Sorry I haven't updated the blog in a while. It's been a relatively good week. Alex has been having headaches most likely as a result of the lumbar puncture last week. He finds that if he is upright too long the headaches get worse so he needs to lay down either on his side or on his stomach to feel better. The nausea is still there as is the jaw pain but Alex seems to be able to work through it without any medication.

Alex is really into food and has decided that this is a good time to learn to cook. This week he has made omelets, french toast, crepes with an apple cinnamon filling, pan fried tilapia (fish) and scallops over pasta, okonomiyaki (japanese pancakes with lots of toppings), steak with onions and mushrooms and roasted potatoes. He has also developed a taste for smoked salmon and cream cheese on Wheat Thins and brie on crackers.
He has been downloading and watching episodes of Iron Chef America every night while he rides grandma's stationary bike. Alex has also started running again!! :) He ran 4 miles on Monday, 5 miles on Tuesday, 6 miles on Wednesday and even managed to sneak a 4 mile run in this morning before heading off to the hospital for his third round of chemo.

The doctor says he is doing well and that his blood counts are still good. We are getting a bit nervous about H1N1 and any other illnesses that are out there. As the weather gets colder here (it snowed a little this week), we worry about being around too many people. You can never be too cautious. Having said that Alex has been to the movies twice this week with a friend who use to live in HK (Rachel Barnard). They go to matinee showings where there are less people around. The open seating here at movies makes it easier to get some distance from other people.

Weekend plans include a family Halloween party and watching the BYU Cross Country team in action in the MWC meet this Saturday.

A great day today. The sun was shining and Alex was smiling. He had his moments but overall he was in much better spirits. No side effects today.

It's so fun to watch him eat. He wanted to check out a burger place called Chadders (an In-N-Out type of place). He had the double burger and loved every bite of it. Then when we were in the grocery store, he tasted most of the samples they were giving out: multi-grain pancakes, spinach and artichoke dip on toasted baguettes, cheesecake & crab salad sushi rolls. As long as his counts are normal we don't need to be paranoid about eating food prepared outside so he is enjoying every chance to eat out.

He's been online chatting with his teammates who are in Guam. He is so happy for them but is sad that he is missing out on all of the fun and the sun (an opportunity to get an even darker tan)!

He's making progress on his BYU application and should have that done in the next few days.

He is playing the piano right now. It's amazing, after all those years of complaining about having to practice, it is the thing that he has turned to since being here. Parents, don't let your kids quit piano lessons.

Day 8 - Alex went back to the hospital today for his 2nd round of chemo. His CBC (Complete Blood Counts) were all in the normal range, so that is good. He received two meds through his port (main line catheter) and one med delivered through his lumbar puncture. He continues with his meds (pills) at home.

After the hospital it was off to Red Lobster for lunch. Alex had quite the appetite. Before leaving the hospital, he stopped in the cafeteria for a soft pretzel with a cheese dipping sauce. At Red Lobster he had clam chowder, 2 cheese biscuits and a healthy portion of linguine with shrimp, lobster and asparagus. (He didn't eat the asparagus)! He felt a little queasy afterwards but is okay.

He is feeling bad about not being in Guam for the APAC Cross Country meet but is happy he can chat online with his teammates to see how they're doing.

Gary leaves for HK early tomorrow but should be back in a few weeks.

Hopefully Alex will not have too many side effects from this round of chemo. We'll just have to wait and see and take it day by day as it comes.

He knows I am blogging his progress but at this point he wants nothing to do with it. I know many of you are hoping to hear from him directly about how he is feeling, but right now he isn't interested.

That's it for now. Hopefully, no news is good news!

The last few days have been a little bumpy. The nausea kicked in on Monday and Alex struggled to take his meds. The jaw pain caused him to have headaches as well.

Tuesday was better and Alex actually ventured out of the house for a little fresh air. The weather, though chilly compared to HK, has been absolutely beautiful. The fall leaves are incredibly vibrant with their yellow, orange and red hues.

Wednesday he walked around the campus of BYU and was excited about the prospect of being a student there next year. He is still working on his application, hoping to get that done soon.

The great thing is Alex has had a hearty appetite and has no problems sleeping. Tomorrow (Thursday) we go back for more chemo including another lumbar puncture. He is so tough he told them he would not need to be sedated for the LP. I think it's because he doesn't want to fast before the procedure!

We miss all of our friends so much but love the technology that keeps us all connected.

Alex was discharged from the hospital on Friday since he was doing so well with the chemo. No real reactions or side effects and his blood counts were all normal. We did have to go back on Saturday morning for a shot (actually 3 shots) of another chemo drug. The medicines were a bit spaced out during this first week. Barring any fevers or other side effects, we don't have to go back until Thursday.

Today he is feeling a bit tired and his jaw aches (a common side effect to one of the medicines). We have a few days off from doctors and nurses but not from medications. Alex is taking between 10 and 13 pills a day at home. One of the meds he takes has to be 50mg but instead of one 50 mg tablet, they gave him 5 10mg tablets. The pharmacies don't stock the 50mg tablets. He has to take these twice a day. He is not a happy camper.

This first round went a lot better than expected as his tumor load/burden was low. The only place they could positively identify it was in the cyst on his forehead and two little growths in his chest. His bone marrow tested negative as did his spinal fluid.

It's amazing. Alex had no idea he had cancer. He was healthy and running between 45 and 50 miles a week right up until he had the cyst removed from his forehead. And now we have to make him sick with the chemo to get rid of the cancer and make sure it doesn't come back.

He is being amazingly strong with the treatment process but he is so "depressed" (his words) about not being in HK with his friends. We will do all that we can to bring him back as soon as we can but that won't happen for a while.

Thanks again for all of your good wishes and prayers. Believe me, they have helped. Continue to keep us in your prayers. I am amazed each day by God's tender mercies. There have been many and many of you have been a part of that! God Bless!

Alex was admitted to Primary Children's Medical Center on Wednesday, 10/14. He had surgery to put a central line with a port into his chest. This is the line used to deliver his chemo meds into his body. The line went in without any problems. He also had a lumbar puncture done. The spinal fluid was clear. (Good sign) He was also given an injection of chemo into the spine at that point. Surgery took about 1 hour.

He was then moved to the oncology unit which was all decorated for Halloween. I keep forgetting that we are in a Children's Hospital. Apparently Lymphoblastic Lymphoma is mainly a pediatric condition although adults do get it. The treatment protocol for adults is still the pediatric protocol.

Alex received two different chemo meds via the port and then one chemo med by pill. He was also given other meds to help with side effects such as nausea. So far he is feeling fine. No nausea. We are told that he will start to feel tired and more nauseated by the end of week 2 as the medicines start to accumulate in his body. He will notice hair loss around week 3.

We are expected to leave the hospital on Saturday after he receives one more shot of chemo medication. This is good news since he wasn't expected to leave hospital until Monday. From then on he is scheduled to do chemo on an outpatient basis. Treatment for Lymphoblastic Lymphoma is 24 months. For the next month, we will return to the hospital to receive his meds every Thursday. He will also have his blood counts taken and receive transfusions as needed.

The doctor and nurses have been wonderful. Alex's oncologist, Dr, Phillip Barnette is very knowledgeable and is very personable. He spends as much time with us as we need. This whole "team" concept that the doctors in HK said we would have in the US is amazing. Today we have met with the oncologist, nurse practitioner, social worker, dietician, out-patient chemo nurse, and Alex's two private nurses. Everyone had a stack of hand outs for us and were willing to answer any and all questions. There is so much to learn about lab reports, CBCs, ANCs, etc. So much to learn about the different meds and the side effects to look for.

I am awed by all the people who have chosen to work as health care professionals. They are a special breed just like teachers. They are dedicated and so vital to society.

Alex is being such a brave soul and although it's only been 1 day, he is doing great. He misses his friends dearly.

Had an appointment at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. The oncologist has said that the diagnosis from Hong Kong seems correct - lymphoblastic lymphoma. They are finalizing a review of all the scans and slides brought with us and will confirm in the next day. On Wednesday, Alex will be admitted to the hospital to begin preparation for treatment. We'll know more after another visit with oncologist on Tuesday.

Lily Lew doesn't even know where to begin.....Gary and I are taking Alex back to the US for cancer treatment on Sunday. We were told on Tuesday that he has Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Faith precedes miracles.

Beginning the long journey ahead in a couple of hours. I can't begin to express how grateful I am for all of the love and support we have been shown in the last five days. I can't begin to imagine what this journey we call Life would be like without friends and family. Please continue to pray for us!!!! I know that God loves Alex and He has a plan for him and this is part of it.