THE BIKE

Rassie finally picked a bike.  He did lots of research. He did lots of  in store test runs and finally came out with one he liked.  It was sturdy, he like the way it 'felt', and it had good ratings. 

My brother, Michael, took him to pick it up.  As soon as he got home he assembled it along with the help of the kids!  He's been working on it everyday and has started setting goals for himself.  

Below are a a few of the pictures I snapped while he was putting the bike together.  Sorry for the quality, they were snapped from my cell phone.

Being good and reading the directions!

Opening up some boxes while the kids help. They're so curious.

Lane, happy to pose for the shot while Daddy is hard at work.

And yes, that is Mickey Mouse on the TV!

Sweet Scarlett helping out while Daddy puts the seat on.

Almost Done!

Putting the finishing touches on, tightening everything up.

Excuse the mess in the background!

Testing out the finished product!

Thank you Again to the person who helped make this possible.

A BIG Thank You

I'm not sure who you are. I do not know your situation.  I have no idea what motivates your generousity. 

I do, from the bottom of my heart, sincerely THANK YOU!

A few weeks ago I had blogged an update about Rassie.  In that blog I mentioned how Rassie and I were considering getting a stationary bike to help with the mobility of Rassie's right leg. (click here to read that blog).  Something about that blog reached out to one of our follower's and in return they reached out to us.

It probably took a week for me to realize someone was hunting me down! The kids had been sick. Rassie had phsycial therapy and his appointments.  I just hadn't been online much other than through my phone.  I use that mostly for facebook and pictures.   I believe it was late Friday night when I was checking all my messages.  Rassie and I both had one on  facebook. It was from a nice lady who works for a non-profit organization called Giving Anonymously. She explained to me who she was, what  GA was, and that she had sent several emails.  I also found a message from her on the comments here :)   .   So I went through my email.  Read them all.  And went to work researching Giving Anonymously.  Let's face it, this is the internet and we never know who we can trust.   I was very skeptical about what I was reading. 

 

It didn't take long to convince me that GA was a legit company. I found several articles that helped me to feel more comfortable with who they are and what they do.  And I read over their own personal site.  http://www.givinganon.org/ .  Here are a few articles I found about them.  Local charity Giving Anonymously nominated for MSN award and Making a Difference from the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams in which they were nominated for an MSN Butterfly Award.

Rassie and I decided to accept the gift and verify our mailing address.

We were both blown away by the generousity of a 'stranger'.  We have no idea who this person is but any person willing to give such a gift will always have a place in our hearts.  Words cannot describe how thankful we are to have such a great support system out there.

Today we recieved the check from Giving Anonymously in the mail.  I did call the number and leave my name, the amount of the check and a short thank you.  Honestly, that thank you didn't do you justice.  We are much more appreciative than it sounded. I just couldn't find the words to express how greatful we are to you.  May God Bless you for what you have made possible for us.

 

For those of you wondering, let me get to it.  The person used Giving Anonymously to give us a cash gift that will go towards the purchase of a stationary bike for Rassie.  We're are now one step closer!  And in the future, when possible we plan on Paying it Forwad to another individual, whoever that might be.

Thank you all again for the support that you show to my husband, myself and my family.  We could not get through this without all of you and your support and prayers for us.

God Bless & Good Night

I guess I'm a  little behind on all my updates.  Rassie had an appointment with Dr. F last Wednesday. It was at the physical medicine and rehabilitatin department of Scott & White.  Dr. F watched Rassie walk this time. But he didn't poke and prod and all the normal stuff he does. I guess that's because he had seen Rassie 2 weeks prior to that and checked out all his accomplishments then! He wrote a prescription for Rassie to get an ankle brace for his right ankle. Sometimes he doesn't realize he rolls it or starts to walk on the side of it because he can't feel it still.  Rassie has done really good about watching his feet though to make sure he's standing on them properly.  Mainly just the right one.  He has great range of motion with the left. Another follow up to come in 2-4 weeks.

I am proud to say that Rassie has been wheel chair free for about the last 3 weeks. Prior to that he was only using the wheel chair as needed.   Rassie has also been walking with a cane for the last 3 weeks also. He as graduated from a quad cane to a straight cane (just a regular cane).  And the insurance has paid for him to go and get his own. He did have one on loan from the physical therapy dept.

We are all so proud of the progress he has made and is making.   Last October was a very hard time for all of us.  I still remember standing at the foot of his bed while the doctors asked him to move his toes and feet and he couldn't. I remember walking into his ER room with my brother and telling him we were in the wrong room.  My brother thought we were too.  On the phone Rassie had said he hurt his back.  When we walked into the ER room there was a man laying flat on his back. A neck brace, oxygen mask and all kinds of monitors.  Not something I expected to see, to say the least. It has been on long journey but we are making it.  Most importantly, Rassie IS making it and he IS improving.  It's all we have hoped for.

On another note, Rassie has an oncology appointment comping up on June 2nd.  Not sure what's in store for us yet.  The past few oncology appointments have been pretty calm and routine.  Go in, ask your questions, doctor asks his questions, check vitals, go over labs, etc.  Pretty much they make sure everything is going smoothly.  I have a feeling Rassie will be having a bone marrow biopsy in the near future but I guess I won't really know until after June 2nd.  I'll keep y'all posted!

Thanks for following along on our journey.  We really appreciated the continued support and prayers.  There's always strength in numbers and God knows that each and every one of you are praying!

God Bless!

An Oldie but A Goodie

Thought I'd share a smile

I want to cry

Tears of happiness.  I guess I haven't been on much with the kids being sick and 3 appointments for them alone this week.  Plus, we had Rassie's phsyical therapy and another physical med & rehab appointment.   I try to keep up with everyone through the internet on my phone and my options are a little limited there.

Ok, back to the tears of happiness.  There are some really kind hearted people out there.  Tonight as I was catching up on everything through the little screen on my cell phone I came across a message on Facebook from a volunteer who works for a non-profit organization called  Giving Anonymously. Apparently, they had made several attempts to contact me with little success.  But finally tonight, I read through some of the attempts and invesitigated the organization.

Someone who has been following my blog and Rassie's story was touched and wanted to send Rassie a gift.  They are helping us to get one step closer to buying Rassie a stationary bike that he can use here at home in an attmept to strengthen his legs and get better.  It literally melts my heart to know that there are people in this world who want to help.  I feel that our family is extremely Blessed to have the support of our friends and family in Rassie's journey to recovery.  I truely believe Rassie will beat CML and Walk again! 

Dear Kind Hearted Giver,

Rassie and I are very thankful for your generousity.  We never excepted someone to reach out to us with a gift like this.  God has wonderful things in store for you.  You are truely one of a kind. Thank you!

From the bottom of our hearts,

Amber & Rassie

Coming up on 6

Rassie is coming up on the 6 month mark since he started his Gleevec.  All I can say is 'WOW'.  These last 5 months have really flown.  Of course its been a little longer than that since we found out Rassie had leukemia and was diagnosed with CML.  September 25, 2009 will be forever etched in our minds.

I remember it like it was yesterday.  It was a beautiful day outside. The bright sun, the warm air.  Just beautiful.  Rassie went in for a routine appointment that morning and it turned into labs and stat CT scan set for later that day.   We were waiting for the results of the labs to see if Rassie had to be admitted to the hospital through the ER.  We weren't sure why at this point. 

I remember Rassie getting ready to head out the door for his CT scan when my cell phone rang and it was Dr. R.  She told me Rassie's white count was extremely high and he needed to skip the CT scan and go ahead to the ER to be admitted.  I asked about the high white count being an infection and Dr. R told me "No" . With counts this high it was something more serious but we would have to wait until we got to the hospital to find out.

Rassie went ahead of me while I waited for my little brother and then my mom to get here and watch the kids. I wasn't 10 minutes behind him.  But in that short time Dr. R had already been in and given the diagnoses.  When I arrived she came back in and gave it all over again.  I remember hugging and crying with Rassie after she left the room. 

There were so many questions and not enough answers.  Dr. R was only a resident and wasn't allowed to give us the answers we wanted. We had to wait an ENTIRE night before we finally got to speak with the staff oncologist.  As scary as leukemia sounded, Dr. H eased my fears and gave me great hope that things would be ok. 

The few days Rassie spent in the hospital getting his white blood count under control felt like a lifetime.  His counts were dropping and that was great. The doctors kept saying he would get to go home in a few days. The nurses kept saying he would be there a while with counts that high. Rassie's count started at 358,000 and normal count ranged from 4,000 - 10,000.  I prayed everyday that God would bring Rassie home to the kids and I. And He did.  God is good.

Rassie has been very Blessed with how his body has handled the Gleevec.  After all, it is chemo.  It just comes in the form of a pill.  Thank you God for keeping my love strong through it all.

God Bless

Walking

Rassie hasn't used a wheel chair in a week!  You have no idea just how exciting this is to us.  Rassie is walking all over the place.  It's funny to think about it but he and Lane are going through milestones together.  Lane learned to crawl and Rassie is learning to walk.  Both my boys are making me proud. 

Rassie is also seeing things from a whole new perspective all over again.  I guess I never realized just how much you miss when you're sitting in a wheel chair.  He feels like he's able to do and see more now that he's up on his feet again.  Rassie is seeing things that are on higher shelves and such that have been there for months but he just never noticed on his level.  Now that he's standing and can see over alot of things he's always asking "did you know this was here?"  "how long has this been like that?"  etc. Everytime he discovers something new it makes me smile.

Rassie's new brace is serving him well.  The wires on it were tightened a little too much and screws not enough, so the lock wouldn't stay released when he needed to bend his leg.  Made it through the weekend just fine though, seeing as the brace has 2 different lock releases.  We went in today and CPO had it fixed in less than 30. 

For now he has a return appointment to S&W: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Dept. on May 5th.  Dr. F had requested a 3-4 week return apointment but was all booked up.  So it was a 2 week or 6 week return and the receptionist opted for the 2 week. 

S&W: Physical Therapy Dept. submittied a requested for extended PT therapies.  Another 12 sessions end May 5th.  Can you believe by this time next Wednesday Rassie will have undergone 24 phyiscal therapy sessions?   By the end of the first 12 sessions Rassie had learned to walk with a walker.  By the end of this 12 sessions Rassie has received his brace and learned to walk with a cane.  I am hoping that by the end of the next sessions (is approved) Rassie will be walking without the cane!  Optimisim is a great medicine and I'm glad God has showed me how to keep the faith.

On another note, we are considering getting a stationary bicycle for Rassie.  It needs to be one with heel a support along with the strap that goes across the top of the foot to help keep his right foot in place.  It will help with the movement in Rassie's right leg. The one he can't feel.  The movement and rotation will help move and flex those muscles and joints such as the ankles and knees that don't get any movement without help.  Hoping that we can find one for a reasonable price.  Or if you know of anyone selling one let us know.

Thanks for your continued support.

Good Night & God Bless

Quick Update

Rassie is doing great.  His next lab draw is Monday the 26th.  And his next oncology appointment is scheduled for June 2nd.

Physical therapy is going great. Rassie is doing AWESOME.  And he also had a PM&R appointment Wednesday with Dr. F.  Rassie has upgraded from a walker to a cane and is using the wheel chair less and less.  This is so amazing! And I love not having to load the wheel chair everytime we go somewhere! He still lacks feeling from his knee down in his right leg but is making improvement movement wise.  Rassie can now feel the bottom of his left foot but not the top and his left leg is a little patchy with feeling from the knee down.   The knot on Rassie's back is still present.  I wish that  ugly thing would just go away already!  When it finally decides to dissolve itself , Rassie's nerves will start functioning more properly and he'll have even greater improvement.  Dr. F was very happy with the way things are going. So are we.  I told Rassie we just have to keep pushing through.  Each time he has a new appointment and shows improvement he are just one step closer to reaching his ultimate goal. 

Rassie's leg brace finally came today. I will ultimately have to take a picture because I cannot describe it very well.  It's two big pieces of  "plastic" that form to his thigh and lower legs.  It velcros on and has a hinge on each side of the knee.  Rassie wears some type of big cotton leg sock under it.  He is able to lock and unlock when he needs to bend or straighten his knee.  This afternoon was his first time wearing it.  His only complaint so far is that it doesn't stay unlocked or he hasn't figured out how to keep it that way so we're going to make a phone call on Monday to get it figure out.

I know Rassie is so excited to be up standing and walking, cane and all.  He's loving it and why wouldn't he be?  This is a very big milestone for our entire family.   I am very proud of my husband and I thank God everyday for what He has done for us. I now know and trust that God will never give us more than we can handle.  He does however present us with things in life that will make us stronger.  We just have to have faith and keep faith.  Our God is and awesome God!

Rassie walking back from checking the mail!

God Bless & Good Night