Great News to Share!

Saturday night (June 20th) at Sammy’s BBQ was a HUGE success…thanks to the many of you who donated to Children’s to make it so incredible!

To recap, we’ve been raising money for Team Holmes at Children’s since a couple months after Gage was diagnosed in the summer of 2007. Blake, along with a couple friends, have met often since then with the leadership at Children’s to better understand the needs of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD), where Gage is treated. Our goal?  To make life better for families battling childhood cancer at Children’s.

As you may know, Children’s is a private, not-for-profit academic pediatric medical center, and it relies on the generosity of the community to help fulfill its mission to make life better for children. And, some of the things that “make life better for children” are things that definitely need private funding if they’re going to happen.

So, we decided to raise money to support the Childlife department at the CCBD.

First, we raised funds to cover three years of salary for the first, full-time Childlife Specialist on the inpatient oncology floor . So, for the last year or more, Lindsay (pictured below in red) has been caring for and loving the kids and families on the oncology floor 40 hours a week in a way the doctors and nurses don’t have the time or training to do. You can read more here if you want to learn more about what she does.

Now, we’re also raising money for other things that support Lindsay and the other Childlife Specialists who care for the CCBD kids:

* General budget support that gives them freedom to plan events & activities for the inpatient kids

* Funds to stock the prize closet, where the kids go at the end of their day to get a “prize” for each “poke” they received. If you can imagine, they go through at least 100 prizes/small toys each day…all year long. And, the small reward at the end of a long day means a lot to all the kids.

* The salary for one of the clowns who visits weekly. Click here to see a post from this Spring with Gage playing with the clowns.

* Two new mobile Wii/DVD fun stations that kids on the floor can use in their rooms (especially important for those on isolation who can’t even leave their rooms)

* And, having a more fully staffed Childlife team also allows them to pursue other projects, such as the recent addition of Beads of Courage at Children’s. (You can scroll to the bottom of our April 15 post to learn more). They’ve also been able to extend the hours of the playroom on the floor…a huge difference maker for the 10th floor kids who can’t leave the floor during their stay (days/weeks/months at a time) because of their suppressed immune systems, among other reasons.

And, because of your generosity, Children’s allowed us to officially name the Prize Closet as a recognition of the money that’s been raised through Team Holmes. So, on Saturday night, we made two big announcements:

* Team Holmes raised $40,000+ for Children’s through our event at Sammy’s BBQ (ticket sales & donations)…and, to date, we’ve now raised about $190,000 total!

* The prize closet will be named in honor of Laurren Smith, whose story many of you have faithfully followed. The plaque outside the prize closet will read:

Generously donated by Team Holmes
In honor of Laurren Smith

Here’s Blake surprising the Smith’s with a framed copy of the plaque…

As you can imagine, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room at that point…and you can read about if from the Smith’s perspective on their June 24th blog entry. Blake and I agreed that it’s not often you get to give a gift that meaningful…and it was so special to honor Laurren and her family for the kind generosity they’ve shown to others during her fight with cancer.

So, we’re thrilled with all that happened Saturday night. It’s not really an anniversary we enjoy celebrating, but it certainly makes it better to spend the evening with family and friends. And, we certainly plan to continue raising money for Children’s…both on the anniversary of Gage’s diagnosis and throughout the year. Once you have personally seen the immense needs that families are facing, it’s hard not to be moved to action. Thanks for joining us in giving back.

And…here are a few more pictures from the night…

The kids before the night began (sorry…we left Wesley with a sitter!)…

A room filled with family and friends…

Laurren…

Gage standing by Blake while he spoke…

Smiles from everyone at the end of the night…

Gage and the girls continue to enjoy their summer. Please pray that this week would be smooth, as it is our last week before we begin steroids again next Monday at clinic. It’s amazing how fast every four weeks comes around…and how slowly it seems that the steroids work their way out of his body.

Thanks, as always, for your support.

RH

Beach Pics At Last

Maybe I should have mentioned when I promised to post the beach pics “soon” that I probably took 1,000+ pictures at the beach. And, it’s pretty hard to go through 1,000 fun, cute beach pictures…much less cut it down to a manageable number for the blog!

And, thankfully, we’ve had a fun week that’s kept me busy too: Avery at basketball camp, Gage at flag football camp, everyone swimming…and getting ready for tonight’s fundraiser at Sammy’s BBQ. Who knows why I’m choosing to post on the blog while I should be getting ready…but, this way, when people ask tonight about the beach pics, I can say that I finally posted them!

Thanks for checking in…and enjoy the pics!

A rare picture of all four…together and clean!

Many hours spent building sand castles and hunting for shells…

Wesley didn’t love it quite as much…

Ellie…never one to lack for flair!

Gage & Ellie sharing their ocean finds…

More Ellie!

Scuba diver Gage…he loved learning to use the snorkel!

Ellie enjoying watermelon on our porch…

Everyone after a morning at the beach…

Avery swimming in the surf…

Blake & Wesley watching the waves roll in…

Avery’s big shell!

Ellie laughing and running on the beach…

Avery, Gage & Ellie calling it a day…

An afternoon appointment with the ice cream man!

Yum!

Thanks for checking in!

RH

Summer’s finally here!

Well, our family spent a wonderful week in Florida last week enjoying the beginning of summer…the reason for no updates!

Highlights: the beach, no school, the ice cream truck in the afternoon, searching for unbroken shells…and tons of fun pictures of it all (to follow in a later post!). The craziest part? Twelve hours in the car with all four kids each way! Thankfully, Gage felt great the entire time (unlike last year at the beach), and we had no unexpected medical issues. A huge praise.

And, after a day back, we headed to Children’s this morning for the visit we do every 12 weeks: finger poke to check blood counts, visit with the doctor, breathing treatment (to protect Gage from a type of pneumonia that immune-suppressed people are vulnerable to), chemo in his port, chemo in his spinal fluid via a spinal tap…and then begin a week of twice-daily steroids, in addition to his usual nightly chemo.

Needless to say, we’re all pretty exhausted from both the fun things, like Florida, and the not-fun things, like a very long day at clinic…and a hard week to come on steroids.

Thanks for checking in, and please remember us in your prayers this week.

Also, we’ve loved seeing the responses come in to our June 20th event…hope you can join us!!

RH

We made it!

Sorry for the long delay in updating.  There is so much I could have shared, but I would have needed a Twitter account to keep you up to speed!

It’s been a busy couple weeks…many doctors appointments, pharmacy runs, phone consultations and more. It’s really much more than you could possibly want to know, but it’s been a whirlwind. Two major things in all of it…Gage got another ear infection (yes, after the tubes) and then his ear was so blocked up no one could see if the tube was still in there (if not, back to the OR to get another one). Thankfully, the tube is still there…but so is the infection. So, more antibiotics, follow-up appointments, etc .

And, on a much more fun note, Gage finished kindergarten today!

I still remember the emotions of sending him off to school after the many hard, hard months at the beginning of his treatment. And, although the year has certainly had its rough spots, he’s loved kindergarten. I’m so excited that he’s had such a great year…and so thankful to take a break from the push-and-pull of the daily decisions we have to make during the school year.

Here are a few pics of the kids at drop-off this moring…

Thanks for checking in…and see you June 20th!

RH

Endurance

People often say to me, “We still pray for Gage and your family often. How can we best pray for you?”

It’s safe to say that praying for endurance would be a no-fail request right now. We have six days of school left, and it’s getting harder to get everyone there each day…especially Gage who is a bit run down by the year and knows how to work the system to get home early. Of course, it’s hard to know when he absolutely must come home early, when he’s just so-so and when he’d just rather be at home. And, honestly, I understand why he wants to come home for all three reasons…but it does make the days unpredictable, and I’m tired of pushing him to stay at school.

And, on every level (physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally) we’re just tired from fighting leukemia in our family for almost two years. It’s a daily battle on many fronts and adds a bone-weary exhaustion under the surface of the rest of the busyness of life.

Still…we are encouraged and excited to see the responses come in from many of you who are coming to the big event on June 20th. It will be a great night…and here are the details again in case you missed them:

Thanks for your prayers.

RH

4 for 6

Well, if you wondered why I haven’t updated the blog in a bit, it’s because we’ve been at clinic 4 of the last 6 days. Whew…ready for a break.

But, here’s what’s been going on…

Last Wednesday night, Gage went to bed feeling crummy and woke in the middle of the night with horrible pain in his ears. After calling the on-call oncology doctor, we doubled his prescription pain meds and gave him ear drops. Finally, he got relief and slept. Still, we knew we would have to deal with yet another ear infection in the morning.

Thursday, we went to the cancer clinic so his doctor could see him and check his blood counts. We got a dose of IV antibiotics and an 8:00 a.m. appointment with the Children’s ENT for Friday morning.

Friday, we went to the 8:00 a.m. appointment, where the ENT doctor recommended ear tubes ASAP. Then, we went to pre-op to have Gage checked out prior to his ear tube surgery. Then, we finished the day at the cancer clinic for a second dose of the IV antibiotic.

Here is Gage playing army men on Friday at the ENT clinic:

And, a visit to the prize closet at the cancer clinic after the IV antibiotics. The standard? One prize per “poke.” Some days, he gets several of each.

Saturday & Sunday…we tried to catch our breath and not spend the weekend dreading Monday & Tuesday.

Monday, we went for Gage’s monthly chemo visit at clinic. He got chemo in his port, took extra Monday chemo, started a week of steroids and had a breathing treatment. Another full day. And, we also visited friends (and frequent blog visitors) The Green Family after their daughter’s most recent surgery. Last, we stopped to see the Team Holmes signs that are finally up by two inpatient rooms on the 10th floor (inpatient cancer floor).

Gage & Laurren making fun stuff in the oncology waiting room, led by the childlife staff:

Gage working hard on his tie-dyed artwork!

While we waited to see the doctor, the clowns came to visit…always a favorite!

Gage always gets such a kick out of the clowns…especially their well-used whoopie-cushion!

So cute…nothing like laughter to pass the time!

We all loved the amazing juggling of this clown

Gage signing the clown’s jacket…adding his name to the many already there

Another poke…another visit to the prize closet. The kids always know what they’ve “earned”!

Blake taking Gage to the 10th floor to show him the Team Holmes plaques by the doors of two rooms. Thanks to many of you who have given and are part of the “Team”!

The plaques…

Blake & Gage…

Today, we arrived at 6:30 a.m. for Gage’s ear tube surgery at Children’s. He was such a champ and didn’t complain about the fasting, the procedure, etc. And, by lunchtime, we finally made our way home. Whew.

Waiting for the day to begin this morning…

Tonight, Gage is upstairs sleeping and seems to have recovered smoothly from his day. Hopefully, he’ll return to school tomorrow for the first time in a week.

So…thanks for praying even when we’re too crazy to post. We really appreciate your support on this long journey.

RH

June 20th Here We Come!

It is hard to believe that we are nearing the two-year mark in Gage’s treatment. Yet, it will be here before we know it. And, as we did last year, we are planning a big night to mark the occasion and to raise money for Children’s Medical Center here in Dallas.

To refresh your memory, last year we committed to raising $150,000  for Children’s over several years so that they could hire the first full-time childlife specialist for the inpatient oncology floor at Children’s. This amount covers three years of her salary, and she started last fall…after the generosity of so many of you made her job possible. We’ve raised much of that money, but there is still work to be done.

So, for those of you who still say to me that you wish you could help…here’s your chance!  Because of the generosity of family and friends underwriting the evening, the entire $50 per person ticket price is a donation to Children’s Medical Center.

I’m sure I’ll share more in the weeks to come about the difference that the new childlife staff has made, but you can read about the general idea under “How Can I Help?”…and you can mark your calendar for June 20th and send $50 to reserve your spot!

Send checks payable to “Children’s Medical Center Foundation” with “Team Holmes” in the memo line to:

The Holmes Family
4424 N. Versailles
Dallas, TX 75205

We’re already looking forward to the big night and hope to see a crowd full of familiar faces like last year!

Thanks for continuing to walk this road with us.

RH

The suit

On Friday, Gage participated in the Children’s Cancer Fund’s 21st annual luncheon and style show. About a month ago, I took him to Dillards to pick out his outfit for the big day. The kids each get to choose an outfit that is theirs to keep after the show is over. He loved the outfit he chose last year, and I thought he’d choose another fun, kid-casual style this year. Instead, he carefully looked around the children’s area, slowly looked at me with a funny grin and asked, “Can I pick a suit?”

Secretly, I had hoped he might pick something a bit more formal than his T-shirt, hoodie & jeans from last year…but I never imaged a suit! And, to top it off, he chose a solid black tie to go with his black suit. I offered ties with stripes, Hummers, baseballs and more…but he was adamant that only the solid black tie would do. So, I just laughed to myself and hoped I wouldn’t regret letting him decide what he was going to wear in front of 2,000 people at the luncheon!

As it turned out, his choice was perfect.  And, he was escorted down the runway by the Dallas SWAT team…which we had been hoping for since last year’s luncheon!

Gage with Nurse Rebecca, his backstage buddy for the day

Gage and Laurren, who also walked in the fashion show

Blake, Gage & I back at home

Also, after Gage choose the suit a month ago, he asked me if he could wear it for fun after the fashion show was over. Since our church is pretty casual and we don’t have many formal events to take the kids to, I said “Sure!” After all, it’s his outfit, and there’s no reason to just keep it in the closet until he outgrows it. True to his word, since Friday he has worn his suit and sunglasses on the Saturday morning donut & Starbucks run at 7:00 a.m., on his bike up and down the street, to the grocery store, on the play set in the backyard, shooting hoops with Avery, to a friend’s house and more. Hilarious.

Also, on Saturday, we went to the annual carnival at Ellie’s preschool. The kids had a ball, and Ellie was so proud to have an event that was hers!

Fun for the girls on a train ride

So cute…I walked up to find Avery & Gage having their picture taken for a photo button…

Ellie showing Wesley the fish she won!

Thanks for praying for our family and for checking in. As we were reminded yet again on Friday watching  almost 100 children walk the runway at the luncheon, cancer is a mean disease. Although the kids were sweet, compassionate, funny & kind, many were also thin, pale, limping and bald  from their battles with leukemia, bone cancer, brain tumors, lung cancer, kidney tumors and more. And the 100 who were there are literally a small fraction of the kids being treated for cancer at Children’s. Hopefully, the funds raised by the CCF will enable the research doctors to make progress against difficult pediatric cancers…and make the side effects much less damaging too.

Thanks again for caring for us and those who we meet on this journey.

RH

Chasing Life

Sorry for the delay in updating…this week has been a whirlwind of doctors appointments, juggling kids, asking friends for favors and the like. We’re all glad that Gage finished his steroids over the weekend and is now seeming more like himself. Also, although he never made it a full day at school last week, he’s done much better this week. And, although the days can get pretty crazy juggling four kids plus cancer, I feel like we’re mostly chasing the fun parts of life right now…and I’m thankful.

A quick photo recap of the last week, starting with the kids’ school carnival over the weekend:

Gage with a big smile after doing the zip line

Ellie flying by on the same ride…she’s so small you can’t even really see her!

Avery & Gage got to enjoy the fun on their own (without us, but with each other) for part of the carnival this year…a first!  (And, it’s also the reason I don’t have as many pictures of them in action!)

So…most of my pictures are of Ellie…like this one of her in  the “money machine”

And, Ellie fishing for prizes…

And Ellie playing hockey in her sparkle shoes…

And Wesley, covered in confetti and eating a cookie, taking in the action from her stroller!

And, then we returned to Children’s after school on Monday to the ENT clinic for a long, slow three-hour visit to have Gage’s ears checked because of his reoccurring ear infections. His ears aren’t infected right now, but we reviewed his many ear infections, his frequent complaints of dizziness and all the different antibiotics he’s taken for his ears…quite a list!

They also tested his hearing, and there was some drop off his ability to hear high frequencies in his left ear. His right ear was perfectly fine. The doctor was encouraged and said the left ear drop-off was probably due to the fluid in his ears…not hearing loss from the chemo, a very possible side-effect. Again, the conversation was a reminder to me of the toxicity of the drugs he takes every day and the reality that his body will always be marked in some way by this battle…but thankful right now that one of those battle scars isn’t a loss of hearing.

So, we’ll go back to Children’s next Monday to check his blood counts and for a follow-up visit at the ENT…hopefully much shorter, but I’m doubtful.

Please pray that we would make wise decisions for Gage regarding his ears…and that even as we ‘chase’ the fun parts of life, we would make God-honoring decisions with our time and energy…not easy as it seems like there is so much more to each day than we can possibly get to.

Thanks for checking in!

RH

Easter and more

We enjoyed celebrating Easter with Blake’s family last weekend. First, we spent time in East Texas hunting Easter eggs and hanging out with all the cousins (below):

For several years running, one of the cousins (or more) has won a trophy at the Easter Egg hunt. None of the older kids won this year, so all our hopes were riding on Wesley in the “3 and under” division…  As you can tell, she took her lovie with her for good luck while hunting:

And, she pulled through with second place! Hilarious. She loved the eggs and the activity, but was less than thrilled at the awards ceremony…

Then, in true East Texas style, we also hunted alligators!

Here is Gage, watching some of the action as the adults work to untangle the alligator they’ve snagged:

When the action picked up, the kids decided they felt better with their older cousins holding them!

And, success! Almost two hours later, we have the gator!

Then, we came back home to enjoy Easter at our church…and to get ready for a long clinic day on Monday. Gage had chemo in his port, extra chemo at home Monday night, the regular nightly chemo and started a week of steroids. While we were at clinic, we were able to spend time with Laurren Smith and her family as they returned following her second relapse to begin treatment once again. Although I always love to see them, it was sad for all of us to see each other again at clinic, knowing the road they’re facing. Please continue to pray for them.

A quick phone pic of Gage & Laurren playing while they waited:

And, we also spent time with Justin, a newly diagnosed leukemia patient who happens to live in our neighborhood. He is good friends with one of our nephews pictured above. For Blake and I, it was a long, hard day. At clinic, there’s nothing to distract you from cancer…you’re surrounded by it…watching some friends face the terrifying reality that their child’s cancer continues to return and watching new friends who are just starting down this road.  It’s a lot to take in.

One high point of the day: Gage was able to begin the Beads of Courage program. It’s a national program that Children’s is now offering that lets kids with serious illness “tell their story using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of courage that commemorate milestones they have achieved along their unique treatment path.” It’s hard to explain how powerful it is, but to watch Gage pick his first beads was moving…first, the letters of his name, then a handmade bead to mark his road from diagnosis to the present, then a bead for having been bald, a bead for the rough times cancer brings…and then Monday’s beads…blue for the clinic visit, black for a poke, white for chemo and purple for his breathing treatment.

Now, for everything he does in his fight against cancer, he earns a bead. Soon, the long strand will be a physical representation of his courage on this road. And, for those of you who have supported Team Holmes at Children’s, you’ve helped to make Beads of Courage possible there. Without a childlife specialist, the program can’t happen. This is what drew us to supporting childlife: a person with the focus and freedom of loving and supporting the kids in a way the doctors and nurses can’t because of their many, many responsibilities.

Here he is with his beads from Monday:

And, here he is at school on Tuesday, sharing about the beads with his class:

After school on Tuesday, I asked him how his “Show & Tell” went. He said it was good, but most of the kids didn’t know what ‘chemo’ meant. So true, but still hard for Gage to imagine.

Please pray for us as we juggle steroids and school this week. It’s never easy.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Therefore we do not lost heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Thanks for checking in.

RH