St. Patrick's day 2009,

We went to the local Irish Pub, were bummed as they were out of Deep Fried Pickles.


The long haired dark girl is Lori, She is the one who has the son many have prayed for over his pluroblasonoma Cancer. He is back in school 1/2 days. The Red haired lady..is Shelly, my friend and In TKD with the kids, and Jamie is Lori's Hairdresser and she is a WILD one. She has a PURSE that is like Dora's backpack and had EVERYTHING in it!!



My hub Don posted these, I will post more later. Thank you to Shelly for buying for us tonight. I was drinking Tonic Water (refreshing!!), and Don his No alcohol beers.

Jake, age 9 Pluera Pulmonary Blastoma

Jake is down in Ann Arbor this weekend for the full dose of chemo therepy. Jake's mom is very sad, as one of the other mom's she came to know, lost her child today. It's not easy.

The entire community came together tonight for an auction benefit. There were so many donations the event site was too small. The live auction was incredible. An INCLUSIVE 7 day stay at Cancun, a 1969 Snowmobile (Only in Michigan)-- that still ran and was "revved" up for everyone, leather coats, 4 Detroit tiger tickets, Nascar tickets, gift baskets. Over 10 thousand dollars was raised. AND, My personal Scoop of the night for son< MARIO PHONE.



I also bought a new table, one of the 6 ft plastic church type tables for 20 dollars, and a couple other goodies.

New ideas

Well the school I'm on the Board is trying to be innovative. Instead of offering middle of the road crap, they are going to start an "entrepreneurial Center". This I"m sure will morph into other ideas, but a place where kids can experiment with Business. It will be interesting to see where it goes.
HOPEFULLY
Little Jake With Cancer will be able to come home tomorrow or even today IF his fever remains down. He has Massive infection in blood and his "port" site, so will be on 4 antibiotics.

Ok its LATE or EARLY, I gotta get on the Road...icy snowy roads!!

Jake, age 9 Pluera Pulmonary Blastoma

Jake was rushed to the U of M hospital last week with a fever of 104 degrees. He has remained there all week. He is STILL there. He's fighting fever, blood infection, pulling his "port" where they do most of the medicine out, mouth cancer sores etc.
Please Continue to remember him in your thoughts, and ...maybe, just maybe, ask God to give him a break.

Jake, age 9 Pluera Pulmonary Blastoma

http://www.caringbridge.org enter in the "ENTER WEBSITE NAME" jakejsmith
IT MIGHT be under Jacob Smith....I can't quite seem to figure it out.

Jake Got home from his emergency visit on Weds, and today, Friday, is back for his 3rd visit for chemo. His hair has started to come out.
On the Journal site, his dad writes:
"The surgeons had removed a tumor the size of a grapefruit from his lower left lung. The miligant tumor was sent to pathology to determine the type. We were told we would have the results by the middle of the week. Wednesday December 12, 2007 the pathology results were in and the tumor was determined to be pleura pulmonary blastomia (PPB). They explained to us that PPB is a very aggressive and extremly rare cancer with less than 10-12 cases being reported each year. Dr. Magee had mentioned to us that there is a registry on the internet which is dedicated to this disease www.ppbregistry.org . The site is headed up by Dr. Jack Priest who is the most experienced oncologist and has dedicated his life to this disease."

catch up

This and that since I feel like I don't have any time to really put down my thoughts.

Here's a pic of my middle I found online



The picture was titled "God and I time"...just what I think every mom wishes DEEP DOWN their kids could sit around and do all day...read the bible without being freaks. This picture just gives me some peace.

My job:
Started teaching last week, had just ONE class, with few students who are bright, shy and small town.
This week, added on two more classes, one done by tv at the same time as a 23 LIVE classroom. Students, new to this learning environment, it's WAYY too many to teach at one time, so very challenging...that is the one day this week both had school, and it wasn't canceled for weather reasons. I have to drive a LOT, and since I haven't been working...HELLO...gas money is near non existent. Pop cans have been returned (all $4.00 worth), change gathered...Yah..its tough.

JAKE: was taken into the hospital Sunday night, transferred down to U of M by ambulance. His good blood counts were VERY low, and his very high temp lowered.
He was able to return to home yesterday night. He goes BACK for treatment three on Friday.

Parenting classes:
I have 3 sessions coming up in the community. When I say 3 'sessions'...ONE session is 3 weeks long-2 nights each week, Next is the same, next is an 8 hour one dayer. I enjoy teaching LOVE AND LOGIC, it is a great way to raise kids, is non stressful, and doesn't rely on stupid points, tickets, markers or anything else. It trys to put the responsibility of poor choices back on the chooser (usually a kid). I've taught it many times to parent groups, and also to Teachers as "Love and Logic in the Classroom" as classroom management. ..and in a search for L &L I found this person's blog post about it: http://elliepickett.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/more-lessons-from-love-ang-logic/


AND...some old "group" members just IM'd me...he has a XBOX with about 50 games that he is giving my son for free. He was given a XBOX 360 for Christmas. God is really so amazing to us, that although we have made the choices WE have, to try and be physically around for our kids, which cuts down on the amount/kind of work I do, HE GIVES us stuff that money can buy...does that make sense?
WHOO HOO.

Jake, age 9 Pluera Pulmonary Blastoma

Jake was taken into the local emergency room last night for fever 102.6, and they transferred him down to the University of MIchigan by ambulance.
He is doing better there, his blood counts were VERY low, but now his fever is down. He was given antibiotics, and they are watching him.

Jake, age 9 pleura pulmonary blastoma

Made it through Treatment # 2, back home now.
WHEW.
whats that....35 more to go.

Jake, age 9 Pluera Pulmonary Blastoma

Jake goes back for more chemotherapy tomorrow already.

Jake, age 9 Pluera Pulmonary Blastoma

Please continue to pray for our little friend Jake. He went to U of M cancer center Friday, got his "Med port" for the chemicals to be poured into his system.
This makes it easier so he doesn't have to keep getting IV sites, is deeper, and less trauma overall.
He also started his first round of Chemotherapy. He got a three hour dose of one med, a three hour dose of another and a six hour dose of another.
He was quite sick through the night, throwing up etc.
His little stomach started spasming this morning, they were able to give him some medicine that worked quickly.

We are watching their dog Brody. We are not really dog people. He is winning us over. He ..um..well...um...slept in our bed last night!! He is not nearly as hyper as he used to be, however with 3 cats in the house..its been a circus keeping them separated.

I sent Jake's mom this verse this morning, (we text each other a lot) "For I the Lord Your God will hold thy right hand saying unto thee, be not afraid". Jake's mom and dad are believing that Jake will be the Miracle docs are looking for, that he will be able to survive fully, and help many other children who get this.


Pluera Pulmonary Blastoma This rare tumor of the lung primarily occurs in childhood. It usually appears as a pulmonary and or pleural-based mass and is characterized histologically by a primitive, variably mixed blastematous and sarcomatous appearance. It generally has a poor prognosis but a combination of surgical removal and chemotherapy may lead to cures in select cases.Further research of this new family cancer syndrome may provide insight into the genetic basis of these diseases.
This was just found in 1988.
Jeremiah 33:6
" 'Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.

2008 Happy New year, Kids, Cancer Pluera Pulmonary Blastoma

We had a great time last night going out with our Friends Who I will call the "SMITH" family.
We went out last year with them and three years ago, we had our "small group" New Years Eve party. So..we have a history.
We have kids about the same age, and now, our kids are old enough that a MIRACLE has occurred! WE NO LONGER GET A BABYSITTER! Of Course we leave them food, phones and video games, movies and chips and pop, Guitar Hero and Chocolate Cookies, Chip Dip and FIREWORKS. We told them they had to wait till we got back for the fireworks, because we are responsible parents like that.
This year has drastically changed all of us. I lost my job, was in the hospital, spoke a funeral, helped another woman do something I never thought I would do, swam a lot, drank a lot, cooked a lot, parented a lot.
Our kids love each other. Two of our kids got sick together recently. Mine, with the 6 week battle of pneumonia. Their Jake, had pneumonia at the same time. Neither of them were getting better, Jake was hospitalized. After the local hospital could do nothing for him, they sent him to THE BIG CITY for more treatment. They decided to try and drain some of the fluid that was on his lung.
It wasn't pneumonia.
I've had to wait weeks to even write about this as it is very fresh, and I guess I needed time to let it sink in. Jake has Cancer. Jake is nine years old. They removed a growth bigger than a grapefruit from under his lung. The Cancer if very Rare, PLEURA PULMONARY BLASTOMA. It has only been studied since 1988.
When My little one heard me talking about the cancer, she had to ask, "Now mom...is it ME or JAKE that has Cancer"? We had them over last week, and my middle kid, not quite understanding, but willing to do whatever it took to help Jake, asked...:"Is the cancer contagious?". It broke my heart.
We went out to eat, and drink some adult beverages, not nearly as many as last year and got back home as we all wanted to watch the "Ball" drop with the kids.
We had a circle of prayer that was very touching. Jake prayed about his cancer, about losing his hair, his mom prayed for Jake to be the Greatest example to the Doctor's and medical world and my middle one, Prayed..that "this year would begin with tears, and we would go out with Joy"...and quoted Pastor Chad's sermon Sunday.
This year will change all of us, it already has.
My Mom Helen 77, is in the hospital. I took her to ER on Sunday after church as she couldn't walk, couldn't get her shoes on, and was in so much pain she wanted to die. They gave her antibiotics and were going to send her home. I said, "I'm not taking her home". The ER doc looked at me like I was NUTS, and I explained that they had NOT determined WHY her feet were so bad, and I was NOT comfortable taking her home until a CAUSE was determined. They Finally got her admitted, did blood tests and they think she had GOUT, CELULITIS and something else. She is on 17 prescriptions for heart, blood pressure, depression etc.
Her word of wisdom was, as she was laying in bed, thinking about things, "I can't Believe I am as old as I am. I don't think I should be. There are lots of thing I want to do, places I want to go, and lots more men to fuck.".
From your mouth to God's ear mom.