Childhood awareness month..

I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that September is National Childhood Cancer awareness month.

Unfortunately Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States.

How can you help raise awareness? There is a wonderful list of ideas on Alex's Lemondade Stand site check it out!

If you are looking to donate to local/National groups, here are a few of our recommendations (in no particular order).

Monkey in my Chair

CCA- Children's Cancer Association (Chemo Pal Program-Volunteer!, Caring Cabin)

 Make a Wish

 

Give Kids the World-GWTW

 

 

Candlelighters

Happy New Year !! ... a little late of course

Hodgepodge update: All is well in the Solomon household. We drove to California this Christmas. The drive was beautiful (we lucked out with the traveling weather). All of Connor's follow-up's have been clear (super yay !!). He's been feeling well. He has some new challenges with a low Thyroid, and low Growth hormone (both side effects from treatment).

We had our first snowfall this year. Here are some photos.

Greg is a champion snowball maker (being from MN and all.. show off!)

Connor before he pelted me with snowballs (look how innocent he looks lol!)

Let the snowball fight commence!

Sparky the snow dog!

Here's wishing everyone a very happy 2012!

Changes abound ...

Spring 2011 has been a blur. Even with the unpredictability of this crazy weather, change is constant. The Daffodils and Tulips are blooming right on course.

I have to slow down once and a while and take note. Life is sometimes a blur, and with Connor's increased energy our lives continue to change.

Connor participated in swimming lessons for two weeks with his school. It was such a wonderful experience for him. It meant more than just learning to roll onto his back, or open his eyes in the water. He was able to be free, he could stretch and move, without having to worry about his balance.

Connor has surgery this Thursday to remove his port. Throughout this process I've taken that port for granted. It's behind the scenes doing all the dirty work. Delivering drugs to my kiddo, providing easy access for pain medications and anaesthesia, and allowing for relatively pain free blood draws. Having it has been a huge part of this process. Removing it comes with mixed feelings. It's a bit like removing training wheels from a bike. Are you sure he'll be o.k with out them? ..But he's needed them this whole time.. What is it like without them?..

Connor's hair is coming back in full force. Eye lashes, Leg Hair, neck hair. I look at him today, and hardlyremember what he looked like yesterday. I come back to this site and see pictures that were taken just a few months ago, and I'm in amazement with his transformation in such a short time.

His last Therapy visit went really well. The last few years we've been fighting just to maintain his strength, and this was the first visit that we are gaining the upper hand and actually seeing improvement. It's a long slow process but we have hope.

Spring is bringing changes to Connor's outlook.. in the form of new glasses!! He's so excited. (I've never met a kid so excited about getting glasses, but he's wanted to have glasses "like Mommy and Daddy" since he was little, so I shouldn't be too surprised).

Spring has brought a lot of changes in our lives, and I am hopeful for continued growth in this Summer.

Time flies when you are having fun.

Here is a current photo of Connor (It may be time for a Haircut soon!!).

His body is starting to spring back from the Chemotherapy. He's a lot more confident lately (moves around the house a lot more without assistance, lets the dog out, and sets the table for dinner).

His transformation is amazing to be a part of. Every day I see him try new things. Things that might be meaningless to someone else, like bending over to pick up something that has fallen on the floor, but to me seem miraculous. All the "small" sucesses give us reason to celebrate.

With Connor's counts finally up he's been able to go to "Thursday Community Day" at School. Connor has been attending a charter school this year SCFS. In this public school option the parents serve as "learning" coaches and teach the children at home (with curriculum we receive from the school). On Monday Connor meets with his homeroom Teacher for tutoring, and on Thursday all the kids go to the school for "Community Day". Community day is what most people visualize as "normal school", kids in the classroom being taught by a teacher. There are some differences with SCFS, one being Connors' class is blended with children in 1st-3rd grade.

The kids in Connor's class were so welcomming. He had a blast playing basketball, and participating in class, he has made a lot of new friends (which he always seems to do so freely). I can see in "classroom" setting some of the challenges he faces, time will tell if they will be temporary or permanant. One thing that continues to be highlighted is his resiliency.

This week is Spring break for him, so he was asked to write about what he'd be doing during his time off, or what he woud "want" to do if he could go anywhere/do anything he wanted. Connor's response ... "I'd like to travel to Hawaii (Hey me too !!!!!!) and play on the beach (oh that's sounds nice...) and swim with the SHARKS" (... oh .. hmm .. nope I'll pass on that one).

Our Spring break has been better than a trip to Hawaii, because Auntie Mallory came to visit. Her contagious laugh and sweet disposition is better than any beach in paradise. Boy how I've missed being around family (can't wait to soak up some more of them in May).

We took Mallory to see downtown Portland and went to the Art Museum (it was fabulous). It was perfect timing as Connor was upset with his last "art project" he made at school. He felt "It was the worst one in his class". After talking with him, It made me wonder what great works of Art would have been crumpled up and thrown away if Monet or Picasso had compared their work to their "classmates". After visiting the Portland Art Museum, I think he had a new appreciation of "What Art is" because after we came home he sat at the table to try out his new watercolor pencils and page after page, he was inspired to create..

Preview of Connor's make a wish

Still have lots of photos to go through. Connor had such a great time in Florida.

Connor's Make a Wish Trip on PhotoPeach

Clean as a whistle

MRI scans are clear. The next one is in 3 months, followed by surgery to remove Connor's port.
His foot doesn't have any fractures (just swelling). Yay !!!!! Thanks for all the prayers and positive thoughts.

We're counting down to Disneyworld on the 12th!

Hoping for clear scans this morning..

I know it's been a while since I posted an update, thanks for everyones patience. Connor has been recovering nicely this round.

This week was a little bumpy. Poor kiddo rolled his ankle (we're waiting for X-ray results).

He has a regularly scheduled MRI this morning, please pray for a clean scan.

We have a busy few weeks coming up with Connor's Make-a-wish trip scheduled on 2/12. We will be flying to Florida to enjoy a fabulous time at Disney world. Connor is super excited!

Here are some recent pics:

Connor's cake to celebrate finishing Chemo!

Connor getting accessed for his last Chemotherapy.

Connor and his awesome Chemo Pal Nick playing cards.

That's all folks...

Connor's last chemotherapy drug was administered today at 4pm. What a long ride, and what a long journey. Thanks for being part of the journey with us.

We know that we will continue to have follow up appointments (In fact he needs to go in for a blood infusion tomorrow) every few months, but we also know his body will now be able to recover, and as the chemicals are finally able to leave his body we look forward to the changes.

As this day finally arrives we are reminded of how much we look forward to every day we have with our son, and how proud of him we are. We admire his strength, and we are eternally grateful for all the love, prayers and hope that you have sent him and us along the way.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Last overnight stay-Complete

Last overnight stay .... check
Home by 10 pm ... check
looking forward to New Years Eve ..... check
looking forward to next Wednesday ... CHECK.

Thank you to everyone who has been sending their love and positive thoughts Connor's way. The last overnight stay went without a hitch, no nausea, no issues, in fact he woke up in a GREAT happy mood this morning.

He even made up his own joke (that he had to ask me at least 5 times today):
"Knock Knock"
"Who's there?"
"Reindeer"
"Reindeer who (which is supposed to sound like poo)"
"WHAT did you step in?"
(Followed by barrels of 7 year old boy laughter at the thought of someone stepping in poo!)

Lots of love, and warm thoughts, being sent your way from our family. Wishing everyone a wonderful 2011

Is this roller coaster ride starting to slow down?

We had a lovely Christmas (even though it was tough without our family here this year!). After being very patient, Connor finally made his counts today.

So tomorrow we will pack up our luggage and head out, and he will be admitted for his last overnight chemotherapy stay.

Next Wednesday we will celebrate again, when Connor receives his final dose of chemotherapy at the clinic.

We have so much to be thankful for this year, and so much to look forward to in 2011. We are looking forward to spending more time with friends and family, Connor getting stronger (as his body gets further away from the drugs), and Connor's make a wish vacation to Disneyworld in February (just to name a few).

I hope everyone had a magical Christmas, and has a spectacular New Year!

(Connor excited Santa Came)

(loving the Andes Mints)

"Mommmmm, Who does that? Who buys their kids socks and underwear for Christmas? It's not like you can play with them or anything......"

Hoping everyone is enjoying their Holiday Season

Unfortunately Connor didn't meet counts this week, so we are pushed out until next Wednesday (Our fingers are crossed we'll have our admit next Wednesday, thanks to everyone who has been sending their positive vibes our way).
On the positive note, that gives us 2 days of "free time" that we didn't plan on, to enjoy the holiday season.

We've been filling our days this week with wrapping, board games, and movies. Connor has been loyally opening his advent calendar. He has a lot of specific questions about Santa this year , "What happens if one of the reindeer are injured in flight?", "What happens if someone peeks and "sees" Santa?", "What if Santa's Helpers in the Mall "forget" to tell the "real" Santa what the kids want?"

Here's wishing everyone a very happy holiday season. Enjoy those you love, and live life to the fullest.

If at first you don't make counts .. try .. try .. again.. next week

Connor was so close.. but didn't have high enough counts to be admitted this week, so we'll try again next Wednesday!!

The hearing test is still showing some changes in his hearing in the upper ranges, no changes that would require hearing aids at this point. We are aware hearing loss was one of the side effects from some of his chemo meds, so it's something we are still keeping a close eye on.

Thanks for all of the positive thoughts and well wishes! Our fingers are crossed for next week.

Last cycle ...

Connor's last cycle is scheduled to start today.

Our first appointment this morning will be to check his hearing (One side has started to show some decline in high frequencies, we're hoping for minimal changes from his test today!)... please send your good thoughts his way.

After the hearing test we'll make our way to clinic, He'll get accessed, have labs drawn (to see if he "meets" his "magic" number of 750 or higher),and if so we will be admitted for his last overnight chemotherapy stay. Preliminary results from Monday showed him at 566 (So our fingers are crossed extra tight that those cells are working hard!!).

He's in great spirits this morning, he's really hoping he gets an overnight stay, .. but he's disappointed it may be his last.

Counting down

We're literally counting down the last few weeks until Connor's last Chemotherapy treatment. He on the other hand is counting down the weeks before Christmas. "18 days", he told me the other day, "One week is 7 days, so that makes 2 weeks plus 4 days!! (I think that sounded like a "shorter wait" to him).

After waiting for so long to "finish" treatment I figured I would be hyper-focused on that final day, my bags packed ready to go.. but in reality I'm not quite there yet. I feel the excitement from other's around me, so many people are counting down Connor's last Chemo day with us (I appreciate their enthusiasm so much), and I had been questioning myself, why I'm not exuding the same sense of enthusiasm?

Of course I am so proud of my son, and what he has accomplished. How brave he has been, how patient, and trusting he is. I am ecstatic that he will be finished going through the physical process of receiving treatment, and all the effects that come with it. I'm excited we won't have to plan "life" around a few days a month that his counts are high. I'm looking forward to my husband not using all of his Vacation Days for appointments. I'm excited about all the things we've been holding back from during treatment to keep Connor healthy: seeing friends and family, and traveling (I even miss that dreaded Chuck-E-Cheese). The one thing, I've realized, I was hesitant about.. was the unknown. What WILL things be like after treatment? What WILL life look like for us?

Then I look at my son... and I realize it really doesn't matter. My best day is going to be today. My best times are still going to be happening right now, in these hours, these minutes, and these seconds of my life, regardless of what will happen tomorrow, or next week, or next month.

I can't be hesitant about the unknown, I need to continue moving forward, or I will miss out. So, we will be celebrating on the 22nd, in 8 days (Or 2 weeks if you would prefer!) and we will be celebrating the moments up until that day, and we will continue to celebrate well into the future.

I will be facing the unknown head on (just like everyone else), but instead of being hesitant about the unknown, I will be looking forward to the positive moments that will be awaiting me. The moments to celebrate, the moments to remember.

A little story worth telling:

We were doing our bi-weekly grocery shopping. It was pretty ordinary for us, I was manning the cart and the list and Greg was pushing Connor in his wheelchair. The boys run around the store "on quests" to find items on the list. On a trip down one of the isles there was a little girl (about 4, naturally inquisitive of course).

She came up to Connor "Hi", she said "What happened to you?".. "Oh nothing..... ", said Connor downplaying her question, "It's just Cancer".

Thanks for giving ....

This year my "Things to be thankful for" List has grown tenfold.



I am Thankful for:

The thoughts and prayers you freely have given to my family.

The comments you have made on this blog, and the wonderful messages you leave on the message board.

The cards, and gifts you have sent Connor, and our family.. the little reminders you have sent him to keep moving forward.

The love, compassion, and care that Connor has received by numerous medical professionals.

The non-profit groups that have provided our family with so much.

Connor's Chemo Pal Nick, who volunteers his time to make Connor's trip's to clinic so enjoyable.

All of our wonderful Family and Friends.

The visitor's who have taken time out of their day to come here, and read this blog.

Connor's fans who have helped him give back to other Children with Cancer.

I'm thankful for our barking dog, Sparky who consistantly cuddles with Connor every night at bedtime.

I'm thankful for the time I have with my son everyday.

I'm thankful to have a husband who continues to make me laugh, stand strong by my side, and hold me at night.



Most of all I'm Thankful for Hope... Thankful that she has gotten us so far, and she continues to be with us everyday. I'm Thankful I can see her everyday.


Connor's quote of the week:
"Well you know mom, I am ALMOST half of a man now"
and
"When you are a grandma ........" (Yikes, nothing he says should start with that)

2nd to last overnight stay.. finally complete.

Connor's 2nd to last overnight stay had been delayed for several weeks, but he was able to be admitted on Wednesday. Again, he was excited about being admitted.

Connor (and the rest of us) caught a cold on his original admittance day, which unfortunately suppressed his system. On the positive side, it's the first cold he's had since starting treatment over a year ago, and because of the delay we won't be spending Thanksgiving in the Hospital.

Our stay went smooth, no sickness. We were fortunate again that the Candlelighters were putting on another one of their wonderful family dinners. It's so nice that they do this (especially for families that are spending several nights in the Hospital).

This was by far the longest delay we've had between treatments (we were warned that the delays can get longer towards the end, and of course the cold didn't help). We were all getting a little bit anxious to be admitted (some more than others ... do you see me pointing to myself??)

So now, we have a few more day trips to receive Chemotherapy, some recovery time for counts to go up, probably some transfusions, and 1 more overnight stay. (DID YOU HEAR THAT??? ONLY 1 MORE OVERNIGHT STAY!!!! ), followed by a couple of day trips for Chemotherapy, and then he is DONE with treatment .

If Connor stays on schedule his last overnight stay will be the Wednesday before Christmas. (We will be ringing in the New Year SOOOOOOOO LOUDLY this year).

Our days have been filled with school, appointments and therapy. We're still enjoying the little things. Connor had a great Halloween, he was a Brave Knight (appropriate choice I thought).

Although he's still working on his strength and balance, we are mostly in the maintenance phase until treatment is finished. A big change we noticed this past week is that his hair is starting to come back a little (Connor said he wants to keep it short so he doesn't have to have haircuts).

(The following information is a shameless plug for Connor's DVD fundraiser... )
It's been a while since we've given an update on Connor's fundraising. Connor was able to donate 2 more personal DVD players to Children at Doernbecher. We've also moved to Zazzle to print his artwork. In addition to Cards, his artwork can now be printed on several other products as well, including: Shirts, Pet Clothes, Mugs and More.

To purchase items from his store you can click on this Store Link, or you can click on the link to the right of this blog.

We've also updated his site www.connorsfans.weebly.com

In addition to the new variety of products that are available for purchase, the products have a lower purchase price, you can pay by credit, and they have a faster printing and shipping time. You can pick up a unique product, and feel good knowing that your purchase is making in difference in the lives of children with cancer. 100% of his profits will go towards purchasing additional DVD players for children in treatment.

Connor's Quote of the Month-A lesson in humility:

While out trick or treating, the bounty was plenty. Connor received HANDFULS of candy at each stop.
At the end of a long road, He rang the bell.
The Door Opened, "Trick-Or-Treat", he said
The man, placed a single tootsie roll in his bucket.
"Huh..", said Connor "That's a good way to save on candy!!!.. just give away one piece at a time"

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Only 2 more rounds to go.. Bring it on!!

Good-bye Summer, Hello Fall. What a busy season this is starting to be. Connor has started his school year at the South Columbia Family School. He is getting a hang of his new schedule. So much to learn this year! He is still a big fan of reading, but his favorite activities seem to be the Science Projects we do. This week he made a "Tornado" in a bottle, he just loves that thing.

This last round of Chemo was pretty hard on his system. He had 4 infusions in 2 weeks. Although we've had to spend a lot of time at the hospital this round, I can't say enough great things about the staff at Doernbecher. We are very pleased with our decision to change hospital's. All of the staff are so thorough, and they on top of EVERYTHING.

The doctor's have told us towards the end of treatment, It takes the body longer to recover. That's been evident this last round. Trying to keep his electrolytes balanced has been an interesting juggling act.

Connor's spirits are still good, but he is definitely counting down the last few rounds of Chemotherapy. A few things are starting to bother him, like the fact he doesn't has eyelashes and stuff get's in his eyes.

The last time we were in for an infusion there was a little girl celebrating her LAST treatment. What a party! .. and what a great sense of hope to behold. These kids are so strong and amazing, I am always inspired by them.

Connor's counts finally stabilized last weekend and we were able to get away for a couple of days. We took the trailer to Beverly Beach state park in Newport, for a couple of days. Connor rode his bike through the park, and he enjoyed the wildlife in the park (I could have gone without the raccoons, but I survived!). Connor's only request: SMORES.

We also enjoyed visiting the aquarium while we were in Newport. The Jellyfish are always amazing. We also enjoyed the Sea Otter's, and learning about the birds they have on exhibit.

Only two more hospital stays to go. One next Wednesday (10/13), and the last one in November (11/24). The last dose of Chemotherapy he receives should be on 12/1.

As you can imagine I'm counting down each day with great anticipation (I know many of you are too).

The last doctor we met with told us "He is doing REALLY REALLY well. For the stage that he is at in treatment he is doing GREAT!". Those words wrapped around me like a warm blanket, and although I was able to hold back the tears of Joy, I wanted to jump up and scream... THAT'S RIGHT HE'S DOING GREAT! HE'S AWESOME! HE'S STRONG, HE'S TOUGH, HE'S A FIGHTER....

The kindness that we've received from people STILL continues to amaze me, I wonder if I've been missing it for too long, or I took it for granted.

There was a young boy who spent the afternoon playing games with Connor (His sister was at the hospital being treated for a brain tumor). He treated Connor with such kindness, and respect. I just sat there watching them interact, because on that day .. there was nothing more important than Connor "just being a 7 year old".

Children always provide me with hope for the future. They can look beyond differences. They are naturally curious, and never ill intentioned.

Another little boy at the aquarium came up to Connor's wheel chair, and just stared at him (It actually happens a lot). I asked Connor if that bothered him, and he told me "No, they probably have never seen a kid without hair".

There are plenty of adults that inspire me everyday too, many of them are reading this post right now.

We were eating at a Restaurant in Newport, and Connor walked by a man who was eating lunch with his family. The Man said to Connor "Hey !! Can I give you a High-Five??", So Connor gave him a High-five, and the man said "Good Job, Keep up the great work!".

Now I will admit, Connor had no clue why this man wanted to give him a high-five! ..and since I didn't know this man I don't know "exactly" what possessed him to give my kid a high five that day , but what I DO know is that it made my SON feel GREAT!... and I know it probably made the man feel GREAT! ... and wherever that great big surge of kindness came from, deep inside his soul, .. I wish there was more to spread around. I wish we could just bottle it up and sprinkle it ALL around like fairy dust.....

We're still Rocking Out!

A year ago, I climbed the stairs to the stage. I was nervous, my palms were sweaty, and I had a lump in my throat.

The spotlight was bright, as I walked to the Microphone.

Tap. Tap. Tap “Is this thing on? Can you hear me?”

I could hear that guy in the back yell.. “Yeah it’s on!!”

I cleared my throat, and took a deep breath, “Thank you for joining us… I wanted to announce our Cancer Tour”.

Some of you had been to these shows before (although they are each unique), some of you were “first-timers”, but you decided to buy season tickets.

“I promise it will be a show you will never forget”

A lot of you waited patiently in your seats for the show to begin, some of you moved up close to get a better view. We were grateful that you even showed up.

In the next moment the spotlight dimmed, and in a sea of darkness, we could see a flickering flame. The next thing we knew this flame was joined by another and another. The room was suddenly glowing, and arms were raised high, rocking back and forth.

The show got off to a bumpy start, but you hung in there. We soon became more comfortable being on stage. We really started to jam. We memorized the lyrics, even did a few crazy dance moves.

At the end of each set we look out, and we still see arms raised high. I know if we jumped you would be there to catch us and pass us around.

Each day we are overwhelmed that you still are out there watching us rock on.

The show isn’t over yet, we still have a few more set’s to play, but we want you to know that we appreciate you being our supporter.

Even if you “think” you haven’t done “enough”, ... you have, just by being our fan.