually hard worker he is. Because of that we know he hasn't reach the end of his progress. This is one kid who isn't going to give up!

There is no way to adequately thank everyone for all the support, love, prayers, and faith of the past year. One of our biggest blessings this past year has been all of you! Ben has been told in blessings that the prayers of many were being answered in his behalf. Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts.

And now that we've looked back, we turn now to the coming year and all of the good things that lie ahead.

Much love from our family to you.

Ben's Eye Surgery

Hi Everyone! Ben had his eye surgery last Wednesday, and it went really well. The doctor took a good look at Ben's eyes and said that everything looks great. Ben doesn't need glasses, and his eye has been fixed. He has a "bruise" in the white of his eye that is blood red and will turn every color of the rainbow before it goes away. It is totally benign, but he looks like a vampire out of a monster movie. It's pretty funky.

Interestingly enough, Ben's nausea has been almost nil since he had his eye surgery. Apparently, he has been seeing double for the last year, and I really wonder if that has been the cause of a lot of his non-chemo related nausea. It will be interesting to see what happens.

A Wonderful Christmas!

I am happy to report that we had a wonderful Christmas - at home! Ben didn't even get a hint of a fever. I have not doubt at all that your prayers and your faith made all the difference. Thank you all so very much!

As you can see in the picture, Ben loved the present Santa brought him. He played with it all morning long! He also got a CD of his favorite music, Mr. Potato Head, and a very cool froggy book, among a few other things. Not a bad Christmas for a four year old!

I am so grateful we had such a wonderful Christmas, and were able to stay here at home for it. The Lord has really blessed us so much this year, and one of those blessings has been in the form of the best family and friends anyone could ever have. Thank you all so very much for your service, love, support, faith, and prayers. Words are insufficient to thank you all for everything you have done for us. We love you all very much

Hearing Update

Ben had his follow up hearing appointment on Wednesday, and the results haven't changed at all. He still had no response to the higher frequency sounds such as "s, f, th". He will mostly have problems in a noisy room, or if there is background noise from a TV or radio. They said that it is nothing something to be overly concerned with at the moment, and have decided to wait until he is done with chemotherapy and see if there are any more changes to his hearing before we make a decision about hearing aids.

Otherwise, Ben is doing well this week. He is hardly throwing up at all, which is a miracle the week after chemotherapy. I'm surprised what a difference cutting the amount of chemotherapy he received has made.

Ben is also loving cruising around the house with his walker. It really gives him a sense of independence and freedom that he hasn't had since his tumor. So, in all, it is a happy report today.

The one thing that does worry me is that his blood counts will be hitting zero right before Christmas, so if he gets a fever next week, we might be spending Christmas at the hospital. We could sure use some prayers so that doesn't happen!

Love to all, Jana

Ben's New Walker!