November 9, 2010 in Uncategorized with 6 Comments

Whew! Sorry for the delay in updates. It’s been a busy weekend! Between doctors appointments, our oldest son Seth’s catch up homework (from missing so much during Gray’s hopsital stay), a 5th grade science project to complete and having to keep Gray isolated from the outside world the past few days have been a whirlwind! As you know, Gray was scheduled to be in the hospital three days of this week for a bone marrow harvest but there was a slight change in plans. When we took Grayson for his blood test last Wednesday his white blood cell counts had dropped to around 250. We began giving him his shots again but when we went in on Friday for another blood test his counts had dropped even further to about 50! After seeing that, the doctors decided it would be best to postpone the bone marrow harvest until Gray’s immune system recovered. In order to do the harvest, his immune system not only has to be more normal but his blood counts have to be extraordinarily high! So, now we wait. As of now, Gray’s bone marrow harvest is only pushed back a week and so we will go into the hospital this coming Monday thru Wednesday for that procedure. That means, though, that the week long inpatient chemo treatment scheduled for the week of November 15 will now also be pushed back to the week of Thanksgiving. Bummer. We aren’t too excited to be in the hospital over Thanksgiving but we are still trying to plan a belated Thanksgiving dinner with our family! This morning we have to take Gray back to the hospital for another blood test, to check his white blood cell counts, and also to have a CT Scan. We wanted to share this picture with you all today. On our way home from the hospital on Friday Gray completely passed out in his car seat! We know that all of these tests and doctors visits are taking a toll on him but believe me when he’s up and ready to move…he’s UP AND READY TO MOVE!!!! He’s still a two year old boy with no shortage of energy whatsoever!!!! He just looks like a little angel when he’s sleeping.

Here is Gray doing some light cleaning. Is he OCD or what????

Sick or not Gray is still a kid!! I think he’s ready for Santa to visit!! This picture cracks us up!!

We would like to thank all of you who visited Chili’s in Yukon this past Sunday for the “Give Back to Gray” day. We don’t know how much money was raised during the evening but we are grateful for any amount that comes in and mostly we are thankful for all your support. We also want to thank all of you who have purchased Gray Gear. It may seem like such a small thing to purchase a t-shirt or wristband in support of Gray but it means alot to our family! Sure, the proceeds from the gear are helping us pay our medical bills and Gray’s monthly prescription costs but what’s even more amazing is that we’ve heard stories of kindergarteners wearing their shirts to school and in turn the teacher asking the child’s parents what the shirt is all about. Then those parents get the chance to share Gray’s story with someone we will probably never meet! It’s stories and testimonies like that that give us hope and remind us that even though we feel as if we’re living in a bubble right now and our world seems to have become so small our unaware baby boy is reaching the world! Whether they simply hear about Gray’s story and say a little prayer or dig deeper into Gray’s website and somehow find encouragement in their own lives we know that God is working both in Gray’s body physically and in the spirit realm using Gray to fight for souls. We do ask for your continued prayer for Grayson and our family. Like I said, our world has become so small and our sight so narrow. It takes all we have to simply perform what were before mundane daily chores on top of our new hectic hospital schedule. We just ask for your prayers for our oldest son Seth that he will continue to have peace and to not feel left out of the family in any way. We also ask that you continue to pray for rest for our entire family. Doug’s work schedule doesn’t stop and house chores don’t go away and somehow we have to find a balance in helping Gray get healthy, getting the day-to-day “stuff” done and also finding time for ourselves. Most importantly, though, we ask that you continue praying for a healing in Gray’s body! We know and firmly believe that God has a great plan for our little man. He has a plan greater then anything we, as his parents, could even fathom for him! Please stand with us as we too pray for a miraculous healing in Gray and that the miracle in his life will reach all those who have been touched by our story. Only God can take something like cancer and use it for His glory but we believe that is what He’s going to do!

“We are not sanctified for ourselves. We are called into intimacy with the gospel, and things happen that appear to have nothing to do with us. The first thing God does is get us grounded on strong reality and truth. He does this until our cares for ourselves individually have been brought into submission to His way for the purpose of his redemption. Why shouldn’t we experience heartbreak? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His son. Most of us collapse at the first grip of pain. We sit down at the door of God’s purpose and enter a slow death through self-pity. And all the so-called Christian sympathy of others helps us to our deathbed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His son, as if to say, “Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine.” If God can accomplish His purposes in this world through a broken heart, then why not thank Him for breaking yours?”  -Oswald Chambers