Hello Friends!
Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragement...it means so much to our family to know so many people are seeking the Lord on Luke's behalf. For several months Luke had been on a plateau when it comes to adapting to his prosthetic. He has come SUCH a long way, with the goal being full independence and mobility, but he hadn't felt safe and comfortable walking without his cane. That is, until recently! For the past few weeks Luke has exploded past this plateau, and now moves freely about our house without use of a cane or any other aid. He attended school this week with no cane, no wheelchair, no help. This is a major milestone for Luke, and an answer to prayer. He is working on (see photo!) building his strength and stamina, which have steadily eroded because of the severity of the treatment he has received. Our prayer is that his chemo regimen will continue to taper (next scan results are scheduled for February 9th!), so he can continue to inch forward with his rehab. Please continue to pray...your prayers are working. Several of you have recently asked about meals and gift cards. With Luke only having chemo on Thursdays, we have backed off our meals schedule to include only Wednesdays and Sundays. That gives Laura a break during when she needs it the most. Click here to sign up. As for gift cards, the Speedway gas cards are always helpful, and we've been using Subway, Panera, and Chick Fil A (!!) a lot as well. Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless, James & Lu (for Sam, Jay, and Luke)
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Hello Friends!
The male staff and teachers at Mason High School decided to grow out their beards in November, which somehow raised some money for charity, and then they sent a huge Meijer gift card to our family to help out with Luke. Wow. Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless! James & Lu (for Sam, Jay, & Luke) Hello Friends!
I know what you're thinking...aren't we praying for Luke? Who is Ned?!? Everyone who gets a chance to meet Ned LOVES Ned. "NED" is the acronym that captures the hopes and prayers for anyone who is diagnosed with cancer, that someday their scans would show "No Evidence of Disease," or "NED." This has been our prayer from the beginning, that God would heal our boy. No cancer. No evidence of this awful disease anywhere in Luke's body. By God's grace, through the effort of many who have cared so well for Luke, Luke has slowly progressed toward this goal. His next scans are not until February. In the meantime, he is getting stronger. His chemo treatments continue, but they have tapered somewhat and Luke is inching forward. School is going well...I've attached a photo of Luke performing with his flute in the symphonic band concert last night. He also has his new leg (see other photo!) and he is really happy with how it fits. We are so proud of him, so thankful for him. Many of you have asked about Luke's diagnosis and prognosis. If you are interested and have a few minutes, this article actually gives a very thorough description of what Luke has been dealing with. Some of it is tough to read, but each case is unique. Luke's condition remains guarded, but we are so encouraged by his progress. It's a serious illness, which has required aggressive treatment, but ultimately our hope is in God and we trust that He is holding Luke in His hands. Your prayers have made such a huge impact. Please keep praying for Luke, and for his friend Ned! Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless, James & Lu, (for Sam, Jay, & Luke) Hello Friends!
We continue to be grateful for your prayers and support. Luke has settled into a pretty manageable routine. Radiation is over, and Luke's energy is returning. He has outpatient chemo treatments two out of every three Thursdays. The side effects are no fun, but he is handling them well. He just completed the 1st trimester of his sophmore year at Mason High School, finishing with a 4.0 GPA. Luke's Doc was very pleased with his most recent scans, and we are hopeful that his next round in early February will show "NED," which stands for "No Evidence of Disease." The big challenge for Luke right now is his leg. At 16 years old Luke is growing, which means he requires constant adjustments with his prosthetic. He has already outgrown two different prosthetic legs, and will be fitted for a third next week. In addition, the persistent radiation and chemo treatments have sapped Luke's energy, which makes it difficult for him to find the strength for rehabilitation. Luke has a great desire for the independence and normalcy that will come when he becomes proficient on his leg. Now that radiation is over and his chemo has tapered, we are eager to help Luke achieve a new level of mobility. This is NOT easy! Here are some specific prayer requests for December: 1) As always, please pray for all the cancer to be gone from Luke's body. Zero cancer. 2) Please pray for energy and perseverance for Luke. Rehab is hard. 3) Pray for Luke's prosthtic team, to find the right size and fit for his leg, so he can walk with comfort and smoothness. 4) Pray for peace, patience, and rest for Luke and for our entire family. Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless, James & Lu, (for Sam, Jay, & Luke) Hello Friends.
First, the good news. Today Luke completed his 28th and final day of radiation. We are very grateful. Even though he is tired and sore from these treatments, Luke has continued to attend school and is keeping up well in all his classes. We are extremely proud of Luke for his amazing perseverance and strength. He is such a great human! Here are some updates and prayer requests: 1) Now that the radiation is over, we want the treatment to work! Please continue to pray for the cancer spot in Luke's sacrum to be completely gone, with no trace of cancer anywhere in his body. Zero cancer. 2) Luke also had some scans done today, primarily to examine his lungs. Luke's Doc wants to check on the inflammation in his lung, to see if the steroids were effective in clearing things up. Scans are always terrifying...please pray for clear results. 3) The radiation has slowly depleted Luke's blood counts, and he is exhausted. We are praying for his counts to bounce back quickly, so Luke can have more strength for school and physical therapy. Also, Luke is registered for the upcoming Young Life weekend at TimberWolf Lake, and we want him to have the energy to be able to enjoy a great weekend. 4) We are so thankful. Little by little, God is healing and sustaining Luke. We have received a LOT of support. The meals and gas cards have been such a blessing. The encouraging cards and texts and emails mean so much. Luke has been blessed to have several people (Tony, Jude, Matt, Mark, TJ, Brittany, Luke) accompany or visit him to Grand Rapids, to help pass the time. We are so thankful. 5) Please pray for Laura and for our family. We need rest, patience, and peace. Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying, for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless, James & Lu (for Sam, Jay, & Luke) Hello Friends.
Recently I've received a bunch of "how are things with Luke" texts and emails. I didn't realize it's been more than three weeks since our last update. We've settled into somewhat of a routine. Luke is going to school full time (all "A" grades so far) and participating in the marching band. After school each day we (Laura and I alternate driving) head to Grand Rapids for radiation treatments on Luke's lower back. Those will last until November 1st. On Thursdays Luke has outpatient chemotherapy. Weekends are mostly time for rest. Physical therapy is on hold for now because of this full schedule. Our prayer is that this aggressive regimen will be the final steps needed to remove all of the cancer from Luke's body. One final push. All of the cancer. Gone. That's our prayer. Some specific prayers and needs: 1) Luke's has been taking a steroid to treat "pneumonitis" in one of his lungs. The upside is his persistent cough is completely gone...we are so thankful. The downside is that use if this steroid make Luke sweaty and moody and "redistributes fat to the face and back of the neck." He is already weaning off the steroid...pray that these side effects subside and that his lung is completely healed. 2) We could use some help with meals in October / November. Click here. 3) We have received a ton of gas cards for the daily drives to G.R. Also, one of our friends has a parent who owns a Fazolis, and gave us a huge gift card for meals there when we're coming back from Grand Rapids. Luke loves Fazolis...so do Jay and Sam :) 4) Pray for Luke to be able to make progress with his prosthetic leg, even when his physical therapy is on hold. 5) Luke and his friends had a great Bible study during the summer...he'd love to find a time to be able to continue that during the school year. 6) We are all so tired, physically and emotionally. Pray for patience, strength, peace, and rest. 7) Mason and Okemos played a "Compete for a Cause" soccer game to raise money for childhood cancer. Two players, one from each team, played the game in Luke's honor. It's humbling to know so many people are thinking of Luke and praying for him. We cannot thank you enough for your continued thoughts, prayers, and support. Honestly, it's been such a long process, and God has used His people to sustain us. We are so grateful. Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless, James & Lu (for Sam, Jay, & Luke) Hello Friends.
Lot's going on with Luke. He is back at school full time, and marching with the band at home football games. He has a new prosthetic leg, and continues to work hard on his mobility with his Physical Therapist. He has been receiving some different chemo drugs, ones that won't inflame his lung any further. The steroid he has been taking has eliminated his cough, but also caused him to be moody and sweaty all the time. And...he will begin another round of radiation on Monday, which will hopefully eliminate the final traces of his cancer from his body. Lot's going on with Luke! Prayers: 1) Luke will be weaned off the steroid over the next month. Pray that the moodiness and other side effects to go away, and for the inflammation in his lung to be completely healed. 2) No side effects from the radiation to his sacrum. The spot is pretty small, so they'll be able to focus pretty well and we're praying there won't be residual damage. 3) No evidence of cancer in his body once the radiation treatments are complete. 4) No return of cancer to his body ever. None. Ever. 5) Acceleration of progress in terms of movement on his new leg. 6) Rest, grace, and patience for our entire family. It's so hard, we are so tired. Needs: 1) Speedway gas cards. We will be driving to and from Grand Rapids every day after school for 28 consecutive weekdays. Luke also requested Fazoli's and Jersey Giant cards so we can grab dinner for him on our way home each night. 2) You can sign up here to bring us a meal. 3) If you'd like to ride with us to and from Grand Rapids, please contact me (not Laura!) directly with any dates you might be available. No guarantees! We'll be leaving Lansing each weekday between September 19th and October 26th at around 3:30 and back home at around 6:30. 4) Luke might need some tutoring help on the weekends. He is taking Spanish, Algebra, and U.S. History. Luke's radiation Doctor is optimistic. The cancer in Luke's lungs responded very well to radiation, and typically that means there should be a good response elsewhere since it's the same type of cancer. If the radiation works and the tumor is gone, Luke would continue with preventative chemo every Thursday for a few months and then (hopefully!) reach the end of his treatments. Luke's condition is guarded, but we are hopeful and praying intently for God to use these treatments to heal him completely. We are so grateful to all of you, for caring about Luke and praying so tirelessly for our family. Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. God bless! James & Lu (for Sam, Jay, and Luke) Hello Friends.
We are so grateful to the many people who came out to celebrate Luke's 16th birthday. The entire evening was a sorely needed opportunity for all of us to connect, to laugh, to just breathe. It was truly a gift. Your generosity made a huge impact on the P.O.R.T (Pediatric Oncology Resource Team) folks over at DeVos. Last week we delivered over $4,000 in cash and gift cards, and over 1,000 individual gift items to help kids and families who are struggling through life with cancer. They were absolutely blown away. Thank you. For those who were unable to attend, click here (click the settings icon in lower right corner to slow down the slideshow!) for a quick snapshot of those who attended. We've also included some of our favorite photos below. Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless, James & Lu, (for Sam, Jay, & Luke) Hello Friends.
Today we met with Luke's Doctor to discuss the results of his recent scans. She told me in the hallway that "this will be a good report," and it was. Luke's June scan showed some new activity in his sacrum bone, so the fear was that 12 weeks later we might see growth and progression. Instead, the spot on Luke's sacrum is a bit smaller and dimmer than it was in June. His condition is stable, with some improvement. Luke Doctor was very encouraged by this, and would like to now address that spot in his sacrum with some radiation as well. The spot on Luke's sacrum is the only cancer that is showing up anywhere in his entire body on the scans. That's an amazing miracle! The tumors in his lungs and liver are no longer visible. There is no new growth anywhere. We are praying that God will use these upcoming treatments to completely wipe the cancer from Luke's body, never to return. There was one issue of concern from this round of scans. The PET scan showed some irritation in one of his lungs, caused by his recent radiation treatments. Luke has struggled recently with a nagging cough, and we now know why. Luke's Doctor prescribed him a steroid to help heal his lung, and wants to try some different chemo drugs that don't affect the lungs. He will still have outpatient treatments once a week on Thursdays and will have the radiation simultaneously for a few weeks as well. We are grateful for the hopeful news, and at the same time it can be difficult because we don't want to build up hope and then have things turn against us. We are SO thankful and relieved, and yet still fearful and troubled by the unknown. We would love to have more certainty an firm end date to all this treatment, but...we don't. We are trusting God. It's very hard. I included a photo of Luke and his close friends Brittany and Lauren, two of the many people who pray faithfully for Luke and are such an encouragement to our family. We are incredibly thankful and humbled to know that so many people care about Luke and intercede on his behalf. Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless, James & Lu, (for Sam, Jay, & Luke) Hello Friends.
One year ago today I woke up with two voicemails on my phone from the MSU Sports Medicine Clinic, urging me to call them as soon as possible. Not good, I thought, Luke probably has a broken foot or a torn achilles. His foot pain had been getting worse all summer, but in spite of multiple visits to various doctors we had no idea what was wrong. I went and found Laura, because I wanted her to know what was going on, and called the number from the message. Immediately we knew this was something far more serious. There was an awkward pause from the woman on the phone, and she went to get the Doctor right away. Never good. Then the Doctor was describing a large tumor in Luke's leg, 10 inches in length, encapsulating the bone and all of the blood vessels and muscles in Luke's calf. Probably cancer. No way of knowing until you get a biopsy. Call DeVos Children's Hospital and set up an appointment immediately. Humanly speaking, it's been a terrible year. Terrible. Four surgeries. Ten months of chemotherapy. Six weeks of radiation. Countless trips to the hospital, blood draws, scans, visits to the ER, hair loss, medications, and all kinds of other unimaginable things. Luke's body is tired and his soul is weary. All very, very terrible. Biblically speaking, our hope is in Jesus (I Peter 1:3) because our times are in His hands. (Psalm 31:15) One of the ways we have experienced God's hope through the love of His people. If the number of people praying makes any difference, Luke is going to be fine. Thousands of people are thinking about Luke and asking God to intervene for him. That brings up tremendous hope. So many people have come to visit Luke or have provided food or rides or gift cards or whatever else we might need. That brings us tremendous hope. We are very thankful. Luke's diagnosis was very serious, but he is not terminally ill. His surgeries removed most of the visible cancer in his body. They've attacked the rest with chemo and radiation treatments, and the scans have been mostly encouraging, showing decrease in both the size of the tumors and the activity level of the cancer. It's very scary and hard, but hope remains. Here are a few updates / specific ways you can be praying: 1) Tomorrow is Luke's 16th birthday. We're expecting over 300 people for the celebration on Thursday, including Brian Regan! 2) The picture I included is from last summer, before Luke was diagnosed. It captures Luke and Laura perfectly. Please pray for Laura...it is so difficult for a mom to watch her son struggle. 3) Luke will be in the marching band this fall. The first home football game is on August 26th! 4) Luke will be full time back at school this fall, beginning on august 29th! 5) Luke is soon going be upgraded to a new prosthetic leg, one with more technology and power. Pray for quick learning and perseverance as Luke works to figure out his new leg. 6) They will scan Luke again on August 29th. Pray for the cancer to be completely gone from Luke's body. No new cancer, no tumors, everything gone. Pray also for peace for our family as we await the results. Our prayer remains the same. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless! James & Lu, (for Sam, Jay, & Luke) |
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