So Far, So Good

Other than numerous visits during the night to check vitals etc., the night was fairly routine (for a hospital). Paul's appetite is declining this morning which is to be expected, but hopefully after he gets up and around he'll want something. Sometime later this afternoon, the infusion of drugs will begin again. So far there is no serious nausea. Keep on praying for Paul.

One more plug for Leigh's NY essay if you haven't seen it yet.

Hospital Mode

This morning we have switched the Saxon machine to "hospital mode" once again. Paul does it pretty easily. Afterall, he does enjoy laying in bed watching movies, having one-on-one with mom or dad, playing UNO and games with all the child-life staff, etc. In FW today, Paul will begin the same round and doses of drugs he received 4 or 5 weeks ago. The first drug, and most toxic is today and tomorrow, and the less toxic will go on Friday, Sat. and Sunday. Unlike the first time, he feels good now, he isn't getting radiation, and as far as we know, he doesn't have an injured tooth that will abscess this time. Things to pray for this week: low toxicity (nausea, fever, etc.), affective on tumor, smooth days there and at home. Thanks to all and to the Lord for so many blessings!

P.S. Dont' miss Leigh's latest essay "New York" in the side-bar links.

Blog-jacking for Miles

Hey web-trollers. For all of you who offered your frequent flier miles to help get the Saxons to NYC, now is the time! Call me (Dudley) at 817-564-5177 for instructions on how to transfer your miles to their accounts. And now, back to your regularly scheduled blog programming...

A Great Weekend at the Lake

We have just gotten back from a wonderful weekend with our friends (The Birdwells) on Lake McQueeny (down by New Braunfels). The boys had such a great time tubing the Comal river, swimming, boating, fishing and riding the Sea Doo. Jack learned to waterski, and Paul tried really hard. Whit enjoyed watching from the boat. With ours and their's there were seven kids in all, and they had quite the time in the "bunkhouse" all together. It goes without saying that we are all pretty wiped out.

Tomorrow is Whit's first day back at speech school in the Baylor program. We are told that given his progress, this might be his last semester. That is certainly an amazing answer to prayer on his language development, but he sure is going to miss it. Incidentally, Leigh will have the next two mornings all to herself since ALL THREE boys will be in school. So, don't be suprised if she doesn't answer the phone. (-:

P.S. We're doing a 5-day inpatient chemo round in FW starting Wed this week; details later.

Home at Last!

Paul in Central Park on the "big rock."

Paul and Leigh got in late last night. Leigh was tired, but Paul was very awake and ready to go. We unpacked a few things, did some hugging and kissing and then all went to bed. Paul went on to kindergarten this afternoon after sleeping in this morning. It's nice to have everyone home, and we are looking forward to a superb weekend with some friends. Pray on...

Coming Home

Leigh and Paul are getting on a plane right about now and starting home. The MIBG scan this morning was long, and not particularly easy; but, it's over now. We'll be looking at scheduling chemo next week at Cook and awaiting the results of all these scans. Thanks to you all for praying in our corner and to all of you who did tangible things for me, Jack and Whit while they were away. (-:

Making New Friends

Yesterday ended with a lot of fun for Paul and Leigh. When things were finished at the clinic around late afternoon, Paul and Leigh headed over to Central Park. When they got there they found a "big rock" where a few kids were climbing and playing. One of the kids' mom was there and Leigh made a new friend (as did Paul with her son and two daughters). This family lives in Queens. They all hit it off and ended up eating dinner together after riding the train to a pizza place. They had a nice time, and this new friend bought dinner. I'm officially declaring New Yorkers friendly and generous!

Leigh and Paul were up early this morning. Paul had to drink contrast before an early morning CT. That went fine. He had to wait to eat after the bone marrow biopsy which occured this afternoon. Aside from having to wait a lot today (it sounds like the clinic was very busy and behind schedule), things have gone OK. As soon as Paul awoke from sedation after the procedure they were out the door to McDonalds. When I last called, he was on his second Happy Meal. I guess he really was starving!

The plan for tomorrow is the MIBG scan in the morning and then the trip home. Please pray the MIBG will go well. Paul has to lie still for a long time for this. Thanks to all of you out there praying and thinking of us. There have been some extremely generous gifts and sacrifices made by you all lately. God has blessed us so much through you. (-:

A Good Day in NYC

Paul and Leigh had a restful night and even slept in a bit. The Ronald sounds very nice and is in a location that is easy walking distance from Central Park and the clinic. Today they spent most of their time at the clinic. Paul had a blood test, and a checkup, and then they met with Dr. Kushner. Here is the plan as it now stands: irrespective of how well Paul's scans turn out this week, Paul will do another round of the chemo he completed here last month. These drugs are somehow important in getting him ready for the antibody drug that he'll get in NYC in the near future. So, we are in for another round, which is OK as long as we don't have another tooth abscess!

Paul and Leigh were headed to the zoo at Central Park when she called. Paul is having a wonderful time. He was very excited when I talked to him on the phone. Tomorrow will be busy as well with a CT and an MIBG scan.

Keep praying for them, and for healing. I'll keep you posted. (-:

Hello from New York City!

Well...actually Paul and Leigh say "hello" from NYC. They arrived just around 2pm, and the trip went very well. From security at DFW to the front door of the Ronald, it was very smooth. Leigh and Paul sat next to a retired NYPD officer on the plane, and after talking during the trip and upon landing he offered to get a cab with them and get them to the Ronald. He gave Leigh lots of "city" advice and even paid the cab fair! Much more of this behavior, and New Yorkers are going to lose their tough reputations. I hope the Lord continues to bring kind people in their path while they are there. So, all is well in NYC. Paul was playing pinball in the game room when Leigh called. Paul has already asked about visiting the Statue of Liberty and going to the park. I'll keep you posted.

School Not So Bad Afterall

When Paul got home from school yesterday (the day that started so badly), he had absolutely no memory of not wanting to go to school. Go figure. His teacher said he is doing very well. He was much easier to get to school today, but still a bit shy at first. It probably won't help him get acclimated to going to school by missing three days next week, but I am so happy that he has gotten to go this week. It's great to see him living the normal life.

Thanks to so many of you for tangible expressions of support as we gear up for this first trip to NYC. Today we learned that our room at The Ronald is booked! Big prayer answered there. I would like you to continue to pray for Paul's healing, a safe and productive trip and patience for us all as we accommodate new schedules.

First Day of School

I guess it's time I regain control of this blog from Dudley the hacker. He has done a wonderful job of expressing our needs and given people an opportunity to help. We are thankful for such a large group of people who are willing to help, make sacrifices, and continue to pray for us constantly. Thank you! (If you missed his posts, you can read them below, or click on the support page link on the side-bar here.)

After dropping off Paul and Jack for day two of school this morning, I'm reminded of an important parenting rule: "No matter how much your kid looks forward to school starting, and no matter how good the first day goes...the novelty will wear off quickly (e.g., on day #2)." Yes, day one went well for Paul (note the smiles in the picture before leaving the house). He claimed he had a fun day, made a new friend (AKA, "the boy in the blue shirt"), enjoyed lunch and recess, saw Madalyn from afar 5 times, and in general had a good time. Perhaps the most telling expression from Paul, however, was, "...but I didn't know it would be that long." Reality. This morning there were no smiles but rather tears. Jack tries to help. Since Jack has already come to the conclusion that schooling is an inevitable form of pentence for past, present, and future sins and that nothing can be done to change this fate, he simply endures it, and has accepted his plight. Jack says helpful things like, "it's only 12 years," and "it's only 94 days til the holidays...," etc. Paul does have a wonderful teacher, and I suspect he'll do fine. (-:

Now to the health and treatment news...Paul continues to do very well. He has no outward symptoms of anything. His appetite is quite good, and he is playing hard and behaving like a 5 y.o. The plans for NYC are mostly in place. Leigh and Paul will fly out this weekend and return mid-week. While there, they will meet with the docs and others on the medical team, do a CT, and MIBG scan as well as a bone marrow biopsy. Treatment decisions will be based on these studies. Things are looking good for accommodations at the Ronald, and most other details are in place.

Again, thank you all for your prayers and your tangible gifts. The Lord is with us and, we depend on Him for all things.

Support Page Created

Greetings from the "blog-jacker" again (as in high-tech blog highjacking :-). I've received some wonderful emails offering support for the Saxons as they prepare for this new chapter of treatment in New York. Plenty of you just put your "help" in the mail straight to the Saxon home! In fact, enough of you have expressed interest in knowing about ongoing needs and ways to help that I've created a side-bar blog to keep you informed. Check out the link on the right called "Saxon Support Blog". It will take you to a page where I will keep an updated list. So, check here for Terrill's regular news and updates, and click on the link if you want to offer specific support. And, as always: Pray, endure, hope, live... Dudley

You Can Help!

No, it's not Terrill writing this post. My name is Dudley and I'm "highjacking" the Saxon Report for a special blog posting. As you may know, Leigh and Paul will be heading to New York next weekend so that Paul can get involved in one of the innovative treatments available at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. This will be the first of potentially many trips they will have to take to New York in the coming year. I'm jumping in to help them with trip logistics. Lord Jesus knows they have jumped in to help me enough times in the past 15 years of our friendship!

Along the way, many of us have made the comment to Terrill or Leigh, "Just let me know how I can help." We all mean it with a sincere heart, but often a tangible way to help is less than obvious. Some of you have blessed the Saxon family greatly by your prayers, gifts, and various expressions of support. With this new direction in treatment, a bunch of "doors" just opened up for us to help out in other ways.

First, Leigh and Paul will be making this initial trip to NY on their own family frequent flier miles. Their next trip will be on my miles. What about you? If you would like to "contribute" one or two frequent flier tickets for an upcoming trip, let me know and I'll put you on the list. Airfare is by far the most expensive part of this venture. Send me an email if you want to talk about this option. I can be reached at dudleyc@pobox.com

Then, when you figure lodging, meals, co-pays, and transportation, we are estimating NY to come to about $114 per day IF they get to stay in the Ronald McDonald house. For a normal 12 day treatment, this will come to $1,368 per trip. Maybe you would like to help out with some of their expenses? If so, send a check directly to Terrill and Leigh, or an email to me if you need their address.

Some of you may want to just cover a specific expense on a treatment trip. Let me give you the breakdown per trip:
Housing - $420
Co-pays - $200
Eating out - $320
Groceries - $40
Airport taxi's - $60
In city transport - $120
Entertainment - $80
Miscellaneous - $125

Again, maybe you would feel led to take care of one of these specific needs on a trip. You could be their "taxi partner" or their "entertainment sponsor"! I know you would get metioned in prayer at the table if you were the one who provided the money for them to eat! I'm quite sure that the Saxons would be deeply blessed by any help you feel led to offer.

Finally, as Terrill adds more blog postings, this post will drop down the list. We will create a link on the right titled, "Ways to Help" and you can check periodically to look for new options.

I don't know about you or your family, but we are committed to walking through this season of testing with Terrill, Leigh, Jack, Paul and Whit. We covenant with you to uphold them in prayer, to embrace them in person, and to bless them in any way the Spirit leads. I know that many of you feel the same way about their friendship. Let's show them what it means to be the Body of Christ together.

With joy,
Dudley
DudleyC@pobox.com

Bonescan Stable but Nothing New Spotted

The scan still shows the areas from before, but I am told that sometimes these bonescans take time to show the improvement that we know (from symptoms) to be happening. The really good news is that nothing new has shown up. So, these are blessed results; we'll see what the whole scan picture shows eventually and how NYC wants to proceed. Keep praying! (-:

Concrete Plans for NYC and a Bonescan Today

Sloan-Kettering phoned today to tell us that we are on their schedule for M-W, Aug. 21-23, for scans. We were hoping and praying that it would not be next week since we really wanted Paul to have the chance to start Kindergarten on time (next Wed.). He's really looking forward to school although I doubt he really knows what he is in for. Thankfully, it's going to work out the way we had hoped. It's also good that we will have more time to plan the travel to NYC. I was already thinking today what a hassle it is going to be to fly for a while now.

The bonescan today went fine. Paul did very well as the scan was performed. I'll post scan results as soon as I get them. He also had a brief clinic visit for a blood checkup. It appears as though his blood is getting back into shape since he did not need platelets.

Thank you all for praying for all the various things. Please remain faithful in your prayers to God that Paul will be healed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEIGH!!!

News From NYC!

We finally heard back from our contact person at Sloan-Kettering today. The first thing we were told is that we had been cleared financially. That's a huge blessing from the Lord. Second, we discussed the timing of our visit there to do some scans. It turns out that there is one more we can do in FW so we will try to schedule it soon. We are hoping to get these other scans scheduled soon and begin making travel plans. We are trying to protect the middle of next week since we want Paul to start Kindergarten with his peers on time (next Wed.). So, it may be the week after next before we make the trip. Please continue to pray for Paul's healing and for all the decisions we have to make about travel, etc. The Lord is faithful to get us through.

A Spontaneous Trip to Galveston

Last Tuesday, when it looked like we would have the weekend free AND Paul would be feeling good, I booked a room at a condo in Galveston hoping we could get in a brief vacation before school starts, NYC starts, or some other unforeseen event comes up (yes, I know that was a long sentence). We drove down to Houston on Th night and spent the night with the Latimers (of "The Ranch" fame), and then went on to Galveston for the next two days. The Latimers joined us on Saturday. It was huge fun. All the kids had a great time swimming, playing and staying up late. Paul is feeling great. I believe he swam for a total of 7 hours!

As far as NYC plans go, at this point we have not heard anything. Our plans are to call up there early this week, and find out what's what. I know you all are out there praying for Paul's healing and for our ability to get things planned and scheduled quickly if we are going to NYC this week.

Change in Plans...

After discussing plans with the NYC docs, our doc here called last night and said they wanted to do the scans there (in NYC). So, we have begun to work out the details for that, and it could be next week. Paul went to FW for a heart ECHO today, and now we are ready for a wonderful weekend. I'll keep you posted! (-:

Radiation Finished!!!

Jack came along with Paul and I today as we finished up radiation treatments today. It was a routine treatment, and he was out of there quickly with goodbye presents from the radiation team. We then walked over to the clinic for a blood checkup. His tanks are full now, and he is in great shape. Tomorrow we'll go up for a CT and bonescan. I don't want to speculate too much, but from outward symptoms we have gotten a good response from this round of chemo. Thanks for your continuous prayers for Paul's healing.

Leigh's essays to the right should work now. (-: