Hello Friends.
Several months ago Luke and I were talking about the summer and he said, "I am NOT looking forward to my birthday." His 15th birthday was on 8/15/15, and it was terrible because he found out about the tumor in his leg on the day before. We would like to make his 16th birthday one to remember. Here are the details: DATE: Thursday, August 18th TIME: 5:30 - 10:00 LOCATION: Riverview REO Town Venue FOOD: Heavy appetizers and desserts FUN STUFF: Music, games, and time with Luke! Here's the best part. For years our family has enjoyed the comedy of Brian Regan, and we have seen him live a number of times. He's hilarious. Per our request (via the Make a Wish foundation) Brian has agreed to come and perform live at Luke's birthday party! The party will be open house from 5:30 - 7:30, and then Brian will do his live comedy show beginning at 7:30. We would love for you to join us. There are 300+ seats at the REO Town Venue. Currently about half of those are spoken for. If you are interested in a ticket, please take a moment (it'll be less than a minute) to submit a ticket request here so we can plan accordingly. Right now there's still plenty of space, so if you request tickets you'll probably get them. One final detail. Luke is not looking for birthday gifts this year...honestly your presence will be the biggest gift you can bring for him. Luke has requested any gifts for his party be items we can donate to kids and families battling cancer over at DeVos Children's hospital. Our family has been blessed by the P.O.R.T. program at DeVos, and Luke would like to bless others in the same way. A list of potential items is included below, and we will donate any cash Luke receives to P.O.R.T. as well. As always, 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) P.O.R.T. gift ideas: 1) P.O.R.T. Care Bags are canvas tote bags filled with a variety of personal care items and snacks, as well as a handmade quilt. These are usually given to families when their child is hospitalized or at the time of diagnosis. Items include: •non perishable snack foods •toiletries •travel games •toys for kids of any age •books for kids of any age •coloring books with crayons / colored pencils 2) P.O.R.T.'s inpatient family snack pantry is available to all in-patient families. Located on 7-South, this pantry is stocked with snacks and quick meal items. 3) Phone/gas cards are available to qualifying families who commute from outside the Grand Rapids area, and gift cards are provided for birthday gifts and other special occasions. Ideas: •ITunes •gas cards •pre paid phone cards •restaurants
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Hello Friends.
The past few weeks have been pretty uneventful for Luke. He has settled into a steady rhythm with chemo treatments every Thursday, and the side effects have been noticeable but manageable. Luke continues to work hard at his physical therapy, and he is gaining confidence and ability in walking on his prosthetic leg. We are very proud of Luke and thankful for any "uneventful" we can get. We were able to go up north for a few days of vacation. We visited Jay, who is on Work Crew at TimberWolf Lake, and then spent a couple of days in Traverse City and with the Santens in Petoskey. These are bittersweet experiences for Luke. He loves getting away and hanging out with people, but he is also regularly made aware of many things he used to do that he cannot do right now. Very difficult. On Monday Luke left for band camp at Adrian College with the entire Mason High School band. He is having the best time with all his friends. He will be playing the vibraphone in the marching band this Fall at all the home football games. He loves the band and we are grateful that he's had such a good experience at band camp this week. Please pray for Luke...tomorrow he resumes his chemo treatments. They bumped him back a day so he could finish band camp. He will receive three medications tomorrow, which means he'll be exhausted by the end of next week. None of us are looking forward to it. He will need courage, patience, and peace from God in order to navigate these next days. We all will. We are so thankful for all who are praying, encouraging, providing meals, and standing with us as we fight for Luke. 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.
Just a quick update on how things are going. Luke has settled into his new routine. He is doing 9 weeks of outpatient chemo treatments every Thursday, regardless of his blood counts. This means that as long as Luke handles the chemo well there are no overnight stays, and no weekly blood draws. Fantastic. At the end of the 9 weeks (mid August) Luke will be scanned again and they will determine the radiation plan for the tumor on his sacrum. So far, Luke's side effects have been challenging but manageable, and his Doc is very pleased overall. Please keep praying that the treatment works, which obviously is our biggest priority. Luke has been able to be more active recently. He has gone kayaking, went to the 4th of July parade and fireworks, and has been playing foosball and ping pong. All of this is really good physical therapy for his leg. We are also planning a huge birthday party for Luke. Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 18th. More details coming soon! Our prayer remains the same. 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!
Our family is weary. We've been fighting for Luke for nearly a year, and the journey has taken a toll. The cancer is stubborn. The treatments keep coming, the road map keeps changing, the "end" is nowhere in sight. Nerves are frayed, tears are flowing freely, discouragement creeps in. It's easy to lose heart. We are very, very weary. Hebrews 12:3 says, "Consider Him who has endured such trials by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart." In the midst of our exhaustion, we have been consistently reminded that Jesus is the One who sustains. Your prayers, your generosity, and your encouragement have been tangible reminders that we are not alone in our weariness. Thank you for helping remind us to consider Jesus. Because Jesus is our hope, because He overcame death, we must not lose heart. Here are some specific ways to pray: 1) One of the reasons Luke is weary is because he is receiving new chemo drugs to address the tumor on his sacrum. His body is not used to these medicines, and his Docs haven't yet figured out how best to help him navigate the side effects. Pray for a quick adjustment, and for Luke's body and his blood counts to stay strong so he can receive treatment he needs in a timely manner. 2) We are thankful that Luke's new regimen involves very few blood draws from his arms (he hates those!) and very infrequent overnight stays at DeVos (he hates those too!). He goes to clinic every Thursday, they evaluate his blood via his port, and then after fluids and chemo he is able to come home. This rhythm is much more palatable for Luke and easier on our family. 3) Luke's Docs want to do radiation on the one concerning area on his sacrum, some time in the late summer. Pray for wisdom on the timing, and that it completely destroys any trace of cancer! 4) Pray for the cancer to continue to dissipate and disappear from Luke's chest, liver, and butt muscle. The trajectory in all those area has been a huge answer to prayer. 5) Pray for rest and peace for Luke, Laura, and me. We need God's supernatural comfort and grace to make it through this season. Our needs remain the same. Visit with Luke. Send gift cards. Come take a walk with Laura. The meals are a huge blessing. And, of course, please keep praying. Luke needs the healing hand of God to scrub the cancer from his body. Your prayers mean so much. Our prayer remains the same: God heal our boy. 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!
So many of you have asked about Luke's scans...we are very grateful for your prayers and concerns. We met with Luke's team this afternoon. The short answer is that the report was great and not so great, both at the same time. Luke's Doctor is extremely pleased by the progress with the tumors in his lungs. The radiation had a huge impact, and the progress in eradicating the cancer from his chest cavity is very encouraging. That's great news, and an answer to a LOT of prayer. The not so great piece is that one of the other areas where Luke had a tumor has flared up again. On his original scans (way back in August) he had a visible tumor on his sacrum bone (lower back), but by February it was almost invisible on the scans. The scan from Monday shows that it has returned as active cancer. It's not big (about the size of a peanut M&M), but it's a concern because it represents the wrong trajectory. We want all of the cancer to regress, like is happening in Luke's lungs. This tumor is progressing, even in the midst of treatment. What does this mean? Luke's Doc has always been planning on doing radiation in his lower back, probably in the Fall. They will probably move that timetable earlier, possibly late summer, so they can address the tumor specifically and directly. In addition, today they added two different chemo drugs to his treatment, with the hope that the tumor in his sacrum will be killed off. We are adjusting to this new plan and new timeline. How can you pray? 1) We are SO thankful for healing in Luke's lungs. The cancer is going away. Continue to pray for the next scan to show ZERO residual tumors, ZERO evidence of cancer there. 2) We are SO thankful that two other tumors from Luke's previous scans (one on his liver and one in his butt muscle) are now undetectable on the scan from Monday. No flare ups! 3) We are SO thankful that Luke's leg is healthy. Amputees often have ongoing complications (skin rashes, infection, soreness, etc.) but so far Luke has avoided those. In addition, there is no cancer to be found anywhere in Luke's leg, which means the surgery served it's purpose. Pray for continued progress for Luke with his prosthetic! 4) The scan only showed one "live" cancerous spot, but just that one spot represents a concern. Pray for God to clean the cancer out of Luke's sacrum bone. They won't scan Luke again until the end of summer, so my daily prayer between now and then will be complete healing, no more cancer in the sacrum or anywhere else. 5) This stuff is SO emotionally challenging for Luke, Laura, and me. Pray for peace, and for perseverance. Luke has so many dreams, and this process can be so discouraging. Pray for his courage, and his attitude. Your continued prayers mean so much. In some ways this was a hard day, but God is big. In Psalm 18:6 it says "In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears." God's ears hear our cry, and He will fight for our boy. Our prayer remains simple: God heal our boy. 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!
In the past nine months there have been many times when we have felt helpless. We are doing everything we can to make sure Luke gets the very best treatment possible, and it requires a lot of time, money, energy, and perseverance to make all of it happen. At the same time, much (if not most) of the situation with Luke's health is completely out of our control. As much as we endeavor to exercise control over these circumstances, ultimately it's out of our hands. That can be a helpless feeling. So...we pray. To our God who is in complete control. To our Father who loves His child Luke. We ask for healing. We ask for mercy. We ask for miracles. We ask for peace in the midst of uncertainty. And what's left for us to do when we've prayed and wept and begged and prayed again until we're completely exhausted? We pray some more. This is a big week for Luke. Tomorrow he will have his first full body scans since he completed radiation in late April. On Wednesday he will resume his chemo treatments. His body has been so tired, his Doc has given him some time off for recovery. It's been over a month since his last chemo ended. This process is so long. We have received so much support, such amazing encouragement, and so many prayers. We need you to pray some more. Specifically: 1) For the scans to show no remaining cancer in Luke's chest cavity. Zero tumors. Zero cancer. Completely gone. Forever. 2) For Luke's body to find renewed strength, for his blood counts to increase, for him to have energy to withstand the final stages of his chemo treatments. 3) For rest, patience, and peace for Luke, Laura, and me as we walk this long and difficult path. 4) We're so thankful to be able to celebrate recent Jay's graduation...so proud of him and grateful for what God is doing in his life. The scan process begins at 8:00 on Monday morning. Results typically come back within a day or two. The chemo begins on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., with Luke hopefully coming home on Thursday night. Our prayer remains the same...God heal our boy. We can't stop, WON'T stop praying for God to heal our boy. (James 5:14-16) God bless, James & Lu (for Same, Jay, & Luke) Hello Friends!
Thank you to my friend Pete and so many others who have recently reminded me that it has been awhile between blog posts. May was a busy month for Jay because of his crazy baseball schedule and all of his Senior events and preparations. Jay is graduating from Mason High School this Sunday, and his open house is on Monday night. We're looking forward to celebrating Jay and seeing a bunch of family and friends over the weekend. Luke is holding steady. His most recent chemo treatments ended on May 13th. His blood counts have been slower to bounce back, which is very common for people who have been in chemo for as long as Luke has. He will be back for another round next Wednesday (after the big Jay party is over!), and then his scans are scheduled for Monday, June 13th. We continue to pray that the scans will show no cancer remaining anywhere in Luke's chest. Zero tumors, zero cancer. Luke has made tremendous strides with his prosthetic leg. He acquired a set of "smart" crutches, which provide support down by the wrist rather than under the armpits. They are light and Luke can maneuver very well with them. His Physical Therapist has given him the OK to walk with just one crutch, which will soon lead to him using only a cane and then eventually he'll walk with no help at all. It is fun to see Luke embracing this challenge. His team has been a huge encouragement and the new crutches are a major asset. Between the physical therapy and his schoolwork, Luke is making great progress and is on track to be full time back at Mason High School in the Fall. There is so much to be praying for. Luke's life is so hard. Lots of time in the hospital, with limited freedom to enjoy being a 15 year old kid. So much loss and grief. Please keep praying, and keep visiting and sending cards when you are able. We have 35 - 40 more scheduled trips to Grand Rapids coming up, so the Speedway gas cards are so amazing. The meals are a blessing as well...June and July are wide open if you'd like to jump in there. Mostly, we need prayer for God to completely heal Luke's body from this cancer. 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) Hello Friends.
Luke's eyebrows are growing back. There are certain chemo drugs that completely eradicate body hair, and then others that are not so bad. Luke hasn't had any of the "bad" ones for almost three months, so his eyebrows (and eyelashes!) are starting to sprout. This probably won't last long, as today he begins a week of inpatient chemo that will surely return him to eyebrow baldness. Seeing this bit of growth has been strangely encouraging for me. Luke still has a long way to go, but he is past the halfway point with his chemo and radiation is behind him. These tiny tufts of hair represent hope, hope for growth and healing and for relief from this impossibly exhausting path. Luke has experienced so much loss, it's refreshing to see even a little bit of gain, albeit small and temporary. So many of you have asked, "how did the scans turn out." We are so grateful that you really do pray specifically for Luke. It means so much. As it turns out I was mistaken about the late April timeline. The scans are not scheduled until mid June. We are hopeful that there will be no sign of cancer in Luke's chest, zero tumors, zero cancer. In the meantime 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.
Back to the grind. Our dear son Luke has been in Grand Rapids every day this week. He had chemo and radiation on Monday, and then only radiation for the rest of the week. Plus physical therapy. And schoolwork. We continue to seek the Lord and His people for strength. So many of you continue to offer help, and to ask how you can best serve our family. Here's an update: PRAYER 1) Just three more radiation treatments to go! Luke's throat has been sore, and swallowing has been difficult. Pray that it quickly returns to normal after radiation is over. 2) The docs will scan Luke again in late April. We are praying for no evidence of cancer remaining in Luke's chest. Zero tumors, zero cancer. 3) Luke would like to be walking on his prosthetic with a cane by June 1st. Pray for perseverance, and for him to feel well enough to continue with the needed physical therapy. 4) Jay is entering the last month of his senior year at Mason High School. Pray for his last weeks of school and baseball to be amazing. 5) Please pray for rest for our entire family. NEEDS 1) The meals have been a life saver. Most of our May meal slots are open. You can sign up here. 2) Luke will be home a bit more, with radiation ending. Please contact me if you'd like to come for a visit. 3) Laura and I are looking to get away for a night or two, now that Luke will be home a little bit more. Please contact me if you'd like to come hang out with the Granger boys for a night. We press on, eyes forward. The chemo continues, the challenges are many but 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.
In this blog post I was planning to post all of the pictures of friends wearing yellow for Luke, but I'm only able to include a few because there are just far to many. Instead, I've compiled some fun statistics on the "Luke is halfway through his chemo so wear yellow to encourage him" Sunday. Here they are: •Number of photos posted: 139 •Number of people in photos: 397 •Number of babies in photos: 36 •Number of dogs in photos: 5 •First photo: Rio Vale •Last photo: Susie Disselkoen •Celebrity submission: Jordan Spieth •Youngest person pictured: Oliver Kelsey (4 days old) •Oldest person pictured: No comment •Most distant photo submissions: Singapore (two of these!), Capetown, Spain, and Ecuador We also had three yellow mugs, two yellow flowers, a bunch of Kroger workers in yellow shirts, a yellow house, an earring, a sock, a truck, a duck, and Sara Kells' weird photo. We received submissions from Cleveland, Vermont, New Jersey, Cincinnati, Nashville, Indy, Virginia, New Orleans, Wisconsin, Boston, Missouri, Chicago, Colorado, West Virginia, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, and New York. Thank you. Seriously. We are blessed. Luke is encouraged, and he needs it. This is another full week of radiation and chemotherapy. Long days, tired body. We continue to pray for zero tumors in Luke's chest by the end of April, once he's completed radiation. 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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