Update

It's been over a month that we've been home. The joy and excitement of being home lasted about two weeks. It was so great to get back into our lives, seeing our friends, co-workers, my students, getting phone calls from well-wishers. John loved sharing his story with his classmates and anyone else who would listen, like people in line at Target or the 800# callers who got through (regardless of being on the no-call list). It was a good two weeks. We loved the quiet, we loved hearing English again, no gunfire, John loved not having an IV in his arm. I loved showering in my own bathroom! We both really liked having American water back - Mexican water seemed dirty, whether you were bathing in it or drinking it. There was constant sand in it, but here, we got our constant snow back. It was all good. Then, reality hit. Work: every day. Making dinner: every day. Paying bills: too often. You know what I mean...
Live is surely back to normal now. We are both wishing to go back - not only for the warmth, but for the nutritious meals that neither of us had to cook or clean up. John's body, on the other hand, is not back to normal which is good, good, good!! He continues to poop everyday - some days he's blessed and gets to go twice! We continue to give praise to God that He got us to Mexico - all the details that had to fall into place happened only by the grace of Him. John is doing so well and we are so proud of him. We got back at the end of January and his 11th birthday was only 2 weeks later. He is on a strict diet, called Aliviazatos, which is not very 11-year-old-birthday friendly. He decided to celebrate with his friends at High Roller Skating Rink. They serve pizza, slushies and pop to all the kids. John could have none of it. The amazing, wonderful thing about it, though, was John was cool with it. Kids in 5th grade still bring treats to their classmates...John decided to share one of the things he can eat with his classmates. He brought SunButter Cookies to school for his class. What a kid! He's working really hard to make sure the live cells regenerate in the best conditions possible. Have I mentioned how proud we are of him?
So, other than the strong reminder of how much John and I hate winter, we are very glad to be back. We are so thankful John continues to do well. The clinic truly does God's work and saves lives. It's so incredibly sad to hear people are dying from cancer, suffering from illnesses when they DON'T NEED TO!!! To anyone reading this who is chronically ill or knows someone who is, you don't have to be sick. You don't. You need to gather a lot of money, make a phone call and get plane tickets. It's easy. And don't roll your eyes about the money issue. If doctors here are doing such a great job for you, why are you still sick or in pain? Just think of the money as all the money you would spend for the rest of your life trying to feel better. Now you take all that money, pool it into one lump sum and off to Mexico you go. Feeling better already, aren't you? You should cuz you don't need to be sick or feel awful or be in pain or whatever your deal is. You don't. Still don't believe me? Maybe you'll believe Dr. Rodriquez - one of the clinic founders. He's coming to La Crosse on May 23 from 9-12. He's speaking about the clinic and all it's services for free at the Radisson. If you want more info, please contact me. If you don't know how to, leave a message on the blog and I'll get in touch with you.
In the meantime, be healthy. Take charge of your health care, question your doctor, demand results that keep you safe and keep you healthy.
Until next posting...

Last Day!

Ever hear the saying, "You know you're done when things come around full circle."? Last night was a perfect example of that old addage. Remember my first post talked about gun fire and the cartel attacking less than a mile from the clinic? Things have been relatively calm and quiet since the second week but last night, tempers flared once again. John and I fell asleep to the sounds of gunfire. In talking with the neighbors, we think it was happening about a half mile from here. Cheese. and. Rice. Someone was using a bigger gun than the others. It started up unexpectedly, then abruptly stopped. As awful as it sounds, I hope they shot each other dead. The world needs less of that kind of crap happening.
Full circle brings me to John's last treatment. All went well, IV is gone (whew!) and he's D.O.N.E.!!!!! I could almost cry (but I won't). We met with the doctor, as well. He gave us a letter for school so they can help us work to get John better and he reviewed his last blood work taken yesterday. All his levels have improved. The only concerning numbers was his CBC (complete blood count). Some of his blood readings were a little low - indicates a virus. This makes sense as he was exposed this weekend with his cousin, Rachel, being a little down with a cold. John probably got some of the virus but his body is working hard to fight it. And work, it can. With all the amino acids, vitamins and minerals he's been infused with these last 3 weeks, he's in prime condition. It's all good! The doctor is very confident John will make a complete recovery and not even need supplements anymore. Hallelujah! He's thinking we should start seeing recovery in 3 or 4 weeks, but it can take up to 6 months. We made return plans for June 15-30 for his booster.

Ahhhhh....so good to be done! Gotta go get packing (our suitcases, not heat - although that's not such a bad idea around here). Signing out for now. Will post a few times as John progesses through his live cell adjustment.

Adios mis amigos!!!!

An Open Response to 5B

First - Steven Bradley in England...we did not receive the book. I'll check with the receptionist tomorrow and follow up with you. In the meantime, please contact me via email. Thanks!!
***********************

Dear 5B,

I got your letters today and I'm going to answer some of the questions you asked. Thank you for writing all those letters to me!
Dear Jaden - How cool that we're playing Smoke on the Water on recorders!
Dear Karissa - Hope you had fun at the varsity girls game.
Dear Bradley - I laughed at some of your funky, weird words.
Dear Renee - Mexico is cold. It's only 80 today. I met some kids at the hospital. Their names are Devon and Roseanne. They're Amish.
Dear Jake - Please stop hurting yourself! Hope you do feel better!
Dear Adam and Seth - Congratulations on winning the snow bowl!
Dear Karley - I've watched some movies. Elf, Sum of All Fears, Saints and Soldiers, Top Gun. I'm reading Hatchet and some of Hotel for Dogs.
Dear Emily - Why did Konnor cry? Thanks for the math problem (no thanks!).
Dear Sami - Sounds like you had fun sledding!
Dear Morgan - I'm doing good in Mexico. Tacos are NOT the same in Mexico as at home.
Dear Taylor - Being in Mexico is kind of boring but not too bad.
Dear Annika - Got your message. Thanks.
Dear Tucker - Hope you don't break any bones at ice hockey or break any teeth! For Christmas, I got a couple of video games, binoculars that takes pictures, a tent and a chair.
Dear Winona - Hope you don't get the flu.
Dear Jarod - When I come back, there's a good chance I will not come back with four stomachs or come back shaped like a cow. I'm not living in the hospital. I live in apartments on hospital grounds.
Dear Sam W - I cannot believe that YOU are playing football. And you can tell Seth that anyone can do anything! The procedures have not half-killed me. The procedures made me lots better! Sorry to hear your fish is dying. I care about that. My grandpa taught me how to read a compass. I can help you when I get back.

For the rest of 5B, thank you for your letters! Boo-hoo...I am crying a river and I'm going to build a bridge and get over it!! with gratitude. haha I'll be back at school on Monday. Our plane gets in at midnight on Thursday night so I'll be home on Friday, unpacking. I think there is no school Friday, anyway.

Thanks for all your letters Everybody!!!!! I can't wait to see Miss Johnson's crazy dances!

John

One Day Left...

Wow - one day left. Amazing how time flies, but we are surely ready to come home. Ready to have our routine back, our food (what we can have of it), our friends, our family but most of all, OUR BEDS!
I couldn't post yesterday as I felt awful. Had a horrible headache that turned into a migraine. Ugh. Slept it off and feel much better today.
Tomorrow we will review all of John's labs and compare them to his first ones when he got here. As of today, however, his Augusti test (the test that measures immunological function) is down to a 2.5 That's perfect. Very, very good. A lot better than the 4.0 it started at!
Will post one more time before we leave tomorrow so you can know his final numbers and prognosis. Until then, hasta manana! :)

Day Ilostcount: Rocket Camp

Try this?? http://www.flickr.com/photos/34491846@N03/show/
Let me know how it works for you?? They're pictures of our entire trip.


This weekend really clinched how well John's treatments are going. Wow. He was full of energy, pooping like a champ, focused and entertaining. Quite a different kid than 3 weeks ago. Three weeks ago, he was lethargic, unfocused, apathetic...even though a lot of people said he seemed fine. Parents can always see the little changes in their own kids. We're spending 24/7 with them, so subtleties are blatant in the world of parent/kid relationships. The changes Carl and I were seeing in John were enough to make us do this and it's definitely been good. My huge fear is that this treatment will be like all the rest from the past ten years. They all have worked...then stopped. We'd have to research, visit a new doctor, try a new med, find a remedy...relentless and endless. I am so praying, and asking you to also, that this is the end all, be all for him. That this is the end of the road. That this is the answer. It was so clear when Carl and I prayed about coming. It was like God was shouting down from heaven, "For the love of me, GO! already! I've made it all work out! Get on the plane!" So we feel this is the place to be, yet...ho-hum. All this back and forth in my mind is tough.
Back to the positive, though. This weekend. What a fun kid we have! He's got a great sense of humor (it was hot, so he took off his shoes and said, "Goodbye Shoes! Hello socks!") and he's full of energy. For once, I am tired hanging out with him. Before, I'd have to pull teeth to get him to run around with me, bike, whatever...now I'm the one pooping out (oh! ha-ha, get it? - no pun intended) before him. That's so great!
On Friday after treatment, we headed up to San Diego to visit his cousin one last time before coming home (in less than a week - hurray!!). John and Jacob went to Rocket Camp with Jacob's Webelo pack. On Saturday morning, we drove about two hours southwest (toward Arizona) to the Imperial Valley Desert. The boys got a 45 minute lesson in building rockets and rocket safety, then they got to start building their rockets. Pretty soon rockets were launching high into the sky. It continued all day when we finally left around 4:30. It was so awesome being out in the desert! Did you know that it's not just movie magic that people actually ride around in the desert on dirt bikes - for fun, all weekend long!? They bring out their RV's and/or tents, adult beverages and bikes and just tear it up! I was soooooooooooo jealous! I so wanted to "make friends" with some biker so I could take a bike out. I rode out in New Zealand and have wanted a dirt bike since then, so it was awesome to feel the excitement again! John was all about the ATV's running around, as well as the really cool dirt buggies. What a FUN time. There was another group of people with a gi-normous catapult. They were catapulting different melons. It was so cool to see them fly through the air and splat! all over the desert floor. Some desert animals were going to eat well that night! We got home around 7 and everyone was really ready for bed.
On Sunday, Rob (my brother-in-law) and I went for a run up Iron Mountain (near their house). We ran 2000 ft up, then back down. I am SO sore right now...But God, it was beautiful. John, on the other hand, went bike riding. Here's what he had to say about it:
On Sunday afternoon, we went for a bike ride for about three miles. It was a HUGE PAIN! My bike tire was a little flat and it was super hard to pedal. But, I had fun rock climbing. We climbed near a waterfall, so if you missed a rock or slipped you'd fall into the water or get seriously hurt (mom here: good thing I wasn't there or John would have nothing to report about...).
We took the train back to the border Sunday afternoon and was once again reminded of how truly, truly blessed we are. Every time we take the train south, we see new poverty. I just cannot get over the fact that people live in such conditions. It utterly blows my mind. It only reinforces my desire to teach - knowledge is the way to bigger and better things.
Here are some pictures from the weekend:




Going through the border: Mexico to US








Building the rockets...









"Clear to the left, clear to the right. Insert key. IGNITE!"













We've got take-off!














John and Jacob (r) returning from rocket retrieval.













Pack 109, Poway, evening ceremonies.

Day 17: High Hopes

Took the trolley from America Plaza to Qualcomm Stadium to meet Lisa (Carl's sister) for the weekend. We were picked up in San Ysidro (the border) by a friend of a friend and got a tourist perspective on Coronado Island - where Camp Pendleton is located. Saw about 75 new recruits jogging down the road, loaded with their packs and in full greens. It was breathtaking. John is going to participate in Rocket Camp out in the desert tomorrow. He had one and a half treatments this morning and will have the same on Monday when we get back. He ends his treatments on Wednesday, then it'll take a day of travel to get home late Thursday night. I can hardly believe we're on the end of this journey. John's overall health has improved so much, it's shocking. First, from a physiological level, when we first arrived his body was not functioning very well. His blood work showed lower levels of different functions and his overall immunological functioning was horrible (a 4 out of 5, 5 being the worst). He had a reading same as some of the cancer patients. It was really scary. But, he came down fast. By the second week, he was at a 3, now he's at a 2.5. He'll have one more blood draw on Monday and we get a final reading on Tuesday. I'm so anxious to know how he's doing now. His other levels have come down, also. The only one I'm still not completely comfortable with his is thyroid levels. My side of the family has a quality history of thyroid dysfunction, so it wasn't entirely surprising to see John's numbers. However, instead of being on the LOW side like most in my family are, he's on the HIGH side. That makes me a little nervous. Granted, he's still in the normal range, just on the high end of normal. Given all his little idiosyncrasies in his body, if it's not smack in the middle of normal, I'm not happy. This is just another "thing" to get used to with him until it changes. I am focusing on the all the other positives at this time, though. I cannot believe how well his little body has taken to his treatment, how it's accepted everything it's been given (no rejection, no illness) and is continuing to synthesize all the new material. I have very high hopes for his treatment and look forward to his continued wellness. It'll be so incredibly interesting to go back in June and see where his numbers lie.
It also helps to be surrounded by such enormously positive people. How can you not think positive and have such hope when the people around you are brain cancer survivors, liver cancer survivors, people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome completely cured, people with MS who can hardly walk when the come in yet leave carrying their own bags. The success stories go on and on. If they can improve so much, what's a little poop issue? High hopes. That's what we have.
From a "boy" perspective, John has improved a ton, also. Before we came here, John wasn't too rambunctious. He played around, ran around, yeah...but he peetered out pretty quick or would prefer to play video games or watch TV. Now he's a B.O.Y. Totally. He cannot sit still (sorry Miss Johnson), he's wrestling all the time, paying attention (I think Miss Johnson will like that!), shying away from TV. "C'mon mom! Let's go kick the ball!"
"C'mon mom! Let's go race up and down the road!"
"C'mon mom! Let's go chase the cats!"
"C'mon mom! Jump on the tramp with me!" On and on it goes. It's really, really great to see. Tiring for an old lady like me, but great. It will be nice to get home so I have someone to share the running with (get out the running shoes Carl!). Ironman can't compete with his energy level! I guess his downward trend was slow enough we didn't notice. Now that he's back to being a regular kid, I look back and see how sick being constipated made him. There's a huge difference in "going" everyday and not.
We truly have everything good to say about IBC. Even the violence that surrounds the center pales in comparison to what they can do for people. High Hopes.

Day 17: La Bufadora (The Blowhole)

No, I'm talking about some patient here that won't shut up. Or a doctor full of hot air. Not at all. I'm talking about a real, life blowhole located in Ensenada, MX. It's about two hours south of here, right along the coast. It's one of seven in the world (or so we're told). The blowhole is actually a very small crack in the rocks that line the coast. When the tide crashes against the rocks, it forces the water up and out...the water blows out the rock. It was really cool!





After we (Viola, Delilah, Norma, Dave, Tom and us) saw the blowhole, we shopped a little bit along the main road...ugh! I hate the Mexican vendors. They don't let up! One guy wouldn't let me leave his shop and repeatedly asked me to spend my money in Mexcio. I took out my "teacher voice" and gave him a little talk about how I AM spending my money in Mexico and plenty of it! I told him to back off and that no meant no! He put his hands up and said in the best Valley voice I've heard in a long time, "Well, Oh My God!" I stomped off just peeved. What a jerk. We found a nice little restaurant right next to the ocean. We ate a nice lunch and watched about 25 whales swimming near the cove, blowing their water. It was so cool! I felt like we were in the Mediterrean. The sun was shining on the water, making it shimmer like diamonds. The rolling hills were draped like a soft blanket around the water and there were beautiful white houses dotted along the hillside. We could hear the surf crashing below us and see it hitting the rock outcroppings. It was just so surreal. Our driver, Victor, was sharing stories about growing up in Ensenada (now he lives in Tijuana). John was thrilled to be able to order some chicken nuggets. His thrill was squashed just a little when his order arrived with rice, refried beans and salad. No fries here! Interestingly, after two weeks of organic, whole food the nuggets didn't agree with him very well. He got a pretty good tummy ache but dealt with it like the little man he is. There were no public bathrooms there, either. If you had to go, you paid .50 (American) to use the toilet and .25-.50 for toilet paper. One toilet we went into even charged extra if you wanted the toilet seat!!











After Ensenada, we drove to the beach - La Mission. We stuck our feet in the water and we played football a little bit. The water was a bit chilly - 58 or so. Nothing that a little wetsuit couldn't handle! Right, Ron - we've done colder!