Michael is playing more with toys and he even asked to have noodles with meatballs for dinner. He then actually ate what he asked for to eat. He is still drinking his power drink to gain weight. He has gained a couple of pounds since the surgery. We are waiting for Michael's next MRI/CT scan. They are trying to change it from the 10th to this week. I am waiting to find out if it has changed. We hope to find out from the scans that Michael is in remission. Please pray for remission for Michael.

Saturday news

Michaels doing well. He is done with his Antibiotics and is beginning to eat more. He is enjoying being home as is Cathy.

We wish you all a happy Thanksgiving as God continues to bless our family may he bless you all.

russ

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I have been thinking about all the things we have to be thankful for and here are a few:

1. Michael is still alive!
2. The surgery went so well and allowed him to move to recover without the respirator.
3. The recovery went just as well. Within 24 hours Michael was on the 7th floor.
4. Prayers of so many people, churches of many different denominations. What a wonderful Godly support team. Our goal is reach out to the world to pray for Michael. We have many of the states in the US (like Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arizona, California, Oregon, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Pennsylvania) . The countries that we have currently is: Costa Rica, Honduras, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Europe, China, South Korea, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada
5. Good Doctors and Nurses we have had over the last 7 months.
6. Research for this almost unknown cancer.
7. The cancer cell number staying normal now for three week.
8. Micheal starting to eat a bit again.
9. Michael smiling again and laugh as I right this message.
10. Our family together again. Always cherish your families.
11. Michael possibly in remission (hope to find out in the next two weeks)
12. Spending time with family
13. Good Insurance to pay the medical bills.
14. Wonderful friends
15. The MRI and CT scan never showed new growth.
16. Michael has begun to eat again. He is trying new things slowly.
17. Recovery of Michael's immunity through out his cycles.
18 Michael has finally started smiling and laughing again. He has even started to say more words, even tho he has lost some of his hearing in both ears.
19. Great church family's that have supported us through it all.
20. A wonderful house to live in that is heated.
21. Food to eat

I would continue typing more but Michael wants me to get him a toy.

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Psalm 34:1

Hope every one has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Michael hopefully had his last chemo treatment today. We will find out in the next couple of weeks if he is finished with chemo. Michael is walking around and smiling more. He is eating a little bit more solid food and still drinking his tea. He is even laughing now when you kiss his neck, tickle him, or get his ears. He has grown another 1/2 inch. He is now 34.5 inches long. This is all a good sign.

We sure have a lot to be thankful for this year. I know many at our church have much to be thankful for as well.

Michael seems to be talking and walking more. He does have a bit of pain and cramps right now. He has one more day of Irinotecan and then one more day Wednesday of Vincristine. His busy schedule of antibiotics will be finished on November 27th. It will be nice to spend more then 5 days at home next month. We are waiting to find out if he can get an MRI/CT scan done on December 8th. We have to wait for someone to cancel their scan. We have been visiting Gramme and Granddad since Wednesday last week. We hope to be home in the next few days. I am so tired, five and a half hours a night to sleep is not enough for me, but soon the antibiotics will stop and Michael and I will be able to get a good nights sleep. Thank Don for your kind gift. Thanks everyone for sending Michael cards and thank you for praying for Michael and our family.

Friday

Michaels at the hospital again today for a hearing test and more chemo.
A busy weekend this week with trips into the Hospital for chemo each day till monday.
We are pleased though that the hard work by the doctors, and the powerful prayers by all the supporting people and churches is really working well.
God Bless
Russ Dyer

Talk what we will of faith, if we do not trust and rely upon Him, we do not believe in Him.
Antony Farindon


This is so true....


Michael went to the clinic to get labs, chemo and to see the doctor. Before we left the clinic we got the results of his labs and the numbers were wonderful. He is getting a little more willing to try more solid foods. He is drink a little more of his is hot tea. The best news was his cancer cell number. He now is normal!!! YEAH The number was 5.5. Normal range for any person is between 0-7.9. In early December Michael will have scans done to determine if anything remains in his body. If the scans are clear they will stop the chemo or do one final round of resting chemo to get any single cells still floating around. Then the wait and see each month. The further out Michael goes the better chance the cancer will not come back. More info to come when we have it.

Monday News

Michael is still doing well and enjoying being at home.
He will get Chemo beginning Thursday but this should not be too hard on him as he has had that before and not been affected too hard.

Michaels still got several days of Antibiotics left also which is keeping Cathy and I up later as the Antibiotics are Intravenous drips.

God bless and Thankyou for all your prayers.
Russ

I read this today and just had to post it. David Jeremiah sends out daily messages. This one was sent the day after Michael's surgery.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.
James 1:2

Recommended Reading
1 Peter 1:3-7

Many things about the kingdom of God seem odd to those who are not its citizens. Kingdom citizens gain by giving, live by dying, and become great by becoming least. But perhaps the greatest oddity in the kingdom of God is when Christians find joy in pain and suffering. There is something unnatural about rejoicing in the midst of trials.

But a clarification must be made. The Bible says we are to give thanks "in everything," not "for everything." The Bible is transrational, not irrational; it represents thinking at a higher level, not a lower level. "In" the experience of trials and trouble, joy can still be found because we know that every experience has a purpose and place in God's plan for our lives. Who would not find joy in having his faith proved to be genuine? Peter writes that trials and suffering come for that very reason: to prove that the faith we cling to is the real thing (1 Peter 1:6-7). In such revelation and confirmation is found true joy.

If you are experiencing a painful moment in your life right now, you don't have to fake having joy "for" the pain. Your joy is to be in the knowledge that God is in control and your faith in Him is unshakeable.

We are home!!! yeah but we have to continue on IV antibiotics for 14 days. I have to alternate the two antibiotics so I have something to give Michael every few hours. I am so glad to be home. Michael seems to like the idea of being home as well. He finally got a negative on his lab results. That means his line should no longer have an active infection in them. We have switched from the hep.locks for his broviac to ethanol lock for his lines. That should keep his lines from getting infected. Michael's scar is starting to look better. Some areas have dried up but other areas are still running a tiny bit.

Michael will be busy once again at the end of the week. He will start his resting chemo on the 19th. That may be his final chemo. They will then do a CT/MRI scan in early December to see the results from everything. We may even get a new scan this next week to see if the cancer cell is normal. The doctors seem very pleased with the progress so far. We are very pleased with Michael's progress. What a whirl wind so far. We will not know what to do with our self in February when things calm down and get somewhat back to normal. That is if everything looks good on the CT/MRI in December.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. You will never know what a blessing it has been to hear so many people saying they are praying for Michael. People we have never meet and many we hope to meet. Then those that have been dear friends for years. Thank you all! I believe your prayer asking God for a healing has gotten us to were we are today. May God return your kindness and love.

Michael is walking around good now. He pushes his little shopping trolley around the hospital's 7th floor. He is beginning to smile more and even laugh a bit. He is not completely recovered but he is getting close. He still has a line infection but we hope the new labs that were drawn today will show it is gone. We will not find out til tomorrow morning. We did get the report back from the labs on the cancer and lymph that was removed. The cancer was confirmed to be Hepatoblastoma and the lymph node was confirmed to be free of cancer. Our next step is to follow up with a couple rounds of chemo. and in early December have the CT/MRI to confirm he is cancer free.

Michael has been walking around a lot today. He has found the little shopping cart in the play room and has been pushing it around the halls today. He has been playing more but still grumpy. He still has a line infection and they are trying to save his broviac line that they put his chemo through. We are starting a new line study. It helps get rid of infections in the line. If his line is negative tomorrow it will show that the antibiotics are working. If it is positive then we will still continue with the antibiotics but add the new meds to his line. We hope to be home by Saturday. We will have to see what the next few days hold.

We hope all of you are doing well and making it through the flu season.

Michael has walked a bit further today. He still does not like it but is moving. He is drinking well so that is also good news. But the bad news is he is fighting a urinary track infection and his lines somehow got infected. They have him on Antibiotics to kill the bugs. We will have to see in the next day or two if the current antibiotics are taking care of the infections. If the line infection continues they may take is broviac out temporally. He would have to have it back in by the end of November. Pray for the infection to go away and that he can finally come home.

Please continue to pray for Michael as he recovers.

Michael has now been walking a little bit today. He wanted to go for a stroll so bad that he was willing to walk over to his stroller to go for a ride. He is such an amazing little boy. When they took the drainage tube out he did not even cry just said ouch. I feel so bad that I can not do anything about the doctors hurting him. They have to do their job. He looked at me like why did you let him do that to me mom. He is now sitting on the bed with dad and playing with his car that is like dads car. They are watching TV together while I get a break and type this message. Michael is beginning to look so much better.

Monday

Michael continues to recover from his Surgery. His abdominal drainage tube has now been removed and he is no longer limited to clear liquids.
He is talking and enjoying rides along the corridors in his stroller.
More later
Russ

Michael wanted to go for a ride in the stroller. The next step is to walk. He is not ready yet but will be soon. He is now off the morphine and is on oxycodine for the pain and the doctors said that he could be off that in a couple more days. He seems to be doing well. He may be able to have his tea to drink soon. He seems to really want his tea so that is a good sign as well. I bought a toy car from the hospital that looks like daddy's car and it is now his favorite toy. He even slept with the car in his hand. He is sitting on the bed with daddy and enjoying his time with daddy. Makayla and Tristan are spending time with grandma and granddad. Thanks mom and dad. I finally got to sleep through the night. The first time since the 4th. It was so noisy in the PICU and Michael was not sleeping well the first night up on the 7th floor. Michael and I really needed the sleep we got last night.

Thank you all for your prayers, What an amazing God we serve!

Even tho Michael has made it through this step we have to get through a couple more rounds of chemo and then 5 years of being clear to be finished. So keep the prayer for Michael going, and thanks again.

all going well

Michaels now off the morphine and drinking and peeing well.
He is talking more and now we will work to get him more mobile.
We would like him to be trying to walk in the next day or two.
More later.
Russ

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Michael second day after surgery

Michael is doing well and we are starting to see signs of him wanting to talk more. We have started to move him around a little bit and tomorrow may try to get him to take a couple of steps. He may not be up to walking tomorrow, but we will give it a try. Good luck guys with the concert tonight. Do well tonight daddy. We wish we could have been their with you today.

On 7th floor

Michael is now in room 7523 Bed 1 of a twin room.


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Gallbladder info

We found out that they took out his gallbladder because where the tumor was was at the same area that the gallbladder attaches to the liver.
More later
Russ

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Michaqel rested overnight and is sleeping as i type this.
His immune system is really healthy. Its at 8 where the normal range is 2 to 10.
He recieved blood overnight as his hemogloban was on the low side.
Not a lot of drainage from the operation.
He is set to move up to the 7th floor later ths morning.
Great progress overall.
God bless

Russ

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interesting

Cathy found out that they removed Michaels Gold Bladder. Not sure why and not sure why the surgeon didnt mention this.
Should know more tomorrow.
Russ

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Michael is Sleeping

Michael is sleeping peacefully. Recovering from a hard days work and looking good for a move to the 7th floor tomorrow.
good bless.
more tomorrow
Russ

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Michael in the ICU

Michaels is ICU

Michael is making good progress and they are saying he will be out of ICU tomorrow and back up on the 7th floor.
More tomorrow.
Russ

Michaels awake and talking

Michaels awake and talking. Hes getting pain meds so will probably drift off to sleep in a bit.
Hes looking great. Still in recovery.
god bless.
Russ

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Michaels in recovery

Michaelt in recovery.
Should move to icu shortly
Russ

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Great news

We talked to the surgeon.
He was able to remove the entire tumor without taking the whole lobe of the liver.
He also removed a lymphnode area that looked swolen and the initial pathology on that was negative for cancer.
Michael should be cancer free now and will be in ICU in an hour or so.
God Bless

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update from O.R.

They have removed the tumor from his liver. Yeah.
The sent samples of the site beside his liver to pathology for testing. the initial reading is that they are lymphnodes and its not cancerous but we are waiting on the final results.
The chemo doctor said all is calm and relaxed in the O.R. which is better than the panic last time.

they are waiting in the O.R to see if the final reading on the lymphnodes is cancer or not. If it remains negative then they will finish and move to recovery.
Michael continues to do. Very well.
thankyou for your prayers.
More later.
Russ



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we got another update from the o.r.
michael is doing well.
they still dont know whether they will do the pie shaped removal or the entire lobe of the liver.
more later
russ

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Still waiting

We have no News updates so are assuming all is going well.
Russ

No more.News yet

Still waiting.
Lunch soon as we were up at 5:30 this morning.
god bless
Russ

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The surgeon just called down to let us know that he was beginning his work.
The head nurse told us Michael is doing great so far.
more later
Russ

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9:30 no news

9:30 and the wait continues.
The Surgeon will have begun to perform the Operation a few minutes ago after the initial prep of lines getting put it and stuff.
more later
Russ

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michaels in the O.R

Michael went to the O.R at 8:15.
it will be about an hour to do all the lines and stuff and then the surgeon will begin.
More later
Russ

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Wednesday News

Surgery is on for Tomorrow, but has been moved up to 8:30am.
We have to be there at 7:30am !

So we will be up as 5:30am ..... :-(

please pray for Michael to have a successful operation and for God protection while he is in the hospital.

Thankyou all,
Russ

Tuesday News

Michael was a little restless last night. We beleive he had an upset tummy which we worked with and today he appears to be a little better.
We continue to work hard to keep him healthy to make the Thursday operation schedule.

God bless
Russ

Monday News

Michaels had hi blood tests and all his levels appear to be good.
we are waiting on a call from the doctors to confirm the Operation Thursday Morning.
God Bless