some new pictures

Soo much has been going on..

Wow, I have not been on here in so long. I'm sorry everyone. Everything has been so busy/crazy. Alot has happened since the last time I was on here.

I am getting so big now. I am 9 months 19 lbs and 29in long. I still don't have any hair but once chemo is done I am for sure I will grow some. I love hair. The fun part about it is when I pull mommy's or nana's it makes their head go sideways and they get these weird looks on their faces and say "ouch". It makes me laugh. I still haven't got the crawling down. I just love to roll and be held. I can stand up holding onto the couch tho. That is very fun. I love all my toys I have too. I learned a new game, I throw it on the ground and someone picks it up for me, I do it again and they pick it up again. Its so much fun. I love kisses and hugs too.

First, I made a few trips to the Kaiser's ER for a fever, then transported to UCSF. Thankfully, nothing was wrong. Kaiser wasn't very clean about getting their tests. Their test showed I had some bad infections. When I got there UCSF took some more blood (the right way) and I had to stay there for 2 days just to make sure I didn't have those bad infections. Nana Jill made a very cool video of everything on her blog for everything that has happened. Take a look at it.

NOW, onto the best news ever. The past 2 times I went to UCSF for chemotherapy the tumor was "dead". Dr O'Brien called it "non active". The doctors are very optomistic about this being my last chemo. The only reason why I have to get the last 2 times and maybe 1 more time is because there is some "hazziness" or "seeds" in the jelly part of my eye. They don't laser anymore, which I LOVE because my eyes heal a lot faster and don't hurt so much. I have to go back December 1st to have the final decision made. I won't be able to eat then they will put me to sleep to look into my eye and see for sure if there is no more hazziness.

I am having faith that this last time was the offical last time. If so, I will have to still go back to UCSF to have routine eye exams to make sure everything is ok and no other cells grow back.

Thank you everyone for praying for me. It has helped in every way.

It's Working!

Hey everyone! Thank you for all of the prayers, it's working! I had my second Chemo treatment on Tuesday June 16. Mommy, Daddy, Nanna and Papa took me to UCSF to see all my nice doctors and nurses. It's kind of a rough deal cause I have to get up early, drive to San Francisco (well Nanna actually drove), they won't feed me and this really gets me mad! Oh well, I guess one day out of the month I can miss a meal. I got to see Dr. O'Brien again, first. She's the nice lady that gives me the sleepy medicine and looks in my eyes. I went to sleep and woke up kind of scared, but Mommy and Daddy were right there and I started feeling better after a few hours later. Dr. O'Brien came in to talk to us and she told us that the tumor is shrinking!!!! and something about calcification too! I guess that means the tumor is dying and getting hard. Wow, that was good news for all of us! So keep those prayers going....It really works!!!

I had two days of Chemo. Day one was a little rougher cause I was still kind of upset from being asleep and my eye was pretty sore. The next day I was sleeping through most of it and it was shorter cause I only had to have one medicine instead of three. Even with all of this going on I did discover something new! My feet! Wow, they are pretty cool. Now while I lay in the bed getting treatments I have these fun, chubby things to play with. My next challenge is to get them in my mouth. I've come close, but they keep getting away from me.

I've been practicing my singing too! Mommy wants me to hurry up and talk English, but I'm having so much fun just singing out sounds and watching everyone make silly faces at me, that I might just wait a while on that!

papa is funny

Labs

Today I went to another really cool place, Mommy said it was UC Davis. I went there to get some of that red stuff that comes out of my new toy, the Broviac, Mommy said it was blood. She said they have to borrow some to see how I was doing with the medicines they gave me last week. Then my the Broviac had to be cleaned and flushed. I was a big boy. I didn't even cry..well until I had to get that clear sticky tape taken off so the nurse could clean around the hurt. Mommy and Nanna were there to kiss me and hug me to make the hurt go away and make me feel all better :)
In a couple weeks, I have to go back to that far away place with the fishys to get more medicine and another eye test..just to make sure the medicine is working. Dr. O'Brien might be able to laser some of the tumor when I'm sleeping. That way I can get off all these medicines faster.
I want to say thanks to everyone thats praying for me and Mommy. Your prayer are seriously working. I've been such a strong big boy and thank you Jesus for keeping you angels and arms around me and Mommy. If we didn't have Jesus it would be way worse. Mommy tells me Jesus knows what I can and cannot handle, so I know I will be ok and have a great testimony to tell my younger cousins, friends, other family, and also to remind myself how much Jesus really does love me :D

Jett Right After Surgery

In the recovery room. I was getting upset because I wanted to leave that room & go play with the fishys.

My First Treatment

Early Friday, May 22nd, morning we had to get up and drive a very long way. It was me, Mommy, Nanna, Uncle Travy & Auntie Heidi, Cousin Colton, Uncle Philip & Auntie Kate, Pawpaw & Memaw Barb. We all went to the fun hospital where there are fishys and very nice people that think I'm very handsome. I'm still not sure on what that means but I love the attention. When we got there Mommy took me to a room where they put this funny shirt on me. Mommy called it a hospital gown. After that they gave me more sleepy medicine. When I woke up Mommy and Auntie Heidi were there. Mommy called me her Champ and Trooper. When I was sleeping the doctor gave me this really cool new toy called a Broviac. Mommy won't let me play with it. She says it can hurt me if i pull on it too hard.
Mommy took me to another cool room where I had my own bed, fridge, chair, and video games. I met a friend named Steven that was on the other side of the room. I have exciting news, the nice doctors came in my room and told me that they looked over the pictures they took and they thought the tumor was bigger then it actualy was. They lowerd my doseage of the chemotherapy. I was supposed to get 2 days of Carboplatin, 2 days of Etoposide, 1 day of Vincristine, and after the treatment I would get G-CSF. But Jesus made my tumor smaller and the doctors decided to lower the dosage to 1 day of Carboplatin, 2 days of Etoposide, 1 day of Vincristine, and NO G-SCF.
The next day, really early, around 2am the nice doctor came and gave me my first dose of chemotherapy. Mommy said I did very good. I slept through the whole thing and so did Mommy. Nanna sat with me during the treatment. That whole day was a fun day. I had some of my family there. Cousin Colton was there. He was trying to steal my Mommy. I didn't like that very much.
Sunday morning around 2am, again, they gave me my last dose of the medicine. This time wasn't as fun. I kept drooling and spitting. Mommy said I was nauseated. But after while I was feeling back to normal. The doctors said we won't see the whole effect of the chemo until 7 days after the treatments. I will probably lose my hair, but I don't mind because I barely have any hair right now.
The next few days flew by really fast, but was fun. I went and got my hearing checked (just in case). I had to sleep through the whole thing. It was not a problem for me because I was very tired. The hearing lady told Mommy and Nanna I passed with flying colors.
Now, I'm home. I have a in home nurse that will come over and help mommy give me baths and to clean my new toy, the Broviac.

The Beginning

Wow, I've only been here four months and life is already exciting....and changing rapidly for me. I figured the best way to remember this is to write it all down so that when I'm older, I can look back and know what a miracle God has done.
My mom says I'm the cutest in the world... not sure what all that means, but sounds good. She took me to the doctor because my eye was looking funny. My family even noticed it. On May 16, 2009, mom took me to the ER to get my eye checked. The nice doctors looked me over and decided to send me to a specialist. Dr Ruben, who is a pediatric opthomologist. On May 18th we went to see him. Me, Mom and Nanna. After the doctor looked me over, he sent me in to have them put goopy stuff on my eyes and rub a stick over them. They called it an ultra sound...I called it goop! Then Dr. Ruben told my mom that I had Retinoblastoma. Dr. Ruben sent us to San Francisco to meet Dr. O'Brien on May 19th. Dr. O'Brien gave me sleepy medicine so I don't know much, but Mommy said she looked at my eyes very carefully to see how bad the Retinoblastoma was. They took a cool picture to see my bones, Mommy called it an xray. Then they took another cool picture to see the tissues in my eyes, Mommy called that an MRI. After all that was done they gave mommy all kinds of information for my next appointment to start my chemotherapy. I have to have the medicine once a month for two days.