sup

 

 

 

https://goo.gl/A7W9bv

 

 

 

anndalyn cheney

 

First day of school!!

Ellie started Kindergarten and Camden is in a full day of first grade! Big changed around here! So far so good!

This is so Ellie!

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/living/2013/04/29/orig-jtb-distraction-worry-about-yourself.youtube.html


Anndalyn Hobbs

Last home shot!

Tonight was the final shot of six in the past 2 weeks! The first week we gave Camden a free app a day for each shot. This week is media free week so he hasn't had an iPad to play with. Subsequently, the rewards for the past 3 nights came from his Kenzie Case (bag of goodies given to him at the clinic from a family who started a charity in memory of their daughter who lost her fight with cancer). In this picture he's putting the last needle (covered of course) in the pokey box. He's holding the cool new car he got from the bag. He has 3 more days of chemo in the pill form at home and then he gets a 2 week break (not from appts, just actual daily drugs). This will give his bone marrow time to recover before a spinal tap on the 17th. Then we go to every 10 days of treatment for 8 weeks! A breather! Today Camden was casted for specialty orthotics to help with some neuropathy issues. I look forward to seeing progression from that! He needs to regain confidence in his balance and trust in his feet now that physical therapy and time has helped him regain his strength.

I heard from a friend today who's child had been getting sick often and getting fevers often. Enough to get her worked up and emotional about it. I told her to go get her blood work done to at least rule out leukemia. Test results came back very worrisome. More tests and blood work to be done before any diagnosis is final.
I think I need to help educate parents of the typical signs (and not so typical signs like Camden and his foot pain). Both of our pediatricians didn't consider blood work. I'm lucky a specialist recommended it for Cam. She actually stopped us on the way out the door to ask that we do it right then and there. She acted on a hunch. If drs are missing the signs or not listening for or acting on promptings, parents need to know the signs themselves. We sure as heck know there is more going on then growing pains in the feet for 3 months or catching every cold/flu in a season or 3. I'll start by writing a post about what I know about signs of leukemia. But not tonight. I've got one more pill to give Camden and then we are going to sleep!
PS, one of my dearest friends is a physician and I am by no means condoning pediatricians/physicians. This friend in particular encouraged me to see the specialist and explained Hem/Onc to me. I just see the need for better educating the general public. Parents. I think instead of "raising awareness" by putting an orange ribbon on my bumper I'd rather raise awareness of the signs of the cancer to those I know and love, if not further. To catch it as soon as possible and stop the pain but start the healing.
PSS- I think Camden's bald head is so cute. We are enjoying bald jokes these days, so pass them along if you know any. We laugh about needing to get ready to go extra early to get Cam and Daddy's hair done ;)

Media Free Week

This is day 2 of media free week. Hike this morning, pick up house, friends for BBQ and swim, at least 10 books, snuggles and now, puppet show for baby.
I wonder what would have been missed if one or all of our children had a chance to put their faces in from of a screen? I bet, most of it. As a family, we have designated one week per month to be a media free week. No tv, no movies, no wii, no iPads no DS, no leapster, no Internet browsing for mom and dad, no Facebook browsing, no pinterest. Just phone, good music for us all to listen to together and email if needed (mainly for Daddy).
We made an even LOnGER list of all the things we can do (posting this is one of them). The kids are doing great. I wonder how Pat is doing sometimes but I probably shouldn't :) I know this decision will be soooo good for all of us! On to a healthier and happier life! Join us!!

The fighter

Hip hip hurray!!!

Kindergarten Graduation

Sitting here in the bleachers waiting for Pat to come and for Camden's graduation ceremony to start in 5min. I could really get emotional if I let myself think about this entire school year of His. It has been a journey. Who would have known all that would have come to pass in the last 9 month for this sweet boy. I'm do proud of him. He is pretty special. Just finished a 7 hour day of chemo before heading home for tacos and nursing the baby and getting back in the car to get here.
In the program, Camden said he wants to be an animal scientist when he grows up. Thee also made Principal's Pride list All Year. Thank you Mrs. Underwood. I couldn't be a prouder mommy.

Anndalyn Hobbs

Bald week

This week is going down in Hobbs history.
It all started mid afternoon on Tuesday. The kids were fighting and Camden was sent to his room to cool down. When I went down to chat with him he said there was dog hair in his mouth. We don't have a dog but I just figured he was being silly and dramatic which is not uncommon when he's got steroids in his system and is worked up. He said he wanted to take a nap while I took the others swimming. He came out to tell me he wanted to take a shower so we got that going and I stepped back out with the kids and Camden started screaming for me. Again, with steroids in him, I wasn't alarmed by the screaming. When I opened the shower door, Cam was holding out his hands and they were covered in blonde hair and he was whimpering. I stroked my hand over his head and sure enough, it was falling out rapidly. What a shock. At first I wanted to just step into the water with him, hold him and cry. Then our game plan for this moment came to mind and I asked him if he wanted to have a shaving party and invite our two bald friends. He immediately changed his attitude and we began the party planning. He asked for cheese pizza and peanut butter cookies. I was still emotional about it and broke down to the first friend I invited, Kellie Greer. Camden is obsessed with her bald husband and close friends with their daughter, Marley. Once the tears were out of my system and Ellie and Autrey called me out ("Mom, why are you crying??"), I focused on the party planning and didn't have time to be sad anymore. Camden wanted to call it a Bald Party. The three kids decorated a banner that we hung in the living room that read "welcome to my bald party!". Pat picked up pizzas and friends brought fruit to share. The last minute party got big, fast. I love a big party but it was overwhelming for Camden. I read the book "Chemo to the Rescue" to all of the kids and Camden showed off his port. We talked about why his hair was falling out. After dinner we began the hair buzzing ceremony. To our surprise 5 of his friends shaved their heads too! (that includes Autrey's Mohawk). It took some bribing for Cam to come out to the party and let me shave his head. Camden screamed throughout his entire hair cut. No smiles that night. The next morning he woke up feeling much better. We had a bald party part 2 that late afternoon. His friend Aaron came with his head buzzed, we buzzed off Autrey's Mohawk and bic'd Camden's head. The hansen's came too and Isaac let me buzz his head too. With this smaller crowd he was fine. Not so many people talking to him and cheering him. Just casual and relaxing. I hope to get a picture soon of all these boys together! The 3rd party was this morning. We bic'd Pat's head and buzzed Braddock. Uncle Jared buzzed his head in Utah too for Camden :)
It has been an emotional and eventful week. I forgot to mention Camden has missed 2 weeks of school because he's been so out of energy and his counts were very low. His energy is up now but he's not allowed to go until his blood work on Monday tells us his counts are up. But I don't suspect he'll be high energy next week with the intense chemo treatments Monday and Tuesday.
So that's our update! Lots of baldness around here! If anyone else desires to shave their head in honor of Camden, please send me a picture because I want to make a bald book for him!

Tooth fairy privileges

Here's the after. Sure enough, they popped out the most wiggly of the wigglers. They were kind enough to put the tooth in a cup for him to save for the tooth fairy. After his spinal tap, we headed back to the clinic for more chemo. He started a new phase of the treatments. This part of the process is called delayed intensification. He has already noticed the nausea and mentioned that it stinks he has to feel crummy again. The meds at night that taste nasty aren't very fun either. He enjoyed me pointing at the Dex drug mixed in his orange juice and making unholy faces while saying "you are so nasty! Gross gross gross!".
Cam was given some amazing gifts from a foundation that works with the clinic. Every child gets the age appropriate gifts. One of the gifts was a Nintendo DS! What the!!? Im grateful for the generosity of others but I would have preferred the chance to tal with Pat about the gifts first and figured out how to give them to him (earn them etc.). I'm afraid ALL of my kids especially Camden, are getting spoiled and will become ungrateful people if we don't monitor it all.
Maybe that's why Camden could care less there was a dollar under his pillow from the tooth fairy? Or maybe because he feels like crap?

If you are reading this and have a young child going through chemo or another long serious illness and they are being showered with gifts... Please leave a comment and let me know how you handle that. I'd write what we have decided to do but I don't have enough time, kids are attacking.

Wiggly teeth

Any time Camden has a spinal tap (he's had around 7 since diagnosis) they ask him if he has any wiggly teeth. This time we could say yes. Both bottom middle teeth are loose. They ask him this because if he has to go under anesthesia they could possibly have to pull them to prevent the possibility of it falling out and falling in his throat during the procedure. If that were to happen, the tooth could get lodged into a lung and cause major damage that would require risky surgery. Geesh! So dramatic. So here's the before picture...

Only in our world

Yesterday the kids enjoyed the pool and the hot tub. As I was watching them giggle and play, making the most of this happy childhood moment, I thought "who would guess one of these 3 just got home from a few hours of appts and chemo". About 10 minutes later he threw up on his way into the hot tub. If you hang out with us long enough, i guess there's a chance it would come up.

Happy baby

Only in our world

Fun in the sun, squirting water from Medicine Syringes and mouth care cups. Love it!

Easter bubbles

What's an Easter basket without a bubble wand?

Indulgence pep talk

So, I'm feeling down and I need to pep talk. Camden has been having a hard week since treatment last friday. He's being so sweet, it's just hard to see him not feeling himself. Headaches that last days, fatigue, soreness in his hands and feet including sharp pains. Nausea. As he walked from school to the car yesterday he was holding his head. I knew he had a headache right away. Darn Lumbar Puncture and Chemo... And Cancer.
He's been talking nice, getting his work done for school and music with out the usual complaint, complementing his siblings. The combination of extra sweet and extra pain gets me everytime. It just makes me sad to see him hurting you know? I just need to cry.
But I also was wondering if I feel more emotional too right now because I'm not indulging myself with sweets everytime I don't feel in control?? My friend Lisa and I have set a few physical goals to accomplish by June 30th, which includes weightloss. Pat and I are competing to get down to our goal weight by then too. We are not calorie counting unless it's a pure indulgence. I've got 100 indulgence calories to use a day or I can roll the over and cap it at 300. I really like this plan but it's been hard starting off. I didn't realize how often I pop something sweet into my mouth when I'm out of my groove or feeling tired or crazy.
I need to add scripture study and prayer and sleep into my weight loss plan. I know the Lord will help me with any goal I feel strongly about. Contentment in life is all about priorities. Putting first things first makes progress quicker, makes me feel empowered, motivated and upheld/ sustained/ supported.

I hate feeling helpless while I watch Cam struggle. But snacking isn't going to make him or myself feel better. I know that. I know Heavenly Father is watching over Camden and myself (and all of us, individually). He hears our prayers and knows the desires of our hearts. He has a greater plan. We are here on earth to progress, to be refined and to prepare to live with Him again. Not to mention feeling great contentment in his presence and to qualify for eternity with our sweet families!!
I'm hopefully going to learn how to deal with stress and helplessness in a healthier and more conscious way.
Through the strength of the Lord, I can do hard things.
Thanks for the pep talk, self.

Egg-cellent Saturday

Yesterday was full of Easter festivities, friends and fun. It started with the ward Easter egg hunt. I sat the kids down for a pep talk before the big hunt: "We may not get the most eggs, we may not be the fastest runners to an egg but it's fun to do our best and be with friends. We do not whine and cry and give up if things don't go our way". Kids all agreed. I thought the pep talk was directed towards Camden, because it wouldn't come as a surprise if he had a melt down in that setting. But he proved me wrong. The minute they said "go get 'em!" Cam was off happy and joyfully filling away. Meanwhile, Autrey is face down in the ground moaning "I can't do it" and Ellie is a nervous wreck. She didn't like the pressure. Now that was a surprise! 10 minutes later everyone was fine and sugar filled.
Our dear dear friends, the Colton's, came into town to pick up a new puppy and paid us a special visit! We went to The Farm at South Mountain to catch up and play. It was so nice to see them and great to see the kids playing so well again. We hope to see a lot of them even if they live a state away for now!
Later in the afternoon, Braddock, Ellie and I went to the Whipple's party. What a cute party with crafts, cookie decorating, a huge egg hunt and yummy themed snacks. We had a blast. Ellie and Morgan were glued at the hip and I enjoyed socializing in the beautiful breezy weather with friends.
We ended the day with a dip in the pool as a family and a movie in the tent...in the living room.
Great Saturday!

Blood draw, Spinal tap, Chemotherapy

Today is a longer day for us here at the clinic/hospital. It started at 9 with a blood draw. His blood counts are great which means spinal tap and chemo for the day are a go. Daddy left a work meeting to come pick up Braddock at 11am since siblings are not allowed in the hospital during RSV season. I'm hoping that's going ok for Pat. I hope he found an extra diaper in my car. Woopsies. Camden just went under anesthesia for his spinal tap here in the Out patient part of Phoenix Children's. I don't know why that part is still so hard for me. He's gone under more than 10 times in the past 12 weeks. Still, seeing him fall asleep that way really makes it hard for me not to tear up. He's been so social, kind and happy today. I am so proud of him. I believe I'll only have to wait 20 minutes before I go sit by him as he wakes up. Then we head back to the clinic for an hour of chemo. Thank you, Briana, for watching Ellie and Autrey and taxiing Ellie to and from Preschool while we are here :)
I was reminded by a friend that families are still praying for us. Thank you to all who are continuing to keep us in thoughts and prayers. We are out of survival mode. We are happy and busy. We are progressing and learning. I feel our family is growing closer :) I'm grateful for more emotional moment and quiet moments like this one, that remind me of what we've gone through these past 3 months. We HAVE progressed. I believe we have been changed for the better. Camden has grown stronger in every way. He is continuing to go to school and continuing to thrive there. Cam is done! Going back to be with him!
More updates to come.

Anndalyn Hobbs

Clinic

Monday, Braddock and I joined Camden for a few hours in the clinic for chemo. Camden loves it when Braddock comes, I wonder if that will be a fond memory for Cam or if it will bond the boys in some way as they grow older.
This phase of chemo hasn't been bad for Cam at all! That's wonderful. Unfortunately the kid has an ear infection right now and that bothers him more than anything. Sometimes he complains of pain in his hands, foot, and hangnails (hangnail pain is not a side affect of Chemo but he sure knows how to express how they make him feel, sheesh! ;)).
Camden had physical therapy this week as well. He's getting stronger. He really enjoys his sessions. She works him through games and play. It's so nice to see him stretching and trying without getting frustrated.
Hallee has been with us all week! So fun for all of us. We went to the Zoo, finally got some pictures hung on the walls and watched the third season of Downton Abbey. I wish we lived closer.

Big THANK YOU to all that donated to the race and joined our running/walking team last Saturday! Pictures and update to come!

How are we?

We are well, thank you.
Camden is getting stronger everyday. Saturday he was jumping in a small jump house at a birthday party and yelled out "Mom! I can jump!". Monday He jumped of the waterfall into the pool and came up yelling "Mom, It didn't hurt!". Sometimes I wonder if these stories give people the impression that Camden is/ was crippled in someway. He's not. He just lost a lot of core and leg strength from a combination of a lot of things including less activity, chemotherapy and fear of pain. Cam is very good at coddling pain. For example, when the Portacath was placed under his skin in his chest and the tube connected to the large vein in his neck, He went as long as he could without turning his head for fear it would cause more pain in his neck. Then his neck became stiff for awhile. So when he completely tries to isolate and ignore a part of his body that feels pain, over time he loses strength and mobility. If you saw him today you would say "he doesn't look sick, he acts like a normal 6 year old who hates homework, only eats Mac n cheese and loves Mario cart". But he's still not fully back yet. I would never sign him up for soccer today and He can't beat his 4 year old sister in a running race (which really bothers him). So these little accomplishments are big ones to him and us.
About pain tolerance. I have to add that Camden is a great patient for his Doctors and nurses. He barely flinched when they insert the needle into his port on Mondays. He trusts his medical team. He really is brave. He doesn't try to milk attention either. He's proud of his scar from the port, he's not happy with the idea of losing his hair and he's cool with us honoring him in a race but doesn't want to talk about it. He no longer cries when a bandaid is pealed off. He can swallow a pill. He does his mouth care without whining (80% of the time) and he finds joy in his small strides back to normal.
Camden has forgotten somehow how to appropriately respond to things not going his way. Or maybe he never knew, or maybe he's been spoiled over the last 3 months and doesn't care anymore. It's hard to say, but his tantrums are too often and too furious. That coupled with a sassy mouthed 4 year old girl and a 2 year old that makes a mess out of everything, and a 3 month old who doesn't care to sleep...
Maybe he can't handle things not going his way because his mom can't!? Poor boy. BUT, overall, Camden is FANTASTIC. We couldn't ask for a better recovery.
I hope to write soon about my dear, strong willed Ellie and Autrey the great. To come! Please leave questions if you have any so I can answer them for everyone. Thanks.
Anndalyn Hobbs

Team Camden's Courage: Run and/or Donate!

Anndalyn Hobbs 

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Hobbs, Patrick" <phobbs@Ensigngroup.net>
Date: February 27, 2013 10:44:55 PM MST
Subject: RE: Invitation to Join Camden's Courage in the Run to Fight Children's Cancer! March 9th

Friends:

To those who have already signed up to race/walk with team Camden's Courage or who have donated to Camden's fundraising team, we greatly appreciate it!

Camden set a goal of raising $10,000 for children's cancer research and for Phoenix Children's Hospital. He's 1/3 of the way there thanks to your generosity!!!

Please use the links below to sign up for the race and/or donate to his fundraising team. :)

Camden is doing amazingly well and progressing with his weekly chemotherapy treatment. He's back at school and able to participate with his friends in kindergarten. He started a weekly physical therapy session to regain the walking/running/jumping/hopping/etc abilities he had lost during the past several months of illness and treatment. He's been very brave and strong during this whole process! We're so proud of him!

We appreciate your prayers and support on his behalf!

Together we can do hard things!

Anndalyn and Pat (and CAMDEN, Ellie, Autrey and Braddock)
www.teamhobbs.blogspot.com


Register to Race:
https://www.active.com/register/index.cfm?event_id=2049396&subevent_id=1688476&team_id=1243207

Donate Now:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/anndalyn-hobbs/run-to-fight-childrens-cancer?mid=xJwUAA2&utm_campaign=website&utm_source=email&utm_term=email&utm_medium=email

Race Website:
http://www.runtofightcancer.com/

Please forward this to everyone you know who would want to get involved. Thanks for supporting this great cause and honoring our son Camden in the process!