Thursday Curtis and Johny got a flight to Phoenix Children's hospital. Curtis has had a little cough and was running a fever. So for him that means a trip to the hospital...but with Johny's diagnosis of Spinal meningitis it becomes a little more critical. Both boys had a spinal tap in Show Low, Johny's was positive for Spinal Meningitis, but Curtis' tests have come back negative (what a blessing). Johny is doing much better and his prognosis looks very good. Curtis will get to leave the hospital as soon as his ANCs come up a little bit. Johny will get to come home once he finishes out the antibiotics...10 days total for him. We are thankful for all our friends and family who have offered help. We love you so much.
WE are so thankful for the knowledge that our HEAVENLY FATHER is their to strengthen us when he gives us trials. We are thankful for our other 6 children who are at home with their lives kind of turned upside down but still stay positive and helpful. We are grateful for Nana and Papa who have taken such good care of them. We are truly blessed in many ways. I hope we can learn and grow from these experience in the way our Heavenly Father would like us to.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Monday Curtis went to clinic for a blood transfusion, he got plateletts and red blood cells...it is crazy to watch as he gets a transfusion how his color goes from to pale to pink. He slept through most of the appointment, so that was nice, he didn't have to be bored. His ANC's were really low so we have to be really careful to keep him away from germs aned sickness. We got to hang out with Uncle Elliot and Aunt Karen while we waited for his blood...Curtis kept asking why they are so nice. Thanks for letting us hang out at your house! WE LOVE YOU!...We ended up staying a couple of days because he was running a low grade fever.
WE got to visit with Grandma Crosby we loved that . We got to see Andrea, and her kiddos, and then Mary spoiled us with dinner and we stayed with her. Then she made Curtis sausage pancakes. Got spoiled for sure!!!
WE got to visit with Grandma Crosby we loved that . We got to see Andrea, and her kiddos, and then Mary spoiled us with dinner and we stayed with her. Then she made Curtis sausage pancakes. Got spoiled for sure!!!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
July 17, 2012
John, Talon, and Curtis left this morning for another treatment for Curtis. All the boys were going to go but 4:00 this morning was too early. Curtis has been feeling really good this last couple of weeks. Excited for the intense Maintenance phase to be over.
They are on their way home...They anticipate that during the next couple of weeks he will be neutropenic (which is where he dos not have enough neutrophils (an infection fighting white cell)). They will not at all be surprised if he ends up in the hospital, I am hoping that we can keep him away from that with lemon oil and onguard. I am thankful he has not had to be in the hospital too much.
Sunday John, Ruthie, Curtis, and I went for a ride in the mountains...We had gone up a mountain and when we came out John turned right and had I been by myself I would have turned left to come home. So I asked John if my internal compass was messed up cause I would have gone the other way...he said he thought the other way was the way home but he wasn't sure where we were exactly...Curtis who we thought was asleep in the back seat says Oh GREAT Dad You LOST US. It was a beautiful ride...oh yeah and Curtis spotted more animals than his DAD...He was pretty proud of that.
They are on their way home...They anticipate that during the next couple of weeks he will be neutropenic (which is where he dos not have enough neutrophils (an infection fighting white cell)). They will not at all be surprised if he ends up in the hospital, I am hoping that we can keep him away from that with lemon oil and onguard. I am thankful he has not had to be in the hospital too much.
Sunday John, Ruthie, Curtis, and I went for a ride in the mountains...We had gone up a mountain and when we came out John turned right and had I been by myself I would have turned left to come home. So I asked John if my internal compass was messed up cause I would have gone the other way...he said he thought the other way was the way home but he wasn't sure where we were exactly...Curtis who we thought was asleep in the back seat says Oh GREAT Dad You LOST US. It was a beautiful ride...oh yeah and Curtis spotted more animals than his DAD...He was pretty proud of that.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Curtis' Facebook posts
So Facebook remembers some things better than I do. Here are the post about Curtis since it began...
Just wanted to say thanks to all who have called and offered help. Curtis is doing ok, he will be in the Valley for probably a month while his treatments get started. At this point it is day to day but we are so thankful that he is in such good hands. Phoenix Children's Hospital has been amazing it blows my mind how many amazing people have already blessed our lives. Thanks for all the prayer we know Heavenly Father listens and answers prayers. He will need continual prayers as he goes through his treatments! I am thankful for the many blessings we have!
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Just to let everyone know. Curtis seems to be responding well to his treatments. He may get to leave the hospital tomorrow or Saturday depending on if the fevers stay away! I know many prayers have been offered in his behalf and we appreciate them so much! Thanks for all of the love and support! We are truly blessed!
After a really rough morning...I got the greatest news...Curtis' counts are up so he gets to come home! :)
Curtis made it home!!! We are so happy! He looks really good! I think he is happy too! Thanks for all the prayers! It's not over yet but it feels so good to have our family back together!
Awe...My FAMILY is BACK together. Curtis got to come home last night. He is doing good, and in such a good mood! Love to all!
Just an update on Curtis...he is out of surgery and everything went better than planned. No more stones in the left side which was his bad side, and only one left in his right side that they were able to blast. All of the stints are out and things are going well!!!! AGAIN PRAYERS ARE TRULY ANSWERED!
Curtis and John left this morning for another treatment. Curtis has a little cold...hopefully it won't require a hospital stay. As they are getting ready to leave Curtis says I think I need to take my diffuser with me. He loves ONGUARD and LAVENDER...so we packed it up and he has his diffuser if he needs it. What a sweet little boy I have been blessed with!
Some friends of ours from Gilbert have put this together for Curtis...sounds like it will be awesome so if you can come that would be great
OK I am so sorry I have not been very good at updating everyone...Curtis is still feeling really well...He had a couple weeks off...Started his new phase in treatments on Tuesday. This is an intense phase, it is not expected that he will feel as well as he has in the passed couple of months, but I know with prayers and amazing oils (doTerra of course)...he can continue to feel good despite these treatments. I am thankful for the advancements made in treatment of leukemia, yet it is still hard for me to see him having to take all these medications, not really knowing what long term side effects will be, I am grateful for the love and kindness so many people have shown to Curtis and our family! So THANK You!
The Gillespie family *Verl Gillespie Memorial Foundation* Had a roping/auction fundraiser for Curtis and Sam Gardner two locals with cancer. We are thankful for their Kindness. May the Lord bless their families!
Curtis has a lizard and I ask do you like that lizard...he says yeah...It's a BEAUTY
Curtis says you know that girl thats littler than katelyn brandt?...I say Mayce, he says yes, she love me a lot!
Curtis had an appointment on Monday...his levels were pretty low...he has had a pretty rough week...He gets a break next weak and then we start the last month of intense treatments...thanks again for all of the prayers!
Curtis started losing his hair a couple of days ago....and it is almost all gone. I thought maybe he would make it through with his hair...but we will get to have a shaving party with his brothers hopefully tomorrow for family home evening.
I'm Elliot Crosby, and I support Curtis Wilhelm.
Curtis had his blood work done yesterday...his levels are beautiful as the nurse put it. So John and Curtis made the trek to the Valley this morning to start his next phase of treatments. This one will be another intense phase. He has had a good couple of days feeling good and the steroids finally wore off so he was back to his sweet self. Thanks for all the prayers! We love ya!
The other day Curtis said...I feel extragulated. I said what is extragulated....He said it is what I feel like after I go to clinic. A thriteen year old boy undergoing the same treatments as Curtis texted our nurse JODI and said he too feels extragulated. Curtis is so cute!
SO we have defined extragulated:
EXTRAGULATED adjective
Describing how one might feel after a day of being poked prodded, medicated, hooked to tubes and stuck in a bed all day.
SO we have defined extragulated:
EXTRAGULATED adjective
Describing how one might feel after a day of being poked prodded, medicated, hooked to tubes and stuck in a bed all day.
Curtis had to get a shot in the arm at home last night...John gave it to him and he didn't even flinch. WOW!
Curtis
John would send pictures and sounds of Curtis when they were staying in the Valley....Here are a few of them. The steroids they have to give to make the chemo more effective causes extreme hunger and he also got chubby cheeks...he craved salty stuff so he ate a lot of cheetos.....so we call them his cheeto cheeks....he was recently on steroids again and has those cute cheeks again...
From the Beginning
Curtis was diagnosed with Leukemia on January 12, 2012. A lot of people are curious as to what led us to find out that he had leukemia. He had been very sick for a couple of weeks and just not getting better. We took him to the doctor because his legs were hurting him to even walk. I thought that he had become dehydrated and was having some charlie horses, because he had been sick, the flu had been going around and it was a flu that had been lasting a while. When we took him to the doctor he had an ear infection so we started him on some antibiotics...but our amazing Doctor (DR. MOFFAT) had called another doctor and told him the situation, he called us and asked us to please come back in because he just wasn't comfortable and he was headed out of town and would like to see him before he left. We were actually a little hesitant to take him because we did not feel like we had given it enough time and we figure he would be better in a couple of days, but we took him in and Dr. Moffat asked me to please take him to the hospital and have a blood test done, just to rule out anything. He said the specialist he had spoke to said sometimes cancer will settle in their bones. SO we went, I was headed home so in less than probably 20 mins, I got a call from John. Dr. Moffat said that he needed to go to Phoenix Children's Hospital and go now. DO NOT let him get cut or hurt cause his platelets were so low he could not start bleeding, he told us that preliminary results look like he had leukemia.
We came home, talked to the kids, gave Curtis a blessing, and headed down to the Valley. They did more blood work to confirm his diagnosis. He had A.L.L. (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). Which was a good diagnosis all things considered...IF he had to have leukemia this was the best scenario. They started treatments immediately...which meant lots of poking and prodding for Curtis. He was such a trooper and he was proud of himself and how tough he was. HE loved that he had his own room he could watch whatever he wanted on t.v. and eat whenever and whatever he wanted, so for him his first hospital stay wasn't too bad. He got his port placed in his chest, which allows them to take blood and give medicines to him without giving iv's to him. He had lots of visitors that came to see him which he loved. He stayed in pretty good spirits most of the time. When he got a little shy or tired of people he would growl at them. Which he stills does to this day, but now he does it when he likes you. He was released from the hospital on January 27, 2012 but had to stay in the Valley for a while. John stayed with him and they were able to stay at Mary's house where there was a low chance of exposure to germs. I do not remember the exact day that he came back to our house in Vernon, but it was an extremely happy exciting day. He still had to go to the Valley every week for clinic appointments, but the feeling of having our family together again was indescribable. It made me think this is what eternity is all about.
February 13, 2012 John had to go back to the Valley for his appointment and that evening when John and Curtis got to the Valley, Curtis had blood in his Urine. They took him to the hospital that night and my poor sweet little boy had developed Kidney STONES. This was such a horrible time for him. He was in so much pain. Had to have a stint placed in both of his Kidneys because he had stones in both of them. He had to wear around a bag. I wished so much that I could be down there with him, but I needed to be here with the rest of my kids and for my health. John is such an amazing dad....He spent a few nights with no sleep by Curtis' side. This was such a hard time because this was a side effect that was not associated with any of the medications he was on at that time. We were not sure why or when he had developed the stones, but because the amount of doctors and staff that were focusing on Curtis, we knew it was serious. He came home from the hospital wearing a bag, but that did not bother him or slow him down. He is always in a better mood when he is at home. He first hospital stay was ok, but after that he really does not like being admitted because he does not like being hooked up to tubes and stuff. He is such a little trooper, He went back to the Valley on the 1st of March to see if the stones had shrunk, the only thing they had given was orders to drink a lot of lemonade. The lemonade helps to dissolve the stones. When he went in for surgery to they found that all of the stones were gone except for one, which they were able to blast and get rid of. They took out the stints and everything went back to functioning normal. PRAYERS in Curtis' behalf were offered and answered. We are so thankful for that.
Since his kidney stones Curtis has not had to be admitted to the hospital. He goes to the valley weekly still for his treatments, but has done so well! We feel so blessed.
He hadn't lost any of his hair up until JUNE 25, 2012 when he started to lose it. He does not seem bothered at all by that. It helps that so many people who he feels close too also shaved their heads for him. He had a really hard week the first week in July. His legs hurt him really bad, which is a side effect of the intense treatments he was going through.
This month will be his last intense treatment phase, we are thankful that he is doing so well. We are thankful for the love and support so many people have shown to us. We feel so blessed in so many ways.
We came home, talked to the kids, gave Curtis a blessing, and headed down to the Valley. They did more blood work to confirm his diagnosis. He had A.L.L. (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). Which was a good diagnosis all things considered...IF he had to have leukemia this was the best scenario. They started treatments immediately...which meant lots of poking and prodding for Curtis. He was such a trooper and he was proud of himself and how tough he was. HE loved that he had his own room he could watch whatever he wanted on t.v. and eat whenever and whatever he wanted, so for him his first hospital stay wasn't too bad. He got his port placed in his chest, which allows them to take blood and give medicines to him without giving iv's to him. He had lots of visitors that came to see him which he loved. He stayed in pretty good spirits most of the time. When he got a little shy or tired of people he would growl at them. Which he stills does to this day, but now he does it when he likes you. He was released from the hospital on January 27, 2012 but had to stay in the Valley for a while. John stayed with him and they were able to stay at Mary's house where there was a low chance of exposure to germs. I do not remember the exact day that he came back to our house in Vernon, but it was an extremely happy exciting day. He still had to go to the Valley every week for clinic appointments, but the feeling of having our family together again was indescribable. It made me think this is what eternity is all about.
February 13, 2012 John had to go back to the Valley for his appointment and that evening when John and Curtis got to the Valley, Curtis had blood in his Urine. They took him to the hospital that night and my poor sweet little boy had developed Kidney STONES. This was such a horrible time for him. He was in so much pain. Had to have a stint placed in both of his Kidneys because he had stones in both of them. He had to wear around a bag. I wished so much that I could be down there with him, but I needed to be here with the rest of my kids and for my health. John is such an amazing dad....He spent a few nights with no sleep by Curtis' side. This was such a hard time because this was a side effect that was not associated with any of the medications he was on at that time. We were not sure why or when he had developed the stones, but because the amount of doctors and staff that were focusing on Curtis, we knew it was serious. He came home from the hospital wearing a bag, but that did not bother him or slow him down. He is always in a better mood when he is at home. He first hospital stay was ok, but after that he really does not like being admitted because he does not like being hooked up to tubes and stuff. He is such a little trooper, He went back to the Valley on the 1st of March to see if the stones had shrunk, the only thing they had given was orders to drink a lot of lemonade. The lemonade helps to dissolve the stones. When he went in for surgery to they found that all of the stones were gone except for one, which they were able to blast and get rid of. They took out the stints and everything went back to functioning normal. PRAYERS in Curtis' behalf were offered and answered. We are so thankful for that.
Since his kidney stones Curtis has not had to be admitted to the hospital. He goes to the valley weekly still for his treatments, but has done so well! We feel so blessed.
He hadn't lost any of his hair up until JUNE 25, 2012 when he started to lose it. He does not seem bothered at all by that. It helps that so many people who he feels close too also shaved their heads for him. He had a really hard week the first week in July. His legs hurt him really bad, which is a side effect of the intense treatments he was going through.
This month will be his last intense treatment phase, we are thankful that he is doing so well. We are thankful for the love and support so many people have shown to us. We feel so blessed in so many ways.
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